Four teams — AC Milan, Salzburg, Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk — will be vying for spots in the knock-out stages of the Champions League when Wednesday’s matches are played.
With Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica having already qualified for the next round, most of the matches in Groups E, F, G and H on Wednesday are of academic interest, though for some it will also be about qualifying for the Europa League.
But two games, Shakhtar Donetsk versus Leipzig and the AC Milan-Salzburg contest, carry a lot of significance for all the four teams involved. In Group E, from where Chelsea have already ensured progression, Milan will just need a draw against Salzburg to make it to the second qualifying place. However, a win for Salzburg will see them take the second spot.
Group F flaunts an almost similar equation. While Leipzig require only a draw to qualify, Ukranian side Shakhtar will have to win to finish second in their group. Real Madrid, who play Celtic on Wednesday, have secured a place in the knock-outs.
Blues not complacent
Chelsea, with 10 points and a last-16 berth already in their kitty, could have taken their game against Dinamo Zagreb easy, but they will not.
They are eager to bounce back from their heavy Premier League defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion and so will put out a team to win against Zagreb, manager Graham Potter said on Tuesday.
Chelsea were thrashed 1-4 by Potter’s former side in the league at the weekend as he suffered his first loss since taking charge at Stamford Bridge.
Potter said they needed to respect the competition and that he would not be pressured into fielding youngsters in the final group game against Zagreb on Wednesday.
“We have to prepare to win, we are at home, we want to finish off well. We want to respond from the weekend. We will pick a team we think can win,” he told reporters. “It’s not a time just to use youngsters for the sake of it.”
Zagreb, who are bottom on four points, stunned Chelsea 1-0 in the group opener when the Londoners were still managed by Thomas Tuchel, and Potter is keen to avoid taking them for granted.
“Dinamo are a talented and dangerous side. Good width and well organised. A quality team. They’ve earned the right to be here, we have to be ready for them. We want to finish off the competition well,” Potter said.
Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga will miss out after coming off at Brighton with a foot injury but midfielder Mateo Kovacic could feature following a recent calf problem.
He also dismissed concerns about the form of forward Raheem Sterling, who has come in for criticism after scoring just four times in all competitions this season.
“Every player has times where it doesn’t go as well as they’d like it too. It’s too easy to zoom in on individuals, you need to look at the team and how they’re functioning,” Potter said.
No Haaland
Wednesday’s Manchester City-Sevilla game has little riding on it for either team. City is sure of topping the group and Sevilla will finish third. City manager Pep Guardiola will therefore not be risking playing a yet-to-recover Erling Haaland.
Guardiola confirmed that Haaland will miss the game at Etihad Stadium. The Norwegian striker had also been ruled out of the 1-0 win at Leicester in the Premier League on Saturday because of ligament damage in his foot. Guardiola said Haaland is improving but “still not 100 per cent” and is not training with the team.
“We don’t want to take a risk, there’s no sense.”
The Spaniard had words of encouragement for Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips, both of whom recently underwent surgeries, and said that duo has good chances of recovering in time to play for England at the Qatar World Cup.
