Twelve teams have already booked their places in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. However, another seven will go to battle for the final four spots this week during Matchday 6 of the group stage.
In Group B, Tottenham and Inter Milan are duking it out for second place after FC Barcelona wrapped up first place. Over in Group F, Lyon and Shakhtar Donetsk will square off, with the winner advancing to the round of 16.
However, the drama will be at its highest in Group C where Liverpool, Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain are still alive. Most attention will be squarely focused on Anfield where the Reds welcome Napoli on Tuesday with several implications in play.
With so much on the line, here are the keys for each team that remains in the hunt for the Champions League knockout stage.
Lyon: Spread the pitch
Tanguy Ndombele, Memphis Depay, Nabil Fekir and Maxwel Cornet have played crucial roles in Lyon’s Champions League campaign. But it might be time to start highlighting left-back Ferland Mendy.
Mendy’s progression since joining Lyon in the summer of 2017 has been terrific to watch. The 23-year-old’s ability to bomb forward and deliver precise crosses into the box has added a new dimension to Les Gones‘ attack.
Considering Shakhtar Donetsk also exploit the flanks often, which they did very well in the 2-2 draw with Lyon on Matchday 2, Mendy could be very busy on Wednesday.
Shakhtar Donetsk: Load the midfield
Assuming Tanguy Ndombele is fit to start, Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonseca has one major priority: Ensure Ndombele isn’t allowed to exploit open space in the midfield to launch Lyon’s counter-attacks.
Ndombele and Houssem Aouar picked apart Manchester City on the break, so Shakhtar’s midfield duo in Maycon and Taras Stepanenko might need extra support from Taison or one of the wingers to counteract Lyon’s dynamic midfielders.
Liverpool: Press Marek Hamsik
This might be easier said than done, but Liverpool’s best approach should involve hounding Marek Hamsik when he’s in possession.
The reason why is pretty simple.
Hamšík + Mertens = #UCL @sscnapoli pic.twitter.com/xebdsvfJEF
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 6, 2018
Hamsik is not a typical deep-lying midfielder as he’s spent most of his Napoli career in an advanced position. But he’s still a fine orchestrator in the heart of the midfield.
The Slovakian doesn’t have top endurance, either. He’s normally substituted out of a match by the hour mark, so if Liverpool harry Hamsik for most of the night, then they could force a crucial turnover and find the necessary breakthrough.
Napoli: Replicate the Matchday 2 game-plan
Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti deployed a sound strategy in the 1-0 win over Liverpool in Italy that stymied the Reds.
Ancelotti combated the high press by keeping one fullback – Nikola Maksimovic in this case – closer to the centre-backs, who were shielded by Allan and Hamsik. Left-back Mario Rui was pushed higher up the pitch, which provided a wide outlet for the midfielders. This ensured that Napoli wasn’t outnumbered by Liverpool’s gegenpress.
A draw is enough for Napoli to secure a spot in the last 16, so there is no pressure to score. If they replicate this system, there may even be a couple of scoring opportunities like the first match in Naples.
PSG: Overcome the hostile atmosphere
Red Star Belgrade has four points in Group C, all of which were earned at home. They opened the campaign with a 0-0 draw versus Napoli, then stunned Liverpool 2-0 on Matchday 4, so the Serbian giants are no strangers to foiling the big boys inside Red Star Stadium.
This will be Paris Saint-Germain’s biggest obstacle. Red Star goalkeeper Milan Borjan mentioned in an interview with Sportsnet the raucous atmosphere as a reason behind the club’s triumphant results in Group C, so PSG needs to manage this.
The French champions have superior individual quality, so it should be a straightforward victory. However, if Red Star start on the front foot like the Liverpool match, then it could be a tricky fixture for PSG.
Tottenham: Get Ben Davies involved
Kieran Tripper and Serge Aurier are doubtful to start for Tottenham against Barcelona on Tuesday, so Kyle Walker-Peters will likely receive the nod at right-back for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
This means that there will be extra responsibilities for left-back Ben Davies. Spurs tend to create attacks via the flanks, although Trippier is especially important for Tottenham’s attacking build-up.
The England international is fourth in passes per match (55.8) and second in key passes (1.8) per game among Tottenham players in the Premier League this season, via WhoScored.com. However, Trippier’s 3.7 key passes per 90 minutes leads the entire squad in this year’s Champions League.
Therefore, Davies will likely be crucial at Camp Nou. Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen may also be leaned upon more, especially with Alli in sensational form entering Tuesday’s game.
Inter: Don’t concede space in behind on the flanks
PSV Eindhoven may only have one point in Group B, but they’ve threatened every one of their opponents in the group stage thus far.
This is why Inter has to be on high alert. With Steven Bergwijn and Hirving Lozano on either flank, PSV can spring a rapid counter-attack at a moment’s notice.
If the Nerazzurri fullbacks are caught high up the pitch, then PSV will take advantage. It’s a delicate balancing act because Inter will want to win to guarantee a spot in the knockout stage, so they will likely control the majority of possession, which could leave them exposed.
Luckily for Inter manager Luciano Spalletti, he has a quality deep-lying midfielder in Marcelo Brozovic and a world-class centre-back duo of Milan Skriniar and Stefan de Vrij who can snuff out the danger.
[relatedlinks]
