Amsterdam: After four match-days, only a few teams have already qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League. German titleholders Bayern Munich, English giants Chelsea and Spanish titans Real Madrid have all booked their tickets for the next round already. Nevertheless, there are still thirteen spots up for grabs ahead of match-day five.
In Group A, Tottenham Hotspur and Inter currently sit joint first in the table with seven points, while Twente are third with five points. A win on Wednesday will be enough for Tottenham to progress to the knock-out stages but a draw against Werder Bremen means that they'll have to get a result against Twente on match-day six. Inter will qualify for the next round if they defeat Twente but anything less than victory won't be enough just yet.
In Group B, Lyon sit at the top of the table with nine points, while Schalke have collected seven points and Benfica six. Lyon will qualify for the next round if they beat Schalke on Wednesday, while a draw could also be enough if Benfica fail to beat Hapoel Tel Aviv. Schalke will only book their ticket for the knockout phase if they beat Lyon and Benfica lose their match against the Israel side.
Elsewhere, Manchester United are sitting in pole position to progress to the next round with ten points from four games. Valencia have accumulated seven points so far, while Rangers have five points and can still make it as well. Anything but a loss against Rangers will send Manchester United through. For Valencia, a draw against Bursaspor will be enough to progress in case Rangers lose against Manchester. Nevertheless, if Rangers draw against United, Valencia need the full three points against Bursaspor.
In Group D, Barcelona and Copenhagen have so far collected eight and seven points respectively and are well on their way to the next round. Barcelona are through if they beat Panathinaikos but even a draw or a loss could be enough if Rubin fail to beat Copenhagen. The Danes qualify for the next round if they win on Wednesday but a draw could also be enough for Copenhagen if Pana are not able to beat Barcelona.
Furthermore, Bayern Munich have already booked their ticket from Group E, while Roma, Basel and Cluj are all still in the running as well. Roma are only through to the next round if they beat Bayern Munich on Tuesday and Cluj and Basel draw in the other game. The Romanians and Swiss can still make it to the knockout stages yet but can't do so just yet.
In Group F, Chelsea are already through to the next round, while Spartak Moscow and Olympique de Marseille will have to fight it out for second spot. Spartak will qualify for the knockout stages if they beat the French on Tuesday, no matter what the scoreline is. Marseille not only need to pick up the full three points but they have to score at least twice to be sure of making it to the round of sixteen.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid have already qualified from Group G, while Milan and Ajax are the top candidates for the second position. Milan are through to the next round if they manage to beat Auxerre on Tuesday and Ajax lose their match against Real Madrid. All other results mean that this group will be decided on match-day 6.
In Group H, Arsenal and Shakhtar Donestk sit joint atop of the table with nine points, while Braga have collected six points so far. Arsenal progress to the next round if they win or draw against Braga. For Shakhtar, beating Partizan will be enough if Braga don't defeat Arsenal. The Ukrainians could even progress if they draw their match and the Portuguese lose against England.
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