Champions League crunch time for some big names as pressure piles on Europe’s elite

PARIS – Liverpool, Barcelona and Inter Milan may boast a combined 14 titles in Europe’s premier club tournament, but they still have their work cut out to ensure their tickets to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

While the top eight secure direct entry to the last 16, teams placed ninth to 24th must navigate an additional two-legged play-off round to join them.

Arsenal, Bayern Munich, holders Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Atalanta have all already secured their places in at least the knockout phase play-offs.

This leaves a number of European heavyweights still unsure of their presence when the business end of the Champions League begins.

AFP Sport looks at three big-hitters bidding to seal qualification as the league phase enters its penultimate match day.

Inter Milan

Of the teams in pole position to ensure progression, Serie A leaders Inter face the toughest task as they must bounce back from defeat last time out against Liverpool, when they take on the only team with a 100 per cent record so far, Arsenal.

However, Cristian Chivu’s side can count on no favours from the Gunners at the San Siro on Jan 20, as the English Premier League leaders will be desperate to sew up a top-eight finish ahead of the final round of league-phase fixtures on Jan 28.

As the season turns the corner towards its final stretch, Chivu said after the 1-0 Serie A win over Udinese on Jan 17 that he believes his team are really starting to understand the way he wants them to play.

“The desire to learn from this team is remarkable,” said the Romanian. “What we’re displaying on the pitch is a testament to the desire of these players, because it’s not easy to change habits.”

One habit he will not want his players to change, however, is Inter’s strong record against Arsenal, whom they have bested in three of their four Champions League meetings.

Liverpool

Under-fire manager Arne Slot has stopped the rot with Liverpool now on a 12-match unbeaten run but with their chances of retaining their Premier League crown dwindling with each passing week, the Anfield hierarchy will be putting more and more emphasis on a successful Champions League run.

The six-time champions visit Marseille’s Stade Velodrome on Jan 21, when a win would constitute a big step towards booking a last-16 spot and ease the pressure on Slot following a run of four successive draws in the league.

The Dutchman said ahead of Liverpool’s frustrating 1-1 draw at home to newly promoted Burnley last weekend that he was “happy” to have Mohamed Salah return from Africa Cup of Nations duty.

Should the Egyptian make his club return, he could bring a much-needed cutting edge to the Reds’ lacklustre attack of late.

Barcelona

Trailing slightly behind the main pack of qualification contenders are Hansi Flick’s La Liga-leading Barcelona, whose 11-match winning run in all competitions ended with a 2-1 loss at Real Sociedad at the weekend.

Last season’s semi-finalists sit back in 15th place with 10 points, and the German coach is eager to quickly turn the page as they make the trip to Slavia Prague on Jan 21.

“The result doesn’t reflect our performance,” he said. “We have to keep going in this direction. On Wednesday, it’s time to win in Prague.” AFP