The top half of the table in the Champions League is certainly a lot less dramatic than the bottom half of the table. Five of the eight slots in the knockout rounds are already locked up, and for all intents and purposes, Manchester City is already in the last 16 as well. Only Group B is left with any drama of the four groups, and we'll see how that plays out on the penultimate match day in the 2016-17 UCL.
These Champions League duels will go down Wednesday, November 23, 2016, with most of the kickoffs taking place at 2:45 p.m. ET. The Arsenal/PSG match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1, while the Ludogorets/FC Basel affair can be seen on FOX Sports 2.
Champions League Odds at BookMaker.eu
FC Rostov ( +1200 ) vs. Bayern Munich
Besiktas ( +165 ) vs. Benfica
Arsenal ( +135 ) vs. PSG
Atletico Madrid ( -400 ) vs. PSV Eindhoven
Borussia Monchengladbach ( +320 ) vs. Manchester City
Celtic ( +1100 ) vs. Barcelona
Ludogorets ( +155 ) vs. FC Basel
Napoli ( -250 ) vs. Dynamo Kiev
The only drama left in Group A is who's finishing first and who's finishing third, both answers of which we'll probably get on Wednesday. The Arsenal/PSG match is one of the best of the day for sure, as it will decide who finishes first and who finishes second. The Gunners are definitely out to stay away from that second place finish, as that could setup a game against a nightmare opponent in the Round of 16. A draw is probably ultimately good enough, but a win will remove any doubt of qualifying as the Group A winners. Ludogorets and Basel are in the same boat at the bottom of the table. The winner of that match will advance to the Europa League, while the loser will see its European campaign come to a close.
Group B is where all of the drama lies. Napoli and Benfica are on seven points, while Besiktas is on six, and only two of those three teams can advance. Napoli has a match in which it absolutely has to get three points against Dynamo Kiev at home, while Benfica and Besiktas will battle it out on Turkish soil. If the Super Liga team can take at least a point, that will setup a dramatic last day for both teams. If Benfica snares the full share of the spoils though, that will end the drama and very likely send both Napoli and Benfica into the knockout rounds.
Manchester City has already resigned itself to have to play against a group winner in the first knockout round, but it's hard to say that wasn't expected. The Citizens are on seven points in spite of the fact that they were able to split six points in two games with mighty Barcelona. There's some work left to do here, but at least getting a point against Borussia Monchengladbach will get the job done. Even if that match is lost, a win against Celtic would probably lock it up on December 6.
Group D has the least drama, at least this week. Both Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich are certainly winning on Wednesday night, and if that turns out to be the case, that's going to setup a cracker of a match against Atletico Madrid for first place in the group. Bayern Munich will certainly have the superior goal differential, and a win in that match against the Atleti will send them through. Technically, Atletico Madrid has nothing to play for here against PSV unless you really think that Rostov is going to get anything from Bayern Munich, a highly unlikely result and one that will be known before the team takes the pitch. Either way, the Spanish side will have to get a result on the road to win Group D.
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