Consider this Wednesday the day of separation in Groups A through D in the Champions League. The teams we figured to be at the top of each of the groups have pulled through in the first two matches in the group stage, and with wins on Wednesday, all of the drama could really be sucked right out of the last three matches days of the biggest club competition in the world.
These Champions League duels will go down Wednesday, October 19, 2016, with most of the kickoffs taking place at 2:45 p.m. ET. The PSG/Basel match will be televised live on ESPN2, while the Arsenal/Ludogorets affair can be seen on FOX Sports 2.
Champions League Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arsenal ( -615 ) vs. FK Ludogorets
Rostov ( +957 ) vs. Atletico Madrid
Barcelona ( -185 ) vs. Manchester City
Napoli ( -250 ) vs. Besiktas
PSG ( -450 ) vs. Basel
Dynamo Kiev ( +145 ) vs. Benfica
Bayern Munich ( -575 ) vs. PSV Eindhoven
Celtic ( +223 ) vs. Borussia Monchengladbach
There really never was much of a doubt that Arsenal and PSG were going to be the two teams that got out of the group stage of the Champions League, and that can all but be assured on Wednesday night. The Gunners should have no problems with Ludogorets, while PSG is also a massive -450 favorite against FC Basel. So long as the chalk holds, these two frontrunners will both be on seven points while the bottom feeders are on three, and the only thing to worry about is who will finish 1/2 and who will finish 3/4.
Group B is just about over with as well. Napoli isn't the best side in Italy by any stretch of the imagination, but it has a team that can do a lot of damage in this tournament thanks to a massive home field advantage. Napoli hosts second place Besiktas on Wednesday in a match that should pull it seven clear of the Turkish team. This leaves a big opening for Benfica and Dynamo Kiev, both of whom are going to have a real shot in this match to be played in Ukraine. Kiev was able to go on the road and get a point from Besiktas in Match Day 2 of the group stage, so even though this team technically sits at the bottom of Group B, a win here against Benfica will almost certainly move it into second place.
The match of the day on Wednesday is clearly the Barcelona/Manchester City match. Does the result truly matter? Probably not all that much. We already know that both of these teams are qualifying for the knockout rounds. But it's a good litmus test for a pair of heavyweights and could be a proving point for Man City after drawing on the road against Celtic in Match Day 2. Speaking of the Hoops, they've got a duel with Borussia Monchengladbach, and this is going to be one of the two matches that probably end up deciding who finishes third and gets to play in the Europa League in the new year.
Group D is basically in the same boat, except the margin between the top teams in the bottom feeders is certainly about to get larger. Rostov does get to play at home, and it's never easy playing on Russia soil as we head into the winter, but Atletico Madrid is a massive favorite at -1.5 on the Asian Handicap and shouldn't have a problem walking away with three points. Bayern Munich hosts PSV Eindhoven as well. Barring a shock, at the end of the day, Atletico will have nine points and by eight up with three matches to play, effectively clinching a spot in the last 16, while Bayern Munich will be on six points and be five clear of the others and be in a fantastic spot as well.
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