Manchester United’s win over Juventus in their last game has brought them back within not just qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League, but also as group leaders. The Red Devils face a Young Boys side that is winless and have collected just a single point from their group games so far. Jose Mourinho’s men would qualify for the knockout stage if they win this game and Juventus also collect all three points in their home game against Valencia. However, trusting the Red Devils to win at home on a European night is a major gamble as they have not scored a home goal in the Champions League this season. They were also held to a goalless draw at home in the league by Crystal Palace at the weekend. Young Boys are the weeping boys in this group as we enter the 5th Match day. They have collected just one point so far from their home draw against Valencia and have all but exited the competition, so they would be playing this game just for pride. Manchester United have won 1 and drawn 2 of their last 3 European games against Swiss oppositions.

These teams are the most likely to qualify from this group as the top two and they would both be looking to get a better head to head ahead of who would potentially top the group. CSKA Moscow are the only threat these teams have at the moment. Should the Russians win their early kickoff against Viktoria Plzen, then it would have to go to the final match day before we can know who goes through, however, should they drop points, these teams would have reached the knockout stages before kicking a ball here. Real Madrid won the reverse of this fixture 3-0 under fired Julen Lopetegui and would go through as group leaders on head to head if they are on same point with Roma and the Italians fail to match that scoreline in this game. Madrid have improved under Solari, however, they fell to a shocking 3-0 defeat in La Liga at the weekend and would be looking to bounce back here. Based on current form, asking Madrid to win the Champions League for a 5th time in 6 years is a major ask, but we expect them to qualify ahead of Roma by securing at least a point in this game.

Napoli and PSG face off in what could be the biggest game of this matchday as they both look to keep pace with Liverpool at the top of their Champions League group. Napoli are shaping up to becoming one of the best underdogs in Europe at the moment. Carlo Ancelotti has switched to a 4-4-2 formation so that he can accommodate both Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne in his starting eleven and the chemistry between them is blossoming. They almost beat PSG in France in their last Champions League, but a sublime goal from Angel di Maria saved the blushes of the French side. They remain unbeaten having beaten Liverpool and collected 2 points from Red Star and PSG. PSG are under immense pressure to perform in Europe this season, and anything other than a win in this game could aid their elimination from the competition and that would be embarrassing judging by the attacking talents at their disposal. The French men have won 12 consecutive games in France, but they have just 4 points from their opening 3 games in the Champions League so far. Liverpool and Napoli has exposed serious problems in their defence and midfield and the Italians should get a win in this notoriously difficult stadium that Napoli has won all but one of their competitive fixtures this season.

This game presents Inter Milan with a chance to step one foot in the Champions League next round, can they take it? Barcelona have also started getting their mojo back, would they allow Inter get the better of them in this game? This Inter Milan team continues to get better every week. They beat Lazio in their last game to go on a 7 games winning streak in the Serie A. They have also won 9 of their last 10 games in all competition, their only loss in that period of time coming at the hands of Barcelona in their last Champions League game. The Italians have netted 8 times in their last two league games, and they come into this game having scored 20 times in their last 10 games, so they have confidence ahead of this clash. Inter rested their top marksman, Mauro Icardi for the weekend and they still scored 5 goals, they would also have the pleasure of playing Ragna Naingalon in this game after he missed their defeat at Barcelona. Barcelona have been without Lionel Messi in their last 4 games, but haven’t done too badly in his absence. They have scored 13 goals since he last stepped his foot on a pitch for them. Luis Suarez has scored 5 of those goals, and a late goal from him helped them beat Rayo Vallecano at the weekend to remain top of La Liga. Barcelona have some defensive issues that Inter Milan could exploit. They have kept just a single clean sheet in their last 6 away games, and 3 of those matches have seen them concede at least 2 goals.  

PSG have dominated the French top flight so much that they must be bored of winning teams in that division at the moment. They beat Amiens 5-0 at the weekend, the second consecutive time they have recorded such a scoreline after they trashed Lyon just before the international break. They, however, have their eyes on the biggest price of them all which is the Champions League and this week they face one of the best teams in the competition when Carlo Ancelotti returns to the Parc des Princes with Napoli. PSG are trailing their visitors after they were beaten by Liverpool on Matchday 1. They may have beaten Red Star Belgrade in their last game, they still have just 3 points and they would be looking to get maximum points from this doubleheader. Napoli are top of their group after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Liverpool in their last game, however, they would rue failing to beat Red Star in their first game as they would be playing PSG twice before they play Liverpool at Anfield so their chances of  making the next round depends greatly on how they perform in this game. The visitors should get on the scoresheet here, with PSG seeing both teams score in their last six matches in the Champions League. The Partenopei have the quality to grab a goal, but they’ve lost 2-1 in three of their last four away trips in this competition. We’re backing PSG to win and both teams to score, with the French champions having enough quality to win what should be a high scoring tie.

This is perhaps the most interesting game of the week in the Champions League as these two teams who have made it to the final at least once in this decade go head to head in a double clash that will determine who tops this group ahead of the knockout rounds. Borussia Dortmund are flying this season. They currently play one of the most attractive brand of attacking football and they are on course to challenge for the Bundesliga title again this season. They top the German league standings with three points, and they have won both of their Champions League games before this clash. Atletico Madrid could not qualify for the knockout round of the Champions League last season, but they have won both of their matches so far, including a first away win in 6 attempts in the Champions League. A draw won’t be a bad result for any of the teams and we expect Atletico to be defensively solid in this game. Diego Simeone’s men have lost just three of their last 25 Champions League games, and they kept 16 clean sheets in those matches as well. Dortmund are scoring for fun in the German top flight, but they have scored just 4 goals from 8 shots on target in the Champions League this season, and they should face an even stronger opposition from Atleti in this game.

Inter Milan have enjoyed their return to the Champions League so far having won their first two group games, they have also received a major boost for this game after Lionel Messi pulled up injured at the weekend, so they could easily get a good result when they visit the Camp Nou here. Barcelona and Inter both have two wins from as many games and win for either of them here would help them put one feet in the next round. Barcelona have won two and drawn one of their last three competitive games, but without Lionel Messi, they certainly carry less threat than when he is on the pitch. Inter Milan have won all of their last seven matches and they would be very confident of getting a result when they get on the pitch for this game. Their 1-0 late win over Milan at the weekend also showed that they are team that carries a threat for the full duration of every game. Mauro Icardi has now scored 5 goals in his last 5 games, he netted 29 in the Serie A last term and would be looking to show what he can on the big stage here. This will be the first meeting since the 2010 Semi-Finals when Jose Mourinho’s Inter knocked out Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate in the Semi-Finals, mostly thanks to a 3-1 1st Leg win at the San Siro. Barca have won all of their three home games this century against Inter to nil though (all in this competition).

After collecting four points from their last two Premier League games, Manchester United would feel that they can secure a win over Juventus in this game as well. The Red Devils almost picked up all three points when they visited Chelsea at the weekend, but a 96th-minute leveller from Ross Barkley distributed the spoils. They would now turn their attention to the Champions League. They have collected 4 points from their opening two games against Young Boys and Valencia. Cristiano Ronaldo would be making a return to Old Trafford in this game and their fans would be hoping that he doesn’t make them pay for their sloppy defending. Juventus also suffered dropped points at the weekend. The Old Ladies were held to a 1-1 draw by Genoa at home, a result that ended their ten games winning start to the season. They would be looking to bounce back when they visit Old Trafford here, and with Ronaldo returning from suspension, their chances have been boosted significantly. They have won two of two Champions League games so far, with Manchester United considered their main rival for a top spot in this group, they would be doing all the can to earn maximum points from these next two games. The last time these teams met was in the group stages of the 2003 Champions League with Manchester United winning both matches.