New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS): It has been one of the most interesting UEFA Champions League seasons so far, with the league stage producing some of the most unexpected results. With five matches already played by each team and three more to go, it remains unpredictable as to who will secure the direct qualification spots.
However, one clear indication of the new format is that facing each team only once during the league phase keeps the excitement and uncertainty alive.
One of the biggest matches on Matchday 6 will be Borussia Dortmund playing against Barcelona. Both teams have been in red-hot goal-scoring form, putting their opponents to bed with their impeccable striking prowess. While Dortmund hasn’t had the best results in the Bundesliga, Nuri Sahin’s team has been making up for that in the Champions League. They are currently sitting in fourth place on the table with four wins and one loss and an average scoring rate of 3.2 goals per match, which will be a handful for the Catalan giants to handle. The trio of Gittens, Guirassy, and Adeyemi have been wreaking havoc on the defence lines of each team they have faced, with 11 out of the 16 goals scored by the team overall. On the other hand, Barcelona should not be ruled out with their new crop of players, Hansi Flick’s high defensive line tactics, and their enigmatic captain, Raphinha Dias, who is their top scorer in the Champions League so far.
Other important encounters will include Girona facing the table-toppers, Liverpool, who have been thriving under the Arne Slot era. Liverpool is also at the top of their domestic league table and currently looks like the force to be reckoned with. What is also very interesting about Liverpool is that they have the best defensive record among all teams, with four clean sheets in their five matches, making it a rather grim situation for their Spanish opponents.
Among the top-of-the-table clashes, Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen will face Internazionale, who have seen a resurgence in the Champions League under Simone Inzaghi and are yet to be defeated in the competition. Also, in the top 8 clashes, Arsenal will play against Monaco. Both teams have three wins from five games and given the results in the other matches among the top half of the table, they have a chance to climb further.
Finally, Atalanta and Real Madrid will face off in a do-or-die encounter for the defending champions, considering their recent form and injury woes that have impacted Real Madrid’s season. The defending champions are on the verge of a direct knockout unless they bring their A-game to the field to salvage the situation.
Where to broadcast UEFA Champions League matches in India?
All the matches of the UEFA Champions League will be broadcasted live on Sony Sports Network.
Where to live stream the UEFA Champions League matches in India?
All the matches of the UEFA Champions League will be streamed live exclusively on Sony LIV.
UEFA Champions League Matchday 6 schedule:
Tuesday, December 10
Girona vs Liverpool
GNK Dinamo vs Celtic
Wednesday, December 11 (IST)
Atalanta vs Real Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen vs Inter
Club Brugge vs Sporting CP
Salzburg vs Paris Saint-Germain
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Bayern München
Leipzig vs Aston Villa
Brest vs PSV Eindhoven
Atletico de Madrid vs Slovan Bratislava
LOSC Lille vs Sturm Graz
Thursday, December 12 (IST)
AC Milan vs Crvena Zvezda
Arsenal vs Monaco
Borussia Dortmund vs Barcelona
Feyenoord vs Sparta Praha
Juventus vs Manchester City
Benfica vs Bologna
Stuttgart vs Young Boys