With a reputation as one of the strongest leagues in the world, the Premier League is expected to have great results in the Champions League. The two clubs from Manchester have taken care of themselves for the most part, but Chelsea and Arsenal are not inspiring a lot of confidence in their results. Let’s take a look at the results of the two struggling clubs.
Arsenal is is Group F, which is a relatively tough group. Bayern Munich, Olympiacos, and Dinamo Zagreb are the opponents. Through four matches, Arsenal have a single win, at home against Bayern. They followed up their victory by getting smashed recently in Germany 5-1. Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb also beat the Gunners. The standings see Bayern and Olympiacos at the top with 9 points, while Arsenal and Dinamo Zagreb are sharing the cellar with 3 points each.
The Gunners aren’t out of the race for a knockout spot yet, but will need 2 wins in their remaining 2 matches to even have a chance. Olympiacos would have to lose both of their matches, with one against Bayern, and the other against Arsenal on the final day. If they fall short, a Europa League spot is still in line, which is a great chance to get some youth players first team action. Arsene Wenger has his work cut out for him.
As for Chelsea, they are in a slightly better position at this point. A win yesterday brought them up to 2nd in Group G. They are 3 points behind Porto, but have a 2 point advantage over Dynamo Kyiv. Chelsea have 2 wins, a draw, and a loss. Given the relative weakness of the group, they should be dominating. They do control their own destiny, meaning two wins and they are in.
The next match will be against minnow Maccabi Tel Aviv, and a victory is both expected and needed. The final matchday will see a matchup with Porto, which might give Dynamo Kyiv a chance to surpass Chelsea if they do not perform. Eden Hazard is one of the stars who has not been playing up to his usual standards, and Jose better kickstart his midfielder if he is going to have any chance at lifting another trophy in Stamford Bridge.
English clubs’ performances in the Champions league have been so poor that they might be in danger of losing a qualifying spot. Luckily, both Manchester United and Manchester City are leading their groups, with City already booking a place in the knockout round. That will bump their coefficient, likely cementing their final qualifying spot for at least another season.
The next matchday is November 24th/25th, followed by the final matches on December 8th/9th. Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Zenit Saint Petersburg have all booked their tickets to the knockout round. Maccabi Tel Aviv and Borussia Mochengladbach have already been eliminated, but still have a shot at the Europa League. That leaves 27 teams who have the chance to grab one of the remaining 13 spots in the knockout stage. Another 8 teams will move over to the Round of 32 stage in the Europa League.
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