With only three matches played in the UEFA Champions League Groups E to H, is already becoming clear which teams are going to progress, despite only being at the half-way stage?
With a 1-0 over FC Copenhagen at the King Power Stadium, Leicester City became the fifth Champions League debutant to win their opening three games, the others being AC Milan, Paris St-Germain, Juventus and Malaga. Copenhagen were undefeated this season and it was an uncomfortable night for Leicester at times but with 9 points in the bag and three matches still to play, the Foxes are as good as through to the knockout stages, which is a remarkable achievement.
In Group F, things are also starting to take shape, with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund both on 7 points and in need of one more victory each, on match day four, to guarantee progress to the last sixteen. The situation is identical in Group H, with Juventus and Sevilla just one win away from securing their place in the knockout stages of the competition.
The only group which remains unclear in the bottom half, is Group E, with Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, Bayer Leverkusen and CSKA Moscow all still in contention, although the Russian’s are struggling at the bottom of the group, on 2 points.
If, as expected, Leicester City, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Sevilla book their places in the next round of the Champions League on match day four, what does that mean for the remainder of the group stages?
Yes, teams will try to finish top of the group, in the hope they receive a favourable draw but the lack of any real need to win the remaining two games, does not make for a great spectacle. The Champions League is classed as the biggest and best club football competition in the world, yet there are going to be many games, with very little riding on them towards the end of the group stage.
Looking at Groups A to D, it’s clear Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are going to qualify from Group A, with plenty to spare and the same can be said for Barcelona and Manchester City.
There is also a strong possibility, following the back-to-back matches between Bayern Munich and PSV Eindhoven, that Group D will see the German champions and Atletico Madrid through, with two matches remaining.