Matchday Six of the 2021-22 Champions League group stage will take place this midweek and all eyes will be on Group B for Tuesday’s action.
With the two qualification spots for the knockout stages having already been decided in Groups A, C and D, the focus will be on whether Porto, AC Milan or Atletico Madrid will join Liverpool in the last 16 from Group B.
Porto currently occupy second place and they host La Liga champions Atleti on Tuesday, with Diego Simeone’s side sitting a point behind their Portuguese opponents at the bottom of the standings.
Milan are level on points with Atleti, but they will take on Liverpool at the San Siro in their final match – the Reds having won all five of their group fixtures to date.
Porto to End Atleti’s Qualification Hopes
Porto have their qualification hopes in their own hands, with a victory over Atleti at the Estadio do Dragao enough to secure their place in the knockout stages for the fifth time in six seasons.
Sergio Conceicao’s side are in good form, winning eight of their nine home matches across all competitions this season, while they proved they are a match for Atleti with the 0-0 draw they claimed at the Metropolitano Stadium on Matchday One.
Atleti have struggled for consistency all season and have won just three of their last 10 matches, a run that includes Saturday’s shock 2-1 home defeat to Real Mallorca in La Liga.
Simeone has also seen his side lose each of their last three matches in the Champions League and a Porto win at 33/20 could prove the way to go.
Reds Too Strong for Milan
AC Milan must beat Liverpool on Tuesday to stand any chance of progressing through to the knockout stages and they will have plenty of confidence after moving top of Serie A following Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Salernitana.
Stefano Pioli’s side also showed plenty of spirit when overcoming Atleti on Matchday Five to remain in the qualification hunt, but they will have their work cut out trying to contain a Liverpool team that are yet to put a foot wrong in this season’s competition.
The Premier League giants are averaging three goals a game in the Champions League this season, while they are currently on a five-game winning streak across all competitions and have only lost one of their last 31 matches in total.
Even when resting players against Porto on Matchday Five, Liverpool still came out as comfortable 2-0 winners and they will be hoping for a similar result on Tuesday.
Top Spot Real’s to Lose
After initially making hard work of Group D, both Real Madrid and Inter Milan wrapped up qualification for the knockout stages with a game to spare, which has taken the pressure off ahead of their meeting at the Bernabeu.
Both sides are in good form, with Real, who hold a two-point lead at the top of the group, having won eight matches on the spin, while Inter have won nine and drawn two of their last 11 fixtures.
A point would be enough for Real to seal top spot and they do appear to have something of a hoodoo over Inter, as the two teams have met three times since the start of last season, with the Spanish giants triumphing on each occasion.
Another Real win on Tuesday can be backed at 23/20, with the only caveat for Carlo Ancelotti’s side being the possible absence of 17-goal top scorer Karim Benzema, who is not expected to be risked after picking up a muscular injury during the weekend victory at Real Sociedad.
*All odds correct at time of writing