For the first time ever, five German clubs are playing in the Champions League - and the way can still lead to the round of 16 for all of them. But the conditions are very different. On the 5th matchday, Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt are under pressure to score.
The group stage of the Champions League has entered the hot phase, on the 5th matchday decisions can already be made for the five German clubs. FC Bayern Munich has already settled things confidently as usual, the other four representatives from the Bundesliga can also hope to advance. Some have it in their own hands, others need help. The situation of the Bundesliga clubs in the Champions League - an overview:
Bayer Leverkusen (Group B):
Things are going badly for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. really bad. Last year's fourth is 15th after the 11th matchday with only nine points, after all they climbed from the relegation place with the 2-2 win against VfL Wolfsburg. And it doesn't look much better in the Champions League: With only three points before the penultimate match day, Leverkusen are at the bottom of Group B Team of new coach Xabi Alonso finish the group stage bottom of the table.
The Werkself would only be able to survive the winter in Europe's most important club competition if they win - if FC Porto don't win at FC Bruges, who have already qualified for the round of 16. If Leverkusen and FC Porto don't win, the Bundesliga side would still have to hope for support on matchday 6 if they win against FC Bruges: If Porto wins against Atlético at the end of the group phase, Bayer Leverkusen would still be there if there were two wins from the two eliminated in the last games.
Bayern Munich (Group C):
Four games, four wins: FC Bayern got rid of all their worries early on in the strong Group C. Advancement is already certain, with a win on Wednesday (9 p.m. / DAZN and in the live ticker on ntv.de) at FC Barcelona, group victory would also be certain. If Inter Milan don't win beforehand against bottom player Viktoria Pilsen without a point, their own result doesn't even matter for the final standings.
However, it is complicated in the group for FC Barcelona, who had strengthened themselves before the season with goalscorer Robert Lewandowski and for a total of over 150 million euros: If Inter Milan wins their game against the Czech champions, the Catalans are there for the second time in a row failed in the group stage of the Champions League.
FC Bayern doesn't really care: "Lewy was very spoiled at Bayern, always being at least in the round of 16 and progressing," said Bayern international Leon Goretzka before meeting his former colleague again. "But now we can't take that into account anymore."
Eintracht Frankfurt (Group D):
For Eintracht Frankfurt, the situation is very simple - and yet so complicated: With two wins against Olympique Marseille and Sporting Lisbon, the Europa League winner will certainly reach the round of 16 of the Champions League. With a defeat on Wednesday against Olympique Marseille (9 p.m. / DAZN and in the live ticker on ntv.de), the club’s first foray into the premier class would certainly have ended after the group phase.
Eintracht Frankfurt's chairman of the supervisory board, Philip Holzer, also hopes that there will be no more fan riots in the second leg against Olympique Marseille. "That's the job of the executive. I'm sure everyone involved will do what is necessary to be prepared accordingly," said Holzer in an interview with the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung".
The first leg in Marseille was overshadowed by serious riots. A Eintracht fan was seriously injured. Before the kick-off and during the game on September 13 in Marseille, flares and firecrackers were repeatedly fired at the opposing supporters from both fan blocks. "What happened there shook me: War-like conditions prevailed." In a draw, the Hessians have to hope twice: that Sporting Lisbon won't win at the same time at Tottenham Hotspur and that the Londoners beat Olympique Marseille in the group stage final.
RB Leipzig (Group F):
With Glasgow Schützenhilfe, RB Leipzig can make the early jump into the knockout phase of the Champions League. However, the prerequisite is a win in the evening (9 p.m. / DAZN and in the live ticker on ntv.de) against the defending champion Real Madrid, who has not been defeated for 16 competitive games. If a "threesome" succeeds against the royals, Celtic Glasgow would have to win against Shakhtar Donetsk at the same time.
The Spanish champion opens a small door for the Saxons: With world footballer Karim Benzema, Fede Valverde and Luca Modric, three regulars did not even start the journey. Benzema was absent in the 3-1 Spanish league win against Sevilla with a muscle injury. Valverde, who made it 3-1 against Sevilla, was hit on the leg and is sidelined. The former world footballer Modric was taken out of the squad at the last minute, Real did not give the reasons for this on Monday.
Even with their own defeat, RB would have progress in their own hands: with a win next week at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Borussia Dortmund (Group G):
It cannot be ruled out that Borussia Dortmund (7 points) can be happy before their own game against Manchester City kicks off in the evening (9 p.m. / Amazon Prime and in the live ticker on ntv.de): FC Sevilla and FC Copenhagen separate (2 points each) tied in the early game of the day, the 1997 Champions League winners are sure to be in the round of 16. A draw of their own would mean early advancement if FC Sevilla beat the Danish champions.
If Copenhagen wins in Spain, Borussia Dortmund must win against Manchester City in order to be able to travel to Copenhagen next week for the group final without any worries. With the 3-0 from the first leg, the Bundesliga team has a comfortable cushion - because in the event of a tie, the direct comparison decides.
