2021/22 Champions League: Round 6 Preview and Permutations
Ahead of this final round of group stage action in this season's Champions League, we already have 11 confirmed teams in the Round of 16 meaning 5 places remain up for grabs and will be settled this week.
In addition to that main prize of a place in the knockouts, this week will also decide which teams will move into the Europa League playoffs round as the 3rd-placed team in each group will drop into that tournament. Though Europa League football would not be considered particularly attractive to some of the European giants that could yet finish 3rd in their group such as Barcelona, for other smaller teams it's a considerable prize so that's certainly something to consider when making your picks.
Both predictions and Odds-based fantasy picks tend to be tricky in this final round as we have to judge each team's motivation which naturally affects the lineups each manager will select. To help you get a clearer idea of how things may play out in each group, here's your preview where I'll run you through the permutations.
Opinion: It's perhaps still difficult to pick against PSG and City but it's worth noting that for this group's games we'll be able to see team lineups which will help Odds-based fantasy players. Leipzig are perhaps more likely than Brugge to get a result given their home advantage but after their manager Jesse Marsch was sacked at the weekend following a 3rd defeat in 4 games, it's hard to tell how they'll perform.
Opinion: It'll be worth checking the Liverpool team before making your pick for that game. The other is far more black and white and I'd usually go Atleti to win this kind of match without hesitation (and probably still will) but their recent form is a concern - particularly their 1-2 loss at home to Mallorca on Saturday after taking the lead. Keep in mind that if Liverpool are beating Milan comfortably and things are tight in Portugal, Porto may well just park the bus and take the draw that would see them through.
Opinion: Given the teams involved, these games could still be pretty entertaining with nothing to play for but it makes predicting very tough. I'll be backing Ajax as I just think they're excellent and probably Dortmund despite their absentees because Besiktas have been awful so far.
Opinion: Real Madrid and Inter are both in cracking form so it should be a great clash between those two. Benzema is a big loss for Madrid but Vinicius Jr is just on fire at the moment so with home advantage I'd fancy Carlo Ancelotti's team to at least manage a draw and take top spot. In the other game, I think Shakhtar could well finish with a win as Sheriff have fallen off after their good start (which has still earned them UEL football). Shakhtar absolutely dominated possession in their away defeat at Sheriff so should perhaps make it count with improved conversion this time around.
Opinion: I think Barcelona are struggling here. You'd certainly expect Benfica to win and then Barca winning at Bayern seems very unlikely given their current state. Bayern don't tend to go extremely soft with team rotation in this competition and I can't see that starting now against this opponent.
Opinion: Atalanta v Villarreal should be a great watch with Atalanta aiming to do what they do best and score a lot of goals to get the win while Villarreal do all they can to manage at least a point. It's quite tricky to call but recent form would suggest Villarreal will struggle to keep them out in my opinion. United may well rotate against Young Boys but should win as they aim to continue impressing new manager Ralf Rangnick.
Opinion: This group has been very unpredictable which has resulted in what should be an excellent final day. I personally feel Salzburg and Lille deserve to go through so that's probably who I'll be backing, particularly since Wolfsburg have fallen back into poor form. Salzburg will have to really earn their place in a tough final game against Sevilla but I think they can manage the point they need despite Sevilla's considerable experience in big European matches.
Opinion: You'd expect this group to remain as it is with both Chelsea and Juve winning. Thomas Tuchel will be eager to try and get Chelsea back to looking strong and dominant after a patchy week in the Premier League but that is likely to involve attempting to get the likes of Romelu Lukaku back match fit and firing as opposed to heavy rotation with a severely weakened team.
Good luck in Round 6!
In addition to that main prize of a place in the knockouts, this week will also decide which teams will move into the Europa League playoffs round as the 3rd-placed team in each group will drop into that tournament. Though Europa League football would not be considered particularly attractive to some of the European giants that could yet finish 3rd in their group such as Barcelona, for other smaller teams it's a considerable prize so that's certainly something to consider when making your picks.
Both predictions and Odds-based fantasy picks tend to be tricky in this final round as we have to judge each team's motivation which naturally affects the lineups each manager will select. To help you get a clearer idea of how things may play out in each group, here's your preview where I'll run you through the permutations.
Tuesday
Group A: PSG v Brugge and Leipzig v Man City
The situation:- Manchester City have sealed top spot and will progress as group winners
- PSG are already through as group runners-up
- Leipzig are currently in 3rd ahead of Brugge on head-to-head. Brugge must therefore better Leipzig's result in this final round to take 3rd and qualify for the UEL
Opinion: It's perhaps still difficult to pick against PSG and City but it's worth noting that for this group's games we'll be able to see team lineups which will help Odds-based fantasy players. Leipzig are perhaps more likely than Brugge to get a result given their home advantage but after their manager Jesse Marsch was sacked at the weekend following a 3rd defeat in 4 games, it's hard to tell how they'll perform.
Group B: Porto v Atletico and Milan v Liverpool
The situation:- Liverpool are through as group winners
- 2nd-place is up for grabs with 1 point separating the other 3 teams
- Porto are currently 2nd and will go through if they win, or if they draw and Milan fail to win
- Atletico will go through if they win and Milan do not. Milan will go through if they win and Porto v Atleti ends in a draw
- If both Atletico and Milan win, their goal difference will determine who gets 2nd (Milan currently 1 ahead)
Opinion: It'll be worth checking the Liverpool team before making your pick for that game. The other is far more black and white and I'd usually go Atleti to win this kind of match without hesitation (and probably still will) but their recent form is a concern - particularly their 1-2 loss at home to Mallorca on Saturday after taking the lead. Keep in mind that if Liverpool are beating Milan comfortably and things are tight in Portugal, Porto may well just park the bus and take the draw that would see them through.
Group C: Ajax v Sporting and Dortmund v Besiktas
The situation:- This group is already completely settled
- Ajax will finish top. Sporting will progress as runners-up
- Dortmund will finish 3rd and qualify for the UEL playoffs. Besiktas will finish 4th
Opinion: Given the teams involved, these games could still be pretty entertaining with nothing to play for but it makes predicting very tough. I'll be backing Ajax as I just think they're excellent and probably Dortmund despite their absentees because Besiktas have been awful so far.
Group D: Real Madrid v Inter and Shakhtar v Sheriff
The situation:- Real Madrid and Inter are both already through but their match this week will decide who will progress as group winners
- Real Madrid will go through as winners if they avoid defeat, Inter can move above them with a win
- Sheriff will finish 3rd and qualify for the UEL, Shakhtar will finish 4th
Opinion: Real Madrid and Inter are both in cracking form so it should be a great clash between those two. Benzema is a big loss for Madrid but Vinicius Jr is just on fire at the moment so with home advantage I'd fancy Carlo Ancelotti's team to at least manage a draw and take top spot. In the other game, I think Shakhtar could well finish with a win as Sheriff have fallen off after their good start (which has still earned them UEL football). Shakhtar absolutely dominated possession in their away defeat at Sheriff so should perhaps make it count with improved conversion this time around.
Wednesday
Group E: Bayern v Barcelona and Benfica v Dynamo Kyiv
The situation:- Bayern Munich are already through as group winners
- Barcelona are currently 2nd and will go through if they win, or if Benfica fail to win
- Benfica will go through as runners up if they win and Barcelona fail to beat Bayern away from home. Dynamo Kyiv will finish 4th whatever happens
Opinion: I think Barcelona are struggling here. You'd certainly expect Benfica to win and then Barca winning at Bayern seems very unlikely given their current state. Bayern don't tend to go extremely soft with team rotation in this competition and I can't see that starting now against this opponent.
Group F: Atalanta v Villarreal and Manchester United v Young Boys
The situation:- Manchester United are through to the Round of 16 as group winners
- Villarreal are currently 2nd, a point ahead of Atalanta, meaning they will go through if they can avoid defeat in Bergamo. They will finish 3rd if they lose
- Atalanta will go through if they beat Villarreal. Young Boys cannot go through but could finish 3rd if they win and Atalanta lose
Opinion: Atalanta v Villarreal should be a great watch with Atalanta aiming to do what they do best and score a lot of goals to get the win while Villarreal do all they can to manage at least a point. It's quite tricky to call but recent form would suggest Villarreal will struggle to keep them out in my opinion. United may well rotate against Young Boys but should win as they aim to continue impressing new manager Ralf Rangnick.
Group G: Salzburg v Sevilla and Wolfsburg v Lille
The situation:- Things are wide open with all teams still in with a chance of qualifying
- Lille are currently top and will go through if they avoid defeat. They will finish first if they win, or if they draw and Salzburg fail to win
- Salzburg are currently 2nd and the other team that can secure qualification by avoiding defeat. They can finish 1st if they win and Lille don't
- Sevilla must win to go through and could still finish top if they win and Lille don't
- Wolfsburg must win to go through and could also finish top despite currently being 4th if they win and the other match is drawn
Opinion: This group has been very unpredictable which has resulted in what should be an excellent final day. I personally feel Salzburg and Lille deserve to go through so that's probably who I'll be backing, particularly since Wolfsburg have fallen back into poor form. Salzburg will have to really earn their place in a tough final game against Sevilla but I think they can manage the point they need despite Sevilla's considerable experience in big European matches.
Group H: Juventus v Malmo and Zenit v Chelsea
The situation:- Chelsea and Juventus are through meaning this round will simply decide who goes through as group winners
- Chelsea are currently 1st after beating Juve 4-0 meaning Juventus must now better Chelsea's result in this round if they are to progress as group winners
- Zenit will finish 3rd and progress to the UEL playoffs, with Malmo guaranteed to finish 4th
Opinion: You'd expect this group to remain as it is with both Chelsea and Juve winning. Thomas Tuchel will be eager to try and get Chelsea back to looking strong and dominant after a patchy week in the Premier League but that is likely to involve attempting to get the likes of Romelu Lukaku back match fit and firing as opposed to heavy rotation with a severely weakened team.
Good luck in Round 6!
