Braga-V-Man United
United travel to Portugal this evening knowing that a win will guarantee their place in the knockout phase. Considering United's early exit from the Champions League last season, manager Sir Alex Ferguson will be keen to book their spot with the luxury of two games remaining. United however had their problems against the Portuguese outfit at Old Trafford. Braga went 2-0 up very early on, only for United to come roaring back and snatch a 3-2 win.
United go into the game without two key midfielders - Fletcher misses out through illness which isn't at all related to his previous health issues while Paul Scholes has stayed at home because, as Ferguson nicely put it, "At his age he can't play all the time, so we are just taking care of an old man." In other positive news for the Red Devils, defender Chris Smalling looks like he will make his long awaited return to first team action following a lengthy spell out with a metatarsal injury. Anderson should start alongside Carrick in midfield which will give the Brazilian another chance to impress after his good showing last week against Chelsea in the League Cup.
Braga themselves still have a decent chance of qualifying for the latter stages with it looking increasingly likely to be a three way scrap for second place. Braga come in to the game on the back of a 3-1 league victory at the weekend. They currently lie in third place of the Portuguese League. United will be hoping that they don't get off to a disastrous start like they did two weeks ago. Braga will pose a decent threat to United's not so reliant back four but in the attacking third, they should again have too much for them.
Chelsea-V-Shakhtar Donetsk
It is still all to play for in what is a cracking group. The Ukrainian champions, Shakhtar Donetsk sit on top of Group E with last year's European Champions (Chelsea) and Italian Champions (Juventus) both trailing. Chelsea will be fully aware that a victory at Stamford Bridge tonight will most likely put them back on top. Shakhtar dominated The Blues in the first game in Ukraine as the English side went down 2-1. Di Matteo's side will be anxious to avoid becoming the first ever defending Champions to be knocked out at the group phase of the competition.
Chelsea will have to do without the influential Ashley Cole with the full back missing out with a hamstring injury. Ryan Bertrand looks like an able deputy so it shouldn't be a huge concern for them. They will however welcome Mata, Luiz and Terry back into the fold. Chelsea have had a couple of disappointing league results since they last met Shakhtar two weeks ago. A defeat to Man United saw them lose their top spot and a subsequent nil all draw with Swansea sees the Blues trail United by a point.
Shakhtar are cruising in their domestic league and are twelve points clear at the top. They are undefeated in all competitions this year. However they will be mindful that they have never won a game in England having lost on three of their last four visits to English soil. Chelsea will have their work cut out this evening but if their front players can find their goal scoring touch, they may have just enough to sneak past Shakhtar and in doing so moving to top spot of Group E.
Celtic-V-Barcelona
Celtic are in still in good shape in Group G despite their painful last minute defeat at the Nou Camp two weeks ago. They currently lie in second place on four points and will know that their fate will be decided in their final two games against Benfica and Spartak. It is little surprise to see Barcelona with a 100% record so far even though they were held for a long time by Celtic. The Catalan giants will be keen to collect their fourth straight win which would see them qualify for the knockout phases which in turn would allow them to rest key players for their remaining two games.
Celtic gave a fantastic display two weeks ago and will be hoping they can emulate the work rate that they showed. The danger is that many people may expect something from Celtic given their away display. But the reality is, they are massive outsiders few would back against Barca claiming all three points. Neil Lennon has a whole host of injury headaches with Izaguirre, Forrest, Hooper, Lassad and Samaras all major injury doubts. The Spanish side on the other hand have the luxury of welcoming Gerard Pique back into their side following six weeks out with a foot injury.
The Bhoys will be hoping that the Parkhead atmosphere will play a major role tonight but this Barca side won't be phased by the noise levels. Having been 2-0 up at the weekend, Celtic conceded two late goals at Dundee United to draw 2-2 while Barcelona enjoyed a comfortable 3-1 win. All signs point to another Barca victory but strangers things have happened.
