Liverpool can seal progression to the titleholders League last 16 when they play on Wednesday, but Barcelona could see their exit verified from Europe's top competition.
Jurgen Klopp's Reds make the trip to face Ajax in Group A knowing they're guaranteed a spot in the Europa League at the veritably least – and simply avoiding defeat would guarantee their place in the titleholders League knockout stages.
It's a more dicey affair for Xavi's Barca, still, as they drink Bayern Munich to Camp Nou in Group C knowing a loss would spell the end of their trip. Indeed a palm will not be enough if Inter master Viktoria Plzen.
Tottenham will hope to keep their tips in front in Group D, with Marseille and Sporting CP just a point before, while Atletico Madrid have work to do in GroupB.
Stats Perform trials Wednesday's eight matches by picking through the Opta data.
Ajax v Liverpool
Ajax have made for generous opponents for Liverpool of late, losing their last three against the Reds in the titleholders League. Only Juventus( four, 1997- 2004) and Real Madrid( seven, 2010- 2019) have preliminarily won four in a row against Ajax in the European Cup or titleholders League.
Yet Ajax remain the last Dutch side to achieve a home palm against Liverpool, albeit that was back in 1966, with the Premier League side unbeaten in seven posterior passages to the Netherlands.
Liverpool's countrymen have also made hay, as Ajax have won just one of their last eight home European matches against English brigades, beating Manchester City in October 2012.
With or without another strong result, this will be an major occasion for Liverpool and Klopp, who'll match Rafael Benitez's 62 titleholders League matches in charge of the Reds, who bring up 150 games in the competition.
Barcelona v Bayern Munich
demanding a palm, Barca might have hoped to face any platoon but Bayern, who have a record three titleholders League down wins at the Blaugrana. Along with Juventus and Real Madrid, they're one of three brigades to have won further matches at Barca than they've lost.
Home and down, Barca have lost nine of their 12 titleholders League matches against Bayern, including the once five in a row.
In fact, if Bayern win again, they will match Madrid's record of 10 triumphs against a single opponent in the competition – Madrid's dominance coming against Bayern.
Although Bayern are formerly through, they're seeking a fourth home- and- down double against Barca in a titleholders League season( also 1998- 99, 2012- 13 and 2021- 22). Dynamo Kyiv( in 1997- 98) are the only other platoon to beat Barca doubly in the same crusade indeed formerly.
Tottenham Hotspur v Sporting CP
Sporting won 2- 0 against Tottenham in Portugal in what was the sides' first meeting, but they've a dismal record in England, with two palms in 15 attempts down to English sides.
Spurs have won six of their seven home European matches against Portuguese opposition, only losing to Benfica in the 2013- 14 Europa League.
Both of Tottenham's triumphs in this crusade have come at home, where Antonio Conte is bidding to come just the alternate Spurs trainer to win each of his first three at home in the titleholders League – after Harry Redknapp.
He and Tottenham will know they must keep their focus beforehand and late; Sporting's last three titleholders League pretensions have come in either the first or last twinkles of the match, netting doubly in alternate- half cessation time in the rear institution.
Atletico Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen
Atletico haven't lost at home to Leverkusen in their previous four similar matches, winning two and drawing two, but the Bundesliga platoon have started to turn the drift, winning two in a row against them in the titleholders League.
That strong home record applies whenever Atletico face German opposition, however, as Borussia Dortmund were the last Bundesliga callers to win there in 1996. Atleti are unbeaten in 11 since.
Diego Simeone needs his platoon to rediscover their scoring touch, having gone three without a thing in the titleholders League.
That's their worst run under Simeone. Only formerly in the competition have Atletico gone four without netting, back in 2009 under Abel Resino.
Other institutions:
Club Brugge v Porto
21 – Club Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has saved all 21 of the shots on target he has faced in the titleholders League this season. He has averted a competition- leading4.9 pretensions, according to anticipated pretensions on target data.
4 – Four of Porto's last seven titleholders League pretensions have come from the penalty spot.
Inter v Viktoria Plzen
12 – Inter have scored 12 of their last 14 titleholders League pretensions in the alternate halves of matches. All three against Barca last time out came after the interval – only the third time an down platoon has netted three alternate- half pretensions at Camp Nou in this competition.
28 – Plzen have equaled just 28 per cent of the possession in the titleholders League this season, the smallest average by a platoon in a single season since Opta data collection began in 2003- 04.
Napoli v Rangers
4 – Napoli have won all four of their matches in the titleholders League this season and could come the first Italian side to win their opening five games in a single crusade since Juventus in 2004- 05.
12 – No goalkeeper has faced further shots on target( 29) or conceded further pretensions( 12) than Rangers' Allan McGregor in the titleholders League this season. Indeed, he has only kept four clean wastes in 21 appearances in the competition overall.
Eintracht Frankfurt v Marseille
50 – Eintracht Frankfurt's Mario Gotze could make his 50th launch in the titleholders League in this match. He has been involved in 25 pretensions in his former 65 appearances, including 21 in his 49 thresholds.
3 – Marseille have won their last two games in the titleholders League – both against Sporting CP – and will be looking to win three in a row for the first time since October- December 2010, when they won four on the spin under Didier Deschamps.
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