The first tranche of the final group games of the Champions League is in the bag. Arsenal goes through as group leaders for the first time in a very long time; Napoli beat Benfica to go through on top of Group B, and Celtic pick up a respectful draw in Manchester.
Arsenal will move into the Round of 16 draw as group leaders courtesy of a hat trick from Lucas Perez in a 4-1 rout away to FC Basel. Paris St Germain – who would have gone through as group leaders with a home win against Ludogorets – could only manage a 2-2 draw.
It’s the first time Arsenal have won their Champions League group since 2011-12. It’s also the first time they have gone through the group phase unbeaten since they reached the final way back in 2005-06.
Arsenal looks good this season. They have only lost two games in 23 in all competitions, but they haven’t progressed past the Round of 16 of the Champions League for the past six seasons.
Finishing top of the group is great news, but this is the Champions League. Arsenal could still face Bayern Munich, Dortmund or Real Madrid in the next round.
The bookies don’t think they have a dog in heavens chance. The oddsmakers at Bodog make them a +2000 outside bet. PSG is also +2000.
Napoli Win Group B; Benfica Also Make it
Napoli finished on top of Group B after beating Benfica at the Estadio da Luz. Goals from Jose Callejon and the Belgian Dries Mertens gave Napoli a shock two goal lead. Jiminez Rodriguez pulled one back with three minutes remaining, but Benfica was unable to find the net for the second time.
With Benfica losing at home, Besiktas were in with a chance of qualifying for the last 16 if they could beat Dynamo Kyiv in Russia. But that’s not likely to happen when you are playing with nine men. Andreas Beck and Vincent AbouBakar were given their marching orders, and Kyiv responded by ramming six goals past them to consign the Turkish Super Lig side to the Europa League.
Bodog has Napoli as a +5000 outsider; Benfica is an even longer shot at +10000.
Celtic Earn a Point at City; Atletico Lose 100% Win Record in Germany
The finishing positions were already sewn up in Group C & D after Week 4 so not much to write home about in these two. Barcelona made it 20 goals in five games after handing out a 4-0 thumping to the German side with the ridiculously long name. Arda Turan scored a hat trick in 17 second half minutes after Lionel Messi had given the Spaniards the lead in the 16th minute.
Celtic went out of the competition with their heads held high after a battling display at The Etihad. The game finished 1-1 with goals from Patrick Roberts (Celtic) and Kelechi Iheanacho (City), but both sides had a glut of chances in a match that could have ended up 5-5.
Barcelona remains the +300 favourites to win the Champions League; Man City are fifth favourites at +1000.
And finally, Atletico Madrid will not go through to the Round of 16 with their 100% win record intact after losing by 1-0 against Bayern Munich. Robert Lewandowski scoring the winner in the 28th minute. PSV Eindhoven drew 0-0 with FC Rostov in the other Group D game.
Despite finishing as runner-up to Atletico, Bodog has Bayern as the +350 second favourite to win the lot; Atletico is +800.
Week 6 Results
Paris St Germain 2 v 2 Ludogorets
Barcelona 4 v 0 Borussia Monchengladbach
Bayern Munich 1 v 0 Atletico Madrid
Man City 1 v 1 Celtic
FC Basel 1 v 4 Arsenal
Benfica 1 v 2 Napoli
PSV Eindhoven 0 v 0 FC Rostov
Dynamo Kyiv 6 v 0 Besiktas
Remaining Fixtures Wed, 7 December
Spurs v CKSA Moscow
Porto v Leicester City
Lyon v Sevilla
Club Brugge v Kobenhavn
Bayer Leverkusen v Monaco
Legia Warsaw v Sporting
Real Madrid v Dortmund
Juventus v Dinamo Zagreb
Group A
1. Arsenal – 14 points (Q)
2. Paris St Germain – 12 points (Q)
3. Ludogorets – 3 points
4. FC Basel – 2 points
Group B
1. Napoli – 11 points (Q)
2. Benfica – 8 points (Q)
3. Besiktas – 7 points
4. Dynamo Kyiv – 5 points
Group C
1. Barcelona – 15 points (Q)
2. Man City – 9 points (Q)
3. Borussia Monchengladbach – 5 points
4. Celtic – 3 points
Group D
1. Atletico Madrid – 15 points (Q)
2. Bayern Munich – 12 points (Q)
3. FC Rostov – 5 points
4. PSV Eindhoven – 2 point
Group E
1. Monaco – 11 points (Q)
2. Bayer Leverkusen – 7 points (Q)
3. Spurs – 4 points
4. CSKA Moscow – 3 points
Group F
1. Dortmund – 13 points (Q)
2. Real Madrid – 11 points (Q)
3. Sporting – 3 points
4. Legia Warsaw – 1 point
Group G
1. Leicester – 13 points (Q)
2. Porto – 8 points
3. Kobenhavn – 6 points
4. Club Brugge – 0 points
Group H
1. Juventus – 11 points (Q)
2. Sevilla – 10 points
3. Lyon – 7 points
4. Dinamo Zagreb – 0 points
