Group E
Liverpool vs Debrecen
The last time the boys from England played Debrecen, it was a 1-0 result in favor of Liverpool thanks the a goal from Dirk Kuyt. I have no idea what the outcome of today will be. Fernando Torres is out, and Ryan Babel and Daniel Agger exited the field in the early minutes of the first half in Liverpool's game against Manchester City this weekend. Debrecen has yet to win a game and Liverpool is 5 points shy of 2nd place Fiorentina. Hopefully they can pull out a win today and shorten that lead to 2 points.
Fiorentina vs Lyon
Should Fiorentina win, they will leapfrog Lyon into first place with a 2-point lead. If Lyon wins, they will strengthen their lead to 4 points. Lyon topped Fiorentina in their last meeting 1-0 with a 76th minute goal from Pjanic. This is a critical game for both teams- there is always a (small but possible) chance of Liverpool making a late comeback in the group stages to proceed, and both teams have to make sure they get the maximum amount of points out of their remaining games.
Group F
FK Rubin Kazan vs Dynamo Kiev
Kazan's only loss thus far has come from Dynamo, who defeated them 3-1 during their last meeting. That win was also Dynamo's only win in the tournament. Kazan is in 2nd place tied with Barcelona, while Dynamo is in last with 4 points, only one behind Kazan. If Dynamo is able to recreate their success against Kazan, they will replace Kazan in 3rd place, and possibly move higher depending on what Barcelona and Inter Milan do in their match today.
Barcenola vs Inter Milan
The press has yet again been making a huge deal about this match, which ended in a scoreless tie the last time the two titans clashed. Lionel Messi is a doubtful for today after an injury he sustained this weekend, along with Abidal, Toure, and Marquez, who are all ill. Samuel Eto'o will definitely be looking to score this time against his former club after Victor Valdes viciously denied his attempts the last time. Inter leads the group by one point with 6 while Barcelona is in 2nd place with 5 (they beat Kazan head-to-head).
Group G
Rangers vs VfB Stuttgart
The Rangers were able to level with Stuttgart during their last meeting to pull off a tie, but they desperately need a win if they have any hope of progressing in the tournament. With only two points to their name, the Rangers have to hope that Sevilla beats Unirea Urziceni (a likely outcome) so as to at least be tied in points.
Sevilla FC vs Unirea Urziceni
Sevilla currently has a stranglehold on 1st place in Group G, with 10 points to Urziceni's 5. A win for Sevilla is likely- they've already defeated Urziceni once with goals from Renato and Fabiano. They have basically qualified to progress in the tournament.
Group H
Arsenal vs Standard Liege
Two goals in 5 minutes seemed to seal Standard's win against during their last meeting, but three 2nd half goals from Bendtner, Vermaelen, and Eduardo rescued the points for Arsenal. Arsenal has 10 points, first place in the group, while Standard has only 4.
Olympiakos vs AZ Alkmaar
Alkmaar has only accumulated two points in the tournament so far, while Olympiakos has 6. A late strike from Torosidis gave Olympiakos the win when the teams last met, so hopefully the Greek team can recreate their success.
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