voldemort

United thumped Dynamo Kiev to maintain their 100 per cent record in Group F (played 4, won 4, scored 10, conceded 2, points 12), while Arsenal, after a goalless draw in Prague with Slavia in Group H, remained unbeaten and qualified with a record of played 4, won 3, drawn 1, scored 11, conceded 0, points 10.
In Group B, Chelsea are in control of their own destiny: they are top of Group B and will qualify with a game to spare if they beat second-placed Rosenborg on Wednesday.
Red Alert
For Liverpool though, the scenario is more problematic. Against a background of public grumbling by manager Rafa Benitez about transfer policy, which has prompted the club's US co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to tell him to focus solely on matters on the pitch, the Reds need to win their last two Group A games, starting with Porto on Wednesday.
Just as well, then, that Benitez's side go into the game at Anfield in good shape. After setting a Champions League record on Matchday 4 by running up the competition's biggest ever win - 8-0 at home to Besiktas - and reviving their flagging European campaign, Liverpool then beat Fulham and Newcastle in the Premier League.
Saturday's 3-0 victory over the Magpies was utterly convincing, and could even have been another 8-0 if Fernando Torres, in particular, had been able to match his build-up play with finishing of the same quality.
But although Liverpool should be confident of improving on the 1-1 draw with Porto in Portugal on Matchday 1, they will also be wary. Porto go to Merseyside needing only a draw at Anfield to qualify. And a draw may well not be enough for Liverpool. Their record to date is played 4, won 1, drawn 1, lost 2, scored 10, conceded 4, points 4. Above them, Porto have eight points and Marseille seven, so victory is imperative for the Reds.
Nothing For Grant-ed
Chelsea can guarantee their continued involvement in the competition with a win in Trondheim. The unbeaten Blues are top of Group B, having won 2 and drawn 2 of their four matches, scoring five and conceding two to earn eight points - one more than the Norwegians whose 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Matchday 1 on the 18th September triggered the departure of Jose Mourinho and his replacement by Avram Grant.
The Israeli is proving a success, having master-minded a 12-match unbeaten run since losing his first match in charge (at Old Trafford against Manchester United). On Saturday they eased to a comfortable 2-0 away win over Derby County, a result that precipitated the departure from Pride Park of Rams manager Billy Davies.
The only blot on Chelsea's copybook was the dismissal of powerful midfielder Michael Essien, but that will not affect his availability for the Rosenborg game.
Given that Chelsea's chief executive, Peter Kenyon, recently stressed that the London club's overriding ambition is to win the Champions League, it is probable that Grant will field his strongest available team to get the win they need to progress.

The Blues have twice reached the Champions League semi-finals in recent years, but Kenyon says they must lift the trophy in order to be recognised as one of the biggest clubs in football.
Kenyon declared: "Winning that European Cup takes you to another level. That is obviously an objective of Chelsea."
Ferguson's Incentives

Manchester United and Arsenal having qualified for the first knock-out round already, both managers - Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger - can in theory afford to rest key players on Wednesday.
However, Ferguson will want to preserve that 100 per cent record with another victory when the Red Devils entertain Sporting Clube de Portugal at Old Trafford. More importantly, he will want to ensure United win Group F.
He said: "Sporting need to get a result, so we have to make sure that we don't play too many younger players on Tuesday.
"But the incentives are huge for us. If we win, we have won the group and therefore can look forward to being seeded when the draw is made for the knockout stages, and that's important.
"We've also got an important game against Liverpool straight after the Roma game. Beating Sporting would allow us to rest players against Roma."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani have been named in United's line-up for Tuesday, while John O'Shea, Darren Fletcher and goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak will also play, and defender Nemanja Vidic could replace Gerard Pique after recovering from a back problem.
When the teams met in Lisbon on Matchday 1, United triumphed 1-0. And Ferguson will be keen to get Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Bolton Wanderers out of their system by embarking on another winning run.
Can Arsenal Remain Unbeaten?
Arsenal, who moved three points ahead of United at the top of the Premier League at the weekend with a 2-0 home win over Wigan, also have incentives when they take on Sevilla on Tuesday at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.
Manager Arsene Wenger and his players will want to remain unbeaten in Group H, secure a seventh consecutive clean-sheet in Champions League matches, and extend their club-record unbeaten run in all competitions to 29 games.
The Gunners will be without captain William Gallas for their Spanish assignment, but will have midfielders Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva back in the team.
Defender Philippe Senderos will return in place of Gallas following a back injury, but striker Emmanuel Adebayor and full-back Gael Clichy did not travel to Seville.
Arsenal beat Sevilla - then still managed by Juande Ramos, now at North London rivals Spurs - 3-0 on Matchday 1.
Liverpool-Porto Is The Crunch Match
Undoubtedly, though, the key issue surrounding the four English clubs in action this week concerns Liverpool, and whether the five-times European champions can beat Porto and so maintain their recovery from a poor opening to their campaign.
Rafa Benitez may have set winning the Premier League title as Liverpool's number one objective this season, but his strained relationship with Hicks and Gillett may not easily stand an early exit from such a money-spinning tournament - one whose final the Reds have reached in two of the last three years.
So expect a determined and purposeful display against tough opponents who will be seeking at least a point to confirm their own qualification and keep alive the dream of emulating their 2004 Champions League triumph, when one Jose Mourinho was manager.

source:goal.com