Inter, PSG, Liverpool sweating on UCL last-16 spots
Inter Milan forward Mauro Icardi (center) and teammates play with a ball during a training session at the training ground of Appiano Gentile, north of Milan, on Monday, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League Group B match against PSV Eindhoven.
The bid to reach the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League reaches its climax this week with Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool among seven clubs sweating on taking the remaining four places for the last 16.
Tuesday includes a number of blockbuster encounters as Liverpool hopes for one of those magical European nights at Anfield against Napoli in Group C, while Inter will be relying on Group B winner Barcelona to do it a favor and see off Tottenham Hotspur.
Juergen Klopp's Liverpool, sitting third in the group on six points behind PSG (eight) and leader Napoli (nine), must win to have any chance of progress while the Serie A side needs just a draw at Anfield to guarantee its spot in the next round.
Napoli could even lose and still go through if PSG loses to Red Star Belgrade.
Should Neymar and Co. prevail in Serbia, Liverpool would need to win 1-0 or by two goals or more to pip Napoli on their head-to-head record. Liverpool's Egypt striker Mo Salah certainly looks capable, having scored a superb hat trick at Bournemouth in the English Premier League on Saturday.
If Napoli, PSG and Liverpool all finish on nine points, the Merseyside club would finish top with second place determined by the scoreline at Anfield.
A group stage exit for PSG would be humiliating for new manager Thomas Tuchel given the club's Qatari owners' desperation to see the French champion conquer Europe.
The club has reached the knockout stages of the UCL in every season since 2012-13 but has never gone on to reach the final.
After claiming one point from its first three matches in Group B Tottenham looked out of contention but consecutive wins against PSV Eindhoven and Inter mean it heads to the Nou Camp in second place and knowing a win will guarantee it a place in the last-16 for the third time.
Luciano Spalletti's Inter side, which is level with Tottenham on seven points but below it on head-to-head, lost 0-1 to Serie A leader Juventus on Friday but will be a heavy favorite at home to bottom side PSV which has just one point from seven matches in the UCL this season.
Tottenham lost 2-4 against Barcelona in the home leg at Wembley, but may have an advantage in the fact that Barcelona has already qualified as the group winner and may take a leisurely approach as it winds down for the midseason break.
Mauricio Pochettino's team also does not necessarily need a win, as merely matching Inter's result will do.
On Wednesday, Lyon and Shakhtar Donetsk will face each other in the final showdown for a last 16 place in Group F.
The French side sits second on seven points, two ahead of the Ukrainians and so only needs a draw to qualify.
Shakhtar must get maximum points to seal its fifth appearance in the competition's round of 16.
The 12 teams who have qualified already for the knockout stages are Ajax Amsterdam, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Manchester City, Manchester United, Porto, Real Madrid, AS Roma and Schalke 04.
However, only Barcelona, Porto and Real have clinched top spot in their respective groups.
