Favourites knockout round

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LONDON, Oct 30: As many as 11 clubs could secure a place in the knockout round of the Champions League this week if all the results went the way of the favourites when Matchday Four is played on Tuesday and Wednesday. Teams like Chelsea (Group A), Bayern Munich (Group B), Valencia (Group D), Olympique Lyon (Group E) and Manchester United (Group F) all have one foot in the door after winning their opening three matches and it would take an unlikely loss of form as well as a series of unlikely results to stop them advancing now. If they were all to win again this week they would be through, and could be joined by the likes of Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven, Real Madrid, AS Roma, Celtic, AC Milan and Lille. Others like Arsenal and CSKA Moscow are likely to go through before the completion of the group phase matches. The obvious missing name from the above list is that of reigning European champions Barcelona whose place in the last 16 could be in some jeopardy if they were to slip up at home against Chelsea at the Nou Camp on Tuesday. With three matches completed in Group A, Chelsea top the standings with nine points following their 1-0 home win over Barcelona two weeks ago. They meet again at the Nou Camp this week and Barcelona, who beat Levski Sofia 5-0 in their opening match then drew 1-1 at Werder Bremen, must win. Anything less would leave them facing elimination, especially if Werder, who are also on four points, beat Levski in Sofia. Barcelona have slipped in recent weeks, but their Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho showed signs of returning to his best on Saturday with two goals in Barcelona's 3-0 win over at Recreativo Huelva – one a penalty and the other a rare header. Chelsea, in contrast, have been grinding out wins with their usual efficiency although they have never won at the Nou Camp in five matches dating back to 1966. Among the other sides whose future in the competition is finely balanced are Inter Milan and Porto. Inter have dreamt now for more than 40 years of adding to the two European Cups they won in 1964 and 1965 and started this season with high hopes after being elevated to the position of Italian champions in the wake of the Serie A match-fixing scandal of last season. But they started their Group B campaign badly, losing 1-0 to Sporting Lisbon in their first match and 2-0 at home to Bayern in their second. Their 2-1 win over Spartak Moscow two weeks ago revived their campaign and another win over Spartak, albeit this time in Moscow, will give them a chance of advancing, espcially if Bayern follow up their 1-0 win over Sporting in Lisbon with another win over the Portuguese side in Munich. Porto, the reigning Portuguese champions and European Champions in 2004, also face a crucial game in Germany against Hamburg SV in Group G. With CSKA (7 points) and Arsenal (6 points), meeting in London and both looking likely to qualify, Porto (4 points) must inflict a fouth successive defeat on Hamburg to keep their own chances realistically alive. Hamburg, the 1983 European champions, are one of three teams yet to gain a point along with Levski Sofia and Dynamo Kiev. They all face elimination unless they find a win this week with Levski at home to Werder in Group A and Kiev travelling to unbeaten and unblemished Lyon in Group E. With Lyon having won 3-0 in Kiev two weeks ago, the odds on an upset seem remote and Lyon, widely considered a strong, if rather under-estimated candidate to inherit Barca's crown, likely to win again and advance. In each of the last seven seasons, since the Champions League was increased to 32 clubs, at least two clubs have made it through to the last 16 with two matches to play and in each of the last six seasons, at least one club has been eliminated.