Champions League Matchweek Six Preview: Must win games for United and Newcastle

The UEFA Champions League returns for the final gameweek of the group stage, providing many teams with a final chance to secure qualification to the knockout stages.

We preview two of the standout groups below.

Group A

FC Copenhagen v Galatasaray – Tuesday 20:00

Both games in this group are particularly important for the bottom three teams as it is all to play for when it comes to securing the second-place spot in the group. Going into gameweek six, Copenhagen find themselves in the best spot, slightly ahead of Galatasaray in the group (due to goal difference) however, both teams sit on 5pts and need to win this game to guarantee progression in the Champions League. It’s quite a difficult game to call, with FC Copenhagen at 13/8 and Galatasaray just shorter at 11/8 to win in 90 minutes. When the teams last met in Turkey, it did result in a 2-2 draw, and they have both since picked up draws against the original group favourites Manchester United and Bayern in gameweek five.

An interesting offer from William Hill is the Both Score No Draw market at 5/4 as both teams will be frantically trying to secure that second-place spot in Group A. Galatasaray have a strong attacking force with Mauro Icardi (13/10) and Cedric Bakambu (23/10) tipped to hit the back of the net first ahead of Viktor Claesson (23/10) and Orri Steinn Oskarsson (11/5) for Copenhagen.

Manchester United v Bayern Munich – Tuesday 20:00

Bayern Munich have the luxury of going into this game on 13pts, already guaranteed qualification from the group, however, Manchester United will be hoping for a draw in the other group game which will allow them to bag second place should they secure a win against Bayern. United have had a poor run of form recently in the group stage, picking up only one win in five games, drawing one and losing the other three. They will give everything they have in this game against Bayern who may field a slightly lesser team in the interest of reducing risk of injury as they have already secured top spot in the group. This explains how tight the odds are as United are 13/8, with Bayern at 5/4 to win in 90 minutes. They have every chance going into this game, and off the back of another embarrassing defeat in the Premier League, Erik Ten Hag will want to build some confidence back into his team and this is the perfect opportunity to do so.

We can expect some goals in this game from both teams so there’s not much value in the 2/5 BTTS market, but a price of 5/4 for over 3.5 Total Match Goals is interesting. Harry Kane leads the anytime goalscorer market at 17/20 with Mathys Tel (8/5) in behind for Bayern, while Rasmus Hojlund (17/10) and Marcus Rashford (21/10) are most fancied to score for United.

Group F

Borussia Dortmund v Paris Saint Germain – Wednesday 20:00

This group has been fantastic to watch. Borussia Dortmund have qualified for the knockout stages but have not yet won the group as PSG can still come out on top following a win in this game. Consequently, PSG could find themselves in hot water should there be a victor in the other game in their group, as Newcastle and Milan sit just two points shy of PSG. The Paris side are 4/5 favourites with Dortmund priced at 27/10 to win in 90 minutes, off the back of a 2-0 win at home against the German giants in the reverse meeting in matchday one.

It’s no surprise that superstar Kylian Mbappe leads the anytime goalscorer market at 8/11, with Randal Kolo Muani and Concalo Ramos at 2/1 for PSG. For Dortmund, Niclas Fullkrug leads the running at 23/10 with Paris Brunner close behind at 29/10.

Newcastle United v AC Milan – Wednesday 20:00

This will be the most important game of the group stage for both teams, as they are both looking for a result to catch PSG to qualify for the knockout stages. Both teams will be going for the win and Newcastle are 4/5 favourites to defeat Milan (14/5) in 90 minutes. The reverse fixture at the San Siro ended in a 0-0 draw, and a similar result would do neither side any favours, so expect this to be a more open encounter.

Newcastle will be looking to replicate their form earlier in the campaign when they beat PSG 4-1 at home, although plagued with injuries which have muted their performances in the Premier League of late, being at home for this game is a huge advantage for the Magpies. A win here by at least one more goal than PSG, should they defeat Dortmund, would result in guaranteed European football for Newcastle, but they’ll be hoping that Dortmund turn up so that second spot in the group becomes ripe for the taking.

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