Galatasaray host Atletico Madrid in fascinating battle
Rams Park will play host to a fascinating Champions League battle on Wednesday night, as Galatasaray welcome Atletico Madrid in the league phase of the competition.
The Turkish side are 18th in the overall table, three points behind eighth-placed Atletico, demonstrating the importance of the clash on matchday seven.
Galatasaray have never beaten Atletico, drawing one and losing three of the four previous meetings between the two sides in the European Cup.
The Turkish giants are, therefore, chasing some history on Wednesday night, but their results have been a mixed bag in the Champions League this season, winning three and losing three of their six matches.
Galatasaray will finish their league stage against Manchester City on January 28, and successive defeats could potentially see them drop outside of the playoffs.
Victor Osimhen helped Nigeria finish third at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday night, and the striker is expected to be available for selection here, while Leroy Sane is also set to be a notable starter in the final third of the field.
This is a really interesting match, and we are expecting it to be tight on Wednesday. Cases can be made for either to win it, but both could be forced to accept a share of the spoils.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Marseille and Liverpool collide at the Orange Velodrome
Both harbouring hopes of automatic qualification to the Champions League’s last 16, Marseille and Liverpool collide at the Orange Velodrome this evening in the league phase.
Marseille are searching for a third straight win in Europe’s premier tournament, while the Reds have some domestic wrongs to right in midweek.
Marseille have fought fire with fire successfully for much of the 2025-26 campaign, and that was again the case on matchday six, where a Mason Greenwood double helped the Ligue 1 title outsiders prevail 3-2 against Belgian upstarts Union Saint-Gilloise.
De Zerbi’s men have also taken down Newcastle United and PSV Eindhoven in this year’s tournament, but Sporting Lisbon, Atalanta BC and Real Madrid have all got the better of Les Olympiens, who sit 12th and three points off the automatic last-16 spots.
Now seeking three straight UCL wins for the first time since 2010-11, Marseille reunite with Liverpool for the first time since the 2008-09 league phase, where the Reds prevailed 2-1 on the road before a 1-0 home success under Rafael Benitez.
Liverpool’s trip to Marseille comes four days after Mohamed Salah completed his Africa Cup of Nations campaign, but at the time of writing, there is still no knowing whether the 33-year-old will make his long-awaited comeback on Wednesday night.
Three players who definitely will not be at Slot’s disposal are Conor Bradley (knee), Giovanni Leoni (knee) and Alexander Isak (leg), but the visitors are otherwise in strong shape for matchday seven.
Slot’s men will, therefore, not be short of openings at the Orange Velodrome, but given the hosts’ strength in depth up front, Liverpool may have to accept another draw at the end of an end-to-end goal-fest.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Barca aim to secure top-eight spot against Slavia Prague
Barcelona will be aiming to boost their hopes of a securing a top-eight spot in the Champions League table when they tackle Slavia Prague on Wednesday night.
The Catalan outfit are currently 15th in the league stage, two points off eighth-placed Atletico Madrid, while a struggling Slavia outfit are down in 33rd spot in the table.
Slavia Prague have not played a competitive match in over a month due to the break in their domestic campaign, with the team’s last non-friendly taking place on December 13 – a 4-3 success over Jablonec in Czech Republic’s top division.
The Red and Whites have only won two of their 16 European games against Spanish sides, losing seven times in the process, while they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona when the pair met in the Czech Republic in the group stage of the 2019-20 Champions League.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have a record of three wins, one draw and two defeats from their six matches in this season’s Champions League, with 10 points leaving them 15th in the table, two points off the top eight, so this is a vital match for Hansi Flick‘s side.
The La Liga champions will finish their league stage campaign against Copenhagen on January 28, and two wins would put the team in an excellent position to finish in the top eight.
Slavia Prague have found it difficult in the Champions League this season, and we are finding it tough to predict an upset here; Barcelona will be desperate to bounce back from their league defeat on Sunday, and we can see a routine success for the La Liga champions.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Chelsea and Pafos FC clash at Stamford Bridge
Competing in their fourth different tournament in the space of four games, Chelsea host Pafos FC in Wednesday’s Champions League league-phase clash at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues lie two points off the automatic last-16 places with two games to go, while the Cypriot side are still fighting for their right to enter the playoffs.
The Chelsea firsts do not stop for newly-appointed head coach Liam Rosenior, who is about to experience his Champions League debut with the Blues shortly after EFL Cup, FA Cup and Premier League baptisms.
Before Enzo Maresca’s astonishing exit, the now-unemployed Italian oversaw an indifferent three wins, one draw and two defeats from Chelsea’s opening six league-phase games, the most recent being a gut-wrenching 2-1 loss away to Atalanta BC on matchday six.
Having also dropped points against Bayern Munich and Qarabag in this season’s tournament, the Blues reside outside the coveted top eight positions in 13th spot, but such is the tight nature of the standings that they are just three points off third-placed Paris Saint-Germain.
Furthermore, all of the Blues’ European aberrations this term have come on the road; they have bested Barcelona, Ajax and Benfica on home soil and are now unbeaten in 17 UEFA group stage/league phase games at Stamford Bridge.
Pafos have held their own against some revered European names this term, but the Chelsea challenge will surely prove one step too far for the Cypriots.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
FIXTURES
Galatasaray 17:45 Atletico Madrid
Qarabağ 17:45 Eintracht Frankfurt
Bayern Munich 20:00 Union Saint-Gilloise
