UEFA Champions League: Five Important Players to Watch on Matchday Six
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the world will see the final matches of this year's Champions League Group Stage.
While most teams have either qualified or been eliminated, many sides are still fighting for a spot in the knockout stages.
Here's a list of five players who will be important in helping their team reach the Round of 16.
Oscar (Chelsea)
1 of 5The Blues face Nordsjælland at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, with the Danish side already out of the competition.
Even if Chelsea do win this game, a draw between Shakhtar Donetsk and Juventus would leave the London side in the Europa League.
Nonetheless, it's important for Rafael Benitez to concentrate on getting his first win for the Blues. And he will almost certainly play Oscar, who has been Chelsea's best performer in the Champions League.
The Brazilian playmaker has scored four times in the group stage and will look to add to his tally on Wednesday.
Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)
2 of 5Juventus need a draw or a win to reach the Round of 16. The Italian club play in Ukraine against group leaders Shakhtar Donetsk, who have already sealed their qualification.
It'll be interesting to see how the two sides come out in this game. Juventus will certainly be cautious as conceding even one goal would pose problems. Shakhtar will want to ensure that they top the group at the end of the day.
Andrea Pirlo will be very important for Angelo Alessio's side as the Turin side will want at least one goal from this match.
The Italian has been great in Juventus' midfield and has assisted three goals in the group stage.
Rafael Bastos (CFR Cluj)
3 of 5Rafael Bastos has played an important role in Cluj's Champions League campaign. He has scored two and assisted two so far in the group stage and looks set to take on Manchester United on the final day.
It is certainly a difficult task for the Romanian side, who will probably need all three points to qualify for the Round of 16 (assuming Galatasaray earn at least a draw in Braga).
Manchester United have already won the group and are expected to rest their star players. Nonetheless, the task of winning at Old Trafford is nearly impossible.
Bastos will need to be on his game for Cluj in order to continue their Champions League run.
Burak Yilmaz (Galatasaray)
4 of 5Galatasaray are tied on points (7) with CFR Cluj but the Turkish side will be huge favorites to finish second in the group.
Faith Terim's side needs to match Cluj's result when they take on Sporting Braga at the Estádio AXA. The Portuguese club are already out of the tournament and will be only playing for pride.
Burak Yilmaz has scored every single goal for Galatasaray so far in the group stage and you would expect him to continue delivering.
Georgios Samaras (Celtic)
5 of 5As in Group H, Group G features two teams with seven points in the final game of the group stage.
Celtic and Benfica are tied on points, with the Scottish side hosting Spartak Moscow. The Portuguese side need to match Celtic's result to ensure qualification but must face Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
With Victor Wanyama suspended, all eyes will be on Georgios Samaras. The Greek striker has scored three times so far in the group stage, with one coming against Spartak Moscow on Matchday Two.
Samaras hasn't been great for Celtic domestically this season but has looked sharp in European competition. If Neil Lennon's side wins this game, they will almost certainly reach the knockout stages.









