Champions League 2013: Full List of Predictions Ahead of Matchday 5

With Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona safely through to the round of 16, there are other sides across Europe with ambitions to join them once Matchday 5 concludes. 

The 2013/14 Champions League hasn’t failed to excite this season. It has been a platform for the world’s best players to strut their stuff, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero leading the way with 26 goals between them. 

For some sides, like Real Madrid and PSG, the passage through to the knock-out rounds is simply a case of dotting the Is and crossing the Ts, but for other European powerhouses like Borussia Dortmund, qualification is proving a little more complicated. 

Here’s a full slate of predictions from Groups A-H, before we take a further look at some of the Continent’s key matchups this week. 

Date, K/O	Group	Venue	Match	Prediction
Nov. 26, 5 p.m. GMT	G	Stadion Petrovski	Zenit vs. Atletico Madrid	Atletico win, 2-1
Nov. 26, 7:45 p.m. GMT	H	Celtic Park	Celtic vs. AC Milan	Milan win, 2-1
Nov. 26, 7:45 p.m. GMT	H	Amsterdam ArenA	Ajax vs. Barcelona	Barca win, 3-0
Nov. 26, 7:45 p.m. GMT	E	Arena Nationala	Steaua vs. Schalke	Draw, 1-1
Nov. 26, 7:45 p.m. GMT	E	St. Jakob-Park	Basel vs. Chelsea	Chelsea win, 2-0
Nov. 26, 7:45 p.m. GMT	F	The Emirates	Arsenal vs. Marseille	Arsenal win, 2-1
Nov. 26, 7:45 p.m. GMT	F	BVB Stadion Dortmund	Dortmund vs. Napoli	Dortmund win, 2-1
Nov. 26, 7:45 p.m. GMT	G	Estadio do Dragao	Porto vs. Austria Wien	Porto win, 2-0
Nov. 27, 5 p.m. GMT	D	Arena Khimki	CSKA Moscow vs. Bayern Munich	Bayern win, 3-0
Nov. 27, 7:45 p.m. GMT	D	Etihad Stadium	Man City vs. Plzen	City win, 4-1
Nov. 27, 7:45 p.m. GMT	A	BayArena	Bayer Leverkusen vs. Man United	United win, 2-1
Nov. 27, 7:45 p.m. GMT	A	Donbass Arena	Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Real Sociedad	Shakhtar win, 2-0
Nov. 27, 7:45 p.m. GMT	B	Santiago Bernabeu	Real Madrid vs. Galatasaray	Real win, 4-1
Nov. 27, 7:45 p.m. GMT	B	Juventus Stadium	Juventus vs. Copenhagen	Juve win, 2-1
Nov. 27, 7:45 p.m. GMT	C	Constant Vanden Stock Stadium	Anderlecht vs. Benfica	Benfica win, 2-1
Nov. 27, 7:45 p.m. GMT	C	Parc des Princes	PSG vs. Olympiacos	PSG win, 3-1

Borussia Dortmund vs. Napoli

Group F is arguably the tightest of this season’s groups, and if results go a certain way over the next two matches, then 12 points might not even be enough to secure a place in the round of 16. 

Dortmund currently sit third in the pool on six points, three behind Napoli and Arsenal, and Jurgen Klopp will be desperate for three points after a heavy defeat at home to Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich at the weekend. 

Napoli will arrive in Dortmund Tuesday night with a loss behind them also, after suffering a 1-0 defeat at home to Parma on Saturday. 

The Italian side need just one point from their game with Dortmund to secure qualification, and if they can beat the German side then Arsenal will also advance, as long as the Premier League outfit don’t lose at home to Marseille. 

But with a raucous Yellow Wall behind them, last year’s beaten finalists can’t be counted out just yet. A win for Dortmund would put them right back in the mix in Group F, with a trip to Marseille in their last game. 

Arsenal vs. Marseille

Arsenal have lost three of their last five Champions League games at the Emirates, so they won’t be taking victory at home to Marseille for granted. 

The French side have yet to get on the board in Group F with four defeats from four, but they will have nothing to lose when they arrive in North London. 

If the Gunners can better Dortmund’s result, then they will secure their passage to the next round. However, defeat to Marseille would put them in a precarious position with a daunting trip to Napoli on the horizon. 

Celtic vs. AC Milan

AC Milan will secure a place in the round of 16 with a win at Celtic Park, but the trip to Glasgow will be anything but comfortable for the Rossoneri. 

Celtic have won eight of their last 11 European home games, and their overall record at home in the Group Stages stands at 16 wins, five draws and just two losses—per UEFA. 

With Barcelona leading the way in Group H, Milan sit second on five points, with Ajax on four and Celtic on three. 

Ajax have lost nine straight games against Spanish opponents, and if they fail to beat Barcelona at home then Celtic could move into second place with victory at home to AC Milan. 

A win for the Scottish side is far from impossible. Milan have had an abysmal start to the season in Serie A, picking up just 14 points from their opening 13 games. 

Bayer Leverkusen vs. Manchester United

Leverkusen have won eight consecutive games at home—per UEFA—and they will be looking to make that nine when Manchester United arrive in town. 

A win would seal United’s place in the qualifying stages, but Leverkusen manager Sami Hyypia knows all about beating the Red Devils. 

The former Liverpool man has impressed since taking the reins at Leverkusen. His team sit second in the Bundesliga, four points behind the unbeaten Bayern Munich, having scored 28 goals in their opening 13 games. 

Hyypia’s charges also sit second in Group A, one point behind United, and a win would see them secure their place in the knock-out rounds.  

If Shakhtar Donetsk, who sit on five points, fail to pick up anything from their game with Real Sociedad, then Manchester United would also advance with a draw. 

Juventus vs. Copenhagen

With Real Madrid needing just one point to qualify out of Group B, it is left to Juventus, Copenhagen and Galatasaray to battle it out for the remaining spot. 

Juventus have yet to pick up a win in the Champions League this season, but three draws have helped them stay within touching distance of the Danish and Turkish clubs, which both have three points. 

A loss for the Italian side would see them crash out of the competition but a win would see them rise to second, as long as Galatasaray don’t beat Los Blancos. 

Antonio Conte will be looking to the experience of Andrea Pirlo to guide his side against Copenhagen, while hoping Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente can provide the finishing touches up top.