Juventus and Bayern Munich square off in a Champions League match Tuesday which will end with one of the illustrious pair suffering the same fate as Liverpool and making an early exit from the tournament. The final week of the group stage will also be a nervy one for Italian pair AC Milan and their arch-rival Inter, who are both far from certain of making the knockout stages. Real Madrid and holder Barcelona are in a more comfortable position as it would take an unlikely combination of results to eliminate either one. Five-time champions Liverpool has already been eliminated after a miserable campaign in Group F and is one of nine teams who go into the final week with no hope of progressing. On the other hand, eight sides – Girondins Bordeaux, Olympique Lyon, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Porto, Fiorentina and Sevilla – have already made sure of their places in the last sixteen. French champion Bordeaux took one of the places in Group A, leaving twice former champion Juventus and four-times winner Bayern to scrap for the other spot. The odds seem stacked against Louis van Gaal's Bayern, with Juventus enjoying home advantage and needing only a draw. The Italians are also unbeaten in their last 16 home games in the Champions League, have won their last four home games against German teams – two of them against Bayern – and have lost only three of 22 home matches against German clubs in total. The Bundesliga side should be boosted by the return to fitness of Dutch midfielder Arjen Robben, who will add much needed pace and control in midfield especially in the absence of injured playmaker Franck Ribery. “It is an important match and I would like to play from the start,” Robben told reporters. “I do not know how long I can play. Maybe 60-70 minutes but possibly also 90 minutes.” Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara said: “Tuesday is a match of extraordinary importance and Juve have shown we are ready for big games.” Group F, featuring Barcelona and Inter Milan, is the most evenly balanced and the only one where all four teams still have a chance, although it would take an unlikely combination of results to remove Pep Guardiola's team. Barcelona, which leads with eight points, visits Dynamo Kiev, who have five, while Inter Milan and Rubin Kazan, which has six points each, meet at the San Siro. Group C leader Real Madrid needs only to a avoid a three-goal defeat at Olympique Marseille to progress, however second-place AC Milan must win away to Swiss champion FC Zurich to make sure without depending on the other result. Leonardo's team has won both its Champions League away games this season and is unbeaten in its last nine away in Europe, however it lost at home to Zurich earlier in the group. German champion VfL Wolfsburg hosts Manchester United in Group B and will qualify providing CSKA Moscow do not get a better result than the Bundesliga side in its visit to eliminated Besiktas. VfB Stuttgart, the third German team, can pip Unirea Urziceni for the second spot in Group G if it beata the Romanians at home, otherwise it opponents will follow Sevilla through. Despite the importance of the game, Stuttgart sacked coach Markus Babbel Sunday, a day after a 1-1 draw against VfL Bochum left them in 16th place in the Bundesliga. He was immediately replaced by Christian Gross. Zico's Olympiakos need a point at home to Arsenal Wednesday to follow the Premier League side through from Group H. If it slips up, Standard Liege will go through in its place with a home win against AZ Alkmaar.
