There was hope that the scene at Anfield for the final day showdown in the Champions League was going to be set for another Liverpool European miracle.

Liverpool have not had to look hard for trouble this season and their win in match day 5 was not enough to keep their qualification hopes alive.

Fiorentina managed to defeat French side Lyon at home; ensuring that all the places in the group have been fixed and Liverpool are consigned to the Europa League.

There could be dangerous financial consequences of this outcome for Liverpool with the club allegedly budgeting for Champions League knock-out progress. With this money not rolling in to the club, the noose around boss Rafa Benitez may have grown even tighter…although some experts believe the club will not be able to afford to sack the Spaniard.

The fans turning up at Anfield will be hoping for some cheer and a resounding send off for their Champions League whilst laying down a marker for Europa League success.

Elsewhere, Debrecen will be looking to earn their first point of the campaign but an away trip to Lyon is not the place to think a point is likely. There have been strange results in the Champions League this season so it is not out of the question but it is a very hard task.

If you are watching the Wednesday night games on the multi-screen option, Group E is not one that will be of great interest.

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The table is as follows

What is decided:
Chelsea top the group and Porto finish the second.

What is up for grabs:
The Europa League place

Apoel Nicosia need to win at Stamford Bridge to get off the bottom.

Anything other than a shock win for the Cypriot team will see Athletico Madrid taking part in the Europa League in the New Year.

If Apoel can pull off a surprise, an Athletico win over Porto will render the Apoel win pointless.

It has to be said that the odds are stacked heavily in Athletico Madrid’s favour but a Europa League place wont mask their poor campaign.

Whilst Chelsea were undoubtedly favourites before the group started, hopes were high for a top notch tussle between Porto and Athletico but it never materialised.

Relevant head to head:
Athletic Madrid beat Apoel Nicosia on the head to head.

Can the Cypriots pull off a major shock?

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The table is as follows

What is decided:
FC Zurich will finish bottom

What is up for grabs:
The two Champions League places and the Europa League spot.

If Real Madrid beat Marseille, Real Madrid and AC Milan will qualify for the last 16.

If Real Madrid and Marseille draw, Real Madrid and AC Milan will qualify for the last 16.

If Marseille beat Real Madrid, it depends on the score.

If Marseille beat Real Madrid by three goals or more, Marseille will qualify for the last 16. AC Milan would then require a win to qualify for the last 16, an AC Milan draw or loss would see them in the Europa League and Real Madrid in the last 16.

If Marseille beat Real by less than three goals, Real Madrid will qualify for the last 16. AC Milan would then require a win to qualify for the last 16, an AC Milan draw or loss would see them in the Europa League and Marseille in the last 16.

In brief, Marseille need to win to stand any chance of qualification. A three goal victory and they have qualified regardless of the score from the other match. Less than a three goal win and they need AC Milan to drop points.

If Marseille don’t win, it is Europa League football for them in the New Year.

This group could need a calculator and pencil to work out the final placings!

Relevant head to heads that have been decided:

AC Milan beat Real Madrid on the head to head

Can Marseille grab a three goal win to put their fate in their own hands?

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The table is as follows

What is decided:
Manchester United are definitely in the last 16.

What is up for grabs:
Manchester United could finish first or second.

The other three places could go either way.

If Wolfsburg beat Manchester United, Wolfsburg will top the group and United will finish second, regardless of how the other game finishes.

If Wolfsburg and Manchester United draw, Manchester United will top the group. Wolfsgroup will take second place if CSKA Moscow fail to beat Besiktas.

If Manchester United beat Wolfsburg, Manchester United will top the group. CSKA Moscow will take second place if they beat or draw with Besiktas.

Besiktas will take third place and entry to the Europa League if they beat CSKA Moscow 1-0 or by two clear goals.

Relevant head to heads that have been decided:
Wolfsburg beat CSKA Moscow on the head to head

Manchester United beat CSKA Moscow on the head to head

It can get a bit confusing on these nights but with the potential for a lot of changes as the games continue, there should be some excitement for the armchair fans.

Who do you think will go through with Man Utd?

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The table is as follows

What is decided:
Bordeaux qualified for last 16, as group leaders.

Maccabi Haifa will finish bottom

What is up for grabs:
Juventus and Bayern Munich can both clinch second place in the group.

The two play with Juventus at home and if Juventus avoid defeat, they will take second place.

Bayern need to win, if they do, they take second place and Juventus will go to Europa League

A head to head clash to decide the final knock-out place up for grabs is exactly what the fans want. Juventus obviously start favourites with home advantage and a draw being enough but this can sometimes work against a team.

Bayern Munich know that it is win or bust and their mind will be focused on that.

If the score is a draw late on, will Juventus sit back and play for the draw or go for the winner to seal their qualification? It is a tricky position to be in.

Bayern Munich may be able to rescue a treacherous start to the season by nicking an away win but the game is definitely up for grabs, which should make it an exciting prospect for any neutral looking in.

Is it Bayern or Juventus for you?

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The way German clubs are run and funded is vastly different from many of the other nations allow their teams to be run.

This is great for the fans as it allows cheap entry and the opportunity for every fan to own part of their club.
Sadly, it plays a part in keeping the German clubs the poorer relatives of the large spending and all-conquering from England and Spain.

This has hurt Bayern Munich badly, a club synonymous with success in Germany and Europe.

A 1-0 home win over Maccabi Haifa is hardly the biggest European result in the clubs history but for their current status, this tight win was majorly important. Olic delivered the strike that grabbed all three points and kept Bayern Munich in the hunt for Champions League glory.

A 2-0 victory for Bordeaux left Juventus on 8 points, just one ahead of the German club which leaves football fans with a final day showdown in Italy.

A home win or draw will see Juventus through to the final sixteen whilst their opponents will be looking to the Europa League for their European action. However, an away win will change all that.

If Bayern Munich can upset the odds and triumph in Italy, there may just be a new chapter written in the story of Germany’s most famous club.

If you think Bayern Munich can overcome expectations and triumph in Italy, let us know.

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Especially when the club had went 23 games unbeaten at Old Trafford in Europe’s top tournament.

United fans will point to the fact that they were denied a strong penalty claim when the referee waved away the appeals of Patrice Evra when he was obstructed in the box. To be honest, it was more of an obstruction that an out and out foul but the Besiktas defender made no move to play the ball, merely block the Manchester United player.

Given that they had already qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, the defeat is hardly earth shattering but one of the things that will annoy people is how many football coupons were burst. Manchester United at home is a betting favourite for many fans and you know they would have featured in many accumulators for this midweek.

Alex Ferguson will be angry, probably not due to losses in bookmaker winnings but in the fact that his second-string of players are not good enough. The loss of Cristiano Ronaldo has left Manchester United lacking and if their key players are out, they look like struggling.

This means a string of injuries could decimate United in the way that Liverpool look bereft of anything worthy when their two stars are out.

No great damage to Manchester United but it will be a sore defeat to take.

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A lot of issues were settled on Tuesday night so let us see what Wednesday has for us on Match day 5:

Group A
Bayern Munich v Maccabi Haifa
Bordeaux v Juventus

Group B
CSKA Moscow v Wolfsburg
Man Utd v Besiktas

Group C
AC Milan v Marseille
Real Madrid v FC Zurich

Group D
Apoel Nicosia v Atletico Madrid
FC Porto v Chelsea

For all you armchair fans, remember that the CSKA Moscow versus Wolfsburg match is the earlier kick-off, allowing you to catch two full games of Champions League action this evening.

All games (bar CSKA v Wolfsburg) kick off at 1945 time in the UK, with the early kick-off starting at 1730.

Will Bayern bow out of the Champions League?

Does anyone care about Group D?

Fid out tonight and check back with the Champions League site for analysis and after match reports.

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Rafa Benitez knows what he is doing. By rights, many within the club should be thinking of calling for his head but given the current financial state of the club, can they afford to sack him?

He has a contract to run and it just cant be ignored. Obviously he is not just going to resign so if the men in charge want a change; it is going to cost them cash. And filthy lucre is one thing that Liverpool don’t have at the moment.

The injury list has been pretty horrific but if you are going to act like Rafa Benitez and waste a lot of money on squad players and players lacking in sufficient quality then injuries will bite you on the bum.

For all that Benitez has spent in charge of the Scouse reds; they are still a two man team.

Without Torres and Gerrard, they are ordinary with even one of these two missing causing a huge deficit in the team.

Liverpool did what they had to do tonight. A 1-0 win in Hungary over Debrecen was the minimum they could do but the result in Italy went against them.
Lyon would have felt it was better to eliminate Liverpool, so it was no surprise to see Fiorentina triumph 1-0 to knock the Scousers out of the Champions League into the Europa League.

Liverpool will need to dust themselves off and there is no reason why they cant win the Europa Cup.

Whether Rafa Benitez is in charge will be an entirely different matter.

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Religion, class, origin and background, they are all reasons people bring up to justify their hatred of the other club in the city and to be fair, both clubs are polar opposite in outlook, charity and behaviour of their fans.

The two clubs are also poles apart with European displays.

Celtic, who are in the Europa League campaign are terrible travellers but have made their name (until this season) through some heroic displays at Celtic Park. Rangers are a completely different beast.

This season, for the first time ever, Rangers achieved a constiency in their home games in the Champions League. Sadly for the Blue nose contingent, they were skelped in all three matches with an aggregate score of 2-10 for their home matches.

You can bet the Teddy Bears who shelled out for a three game package aren’t too happy with the return they received.

Even Madjid ‘Magic’ Bougherra may not have conjured up a better result, if he was allowed to play.

Rangers don’t even have the comfort of Europa League action in 2010 to look forward to which means Lloyds will be even keener for sales in January.

Another dismal Ibrox performance may cause Rangers much pain in January.

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