Football | Champions League | European hopes at stake for top sides

European hopes at stake for top sides

Several top sides will be hoping to take one step closer to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages by notching wins on Tuesday night.

In Group G, Shakhtar Donetsk will be hoping to repeat their quarter-final run last season by beating the reigning Russian champions, Zenit St Petersburg, who, on the other hand, are looking to build over their win over Porto in their last European fixture.

However, it won't be easy, as Zenit will have to do without Yaroslav Rakitskiy, who is still out suspended following his sending off against Porto earlier in the competition, though they will welcome back Dmytro Chygrynskiy in the centre of their defence.

Shakhtar have their own troubles, with Jadson out from the game after being injured over the weekend in their 3-1 win over Tavriya Simferopol, though this would mean that fellow Brazilian Alex Texeira will get the chance to shine against the Russians.

Elsewhere in Group G, Porto will look to beat APOEL in Nicosia in order to nab top spot in the group.

Having beaten Pacos de Ferreira 3-0 during the weekend, manager Vitor Pereira is keen to follow up their domestic triumph with a win in Europe.

APOEL could pull off a surprise though, has they previously managed a 1-1 draw against the Portuguese Liga kingpins in the Drago earlier this month, holding on to the leadership of Group G with five points, in comparison with Porto and Zenit who have four points, and Shaktar languishing in last place with two points.

In Group F, Arsenal will hope to continue their undefeated run in the group stages by beating Marseille at the Emirates Stadium, would would mark a historic first victory over French opposition in their relatively new stadium.

Although the Gunners will be riding the crest of confidence from their 5-3 win against Chelsea during the weekend, manager Arsene Wenger will have to ensure that his side can hold up in defence, as Arsenal have managed one paltry clean sheet in their last seven fixtures, which was against Marseille at the Stade Velodrome.

Talisman and club captain Robin Van Persie will certainly be a good bet to score, given he has notched seven goals in his last five games for Arsenal.Another positive portent for the North London side is the fact that Marseille have only won once in ten fixtures against Premier League sides, which is not the most impressive of statistics.

Borussia Dortmund will also seek to notch a home win against Olympiakos in Group F.

In Group H, both AC Milan and Barcelona are expected to ease to victories in spite of playing away, as they face BATE Borisov and Viktoria Plzen respectively.

Last, but not least, it promises to be a tough battle between La Liga's Valencia and Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

Valencia come into this match off a 2-1 defeat to the Germans, and will be desperate for all three points to keep their European dreams alive. Bayer Leverkusen, on the other hand, will be keen to keep pace with Group E leaders Chelsea, who themselves will be looking for a pick-me-up win against lowly Genk, especially in light of their loss at Stamford Bridge to Arsenal last weekend.