However, in the coming up fixtures of English Premier League – if Arsenal is strong regarding qualifying for the UEFA Champions League this season, they have to triumph over rivals Manchester United at the Emirates stadium on Sunday (January 22).

Group A  

Team                GP       W         L          D          G          GA       PTS

Bayern              6          4          1          1          11         6          13

Napoli                6         3          1          2          10         6          11

Man. City          6          3          2          1          9          6          10

Villarreal            6          0          6          0          2          14         0

Group B

Team                GP       W         L          D          G        GA         PTS

Internazionale    6          3          2          1          8          7          10

CSKA Moskva   6          2          2          2          9          8          8

Trabzonspor      6          1          1          4          3          5          7

Lille                   6         1          2          3          6          6          6

Group C

Team               GP        W         L          D          G          GA       PTS

Benfica             6          3          0          3          8          4          12

Basel                 6         3          1          2          11         10         11

Man. United      6          2          1          3          11         8          9

Oţelul Galaţi       6          0          6          0          3          11         0

Group D

Team               GP        W         L          D          G          GA       PTS

Real Madrid      6          6          0          0          19         2          18

Lyon                  6         2          2          2          9          7          8

Ajax                   6         2          2          2          6          6          8

Dinamo Zagreb             6          0          6          0          3          22         0

Group E

Team               GP        W         L          D          G          GA       PTS

Chelsea            6          3          1          2          13         4          11

Leverkusen        6          3          2          1          8          8          10

Valencia            6          2          2          2          12         7          8

Genk                  6         0          3          3          2          16         3

Group F

Team               GP        W         L          D          G          GA       PTS

Arsenal             6          3          1          2          7          6          11

Marseille           6          3          2          1          7          4          10

Olympiacos      6          3          3          0          8          6          9

Dortmund         6          1          4          1          6          12         4

Group G

Team                GP       W         L          D          G          GA       PTS

APOEL             6          2          1          3          6          6          9

Zenit                  6         2          1          3          7          5          9

Porto                 6         2          2          2          7          7          8

Shakhtar           6          1          3          2          6          8          5

Group H

Team               GP        W         L          D          G          GA       PTS

Barcelona         6          5          0          1          20         4          16

Milan                 6         2          1          3          11         8          9

Plzeň                 6         1          3          2          4          11         5

BATE                 6         0          4          2          2          14         2

Final Scoring Summary: FC Basel 2 – 1 Manchester United

FC Basel Goals: Marco Streller (9′) and Alexander Frei (84′)

Manchester United Goals: Phil Jones (89′)

Manchester United are odds-on to finish the season trophy-less following their upsetting exit from the Champions League, while Sir Alex Ferguson has been cut to no longer to be Man United boss on the first day of next season.

United went following to Marco Streller’s strike early in the match after some poor defending and an error from goalkeeper David De Gea. Alexander Frei doubled the hosts’ lead in the second half after heading home goals, before Phil Jones’s late header left United a goal short of the draw they needed.

Their tactics of attempting to find Rooney with crosses from Young and Nani initially appeared misguided against the hosts’ actually imposing defenders, but it almost give up an equalizer on the half hour mark. But Basel held on to locked a fabulous victory.

The result meant Sir Alex’s team finished third in Group C, as Benfica and Basel reached the knockout stage, leaving them playing in the Europa League.

Rivals Manchester City, who also knocked out of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, are Hills’ Europa League favorites ahead of United, Atletico Madrid and Valencia.

In Group A fixtures, Manchester City will face an uphill task to reach the last 16 of the tournament and know they have to beat Bayern Munich at the Etihad Stadium. But, even a victory may not be enough for Roberto Mancini’s team, if Napoli gets a result away to Villarreal.

In Group C fixtures, Manchester United will travel to FC Basel knowing that a point in Switzerland will be enough to steps forward to the next round.

And in Group D fixture, Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid team have already booked their position in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League and will probable rest players for their final group match, as the Special One looks ahead to this weekend’s El Clasico clash with Barcelona.

But defeat against the Swiss would observe Sir Alex Ferguson’s team crash out of the competition tonight.

2011/2012 UEFA Champions League Fixtures for Dec. 07th 2011: (All kick-off times will be GMT)

Ajax Amsterdam Vs Real Madrid (Group D, 19:45 – Amsterdam ArenA, Netherlands)

Benfica Vs Otelul Galati (Group C, 19:45 – Maksimir Stadium)

Dinamo Zagreb Vs Lyon (Group D, 19:45 – Estadio da Luz)

FC Basel Vs Manchester United (Group C, 19:45 – St Jakob-Park)

Inter Milan (Internazionale) Vs CSKA Moscow (Group B, 19:45 – Giuseppe Meazza)

Lille Vs Trabzonspor (Group B, 19:45 – Stadium Lille Métropole, France)

Manchester City Vs Bayern Munich (Group A, 19:45 – Etihad Stadium)

Villarreal Vs Napoli (Group A, 19:45 – El Madrigal, Spain)

In today’s fixture will prove to be one of Manchester City’s team most significant in its recent history, needing a victory over an already-through Bayern Munich team as winners of Group A. Eyes in Manchester will also been on the Villarreal-Napoli tie, where a Napoli win would eliminate the Citizens from the Champions League competition.

Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena in September is the only time the Premier League leaders have failed to score this season in their Twenty-three games. City has a full squad to select from, so it will come down to Roberto Mancini picking his best XI.

Manchester City has played Seven English Premier League games this season on City of Manchester Stadium. On home ground, Manchester City has won 7, drawn 0 and lost 0 games, and this ranked the Citizens 1st in home team performance in the English Premier League.

On the previous match-day, Bayern eased past a dropping Villarreal team on the back of a Franck Ribery brace and so far another goal by German international Mario Gomez, ending in a 3-1 victory for the Bavarians, all while sealing top position.

Bayern Munich’s last visit to England ground ended in elimination for City’s neighbors Manchester United as the English team went out on away goals. For Bayern, Toni Kroos and Arjen Robben are both out with flu and have not flown to England, while Thomas Muller could side-lined as he is suffering from a cold.

Bayern Munchen has played Seven German 1 Bundesliga games this season away from home. On away ground, Bayern Munchen has won 4, drawn 1 and lost 2 matches, and this ranked Die Bayern (The Bavarians) 1st in away team performance in the German 1 Bundesliga.

Probable Line-Ups:

Manchester City: Hart, Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Barry, Yaya Toure, Milner, Silva, Dzeko and Aguero.

Bayern Munich: Neuer, Rafinha, Van Buyten, Badstuber, Lahm, Luiz Gustavo, Tymoshchuk, Muller, Alaba, Ribery and Olic.

Chelsea FC start the day top of Group E but face a tricky tie away to Bayer Leverkusen. The beat wouldn’t only increase difficulty on boss Andre Villas-Boas, but might also see the Blues drop down to third spot in the group must Valencia take all three points at home ground to Genk.

In Group F stage, Arsenal will host Borussia Dortmund to the Emirates knowing three points would guarantee their position in the knockout stages of the competition, while in Group H stage, AC Milan will play host to Barcelona at the San Siro.

The controlling champs Barca go into the game two points clear of AC Milan, with the winners of tonight’s game almost guaranteeing they top the group in-front of the winner stages.

UEFA Champions League fixtures for Wednesday’s, Nov. 23rd 2011 as follows – (All kick-off times GMT)

Zenit St Petersburg vs Apoel Nicosia (Group G, 17:00)

BATE Borisov vs Plzen (Group H, 18:00)

AC Milan vs Barcelona (Group H, 19:45)

Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund (Group F, 19:45)

Bayer Leverkusen vs Chelsea FC (Group E, 19:45)

Marseille vs Olympiakos (Group F, 19:45)

Shakhtar Donetsk vs FC Porto (Group G, 19:45)

Valencia vs Genk (Group E, 19:45)

Bayer Leverkusen and Chelsea face-off in the Champions League this Wednesday night in what should be a good contest.

Leverkusen had a good control over the ball in the initial games, but the accuracy of their shots was a bit disappointing and the side did not manage to score much created opportunities. They have won just two of their Sixteen-games over English opposition, losing ten.

Leverkusen boss Robin Dutt is without first-choice goalkeeper Rene Adler, while Tranquillo Barnetta also ruled out through injury. But, the midfielder Andre Schurrle is expected to start for the Bundesliga team, after being rested for the 2-0 victory at Kaiserslautern at the weekend. Karim Bellarabi, Renato Augusto and Hanno Balitsch are also missing.

Chelsea started the season well, but seems like the Premier League has taken their focus. The Blues have won seven of their Twelve-games over German opposition, losing just three.

Andre Villas-Boas’ side has lost just one of their last nine UEFA Champions League group games, winning and drawing four apiece. Chelsea moves to Bayer with striker Didier Drogba in a good form, after making his return from injury in the 2-1 overcome to Liverpool at the weekend.

Either Fernando Torres or Drogba will get the nod up front, and the midfielder Michael Essien (knee injury) is the only key ruled out for Andre Villas-Boas’ team.

Bayer Leverkusen Line-Up: Leno, Castro, Friedrich, Toprak, Kadlec, Bender, Rolfes, Sam, Ballack, Schurrle and Kiessling.

Chelsea FC Line-Up: Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole, Mikel, Ramires, Lampard, Mata,

Drogba and Malouda.

Celtic will visit to Stade Rennes this evening having taken just one point from their opening two Group I league fixtures, and the SPL team have not won an away from home game in Europe since August 2009.

Birmingham have a tough test away to Club Bruges in Group H stage, while in Group A, Spurs will play host to Rubin Kazan in what potentially could be a difficult game for Harry Redknapp’s team. Fulham will travel to Wisla Krakow, while Stoke City play host to Macc Tel-Aviv.

The complete list of UEFA Europa League fixtures played on Thursday’s Oct 20th 2011 (Kick-off -GMT).

Group A
19:05 PAOK Salonika Vs Shamrock   /   19:05 Tottenham Hotspur Vs FK Rubin Kazan

Group B
19:05 Hannover 96 Vs FC Copenhagen   /   19:05 Standard Liege Vs Vorskla

Group C
19:05    Hapoel Tel-Aviv Vs PSV Eindhoven   /   19:05    Rapid Bucuresti Vs Legia Warsaw

Group D
19:05    FC Zürich Vs Lazio   /   19:05   Sporting Lisbon Vs FC Vaslui

Group E
19:05    Dynamo Kiev Vs Besiktas   /   19:05   Stoke City Vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv

Group F
19:05    Athletic Bilbao Vs SV Salzburg   /   19:05   Slovan Bratislava Vs Paris Saint-Germain

Group G
17:00    AZ Alkmaar Vs Austria Vienna   /   17:00       Malmo FF Vs FC Metalist Kharkiv

Group H
17:00    Club Brugge Vs Birmingham   /   17:00   NK Maribor Vs Braga

Group I
17:00    Stade Rennes Vs FC Sion Sitten   /   17:00   Stade Rennes Vs Celtic   /   17:00   Udinese Vs Atlético Madrid

Group J
17:00    AEK Larnaca Vs Schalke 04   /   17:00   Maccabi Haifa Vs Steaua Bucuresti

Group K
17:00    Odense BK Vs Twente Enschede   /   17:00   Wisla Krakow Vs Fulham

Group L
16:00    Lokomotiv Moscow Vs AEK Athens   /   17:00   SK Sturm Graz Vs Anderlecht

Manchester City and Villarreal have never met each other in a competitive or non-competitive game. Both of these teams have failed to triumph either of their first two matches in Group A. So now they need a victory to keep alive their hopes of qualifying from the Champions League’s.

The Yellow submarine has scored just 10 goals to English Citizens 32 in all competitions so far this season. Mancini and his side have done their job in England, but they need to make sure they do well in Europe as well. After, the 1-1 tie against Napoli and the 0-2 loss to Bayern Munich, City has taken 3rd place in Group A with just 1 point. Citizens are currently unbeaten in 13 European home ground games, making them the favorite for this game.

Villarreal is currently last in the group stage, having lost both of their fixtures with 0-2, at home ground over Bayern Munich and away from home over Napoli. The team struggles in Primera Division so far as well, taking the 13th position with just 7 points in 7 games. The team however has never failed to advance ahead in an UEFA competition.

Manchester City Line-up: Hart, Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov, De Jong, Yaya Toure, Nasri, Silva, Balotelli and Dzeko.

Villarreal Line-up: Diego Lopez, Zapata, Marchena, Gonzalo, Catala, Bruno, Senna, Cani, Valero, Rossi and Ruben.

Leandro Damiao has been linked with a move to Spurs for some time, with the North London club likely to make a fresh approach for the £20 million-rated forward in January. Spurs are alleged to have failed with a bid of around £16 million for the 22-year-old during the summer transfer.

According to sources, the Brazil international is also on Liverpool’s hit-list, with the Merseyside’s is having scouted the highly-rated youngster no fewer than six times this season. Liverpool assistant manager Steve Clarke also watched Leandro in action previous this month, as he scored for his country in the 1-0 victory against Ghana at Fulham’s Craven Cottage soil.

The Ajax right-back has been invited by a number of clubs in recent months, among them Manchester United and Arsenal, with the 23-year-old valued at £12 million by his club.

How serious the Red Devils are about signing Damiao remains to be seen yet. The club spent over £55 million on Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez at the start of the season, and strengthened their aggressive options at the end of last month by signing Craig Bellamy on a free transfer.

But, the club’s American owners are also keen on attracting the best young players to Anfield and a bid might be made, when the transfer window re-opens in the New Year fall.

Porto and Inter Milan are also thought to be keen on Brazilian superstar, who has disclosed that he is interested in a move to Europe.

Chelsea travel to Spain on Wednesday night, Sept 28^th, to take on Valencia in the UEFA Champions League. It is manager Andres Villas-Boas’ foremost European away fixture in charge of the club, after they won their opening tie of the campaign with 2-0 score over Bayer Leverkusen.

Valencia will try to become the next side to beat the Chelsea this season, when the teams meet at the Mestalla. After their defeat to Manchester United in the English Premier League a week ago, Blues got their title challenge back on track with a 4-1 victory against Swansea City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

In their opening Champions League fixture, Chelsea got all three points with a victory at home to Bayer Leverkusen. Chelsea will need another frozen display such as this, if they are to get anything from their game in Spain.

The Spaniards have worries over midfielder David Albelda (back injury), while Mehmet Topal (shoulder injury) definitely ruled out. Roberto Soldado and Pablo Hernadez can all return to the starting line-up, after being rested at the weekend. Chelsea is likely to hand a start to Fernando Torres in attack in spite of the return to fitness of Didier Drogba.

In their opening Champions League fixture, Valencia played out a 0:0 draw with Belgium team Genk. Manager Unai Emery will be disappointed his team did not secure all three points as Valencia dominated possession and Genk did not even register a shot on target. He will need his team to be more proven, if they wish to take anything from the Chelsea game.