We are at the half way mark of the Champions Leagues so it is time to have a look at how things are going for each of the thirty-two teams.

Well at least we got to play in the Champions League and the money was nice too……..

Maccabi Haifa have given respectable showings against both Juventus and Bordeaux but are still winless and pointless. Third place will be beyond their grasp but they could still be the banana skin that decides who misses out on a spot in the last sixteen.

Debrecen gave their all on match day one at Anfield and lost by the only goal of the game. However, since then they’ve shipped four goals at home against both Lyon and Fiorentina - albeit while giving the Italian side a few worries in scoring three. The Hungarian champions will finish bottom of the group – the only remaining question is will they join a list of teams whose Champions League stint turns out to be pointless?

Third at best……….

APOEL and Atletico Madrid are tied with a point each in Group B but they are already five points adrift of second place Porto. What’s more they have only scored one goal between them – APOEL’s marker against Porto on match day three. With Quique Flores hired by Atletico as their latest manager, the new manager bounce may come into play but not nearly enough to finish second.

Without a win but amazingly still in with a chance…….

AZ Alkmaar and Standard Liege have both have traveled to Greece and lost to Olympiakos who currently sit second in Group H. AZ trails by four points while Standard are a point further back. However, the Greeks do not own an intimidating away record and if either, or both, are going to take a second half run at the runners up spot then home wins are a must. AZ and Standard Liege would be happy to take this to the last day and hope that positions 2 through 4 are still up for grabs. 

Stuttgart and Rangers shared the points on match day one and they have also shared a lot of misery this season. Both teams are struggling domestically and neither has won a Champions League game. Rangers have given up four goals at home in their last two Champions League matches while at least the German side can look to a draw away to Unirea as tiny consolation.

It is unlikely that Stuttgart will gain any solace from a midweek visit to Sevilla but can look to final fixtures against the weaker sisters of the group. As outrageous as it may seem should Rangers turn Unirea over, the battle for places 2 through 4 would take on a whole new look with a myriad of possibilities. 

One draw, one goal scored but with home games left against their second place rivals Besiktas’ fate is not yet preordained.  If they are to turn it around then wins against Wolfsburg (Tuesday) and CSKA Moscow (match day 6) are mandatory. One slip and it will third at best but more likely on the bottom looking up.

Hopes are hanging by a thread……

Since losing to Fiorentina and Lyon articles pontificating on Liverpool’s fate have consistently pointed out that two seasons ago they only had one point at the half way mark, were bottom of the group but still qualified. This time around they have three points, are sitting third so things can’t be that bad – right? Sorry wrong.

Unfortunately for Liverpool fans the points’ totals tell lies. Two years ago Liverpool knew at the half way mark that three wins would certainly put them through – not the case this time around. Other results could conspire to derail a Liverpool revival even if it was three straight wins.

Need to do better …….

Bayern Munich are experiencing trouble in the Bundesliga and in the Champions League. A 3-0 match day win away to Maccabi Haifa has been followed by a scoreless home draw with Juventus and a 2-1 away loss to Bordeaux that might have been a lot worse. Bayern needs to beat the French Champions on match day four.

Inter are unbeaten but are also without a win. They face trips to the Nou Camp as well as to Kiev this week. Two wins in the last three games should be enough to qualify from a group that is far tighter than almost anyone forecast. Anything less and Inter might be Europa League bound or ……

Barcelona’s home loss to Rubin Kazan turned the group upside down and presented the current Champions League holders with a problem or two. The two problems are trips to Eastern Europe or in the case of Rubin, even further east. Like Inter, Barcelona needs a couple of wins and can ill afford another loss to the Russian Champions. However, should the unthinkable happen (again) it would set up a dandy at the Nou Camp on match day five when Inter comes calling. 

A very disappointing and spiritless opening day loss to Milan placed Marseille firmly behind the eight ball and a trip to the Bernabeu not unexpectedly resulted in no points. However, the French club benefited from Zurich upsetting Milan and in turn losing to Marseille. Another win against Zurich is obligatory and then they will have to knock off one of the big boys – not impossible but third place might be more realistic.

Things could change quickly……..

Juventus sits second in Group A two points behind leaders Bordeaux and a point ahead of Bayern Munich. The Turin club is still carrying the damage of a Bordeaux equalizer on match day one and so there is little wiggle room over the last three games.

Another team that failed to make full use of home advantage has been Wolfsburg. Although they came back to beat CSKA on opening day, match day three brought a scoreless draw and two dropped points to Besiktas. Now a trip to Istanbul beckons and things could become a lot tighter.

Expectations are great for Real Madrid but the loss to Milan on match day three and conceding two goals to Zurich in the opener would have raised questions in other seasons as well. Real still have Zurich at home and should have more than enough to take care of a Marseille side that has yet to impress. However, a loss to Milan in the San Siro would ratchet up the pressure on Real before their final two games.

On the face of it Milan are probably where most would have expected them to be. Most punters would have opted for six points off of Zurich and Marseille and nothing from a trip to Madrid. Sure enough Milan have the six points but they went about things very differently – a home lose to Zurich and a first ever victory in the Bernabeu. The way Milan are playing this season nothing is out of the question and nothing should be taken for granted.

A week or so ago CSKA Moscow fell victim to Manchester United as the English Champions slowed the play down only to sting the Russians in the dying minutes with the only goal of the game. CSKA approach gave United far too much respect and they paid a price.  CSKA will see a very different United on Tuesday as the Old Trafford faithful drive the Red Devils forward. That will likely mean that CSKA’s fate will be decided over the last two matches against rivals Wolfsburg (H) and Besiktas (A) - third at the moment but just as likely to finish second or fourth.

Better than expected so far…….

With two home wins and a draw in Turin French champions Bordeaux have a right to be pleased with their record so far. However, there is a sense that the heavy lifting has still to come with a trip to Munich next up, followed by a visit from Juventus. One way or another it looks as if match day six away to Maccabi Haifa is going to be a pressure cooker for Laurent Blanc’s boys.

With two home games left against Debrecen and Lyon and presently sitting in second place Fiorentina are in a solid position in Group E. However, Liverpool are not going to roll over and die and the last thing the Italian side wants is a final game visit to Anfield with qualification on the line. In a head-to-head Fiorentina already have a 2-0 win bagged but as it sits Liverpool would gladly take a situation that would need them to win by three clear goals in order to qualify.

Romanian Champions Unirea Urziceni are following in the footsteps of Cluj and Anorthosis Famagusta and threatening to break through the glass ceiling of group qualification. Ultimately Cluj and Anorthosis Famagusta failed last season succumbing to pressure and some bigger clubs getting very serious.

However, this time around Unirea Urziceni find themselves in a milk toast group with Sevilla the only heavy weight. If they can beat Rangers this week then there is a very good chance that the points cushion will be increase to five with two games to go. One of the games will be against a Sevilla side that might have already locked down a place in the round of sixteen.

Dynamo Kiev and Rubin Kazan are sitting second and third in Group F and both have two home games left. In the case of Dynamo their remaining away game is at Rubin Kazan. The pressure may yet get to one or both teams but as it stands either one is only a surprise result away from pulling off a major upset and sending Barcelona or Inter into the Europa League.

Zurich’s position at the bottom of Group C is no surprise and most would bet that they will still be there come mid-December. No matter they will always remember September 30th when they went to the San Siro and beat Milan.

On track…….

Lyon have powered their way to the top of their group with a 100% record. If it was not for Fiorentina and Liverpool the French club would be lumped in with Chelsea, Manchester United and Sevilla. As it is, Lyon may only be a point against Liverpool away from qualifying but until it is all signed and sealed nothing should be taken for granted.

Porto have made it to the group stage of the Champions League 15 times and have an excellent record of making it to the last sixteen since the second group stage was scrapped. The Portuguese champions are tucked in nicely behind Group D leaders Chelsea and a second win against APOEL would leave them within a smidgen of moving through once more.

They have been a couple of slips along the way for Arsenal but no tumbles as of yet.  The Gunners’ opening game could not have started worse as they fell behind 2-0 in the first five minutes away to Standard Liege. However, a three goal fight back gave the London side a somewhat fortunate three points. Then in their last outing a last minute goal was given up against AZ and that cost two points. There is, however, a five point gap with third place AZ and three more points over the final three games would likely be enough to move on.

Olympiakos joins the “on track” group but it comes with a significant caveat. The Greek Champions have already played two games at home and they need at least one win or two draws (away to Standard) in order to maintain a margin of safety. Otherwise they will face Arsenal on match day 6 needing to get something from the game.

Cruising to the last sixteen……

Chelsea, Manchester United, and Sevilla all have 100% records and are only a point away from guaranteeing passage to the last sixteen. Chelsea has yet to concede a goal, Sevilla has the best goal difference out of thirty-two teams and Manchester United appear to have perfected the art of qualifying from the group stage with the absolute minimum amount of effort and a total lack of fuss.