Big wins for Fiorentina, Barcelona and Unriea last night. Another disappointment for the Rangers faithful. And the expected end of the Champions League story for Liverpool.
   (More) Injuries for Arsenal, a missed chance for Rubin Kazan in the Russian snow. And it's not all over for Standard Liege despite the Belgians offering little or no evidence that they belong in the knockout stages.
   In other words, Day Nine of the CL offered a plethora of storylines along with some decent games.

   Our preview of today: Group C is in the spotlight tonight as Match Day five concludes.
   There are some subplots, including the possible elimination of Bayern Munich, but the focus is squarely on Marseille, AC Milan and Real Madrid in their three-way fight for two available spots in Group C.
   Tonight's schedule, all kickoffs at 14:45 Eastern except for the CSKA-Wolfsburg 12:30 start in Moscow.

Group A
Bordeaux vs. Juventus, DTV464
Bayern Munich vs. Maccabi Haifa, DTV 465

Juventus will qualify and eliminate Bayern if they win in France. Bordeaux has already advanced which may prove a benefit to the visitors. Bayern must defeat Maccabi and hope that Juventus can get no better than a draw.

Group B
CSKA Moscow vs. Wolfsburg, 12:30 p.m., DTV462
Manchester United vs. Besiktas, Setanta, DTV468

The game is Moscow is vital to both teams. CSKA will pull level with the Germans if they win; Wolfsburg will qualify with a win or a draw. The game at Old Trafford is a training exercise for already-qualified United.

Group C
AC Milan vs. Marseille, FSC, DTV467
Real Madrid vs. FC Zurich, FSE, DTV469

A most complicated scenario: AC Milan and Real Madrid would both qualify if they win their games. Marseille would jump to the top of the group if they win in Italy and Zurich holds Real Madrid to nothing better than a draw. There's huge pressure on both home teams, neither of whom have performed to the satisfaction of their passionate fans.

Group D
FC Porto vs. Chelsea, DTV463
APOEL Nicosia vs. Atletico Madrid, DTV 466

The qualifiers are already known: Chelsea and Porto. Chelsea can clinch the top spot with a win or draw and the way they have been dominating this season there's no reason to believe they won't take tonight seriously. Atletico Madrid will be looking to spare any additional blushes after a dreadful CL campaign: they can qualify for the Europa League with a win in Cyprus.

___

    Preki Radosavljevic will rejoin old KC partner Mo Johnston in Toronto next season. Let's be the first to let one of the league's best fan bases know that, "yes, this time Mo's got it right."
    Johnston has hardly had a honeymoon in Toronto, taking heat for a team which has gone through coaches and players without reaching the playoffs. At times it has looked like the silly season up north.
    Turning to Preki should not be a gamble: the man has already proved he can coach during his stay with Chivas.
    Preki's sideline success should not have come as a surprise, either. Like all of the great ones, Preki was totally focused as a player, filled with supreme confidence and a special insight that defined his game. He should have been a regular on the US national team for years, but ran afoul of an old FIFA national team definition when he left the US indoor circuit for a stay in England, thereby interrupting his stay in America. Under today's rules, he'd have been eligible for the 1994 World Cup; then he wasn't and the US lost player whose time never really came at international level. He should have been the foundation for 1998 success.
    Expect Toronto to make the playoffs in 2010.
    And then, there’s Denis Hamlett. He took the Chicago Fire to the Eastern Conference final but he's unemployed this morning.
    While it is fair to suggest that the Fire did not hit top form for too much of the season it also seems a bit strange that the coach pays the price when a team comes within a penalty kick tie-breaker of reaching the MLS Cup. But off-field issues coloured his tenure, leading one insider to tell me that he'd be sacked even if the Fire won the Cup.
   Open job slots include: Chicago, Chivas, DC United, and the Red Bulls.

DAILY READS:
Fixing summit opens in Switzerland

Ben Olsen retires

Soccer in Iraq (just ignore the error about Bora in this one)