Liverpool and Manchester City are just two of the eleven teams that will be competing for the five remaining places in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase in the sixth and final round of group matches this week, live on ITV and Sky Sports.
There will be plenty of thrills and spills on the final matchday of the group stages as the Reds and the Sky Blues need to win their respective matches against Basel and Roma, with the aim of joining fellow English sides Arsenal and Chelsea in booking their passage to the last 16 next February.
Both standout fixtures featuring English sides take place on consecutive nights, starting with Liverpool’s home clash against Basel, which has been chosen by ITV as its live matchday six tie.
The Reds have to win at Anfield to guarantee passage to the knockout stages, and then hope that defending champions Real Madrid beat underdogs Ludogorets at the Bernabeu in the other Group B closer.
It is also a similar task for Manchester City on Wednesday night and the stakes don’t get much higher for the Premier League champions as they travel to Italy to face Roma.
The Italians will qualify with a win and will also advance if they draw and CSKA Moscow hold Bayern Munich in the other Group E game, but if CSKA lose, Roma will progress with a goalless draw but not a score draw.
The task is simple for City, as they must win in Rome and hope that CSKA do not claim all three points in their match in Germany. A score draw in Italy could be enough for City, provided CSKA lose, but Manuel Pellegrini’s side are out of Europe altogether if they lose.
Also in action on Wednesday night are Chelsea, who have already qualified as Group G winners but face a Sporting Lisbon side that need a result to secure second place, while on Tuesday night, already-qualified Arsenal take on Galatasary with their sights set on topping Group D.
There are also plenty of decisive encounters across both nights involving the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, AS Monaco and Zenit St Petersburg, as they all look to join the big guns of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the last 16 phase early next year.
Watching every moment from this season’s UEFA Champions League live across ITV and Sky Sports from the autumn’s group stage fixtures to the final in May.
Both broadcasters, who have shared coverage of the competition since 2003, are in their final season covering live matches from Europe’s premier club competition before the rights pass over to rivals BT Sport from 2015/16.
ITV will continue to screen its chosen first pick of Tuesday night matches throughout the competition, from the group stages to next May’s final which will be held at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
Adrian Chiles will continue to host ITV’s live match coverage where he will be joined by regular pundit Lee Dixon and new signing Paul Scholes, who won the competition with Manchester United in 1999 and 2008, while match commentary will be led by Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend.
Matt Smith will present highlights of the Tuesday night games in UEFA Champions League Extra Time on ITV at 10.35pm during each matchday.
Free-to-view highlights of Wednesday matches will be available online via the ITV Football website from Fridays, while ITV′s live match coverage, as well additional video clips, interviews and analysis, is available to watch for free via ITV Player.
Sky Sports will again screen a total 129 games throughout the competition, including 15 of the 16 fixtures from each matchday of the group stage, ties from every round of the knockout phase and the final itself, shared with ITV.
Subscribers will be treated to over 11,500 minutes of drama as the world’s greatest football talents take to the pitch to begin their quest to reach the showpiece final next May.
Jeff Stelling leads Sky’s live coverage on each matchday and will be joined by a variety of guests throughout the season, including Ruud Gullit, Graeme Souness, Jamie Redknapp and Jamie Carragher.
New for this season, all Sky televised Champions League games on Tuesday and Wednesday will be broadcast on Sky Sports 5, as well as online via Sky Go.
Additional live games can be found via the red button on Sky Sports’ interactive service, where fans can watch a host of other teams in action from around the continent on the same night.
With the Sky Sports for iPad app, fans can choose which game they want to watch at the tip of your fingers, allowing them to navigate their way through all the key moments, view player or match statistics and watch match-related video.
Also, ‘Sky Sports 360’ returns for users to relive goals and other key moments during live play, while the functionality also gives fans the ability to choose video from more than 20 different camera angles during selected matches.
Keep up to date with all the latest UEFA Champions League reports, goal flashes and results from both broadcasters by following ITV Football on Twitter @itvfootball or via Sky Sports dedicated feed @SkySportsCL.
Details of when and where to watch all the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League Matchday 6 action can be found below.
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| TUESDAY 9th DECEMBER |
LIVERPOOL v BaselGroup B |
19:45 |
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Liverpool’s stuttering Champions League group stage campaign could end on a high as they require three points against Basel to reach the round of 16, a match which is live and free on ITV on Tuesday night.
The Swiss champions won the reverse fixture 1-0 in October and they have also upset Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in recent European campaigns.
However, Brendan Rodgers’ men will feel they can gain revenge in front of their own fans if they find their best form in what has been an inconsistent season for them so far.
Adrian Chiles presents ITV’s live coverage from Anfield where he is joined for expert analysis and comment in the studio by former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler, Paul Scholes and Lee Dixon.
Match commentary comes from Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend, while Gabriel Clarke conducts interviews and reports from the touchline.
Alongside coverage on ITV and ITV HD, fans can also watch and follow the action online as it happens via the ITV football website and ITV Player.
Galatasaray v ARSENALGroup D |
17:00 |
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Arsenal are already assured of playing in the knockout stages as they make the daunting trip to Turkey to face Galatasaray.
The Gunners will win the group with any victory in Istanbul, provided that Borussia Dortmund lose their clash with Anderlecht, or if the Gunners win by enough to overtake Dortmund on overall goal difference or goals scored, a minimum margin of six, should the other game be drawn.
In the reverse fixture at the beginning of October, a Danny Welbeck hat-trick helped Arsene Wenger celebrate his 18th anniversary as Arsenal manager with a 4-1 victory, though the manager comes into Tuesday’s fixture having felt the wrath of frustrated supporters following the Gunners’ 3-2 defeat to Stoke in the Premier League on Saturday.
Jeff Stelling and studio guests presents live coverage on Sky Sports 5, the network’s new home of Champions League football, with coverage beginning at 7.00pm ahead of a 7.45pm kick-off.
An additional five other live games are available to choose from on the red button on Sky Sports 5 at 7.45pm, while the other match in Liverpool’s group between Real Madrid and Ludogorets is live on Sky Sports 1.
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| WEDNESDAY 10th DECEMBER |
Roma v MANCHESTER CITYGroup E |
19:45 |
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A place in the last 16 is on the line for both teams in Italy on Wednesday night as Roma and Manchester City face off at the Stadio Olimpico, live on Sky Sports 5.
The home side are looking to reach the Champions League’s latter stages for the seventh time, while City, whose European record has been somewhat patchy over recent seasons, will be aiming to get to the last 16 for the second year running.
Despite the complicated arithmetic, the simple task for City is to win their first competitive match on Italian soil in their entire history and hope that CSKA Moscow lose to Bayern Munich in the other Group E fixture.
Roma will qualify with a win and will also advance if they draw and CSKA hold Bayern in Germany, while if CSKA lose, Roma will progress with a goalless draw, but not with a score draw.
Jeff Stelling and studio guests presents live coverage of this crunch Group E clash in Italy on Sky Sports 5, the network’s new home of Champions League football, with coverage beginning at 6.00pm.
An additional five other live games are available to choose from on the red button on Sky Sports 5 at 7.45pm, while Barcelona’s home clash against Paris St-Germain will be shown on Sky Sports 2.
CHELSEA v Sporting LisbonGroup G |
19:45 |
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Chelsea finish off their relatively comfortable passage from the group stage with a clash against Sporting Lisbon at Stamford Bridge.
Jose Mourinho’s went through as group winners following a convincing 5-0 win over Schalke on matchday five and they will be aiming to end th group phase on a high at home against the Portuguese Liga runners-up.
Sporting climbed into second place in Group G on matchday five and are well placed to take the section’s second qualifying spot behind tonight’s opponents, provided they can get something from this match.
Full live coverage of this match from Stamford Bridge will be shown on Sky Sports 1 from 7.30pm, presented by David Jones, and will also be simulcast on Sky 1, available to non-Sky Sports subscribers.
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