The group stage of the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League will reach a thrilling crescendo this week and both ITV and Sky Sports will be the place to see the action unfold on matchday six.
All four English sides in the competition have managed to secure their path the lucrative knockout phase, but results in the final round of group stage games will play some part in determining who they will face in the last 16.
ITV has chosen to screen Manchester United’s home match against Shakhtar Donetsk at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, while over on Sky Sports, Manchester City’s heavyweight tussle with Bayern Munich will be its main feature.
Then on Wednesday, Thierry Henry will be the special guest in the Sky studios as Jeff Stelling and the crew team bring fans live action of all eight games.
Premier League high-flyers Arsenal can book their berth in the round of 16 by fulfilling their duties, namely not losing by three or more goals, in Napoli, while Chelsea take on Steaua in a game which will determine whether they win or take second spot in their group.
There are plenty of other intriguing games on the menu, though, as the final pieces of the knockout-phase jigsaw are slotted into place and already-eliminated Celtic plot one last hurrah in this term’s competition when they battle Barcelona.
Every moment from this season’s UEFA Champions League campaign is being covered by ITV and Sky Sports.
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 in Lisbon.
Adrian Chiles will continue to host ITV’s live match coverage where he will be joined by regular pundits Roy Keane and Lee Dixon.
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.
Sky Sports will again screen 15 matches from each week of the group stages exclusively live.
In total, 129 games will be shown throughout the competition, including the final at Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz in May 2014.
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 new Sky signing Jamie Carragher.
Along with at least live games on the main Sky Sports channels on Tuesday and Wednesday, viewers can also press the red button to access Sky’s unique interactive service and watch a host of other live games from around the continent on the same night.
Details of when and where to watch all the matchday 6 fixtures below:
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| TUESDAY 10th DECEMBER |
MANCHESTER UTD v Shakhtar DonetskGroup A |
19:45 |
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Manchester United will be looking to end their recent run of poor results by cementing their grip on Group A of the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Following on from two consecutive home defeats in the the league, United need only to avoid defeat to clinch top spot, having already qualified for the last 16.
David Moyes’ men claimed a marvellous 5-0 win away to Bayer Leverkusen last time out, which was their biggest away win in the Champions League.
It was also the greatest by any English side away to Bundesliga opposition since the European Cup was rebranded in 1992.
Adrian Chiles presents ITV’s live coverage from Old Trafford alongside regular ITV pundits Roy Keane and Lee Dixon.
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, you can also watch the action online as it happens via the ITV football website.
Bayern Munich v MANCHESTER CITYGroup D |
19:45 |
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Group D’s top two sides go head-to-head in the final round of group phase games as Manchester City travel to Germany to face the reigning European champions.
Both City and Bayern Munich have already guaranteed their places in the last 16 having completely dominated their fellow group opponents Viktoria Plzen and CSKA Moscow.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side will look to atone for their 3-1 defeat in the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium by inflicting a rare defeat on the reigning champions.
Bayern’s 3-1 victory away to CSKA Moscow in matchday five saw them set a new Champions League record of 10 consecutive wins, and they will be confident of adding at least one more to that tally.
Jeff Stelling and studio guests presents live coverage of this Group D clash in Germany on Sky Sports 2 with coverage beginning at 7.00pm.
| WEDNESDAY 11th DECEMBER |
Napoli v ARSENALGroup F |
19:45 |
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Premier League leaders Arsenal travel to the Stadio San Paolo for their final group game of this season’s competition as the Gunners look to confirm their place in the last 16.
Arsene Wenger’s side need only to avoid a three-goal defeat to progress at the expense of either the Italians or last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund, and will be confident having already beaten Napoli 2-0 in the reverse fixture.
Jeff Stelling presents live coverage of the match, featuring extensive previews and analysis of all Wednesday night’s games, on Sky Sports 1 from 6.00pm, alongside a team of top studio guests.
CHELSEA v Steaua BucharestGroup E |
19:45 |
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Chelsea end the group phase with a home clash against Romanian side Steaua Bucharest with the hosts looking to secure top spot in the table.
Having already qualified for the last 16 despite suffering a second loss of the campaign to Basel in their previous match, the Blues still need a victory to ensure they top the pile ahead of either Basel or Schalke.
Full live coverage of this match at Stamford Bridge will be shown on Sky Sports 3 from 7.30pm.
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Barcelona v CELTICGroup H |
19:45 |
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Celtic’s fate in this season’s Champions League could be decided on Tuesday night.
Having performed poorly and slumped to a 1-0 defeat away to Ajax last time out, the Bhoys enter this fixture at the bottom of the group table.
However, they currently trail the Italian giants by just two points, so while a loss in this match would definitely see them eliminated before the knockout stage, a victory would keep alive their chances of progressing to the last 16.
Live coverage of Celtic’s latest European fixture will be shown on Sky Sports 4 from 7.30pm.
Also on Sky Sports 4, four more live games will be available to watch via the Red Button, including Ajax v Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund v Napoli.
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ITV′s live match coverage, as well additional video clips, interviews and analysis, is available to watch for free via the ITV football website.
Sky Sports subscribers can follow every Champions League match via the Sky Sports Events Centre.
Keep up to date with all the latest UEFA Champions League reports, goal flashes and results by following ITV Football on Twitter (@itvfootball) and Sky Sports dedicated UCL feed (@SkySportsCL).
Online streaming available to UK users only
