UEFA.com's rolling UEFA Champions League news story brings you reaction from Tuesday's eight fixtures and looks ahead to Wednesday's concluding matchday six ties.
Click on the links at the bottom of this article for reports on last night's games and background on this evening's matches.
All times CET.
Wednesday 10.58, Richard Aikman en route to Milan
The UEFA Champions League is Europe's premier club competition but Inter will be grateful that their matchday six encounter is pressure-free. Already sure to qualify as group winners, their result against CSKA is irrelevant, but the psychological bonus of a win at this fragile time would be invaluable.
This has been a perplexing season for the Nerazzurri. Winners of an unprecedented treble in 2009/10 their star has since crashed to earth spectacularly. They are on their fourth coach since José Mourinho went west, and continue to underperform in Serie A. A 1-0 home defeat against Udinese Calcio at the weekend was their sixth league reverse of the season and after 12 matches the Beneamata find themselves just two places above the drop zone.
Wednesday 10.54, Berend Scholten in Amsterdam
Antonio Adán is expected to deputise for Madrid's regular first-choice goalkeeper Iker Casillas against Ajax tonight. "It feels good; I am completely ready for it," said the 24-year-old. "I am well prepared. One day Casillas has to be replaced, and I will do my best to be ready when that happens.
"We have a sense of duty," he added of the upcoming challenge, adding of his goalkeeping idols: "I always had a special eye out for German and Dutch keepers, especially Edwin van der Sar and Oliver Kahn, but I already have the best example to follow at Real Madrid in Iker Casillas. For me there is no one better."
Wednesday 10.49, Alessandro Massimo in Milan
CSKA are bottom of Group B, but should a win at Inter tonight coincide with a draw between Lille and Trabzonspor, the Army Men will reach the round of 16, and defender Vasili Berezutski said: "This is a crucial game in every respect. We have had time to prepare for it well."
Inter may be light of a few key players, but the Russian international was taking little comfort from that. "They have top players. Whoever takes the field for them will have great qualities. I'm sure it will be a very interesting game."
Wednesday 10.42, UEFA.com newsdesk
The Daily Mail gave Chelsea enormous credit for the 3-0 win against Valencia that thrust them into the round of 16. "This felt like more than a result; more than Chelsea's progression to the next stage of the Champions League; more even than something that buys Andre Villas-Boas a bit more time," it writes.
"It felt like a pivotal moment. A glimpse into a future that might just involve a man who must have shock absorbers in his knees and the smallest waist in football management. Beneath that ludicrously tight Dolce & Gabbana rain mac, however, is a resolve big enough to drop Frank Lampard on what, let's face it, was the most crucial encounter of his time at Stamford Bridge."
The Mirror, meanwhile, saw much to ponder in the Blues' team selection, with Fernando Torres and – more crucially – Lampard omitted. "One of the musketeers is down," it writes, adding: "With the dropping of Lampard from a match as big as this critical Champions League tie against Valencia, the new manager's attempt to move away from the past has begun in earnest."
Wednesday 10.22, Philip Röber in Munich
With German champions Dortmund finishing fourth in Group F following a 3-2 loss against Marseille, BILD is not impressed. "A shameful finish for the German champions with only one victory," it writes. "It's not even good enough for the UEFA Europa League." The paper also writes that Jürgen Klopp's side "didn't promote German football well".
The Rheinische Post adds of Tuesday's game: "Borussia played well and only knew one direction in the first half, towards Marseille's goal, but Loïc Rémy struck shortly before the break and sent the stadium into a state of shock. From that point on, Dortmund's resolve vanished."
The same paper also has a sobering take on Leverkusen's 1-1 draw at Genk. "Half asleep Bayer miss out on victory," it writes. "Despite all the talk before the match about 'setting an example', Bayer's pretentions to winning the group were obsolete once keeper Bernd Leno had to pick the ball out of the net following Jelle Vossen's goal for Genk."
Wednesday 10.17, Christian Châtelet in Paris
‘Breathtaking!' is the headline stretched across the full width of French newspaper L'Équipe the morning after Marseille snatched their ticket to the 16 December draw for the UEFA Champions League knockout phase with a 3-2 late win at Dortmund. "An exceptionnal Mathieu Valbuena goal opened the doors to the round of 16 for Marseille, who had gone 2-0 down," L'Équipe writes. Valbuena's celebration, with player sliding on his knees towards an exhilarated Marseille bench, takes pride of place.
Wednesday 10.00, UEFA.com newsdesk
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Wednesday's matches
Group A
Manchester City FC v FC Bayern München
Villarreal CF v SSC Napoli
Group B
LOSC Lille Métropole v Trabzonspor AŞ
FC Internazionale Milano v PFC CSKA Moskva
Group C
FC Basel 1893 v Manchester United FC
SL Benfica v FC Oţelul Galaţi
Group D
AFC Ajax v Real Madrid CF
GNK Dinamo Zagreb v Olympique Lyonnais
Tuesday's results
Group E
Chelsea FC 3-0 Valencia CF
KRC Genk 1-1 Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Winners: Chelsea
Runners-up: Leverkusen
To Europa League: Valencia
Group F
Olympiacos FC 3-1 Arsenal FC
Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Olympique de Marseille
Winners: Arsenal
Runners-up: Marseille
To Europa League: Olympiacos
Group G
FC Porto 0-0 FC Zenit St Petersburg
APOEL FC 0-2 FC Shakhtar Dontesk
Winners: APOEL
Runners-up: Zenit
To Europa League: Porto
Group H
FC Barcelona 4-0 FC BATE Borisov
FC Viktoria Plzeň 2-2 AC Milan
Winners: Barcelona
Runners-up: Milan
To Europa League: Plzeň
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