With an incredibly busy festive period kicking off, teams will want to put their European commitments to the back of the mind until next February as soon as possible. That is especially true for those playing in the English Premier League which has the heaviest of the Christmas schedules compared to the other top European Leagues and three of the four teams involved in the Champions League will likely be through to the Last 16 if they are able to win on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Tottenham Hotspur have the most work to do, while Liverpool will need to upset Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital, but both Manchester clubs look in a very strong position. Manchester City are through to the Last 16 for all intents and purposes, but a win on Tuesday would secure top spot, while Manchester United will go through if they beat Young Boys at home and Valencia fail to match the United win in Turin.
In the Europa League things are much more simpler with both Arsenal and Chelsea already through to the Last 32 of the competition. The race for the top four back in the Premier League is going to be a real battle with the way things have developed in the first three months of the season, so having the second avenue back into the Champions League through Europa League success is something that won't be ignored by the two new managers of those London clubs.
Unai Emery in particular has had notable success in the Europa League and has admitted he would rather get back into the Champions League by winning that trophy instead of a top four finish.
Juventus v Valencia Pick: The pressure has shifted to Valencia after seeing their main rivals for a place in the Last 16 win in Turin earlier this month.
The Manchester United come from behind win over Juventus means they are 2 points clear of Valencia and with a winnable home game to come on Match Day 5. It simply adds up to Valencia needing to head to Turin and most likely win if they are going to remain alive on Match Day 6 for a place in the Last 16 of the Champions League.
Valencia have only won 1 of their last 6 away games in European competition and they are facing a Juventus team who will be looking to return this Stadium into the fortress it had been in European Football. Some of the aura has been lost during a run of 1 win from 5 home Champions League games and Juventus have lost 2 of their last 3 here, but fans will recognise the unfortunate manner of the loss to Manchester United.
A similar performance will make Juventus very difficult to beat and they look to be a little healthier in forward areas going into Match Day 5 as they look to maintain control of this Group. The 1-2 home loss to Manchester United does mean the head to head has been lost to the Premier League club so Juventus can't really afford a slip if Manchester United are somehow able to win their last 2 Champions League games.
Juventus have been very strong at home with 9 wins from their last 11 games here in all competitions. The situation should be one that works to their advantage with Valencia likely having to take chances at some point as they chase the win they are more likely going to need to have a chance to make the Last 16 of the Champions League.
That should mean spaces open up for a Juventus team who are looking to win the Group and I will back the Italian Champions to win well on Tuesday.
Lyon v Manchester City Pick: After being beaten on Match Day 1 at home, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City would have signed up being in a position where a revenge win over Lyon would be enough to take them through to the Champions League Last 16 as Group Winners.
Even a draw would mean Manchester City are firmly in control of the Group, but Guardiola doesn't really play for draws and his team are in such strong form that you can't imagine anyone connected with the club settling for it.
They were surprised by Lyon back in September as the French side countered with speed and energy against a lacklustre Manchester City. The defeat should be motivation enough for Manchester City to try and turn things around and they have won 12 of 13 games in all competitions since the home loss to Lyon.
Lyon won't be a pushover, as they have already proved in this Group with the win at the Etihad Stadium, but they have struggled defensively since then. The side have conceded at least twice in each of their 3 Champions League games since the win over Manchester City including in back to back 2-2 draws at home.
They have come from behind to earn draws with Hoffenheim and Shakhtar Donetsk in this Group, but that won't be easy to do against Manchester City who look to be taking as strong a squad as possible to France for this game. Manchester City will have a few days to rest after this game before being back in Premier League action and I think their strong away record in the Champions League over the last fifteen months can't be ignored.
I have to respect a Lyon team who have scored plenty of goals in the Champions League this season, but Manchester City are in stunning form at the moment. This feels like the kind of game where Manchester City can make a statement to the rest of the teams in the Champions League that they are ready to challenge for the trophy come May.
The home team should be able to play their part in this one, but I think Manchester City might be too strong for them on current form. I will back the English Champions to win this one by a couple of goals on the day as they are able to really twist the screw if they go ahead like Hoffenheim and Shakhtar Donetsk have been able to do in games against Lyon in this Group.
Manchester United v Young Boys Pick: It is hard to really trust Manchester United to win any game of football at the moment and it is no different on Tuesday when they face what should be an overmatched opponent in Young Boys.
The confidence of the squad looks to be fragile at best and Jose Mourinho continues to point the fingers at almost anybody but himself. Some of the tactics have been questionable though and the perseverance with Nemanja Matic in the middle of the park is frustration as was the recall for Romelu Lukaku on Saturday despite Manchester United looking more fluid without him.
That is down to the manager and ultimately he is going to fall on his own sword if Manchester United can't find some consistent results sooner rather than later.
This is a game that should be one Manchester United can dominate as they face a Young Boys team who have struggled with the step up to the Champions League level. Young Boys have already been beaten comfortably at Juventus and Valencia in this Group and they were beaten 0-3 by Manchester United at home as the defensive strength was exposed at this level of competition.
Manchester United have to start better than they have been to take away any confidence Young Boys may have. It isn't easy to trust that is going to happen, but I have to believe there will be some reaction to Saturday and knowing a win should be enough to progress through to the Last 16 has to be motivation for the players to produce a big performance.
I am finding it hard to trust Manchester United considering the form shown for several months now, but it would be the lowest point for the club if they can't win this one. After beating Juventus in Turin it would be a real waste if Manchester United can't back that up and win this fixture.
The fans at Old Trafford are going to be restless so a fast start is imperative for Manchester United. I think they are going to be too strong for Young Boys considering the gap in quality of the two squads and I do believe Manchester United can match the margin of wins both Juventus and Valencia have had over the Swiss Champions in the previous 2 away games played by Young Boys.
Paris Saint-Germain v Liverpool Pick: This is a massive Champions League game for both Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool who would have both been popular picks to challenge for the trophy this season.
Neither one of these teams can be happy about dropping into the Europa League, but the losing team on Wednesday could be in big trouble if Napoli win as expected when they host Crvena Zvezda.
There is more pressure on Paris Saint-Germain who know a defeat would likely mean they are exiting the tournament. Even a draw may not be good enough and they are hoping Kylian Mbappe and Neymar will be passed fit for this fixture having picked up knocks during the last international break.
With that situation in mind, you would think Liverpool could cause some big problems on the counter attack, but this team have produced their two worst performances in the 2018/19 season in their two away Champions League games. Don't be fooled by the late 1-0 loss in Naples as Liverpool were very fortunate not to have lost by a much wider margin and they followed that up with a lacklustre 2-0 defeat in Belgrade to Crvena Zvezda.
A similar performance to those two would put Liverpool on the back foot in this one and Paris Saint-Germain have been very good at home in the Champions League.
I won't deny that Paris Saint-Germain have tended to disappoint me when they have played and they needed a late goal to earn a home draw with Napoli. They were beaten 1-2 by Real Madrid and defensively Liverpool will feel there are some holes to exploit which makes them dangerous.
However Liverpool have lost 3 straight away games in the Champions League and they have not been as strong as they would have liked so far in the competition. I think that gives Paris Saint-Germain the slight edge in this one and I will back them on the Asian Handicap to secure a vital three points and leave Liverpool in a must win situation on Match Day 6 against Napoli at Anfield.
PSV Eindhoven v Barcelona Pick: Playing away from home has been a difficult task for Barcelona in recent Champions League games, but they are facing a PSV Eindhoven team who have struggled to reach the required standards to compete in the Champions League this season.
In both home games PSV Eindhoven have conceded twice to Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur and the situation is a difficult one for the Dutch Champions.
They will need at least a point to have a chance of making it through to the Europa League Last 32 and that means perhaps taking more risks than they would want to against Barcelona.
PSV Eindhoven do have some energy in the forward areas which caused Barcelona some problems when these two teams met at the Nou Camp. That means they deserve some respect, especially in front of their own fans, and Barcelona could be missing some key players that most definitely weakens them.
Even with that in mind it is hard to see PSV Eindhoven being able to contain the threat of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi and I think the situation means they will leave spaces to be exploited in the second half. That should give Barcelona enough of an advantage to win here and I think they can put PSV Eindhoven away with a killer goal late in the game.
A win will secure top spot in the Group for Barcelona and they can achieve that with a good looking win in the Netherlands.
Tottenham Hotspur v Inter Milan Pick: There are some big, important Champions League games being played this week as we have reached Match Day 5 of the Group games and one of those comes from Wembley Stadium as Tottenham Hotspur look to take another step towards the great escape.
After earning one point from their first 3 Champions League games, Tottenham Hotspur really needed to win their last 3 games in the Group to have a chance to progress. They managed the first by coming from behind to beat PSV Eindhoven, but Inter Milan's draw with Barcelona has just complicated things a little bit.
It now means Tottenham Hotspur have to win this game 1-0 or by two or more clear goals so they have the head to head advantage over Inter Milan who are 3 points clear of Spurs going into this round of fixtures. A draw would be good enough for Inter Milan to make it through to the Last 16 before Match Day 6 and it should be a tense game for both teams.
However the Tottenham Hotspur performance in their 3-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday will provide a huge boost of confidence and I do think Inter Milan have overachieved in this Group. The Italian side have lost 2 of their last 3 away games including a crushing 4-1 defeat at Atalanta last time out, while they have lost 5 of their last 6 away games in European competition.
There is pressure on Tottenham Hotspur to win by a margin that gives them the head to head advantage over Inter Milan, but I do think the home team can get the better of their visitors. The return of Jan Vertonghen could be huge for Tottenham Hotspur who look healthier in the forward areas and that can give them the edge in this one.
I think Tottenham Hotspur will win this one and I will back them to win a game that features two or more goals as they head into Match Day 6 with every chance of scraping into the Last 16 after a poor start to the Group.
MY PICKS: Ajax & Over 1.5 Goals @ 1.83 Bet Fred (2 Units)
CSKA Moscow & Over 1.5 Goals @ 2.15 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Hoffenheim & Over 1.5 Goals @ 1.83 Boyle Sports (2 Units)
Roma + 0.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.85 Bet365 (2 Units)
Bayern Munich - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)
Juventus - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.95 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Manchester United - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Manchester City - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.95 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Borussia Dortmund - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.85 Bet365 (2 Units)
Porto & Over 1.5 Goals @ 2.35 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Napoli - 2 Asian Handicap @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Paris Saint-Germain - 0.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.85 Bet365 (2 Units)
Barcelona - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 2.10 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Tottenham Hotspur & Over 1.5 Goals @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
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