UEFA Champions League live on Ten Sports

MUMBAI: Ten Sports, the most watched sports channel of the sub-continent, goes one step better on Matchday 5 of UEFA Champions League – Europe’s biggest and most prestigious football tournament. Instead of showing the normal four matches, Ten Sports will telecast five matches over the next two days.

Ten Sports will telecast action from Matchday Five (27 & 28 November), including matches of English Premiership League champions Manchester United, current Premiership leaders Arsenal, the battling Liverpool, the ever-powerful Spanish outfit Real Madrid, and Dutch sensations PSV.

The two-day football fiesta kickstarts with PSV’s trip to Russia where they take on CSKA Moskva on Tuedsay, 10:55 pm IST. This will be followed by back-to-back matches, the first of which is Manchester United’s match at home against Sporting Lisbon at 1:15 am on Wednesday, November 28. This will be followed by the Sevilla vs Arsenal match at 3:15 am.

Wednesday night’s action will feature Liverpool against Porto (at 12 midnight), followed by Werder Bremen taking on the mighty Real at home from 3:15 am IST on Thursday early morning.

Off the five matches, the one match that will be a make-or-break for a team is Liverpool’s clash against Porto. Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has already been told that his transfer budget for January depending on whether his team reaches the knock-out stage. For that, Liverpool has to beat Porto at home and then win at Marseille. But the record win over Besiktas should give them a boost.

CSKA Moskva have no chance of progressing in the UEFA Champions League, but there remain plenty of incentives as they welcome PSV Eindhoven to the Lokomotiv Stadium. Victory would put them level on points with the Netherlands champions with one game to play and give them increased hopes of finishing third to claim a place in the UEFA Cup.

The only team in the League with maximum points, Manchester United are already assured their place in the knockout rounds and enter their home game against Sporting Clube de Portugal seeking a fifth straight victory that would guarantee their progress as Group F winners. However, they can expect fierce resistance from a Sporting side, who need a positive result to maintain their hopes of pipping AS Roma to second place in the section.

Arsenal secured their place in the knockout round three weeks ago, but there is still work for them to do to clinch first place in Group H. With three successive wins following their defeat at the Arsenal Stadium on Matchday 1, Sevilla FC are just a point behind and will overtake the London club should they beat them at home.

Werder Bremen must beat Group C leaders Real Madrid or face likely elimination. That is the equation for Thomas Schaaf and his side after they suffered a third defeat in the competition at Lazio – a result that left them two points adrift at the bottom of the section. Madrid, by contrast, sit three points clear of Lazio and Olympiacos CFP and, even a draw will take them into the knock-out rounds.

The UEFA Champions League starts in September and continues till the champion club of Europe is determined in May. The tournament comprises a group stage features 32 teams in eight groups of four, followed by four knockout rounds.