Anxious wait as group phase reaches climax

Renowned European teams, Schalke, Sevilla, Tottenham Hotspur and Olympiakos, will be facing some anxious moments when the last ties from the UEFA Cup group stage are played between today and tomorrow.

All four still have to confirm their passage to the Last 32.

Former European champions Hamburg, Aston Villa and Ajax are all level on six points going into the final Group F fixtures, while Club Brugge take on FC Copenhagen in a winner-takes-all qualification battle in Group G.

Likewise, Lech Poznan will look to steal a Group H qualifying place at the expense of either Deportivo or Nancy, who meet in Spain.

Tomorrow, Schalke need the already-qualified Manchester City and FC Twente to avoid defeat against Racing Santander and Paris SG respectively if they are to cling on to third place in Group A.

Olympiakos's future in the competition hinges on avoiding defeat at home against Group B rivals Hertha Berlin. Defeat at Sampdoria could trigger an early exit for Sevilla in Group C.

Group D is the tightest of all, with second-placed Tottenham hoping the roof does not cave in on them at home against Spartak Moscow with both the Russian side and NEC Nijmegen capable of qualifying at their expense if results go against them.

This evening, Milan play Wolfsburg in a tussle to finish top of Group E, a position which will guarantee the winner - or the Bundesliga side in the event of a draw at the San Siro - a tie against a third-placed side from another group in Friday's draw.

The teams finishing second in their sections will meet one of the third-placed finishers from the eight UEFA Champions League groups.

In the next round, teams from the same country cannot be paired together until the Last 16, which will also be drawn in Nyon this week.

Fixtures, standings

Group A
Tomorrow: PSG vs Twente; R. Santander vs Man. City.
Standings: Man. City 7; Twente 6; Schalke 4; R. Santander, PSG 2.

Group B
Tomorrow: Benfica vs Metalist; Olympiakos vs H. Berlin.
Standings: Galatasaray 9; Metalist 7; Olympiakos 3; Hertha Berlin 2; Benfica 1.

Group C
Tomorrow: Sampdoria vs Sevilla; Stuttgart vs S. Liege.
Standings: S. Liege 9; Sevilla 6; Stuttgart, Sampdoria 4; Partizan Belgrade 0.

Group D
Tomorrow: Tottenham vs S. Moscow; Nijmegen vs Udinese.
Standings: Udinese 9; Tottenham 6; Nijmegen, Spartak Moscow, D. Zagreb 3.

Group E
Today: Portsmouth vs Heerenveen; Milan vs Wolfsburg.
Standings: Wolfsburg 9; Milan 7; Braga 6; Portsmouth 1; Heerenveen 0.

Group F
Today: Hamburg vs Aston Villa; Ajax vs S. Prague.
Standings: A. Villa, Hamburg, Ajax 6; Zilina 4; S. Prague 1.

Group G
Today: C. Brugge vs FC Copenhagen; St Etienne vs Valencia.
Standings: St Etienne 7; Valencia 5; C. Brugge 3; FC Copenhagen, Rosenborg 2.

Group H
Today: Deportivo vs Nancy; Feyenoord vs L. Poznan.
Standings: CSKA Moscow 12; Nancy, Deportivo 4; L. Poznan 2; Feyenoord 0.