Former winners all out to avoid early exit

Juventus and Bayern Munich square off in a Champions League match tonight which will end with one of the illustrious pair suffering the same fate as Liverpool and making an early exit from the tournament.

The final week of the group stage will also be a nervy one for Italian pair Milan and their arch-rivals Inter, who are both far from certain of making the knockout stages.

Real Madrid and holders Barcelona are in a more comfortable position as it would take an unlikely combination of results to eliminate either one.

Five-times champions Liverpool have already been eliminated after a miserable campaign in Group E and are one of nine teams who go into the final week with no hope of progressing.

On the other hand, eight sides - Girondins Bordeaux, Olympique Lyon, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Porto, Fiorentina and Sevilla - have already made sure of their places in the last 16.

French champions Bordeaux took one of the places in Group A, leaving twice former champions Juventus and four-times winners Bayern Munich to scrap for the other spot.

The odds seem stacked against Louis van Gaal's Bayern, with Juventus enjoying home advantage and needing only a draw.

The Italians are also unbeaten in their last 16 home games in the Champions League, have won their last four home games against German teams - two of them against Bayern - and have lost only three of 22 home matches against German clubs in total.

The Bundesliga side should be boosted by the return to fitness of Dutch midfielder Arjen Robben, who will add much needed pace and control in midfield especially in the absence of injured playmaker Franck Ribery.

"It is an important match and I would like to play from the start," Robben told reporters.

"I do not know how long I can play. Maybe 60-70 minutes but possibly also 90 minutes."

Van Gaal is set to stick with the striking partnership of Croat Ivica Olic and Mario Gomez, who has scored in Bayern's last three league matches after a stint on the bench.

Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara said: "Tuesday is a match of extraordinary importance and Juve have shown we are ready for big games."

Twice European champions Juve had lost two in a row, including a 2-0 defeat at Bordeaux, before Saturday's rousing 2-1 home victory over Serie A leaders Inter.

Claudio Marchisio netted a superb winner and his return after knee surgery offers Ferrara's side balance on the left following Pavel Nedved's retirement in May.

The Juve treatment room, so often full in the last two years, has started to clear with forwards Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet now fully fit for tonight.

Rookie coach Ferrara's problem remains the shaky form of close season signings Felipe Melo and Diego, with the latter Brazilian well known to Bayern after his time at Werder Bremen.

Balanced group

Group F, featuring Barcelona and Inter, is the most evenly-balanced and the only one where all four teams still have a chance, although it would take an unlikely combination of results to remove Pep Guardiola's team.

Barcelona, who lead with eight points, visit Dynamo Kiev, who have five, while Inter and Rubin Kazan, who have six points each, meet at the San Siro.

Group C leaders Real Madrid need only to a avoid a three-goal defeat at Olympique Marseille to progress, however second-placed Milan must win away to Swiss champions FC Zurich to make sure without depending on the other result.

Leonardo's team have won both their Champions League away games this season and are unbeaten in their last nine away in Europe, however they lost at home to Zurich earlier in the group.

German champions VfL Wolfsburg host Manchester United in Group B and will qualify providing CSKA Moscow do not get a better result than the Bundesliga side in their visit to eliminated Besiktas.

VfB Stuttgart, the third German team, can pip Unirea Urziceni for the second spot in Group G if they beat the Romanians at home, otherwise their opponents will follow Sevilla through.

Despite the importance of the game, Stuttgart sacked coach Markus Babbel on Sunday, a day after a 1-1 draw against VfL Bochum left them in 16th place in the Bundesliga.

He was immediately replaced by Christian Gross.

Zico's Olympiakos need a point at home to Arsenal tomorrow to follow the Premier League side through from Group H. If they slip up, Standard Liege will go through in their place with a home win against AZ Alkmaar.