Manchester's Crux... 2012 takes shape tonight

(Mainly West) London acknowledged its perpetual passage into the knockout phase of the Champions League last night. Despite the vulturous, story-hungry press prodding at Andre Villas Boas's less-than-supreme inauguration to the big time; the likelihood of Chelsea's passage was almost as certain as Arsenal's - prior to their night out in Europe's moochy buddy: Greece. Easy to say in hindsight, but we all thought it last night...if we're honest.

In other games, I found a tasty little bet on the bookings in APOEL Nicosia vs Shakhtar Donetsk. A nothing game with a crazy ref (the same who booked 8 in Stoke's ukranian adventure) offered low odds against < 3 yellow cards, a bet which I took, and cashed after half an hour. I shall certainly be keeping a close eye on Mr. Hategan's match appointments over the rest of the season.

On to the pressing matters for tonight's fixtures - scattered from Ajax to Zagreb; Benfica to Basle; the Mediterranean, to Manchester. There are more destiny-deciding games tonight than there were previously, a brief summary of which is enclosed:

• Group D - Lyon must better an Ajax loss by 8 goals to qualify, otherwise, the group is settled.
• Group C - Manchester United must better Benfica's result to win the group. A draw will see them through second if Benfica win. Basel must beat United to proceed.
• Group B - Inter have won the group. A nice tight battle for second and third ensues tonight as a win in Lille vs Trabzonspor takes second. CSKA Moscow can take second if they beat a weakened Inter team in Milan and the match in France ends a draw.
• Group A - The big one. 1st place Bayern Munich host the taunted bull Manchester City in the game the visitors cannot afford to lose. City still need Napoli to drop points at the group's whipping boys - Villarreal, but the longer that 2nd place stays open, the more frantic the games will become.

All in all, the outcomes of these games don't look too difficult to predict. One side of Manchester will be seeing red following a bitterly disappointing Champions League campaign. The other - preparing for the knock-out phases, but more importantly, how to make up ground in the league over the Christmas period. Is life ever this simple?

The irony is that if results do go as predicted tonight, it will strengthen Manchester City's title chances and damage their rivals. With only Europa League football to play in 2012, Man City will want nothing other than the Premier League Title - anything else will be a hollow badge of honour. By winning the Champions League, Manchester United will have the bragging rights, reminding their neighbours of the Manchester United Legacy, and keeping them 'in their place'. Now all they have to do is beat Barcelona first. Or Real. And Basel.

Tonights Betting Tips:

1.  Manchester City vs Bayern Munich - Both teams to score @ 1.74 - Betfair
2. Inter Milan vs CSKA Moscow - Lay CSKA to win @ 2.72 - Betfair
3. Dinamo Zagreb vs Lyon - Bookings Odds - Lay less than 5 points @ 3.15 - Betfair