Zinedine Zidane is using the term ‘final'From using it so much in their press conferences prior to the matches of the Real
Madrid. This Monday, talking about the clash that the whites play today against him Shakhtar
Donetsk, He turned to the simile again, and this time we must admit that the Frenchman was right: Madrid is playing a real final today.
And it is that depending on how their match against Shakhtar ends the whites may already be mathematically classified for the round of 16 or stay in the hands of Borussia M’Gladbach, who visits them at Di Stéfano on the last day. Of course: it is mathematically impossible that at the end of the Kiev match they will be eliminated from the Champions League.
If they win, classified
This is the main conclusion of what can happen today in Kiev. A victory I would raise Madrid's points to 10 in his group, a figure that cannot be reached Inter (maximum can reach 8) nor the Shakhtar, which in case of defeat could reach a maximum of 7.
It would remain to settle in this case who passes to eighth as first of group: Real Madrid or Borussia M’Gladbach, who already have 8 points before this day. Real Madrid-Gladbach on Wednesday, December 9, would decide the order of passage of both to the eighth. If the Germans do not win today, the whites would be enough with a draw to pass as first.
If he ties, one point out of the eighth
If the duel with the Shakhtar ended in tie, Zidane's would add 8 points. Other tie On the last day, against Gladbach, I would give him the classification: with 9 points it would be unreachable by the Ukrainians, who at most could already reach 8, the top that Inter also aspires to today.
A tie today and a triumph on the last day against the Germans he would give the first
Market Stall to the whites, since victory would tip the goal average in their favor (2-2 in Germany on matchday two).
If you lose, it's time to pray
The thing acquires tints more complicated and even dramatic in case of defeat tonight in Kiev: R. Madrid would be left with 7 points but relegated to third
Market Stall for Shakhtar, who would add the same points but would have the goal average won (2-3 at Di Stéfano and victory today). Borussia would continue to lead with at least 8 points, which it already has before hosting Inter today.
At this point, Zidane's men would risk it all to a letter against Borussia Wednesday of next week: a defeat would remove them from the Champions League, since they could not climb to second place. And it would be necessary to see if they entered the Europa League: Inter can reach 8 points, in which case not even this consolation would be left to the whites.
In the event of a draw against the Germans, he should await Shakhtar's defeat against Inter in Milan. The victory against Gladbach would only serve him if the Germans did not win at Inter today: they would arrive in Madrid with a maximum of 9 points and the white victory would allow the ZZ team to reach 10, which would give them the classification regardless of what the team did. Shakhtar in Milan.
So is the Group B classification:
1. Borussia, 8 points
2. R. Madrid, 7
3. Shakhtar, 4
4. Inter, 2
And these are pending matches:
Today
Shakhtar Donetsk-R. Madrid
Borussia-Inter
Wednesday, December 9
R. Madrid-Borussia
Inter-Shakhtar