[Group H]PSG Vs Maccabi Haifa

PSG are sitting atop of their UCL group but only on goal difference, with an in-from Benfica side right behind them. Christophe Galtier's have been unable to break down the Portuguese giants over two group games, held to a 1-1 stalemate despite grabbing the lead in each.The Parisians are still unbeaten across all competitions this season, and eased past Ajaccio by a 3-0 margin in Ligue 1 last time out with Kylian Mbappe scoring a brace while Lionel Messi also got on the scoresheet.

After facing Israeli side Maccabi Haifa, the Parisians will travel to Turin to face Serie A's fallen powerhouse Juventus, where can't afford to put their foot off the gas as they aim to solidify their position as group winners, with Benfica hot on their tails for the coveted top-berth.

Juventus have officially been knocked out of the Champions League group stage. The Italian giants were beaten 4-3 by Benfica on Tuesday night. It will be the first time in nine years that Juve fail to reach the UCL knockout rounds.

The Italian giants can still qualify for the Europa League knockout rounds should they finish third in Group H. Currently, Juventus is level on points with Maccabi Haifa for the Europa League spot. However, Juve have to play group-leading Paris Saint-Germain next Wednesday.

Juve were last knocked out of the UCL group stage in 2013-14. They finished third in the group on that season and progressed all the way to the Europa League semifinals. Interestingly, Benfica ended that run in the Europa League.

João Mário's long-range strike in stoppage time sealed Benfica's 6-1 rout of Maccabi Haifa that was enough to secure the Portuguese team a helpful first place in its Champions League group on Wednesday.

The hosts started brightly in Israel, troubling PSG throughout a frenetic first 45 minutes, but it was not to be as PSG outclassed Maccabi Haifa in a 3-1 win to stay perfect through two Champions League group stage games.

Three points for PSG as they head home to the French capital, but a lifetime of memories for the Haifa squad, who can still challenge Juventus for a third-place spot in the group if they produce a few more performances like this one.

97 mins to kick: PSG were handed one of the longest trips possible as they travel east from the French capital to Haifa, Israel on the banks of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, which is about a 4.5 hour flight. In fact, Maccabi Haifa are the eastern-most participant in this year's Champions League group stage! Theoretically, a trip to Shakhtar Donestk would be just slightly further east, but the Ukrainian club hasn't played in their home city for years due to unrest in the area.

UK: The Champions League group stage match between Maccabi Haifa and PSG from Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa, Israel will be televised on BT Sport 6, and it can be streamed on both the BT Sport app and website.

Group H is still all to play for, with Benfica favourites to join PSG in the next round at Juventus' expense, but the Parisians can't afford to ease up just yet as they look to cement their place as group winners.

(September 15, 2022 / JNS) French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night defeated Maccabi Haifa 3-1 in UEFA Champions League group stage play, in a game contested at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Israel in front of more than 30,000 fans.

Despite a good start to the season, manager Christopher Galtier will be disappointed with the points dropped in both games to Benfica, with a tough test awaiting in the next game against Juventus in Turin. Meanwhile, Haifa earned their first points in the group with a stunning 2-0 win against Juventus on Matchday 4, making things more interesting in a testing group for all four teams.

A stoppage-time goal by Joao Mario completed a stunning 6-1 win for Benfica at Maccabi Haifa on Wednesday which lifted the Portuguese side top of Champions League Group H ahead of Paris St Germain. Goals from Goncalo Ramos, Petar Musa, Alex Grimaldo, Rafa Silva, Henrique Araujo and Joao Mario - five of them in the second half -put Benfica on to 14 points, level with PSG on points and goal difference but ahead of the French champions having scored more away goals.Maccabi finished bottom of the standings with three points, level with Juventus who ended up third on goal difference and will go into the Europa League.Mario's superb long-range strike prompted wild celebrations as the Benfica substitutes and coaching staff ran onto the pitch."We came here to win the game first but as minutes passed and we kept scoring, we felt that the momentum was building in our favour and that we could make it happen," Ramos told Eleven Sports.Maccabi competed strongly in a compelling first half.Dean David sent a great chance wide for the hosts before Ramos struck with a towering header to put Benfica in front.Maccabi equalised through a penalty by Tjarron Chery and Benfica coach Roger Schmidt made two substitutions in the 32nd minute, replacing Fredrik Aursnes and Ramos with Musa and Chiquinho.Benfica dominated the match and finally converted one of their chances with a nice diving header by Musa from a deep cross by full back Alexander Bah.Grimaldo slotted in an unstoppable long-range free kick for the third goal, Silva added a fourth and Araujo beat the offside trap in the 88th minute to grab the fifth with a tap-in.Benfica continued to pour forward with their relentless high-press game and deep into stoppage time Mario's excellent strike sent them into the last 16 as group winners.Advertisement

Benfica have finished third or better in five of their last six group stage appearances, although they face a tougher task than last term, when they benefitted from being drawn against a Barcelona team in disarray.

With two games left to go in the group stages, PSG and Benfica share the top spot in the group with eight points each, while Maccabi Haifa and Juventus have three points so far. So, PSG winning here will secure them next stage.

Although they don't have a huge chance to reach the next stage in Champions League, the fact that they are even in the race after four games in group with PSG, Benfica, and Juventus is fantastic for Maccabi Haifa. After all, they are a debutant in the competition and their win over Juventus in the last round was certainly impressive.

Lionel Messi of PSG celebrates his second goal with Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Jr during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Maccabi Haifa FC. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

With Juventus out of contention and fighting for a place in the Europa League knockout stages, Paris should earn three more points next week to wrap up the group stage of the Champions League and qualify in the first position above Benfica (now tied for first with 11 points each, but sitting second because of the goal difference).

Currently sitting atop UEFA Champions League Group H, level on points with Benfica but ahead on goals scored (7 to 6), Paris Saint-Germain will be out to lock down their place in the round of 16 with a result against the group's bottoms side Maccabi Haifa.The bottom line for Paris is that any win will qualify them, while even a draw will be enough as long as third-placed Juventus don't beat Benfica in the group's other match. This would mean a knockout-round place every season since 2012-13 - a feat matched only by Bayern and Real Madrid.Air of mystery

PSG will be paired with a group winner and so could come up against the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Spurs, Napoli, Porto or Bayern Munich in the last 16 when February comes around.

Chelsea hasn't failed to advance to the knockout stage since the 2012-13 season - when it was the defending champion - and would make it through to the last 16 again with a win at Salzburg. The Austrian champions are in second place, a point behind Chelsea, and can qualify themselves by beating the London club and if AC Milan fails to beat Dinamo Zagreb in the other match in the group taking place in the Croatian capital.

Already through to the round of 16, Real Madrid will be without some of its regular starters when it visits second-place Leipzig. Luka Modric, Karim Benzema and Federico Valverde were not included by coach Carlo Ancelotti to the squad making the trip to Germany. The defending champions, who can secure first place in the group, have won their last four away games in the group stage of the Champions League, all without conceding any goals. In the other group match, last-place Celtic hosts third-place Shakhtar Donetsk, which is one point behind Leipzig. Celtic has lost seven consecutive home games in the group stage, scoring only once in that stint.

Manchester City is already sure of advancing and just needs to avoid defeat at Borussia Dortmund, which is three points back in second place, to go through as group winner. A win would guarantee Dortmund a top-two finish and keep the race for first place alive heading into the final group games. Erling Haaland makes his return to his former club, as do Ilkay Gundogan and Manuel Akanji. Sevilla and FC Copenhagen are five points further back ahead of their meeting in Spain and both need to win to stand a chance of advancing. Sevilla has won only one of its last nine matches in all competitions. Copenhagen has failed to score in seven of its last eight Champions League matches.

On eight points each atop the group, Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica can both qualify for the knockout stage if they win their respective games. PSG hosts Maccabi Haifa without stalwart midfielder Marco Verratti, who is suspended, and injured midfielder Danilo Pereira. After back-to-back draws against Benfica, coach Christophe Galtier has switched to a different system _ a 4-3-1-2 formation _ for PSG's last two games. The change has helped the team's forwards play with more freedom of movement in their favorite zone, with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi combining three times last week in the 3-0 win against Ajaccio. Benfica, which hosts Juventus, is coming off a win at rival Porto in the Portuguese league and is unbeaten in 19 matches in all competitions this season. It has won all three of its previous home games against Juventus, scoring twice in each of them. 781b155fdc