Matchday 5 Preview - Where We Finish Matters

Tonight Anderlecht visit Madrid to play Getafe CF. Fortunately the Mauves are not facing the crosstown rivals Real Madrid, whom the team has conceded an average of 4 goals a match when it travels to the Bernabeu.


The results of the other Group G match, Aalborg versus Hapoel Tel-Aviv remain just as important as the one involving Anderlecht.

A win for Anderlecht will secure not just qualification but the top spot in the group, overtaking Tottenham. Similarly Getafe are going for first place in Group G. Similarly a draw would be sufficient for both sides in terms of qualification, provided Hapoel does not recover their goal deficit of five.

However a loss in Madrid will mean that Ariel Jacobs' side will have to rely on the Aalborg-Hapoel match to go their way. A favorable result for Sporting would be an Aalborg win. Whoever claims first place in Group G, they will face a third-placed team from another group. Second-placed teams will go up against the 3rd placed teams from the UEFA Champions League, teams like Marseille and Rangers who were unlucky to be in tough groups. Anderlecht cannot finish second in the group and therefore avoid UCL dropouts at least in the Round of 32. For Anderlecht, who remain undefeated in the UEFA Cup this year, qualification will give a positive boost to an otherwise disappointing year so far.