3 big teams who may not qualify from Champions League group stages

The UEFA Champions League group stages are halfway done, with most of the favourites already sitting pretty on top of their groups.

However, for some big names, the path to the knockout rounds are still not certain, and tough fixtures looming.

Here are the top 3 teams who, despite their resources, may not be able to reach the last 16 of Europe’s biggest club competition:

1. AC Milan

In one of the tougher groups in the Champions League, Milan are placed comfortably in second behind Barcelona with 5 points from 3 games, with Celtic third in the group with 3 points.

However, a look at their upcoming fixtures show that a place in the final 16 of the competition might not be as easily achieved as first thought.

On matchday four, they face Barcelona in the reverse fixture at Camp Nou, a game that the hosts will be heavily favoured to win. Following that match, they travel to Celtic to play a match that can have a huge bearing on who qualifies out of the group.

Given the relative strengths of both teams, Milan would be expected to beat the Scottish outfit. However, casting a glance at Celtic’s quite outstanding home record in the Champions League in recent seasons shows that claiming points in front of Celtic’s passionate home support might not be the easiest task.

As can be seen, Milan’s last two visits ended in a draw and a loss, not welcoming signs for Massimiliano Allegri’s side.

If Celtic, who beat Ajax on Tuesday, can do the double over the Dutch team and surprise Milan once again, then even a loss against Barcelona on matchday six would not stop them from reaching the final 16 for the second consecutive season.