We see what lies in wait for British clubs in the third round of Champions League group games with Manchester City visiting Villarreal.
Group E: Chelsea visit Genk on Tuesday
The Belgian side, hammered 5-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last time out, have secured only one point from three games in Group E after enjoying a home draw with Valencia in matchday one.
While Chelsea suffered a 5-3 home defeat to Arsenal on Saturday, Genk were also involved in a classic as they triumphed 5-4 away at Club Brugge.
Genk were 4-2 down with 18 minutes remaining but orchestrated a remarkable comeback that was capped when Kevin De Bruyne scored a late winner to complete his hat-trick.
De Bruyne was a Chelsea for target over the summer and his first senior treble will have only increased the likelihood of the Blues returning with an offer for him in future.
Mario Been's side had lost five of their six previous games and had only scored four in seven before triumphing in dramatic circumstances. The victory puts them in sixth place in the Belgian top flight, ten points behind leaders Anderlecht.
Club Brugge coach Adrie Koster lost his job as a result of the 5-4 loss, but Been was delighted with the spirit shown by his side. "I had predicted that this would be an open match," he said. "This gives us confidence for the next matches."
Group F: Arsenal host Marseille on Tuesday
Despite suffering a difficult season on the domestic front, Marseille were top of Group F until Aaron Ramsey scored an injury-time winner in France on October 19. They currently sit one point behind Arsenal in second.
L'OM started the season in disastrous form and were bottom at one stage in September, but a 3-2 win at Dijon on Saturday - secured thanks to an 82nd minute winner from Alou Diarra - gave Didier Deschamps's side a third consecutive victory in all competitions.
Striker Loic Remy was on target after only one minute - his fifth goal in 12 Ligue 1 games this season - while midfielder Benoit Cheyrou added a second after 11 minutes.
Though he failed to score at the weekend, Ghana international Andre Ayew has five goals in six games and with his pace and potency is likely to be the most obvious threat to an Arsenal side that still has real issues in defence.
Saturday's win took Marseille ninth in Ligue 1, although they are already 14 points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain, and witnessed a tactical tweak as Deschamps changed from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2.
"It's part of my thinking," Deschamps said following the win. "We can play 4-4-2. I saw the match at Stamford Bridge, [Arsenal] conceded three goals but the three in the middle and up front have many qualities."
Group A: Manchester City visit Villarreal on Wednesday
The Yellow Submarine are bottom of Group A with three defeats in three in what has been a traumatic campaign for the Spanish club. City are four points ahead in third, with Napoli on five points and Bayern Munich seven.
However, Villarreal ended a run of seven games without a win in all competitions, and seven defeats in 12, courtesy of a 2-0 home win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. Midfielders Bruno Soriano and Borja Valero were both on target at El Madrigal.
Injury problems threaten to halt any possible resurgence in its tracks though, particularly with star striker Giuseppe Rossi ruled out for six months due to a cruciate ligament injury last week.
Influential midfielder Cani strained a knee ligament in the win over Rayo and will be out for six weeks, while forward Marco Ruben and midfielder Marcos Senna will also miss the visit of City on Wednesday.
Villarreal are currently sat in 13th place in La Liga, just two points clear of the relegation zone and 11 short of fourth-place Valencia. Some supporters have called for the dismissal of coach Juan Carlos Garrido but he remains hopeful they can turn a corner.
"Winning is important for everyone because we needed it," Garrido said after the Rayo victory. "Obviously we are happy to win, but we've had major injury problems ... I think the team has shown such courage throughout the match."
Group C: Manchester United host Otelul Galati on Wednesday
The Romanian club sit bottom of Group C after losing all three of their matches so far and scoring just once in the process. Benfica lead the way with seven points, while Manchester United have five and Basel four. United won 2-0 in Romania last time out.
Otelul - winners of the Romanian league last season - are currently in eighth place in their domestic table after winning only five times in 12 matches.
However, they did triumph 1-0 at home to Gaz Metan Medias on Friday and will enjoy an extra day's preparation than United for Wednesday's fixture at Old Trafford. Cristian Sarghi scored the only goal of the game after 46 minutes.
The result means Dorinel Munteanu's Otelul have now won three games in a row in all competitions, although by a single goal each time.
Group E: Chelsea visit Genk on Tuesday
The Belgian side, hammered 5-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last time out, have secured only one point from three games in Group E after enjoying a home draw with Valencia in matchday one.
While Chelsea suffered a 5-3 home defeat to Arsenal on Saturday, Genk were also involved in a classic as they triumphed 5-4 away at Club Brugge.
Genk were 4-2 down with 18 minutes remaining but orchestrated a remarkable comeback that was capped when Kevin De Bruyne scored a late winner to complete his hat-trick.
De Bruyne was a Chelsea for target over the summer and his first senior treble will have only increased the likelihood of the Blues returning with an offer for him in future.
Mario Been's side had lost five of their six previous games and had only scored four in seven before triumphing in dramatic circumstances. The victory puts them in sixth place in the Belgian top flight, ten points behind leaders Anderlecht.
Club Brugge coach Adrie Koster lost his job as a result of the 5-4 loss, but Been was delighted with the spirit shown by his side. "I had predicted that this would be an open match," he said. "This gives us confidence for the next matches."
Group F: Arsenal host Marseille on Tuesday
Despite suffering a difficult season on the domestic front, Marseille were top of Group F until Aaron Ramsey scored an injury-time winner in France on October 19. They currently sit one point behind Arsenal in second.
L'OM started the season in disastrous form and were bottom at one stage in September, but a 3-2 win at Dijon on Saturday - secured thanks to an 82nd minute winner from Alou Diarra - gave Didier Deschamps's side a third consecutive victory in all competitions.
Striker Loic Remy was on target after only one minute - his fifth goal in 12 Ligue 1 games this season - while midfielder Benoit Cheyrou added a second after 11 minutes.
Though he failed to score at the weekend, Ghana international Andre Ayew has five goals in six games and with his pace and potency is likely to be the most obvious threat to an Arsenal side that still has real issues in defence.
Saturday's win took Marseille ninth in Ligue 1, although they are already 14 points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain, and witnessed a tactical tweak as Deschamps changed from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2.
"It's part of my thinking," Deschamps said following the win. "We can play 4-4-2. I saw the match at Stamford Bridge, [Arsenal] conceded three goals but the three in the middle and up front have many qualities."
Group A: Manchester City visit Villarreal on Wednesday
The Yellow Submarine are bottom of Group A with three defeats in three in what has been a traumatic campaign for the Spanish club. City are four points ahead in third, with Napoli on five points and Bayern Munich seven.
However, Villarreal ended a run of seven games without a win in all competitions, and seven defeats in 12, courtesy of a 2-0 home win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. Midfielders Bruno Soriano and Borja Valero were both on target at El Madrigal.
Injury problems threaten to halt any possible resurgence in its tracks though, particularly with star striker Giuseppe Rossi ruled out for six months due to a cruciate ligament injury last week.
Influential midfielder Cani strained a knee ligament in the win over Rayo and will be out for six weeks, while forward Marco Ruben and midfielder Marcos Senna will also miss the visit of City on Wednesday.
Villarreal are currently sat in 13th place in La Liga, just two points clear of the relegation zone and 11 short of fourth-place Valencia. Some supporters have called for the dismissal of coach Juan Carlos Garrido but he remains hopeful they can turn a corner.
"Winning is important for everyone because we needed it," Garrido said after the Rayo victory. "Obviously we are happy to win, but we've had major injury problems ... I think the team has shown such courage throughout the match."
Group C: Manchester United host Otelul Galati on Wednesday
The Romanian club sit bottom of Group C after losing all three of their matches so far and scoring just once in the process. Benfica lead the way with seven points, while Manchester United have five and Basel four. United won 2-0 in Romania last time out.
Otelul - winners of the Romanian league last season - are currently in eighth place in their domestic table after winning only five times in 12 matches.
However, they did triumph 1-0 at home to Gaz Metan Medias on Friday and will enjoy an extra day's preparation than United for Wednesday's fixture at Old Trafford. Cristian Sarghi scored the only goal of the game after 46 minutes.
The result means Dorinel Munteanu's Otelul have now won three games in a row in all competitions, although by a single goal each time.
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