While Manchester United has guaranteed passage to the round of 16 with group leader status, the remaining three squads are all locked in a tight battle for the second spot.
In the Braga vs. CFR Cluj match, the sides are separated by a single point and their encounter Tuesday will could have major implications for the final group standings. With a win CFR Cluj Napoca claims seven points and eliminates Braga, who would only have three and could end up with a possible six. A draw does little for either side, but it benefits CFR Cluj less since their final encounter would be with Man U. A Braga win puts them two points ahead of Cluj, but guarantees them little unless they manage to win their final match against Galatasaray, another side stuck with four points.
Braga lost their first encounter to Cluj by the score of 2-0 with their own former players hurting them. This could play a huge role in Tuesday's bout, especially with the Romanian side playing at home. Braga won against Galatasaray, but had the unfortunate circumstance of playing Man U in two straight matches. In both of them, the blew leads and wound up losing late in the game. In the first match, they built a 2-0 lead on the road before imploding for three goals and losing 3-2. In the more recent affair at home, they took a 1-0 lead just after half-time but gave up three goals in the final ten minutes and stoppage time to lose 3-1.
CFR Cluj started off with the 2-0 win over Braga, but has not looked good since. A 2-1 loss to Man U does not help matters, but a 1-1 draw (in which they blew a 1-0 lead off an own goal from Galatasaray) against the Turkish side on the road was only followed up by a poor 3-1 loss at home.
Prediction: This one is wide open with Cluj looking dreadful in their two home matches. Braga should pull a 2-1 win out of this one.
Start Time: 2:45 PM EST
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