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Make-or-break time in Champions League

It's clear cut for Arsenal -- win at home with Lokomotiv Moscow tomorrow and it will top its Champions League group and advance to the second phase.

Lose, and it's out of the competition.

The Gunners have turned their European season around. After losing 2-1 at Dynamo Kiev, it beat the Ukrainians at home and triumphed 5-1 at Inter Milan in Group B.

"The Milan game will mean nothing if we don't go through," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said of tomorrow's match at Highbury.

"We're now in the position where they know that only a win will do. The best thing is that if we qualify, we will top the group. Considering we were bottom two games ago, that is quite remarkable."

But Lokomotiv can advance with a point -- and Inter Milan and Dynamo are also in contention.

Like Group B, every team in Group A is a likely winner -- or loser. Celtic, Anderlecht, Bayern Munich and Lyon could all advance tomorrow.

Today and tomorrow's matches will finalize the 16 clubs that go through to the second round in February.

Defending champion AC Milan and former titlists Real Madrid, Juventus, Manchester United and FC Porto are already through, along with Monaco, Chelsea and Stuttgart.

The clubs that finish third in the eight groups will drop down to the UEFA Cup.

Tonight, it's: Manchester United vs. Stuttgart and Rangers vs. Panathinaikos in Group E; Partizan Belgrade vs. Marseille and Real Madrid vs. Porto in Group F; Besiktas vs. Chelsea in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and Sparta Prague vs. Lazio in Group G; FC Brugge vs. Ajax and Milan vs. Celta de Vigo in Group H.

Tomorrow: Bayern Munich vs. Anderlecht and Lyon vs. Celtic in Group A; AEK Athens vs. Monaco and PSV Eindhoven vs. Deportivo de La Coruna in Group C; Juventus vs. Olympiakos and Real Sociedad vs. Galatasaray in Group D.

Arsenal stumbled to a 1-1 draw against Leicester on Saturday to waste an opportunity to go back on top of the Premier League. Captain Patrick Vieira was rested for tomorrow, but Thierry Henry could be missing.

The French striker didn't play Saturday because of a muscle problem, and Wenger said there was "big question mark" over Henry's fitness for the Lokomotiv match.

The Russians, who drew 0-0 in Moscow in September, haven't played since their domestic league ended five weeks ago.

Dynamo hosts Inter in the other Group B match. Inter will also go through with a win.

Celtic, Anderlecht and Lyon are all on seven points in Group A, with 2001 champion Bayern Munich on six.

Bayern needs a win at home with Anderlecht to avoid another embarrassing early exit. Celtic only needs a point at Lyon to go through.

Anderlecht and Lyon can advance with wins, which would drop Celtic down to the UEFA Cup and dump Bayern out of the competition.

Celtic beat Lyon 2-0 in September, but has lost its last five away matches in the Champions League.
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