LONDON (AP) It's between Basel and Schalke for the final spot in the last 16 of the Champions League from Group E. The teams meet on Wednesday with third-placed Schalke having to win to prevent Basel from joining Chelsea in qualifying from the group.
Top place is still up for grabs, although Chelsea can seal that by beating Steaua Bucharest at Stamford Bridge. Here are five things to know about the Group E matches:
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NEW YEAR SALES: Basel has more at stake in Schalke than just advancing to the Champions League knockout rounds for the second time in three seasons. If the Swiss champions lose on Wednesday, widely admired young players Mohamed Salah and Fabian Schaer are likely to be prime targets for German and English clubs in the January transfer window.
Basel needs only a draw to advance and increase its chances of retaining players for a Champions League campaign and push for a fifth consecutive national title. Two years ago, Basel beat Manchester United in the last group match to advance instead of the English giant. By the time Basel played Bayern Munich in the last 16 in February, a deal was already agreed to sell winger Xherdan Shaqiri to the German side. Still, Shaqiri stayed for the rest of the season and, before leaving for the Bundesliga, Salah was recruited from Egypt to replace him. Salah's key goals in home-and-away wins against Chelsea have put him on many clubs' wish list.