Champions League Group H preview: Three vie for two qualifying spots

Group H remains wide open with both places into the Champions League knockout stages still up for grabs.

No team has ever earned 12 points and failed to progress to the last 16, but Braga, Shakhtar Donetsk and Arsenal are facing that prospect ahead of Wednesday’s final group stage matches.

Shakhtar lead the group with 12 points, three clear of Arsenal and Braga.

A draw against Braga on Wednesday would send the Ukrainian side through and even defeat is unlikely to halt their progress.

If all three teams end on 12 points the qualifiers will be decided by goal difference in games between the trio.

Arsenal, who have a healthy goal difference following a 6-0 thrashing of Braga and 5-1 win over Shakhtar, would almost certainly come out top in that equation should they beat Partizan Belgrade at Emirates Stadium.

Shakhtar have a goal difference of 0 and Braga sit on -7, leaving the Portuguese side needing a four-goal victory to swing things in their favour.

Having begun their first Champions League campaign with the Arsenal humiliation and then a 3-0 home defeat by Shakhtar, it is surprising that Braga remain in contention. Nevertheless, coach Domingos Paciencia still sees the domestic league as his main focus.

“The most important goal for Braga is the national championship and finishing in the top four,” he said.

“We know the toll will be very different to previous years because taking part in the Champions League for the first time has a big physical and emotional cost.”

Arsenal warmed up by beating Fulham 2-1 on Saturday to go top of the English Premier League and they will expect to progress to the knockout phase for the 11th successive season by condemning Partizan to their sixth consecutive defeat in the competition.