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Champions League matchday five: Five things to look out for

Ahead of the fifth batch of Champions League group matches, Sports Mole picks out five things to keep a close eye on.

With just two matches left to play, we have reached the business end of this season's Champions League group phase.

This week the fifth round of encounters will take place, which come the final whistle will have seen some sides book their place in the knockout stages, while others will learn that it will be the Europa League at best for them.

Here, Sports Mole has selected five things to keep an eye out for over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday night.

Zlatan heads home

Paris Saint-Germain's Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic (L) vies with Guingamp's Senegalese midfielder Moustapha Diallo during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and EA Guingamp on September 22, 2015 at the Parc des Princes st© Getty Images

Those who have read Zlatan Ibrahimovic's entertaining autobiography or watched the recent documentary about the Swede will be aware of the affection that he has for the club where it all started for him - Malmo.

After scoring 16 goals in 40 outings for them, he has gone on to play for some of Europe's stellar clubs, starting with Ajax before having stints with Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan and now currently Paris Saint-Germain. The 34-year-old has won countless honours along the way, but he has never forgotten his roots.

Ibrahimovic will return to his hometown club for the first time on Wednesday night and he is keen for everyone to get involved. Back in September the striker wrote on his Instagram page: "I previously said that the game will be heard all over Malmo. Now I've also made sure that all of Malmo will be able to watch the game. I've booked the Main Square where the game on Nov. 25 will be broadcast live. All are welcome! More surprises await that day. I'm on my way."

English duo eye qualification

The Manchester United team pose for a group photo prior to the UEFA Champions League Group B match between Manchester United FC and PFC CSKA Moskva at Old Trafford on November 3, 2015© Getty Images

Manchester City's impressive 3-1 win in Seville last time out booked their place in the last 16 and while the situation looks precarious for Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea both have decent opportunities to ensure that their interest in the competition will extend beyond Christmas.

Louis van Gaal's United may not have got pulses racing in the group stages so far, having scored only five goals in their four outings. Nevertheless, were they to defeat PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night, their name will be in the hat for the next round. When they met their Dutch counterparts in Eindhoven in September, the Red Devils lost 2-1 on the night that Luke Shaw suffered his horrific leg break.

The situation is not so straightforward on Tuesday evening for Jose Mourinho's Blues, who first of all need to collect all three points from their trip to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Not only that, they must also hope that Dynamo Kiev fail to emerge victorious from their clash away at group leaders Porto.

Zenit aim for perfect five

Zenit's Portuguese coach Andre Villas-Boas reacts after the UEFA Champions League group H football match between FC Zenit and KAA Gent at the Petrovsky stadium in St. Petersburg on September 29, 2015.© Getty Images

If you were unaware and had to pick which side had won all four of their group matches this term, the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid would likely be at the forefront of your thinking.

However, it is in fact Zenit St Petersburg that can boast the only 100% victorious record, which in turn has already secured their spot in the knockout stages with two games to spare. They opened up with an unexpected 3-2 win away at Valencia, which was followed by triumphs over Gent and Lyon twice.

Matchday five pits Andre Villas-Boas's men against Valencia, who sit second in Group H. If Zenit can topple the Spaniards for a second time, they will then be just one game away from becoming the seventh team to win all six of their group fixtures after AC Milan, PSG, Spartak Moscow, Barcelona and Real Madrid (twice).

Greeks unexpectedly eye top spot

Olympiacos' Colombian forward Felipe Pardo (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Champions League football match between Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium in Athens on November 4, 2015© Getty Images

With the greatest of respect to Olympiacos, when they were drawn in Group F alongside Bayern and Arsenal, it was expected that they would be battling for a place in the Europa League along with minnows Dinamo Zagreb.

They were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Bayern on matchday one, but since then Marco Silva's men have been in immaculate form. They caused something of a stir by defeating Arsenal 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium, which was followed by consecutive wins over Dinamo.

All of a sudden, the Greeks make the trip to Bayern on Tuesday level on points with their hosts. Picking up a win in the Allianz Arena is a tall order for European football's elite sides, let alone Olympiacos, but if they can somehow pull off a shock, they will take charge of the group and also qualify for the next round. Had you offered Silva that scenario at the start of the group stages, there is little doubt that he would have snapped your hands off.

Hotshot Hernandez

Leverkusen's Mexican striker Javier Hernandez celebrates scoring during the UEFA Champions League group E first leg football match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bate Borisov in Leverkusen, western Germany on September 16, 2015© Getty Images

Those who have followed Javier Hernandez's career closely since he arrived in Europe five years ago will not be surprised to learn that having been given a run of games by Bayer Leverkusen, the clinical Mexican is on fire in front of goal.

Since he completed his move from Man United in the summer, the 27-year-old has scored six Bundesliga goals, two in the German Cup and a further four in the Champions League, including a brace in the eventful 4-4 draw with Roma. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has found the net more times in the group stages this season.

Such form is bound to have the BATE Borisov defence worried on Tuesday night. The Belarusian side will harbour particularly positive memories for Hernandez, given it was they that he scored his first Leverkusen goal against. He has nine goals to his name from his last seven outings and it would take a brave person to bet against 'Chicharito' extending that run at the Borisov Arena.

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Leverkusen's Mexican forward Javier Hernandez aka Chicharito celebrates scoring during the German first division Bundesliga football match Wolfsburg vs Leverkusen in Wolfsburg on October 31, 2015.
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