Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have all secured their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League after Tuesday's penultimate group stage fixtures.
England's representatives this evening, namely the Manchester clubs City and United, struggled and still have work to do in their final group games to advance.
Roberto Mancini's City went down 2-1 in a vibrant Naples while United were held to a 2-2 draw by Benfica at Old Trafford.
Real Madrid maintained their status as the only team in this year's competition to hold a 100% record with a 6-2 hammering of Dinamo Zagreb at the Bernebeu to ensure top spot in Group D.
Ajak look set to join Madrid in progressing from the group after a goalless draw with Olympique Lyon in Amsterdam.
Franck Ribery's brace helped Bayern Munich assure first position in Group A as they eased past pointless Villarreal at the Allianz Arena.
For Manchester City to progress alongside Munich they must defeat the Germans and hope that the Yellow Submarine pick up their first points against Napoli on matchday six.
In Group B, Inter Milan guaranteed top spot with a 1-1 draw in Turkey at Trabzonspor. Both goals came in the first half with Ricardo Alvarez putting the visitors ahead before Hamit Altintop's equaliser five minutes later.
Second place in the group is far from decided with the Turkish side on six points while Lille and CSKA Moscow are joint third on five points. The French outfit picked up a crucial win in Russia earlier this evening.
In Manchester United's group, FC Basel kept their hopes of qualification alive by holding out for 3-2 win in Romania at Otelul Galati. The Swiss side raced into an early three-goal lead but were pegged back in the second half before holding out.
They sit a point behind Sir Alex Ferguson's side and host the Premier League champions in Basel in two weeks time. Benfica must avoid defeat when they welcome Galatai to Lisbon to ensure qualification.
Pascal Lemesre
