Athletic out to prove fitness

Steaua
The only team definitely through from Group B are Romanian side FC Steaua Bucuresti, who made sure of their place after completing their four fixtures on Matchday 4. The club are also riding high in domestic action, being six points clear at the winter break.

Athletic
Left-back Asier Del Horno again showed his goalscoring prowess with the only strike in the 1-0 win against Club Atlético de Madrid on Saturday. The 23-year-old Spanish international arrived at the far post to sidefoot an Andoni Iraola centre on the stroke of half-time. While the victory did much to cheer Ernesto Valverde, the coach has numerous injury worries to contemplate including a sprained ankle for Del Horno who did not finish the fixture. Also on the treatment table are Francisco Yeste (hamstring), Tiko (ankle), Aitor Karanka (thigh) and Carlos Gurpegui (head).

Besiktas
A last-minute goal from substitute Berkant Göktan helped Besiktas to a 2-1 win against Kayserispor on Friday and moved them to sixth in the Turkish Superleague. Coach Vicente Del Bosque has seen the strength in depth in his squad as it was another substitute, Tümer Metin, who made the difference in the 2-1 success against Istanbulspor the previous week before hitting the equaliser against Kayserispor. Del Bosque was without suspended duo Sergen Yalçin and Ibrahim Toraman for the latter match, while Norwegian international John Carew was sidelined with an ankle injury and Ronaldo Guiaro has yet to return after a broken arm. In the absence of Carew and Sergen, Del Bosque fielded Ahmed Hassan and Daniel Pancu in attack while forward Veysel Cihan was also given a rare start.

Standard
Defender Oguchi Onyewu sat out Standard's 1-1 Sunday draw at KAA Gent with a groin injury, but it remains to be seen whether he will be fit for the Belgian club's decisive group fixture. Also missing were fellow defender Gonzague van Dooren and attacker Wamberto, who have been struggling with calf problems. In the match, Standard fell behind after 33 minutes but showed resilience by equalising through Sérgio Conceição's penalty, the Portuguese winger's second goal in four domestic outings.

Parma
In going down 2-0 at AS Livorno Calcio on Sunday, Parma lost their third game in a row and their situation in Serie A became even more desperate. Only Atalanta BC have fewer points and the defeat proved the final straw for the club's directors as coach Silvio Baldini was dismissed on Monday. Baldini had tried Massimo Maccarone alongside Alberto Gilardino in attack but neither could find the net, with midfielders Domenico Morfeo and Mark Bresciano being introduced in the second half. Marco Marchionni missed the weekend fixture with a muscle strain and is likely to be absent for the visit of Besiktas.