Napoli, Benfica, Besiktas battle for last 16 spots

PARIS - As Paris Saint-Germain jousts with Arsenal for top spot in its group, Napoli, Benfica and Besiktas will battle it out Tuesday for last 16 Champions League slots. The Group B trio all have everything to play for in their final pool games as the only one of the eight first phase groups where no side has yet secured a berth. Portugal's Benfica, European champion back in 1961 and 1962 in its halcyon days but which has underachieved since, should have secured its passage on matchday five but threw away a three-goal lead at Besiktas. That Turkish comeback, rekindling memories of Liverpool's historic 2005 Istanbul triumph, has left the group outcome on a knife-edge with Besiktas knowing that a win at eliminated Dynamo Kiev will send it through. In contrast, the final round of games pits Benfica against a Napoli side which beat it 4-2 back on matchday two in Italy - while Besiktas was dropping home points against Kiev. The Turkish side's subsequent win in Italy threw the group wide open and the 14-time national champions' refusal to surrender against Benfica means it now fancies its chances. Besiktas will hope that its best previous showing - a 1987 European Cup quarter-final appearance - will not prove a poor omen. Back then, it lost 7-0 on aggregate - to Kiev. The winner of Benfica-Napoli in Lisbon will qualify as group winner, while a draw would be enough to send the latter through given its head-to-head edge. If Besiktas loses, both will progress regardless. Whereas Benfica warmed up for the game by losing its unbeaten record in Portugal in slumping to unheralded Maritimo at the weekend, Napoli broke back into the top four in Serie A when Slovakia midfielder Marek Hamsik moved to within 11 goals of Diego Maradona's record haul of 115 goals for the club after scoring in Friday's 3-0 romp over Inter Milan. Beyond the tightest group of the season, the final round of games is all about securing pole position and a theoretically softer second round draw. It's been tight at the top throughout in Group A where there is nothing to choose between Arsenal and PSG, both through and level on points ahead of final games at Basel and home to Ludogorets, both winless makeweights. Barcelona has already won Group C at the expense of Manchester City which nonetheless accompanies the Catalan club through regardless of what happens as City hosts Celtic and Barca welcome Borussia Moenchengladbach. Atletico Madrid won Group D by a distance and is the only club in the competition with a perfect record as it prepares to do the double over runner-up Bayern Munich. Rostov will look to avoid defeat at PSV Eindhoven and see its adventures carry on albeit in the Europa League. A minute's silence will be held before all matches as a mark of respect for Brazilian side Chapecoense, whose squad was decimated by last week's aircrash.