Last eight beckons for Barca, Arsenal, Ajax and Inter

Barcelona, Arsenal, Ajax Amsterdam and Inter Milan can all seal Champions League quarter-final places with a game to spare in Tuesday's penultimate round of second phase matches.

Barcelona's task is the simplest. Radomir Antic's unbeaten Group A leaders need only a point at home to already-eliminated Bayer Leverkusen, last season's finalists, to clinch a quarter-final spot that has looked nailed on for some time.

They have several absentees through injury, notably Luis Enrique and Philip Cocu, but even if they lose only an unlikely set of results can thwart the Catalan side, who have 10 points, followed by Inter on seven and Newcastle on six.

If Barcelona suffered a shock defeat by Leverkusen and Inter and Newcastle drew in the night's other game, Barca could then be eliminated if they lost heavily at Newcastle in the final game and Inter won at Leverkusen.

More likely is that Inter and Newcastle will be battling it out for second place and victory for the Italians at the San Siro on Tuesday will ensure they progress.

Bobby Robson's side welcome back Welsh striker Craig Bellamy from suspension, although the ineligibility of new defender Jonathan Woodgate leaves their defence looking weak.

After losing their opening two games Newcastle have hit back strongly and Inter are hampered by a lack of fit strikers. Christian Vieri, still looking for his first Champions League goal this season, is likely to play as their lone attacker.

Group B is more straightforward in one sense as Arsenal and Ajax will qualify if they win their home games on Tuesday.

But it is also desperately tight, with only three points covering all four teams.

Arsenal, who have never been beyond the quarter-finals, may be without defenders Sol Campbell and Martin Keown as well as prolific striker Thierry Henry due to injury when they face AS Roma, who revived their hopes of progressing with a stunning 3-0 victory at Valencia in their last game.

A Roma victory would throw a cat among the pigeons but Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who faces a fixture pile-up in April, will be desperate to settle matters on Tuesday so that he can rest players in next week's final game.

Like Arsenal, Ronald Koeman's youthful Ajax team have six points but they top the group as they have the better head-to-head record, something that could yet prove significant.

Ajax host Valencia, losing finalists in 2000 and 2001, in Amsterdam.

The misfiring Spaniards are without the suspended midfielder Miguel Angel Angulo. Ajax, four times former European champions, welcome exciting young forward Rafael van der Vaart back into their attack.