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Manchester City hosts TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Wednesday night in what will be the final UEFA Champions League group stage clash for both sides. It will also be just the second ever meeting between the two clubs. The first saw Man City came from behind to beat Hoffenheim 2-1 on UCL group stage match day two.
Fresh off their first domestic loss of the season, 2-0 at Chelsea on Saturday, City will head into this one looking to win, and win handily.
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Manchester City can clinch the top spot in Group F with a victory over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim tomorrow night at the Etihad. However, only a draw will be required in the UEFA Champions League group stage finale if Lyon fail to defeat Shakhtar Donetsk. City are heavily favored/projected to beat the German side that finished third domestically last season; their best Bundesliga finish in club history.
City have already booked their passage through to the UCL knockout round, but obviously topping the group is the ambition, as it gives them a favorable round of 16 match-up against a grouping runner-up come March.
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Manchester United head to Valencia in midweek for a UEFA Champions League group stage fixture that provides manager Jose Mourinho an opportunity to rotate his squad. With knockout round qualification already secured, and one eye on the massive league clash against Liverpool next weekend, Mourinho will rest some of his regulars.
That will give the Red Devils a decided advantage in the arch-rivalry game next weekend, as Liverpool face a must win UCL match at Anfield tomorrow night. Getting back to United, Mourinho has pretty much already named three starters for the European fixture in Spain.
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Manchester United head to Valencia for their final UEFA Champions League group stage clash having already booked their passage to the knockout round. Juventus are also going through, but United could topple them as group winner if the Serie A juggernaut fails to beat Young Boys, and United emerge triumphant in Spain.
It’s a long shot sure, but it could still happen, provided the Red Devils can overcome a situation that could be branded an “injury crisis” at the back. Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling are all definitely out of commission for this match and Eric Bailly is doubtful due to a muscle problem.
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Tottenham Hotspur have a monumental task in front of them tomorrow night, but at least it just got a bit easier now that they won’t have to face Luis Suarez. The high-flying, prolific goal scoring FC Barcelona forward won’t be involved in the UEFA Champions League group stage clash finale at the Camp Nou Tuesday night.
Suarez is recovering from a knee injury, one that required stem cell treatment, and could be on the shelf for a couple weeks. That said, Spurs still face a massive uphill task in Catalonia, given how Barcelona haven’t lost a UCL home contest since early 2013, an unbeaten run of 28 straight and counting.
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Here we go! It’s Napoli at Liverpool FC, a UEFA Champions League group stage clash where the stakes are as high as possible. For Napoli, they need a draw or better to go though. For the Reds, they need a two goal (or better) victory to book a place in the knockout round. Let’s go through the team news for both sides.
Reds winger Sadio Mane is expected to be in the first team after he returned to the bench in the weekend’s 4-0 rout at AFC Bournemouth. Meanwhile central defender Dejan Lovren missed that road trip due to a head injury. He hopes to recover in time for this epic clash.
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Mark Twain famously said that history doesn’t repeat, but it does rhyme. Today’s college football playoff debate does in fact rhyme with the BCS, and the AP/UPI/Coaches/Insert Poll Name Here era of “deciding” the national champion. When it comes to the college football postseason, it’s all about the click-bait, and conflict, of course moves the needle.
The same will hold true if/when they go to 8, and then if when they go to 16. Today it’s about #5 and #6 getting shout out. In the future it will be about #9 getting shafted, and then #17 getting left out; if and when it comes to that. It may not because the more teams you add, the fewer the number of deserving teams get jobbed.
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The good news for Tottenham Hotspur is that they control their own destiny when it comes to qualifying for the UEFA Champions League knockout round. The bad news is that their destiny is a must win road match at FC Barcelona. Did we mention that Barcelona are undefeated in their last 28 UCL home matches?
Spurs attacking midfielder Dele Alli says his team is heading to Catalonia with confidence, aware that Barca could make mistakes just like any other team.
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FC Barcelona have not lost a home game in the UEFA Champions League since September of 2013. Unfortunately for Tottenham Hotspur, they almost certainly have to break this very long streak in order to advance beyond the group stage. The second knockout round spot from Group B will go to either Spurs or Inter Milan, with the latter having a much easier opponent in PSV Eindhoven.
Tottenham has a big enough challenge already, but it gets even rougher when you look at the selection issues manager Mauricio Pochettino will have in defense. With both Kieran Trippier and Serge Aurier doubtful, it means that Kyle Walker-Peters is likely to start at right back.
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Heading into the headliner fixture of the Premier League weekend, Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Manchester City, Blues boss Maurizio Sarri played some brilliant mind games. Before the crunch clash at Stamford Bridge, Sarri doubled down on statements he made earlier this season in which he claimed his side wasn’t in the same class as the reigning champions.
On Saturday, Chelsea wasn’t just in the same proverbial league as Man City, they were better as they handed the Sky Blues their first defeat of the Premier League season. With that result, City fell below Liverpool and into second place in the standings. Chelsea are now fourth, tied with Arsenal on points, but +5 over the Gunners on goal differential.
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By Patrick Pearse
A standout amongst the most esteemed award ceremonies in the world started with an upset on Monday evening when the first ever women’s soccer player of the year was asked to twerk (dance with movement of hip bones and bending knees) in front of an audience by a male presenter.
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Liverpool host Napoli Tuesday night in a Champions League group stage fixture that is for all the marbles. Cue up the motivational music from the Rocky film franchise and let your cheesy action film cliches fly because this one is literally ALL OR NOTHING!
Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti has already made the kind of statements that BRING IT ON! saying his side will be aggressive in this one and not hunker down. In the same news conference, Ancelotti brought up a couple games, one domestic, one European, which are certainly sore memories for Reds supporters.
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