A few eye-catching substitutes in the Sporting v Dortmund game. For the home side, star striker Viktor Gyokeres is only fit enough for a place on the bench, just as he was in the weekend draw at Porto.
For Dortmund, Carney Chukwuemeka could make his debut in yellow and black following his loan move from Chelsea. Dortmund are still light in defence with Niklas Sule making the bench after a long injury lay-off. The vastly underrated Nico Schlotterbeck starts, though. The German hasn’t played for a couple of weeks so a timely return for the centre-back.
“Given that Fulham play Forest on Saturday I hope Exeter are up for a scrap, with plenty of the Things No One Likes To See,” says Richard Hirst, disgracefully.
I suspect that Exeter won’t play 100% nice, and that Forest might have a bit more of the ball than they are used to in the Premier League. Although their low-possession, counter-attacking football is what has worked for them? Let’s see.
We’re well into the second half in the early Champions League kick-off. Brest, in many ways the stand-out team of the league phase are 2-0 down at home to PSG. Remember, there are two legs to these play-offs, so still a long way to go, but it’s still an ominous scoreline for the Brittany club.
The other play-off, remember, is Manchester City v Real Madrid, which is probably going to be absolutely rubbish and not worth paying attention to.
The Old Lady has a spring in her step as Juve gear up to welcome PSV to Turin. After a three-game winless run, Juventus have claimed back-to-back victories, beating Empoli and Como to get their top-four pursuit back on track. January signing Randal Kolo Muani has been a breath of fresh air, scoring five league goals in just three outings for the Italian side; only Dusan Vlahovic (eight) has netted more for Thiago Motta’s side this season.
Kolo Muani, along with fellow January arrivals Lloyd Kelly and Renato Veiga, have been added to the club’s Champions League squad, and the trio may be needed from the outset. Left-back Andrea Cambiaso, who was linked with a move to Manchester City last month, is a doubt, while fellow defenders Bremer, Juan Cabal and Pierre Kalulu all miss the meeting with Eredivisie leaders PSV.
The Dutch side have their fair share of concerns. Defenders Oscar Boscagli and Richard Ledezma are missing due to injury, with the absence of the former a huge blow. Forward pair Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi are also sidelined, though Peter Bosz can at last call upon Ivan Perisic after he joined too late to be included in their Champions League squad for the league phase. Loan signing Tyrell Malacia may also feature at left-back following Matteo Dams’ move to Saudi side Al Ahli. Prediction: Juventus to progress
Sporting v Borussia Dortmund
Sporting have struggled since Ruben Amorim’s departure. They remain top of the Primeira Liga but their 1-1 draw with Porto at the weekend means their lead has been cut to just four points. They have been inconsistent under Rui Borges, winning just two of their last five matches.
Sporting have issues in midfield. Morten Hjulmand misses the first leg meeting with Borussia Dortmund due to a ban, and João Simões was forced off at the weekend, meaning Zeno Debast should partner Hidemasa Morita in the middle of the park. Nuno Santos, Pote and Geny Catamo are also injured, but star striker Viktor Gyökeres is back.
Borussia Dortmund were beaten by Stuttgart at the weekend, continuing a poor run of form. They are 11th in the Bundesliga, having lost as many matches as they have won this season. The good news is that centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck is back after a ban. New arrival Carney Chukwuemeka will have to wait a little longer to make his debut due to injury, and he is joined by Felix Nmecha and Niklas Sule on the sidelines.
Dortmund face an uphill task in Lisbon this weekend; they have lost nine of their last 13 away matches. That said, two of their five away wins this season have come in the Champions League. Prediction: Sporting to progress
Preamble
Variety is the spice of life, and this MBM has taken that saying quite literally. Not only will we bring you live piping hot FA Cup action from Exeter v Nottingham Forest – where the Midlands club will attempt to avoid becoming the second elite Premier League club to become unstuck in Devon in the last few days – we will also bring you the latest updates from Juventus v PSV and Sporting v Borussia Dortmund – the two 8pm GMT Champions League play-off matches that aren’t covered in our dedicated Manchester City v Real Madrid liveblog.
A reminder that the FA Cup match is a straight knockout match – no VAR and no replays of course – with extra time and penalties if needed. Exeter or Forest will face Ipswich Town at home in the fifth-round, so a very winnable tie given the stage of the competition.
In the Champions League matches, this is the first of a two-leg play-off, with the winners reaching the last-16 knockout round.
Oh, and if that’s not enough, there will be a sprinkling of EFL action as well (if my hands type fast enough). There are five Championship matches tonight and plenty of League One and Two action to boot.
Exeter, Turin and Lisbon. What a treat. All three kick-offs, across the two competitions, are at 8pm GMT.
The highly anticipated matches between Exeter City and Nottingham Forest, as well as Juventus and PSV, are set to take place tonight in the Champions League. Football fans around the world are eagerly waiting to see which teams will come out on top in these exciting matchups.
Exeter City and Nottingham Forest will face off in what is sure to be a thrilling contest between two talented teams. Both sides will be looking to secure a crucial victory to advance in the tournament and continue their quest for Champions League glory.
Meanwhile, Juventus will take on PSV in a battle of giants as two of Europe’s top clubs go head to head. Juventus will be looking to maintain their strong form and secure a win against their tough opponents, while PSV will be hoping to pull off an upset and advance to the next round.
With so much at stake, these matches are sure to provide plenty of excitement and drama for football fans. Stay tuned for live updates and analysis as the action unfolds in these crucial Champions League fixtures.
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