Key events
Goal: Frankfurt 1-1 Marseille (Guendouzi 22)
It’s a doozy from Matteo Guendouzi – the former Gunners man meets a cross first-time and belts it into the roof of the net on the volley from point-blank range.
Goal! Tottenham 0-1 Sporting (Edwards 22)
The Tottenham alumnus, Marcus Edwards, embarks on a storming run through the centre of midfield. The Spurs defenders back off, Edwards hits a low shot which is not the sweetest you’ll ever see, but flashes across Lloris and into the corner of the net.
Goal: Atletico 1-1 Levekusen (Carrasco)
All square in Madrid, Carrasco hits a daisy-cutter from the edge of the area which sneaks in to the bottom corner.
Goal: Napoli 2-0 Rangers (Simeone 11)
Crikey. That is another high, high, high quality goal by Napoli. This time it comes from the left wing. Mario Rui whips in a cross, which is perfect for Simeone, making a run to the near post, to meet with a diving header that arrows unerringly into the bottom corner.
The glum faces of the Rangers defenders tell the story.
Goal: Napoli 1-0 Rangers (Simeone 11)
Wonderful goal. Di Lorenzo bends in a curling pass, in behind the defence, the Argentinian Simeone times his run to perfection and bangs a low shot inside the far post from a tight angle. McGregor, in the Rangers goal, shakes his head as if to say: what are we supposed to do about that?
Napoli are almost in again immediately. They are playing with so much confidence at the moment.
Goal: Barcelona 0-1 Bayern Munich (Mane 10)
Sadio Mane gets Bayern on the board.
Goal: Atletico 0-1 Leverkusen (Diaby 9)
A lovely curling finish by Diaby, to match a high-quality pass stabbed through behind the defence by Hlozek for the German side.
On BT Sport, James Horncastle tells a story from last season: Apparently Luciano Spalletti’s Fiat Panda was stolen and the Napoli Ultras said they would get the car back for him, but only if he left the club. Horncastle tells the story as a means of illustrating the extent to which Spalletti has won the fans over on this amazing winning run.
Goal: Frankfurt 1-0 Marseille (Kamada 3)
Daichi Kamada strokes in a handsome right-footed finish, capitalising on a lovely stepover by Jesper Lindstrøm, and that makes things even tighter in Group D, with Frankfurt drawing level with Sporting on seven points. Spurs have eight.
First half kick-off!
Wednesday night’s 8pm Big Cup kick-offs are go.
The teams are out on the pitch (pitches). Hugo Lloris is doing the honours as captain of Tottenham tonight.
Spurs fans – what are your thoughts before tonight’s match? You can email me.
Full time! Club Brugge 0-4 Porto
Brugge were already qualified, and now goals from Taremi (2), Evanilson and Eustáquio leave Porto sitting nicely in second place in Group B. If Atletico do not beat Leverkusen at home, Porto are through.
Full time! Inter 4-0 Viktoria Plzen
That’s the lot at San Siro. Inter are in the last 16 with a game to spare.
Here’s a photo of Steve Coppell and Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott. Why? Well, why not?
Goal: Inter 4-0 Plzen (Lukaku)
The former Manchester United, Chelsea and Everton and forward is back! Soon after coming off the bench he plays a lovely one-two with Correa and belts a smart finish into the bottom corner. He’s been out for a couple of months with a thigh injury – Edin Dzeko, who is on the subs’ bench, is among the teammates who are visibly delighted for their pal.
The commentators ask why Chelsea were incapable of working out how to use Lukaku’s obvious strengths.
Barcelona v Bayern Munich teams
Hector Bellerin, Marcos Alonso and Franck Kessie are the three players to come into the Barça team this evening. For the German giants, Sadio Mane and Noussair Mazraoui start, with Benjamin Pavard and Kingsley Coman dropping to the bench.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Bellerin, Kounde, Alonso, Balde, Kessie, Busquets, de Jong, Dembele, Lewandowski, Gonzalez. Substitutes: Pique, Fati, Torres, Jordi Alba, Raphinha, Garcia, Pena, Gavi, Torre, Tenas.
Bayern Munich: Ulreich, Mazraoui, Upamecano, de Ligt, Davies, Kimmich, Goretzka, Gnabry, Musiala, Mane, Choupo-Moting. Substitutes: Pavard, Coman, Sabitzer, Muller, Schenk, Gravenberch, Tel, Stanisic.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Marseille teams
Eintracht Frankfurt: Trapp, Jakic, Smolcic, N’Dicka, Ebimbe, Kamada, Sow, Lenz, Lindstrom, Gotze, Muani. Substitutes: Onguene, Alidou, Rode, Borre, Alario, Chandler, Grahl, Pellegrini, Ramaj.
Marseille: Pau Lopez, Mbemba, Balerdi, Gigot, Clauss, Rongier, Veretout, Tavares, Guendouzi, Harit, Sanchez. Substitutes: Ngapandouetnbu, Gerson, Payet, Suarez, Under, Kolasinac, Kabore, Blanco.
Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (Spain)
Atletico Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen teams
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Molina, Gimenez, Hermoso, Mandava, Correa, Kondogbia, Witsel, Carrasco, Morata, Griezmann. Substitutes: Grbic, De Paul, Joao Felix, Matheus Cunha, Savic, Saul, Felipe, Diez, Barrios, Mestre.
Bayer Leverkusen: Hradecky, Kossounou, Tapsoba, Hincapie, Frimpong, Andrich, Amiri, Bakker, Diaby, Hlozek, Hudson-Odoi. Substitutes: Tah, Paulinho, Schick, Adli, Fosu-Mensah, Azhil, Lomb, Lunev.
Referee: Clement Turpin (France)
Napoli v Rangers teams
Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia, Zielinski all on the bench for Napoli. Spalletti is taking the chance to rest some key players and has made six changes.
Four changes for Rangers with Ridvan Yilmaz, James Sands, Scott Wright and Alfredo Morelos coming in.
Napoli: Meret, Di Lorenzo, Ostigard, Kim, Mario Rui, Ndombele, Lobotka, Elmas, Politano, Simeone, Raspadori. Substitutes: Juan Jesus, Osimhen, Lozano, Idasiak, Olivera, Zielinski, Zerbin, Zanoli, Gaetano, Kvaratskhelia, Zambo, Boffelli.
Rangers: McGregor, Tavernier, King, Davies, Yilmaz, Lundstram, Sands, Scott Wright, Tillman, Kent, Morelos. Substitutes: Colak, Davis, Matondo, McCrorie, Sakala, Barisic, McLaughlin, Arfield, Devine, Lowry, Allan.
Referee: Halil Meler (Turkey)
Antonio Conte has made six changes to his Tottenham team following the defeat by Newcastle on Sunday.
Ben Davies, Matt Doherty, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Cristian Romero, Ivan Perisic, and Lucas Moura all come into the starting side.
Tottenham Hotspur v Sporting teams
Tottenham: Lloris, Romero, Dier, Davies, Doherty, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Perisic, Lucas Moura, Son, Kane. Substitutes: Gil Salvatierra, Sessegnon, Forster, Spence, Tanganga, Sarr, White, Emerson, Lenglet, Sanchez, Bissouma, Skipp.
Sporting: Adan, Inacio, Coates, Matheus Reis, Porro, Ugarte, Morita, Nuno Santos, Trincao, Edwards, Paulinho. Substitutes: St Juste, Alexandropoulos, Israel, Rochinha, Issahaku, Andre Paulo, Arthur Gomes, Marsa, Nazinho, Cabral, Fernandes, Essugo.
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Holland)
Goal: Inter 3-0 Viktoria Plzen (Dzeko 66)
Into the last half an hour at San Siro and Inter now lead 3-0 against Viktoria Plzen, or Pilsen if you prefer.
I did the tour at the Pilsner Urquell brewery a few years ago, which is a stone’s throw from the stadium that has seen some illustrious visitors in this year’s competition: Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Inter.
The tour is great, too, and ends up in the cellars where you get to try some unfiltered beer straight from the barrel. Plzen need to get back there and drown their sorrows. It’s Barcelona that will finish third in Group C and head for the Europa League.
Preamble
Who needs what? That is the question on everyone’s lips. It’s certainly the question in my mind as I frantically fire up Google and head straight for uefa.com’s handy Champions League qualification permutations article.
Tottenham will qualify from Group D should they beat Sporting in north London this evening, and they will win the group should Marseille be beaten by Eintracht Frankfurt in the group’s other match.
In Group A, Napoli are already through and Liverpool will join them if they avoid defeat at Ajax. Scott Murray will have the latest from Liverpool’s match right here. Rangers could still earn themselves a place in the Europa League although a result against Luciano Spalletti’s high-flying Napoli at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona looks a big ask.
In Group C, Internazionale are 2-0 up on Viktoria Plzen with about half an hour to go and heading for the last 16. The other match in that group, that kicks off at 8pm, is the small matter of Barcelona v already-qualified Bayern Munich. But if Inter close out this win against Czech opposition it’s ‘Goodnight Vienna’ for Barça regardless.
In Group B, Club Brugge are already through and Porto look most likely to join them, especially as they currently lead their Belgian opponents 1-0.
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