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Key events
TNT have a quick word with Thomas Frank before kick-off. “There is one game in front of us, that’s PSG … if you look too much in the past you forget to look forward and do everything you can to perform now … that is all about performing tonight … make sure we compete … are brave … we are playing against a very mobile team … we have to match that … be aggressive … we need mobile, front-footed midfielders … a big night for us … we need to put a fight in.”
Pre-match postbag. “Much as I want English clubs to do well in the Champions League (even including Chelsea, but obviously not Man Utd were they ever to qualify again), Fulham are not in a secure enough position for me to pass up the opportunity of Spurs being clobbered tonight, so as to leave them wounded for Saturday’s big one. (And can I make an early bid for the longest sentence of the evening?). So come on PSG, turn it on for the lads” – Richard Hirst
“As a Spurs fan, is it better to watch a low-confidence Spurs take on the European Champions or to seek joy in watching Harry Kane and Bayern spank Arsenal with a narrative-breaking 3-0 victory? Erm, asking for a friend” – Matthew Carpenter-Arevalo
“To use a North Americanism, if I had my druthers, I would prefer Robertson to Kerkez. Van Dijk seems to have an innate sense where Robertson will be, but has no idea with Kerkez. Let’s be honest; sometimes signings don’t work out” – Joe Pearson
FULL TIME: Copenhagen 3-2 Kairat; Pafos 2-2 Monaco
Both of the 5.45pm kick-offs have just finished. Copenhagen were three goals up with nine minutes to go at home against Kairat, and survived a spirited late comeback to secure their first three-point haul of their campaign. Meanwhile Monaco defender Mohammed Salisu’s late own goal gave Pafos a 2-2 draw in Limassol, and the Cypriot underdogs are currently in the play-off positions. Here’s how the Champions League now looks as we go into this evening’s matches.
Arne Slot talks to TNT Sports. “You reflect and look forward [after the Forest match] … the reflection was about a few moments … we had 75 percent ball possession … but the few moments we had to defend, we did not defend in the same manner as Forest did … if the other team throws themselves in front of a ball and blocks every cross and shot then it’s far from sure you win … football-wise I cannot blame [the players] so much … but the few moments we have to defend better … I had to say something [after the Forest defeat] but I wasn’t the only one very annoyed.”
Slot meanwhile confirms that Alisson is ill, while Curtis Jones will start at right-back, with Dominik Szoboszlai moving back into midfield. “Both can play in that position, as Joe Gomez can, but he’s been struggling a bit with a knee injury.” As for Alexander Isak dropping to the bench: “Alex in the last four weeks played 30 minutes and then with us he played 70 minutes in a game that wasn’t so intense because we dominated ball possession, but it wasn’t easy for him to manage himself through that 70 minutes. If you have another No9 who is also very good, it makes sense to play the other one and that’s Hugo [Ekitike] tonight.”
“All of those big-name team-sheets and no mention of the evening’s top fixture, the battle between first versus second, Arsenal v Bayern Munich???!” we hear you ask. Now, would we ever disappoint you? Well, OK, but in this instance, Michael Butler has all the details over on our bespoke MBM. Make sure you come back for some Clockwatch action, won’t you.
Other team news
Atletico Madrid: Musso, Molina, Gimenez, Hancko, Ruggeri, Simeone, Barrios, Johnny, Gallagher, Alvarez, Baena.
Subs: Gonzalez, Raspadori, Galan, Pubill, Lenglet, Martin, Almada, Sorloth, Griezmann, Koke, Esquivel, de Luis.
Internazionale: Sommer, Akanji, Bisseck, Bastoni, Carlos Augusto, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Dimarco, Lautaro Martinez, Bonny.
Subs: Josep Martinez, Taho, de Vrij, Sucic, Thuram, Luis Henrique, Acerbi, Frattesi, Diouf, Cocchi, Alexiou, Esposito.
Eintracht Frankfurt: Zetterer, Collins, Koch, Theate, Brown, Dahoud, Chaibi, Doan, Gotze, Knauff, Burkardt.
Subs: Grahl, Santos, Amenda, Hojlund, Kristensen, Skhiri, Wahi, Bahoya, Chandler, Buta, Batshuayi, Dills.
Atalanta: Carnesecchi, Kossounou, Hien, Djimsiti, Bellanova, de Roon, Ederson Silva, Zappacosta, De Ketelaere, Lookman, Scamacca.
Subs: Sportiello, Musah, Sulemana, Pasalic, Samardzic, Kolasinac, Brescianini, Bernasconi, Zalewski, Ahanor, Maldini, Krstovic.
Olympiacos: Tzolakis, Rodinei, Retsos, Pirola, Ortega, Mouzakitis, Dani Garcia, Gelson Martins, Chiquinho, Daniel Podence, El Kaabi.
Subs: Botis, Biancone, Kalogeropoulos, Nascimento, Yaremchuk, Scipioni, Costinha, Strefezza, Hezze, Onyemaechi, Pnevmonidis, Taremi.
Real Madrid: Lunin, Asencio, Tchouameni, Carreras, Alexander-Arnold, Guler, Valverde, Camavinga, Mendy, Vinicius Junior, Mbappe.
Subs: Gonzalez, Navarro, Bellingham, Endrick, Rodrygo, Gonzalo Garcia, Ceballos, Francisco Garcia, Diaz.
Sporting: Rui Silva, Fresneda, Diomande, Inacio, Araujo, Hjulmand, Simoes, Catamo, Trincao, Quenda, Suarez.
Subs: Virginia, Matheus Reis, Morita, Vagiannidis, Kochorashvili, Alisson Santos, Ribeiro, Ramos, Flavio Goncalves, Blopa, Quaresma, Ricardo Mangas.
Club Brugge: Jackers, Siquet, Ordonez, Mechele, Seys, Stankovic, Nwadike, Forbs, Vanaken, Tzolis, Vermant.
Subs: van den Heuvel, Mignolet, Romero, Tresoldi, Vetlesen, Sandra, Nilsson, Osuji, Spileers, Diakhon, Gomez van Hoogen, Campbell.
PSG v Tottenham Hotspur news
PSG: Chevalier, Zaire Emery, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Neves, Vitinha, Fabian, Barcola, Ndjantou, Kvaratskhelia.
Subs: Safonov, Lucas Beraldo, Zabarnyi, Goncalo Ramos, Dembele, Lee, Hernandez, Mayulu, Mbaye, James.
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Gray, Romero, van de Ven, Spence, Sarr, Bergvall, Bentancur, Richarlison, Muani.
Subs: Kinsky, Austin, Danso, Joao Palhinha, Simons, Udogie, Kudus, Odobert, Davies, Scarlett, Thompson, Williams-Barnet.
Tottenham Hotspur make five changes after their 4-1 no-show at Arsenal. Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Pedro Porro, Pape Matar Sarr and Randal Kolo Muani step up; Kevin Danso, Destiny Udogie, Mohammed Kudus, Wilson Odobert and João Palhinha drop to the bench. The on-loan Kolo Muani is starting against his parent club.
Liverpool v PSV team news
Liverpool: Mamardashvili, Szoboszlai, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez, Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Ekitike, Gakpo.
Subs: Woodman, Misciur, Gomez, Endo, Isak, Chiesa, Robertson, Nyoni, Ngumoha.
PSV: Kovar, Dest, Schouten, Gasiorowski, Saleh-Eddine, Man, Junior, Veerman, Perisic, Saibari, Til.
Subs: Olij, Smolenaars, Obispo, Flamingo, Pepi, Wanner, Driouech, Bajraktarevic, Boadu, Sildialli, Fernandez, Nagalo.
Liverpool make two changes to their starting XI in the wake of the embarrassing 3-0 home reverse to Nottingham Forest. Alisson, who returned to the team last Saturday after a period out injured, is missing again, so Giorgi Mamardashvili takes his place. Up front, Hugo Ekitike is preferred to Alexander Isak, who drops to the bench.
Preamble
Good evening and welcome to another evening of living high on the Champions League hog. We have nine games for you, all of which kick off at 8pm GMT unless stated. We’ll concentrate on the bleeding obvious but keep an eye on the cognoscenti’s choice as well. It’s on!
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid v Internazionale
Copenhagen v Kairat (5.45pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Atalanta
Liverpool v PSV
Olympiacos v Real Madrid
Pafos v Monaco (5.45pm)
PSG v Tottenham Hotspur
Sporting v Club Brugge