UEFA Champions League Thread

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16/17 august turul - 23/24 august returul

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Real without 5 starters for UEFA SuperCup

Real Madrid will be without 5 star names for their UEFA SuperCup clash against FC Sevilla on Tuesday.

Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, Keylor Navas and Pepe were all first-team regulars last season who were not named in the club's 20-man squad for the match in Trondheim.

Ronaldo's absence as he rests a knee injury picked up at EURO 2016 was known, while Bale, Kroos and Pepe - who were given extended holiday following the tournament - have not recovered enough fitness to play.

Goalkeeper Navas, meanwhile, underwent surgery on an Achilles problem in June and is hoping to be fit for the start of the new La Liga season, with Kiko Casilla set to deputise.

Karim Benzema, though, was included after battling a hip problem, with the club's only signing - Alvaro Morata - also available.

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Ben Arfa left out by PSG

Paris Saint-Germain attacker Hatem Ben Arfa has been left out of their squad for the Champions League clash with Arsenal.

The off-season signing has featured in every game for the Ligue 1 giants to start the season, but was left out by coach Unai Emery.

Ben Arfa started 2 of his side's 4 league games, having netted in the Trophee des Champions triumph over Olympique Lyon last month.

Yet, despite reportedly being fit, the 29-year-old will miss the Group A opener at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.

In good news for PSG, defender Thiago Silva was named and could make his return from injury.

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Kiev handed 2018 Champions League Final



UEFA has confirmed Kiev as the venue for the 2018 Champions League Final.

The organisation's Executive Committee, under the chairmanship of newly-elected UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, voted on handing European football's showpiece event in 20 months' time to the NSK Olympiyskyi stadium in the Ukrainian capital.

The Lillekula stadium in Tallinn, Estonia will host the UEFA SuperCup on 14 August 2018. A decision regarding the Europa League Final in 2018 has been delayed to a later date.

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Champions League - Team of the Week 1


Oblak (Atletico)



Piszczek - Sokratis (Dortmund) - Tosic (Besiktas) - Kolarov (Man City)



Kimmich (Bayern) - Guerreiro (Dortmund)



Messi - Suarez - Neymar (Barca)



Aguero (Man City)

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Champions League - Team of the Week 2


Rico (FC Sevilla)



Bender (Leverkusen) - Zanka (Copenhagen) - Varane (Real Madrid) - Filipe Luis (Atletico)



Walcott (Arsenal) - Verratti (PSG) - Fernandinho (Man City) - Mertens (Napoli)



Sanchez (Arsenal) - Santander (Copenhagen)

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Alderweireld unlikely to feature against Leverkusen

Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that he is unsure on the severity of the injury Toby Alderweireld sustained during Tottenham's Premier League 1-1 draw with West Bromwich.

The Belgium defender, integral to Tottenham's ultimately fruitless title challenge last term, was taken off on a stretcher 60 minutes into Saturday's clash following an awkward landing.

And Pochettino - whose side face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League next time out - acknowledged that the Belgium international is unlikely to travel to Germany.

"With Toby we need to wait 24-48 hours", Pochettino said.

"He got a heavy knock in his leg."

"We will see what happens, now it is very painful. We need to know the problem. It is very difficult for him to go to Leverkusen."

"But we need to assess with a scan or whatever the doctors want to do. We need to be clear what happened in his leg. I don't know exactly what happened, it was hard for me to see from the bench."

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Mandzukic out of Juventus' trip to Lyon

Juventus will be without Mario Mandzukic for their Champions League Group H match against Olympique Lyon after the Croatia striker suffered an adductor strain.

The full extent of Mandzukic's injury is not known at this stage and Juventus' medical staff will assess the 30-year-old ahead of Saturday's trip to AC Milan.

Massimiliano Allegri will also be without Giorgio Chiellini for Tuesday's match due to the experienced defender sustaining a thigh problem.

The Serie A champions lie top of Group H, above FC Sevilla on goal difference, having thrashed Dinamo Zagreb 4-0 last time out.

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Champions League - Team of the Week 3


Buffon (Juventus)



Layun (FC Porto) - Koscielny - Mustafi (Arsenal) - Marcelo (Real Madrid)



Messi (Barca) - Ozil - Coquelin - Chamberlain (Arsenal)



Cavani (PSG) - Sanchez (Arsenal)

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Sanches wins Golden Boy award

Bayern Munchen and Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches has won the European Golden Boy award for 2016.

Sanches beat club team-mate Kingsley Coman and Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford to the accolade after the trio emerged from an initial 40-man shortlist to form the final 3.

The 19-year-old will collect the trophy at a ceremony in Monte Carlo on Monday.

Sanches signed a 5-year deal at the Allianz ArenA from Benfica in May and went on to win EURO 2016 with Portugal, playing in 6 of his team's 7 matches.

The annual prize - established by Italian newspaper Tuttosport in 2003 and voted for by a panel of journalists from around the continent - is given to the player under the age of 21 who has impressed the most over the calendar year.

United forward Anthony Martial won last year's award, following up successes by Paul Pogba and Raheem Sterling in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

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Chiellini to miss Lyon clash

Juventus centre-half Giorgio Chiellini will miss the Champions League clash with Olympique Lyon and the Serie A trip to Chievo after sustaining an injury in Saturday's defeat of Napoli.

The Italy international lasted just 39 minutes of the weekend win before being replaced by Juan Cuadrado.

Tests have shown Chiellini has suffered a thigh strain and is set for a fortnight on the sidelines to recuperate.

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Leicester set record with 4th Champions League clean sheet

Leicester City made Champions League history on Wednesday as they became the first side to keep a clean sheet in each of their first 4 games in the competition.

Claudio Ranieri's men flattered to deceive as their 3-game European winning run came to an end in Copenhagen, with the hosts good value for the 0-0 draw.

That result, combined with FC Porto's 1-0 win over Club Brugge, prevented Leicester from securing a place in the last 16 with 2 matches remaining, but their defensive efforts set a new record.

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Champions League - Team of the Week 4


Gordon (Celtic)



Henrichs (Leverkusen) - Zanka (Copenhagen) - Felipe (FC Porto) - Mendy (AS Monaco)



Bale (Real Madrid) - N'Zonzi (FC Sevilla) - Pereira (FC Porto) - De Bruyne (Man City)



Griezmann (Atletico) - Lewandowski (Bayern)

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Eremenko given 2-year doping ban

CSKA Moscow midfielder Roman Eremenko has been given a 2-year ban by UEFA after failing a doping test.

The 29-year-old tested positive for cocaine and its metabolites following his side's 2-2 Champions League draw against Bayer Leverkusen on 14 September, in which he scored the equaliser.

Eremenko, who has been capped 73 times by Finland, can lodge an appeal against the decision.

Eremenko is the second Champions League player to have been given a suspension as a result of a failed doping test in the past year.

Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Arijan Ademi is appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after being hit with a 4-year ban by UEFA, after he tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol following their 2-1 win over Arsenal in September 2015.

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Higuain & Benatia to miss Sevilla clash

Juventus will be without Gonzalo Higuain and Medhi Benatia for their Champions League trip to FC Sevilla.

Argentina striker Higuain completed 90 minutes in Saturday's 3-0 Serie A win over Pescara but picked up an injury to his left thigh.

Centre-back Benatia did not feature at the weekend and has a knee problem.

Neither player has travelled with Massimiliano Allegri's squad for Tuesday's Group H match, where victory at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan would guarantee Juve's progress to the last 16.

With Paulo Dybala still sidelined, Higuain's absence means Mario Mandzukic and 16-year-old Moise Kean are the only recognised strikers in the travelling party.

Kean would become the first player born this millennium to feature in the Champions League if he plays a part, having secured the same distinction in Serie A against Pescara.

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Champions League - Team of the Week 5


Lloris (Tottenham)



Rafael (Lyon) - Khacheridi (Dynamo Kiev) - Bonucci (Juventus) - Mendy (AS Monaco)



Dembele - Kagawa - Sahin (Dortmund) - Radovic (Legia)



Reus (Dortmund) - Prijovic (Legia)

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Torres fit for Bayern clash

Atletico Madrid have announced that Fernando Torres will be available for the Champions League clash with Bayern Munchen on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old has missed Atletico's last 3 matches due to a hip injury but he has been given the green light to be part of Diego Simeone's squad for the trip to Germany.

Torres has made only 5 starts this season, but 3 of those have come in the Champions League - including in the 1-0 home win over the Bundesliga champions on 28 September.

Atletico have already secured top spot in Group D after winning their first 5 matches, while Bayern are also guaranteed a place in the last 16.