UEFA Champions League fixtures, TV times, how to watch: Manchester City, Liverpool team news
MANCHESTER City are on fire in the Premier League and in the Champions League, they’ve already qualified through Group F.
That means Pep Guardiola is considering handing two young starlets, Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz, their first City senior appearance when they take on Feyenoord on Wednesday morning AEDT.
There are eight games to be played on Wednesday morning, all live on beIN Sports and beIN Sports Connect, which you can live stream by following the link below.
Also in action are Liverpool, who are set to see Adam Lallana make his long awaited return from a thigh injury that has seen him miss the start of the season.
But for City, there is excitement surrounding Foden’s potential senior debut.
“They are two young players and from what I have seen in pre-season, in training, in the World Cup, they are ready,” said Guardiola on Foden and Diaz.
“Otherwise they would not be training here every day with us. In the high level, we try to help the young players, but they have to have quality to train with us. It’s not just to have fun. They are there because they have a chance to play with us.
“If they play or don’t play depends on my decision, but they have to be ready because sometimes the manager makes surprises.”
Foden has made an incredible rise, joining City on their pre-season tour of America before staring for England at the Under-17 World Cup, where he was named player of the tournament, guiding England to the title.
Guardiola is expected to make changes to his side, who have already booked a spot in the Round of 16 and will face Feyenoord, who are yet to pick up a point in four matchdays.
Another expected change is for Eliaquim Mangala to come in for the injured John Stones.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES, HOW TO WATCH
• Besiktas v FC Porto, 4am AEDT on beIN Sport 2
• Spartak Moscow v Maribor, 4am AEDT on beIN Sport 2
• Sevilla v Liverpool, 6.45am AEDT on beIN Sport 1
• APOEL v Real Madrid, 6.45am AEDT on beIN Sport 2
• Borussia Dortmund v Tottenham Hotspur, 6.45am AEDT on beIN Sport 3
• Manchester City v Feyenoord, 6.45am on AEDT on beIN SPORTS CONNECT
• Monaco v RB Leipzig, 6.45am AEDT on beIN SPORTS CONNECT
• Napoli v Shakhtar Donetsk, 6.45am on AEDT beIN SPORTS CONNECT
Here’s the latest selection news ahead of the next Champions League matchday …
LALLANA IN LIVERPOOL SQUAD TO FACE SEVILLA
Adam Lallana has been included in the Liverpool squad travelling to Spain for the Champions League clash with Sevilla.
The England midfielder, yet to play in a competitive game this season, has been stepping up his recovery from a thigh injury.
Defender Joel Matip does not feature after he was absent from Saturday’s 3-0 Premier League victory over Southampton due to a groin problem. Another man included in the 23-man squad, announced by the Merseyside club is striker Danny Ings, who has made only one first-team appearance so far this term.
Liverpool top Group E with eight points, one more than second-placed Sevilla, and will qualify for the next round with a win on Tuesday, or with a draw if Spartak Moscow lose at home to Maribor.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds head into the contest at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on a winning streak that extended to four matches in all competitions with the result against Southampton.
ROSE COULD EARN SPURS RECALL AT DORTMUND
Danny Rose is in contention to return to the Tottenham team for the Champions League clash at Borussia Dortmund.
Rose was left out of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for Saturday’s north London derby defeat to Arsenal and the manager was afterwards forced to deny a rift with the player.
The England international, who Pochettino said was left out at the Emirates for fitness reasons, is back in the squad for the Group H meeting at Signal Iduna Park.
“He’s doing well,” Pochettino said at the pre-match press conference. “Today he’s going to train with the group and tomorrow we will decide if he will play.”
Tottenham are top of the group, ahead of Real Madrid, with 10 points from four games and have already qualified for the knock-out stage.
They will be keen to bounce back from the weekend defeat to their bitter rivals, though, and Pochettino insists that loss has not knocked confidence. “We are positive, very positive, because the performance was good, the effort was good,” he said.
KLOPP NOT CONCERNED OF COUTINHO BARCA AUDITION
Jurgen Klopp insisted Philippe Coutinho’s mind is only on Liverpool ahead of the Brazilian’s first appearance on Spanish soil since a prolonged transfer pursuit by Barcelona failed to prise the playmaker away from Anfield.
Liverpool face Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan on Tuesday knowing a win will secure their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
However, with Barca still closely monitoring Coutinho ahead of another potential offensive in the January transfer window or next summer, Klopp believes it is his job to convince his stars to stay put.
“The only opportunity for us to be successful is to have good players in the team,” said the German on Monday when asked if Barca’s continued interest was a concern.
“It is our job to make sure these players want to stay at Liverpool and don’t want to go somewhere else. If players still want to go somewhere else they can have different reasons, but it is not my problem in this moment because it is a long season to go.
“We have this team together now and we want to be as successful as possible.”
“It’s all good,” continued Klopp. “You in Spain are used to all the media and different things. Barcelona, Real Madrid and all that stuff and actually in the business nobody is interested.
“Phil is 100 percent at Liverpool. After all the talks, it is possible not only for him but all the other players.
“When the market is open there are discussions and when the market closes we are all professionals and do the job again.”