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UEFA Champions League Wednesday Preview: Tottenham faces Dortmund, Sevilla travels to Liverpool, and more

 

After an entertaining first day of action in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League, Matchday No. 1 continues on Wednesday with 16 sides in action.

The must-watch fixture comes from Group H as Tottenham hosts Borussia Dortmund. Elsewhere on Wednesday, Sevilla faces a tricky test in England against Liverpool.

Here’s a preview of those two games and the rest of the eight-game slate in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Tottenham  vs. Borussia Dortmund (2:45 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1)

Injuries of Note: Tottenham will be without Erik Lamela, Danny Rose, and Victor Wanyama who are all lengthy absentees. Playmaking midfielder Dele Alli is suspended for Wednesday’s match. For Dortmund, defenders Marc Bartra and Marcel Schmelzer will be out with groin and ankle problems, respectively.

Key to the Game: Tottenham have not made much of a splash at Wembley Stadium since taking their home matches there. They will need to need to fight for a 90+ minutes and be able to limit a dangerous Dortmund attack.

Player to Watch: With Dele Alli out, Harry Kane will see his role increase a lot more in Wednesday’s match. Kane rattled off 34 goals across all competitions a year ago, but only two came in the UCL. After a brace at the weekend, the England international is also in good form.

Quote:  “The group will be very tough. We played well against Everton but now we need to improve and show more consistency.” – Mauricio Pochettino.

Liverpool vs. Sevilla  (2:45 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 2)

Injuries of Note: Mohamed Salah is a doubt for Liverpool after picking up an illness, while Dejan Lovren and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are questionable. Nolito and Johannes Geis are both set to miss out for Sevilla, while goalkeeper David Soria is a concern.

Key to the Game: After their 5-0 league defeat to Manchester City over the weekend, Liverpool will need to show a short memory. The Reds will need to control the tempo of the match, and, defensively, they will need to limit the Spanish side.

Player to Watch: Philippe Coutinho could very well make his first appearance of the season for Liverpool and would be a huge boost to the side. The Brazilian has not featured yet this season for Jurgen Klopp’s side, but would add another attacking threat to the team.

Quote: “We thought it best to give him (Coutinho) three or four days proper training and then he’ll be available for us, which is very good news. Phil is a fantastic player, and hopefully we can use him as quickly as possible.” – Jurgen Klopp

UEFA Champions League Tuesday Schedule (All games at 2:45 p.m. ET)

Feyenoord vs. Manchester City (Facebook Live)

NK Maribor vs. Spartak Moscow

Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Napoli

RB Leipzig vs. AS Monaco

FC Porto vs. Besiktas

Real Madrid vs. Apoel Nicosia

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