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UEFA Champions League Preview: Dortmund hosts Inter Milan, Juventus travels to Russia, and more

Matchday 4 of the UEFA Champions League group kicks off on Tuesday with familiar opponents squaring off once again.

Tuesday sees Borussia Dortmund host Inter Milan at Signal Iduna Park with the Bundesliga side looking for revenge. Inter Milan downed Dortmund 2-0 at the San Siro back on Matchday 3 with Lautaro Martinez and Marcelo Brozovic scoring the goals.

Also, Chelsea will play host to Eredivisie outfit Ajax at Stamford Bridge. Christian Pulisic and Michy Batshuayi linked up for the winning goal in the Blues’ 1-0 triumph in Amsterdam on Matchday 3.

Elsewhere, Lokomotiv Moscow plays host to Serie A giants Juventus, while Galatasaray faces a tough trip to Real Madrid. Manchester City visits Atalanta, Bayern Munich hosts Olympiakos, and Slavia Praha takes on Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

Here’s a closer look at this week’s Champions League action:

Borussia Dortmund vs. Inter Milan (Tuesday, 3 p.m. TNT, B/R Live, Galavision)

Injuries of Note: Borussia Dortmund will likely be without playmaker Marco Reus, while Marcel Schmeltzer is also out. Inter only have long-term absentees for this showdown.

Key to the Game: Inter Milan controlled the meeting back on Matchday 3, but the Italian side will need to be wary of a fast start from Dortmund. If Reus is not ready to go, Dortmund may need to hold more possession if they want to pick up three points.

Player to Watch: Romelu Lukaku’s physicality could pose problems for Dortmund’s backline, especially if the hosts fall behind early.

Lokomotiv Moscow vs. Juventus (Wednesday, 12:55 p.m. TNT, UniMas, B/R Live)

Injuries of Note: Jefferson Farfan and Boris Rotenberg are long-term absentees for the Russian hosts, while Fedor Smolov, Luka Djordjevic and Anton Miranchuk remain on the sidelines. Giorgio Chiellini and Mattia Perin remain long-term absentees, while Mario Mandzukic and Emre Can are ineligible having been left out of the Champions League squad.

Key to the Game: Lokomotiv Moscow ran out to a lead in Turin on Matchday 3, but allowed Juventus to fight back for a draw. The hosts will need to play strong for the entire 90 minutes if they want to pick up a win. Juventus will aim to use their attacking ability to score early and often.

Player to Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo is always a threat offensively and is likely to get on the scoresheet in Moscow.

Chelsea vs. Ajax (Tuesday, 12:55 p.m. TNT, UniMas, B/R Live)

Injuries of Note: N’Golo Kante is back in the Chelsea squad from injury, while Ross Barkley and Andreas Christensen are also back in training. Ajax have no major injury concerns.

Key to the Game: Chelsea had to wait for their goal in Amsterdam on Matchday 3, but will look to use home-field to their advantage this time. The Blues will look to run through the middle of the field against Ajax. The Eredivisie side have talented wide players like Hakim Ziyech and Quincy Promes, whose pace could be deadly against Chelsea.

Player to Watch: Christian Pulisic has four goals in his last two matches for Chelsea and is in fine form coming into this contest. A possible one-on-one against Sergino Dest could be the primetime match-up to watch.

Here’s all of this week’s UCL matches:

Tuesday

  • Barcelona vs. Slavia Praha – 12:55 p.m. (TNT, UniMas, B/R Live, Galavision)
  • Zenit St. Petersburg vs. RB Leipzig –  12:55 p.m. (Galavision)
  • Borussia Dortmund vs. Inter Milan – 3 p.m. (TUDN, UniMas, B/R Live)
  • Chelsea vs. Ajax – 3 p.m. (TNT, B/R Live)
  • Napoli vs. Red Bull Salzburg  – 3 p.m. (B/R Live)
  •  Lyon vs. Benfica – 3 p.m. (B/R Live)
  • Valencia vs. Lille – 3 p.m. (B/R Live)
  • Liverpool vs. Genk –  3 p.m. (UniMas, B/R Live)

Wednesday

  • Lokomotiv Moscow vs. Juventus – 12:55 p.m. (TNT/ B/R Live, UniMas)
  • Bayern Munich vs. Olympiakos – 12:55 p.m. (Galavision, B/R Live)
  • Real Madrid vs. Galatasaray – 3 p.m. (TNT, UniMas, B/R Live)
  • Atalanta vs. Manchester – 3 p.m. (B/R Live)
  • Bayer Leverkusen vs. Atletico Madrid – 3 p.m. (B/R Live)
  • PSG vs. Club Brugge – 3 p.m. ( B/R Live)
  • Dinamo Zagreb vs. Shakhtar Donetsk – 3 p.m. (B/R Live)
  •  Red Star Belgrade vs. Tottenham – 3 p.m. (B/R Live)

Comments

  1. Wow sergino not starting for second game in a row after starting the last 5 or more games. Smells like retaliation for picking USA over nerherlands goes to show biases rule not fairness not just in the USA but around the world.

    Reply
  2. Dest on the bench again it seems after not playing over the weekend I believe.

    Strange coincidence it happens right after he declares for US when he was starting every game for Ajax prior?

    Maybe just a bit of paranoia… or not???

    Reply

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