The group stage of the UEFA Champions League will resume tonight across major cities in Europe after almost three weeks of recess.
This week’s round of matches will be the 5th fixtures in the group stage. And matches will be played tonight, Tuesday, November 22, 2016 in groups E, F, G and H.
WuzupNaija brings to the four crucial matches you can’t afford to miss as most of the 16 teams take to the field of play by 8:45pm Nigerian time.
1. Monaco vs Tottenham Hotspur
Monaco welcome Tottenham tonight in the Champions League group stage. Though the Spurs are undefeated in the Premier League, the team have dropped two of four in UCL.
In the first leg played in England on September 14, the French side won 2-1.
A loss for Spurs against Monaco tonight and a win by Leverkusen over CSKA Moscow will see the team be eliminated from the competition.
Monaco currently top the group with 8 points while Tottenham have 4 points.
2. Sporting CP vs Real Madrid
Sporting CP were extremely unlucky to not return home from the Bernabeu stadium with the three points the last time these two teams met, after the Los Blancos scored twice in quick succession right at the death to snatch a 2-1 victory from the jaws of defeat.
Going into tonight’s match, Real Madrid players know they need to get the job done as their qualification is not yet assured, with Borussia Dortmund having a two point advantage after four games played.
The Zinedine Zidane’s team are currently 2nd on the log with 8 points while Sporting are right behind them with 3 points
3. Leicester City vs Club Brugge
Leicester City are expected to go into tonight’s fixture against Club Brugge full of confidence following the remarkable results they have had so far in their inaugural campaign.
The coach Claudio Ranieri team are three points clear atop Group G and still to concede a goal. The EPL side will be assured of a knockout-round spot if they avoid defeat against Brugge or FC Copenhagen fail to win at home to Porto.
Leicester currently top the group with 10, while Club Brugge are without a point after four matches. In their first meeting in Belgium on September 14, Leicester City won convincingly away 3-0.
The visitors will be without suspended Dutch midfielder Ruud Vormer and injured Malian striker Abdoulay Diaby.
Ranieri has confirmed that close-season signing Islami Slimani will be unavailable due to a groin injury, leaving Shinji Okazaki and Ahmed Musa competing for the right to partner Vardy in attack.
In the absence of first-choice goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who has a fractured hand, German Ron-Robert Zieler is due to make his Champions League debut between the posts for Leicester.
4. Sevilla vs Juventus
Sevilla will host Juventus at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan tonight as the leader of group H having 10 points while Juventus have 8 points.When both sides met in Turin in September the match ended goalless.
More than 800 security personnel are expected to be present at the important Group H clash tonight following one Italian supporter who was stabbed at a pub and quickly rushed to hospital.
