MATCHDAY: Barcelona battling to avoid Champions League exit

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This article was published 25/10/2022 (1387 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A look at what’s happening in the Champions League on Wednesday:

GROUP A

Napoli has already qualified for the last 16 and will be joined by Liverpool if the English team avoids defeat at Ajax. After opening with a 4-1 loss in Naples, Liverpool has won three straight games — starting with a last-gasp home victory over Ajax — to move to the brink of advancing. If Ajax wins in Amsterdam, qualification will go to the final round of games when Liverpool hosts Napoli and Ajax visits last-place Rangers. Liverpool will hope to have striker Darwin Núñez back from a muscle injury and Thiago Alcantara back after an ear infection. Napoli, which hosts Rangers, leads by three points ahead of Liverpool and is looking to clinch top spot.

GROUP B

Club Brugge has beaten the odds in a tough group which includes Atlético Madrid, Porto and Bayer Leverkusen. Still unbeaten, the Belgian champion has yet to concede a goal and is already guaranteed a spot in the knockout stage before Porto’s visit. Brugge thrashed Porto 4-0 away in the corresponding fixture in September when new coach Carl Hoefkens’ tactics worked perfectly. Porto has recovered with two consecutive wins over Leverkusen and will qualify for the round of 16 if it wins and Atlético doesn’t. Atlético hosts Leverkusen and is led by France forward Antoine Griezmann, who has scored three goals in the last three matches.

GROUP C

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Barcelona only has a slim hope of avoiding its second consecutive elimination at the group stage. The Catalan club may even play its home match against Bayern Munich knowing it is already out of contention. That will be the case if Inter Milan beats last-place Viktoria Plzen at home in the early game. Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández said there was still hope but acknowledged that the team’s chances of advancing were not good. Inter has been further boosted by the return of key forward Romelu Lukaku after two months out with a thigh injury. Lukaku scored one goal in his three matches after returning on loan from Chelsea but has been sidelined since the end of August, with his recovery taking longer than expected.

GROUP D

Tottenham will secure its place in the last 16 if it beats Sporting at home but is struggling for creativity after back-to-back losses in the Premier League. Forwards Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison are injured, placing much of the attacking burden on Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. Tottenham is relying on Kane to score the goals — he has 11 so far this season in 16 games in all competitions — and also provide vision when the England captain drops deep into midfield. The only goals Son has scored in his last seven games were the two in the home win over Eintracht Frankfurt two weeks ago, which left Tottenham in first place — a point clear of Sporting. The Portuguese team arrives in London having lost its last two group games after winning its first two. After beating Sporting home and away, Marseille has revived its hopes of reaching the knockout stage for the first time in more than a decade. But a dismal run of three consecutive losses in the French league have shattered optimism in the port city ahead of the trip to Frankfurt. Marseille will progress if it wins and Tottenham beats Sporting.

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