Champions League: Spurs star Dele Alli told to behave against Dortmund
Referee Clement Turpin reported the England midfielder for middle finger gesture
Borussia Dortmund vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been warned to be on his best behaviour in tonight’s Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund.
The fixture in Germany will be officiated by Clement Turpin, the referee who reported Alli to Fifa for a middle finger gesture the England man made in the match against Slovakia in September.
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Alli was given a one-match ban. Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino says the 21-year-old must be careful if he appears against the Bundesliga side.
Pochettino told The Times: “It’s important to be aware. I will tell Dele to be careful if he plays. Always it’s important. The referee moves on and I’m sure there’s nothing in his mind to ban him for that situation. But it is always good to know. I will tell Dele.”
Tottenham are three points clear of Real Madrid. A win in Germany will see the North London club qualify as Group H winners.
Sevilla vs. Liverpool
Sevilla winger Nolito has warned Liverpool they will “suffer” in the Group E clash in Spain.
After four games the Reds are one point clear of their Spanish rivals. Former Man City winger Nolito has sent a message to Jurgen Klopp’s side.
“We have a huge game coming up,” Nolito told Cadena SER, as reported by ESPN. “All the top teams are in the Champions League and Liverpool have a great side but so do we.
“Liverpool are Liverpool and I don’t know if they are going to win or lose against us but I can assure you they are going to suffer.
“We have a very good team and the best is yet to come. We struggled a little bit early on and we know we can play much better and we can score more goals.”
Manchester City vs. Feyenoord
Manchester City are flying at the top of Group F and face a Feyenoord side who have lost all four matches in European competition.
Having already qualified for the knockout stages, City could give youngsters the chance to shine against the Dutch side. The Manchester Evening News reports that City are expected to make a number of changes. Youth players such as England U-17 star Phil Foden could start against Feyenoord.
Pep Guardiola is already without John Stones, who could be out for six weeks with a hamstring injury, and Vincent Kompany may also miss tonight’s match.
City boss Guardiola told the BBC it could be a “risk” to name Kompany in tonight’s squad given he only returned from injury at the weekend.
Tonight’s Champions League fixtures (7.45pm unless stated)
Group E
- Spartak Moscow vs. NK Maribor (5pm)
- Sevilla vs. Liverpool
Group F
- Manchester City vs. Feyenoord
- Napoli vs. Shakhtar Donetsk
Group G
- Besiktas vs. FC Porto (5pm)
- Monaco vs. RB Leipzig
Group H
- Apoel Nicosia vs. Real Madrid
- Borussia Dortmund vs. Tottenham Hotspur
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