Champions League

BORUSSIA DORTMUND ace Nico Schlotterbeck insists he knows how to stop Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland tonight.City and Dortmund face off in the Champions League at the Etihad with Haaland, 22, posing as the main focus as he takes on his former club.
Manchester City star Erling Haaland takes on his former team Borussia DortmundCredit: Getty
Borussia Dortmund ace Nico Schlotterbeck claims he knows how to stop Erling HaalandCredit: Rex
The star striker stood out at the Signal Iduna Park in the last two years as he bagged a staggering total of 86 goals and 23 assists in 89 appearances.
The Norway international joined the Citizens in the summer in a £51million deal and hasn’t slowed down with 12 goals in eight matches already.
But Schlotterbeck, 22, is confident he can handle the forward as he has done it before.
The centre-back joined Dortmund after the Norwegian left and kept him at bay last season when he played for Freiburg.
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The Germany international marked Haaland so well he helped his former team beat the Bundesliga giants 2-1 at the Europa-Park Stadion.
Schlotterbeck told Kicker: “In that game I realised how good I can be.”
The defender then told Sport1: “I know how to stop Erling Haaland. We have to stop them as a whole, Erling is the least of our problems.”
However, Dortmund star Jude Bellingham isn’t as confident as Schlotterbeck ahead of tonight’s clash.
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The England international admitted that he doesn’t know how to keep Haaland in check, even though they played and trained together for two years.
Bellingham said when asked how Dortmund can deal with the City talisman: “I’m not really sure to be honest.
“He’s a player with a lot of quality and a lot of physical attributes that make him dangerous and like I said it’s not an individual task, it’s something that the team have to deal with collectively.
“If we stick together and try to do the right things without the ball then it can be possible.” More

SPORTING LISBON hotshot Marcus Edwards insisted he will be back in the Premier League “one day” after putting former side Tottenham to the sword in the Champions League.The Englishman, 23, left Spurs in 2019 on a free transfer to Vitoria.
Edwards says it would be nice to return to the Premier League one dayCredit: AFP
The Englishman came close to scoring a wonder goal against his former team TottenhamCredit: Reuters
And by January 2022 he earned a move to Sporting after impressing in the Portuguese top flight.
Edwards has continued his fine form this term, netting three goals and assisting three across all competitions.
Such form his manager Ruben Amorim says will land him England honours one day.
And he couldn’t have been handed a better chance to prove he can cut it in the England top flight than against Tottenham – the team he rose through the youth ranks at.
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Edwards helped set the tone in the Champions League group stage match, showing off his Lionel Messi-like dribbling which almost ended in a goal.
Sporting went on to win the game 2-0 late on in added-time with goals coming from Paulinho and Arthur.
And Edwards, who has a £52million release clause, insists he’ll make it back to the Premier League one day.
Speaking to BT Sport after the match, he said: “It feels great and I think we deserved it. We showed how we can play.
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“I wouldn’t say extra special, but it was a special feeling to play against Spurs.
“It was good to see people I know – players and coaching staff.
“I stayed the same. Focus was the same. It’s a proper family environment here and I couldn’t be happier.
“It’s home, so of course I want to come back there [to the Premier League] one day. I just focus on what I’m doing here for now.”
Edwards was also quizzed on a possible Three Lions call-up, but cooled talk saying “I just focus on what I am doing here [at Sporting]”.
He continued: “I wouldn’t say it has crossed my mind.
“I just focus on what I am doing here so I don’t think about that but of course [it would be nice].”
Should Edwards earn a move back to England at his £52m release fee, Spurs would pocket HALF.
The North London club are believed to have a 50 per cent sell-on.
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When Edwards move to Vitoria, Spurs allowed him to complete the transfer for nothing in exchange for the clever clause which could land them a massive cash windfall.
And after the tricky player landed a £9m move to Sporting, Spurs agreed to transfer the 50 per cent clause over instead of taking £4.5m. More

CHELSEA fans will pay tribute to Thomas Tuchel this evening in the club’s first game since his sacking.The German coach, 49, was dismissed by the Blues last week and swiftly replaced by Brighton manager Graham Potter.
Tuchel won the Champions League with Chelsea less than 18 months agoCredit: EPA
The crowdsurfer will not be used against Salzburg but a minute’s applause will go aheadCredit: Twitter
Wednesday evening marks a new era at Stamford Bridge as Potter takes charge of Chelsea for the first time.
But the home European tie with Salzburg will include a 21st minute tribute to Tuchel.
It has been chosen as the most suitable moment as he lifted the club’s second Champions League trophy last year – in 2021.
The applause will replace the “crowdsurfer” which Chelsea supporters would have used as a tribute, but due to the Queen’s death they are not bringing out as a sign of respect.
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Chelsea supporters movement “We Are The Shed” said: “Tonight will be our first game since Thomas Tuchel got sacked.
“We will not be using the crowdsurfer out of respect to The Queen’s passing/pre match plans.
“Instead, we’re encouraging people to stand & applaud on the 21st min to say ‘thank you’ (the year he won us the CL).”
Tuchel broke his silence on Sunday as he addressed his sudden sacking by Chelsea.
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The former Borussia Dortmund coach said: “This is one of the most difficult statements I have ever had to write – and it is one which I hoped I would not need to do for many years.
“I am devastated that my time at Chelsea has come to an end.
“Thank you so much to all the staff, the players and the supporters for making me feel very welcome from the start.
“The pride and joy I felt at helping the team to win the Champions League and the Club World Cup will stay with me forever.
“I am honoured to have been a part of this club’s history and whatever the future holds for me, the memories of the last 18 months will always have a special place in my heart.”
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Chelsea will be looking to kickstart their Champions League campaign against Salzburg.
The Blues were beaten 1-0 by Dinamo Zagreb last week, a result which spelled the end of Tuchel’s 20-month reign in West London. More

FUMING Antonio Conte ordered his Tottenham players in for training at 11am on Wednesday after their Champions League second half added-time collapse away at Sporting Lisbon.Spurs came unstuck late on in Tuesday’s second group game from a corner as Paulinho headed home.
Conte was left fuming with his Spurs team’s performanceCredit: Getty
Arthur sealed the win deep into added-timeCredit: Rex
Tottenham players were called in at 11am for training following the shock defeatCredit: Getty
And thing only got worse just minutes later as Arthur doubled the home side’s lead.
The Brazilian collected the ball out wide on the left, made a driving run infield before slipping the ball through Emerson Royal’s legs and finishing low past Hugo Lloris.
According to The Telegraph, Conte issued some “stern words” to his Tottenham flops in the away dressing room at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
The Italian was left so annoyed he ordered his team in for training on Wednesday at 11am to begin preparations for this weekend’s Premier League game against Leicester.
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However, Tottenham’s early start was nothing compared to the reaction of London rivals Chelsea after they lost their opening Champions League group game 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb.
Thomas Tuchel was given the axe by Chelsea owner Todd Boehly and Co and the Blues’ stars didn’t train until 2pm.
Conte labelled Tuesday’s loss to Sporting as a “difficult result”.
He said: “When you lose the game you are not happy. I think that the game was unbalanced in the second half, we could score.
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“We tried to win the game and then in the last ten minutes we can do much better.
“They scored with a corner and we conceded the second goal after the 90 minutes.
“It is a pity. You have to try and feed the box and have accuracy and go strong to attack the goal.
“We had two or three situations where we can do much better. A difficult game for sure.” More