Champions League: Matchday 1 Lineups & Injury Updates
The Champions League is back, and the group stage is kicking off with a bang! As teams prepare for their first matches of the competition, here's a look at the predicted lineups and injury updates for some of the biggest clashes on Matchday 1.
Group A
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Ajax vs. Rangers:
- Ajax: Erik ten Hag will be looking to start the campaign strong after a successful domestic season. Predicted lineup: Pasveer; Rensch, Timber, Martinez, Blind; Alvarez, Gravenberch, Berghuis; Antony, Haller, Tadic.
- Rangers: Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be hoping to make a positive impact in his first Champions League campaign. Predicted lineup: McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Barisic; Kamara, Lundstram; Aribo, Hagi, Kent; Morelos.
- Injury updates: Ajax will be without Edson Alvarez (suspended). Rangers will be without Connor Goldson and John Lundstram (both doubtful).
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Liverpool vs. AC Milan:
- Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp will be aiming for another strong Champions League performance after their impressive run last season. Predicted lineup: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Mané, Jota.
- AC Milan: Stefano Pioli's side are back in the Champions League and will be looking to cause an upset. Predicted lineup: Maignan; Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori, Hernandez; Kessie, Bennacer; Saelemaekers, Diaz, Leao; Giroud.
- Injury updates: Liverpool will be without Thiago Alcantara (muscle injury). AC Milan will be without Mike Maignan (injured) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (injured).
Group B
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Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan:
- Real Madrid: Carlo Ancelotti will be looking to continue Real Madrid's dominance in the Champions League. Predicted lineup: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Junior.
- Inter Milan: Simone Inzaghi will be hoping to guide Inter Milan to a successful Champions League campaign. Predicted lineup: Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic; Lautaro Martinez, Dzeko.
- Injury updates: Real Madrid will be without Toni Kroos (muscle injury). Inter Milan will be without Romelu Lukaku (injured).
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Sheriff Tiraspol vs. Shakhtar Donetsk:
- Sheriff Tiraspol: The Moldovan champions will be looking to cause a surprise in their debut Champions League campaign. Predicted lineup: Athanasiadis; Radeljic, Kiki, Arboleda, Costin; Kyabou, Diop, Kpozo; Traore, Yansane, Adama.
- Shakhtar Donetsk: The Ukrainian side will be aiming to make a strong start to their Champions League campaign. Predicted lineup: Trubin; Dodo, Matviienko, Bondar, Mykhailichenko; Stepanenko, Patrick, Tete; Mudryk, Marlos, Solomon.
- Injury updates: Sheriff Tiraspol will be without Bruno (injured). Shakhtar Donetsk will be without Fernando (injured).
Group C
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Sporting CP vs. Borussia Dortmund:
- Sporting CP: The Portuguese champions will be looking to make a strong start to their Champions League campaign. Predicted lineup: Adán; Porro, Coates, Neto, Nuno Santos; Palhinha, Matheus Nunes; Paulinho, Pedro Gonçalves, Nuno Mendes; Slimani.
- Borussia Dortmund: Marco Rose will be hoping to lead Dortmund to success in the Champions League. Predicted lineup: Kobel; Meunier, Hummels, Akanji, Guerreiro; Bellingham, Can; Brandt, Reus, Hazard; Haaland.
- Injury updates: Sporting CP will be without Jovane Cabral (injured). Borussia Dortmund will be without Erling Haaland (injured).
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Ajax vs. Besiktas:
- Ajax: Erik ten Hag will be looking to start the campaign strong after a successful domestic season. Predicted lineup: Pasveer; Rensch, Timber, Martinez, Blind; Alvarez, Gravenberch, Berghuis; Antony, Haller, Tadic.
- Besiktas: Sergen Yalçın will be hoping to make a positive impact in his first Champions League campaign. Predicted lineup: Günok; Rosier, Necip, Vida, Welinton; Atiba Hutchinson, Salih Uçan; Ghezzal, N'Koudou, Cenk Tosun; Larin.
- Injury updates: Ajax will be without Edson Alvarez (suspended). Besiktas will be without Rachid Ghezzal (injured).
Group D
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Atletico Madrid vs. Porto:
- Atletico Madrid: Diego Simeone will be looking to guide Atletico Madrid to another successful Champions League campaign. Predicted lineup: Oblak; Trippier, Savic, Felipe, Reinildo; Koke, Llorente, Lemar; Carrasco, Suarez, Griezmann.
- Porto: Sergio Conceição will be hoping to lead Porto to a strong performance in the Champions League. Predicted lineup: Costa; Manafa, Pepe, Mbemba, Zaidu; Uribe, Otavio, Grujic; Luis Diaz, Taremi, Corona.
- Injury updates: Atletico Madrid will be without Joao Felix (injured). Porto will be without Otavio (injured).
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Liverpool vs. AC Milan:
- Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp will be aiming for another strong Champions League performance after their impressive run last season. Predicted lineup: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Mané, Jota.
- AC Milan: Stefano Pioli's side are back in the Champions League and will be looking to cause an upset. Predicted lineup: Maignan; Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori, Hernandez; Kessie, Bennacer; Saelemaekers, Diaz, Leao; Giroud.
- Injury updates: Liverpool will be without Thiago Alcantara (muscle injury). AC Milan will be without Mike Maignan (injured) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (injured).
This is just a glimpse of the exciting matchday 1 fixtures in the Champions League. As the tournament progresses, we can expect more thrilling encounters and surprises. Stay tuned for more updates on team news, lineups, and injury reports as we head into the group stage.
