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The final matches of the UEFA Champions League group stages are upon us and 21 of the 32 teams involved still have something to play for.

They are exactly the sort of clubs Fantasy managers should be picking from as the group stages come to a conclusion, although we are expecting rotation too.

This article will include a much more detailed team news section than usual in an attempt to help you all navigate the rotation minefield ahead this week.

Sensible

PSG need to win here and have their easiest game of the group stages at home to Istanbul Basaksehir. Neymar (11.4m) is PSGs main man at the moment and enjoying something of a purple patch, with four goals and an assist in the last three games hes started. Hes on penalties and firing coming up to a must win game and as a result is my main captaincy choice for Tuesday evening.

Differential

As always, with the cushion of Wednesday captaincy Tuesday can give a great opportunity to take risks with the captaincy. Currently just 4%-owned and with eight goals in his last eight games for Lazio, Ciro Immobile (10.5m) has the form and the fixture needed to score big. On penalties in a game Lazio have to win, Id trust the Italian marksman to do the job.

Other differential options include Jadon Sancho (10.0m) and Victor Tsygankov (7.6m). Although yet to recapture last seasons form, Sancho has a goal and two assists in his last three games and Dortmunds hopes of topping the group in St Petersburg will likely rest on his shoulders.

While a draw below two goals could secure them their Europa League place, Dynamo Kiev will surely be pushing for the win in their final group game. Tsygankov is their top scorer and set-piece taker, with two goals in the competition already, and will be tasked with confirming Dynamo continue European games.

Sensible

The big Belgian Romelu Lukaku (10.8m) appears to be the form man of Europe currently and has the opportunity to drag Inter Milan into the knockout stages with a big performance. Gladbach highlighted Shakhtars defensive frailties and Lukaku will be best placed to take advantage of them.

Differential

I have placed a lot of (usually misplaced) faith in Joo Flix (9m) throughout this tournament, and it only seems fair to give him another chance. He scored a brace in the reverse fixture and has firmly established himself as Atleticos talisman, as highlighted by his crucial goal in last weeks draw with Bayern Munich. Atletico need to win here and Flix will be at the heart of any attempt they have to do so.

Runaway group leaders Bayern Munich are lining up with nothing to play for against a Lokomotiv Moscow side who can still secure Europa League football. Expect Alexander Nubel (4.2m), Bouna Sarr (4.7m) and Bright Arrey-Mbi (3.9m) to start at the back for Bayern and Eric Choupo-Moting (6.7m) and Jamal Musiala (5.2m) to replace Muller and Lewandowski. Lokomotiv will likely line-up full strength, with Anton Miranchuk (6.2m) their talisman and the key to their Europa League hopes.

Red Bull Salzburg and Atletico Madrid will play out a knockout game in Salzburg so expect full strength lineups from both sides. Renan Lodi (5.0m) is doubtful for Atleti, with Marco Llorente (6.5m) a strong budget alternative to Flix or Luis Suarez (9.9m) having scored both in the reverse fixture and at the weekend. Mergim Berisha (7.2m) scored a brace last time out and now has four goals and two assists in the tournament and will likely be amongst the goals again in this key tie.

In Group B, expect full-strength line-ups from all four teams with all still to play for. Sergio Ramos (6.5m) is back for Real Madrid and Achraf Hakimi (5.9m) scored a brace at the weekend for Inter. These games are incredibly hard to call, but between Real Madrid and Gladbach expect one of Karim Benzema (10.5m), Alassane Plea (8.4m), Marcus Thuram (8.7m) and Lars Stindl (8.2m) to cast the deciding vote.

In Group C, Man City and Porto have both secured their spots as first and second in the group respectively, but Marseille and Olympiacos are both fighting for a spot in the Europa League. There will likely be some space left open for Man Citys second string with a poor Marseille defence needing a goal, so one of Ferran Torres (7.7m) or Phil Foden (7.1m) could be a shrewd pick given their spots are nailed in the line-up and their form in this competition. Any goals for Marseille will likely come through Dimitri Payet (7.8m), who is on all set pieces, or Florian Thauvin (8.5m), but I would ignore their defence.

In Group D, Ajax and Atalanta will battle out another knockout game. Ajax have the form going into this game, but Gasparinis Atalanta can always spring a surprise. As in the 2-2 draw in Bergamo, expect goals between two full strength sides here, with Dusan Tadic (9.1m) and Duvan Zapata (9.7m) the pick from either side. Atalantas Cristian Romero (4.9m) scored last time out and leads all players for balls recovered with a whopping 60.

Midtjylland and Liverpool will play out a dead rubber game in Denmark. For Liverpool, expect Diogo Jota (7.7m) to lineup as the talisman, with Takumi Minamino (6.9m) and Divock Origi (7.2m) around him.

This is also a great opportunity for Trent Alexander-Arnold (6.7m) to get minutes under his belt having looked dangerous off the bench on Saturday evening. Trent has 31 points in just three games in this competition and this is a prime fixture for him to add to that at both ends.

In Group E, nothing can change regardless of the results from this weeks games. Chelsea will play a second string side, with Kepa (4.8m) confirmed to start, likely alongside penalty taker and BR machine Jorginho (6.0m), Christian Pulisic (9.0m) and Tammy Abraham (8.5m). Hakim Ziyech (9.0m) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (7.0m) have both been confirmed out injured.

A poor Rennes side will host a Sevilla side in poor form. Youssef En-Nesyri (7.4m) will lead the line for Sevilla in an otherwise uninteresting lineup.

In Group F, Lionel Messi (12.1m) looks set to face off against Cristiano Ronaldo (12.0m) once again in a fixture that will decide who tops the group. Alvaro Morata (9.0m) and Ronaldo will lead the line for Juventus, with Messi likely leading a nearly full strength Barcelona side, with Martin Braithwaite (5.9m) the budget pick from that side, with Ronald Araujo (3.8m) also back fit and likely to lineup alongside Clement Lenglet (5.5m)

Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros will both play full strength sides to decide who will play in the Europa League in February, but as mentioned above Victor Tsygankov (7.6m) is the only player in this game I can conclusively put any trust in, as both sides have proven to be poor both going forward and defensively.

In Group G, Borussia Dortmund visit Zenit knowing they have to win to guarantee topping their group. Erling Haaland (11.1m) and Thomas Meunier (5.3m) have both been confirmed out, with Raphael Guerreiro (6.0m) likely joining them. At the back, Mats Hummels is a set piece threat in what is statistically the best defence in the competition, also recovering 45 balls in four games so far. Up front, expect Marco Reus (8.4m) and Sancho to lead the line against a Zenit side with nothing to play for and in very poor form.

Lazio and Club Brugge will face off for a spot in the knockout stages. Joaquin Correa (8.1m) is a doubt for this game, but apart from that expect full strength sides from both teams. As mentioned above, expect Ciro Immobile to be the star man for Lazio, but budget midfielder Charles de Ketelaere (4.5m) scored and won a penalty last time out and will likely be needed to produce a similar feat for Brugge to progress. Emmanuel Dennis (5.4m) will hopefully get on the bus this time and should be Brugges main source of goals.

And finally, in Group H there is all to play for, for three teams still. PSG will face an Istanbul Basaksehir side with nothing to play for and expect all three of Neymar, Kylian Mbapp (10.9m) and Moise Kean (6.1m) to start for them. At the back, Marquinhos (5.6m) is a set piece threat and BR monster, with Alessandro Florenzi (5m) and Layvin Kurzawa (4.9m) likely to start at either fullback.

RB Leipzig and Manchester United will play full strength sides for this knockout game, with Christopher Nkunku (7.6m) and Angelino (5.4m) likely to star for RBL if their recent form is anything to go by. Having been rested at the weekend, Bruno Fernandes (9.5m) and Marcus Rashford (9.1m) will be key to Uniteds counter-attacking plan in Leipzig, with Mason Greenwood (7.5m) likely lining up alongside them after Martial was ruled out.

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The best players to sign and captain for UCL Fantasy Matchday Six - Fantasy Football Scout

For all of the progress Scott McTominay has made at Manchester United, last season ended up as a frustrating one.

McTominay did not play a minute in all three of Uniteds semi-finals last season; injured for the Carabao Cup, and he was simply not selected for the FA Cup and Europa League games. It was unlucky considering his impressive season in 2019/20.

These snubs will have hurt McTominay, with Nemanja Matic selected ahead of him in one, and Fred in another. United lost both.

This week United face RB Leizpig in a do or die clash akin to a knockout game.

Fred is out injured and competition for places is still intense. McTominay is hoping to get the nod.

Paul Pogbas impressive performance against West Ham and his big game experience makes him a likely starter.

United then have to choose whether a midfield three or midfield four should be utilised for this fixture.

If a three, then it is down to one of Donny van de Beek, Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay to partner Pogba.

Van de Beek is unlikely as he has never partnered Pogba before. Matic and Pogba have played together the most amount of times.

Last summer in this scenario it almost certainly would have been Matic and Pogba selected for this fixture.

McTominay can shake this up and show how far he has come, if he wins Solskjaer over and is chosen to start this game.

The Scot started both matches against PSG and also started alongside Pogba at the weekend.

Matic however started the home game against Leipzig at Old Trafford, and was rested at the weekend.

It would not be a surprise to see Matic start, with Solskjaer reverting back to a partnership which has served well before.

But if United really want to show progress, then starting 23-year-old McTominay over 32-year-old Matic would demonstrate it.

It is time for McTominay to be given a chance to start when it really matters.

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Read more from the original source:
Scott McTominay selection in midweek will show if he has really won Solskjaer over - United In Focus - Manchester United FC News

The Portland Timbers have already won one trophy this year, and now they embark on a campaign to win another.

The MLS is Back champions start their MLS Cup playoffs Sunday against an unfamiliar FC Dallas side in a high-stakes, single-elimination knockout game. The Timbers, the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, host the No. 6 seed, although the two sides havent met all year.

The Timbers are the favorites, with FiveThirtyEight giving them a 62% of advancing, but they do head into playoffs missing some key players.

Winger Sebastian Blanco, who was named the best player at the MLS is Back tournament over the summer, went down with an ACL tear in September. He was followed by striker Jaroslaw Niezgoda, the Timbers best shots-to-goals converter, who went down with the same injury three weeks ago.

Normally if a team lost two goal-scoring designated players, the conventional wisdom would be that theres no hope for a postseason run. But the Timbers were built differently this year with what at times looked like an excess of attacking talent. Niezgoda, for instance, went long stretches without even starting.

Theres a little bit of luck in football, always, and we went into getting Jaro Niezgoda and Felipe Mora because we believed Jeremy Ebobisse would be gone at the Olympics and potentially miss six, seven games, Timbers general manager Gavin Wilkinson told The Oregonian/OregonLive last week. While we didnt have the Olympics, we had an injury.

Ebobisse has been sidelined for more than a month with a concussion, but coach Giovanni Savarese said he will be available for Sundays playoff game.

The Timbers could have been without Mora and midfielder Andy Polo because both were away on international duty and would have had to quarantine upon return, but MLS has allowed teams to skip quarantines if players return on charter flights, which both Mora and Polo did Thursday.

Its a bit of a risky decision from MLS. Planes arent the only place players can contract COVID-19 while outside of their MLS team bubbles, as shown by the outbreak among Uruguay national team players, some who only tested positive after returning to their clubs.

Other clubs in MLS may cry foul at some getting their players back earlier than others. Not all players will be able to charter, and four LAFC players, for instance, have already contracted COVID-19 while on international duty.

Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese wasnt specific about whether Felipe Mora (right) and Andy Polo will play Sunday, but he did confirm the players were already in Portland and the club will follow protocols and do things the right way.

But it appears luck has fallen in the Timbers favor again since Mora is tied for second in goals for the Timbers this season and has played a surprisingly significant role this season. When asked Friday, Savarese wasnt specific about whether Mora and Polo will play Sunday, but he did confirm the players were already in Portland and the club will follow protocols and do things the right way.

The Timbers were hoping Dairon Asprilla could be available off the bench too, but MLS announced Saturday he had been given a retroactive red card for a collision with the goalkeeper in the final game of the regular season. Asprilla has been one of MLSs least efficient strikers during the regular season, but hes been unexpectedly clutch in playoff games, earning the nickname Mr. November.

Still, the Timbers should have enough depth to get through the first round of playoffs.

I do like our depth, and I do think the way Gio has rotated the group to keep a number of players invested at this stage of the season is very much a positive, Wilkinson said. I think were one of the top three, four teams in the league in players used, giving significant minutes to players, and also in subs each game.

The Timbers are the only team in MLS to have four players with seven or more goals each: Diego Valeri, Ebobisse, Mora and Niezgoda.

For FC Dallas fans, their hope lies in the matchup itself. The Timbers havent played against FC Dallas yet in 2020, and there could be something about the way Dallas matches up to Portland that offers a surprise benefit.

Its an unusual circumstance: With COVID-19 derailing just about everything, the MLS regular season had to be shortened and travel had to be minimized as much as possible. That means the Timbers only played a handful of the same teams over and over, and their schedule could be judged as relatively soft compared to some other teams.

The LA Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes, who the Timbers faced in about a combined third of games this season, were often just plain bad, which is why the Timbers were able to score six goals in a single game against each team. Prior to this season, the Timbers had never scored six goals against anyone.

Meanwhile, the Timbers never had to face the team that topped the Western Conference, Sporting Kansas City, or fourth-place Minnesota United after COVID-19 jumbled the season.

The question becomes, are standings still a good measure of how good a team is when many teams arent even playing each other? Dallas fans will be hoping not.

But there is still plenty of tape to analyze, and Dallas tends to require their fullbacks to push forward to create scoring chances. That could play into the Timbers counterattacking prowess and leave Dallas vulnerable if the match plays out as expected.

Matches arent won on paper, though, and MLS is as unpredictable as any league.

Every game in MLS is difficult it doesnt matter who we play, Savarese said. And during the playoff time, its even more complicated.

Its like a new season, he added. We need to be sharp, prepared and ready to confront the team in front of us.

The Timbers open playoffs by hosting FC Dallas without fans at 7 p.m. Sunday, broadcast live on ESPN.

-- Caitlin Murray for The Oregonian/OregonLive

Read more:
Portland Timbers quest for another trophy begins with playoff matchup against FC Dallas - OregonLive

0 of 4

Kyle Trask has been the most consistent college football quarterback in 2020.

Week 12's performance against the Vanderbilt Commodores marked the first time this season in which Trask did not throw four touchdowns in a game.

Trask was still involved on three scoring plays to reinforce his Heisman Trophy candidacy. His numbers and Florida's position in the rankings have him slightly ahead of Justin Fields on the odds chart.

Fields had an opportunity to clear Trask and Mac Jones with a dominant performance against the Indiana Hoosiers.The Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback struggled at the start with turnovers and failed to create a massive gap between himself and Trask.

Trask, Fields and Jones are viewed as the three most likely Heisman winners going into the final weekend of November.

Trevor Lawrence is still in the mix, but he is further down the Heisman shortlists right now because he has not played in a month.

1 of 4

Trask was nowhere near the front of the Heisman conversation when the season started, but he has played his way into being the odds-on favorite.

On Saturday, Trask turned in his sixth 300-yard passing game and completed over 70 percent of his throws for the fifth time.

The Florida quarterback has 2,554 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 70.7 completion percentage. The passing yards and touchdowns totals put him in the top five in those categories.

Trask's rise to prominence feels similar to that of Joe Burrow in 2019, but the difference between the two is Florida is not on top of the polls like the LSU Tigers were.

Florida likely needs to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game for Trask to win the Heisman and to get into the College Football Playoff.

If Florida loses, Trask would have two losses to a pair of Top 10 teams. The other occurred on the road against the Texas A&M Aggies.

The lack of a playoff berth and only one marquee win over the two-loss Georgia Bulldogs may not be enough to sway voters in his favor, which is why he needs to win out to solidify his favorite status.

2 of 4

Fields did not lose the Heisman on Saturday, but he also did not win it.

The Ohio State signal-caller threw his first three interceptions of the season and completed under 70 percent of his passes for the first time in four games.

Fields still threw for 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but the offensive surge did not occur until late in the second quarter and early in the third period, when the Buckeyes broke out to a 28-point advantage.

With no ranked opponents ahead in the next three games, Fields needs to put up high passing totals to keep his name close to Trask before conference championship weekend.

If he faces the Northwestern Wildcats on December 19, Fields would have a tough task on his hands. Northwestern held the Wisconsin Badgers to seven points Saturday.

If he marvels in that matchup and outperforms Trask and Jones on that weekend, Fields could gain the slightest of edges that earns him enough first-place votes.

3 of 4

Jones appears to be in the perfect position to rise up the Heisman rankings in Week 13.

The Alabama quarterback plays in the highest profile matchup of the three contenders against the Auburn Tigers in the Iron Bowl.

Auburn will be the third Top 25 opponent Jones gets to play in 2020, which is one more than Fields and Trask.

Jones tuned up for the rivalry showdown with 230 passing yards and two touchdowns in Alabama's 63-3 rout out of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Saturday's win produced Jones' lowest passing output of the season, but he was not asked to do much against a team that was outmatched from the start.

In 2019, Jones gave the Crimson Tide a chance to beat Auburn in relief of Tua Tagovailoa with 335 passing yards and four scores.

If he turns in similar numbers Saturday, he could boost his Heisman chances ahead of the SEC Championship Game, which may serve as a knockout game for the individual award between him and Trask.

4 of 4

1. Justin Fields

2. Kyle Trask

3. Mac Jones '

The Heisman race will likely come down to December 19.

The SEC Championship Game winner should provide its quarterback with a good chunk of first-place votes, but if Trask and Jones are involved in a high-scoring duel, the loser may still receive votes.

Fields has a chance to take the reins of the Heisman race with three unranked foes on the docket and a chance to torch Northwestern's defense, which is something Wisconsin could not do.

Ohio State has more explosive talent than Wisconsin, and Fields could use Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and others to cut up the Northwestern defense.

If that happens, Fields could put on an offensive display that sways first-place votes in his direction.

He will not be able to match Trask's statistics, but he does have a chance to win a conference title and land in the playoff, which may shift the bulk of Heisman votes in his direction.

The wild card in this mix is Lawrence, who is +900 (bet $100 to win $900) to win the Heisman, but his inactivity has put him well behind the three favorites at the moment.

If Lawrence thrives in his next two games and beats the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the ACC Championship Game, he may move back into the Heisman mix.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Heisman Watch 2020: Latest Race Odds and Predictions - Bleacher Report

Diarmuid Murphy knows well how unforgiving a Kerry inquest can be. The blinds are pulled and youre not stepping far outside the door. Just as well its level five.

Speaking on the Irish Examiner GAA podcast, the former Kingdom keeper and selector tried to process what went wrong in Pirc U Chaoimh on Sunday. It sounded simplistic to say Cork wanted it more, but it was as good a starting point as any.

Its the truth, quite simply. If you look at the way the game panned out from start to finish. Even in the first five minutes, Cork set the tone. They were very very aggressive, and rightly so. And to be honest I dont think our fellas were really mentally prepared for that.

To me, it looked like Cork played the game like a knockout championship game, like it was do or die. And I thought Kerry played the game as if there was a backdoor. Cork just wanted it more. You could see it in the 50/50s throughout the game.

I don't think Kerry took it for granted, and I can guarantee that the management would have been warning them about what was coming down the tracks, especially given the conditions.

But you wonder with players sometimes does it get into their head a little bit, that maybe today isnt going to be as hard as Peter (Keane) and the boys are telling us.

Mentally you sometimes wonder are players as well prepared as they can be. And this isnt a management thing. Its purely down to the players themselves. Are they ready for battle today? And you can see it in some of the decision making. Kerry turned over some very poor ball, shot selection was dreadful. In possession, it was probably the worst display Ive seen from Kerry in a long long time.

Murphy was surprised by the late switch that saw Brian Beaglaoich come in for Stephen OBrien and felt Kerry set up extremely cautiously.

The team selection was conservative at best, very cautious. Youre getting bodies behind the ball, but usually you see the forwards engage the defence much higher up the pitch coming out.

Kerry were sinking deeper and deeper, too far back. So even when they did turn over the ball they had the whole length of the field to go.

You just wonder in the backs of the minds of the management, was this a system for down the road. Is this something were going to bed in now, get over these next couple of games, and use it for Croke Park. Only they could say.

As unforgiving as the fallout inevitably will be, he accepts there are mitigating factors for Keane and his selectors.

It has been an extraordinary year. But you hope that the management and players will learn from it. Definitely, he has next year to fix it. He will be under pressure next year. You look at last year and the balance was too much towards attacking, this year it was skewed too much the other way.

There is a balance there to try and find the right mix.

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Excerpt from:
Gaelic Football Podcast: 'Cork played a knockout game. Kerry played like there was a backdoor' - Irish Examiner