Two clubs chasing UEFA Champions League glory will do battle today in a match between Sporting Lisbon and Chelsea. The group-stage match scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET will be held at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on Fox Sports 2.
Sporting Lisbon manager Marco Silva had this to offer ahead of today's European encounter (via UEFA): "It is our debut in front of our fans and I am happier because of it. It will be a great atmosphere with the fans helping us a lot. Chelsea are favorites, not only to win the group, but also to be in the final together with four or five others. It will be a match with a very high level of difficulty, but with our quality and the right attitude, we can challenge for the points here."
"Chelsea will play with their best men and may of course make one change or another," he added. "They are a very strong team at all times during the game. They got stronger this season to try and win the Premier League and also the Champions League. We are facing a very strong opponent. It will be a challenge for Sporting."
"It is a big boost for the club and the fans to play at home against such a big club," Silva continued. "One that has a Portuguese coach, but we will not change our identity because of it. We have our weapons."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Chelsea's Eden Hazard has been instrumental in the club's early season success. The 23-year-old has one goal and one assist in six league appearances and is averaging 5.2 take-ons per match.
Sporting Lisbon's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patrício; Cédric, Maurício, Sarr, Jonathan Silva; William, Adrien, João Mário; Carrillo, Nani, Slimani
Chelsea's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Čech; Ivanović, Terry, Cahill, Luis; Matić, Fàbregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Costa
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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