Current holders play behind closed doors and what to look out for in the Champions League tonight

1. No fans for visit of Real Madrid

INCIDENTS AT LEGIA WARSAW’S last home game, a 6-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund, means this meeting with the reigning champions will be played behind closed doors in the Polish capital.

Legia lost 5-1 in Madrid last time out and are yet to register a point in the group — another defeat here will eliminate them, while even a draw may not put off the inevitable.

Madrid, meanwhile, will be through with a win, provided Borussia Dortmund also win. Zinedine Zidane’s men warmed up for this game with a 4-1 win at Alaves in which Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a hat-trick.

They are top of La Liga, unbeaten in 15 games this season and have scored 24 times in their last five matches. Ronaldo, meanwhile, is just two goals away from reaching a century in European competition.

Pepe is out, but it is set to be a daunting task for Legia, who are currently sixth in their domestic league.

2. Foxes a win away from knockout stages

The Leicester City fairytale can reach the Champions League knockout phase if the shock English champions get a result at Copenhagen, who have four points so far.

One of only three teams in the competition on full points from the opening three games, the feeling is that coach Claudio Ranieri is focusing on Europe.

A win in Denmark will secure a place in the last 16, and they warmed up with a 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.

They travel to Denmark with their Danish international goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel in exceptional form.

Copenhagen, who had gone 23 games without defeat before losing 1-0 in the reverse fixture, come into the match still unbeaten domestically and six points clear at the top of their league.

3. Spurs out to end winless run

Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham will be looking to end a five-game winless run when they entertain Leverkusen in a crucial contest at Wembley.

Source: Adam Davy

Spurs have had four draws and one defeat in all competitions since beating Manchester City a month ago. That sequence includes a 0-0 draw in Germany two weeks ago, and Tottenham need at least the same again to keep qualification for the last 16 in their own hands.

They will also be looking for a maiden victory at Wembley after losing 2-1 to Monaco at England’s national stadium in their Group E opener.

Leverkusen have drawn all three group games so far and come into the match on the back of a 2-1 win at Wolfsburg at the weekend that ended their own run of four matches without a victory.

Harry Kane is on the sidelines for Spurs while Joel Pohjanpalo and Karim Bellarabi are absent for the visitors.

4. Dortmund going well in Europe

Dortmund have started strongly in Group F and will secure their place in the last 16 with a win at home to Sporting at the Signal Iduna Park.

Thomas Tuchel’s men were 2-1 winners when the teams met in Portugal recently and have lost just one of their last 11 matches.

However, they were held to a goalless draw by Schalke in the Ruhr derby at the weekend and sit only sixth in the Bundesliga. In addition, they have a long injury list with Marcel Schmelzer, Sven Bender, Marco Reus, Neven Subotic and Erik Durm all on the sidelines.

Sporting need a positive result to keep alive their chances of reaching the knockout phase for the first time since 2008/09 but they have had one draw and suffered 11 defeats on their 12 previous visits to Germany.

Jorge Jesus’s men are also struggling for form – last Friday’s 0-0 draw at Nacional left them with only one win in five, a run that has seen them drop to fourth place. Captain Adrien is injured.

5. Juve’s excellent home record

The 2015 finalists Juventus will qualify for the next round with a win over their struggling French visitors.

Juve are unbeaten in their last 18 home matches in Europe and are fresh from beating Napoli 2-1 in Serie A at the weekend when Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain scored the winner against his old club and refused to celebrate.

Source: AP/Press Association Images

Paulo Dybala is absent for the hosts, who won 1-0 in Lyon two weeks ago.

Striker Alexandre Lacazette missed a penalty for the Ligue 1 side in that match but he has been back in goalscoring form, grabbing a brace in a 2-1 away win at high-flying Toulouse at the weekend.

After Gianluigi Buffon saved Lacazette’s penalty in the reverse fixture, Juventus had Mario Lemina sent off but beat Lyon thanks to Juan Cuadrado’s strike. Lyon will be out if they lose and Sevilla win.

More games: friv

Germany vs. Norway 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch World Cup qualifying online

Reigning World Cup winners Germany kick off the qualifying section of their long and arduous title defense in Oslo on Sunday. Joachim Löw's side head into their encounter against Norway fresh from a 2-0 friendly win over Finland in midweek; their opponents, on the other hand, suffered a disappointing defeat to Belarus.

Despite a proud footballing history, Norway are enduring something of a barren spell. They've not made it to a World Cup since 1998, nor a major tournament altogether since 2000. Coach Per-Mathias Høgmo took over in 2013, but has so far failed to change their fortunes. Anything other than a defeat at home to Germany would come as something of a surprise.

Their task isn't made any easier by the absence of a few regulars: defenders Vegard Forren and Omar Elabdelloui, who have a combined total of over 50 caps, join veteran Saint-Étienne striker Alexander Søderlund on the sidelines; midfielder Valon Berisha has recently switched international allegiance to Kosovo.

Germany, in contrast, have almost a full-strength squad available. Antonio Rüdiger is still sidelined through injury, while Jérôme Boateng, Leroy Sané and Marco Reus are still getting up to fitness and have been omitted by Löw. The visitors should still have more than enough to earn victory in this one.

To watch this match online in the United States, you'll have to use the Fox Sports GO and Fox Soccer 2Go services. For online listings in other countries, you can check out LiveSoccerTV.

TV: Fox Sports 2 (US - English); FOX Deportes (US - Spanish); Sportsnet One (Canada); Sky Sports 3/HD (UK); TVNorge (Norway); RTL Television (Germany)

Match date/time: Sunday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway.

Marco Reus to return to Dortmund training before Bundesliga starts

Marco Reus' recovery from an adductor injury remains on course, Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke says.

The injury kept Reus out of the Germany squad at Euro 2016, with reports in June saying he could miss four months of action.

But Watzke said such a timeframe was inaccurate and insisted Reus would train with the team before the Bundesliga season starts in August.

"There is nothing negative to report. Things have developed well," Watzke told the club's official website of the 27-year-old's progress.

"Marco's progress is in accordance with the plan we drew up weeks ago.

"He needs four weeks to get in shape alone, and will then return to first-team training by mid-August."

Marco Reus was injured in May and was forced to miss Euro 2016 with Germany.

Dortmund's first competitive games are against Bayern in the German Supercup on Aug. 14, followed by a DFB Pokal clash the following week.

BVB resumed their preparations without Reus on Thursday in a 3-2 win over St. Pauli.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice within 18 minutes, his second coming from a penalty, though St. Pauli equalised with a Nico Empen brace in the second half.

But Orel Mangala gave Dortmund the victory with a strike from a tight angle with two minutes to play as Dortmund won their third straight friendly.

Euro 2016 daily: Beer banned, Croatia shine and Germany hit the ground running

Here’s the fourth of our special Euro 2016 Breakfast Bulletins as we bring you all the overnight headlines, some viral gems and info from our men on the ground.

MONDAY MORNING’S BIG STORIES

1 – More trouble as booze banned

It was as depressing as it was predictable when news filtered through that German and Ukrainian fans had clashed ahead of their game. Hooliganism is often described as the English disease but the particular strain that has affected France these last few days has been particularly contagious.

However, the actions of a moronic few – and it is important to remember that it is a minority – has seen the sale of alcohol banned in and around stadiums and fan zones. It has got to the ridiculous stage where adults cannot be trusted to partake in an alcohol beverage without wreaking utter havoc.

2 – Croatia announce their arrival as dark horses

For a side that have a midfield of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Ivan Rakitic, Croatia tend to go under the radar. However, they announced their arrival at this year’s Euros with a clinical performance against Turkey.

Modric is the fulcrum of this side and capped an exceptional performance with a brilliant strike from distance.

Croatia are priced at 25-1 to win the tournament but this side look at least as good as the one that came third in the World Cup in France back in 1998.

3 - Germany are the opening game kings

Joachim Low’s side have continued their record of never losing an opening game of a European Championship after Sunday’s 2-0 win over Ukraine.

Despite their relatively rough run-up to the tournament which included friendly defeats to England and Slovakia, plus injuries to key players such as Marco Reus, they showed all the mettle required to win their opening match of the tournament.

Shkodran Mustafi and Bastian Schweinsteiger's stoppage-time effort secured victory for Low's men after containing a plucky Ukraine side who threatened in the latter stages of the first half.

Indeed, it was Manchester United midfielder Schweinsteiger who became the first German substitute to net in a European Championship encounter since Oliver Bierhoff scored twice in that famous 1996 showpiece final against the Czech Republic.

SUNDAY'S RESULTS

Northern Ireland 0-1 Poland - Northern Ireland's first match at a major tournament in 30 years ended in disappointment as they were beaten 1-0 by Poland in Group C. Read the full report.

Croatia 1 Turkey 0 - Luka Modric scored one of the greatest goals of his career to give Croatia a 1-0 victory over Turkey in their Euro 2016 opener.Read the full report.

Germany 2-0 Ukraine - Germany got their bid for a record fourth European Championship crown off to a winning start as they defeated Ukraine 2-0 in Lille. Read the full report.

TODAY’S BIG MATCHES

Spain v Czech Republic, Toulouse 2pm – The Czechs condemned Netherlands to a watching brief on their way to winning a qualifying group that also included Iceland and Turkey, so are not to be underestimated. However, the build-up to the match will most likely be dominated by the furore surrounding David de Gea. He is expected to start but how will he perform? Read the full preview.

Republic of Ireland v Sweden, Saint-Denis 5pm – Zlatan against the smiling eyes of the Irish. With Belgium and Italy the other teams in the group, this match has the feel of a knockout tie. It could be a cagey affair settled by the odd goal. Read the full preview.

Italy v Belgium, Lyon 8pm – Perennial big-hitters Italy take on dark horses Belgium in a match that could define the group and set the tone for either side’s campaign. Belgium come into the match favourites purely because they are in form. Read the full preview.

CLASH OF THE DAY

Zlatan Ibrahimovic v Ireland – It is more than likely his last international tournament, and the charismatic Swede will surely not let it pass without leaving an indelible mark on the Euros. Ireland should provide a stern test, though – they are a robust defensive unit so it should prove a intriguing battle.

Pete Hall in Toulouse

There is a much more positive feeling in this part of southern France, with Spain flags and banners adorning every bar around Le Capitole. The ‘Pink City’ is looking a darker shade of Red this evening, as thousands of La Rioja followers seem to have made the short journey across the border.

The same high spirits were not present in the pre-match press conference, however, as Vincent del Bosque, Sergio Ramos and Andres Iniesta looked distinctly uncomfortable answering more questions on the David de Gea controversy.

Much of the talk afterwards centred around whether Del Bosque will opt for the Manchester United stopper, despite the allegations that have been made against him in the last week.

And from del Bosque’s answers, and the insight from Spanish journalists close to the camp, it seems de Gea will start, with del Bosque reportedly having made the decision weeks ago.

Marcus Foley in Nice

After the rugged nature and brawling of Marseille, Nice represented a pleasant comedown.

There were reports of brief clashes at the Rue Saint-Francois-de-Paule in the old city centre on Saturday but those brief skirmishes were a distant memory on Sunday as fans of both sides basked in glorious sunshine inNice la Belle.

Northern Irish fans were singing Polish songs and the Poles replied in kind. “Will Grigg's on fire” dominated much of the chanting in and outside the stadium with Polish fans providing a particularly impressive rendition.

It was carnival stuff, and exactly what the tournament needed. Nice, Nice.

SHARING IS CARING – EURO 2016 VIRAL GEMS

To be fair, this guy is not wrong; everyone likes a bit of self-deprecation.

Manchester United coach Van Gaal says, 'I am more or less an Arsenal fan'

Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal is optimistic that his team can clinch the final champions league spot after beating Norwich City to close the gap on 4th placed Manchester City to a 1 point. 

The pressure have shifted to Manuel Pellegrini who must beat Arsenal in the Etihad Stadium to have any chance of qualifying for next year's champions league and Van Gaal has take the opportunity to say he is an Arsenal fan only for tomorrow clash. 

Speaking with BT Sport, Van Gaal said; 

“I am more or less an Arsenal fan,” 

“We’re still in business, the players were very tired from last week but we won.'

“We keep pressure on our competitors and we hope we can achieve a Champions League place because we want to play at the highest level possible but it is still very tough because we have to play away at West Ham.”

Van Gaal is hoping to win the FA Cup title and qualify Manchester United to the champions league which will certainly guarantee him more time to continue his fantastic work with the RED devils.

Germany V England: Marco Reus Player Profile

Could 2016 be the year of Marco Reus? As Germany start their final preparations ahead of the European Championships with a game versus England in Berlin on Saturday, this is one of the most intriguing questions.

It might be rather hard to believe given his cult status, but Euro 2016 will be the first big international tournament in Reus' career. Granted, he was part of Joachim Loew's squad at Euro 2012 as well, officially still as a Borussia Monchengladbach star at the time, but he was a fringe player in Poland and Ukraine. Reus didn't play a single minute at the group stages, and only started once, scoring a majestic goal in the 4-2 win over Greece in the quarter-finals. Even that wasn't enough as he was left on the bench in the semi-final, coming on as a second half substitute for Lukas Podolski, but eventually unable to prevent the defeat at the hands of Italy.

The World Cup in Brazil was supposed to be another matter entirely. Reus was considered Germany's brightest star following two magnificent seasons at Borussia Dortmund. He scored five goals in the qualifiers, and approached the tournament in phenomenal form, but fate decided differently.

The baby-faced midfielder sufferend ankle injury in the very last friendly against Armenia and missed out on the big event. Reus had to watch the World Cup on TV, as his friends won the title without him. This was a major blow, but Marco managed to recover from it mentally, to the delight of every fan on the globe. "Of course, it was a dramatic experience for me, but I just had to accept it", he said.

Reus belongs to a rather small group of stars who are simply impossible to dislike. His technical skills are a joy to watch, but it is his personality that makes him such a popular player. This is why almost every top club in Europe wanted to sign the German – he would be a perfect addition to any squad in every possible way. And yet – in spite of interest from Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and others – Reus decided to remain loyal to the club of his youth, which naturally made him even more popular.

This was not an easy decision. Dortmund went through a significant crisis in the first round of 2014/15 season, and were incredibly positioned in relegation zone at the winter break. Reus' departure seemed almost inevitable in those circumnstances, as many assumed that he won't be ready to stay at the club that doesn't take part in the Champions League. Nothing was further from the truth, because that was the exact timing Reus chose to extend his contract until 2019. He didn't even include a buy-out clause in it. The club were wrong to release him as 17-year-old in 2006, but he didn't hold any grudges. He returned through the front door in 2012, and only wanted to stay.

Reus' choice prompted other Dortmund stars to act like him. Jurgen Klopp might have left Dortmund last summer, but his replacement Thomas Tuchel managed to persuade all the leading players to stay, promising them to improve their play. Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have all performed superbly this season, as Borussia changed their style quite significantly, putting more emphasis on possession, and yet still moving the ball very quickly in the final third of the pitch.

Reus is at the very heart of the progress. With 19 goals in all competitions, he is fast approaching his personal season record of 23 achieved in 2013/14. He is very likely to break it, and we shouldn't forget six assists as well. Hopes were high in the beginning of the year, as the midfielder told in the interview to Die Welt in January: "Tuchel's approach helped us a lot, and now we are able to dominate games against the teams we used to have problems with".

Will he be able to perform as brilliantly in the national team as well? With Bastian Schweinsteiger injured, likely to miss Euro 2016, Germany need a new leader, and Reus is definitely able to take that role. He will make Die Mannschaft even more likable if he is to shine in the summer.

"I want to remain injury free ahead of Euro 2016, and then I will show what I couldn't show at the World Cup", Reus said. The road to France starts in Berlin against Roy Hodgson's promising and talented side. Would you bet on Reus scoring in Joe Hart's absence?

Dortmund midfielder back in training

Germany international Marco Reus returned to training with Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.

Borussia Dortmund received a new-year boost on Tuesday with attacking midfielder Marco Reus returning to training on Tuesday.

Germany international Reus has not played for Dortmund since sustaining a groin strain in the game with Eintracht Frankfurt on December 13 and sat out the club's final two games prior to the winter break.

The 26-year-old joined in Tuesday's session, however, and is on course to go on Dortmund's warm-weather training camp in Dubai, which begins on January 7.

Nuri Sahin and Erik Durm are also likely to be involved after recovering from long-term knee injuries.