MY ACCOUNT
Fixtures and UK kick-off times
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Sporting (September 7, 5.45pm)
Tottenham vs Marseille (September 7, 8pm)
Sporting vs Tottenham (September 13, 5.45pm)
Marseille vs Eintracht Frankfurt (September 13, 8pm)
Marseille vs Sporting (October 4, 5.45pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Tottenham (October 4, 8pm)
Tottenham vs Eintracht Frankfurt (October 11, 8pm)
Sporting vs Marseille (October 11, 8pm)
Tottenham vs Sporting (October 26, 8pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Marseille (October 26, 8pm)
Sporting vs Eintracht Frankfurt (November 1, 8pm)
Marseille vs Tottenham (November 1, 8pm)
Teams
Group D looks wide open at the outset with Sporting the only club to compete in last season’s Champions League.
The Portuguese giants made it out of Group C in second place after seeing off Borussia Dortmund on goal difference.
Their journey ended when they were thumped 5-0 by Manchester City in the last 16.
English opposition will be supplied by Tottenham who are back after two seasons in the Europa League and Europa Conference League.
Under Antonio Conte, the Premier League side leapfrogged North London rivals Arsenal to finish fourth and secure a return to the top table of European football.
Eintracht Frankfurt have qualified for the first time in their history after beating Rangers 5-4 on penalties in last season’s Europa League final.
Die Adler last competed in what was then known as the European Cup in 1960 when they lost the final to Real Madrid.
Completing the quartet are Marseille, who qualified by finishing as runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 last term.
Champions League winners in 1993, OM also reached the Europa Conference League semi-finals after exiting the Europa League at the group stage.
Key matches
If Tottenham harbour ambitions of topping their Champions League group, they will likely need to beat the side that pose the greatest threat — Sporting.
Conte’s men face the Lisbon outfit in Portugal in their second group game and success or failure in that clash could set the tone for their European campaign.
It is not only Sporting that Spurs must be wary of, however.
The Premier League side end their group stage in Marseille and in what appears likely to be a close-run affair, they could well require a positive result in France in their final game to secure qualification to the knockout stages.
Former Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez has just joined the Ligue 1 side’s ranks and may still be motivated to put a dent in his old rivals’ European dreams.
One to watch: Pedro Goncalves
Sporting sensation Pedro Goncalves lit up the Champions League group stage in 2021-22, scoring four times in five appearances.
The former Wolves attacker, 24, got his first two goals in the competition in a 4-0 group-stage win over Besiktas.
Goncalves repeated the trick three weeks later with a brace against Dortmund to send Sporting through to the last 16 for the first time since 2008-09.
Capable of playing in a variety of attacking positions but chiefly operating as a No10, Goncalves’ movement, awareness and close control make him a menace to opposing defences.
Hot prospect: Luis Suarez
Thanks to Sanchez’s free transfer arrival from Inter this summer, Luis Suarez is not the most exciting South American addition OM have made.
But the former Granada forward, 24, is one to keep an eye on. As if to prove that point, the Colombian scored twice in his first two Ligue 1 games for Marseille.
Signed from Colombian side Leones, Suarez joined Watford in 2017 but spent time on loan at Granada, Real Valladolid, Gimnastic and Real Zaragoza.
He did not make a competitive appearance for the Hornets before joining Granada permanently for £10million in 2020.
Thirteen LaLiga goals in two seasons preceded a move to Marseille, where his all-action style and tenacity have made him an instant hit.
LiveScore verdict
Tottenham
Sporting
Eintracht Frankfurt
Marseille
Spurs should have more than enough to progress from what looks like an otherwise evenly matched and highly competitive group.
Conte came to North London to compete for silverware and will expect his charges — bolstered by summer additions Richarlison, Ivan Perisic and Yves Bissouma — to advance with minimal fuss.
Sporting are experienced European campaigners but they have been weakened by the sale of Joao Palhinha and Matheus Nunes.
Marseille have been busy this summer, adding Sanchez, Jordan Veretout, Eric Bailly, Arkadiusz Milik, Cengiz Under and Matteo Guendouzi.
If head coach Igor Tudor can find a well to ensure his new-look squad — led by experienced skipper Dimitri Payet — gels OM could cause a few surprises along the way.
Frankfurt will need to step up without last season’s talisman, Filip Kostic, who has joined Juventus.
