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Champions League Team of the Week - Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Son Heung-min

Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Week, including Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Son Heung-min.

Barcelona's hopes of qualifying for the knockout round of the Champions League are hanging by a thread, with Inter Milan managing to claim a point at Camp Nou on Wednesday night.

The 3-3 draw has left Inter second in Group C, three points clear of third-placed Barcelona, while Bayern Munich secured their position in the knockout round of the competition courtesy of a 4-2 win over Viktoria Plzen.

In Group A, Napoli secured their spot in the round of 16 with a 4-2 win over Ajax, while Liverpool are on the verge of finding a passage into the knockout stage courtesy of a 7-1 victory at Rangers.

Club Brugge reached the knockout round for the first time in their history with a goalless draw against Atletico Madrid, who are third in Group B, two points behind Porto, who were 3-0 winners at Bayer Leverkusen.

In Group D, Tottenham Hotspur lead the way due to their 3-2 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, while Marseille are up into second courtesy of a 2-0 victory at Sporting Lisbon, who have dropped into third.

Chelsea sit at the top of a tight Group E, with the Blues winning 2-0 at AC Milan on Tuesday, while Red Bull Salzburg are second courtesy of a 1-1 draw away to Dinamo Zagreb.

Real Madrid are through to the last-16 with two games to spare, meanwhile, due to their 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk in Group F on Tuesday, with RB Leipzig in second after beating Celtic 2-0.

Manchester City were unable to overcome Copenhagen on Tuesday evening, but a goalless draw was enough to secure their spot in the knockout round, while Borussia Dortmund are second in Group G on seven points following their 1-1 draw with Sevilla.

Finally, Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica sit first and second respectively in Group H courtesy of their 1-1 draw in Paris, while Juventus are third, five points off second, following a 2-0 loss to Maccabi Haifa.

Here, Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Week from the fourth set of group matches in the 2022-23 competition.


DEFENCE

Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger receives medical attention after scoring the equaliser on October 11, 2022© Reuters

Club Brugge have been one of the stories of this season's competition, with the Belgian outfit advancing to the round of 16 for the first time, and Simon Mignolet was in excellent form against Atletico on Wednesday. The 34-year-old made nine saves during a terrific performance and sails comfortably into this particular side.

A back three includes Antonio Rudiger, who came up with Real Madrid's leveller in the final exchanges of their clash with Shakhtar. It was an incredibly brave header from the German, who required a number of stitches when he collided with Anatoliy Trubin, but it is his all-round performance that sees him named in this XI.

There is also a spot for David Raum, who was brilliant in Leipzig's 2-0 win over Celtic in Scotland. The 24-year-old boasted a pass success rate of 86%, while he won five aerial duels and three tackles during an excellent display for the Bundesliga outfit.

Sevilla have had a tough season to date, but they picked up a welcome point against Dortmund on Tuesday evening, and Tanguy Nianzou was the star of the show at the heart of the defence. The 20-year-old had a pass success rate of 93%, while he won two aerial duels and two tackles, playing a leading role in the La Liga club securing a share of the spoils.


MIDFIELD

Leon Goretzka in action for Bayern Munich on October 8, 2022© Reuters

A four-man midfield includes Bayern's Leon Goretzka, who was his side's best player in their 4-2 success over Plzen, which saw the Munich giants advance to the round of 16. The 27-year-old scored twice and provided an assist in a dominant display, with Plzen struggling to deal with the midfielder.

Nicolas Seiwald, meanwhile, was on the scoresheet in Salzburg's 1-1 draw with Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night. The 21-year-old broke the deadlock in the 12th minute, and he was brilliant throughout the contest, having two shots, completing one dribble and making two tackles during a strong performance.

Omer Atzili is also fully deserving of a spot in this side due to his performance in Maccabi Haifa's 2-0 success over Italian giants Juventus. The 29-year-old scored twice in the first half before being replaced in the 66th minute, and he was the best player on the pitch before being substituted.

Porto were excellent against Leverkusen on Wednesday night, recording a 3-0 victory, and Galeno was on the scoresheet during a brilliant performance from the Portuguese giants. The 24-year-old caused the Bundesliga side all sorts of issues with his movement in the wide positions, while he was also willing to work back.


ATTACK

Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring against Rangers on October 11, 2022© Reuters

Liverpool have struggled in the Premier League this season, but they put in an incredible performance away to Rangers on Wednesday night, scoring seven times at Ibrox.

Roberto Firmino netted his side's first two goals before setting up Darwin Nunez for the third, and he was the star of the show before leaving the field in the 73rd minute, also completing three dribbles and winning two aerial duels during a brilliant all-round performance.

Mohamed Salah did not enter the field until the 68th minute of the match, but he could not be left out after finding the back of the net on three occasions late on, scoring in the 75th, 80th and 81st minute, with Rangers struggling to deal with his pace and power off the bench.

Robert Lewandowski is unfortunate to miss out after his double against Inter at Camp Nou, but the final spot is handed to Tottenham's Son Heung-min.

The 30-year-old scored twice for Antonio Conte's side in their 3-2 win over Frankfurt, and he had five shots, two successful dribbles and boasted a pass success rate of 86% during a fine outing in the English capital.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is also deserving of a special mention due to his goal and assist in Napoli's 4-2 victory over Ajax in Italy, with the 21-year-old just missing out on a spot in the side.


SPORTS MOLE'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK

CL TOTW MD4

Sports Mole's Champions League team of the week (3-4-3): Mignolet; Nianzou, Rudiger, Raum; Seiwald, Atzili, Goretzka, Galeno; Salah, Firmino, Son


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