MADRID -- Not long ago, Napoli was in position to become the first team in Champions League history to advance from the group stage after only three matches. Now, the Italian team is in danger of not making it at all.All Benfica needed to do to guarantee its spot in the next stage was hold on to a 3-0 lead in its last game. Now, not even a draw may be enough.Benfica and Napoli meet in Lisbon on Tuesday to decide their fate in Group B, hoping to make it to the last 16 of the Champions League after squandering numerous opportunities in the previous rounds.Both teams have eight points, one more than Besiktas, which plays at already eliminated Dynamo Kiev and will advance with a victory.The winner at Estadio da Luz will automatically advance, and a draw will be enough for Napoli because it defeated Benfica when the teams played in Italy. If Besiktas defeats Dynamo, which has lost its previous two home games, the loser in Lisbon will be eliminated.Its not going to be a walk in the park in Lisbon for us but its not going to be for them either, Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri said. The last 20 minutes could be decisive and weve got to focus on winning and not defending a draw.Napoli could have made history had it beaten Besiktas at home in its third match, but it conceded a late winner to lose 3-2, then was held 1-1 in Turkey and drew 0-0 with Dynamo Kiev to enter the final round still needing a point.Benfica was set to secure a spot in the last 16 when it opened a 3-0 lead at Besiktas, but a dramatic late run allowed the Turkish side to equalize and stay alive. Benfica also conceded a late equalizer to Besiktas when the teams played in Lisbon.---GROUP AThe last round will determine whether its Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal finishing first in the group, with the French team holding the head-to-head advantage on away goals.PSG will secure the top spot with a home win against Ludogorets regardless of Arsenals result at Basel.PSG and Arsenal have 11 points each.Bulgarian side Ludogorets and Swiss team Basel are tied with two points and will be playing for a Europa League spot.---GROUP BBenfica will be trying to advance to the knockout round for the second straight season, which would be an unprecedented feat for the Portuguese champions.Napoli are tough opponents but theyre playing at our home against a team that is getting stronger by the day, Benfica coach Rui Vitoria said.Benfica has won six straight in Lisbon and hasnt lost at home since February.Elimination would be hard to digest for Napoli, which three years ago became the first team to be eliminated from the group phase with 12 points.The Italian team is unbeaten in six games and coming off a 3-0 win over Inter Milan on Friday.---GROUP CBarcelona has already secured first place but the home game against Borussia Moenchengladbach will give the Catalan club a chance to rebound from three consecutive draws, including the disappointing 1-1 result against Real Madrid on Saturday at Camp Nou.The game will also give Lionel Messi a chance to match or surpass Cristiano Ronaldos record of 11 goals in the group stage. Messi has nine entering Tuesdays game.Neymar and Ivan Rakitic are out for Barcelona because of suspensions.Manchester City, which hosts Celtic, has already secured second place. Moenchengladbach will finish third.---GROUP DAtletico Madrid travels to Germany to face Bayern Munich looking to become only the sixth club to finish the group stage with a perfect record.Atletico has already secured first place with 15 points from five games.Real Madrid won all six matches in the group stage twice, including two seasons ago. The other clubs to do it were AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Spartak Moscow and Barcelona.Bayern will be trying to extend its Champions League record to 15 consecutive home wins. The last time the German side lost at home was 4-0 against Real Madrid in 2014, when the Spanish club was coached by Carlo Ancelotti.PSV Eindhoven has to beat FC Rostov at home to finish third in the group.---AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf in Rome contributed to this report.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/tazzoni .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. . PAUL, Minn. . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. . PETERSBURG, Fla. CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber was followed by cameras and cellphones. A couple of pitchers from the Cleveland Indians played hacky sack in the outfield. The giant videoboard in left field flashed World Series.So, no, nothing like the last Fall Classic at Wrigley Field.The World Series returns to one of baseballs iconic ballparks on Friday when the Cubs and Indians face off in Game 3 after splitting the first two nights in chilly Cleveland. Its the first World Series game at Wrigley since Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg helped the Detroit Tigers to a 9-3 victory in Game 7 on October 10, 1945 .The expectation is, well, even more bedlam than usual. The Cubs, seeking their first championship in 108 years, played in front of packed, frenzied crowds for much of the season, and even the Indians are looking forward to the scene.Tomorrows going to be unbelievable, Cleveland slugger Mike Napoli said. I watched when they clinched to go to the World Series and how crazy it was and seeing the fans in the streets where they had to have police escorts. You could just see the crowd just part ways.So its going to be fun. Its something that I wanted to be a part of, and thought that it would be an unbelievable World Series, he said.Its been pretty great so far, and its only getting started.Corey Kluber pitched the Indians to a 6-0 win on Tuesday, striking out nine in a dazzling performance. After Josh Tomlin makes his third playoff start in the Wrigley opener, Kluber looms over Game 4 on Saturday night on short rest.The Cubs returned to Chicago on a high after working over Clevelands pitching staff in a 5-1 victory Wednesday night. Trevor Bauer lasted just 3 2/3 innings, beginning a parade to the mound that included six relievers and a total of 196 pitches.That was the plan, to get at least one over there and bring it back home, second baseman Javier Baez said. Everybody is excited to be here in Chicago. Everybody has been waiting for this moment.Schwarber will be relegated to pinch-hitting moments for the next three games after doctors said it was too soon after major left knee surgery to risk putting him in the outfield. The move takes one of Chicagos best bats out of the lineup after a surprising return by the slugger for the Series.Were going to respect the doctors, president of baseball operatioons Theo Epstein said.dddddddddddd Theyre the professionals here and move forward. Kyle understands that. He wants to play, hes the ultimate gamer, but he understands that the doctors judgment has to rule the day in this case.Schwarber was ruled out for the year after he tore two knee ligaments in an outfield collision with Dexter Fowler in Chicagos third game of the season. But he had an encouraging checkup with Dr. Daniel Cooper on Oct. 17 in Dallas, clearing the way for a short stay in the Arizona Fall League before serving as the designated hitter in Cleveland.Facing major league pitching for the first time in six months, Schwarber doubled and walked in Game 1. He added a pair of RBI singles Wednesday night , leading to lengthy phone conversations with Cooper and Dr. Stephen Gryzlo, one of the Cubs physicians, that ultimately led to the safe route for the 23-year-old catcher/outfielder.Facts are facts, Schwarber said. I just cant physically do it. So Im going to be ready at any time during the game to go out there and pinch-hit.The lack of a designated hitter for the NL park also affects the Indians, likely sending Carlos Santana to left field for only the second time in his career. He also played left for four innings on Aug. 12, 2012, against Boston.Were thinking about it, manager Terry Francona said. I think, I mean, theres no reason not to -- its no big secret, were trying to balance scoring more runs than them. OK, hes a big part of our offense.Santana set career highs with 34 homers and 87 RBI this season. The switch hitter also walked 99 times and had a .259 batting average for his best number since he hit .268 in 2013.The Indians managed just four hits against Jake Arrieta and two relievers in Game 2, and they are looking at another challenging matchup with Kyle Hendricks going for the Cubs at Wrigley. The major league ERA leader had a 1.32 ERA in 15 home games this year, and is coming off 7 1/3 shutout innings against Los Angeles in the clinching Game 6 of the NL Championship Series.It just feels like Im right at home, honestly, Hendricks said. I think thats part of why Ive had the success here.---Jay Cohen can be reached at
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