By Tim Stannard
  
1) Europe’s fantasy football favorites go head-to-head
 
This time, the football gods will not let their subjects down, or we might as well pack up and do something desperate like follow baseball.
 
This time, a mega-match on paper will turn out to be just as swooning and sexy on grass. Especially, as Manchester United and Jose Mourinho are not involved in any shape or form. Instead, it’s a monstrous Manchester City side that is leading the line on Tuesday in a Champions League clash in El Etihad against Napoli. The league leaders of the Premier League and Serie A. Two teams with 22 league goal-scorers between them, scoring 55 goals. Two teams which have attack as the best form of defense. What can possibly go wrong?

 
The clash is also a mutual backslap on the benches as well, with Pep Guardiola praising Tuesday’s opponents to the hilt while Napoli boss, Maurizio Sarri, opined that his Manchester City counterpart will one day be seen as coaching legend. “30 years ago [Arrigo] Sacchi left his mark on football, and in a few years, we’ll realize how important Guardiola was,” said Sarri.
 
Appetites have been whetted and our footballing stomachs are already gurgling.
 
2) Kane and able in the Bernabeu?
 
Real Madrid are also facing a potentially tasty affair in the Bernabeu with Tottenham Hotspur and their fancy band of attacking talent coming to town. Leading the line for the visitors is Harry Kane, the target of many a discussion on whether the footballer can be classed as an elite striker. Tuesday may go some way to answering that one way or another.  
 
"He is an exceptional person, a humble guy with great values in life,” oozed Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino before the game, a clash against his old club that poor Gareth Bale is going to miss. 

 
beIN SPORTS viewers in Canada are being served up a couple of corkers with a flailing Liverpool very much needing a win in Slovenia against Maribor – live from 2:30PM ET / 11:30AM PT - and Monaco trying to save a poor Champions League campaign that has brought just the single point from six with a victory against group leaders Besiktas. Coverage of that clash starts on beIN CONNECT 3 from 2:30PM ET / 11:30AM PT.
 
Tune into the XTRA from 7PM ET / 4PM PT where Kevin Egan and Ray Hudson will bring you the best of the action from around the Champions League grounds.
 
3) No Swede dreams for Italy in World Cup clash
 
Italy’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup took a bit of a blow on Tuesday after the draw for the play-off games was made.
 
The Azzurri – who finished behind Spain in their qualifying group – must face Sweden over two legs in the middle of November. “We will go for it,” promises Sweden boss, Janne Andersson. Elsewhere, Northern Ireland are taking on Switzerland, the Republic of Ireland need to battle past Denmark while Croatia and Greece do battle in a bit of a South-East Europe derby.
 
Ties to take place between 9-11 November and 12-14 November.  Tune into the XTRA from 7PM ET / 4PM PT for all the reaction from the draw.

 
4) NBA is back, baby! And so is Tiger Woods
 
Basketball is back! The NBA gets underway on Tuesday with both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors in action in their respective clashes in a heck of an attention-grabbing tip-off.
 
NFL owners are set to meet on Tuesday to discuss how to deal with the issue of players taking the knee during the national anthems and ensuring that Mike Pence does not spontaneously and without any kind of pre-planning, walk out of games.
 
Tiger Woods has been given a boost on his latest career comeback from injury. The golfer has had four back operations in three years but has been cleared by his doctor to hit a golf ball at full power.

 
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The life philosophy of Sports Burst is that if you are not upsetting someone, then you are not trying hard enough. SB is a daily trawl and troll through the morning's sports news to bring you fact-nuggets to make you both smile and swear. Hopefully at the same time.