The Africa Cup of Nations is in full swing following its big kick-off on Sunday, and Monday sees the action taken up a notch.
There will be twice as many games as Group B and Group C get under way, providing first opportunities to see two of the pre-tournament favourites: Morocco and Senegal.
But the shroud of COVID-19 lingers over practically every AFCON match at the moment, and it will be especially difficult to ignore its impact on games on Monday, with the likes of Senegal, Guinea, Malawi and Gabon all missing key players.
Senegal v Zimbabwe (13:00 GMT)
Senegal's second so-called 'golden generation' is running out of time.
They arrived in Cameroon with a stacked squad, but many of their key players are approaching 30 or are already there.
To make matters worse, coach Aliou Cisse is without a host of big players against Zimbabwe, a game he will be keen to just get out of the way.
"I was looking at the composition of our team," Cisse said. "Compared to our last match against Congo, I can already tell you we have six indisputable starting players who are not on the squad list: Edouard Mendy, Krepin Diatta, Ismaila Sarr, Nampalys Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and Saliou Ciss.
"Having six absent starting players, it's true that it's worrying."
One to watch: Sadio Mane (Senegal)
Senegal have one of the best squads – if not the very best – in the tournament, but they are going to rely on Mane to a certain degree, particularly given their COVID-19 absences. Thankfully he is exceptional both when it comes to sniffing out chances and creating them, with his 0.67 non-penalty expected goal involvements every 90 minutes being the fourth-best in the Premier League (min. 900 minutes played) this term.
Guinea v Malawi (16:00 GMT)
Both Guinea and Malawi have been among the sides struck by coronavirus ahead of this tournament, but the former should still fancy their chances on Monday against a team considered Group B's rank outsiders.
Anything but three points will be a major disappointment for Guinea on matchday one, and key player Naby Keita is not among those to be afflicted with COVID-19.
As such, coach Kaba Diawara is feeling confident.
"We have the ambition to go as far as possible in this competition, which is why I accepted this mission," Diawara told Africa Top Sports ahead of the tournament.
"It's clear that it is the results that will speak. We try to put things in place, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."
One to watch: Mohamed Bayo (Guinea)
While Naby Keita may be the team's most-recognisable star, expectations on Bayo are significant given he heads into the tournament with nine Ligue 1 goals to his name with Clermont this season, 45 per cent of their total output, and only one was a penalty. Only Jonathan David (12) and Wissam Ben Yedder and Ludovic Ajorque (both 10) have scored more in the French top flight so far.
Morocco v Ghana (16:00 GMT)
After Senegal (60.9 per cent), Morocco are the likeliest to finish top of a group at the AFCON (52.6 per cent), according to Stats Perform analysis. This speaks to the quality in the side assembled by Vahid Halilhodzic.
Even without Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech, who has been exiled, Morocco boast some fine players and will be expected to go deep into the competition – not that coach Halilhodzic is taking anything for granted.
"We have to prepare well to face the three teams in the group: Ghana, Gabon, and the Comoros," the Bosnian told reporters.
"Although Morocco are favourites to reach the second round, we have to prepare well and play with a lot of ambition and determination to go as far as possible."
One to watch: Yassine Bounou (Morocco)
This is likely to be Morocco's biggest challenge in the group stage, so they will want to be solid at the back. Bounou should help them in that respect – the Sevilla goalkeeper's 25 clean sheets in all competitions in 2021 was a total bettered only by Ederson (26) and Edouard Mendy (27) across the top five leagues in Europe.
Comoros v Gabon (19:00 GMT)
Comoros' Group C opener will be a momentous game as they play in a major international tournament for the first time.
Making a splash will be tough, but coach Amir Abdou is adamant they are more than worthy of their place in Cameroon.
He told Africa Foot United: "We haven't qualified by chance. We therefore don't think that we will let the opportunity to go as far as possible slip away.
"We will fight with our weapons with our various opponents, as tough as they are."
One to watch: Denis Bouanga (Gabon)
Gabon are likely to be without two of their most experienced players in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mario Lemina due to coronavirus, meaning others will need to step up. Bouanga will probably be among those expected to take on greater responsibility. The gifted Saint-Etienne left-winger is a good dribbler and takes a lot of shots, his 3.4 attempts per 90 minutes being the fifth-most in Ligue 1 this season (min. 900 minutes played).
Milan 1-3 Liverpool: Reds recover from early scare for winning start
Liverpool celebrated their return to the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday, overcoming a shaky start for a comfortable triumph.
The Reds got off to an awful start when Christian Pulisic finished Milan's deadly counter-attack in the third minute, aided by Liverpool's disorganised defending on their return to the competition after a year's absence.
Arne Slot's side turned things around, however, as Ibrahima Konate equalised in the 23rd minute when he leapt high above a crowd of defenders to head in Trent Alexander-Arnold's free kick.
Virgil van Dijk put Liverpool ahead after nodding home Kostas Tsimikas' corner prior to the break before Dominik Szoboszlai sealed victory in the 67th minute, slotting into the far corner from Cody Gakpo's cross after Milan gave up possession.
Slot's first Champions League game at the helm of Liverpool ended in deserved victory, and it was a terrific response from his team after their shock 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Defensive delight for Reds
With Konate and Van Dijk both on target, Liverpool had two defenders score in the same Champions League game for the first time.
It marked a fitting way for Van Dijk to celebrate a landmark appearance, becoming just the third Dutch player to score on his 50th outing in the competition, after Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roy Makaay (both in 2005).
Alexander-Arnold's assist for Liverpool's equaliser was also his 80th for the Reds. Since his debut in October 2016, only Kevin De Bruyne (146) and team-mate Mohamed Salah (90) have provided more in all competitions among Premier League players.
Those defensive performances at the other end of the pitch helped Liverpool to a fifth win in their last six away games against Italian sides in all competitions (L1), having won just three of their first 14 such visits (D3 L8).
Real Salt Lake v FC Dallas: Mastroeni says hosts must go 'into the fire'
Pablo Mastroeni believes the best way for his Real Salt Lake side to improve is by "going into the fire" as the playoff battle heats up ahead of Wednesday's clash with FC Dallas.
Real Salt Lake have been among the Western Conference pacesetters all season, but they have lost two of their three games since returning from the Leagues Cup break, including a 4-1 defeat to the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.
They remain fourth in the West but just three points separate them from Houston in seventh, while their cushion to the wild-card spots stands at seven points.
"There are things we're working out, and it's one thing doing it in practice and another doing it when there are so many variables on the line," Mastroeni said this week.
"The only way we build real cohesion is by just going into the fire, playing these games, then going back to review them.
"With time, you expect that the guys will get a really clear understanding. You can make changes on gameday, you can tweak, but also you have to affect games with mentality.
"It's about mindset. I would rather make errors of effort than errors of overthinking."
Dallas are currently one place, but five points, outside the playoff picture, with a tough stretch seeing them face Los Angeles FC and Orlando City after their visit to RSL.
Interim boss Peter Luccin, though, feels the identity of their opponents is not important, saying: "Right now, for us playing versus a team in the top five or the top 10 is the same thing... the only thing we have to do is win.
"If we want to fight for the playoffs, which is the least the club deserves, we have to do that. One thing is for sure, we will fight until the end."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Real Salt Lake – Cristian Arango
Arango has scored six goals in 407 minutes over five career regular-season matches against Dallas.
His rate of 1.33 goals per 90 minutes in those games is the highest of any player that has played at least 300 minutes against Dallas in MLS history.
FC Dallas – Jesus Ferreira
Ferreira has scored seven times in 10 regular-season meetings with Real Salt Lake, more than he's scored against any other opponent in his MLS career.
The Dallas forward has also scored in four of his five matches at America First Field, including the last three in a row.
MATCH PREDICTION – REAL SALT LAKE WIN
Dallas have won at Real Salt Lake in each of the last two seasons, their first consecutive wins at RSL in regular-season play. Only two teams have won on three straight regular-season trips to Utah (LAFC – four straight from 2020-23, Portland – three straight from 2014-15).
They are also unbeaten in three straight regular-season away matches (one win, two draws). Dallas had lost eight of their first 11 away from home (three draws) in 2024.
They face a daunting task on Wednesday, though, against a Real Salt Lake side with 10 home wins already this season, reaching that mark for the first time since 2019 (13 home wins).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Real Salt Lake – 52.4%
FC Dallas – 23.3%
Draw – 24.3%
Bayern Munich 9-2 Dinamo Zagreb: Record-breaking Kane scores four in demolition
Harry Kane produced a remarkable four-goal haul to make English history as Bayern Munich demolished visitors Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in their record-breaking Champions League opener.
Kane, who scored a hat-trick in their Bundesliga win over Holstein Kiel on Saturday, converted a 19th-minute penalty before goals from Raphael Guerreiro and Michael Olise in the first half on Tuesday.
Bruno Petkovic and Takuya Ogiwara led a fightback early in the second half, with Dinamo hoping to find a way back, but Bayern responded through goals from Kane and Olise.
Kane netted his third and fourth with penalties shortly after, helping him onto 33 strikes in the competition and comfortably past Wayne Rooney's 30-goal record among English players in the Champions League.
Leroy Sane added another in the 85th before fellow substitute Leon Goretzka headed in the hosts' record-breaking ninth finish, the most by one team in a single match since the Champions League was introduced.
Data Debrief: Penalty perfection for Kane
Deadly finisher Kane accumulated 3.76 expected goals (xG) of Bayern's total 6.27 tally for the match, with the 31-year-old finding the target with six of his eight attempts in what proved to be a total domination.
Kane is the first player to score a hat-trick of penalties in a European Cup/Champions League match, and the first Englishman to score four in a match in the competition since Alan Smith for Arsenal against FK Austria Wien in 1991.
There was history elsewhere, however, as Thomas Muller appeared in his 152nd Champions League match for Bayern, breaking Xavi's record for the most matches with one club in the competition (151 for Barcelona).
Vincent Kompany will be looking forward to the rest of this European term, too, after Bayern started a 21st straight campaign in the competition with victory, with their last such defeat coming against Deportivo de La Coruna back in 2002-03.
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