Klopp ready for Porto challenge; Shane Lowry wishes golf was a team game

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Porto will be on a revenge mission in tonight's Champions League group match in Portugal. The Premier League leaders have scored nine goals on their last two visits to Porto: "you only have to put yourself in the position of the opponent and the first thing you would want to do is make sure a similar thing doesn't happen again. That doesn't make our job easier for sure." PSG have declared Lionel Messi fit to play their clash with Manchester City, with head coach Mauricio Pochettino backing the forward to be successful following a slow start to his time at the club. Both games kick-off at 8pm. In last night's Premier League encounter Neil Maupay rescued a draw for Brighton in the 95th minute at rivals Crystal Palace. Closer to home, Dundalk lifted themselves out of the promotion/relegation play-off spot with a brilliant win over Bohemians at Oriel Park.

Reflecting on the experience of a lifetime at the Ryder Cup, and looking ahead to Rome in 2023, Shane Lowry says, "I wish golf was a team game. I'd love to be part of a team every week. (Golf) is very individually-based. That's the way it is. God, I'd love to have this experience every week." The Offalyman is aiming to become a Ryder Cup stalwart. Lee Westwood admits it would be a "massive honour" to become Ryder Cup captain and concedes time is not on his side when it comes his dream of a record 12th playing appearance instead.

In his column this morning (Subscriber Only), Gerry Thornley explains why the IRFU must shoulder some blame for the state of women's rugby in Ireland. Following Saturday's World Cup qualifier defeat to Scotland, he writes: "Most of all the union, Nucifora and Eddy stand indicted for allowing it to come this given that dissenting voices within the women's game have been warning of this being on the horizon for years." One of the standout performers in the Irish Under-20 team, Nathan Doak now looks set to make his first competitive start for Ulster away to Zebre next Saturday.

Meanwhile, Brian O'Connor reports that Irish racing's regulatory body has no plans to introduce pre-race identity checks despite the high-profile mix-up of two Jessica Harrington-trained horses at the Galway festival in July. Britain's racing authorities scan all horses on arrival at a racecourse and when leaving for the parade ring.