Hummels to make 120th European appearance in Porto clash | OneFootball

Mats Hummels is ready to be involved in Ranieri’s starting line-up tomorrow night in a must-win Europa League playoff match with Porto.

The former Borussia Dortmund player, barring any surprises, will start in the return match against Porto, something that hasn’t happened since February 5, the day the Giallorossi were eliminated from the Coppa Italia by Milan.

A precedent not to be remembered, with the centre-back perhaps never in such difficulty as with Abraham first and the Gimenez-Joao Felix duo in the second half.

A small lapse in a rollercoaster season, which began as a free agent, a regular reserve with Juric and an immovable starter in the climb back up with Ranieri. At least until early February.

The appearances on the bench with Venezia, Porto and Parma have been controversial, but the fitness levels of a 36-year-old – especially in such a compressed season – must always be managed sparingly, even in the case of a world champion like Hummels.

As reported by VoceGiallorossa, tomorrow will be Mats’ 120th appearance in Europe, between the Champions League and Europa League, including the preliminaries. No one like him, with two Champions League finals played, between the Giallorossi and the Portuguese side.