A competition format used in chess and known as the "Swiss model" will be introduced for this season's Uefa Champions League football tournament.

In the new-look draw, to be held in Monaco this evening, clubs will discover which eight opponents they will meet in the initial stage of this year's competition.

But the format has already proven controversial before a ball is kicked: some say the "high-stakes experiment" offers "more excitement", said Nick Ames in The Guardian, but others "feel it serves the interests of Super League rebels".

A brave new world

Announcing the new system, Uefa said that European football is "one of the world's most successful and popular sports" because "it never stands still". Since its launch as the European Cup in 1955, the tournament has "continuously evolved and adapted" to "keep pace with wider changes in the game".

Between 1955 and 1991 it had a simple knockout format, contested by one club per country (the league champions) and the tournament's defending champions. A group phase was introduced in 1991, and the competition was rebranded as the Champions League the following year. Multiple national representatives were allowed from 1998. A second group stage was tried between 1999 and 2003.

From this season, there will be a new format, known as the "Swiss model", which has been used in chess, croquet, bridge and Scrabble. The Champions League group stage will be replaced by a league structure and the number of clubs has been increased from 32 to 36.

Every club will play a minimum of eight league stage games against eight different opponents (four home games, four away). To determine the eight opponents, the teams will initially be ranked in four seeding pots for this evening's draw.

Clubs that finish the league phase in first to eighth places will automatically go on to the 16-club knockout phase, and the clubs that finish in ninth to 24th places will enter a two-legged play-off, with the winners proceeding to the 16-club knockout.

But the clubs that finish in 25th place or lower will be eliminated from the competition, with no access to the UEFA Europa League as a consolation, as has happened in recent years.

More big-ticket games but less jeopardy

The president of Uefa, Aleksander Ceferin, said the new format, also in force for the Europa and Conference Leagues, will mean "greater fairness, excitement, intensity, emotion and uncertainty". 

But it's fair to say it has plenty of detractors. Football's "greatest virtue is its simplicity", said Miguel Delaney in The Independent, but that "certainly isn't how you'd describe this new Champions League", which is "in essence, almost a full European season now running alongside the domestic season".

It "looks a lot" like the big clubs "got what they wanted in a very roundabout way", which is "more games against each other, and a greater likelihood of constantly qualifying". Wide-scale changes like this "alter the psychological architecture of the sport" and "you're not really watching what you know any more".

Perhaps "big-ticket games" will "throw up enough thrillers" to "cast any fresh fears of a Super League into distant memory", said Ames. But "the wisdom" of playing 144 games in order to eliminate 12 teams "may prove wobbly".

"Boredom" is guaranteed, said Thom Gibbs in The Telegraph, as "qualifiers are settled long before the eighth round of fixtures". There will be complaints about scheduling as soon as clubs are "forced to play a domestic game at an inconvenient time" and the League Cup will face "inevitable" death. 

"All for what?" he asked – a "witless expansion which looks alarmingly like the Super League entering via the backdoor, surrounded by bouncers". 

Meanwhile, The Athletic said that Leandro Shara, a Chilean sports consultant, has threatened to sue Uefa for the "unauthorised and unfair use" of the format, which he claims he invented. He argued that it should be called the "Leandro Shara System", a set-up he copyrighted in Chile in 2006.

He attended the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday, but prior to that Manchester City’s “mysterious benefactor” had only ever watched his team play once, said Sam Wallace in The Sunday Telegraph. Sheikh Mansour, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, must have been delighted he made the effort: he got to witness history being made. By beating Internazionale 1-0, City not only gained their first Champions League title, but became only the second English club, after Manchester United, to claim “the treble” (the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in a single season).

The match was a nervy affair, said Daniel Boffey in The Observer, with few signs of the “seemingly effortless grace that has been the hallmark of Pep Guardiola’s team this season”. But with games like this, the result is all that matters – and Rodri’s calmly taken 68th-minute goal ensured that the night ended in triumph for City.

So Guardiola has done it again, said Oliver Brown in The Daily Telegraph. He has racked up an extraordinary amount of silverware over his career: now he has trebles in two different European leagues to his name (he achieved the first with Barcelona in 2009). It’s a distinction that “almost defies belief” – one that entitles the Spaniard to be considered the greatest club manager of all time. True, he has never coached at a club with modest resources: he actually began his managerial career at Barcelona, before moving to Bayern Munich in 2013, and then on to City in 2016. But while it undoubtedly helps to be at a club that spends “north of £2bn during your seven years in charge”, it would be wholly wrong to see Guardiola as merely a “figurehead for some colossal corporate vanity project”. The 52-year-old is a genuine visionary, who has elevated football to the status of art – and who has fashioned City into “arguably the most elegant side English football has seen”.

What makes Guardiola so special is how he has “changed what is considered possible in football”, said Jonathan Wilson in The Guardian. When he arrived at Barcelona in 2008, the sport was in a period of “astringency”. Defensively minded managers such as José Mourinho and Rafa Benítez dominated the game. There was little emphasis on creativity. But Guardiola saw that technical improvements in boot, ball and pitch quality – combined with the crackdown on challenges from behind – were creating opportunities for teams to play with more freedom and more flair. He saw that football could be less about physical dominance, more about the “manipulation of space”. That has made the sport more attacking and exciting, with a higher number of goals per game. All football fans have a lot to thank him for.

Two trophies down, one to go. After winning this season’s Premier League title and FA Cup, Manchester City will head to Istanbul for tomorrow night’s Uefa Champions League final looking to complete the treble. Standing in their way at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium are Italian side Inter, who have won the Champions League three times in their history.

If Pep Guardiola’s men finally claim European club football’s biggest prize they will match the achievement of rivals Manchester United, who in 1999 became the first and only English club to have won the Premier League-FA Cup-Champions League treble. Should the dream become a reality for City, their status as one of the best sides in history will at that point be beyond dispute.

City secured their place in the final after beating holders Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the two-legged semi-final. Inter defeated city rivals AC Milan 3-0 on aggregate to progress to the Istanbul showpiece.

The ‘Holy Grail’ for City

The Citizens have “dominated” English football under Guardiola, but the European Cup has “continued to elude them”, said Joe Brophy on talkSPORT. They will make “one last push for glory” in Istanbul and “few will bet against them finally claiming their Holy Grail”, said Phil McNulty on BBC Sport. The “big question” is do the Nerazzurri have enough to stop City emulating United’s treble of 1999?

Since the Abu Dhabi United Investment Group acquired Man City in 2008, the club has been “transformed” from “mid-table mediocracy” to a “global footballing powerhouse”, said Felix Richter on Statista. However, City’s success has “always been eyed with suspicion”, as it “wouldn’t have been possible without the financial muscle of its Emirati owners”. The success has also come at a “high price”. Despite a net transfer spend of a “whopping” €1.45bn since 2008, the club has only reached one Champions League final – in 2021 where they lost 1-0 to Premier League rivals Chelsea.

City will go to Istanbul as big favourites to win the game. But until they actually get their hands on the trophy can they be ranked as a giant of European football. Speaking after the FA Cup final, Guardiola admitted that “now is the first time we can talk about the treble”. He said: “We have done incredible, five Premier Leagues, two FA Cups and Carabaos but we have to win the Champions League to be recognised how the team deserves to be. It has been amazing, been fun, but we have to win it.” City’s Spanish midfielder Rodri added: “I think Pep said that you will not be ‘big, big’ if you don’t win in Europe. It’s the exam we have to pass.”

Champions League final key details

• Who: Manchester City (Eng) vs. Inter (Ita)
• When: Saturday 10 June 2023
• Where: Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey
• Time: 8pm kick-off (BST)
• Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Live TV and radio coverage

The Champions League final will kick-off at 8pm (BST) on Saturday 10 June. In the UK, BT Sport will show exclusive live coverage on its 1HD and Ultimate channels and the broadcaster will also show the match free-to-air via its mobile and TV app, online at btsport.com/final, on Virgin and its YouTube channel. BT Sport’s build-up to the final will begin at 6pm. BBC Radio 5 Live Sport will have live radio commentary from the Atatürk Olympic Stadium.

The stadium

This is the second Champions League final to be played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. Located in the Başakşehir area of Istanbul, west of the Bosphorus, the stadium boasts a seated capacity of more than 75,000. The Atatürk previously hosted the classic final between Liverpool and AC Milan in 2005. Dubbed the “miracle of Istanbul”, Liverpool came back from 3-0 down at half-time to draw 3-3 before going on to lift the trophy after a penalty shoot-out.

Pundit predictions

According to FiveThirtyEight’s Soccer Power Index (SPI) ratings, City have a 75% chance of winning the final compared to Inter’s 25%. “Ultimately”, however, the final “isn’t a lock” for City by any means even if they are the favourites, said Paul Kasabian on Bleacher Report. Inter could come out and “play the game of their lives”, or City could “struggle mightily”. Anything can happen in a single match. On paper, the guess is that City will win “comfortably” as they are “simply too good everywhere on the pitch”. The pick is for City to win 3-1, said Kasabian.

“Everything – literally everything – is pointing towards a Manchester City win here,” said Opta Analyst. The “only hope” for Inter is that their opponents “aren’t quite at their best, and get some key decisions wrong when the ball is in dangerous areas of the pitch”. The Opta “supercomputer” gives City a “64.6% probability” of winning in 90 minutes, compared to “just 16.4%” for Inter. Overall on the night, City are given a 74.1% chance of lifting the trophy. “It will take something special for Inter to deny City the treble they are chasing.”

Will City make up for their loss in the final two years ago and “finally become champions of Europe”, or will Inter “beat the odds” and claim the continental crown for the fourth time in their history, asked ESPN. City “will win”, and “relatively comfortably”, 3-0, said Rob Dawson. There’s “no pretending” that City are “anything but overwhelming favourites”, said Gab Marcotti. “So I’m going for a 2-0 City win.” No way City are letting this one go, said Julien Laurens. Expect a “tough game against a low Inter block”, but a “moment of magic” from Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland or Bernardo Silva will “win it 1-0 for City”.

Guardiola’s team will “surely never have a better chance” of winning the Champions League, and in turn a famous treble, said Alex Young in the London Evening Standard. “That is not to say that Inter are pushovers.” Guardiola “infamously tinkered too much” when City lost to Chelsea in the final two years ago, “so there is always that danger”. But you would think “any selection should overpower Inter” tomorrow night. “Man City to win 2-0.”

I would back Manchester City, but I’ve seen this “too many times” in the past – “people expected them to turn up against Chelsea two years ago”, said Paul Merson on SportsKeeda. Inter “absolutely demolished” AC in the derby and “if they pull off a similar start”, they “have a chance”. The “only thing that could trip City up is nerves”. Merson predicts a 3-1 win for the English club.

It’s not just the pundits and data experts who have had their say on Saturday’s final – but also players from rival clubs. At last weekend’s Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold both “revealed their predictions”, The Sun reported. Mbappe believes the final will be a “great game” and he thinks that City “are going to win”. Alexander-Arnold “appeared to agree” and told Sky Sports: “I think Man City are always the favourites for everything!”

Betting odds

According to Oddschecker, City are the heavy favourites to lift the Champions League trophy tomorrow night. The English side are priced at 10/21 to win, Inter are 13/2 and the draw is 4/1. With 52 goals in his debut season at City, including 12 in the Champions League, Erling Haaland is priced at 12/5 to score the first goal in the final. The prolific Norwegian striker is also 14/1 to net a hat-trick. All prices as of 9 June.

The draw for the group stage of the 2022-2023 Uefa Champions League has thrown together some exciting ties – especially in group A where English club Liverpool will meet Scottish side Rangers.

The “old Battle of Britain clichés” will “get a good airing” when Rangers and Liverpool get it on, said Scott Murray in The Guardian. It will be the first time that the clubs have played each other in a competitive match. With Ajax and Napoli also in group A, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool “look to have the toughest task” of the English quartet.

Reacting to the draw, Klopp told the Liverpool website that it was a “proper, proper challenge”. All of the clubs “have quality, they all have pedigree and I would say they all have a chance”.

Liverpool and Rangers are two of six British teams in the main group draw. They are joined by Scottish champions Celtic and English teams Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham. In group F Celtic face holders Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk. Chelsea take on Milan, Salzburg and Dinamo in group E. And Spurs play Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting and Marseille in group D.

Man City’s new star striker Erling Haaland will get “a speedy reunion” with former club Borussia Dortmund, said Sky Sports. Premier League champions City also take on Sevilla and FC Copenhagen.

With the Fifa World Cup taking place in Qatar in November and December, the group stage of the upcoming Champions League season has been condensed into just nine weeks. The matchday dates have been announced for the groups, but Uefa has said that the final fixture list “will be confirmed in due course”.

1. Group stage draw and matchday dates

The draw

• Group A: Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, Rangers
• Group B: Porto, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Bruges
• Group C: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Internazionale, Viktoria Plzen
• Group D: Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham Hotspur, Sporting, Marseille
• Group E: Milan, Chelsea, Salzburg, Dinamo
• Group F: Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic
• Group G: Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, FC Copenhagen
• Group H: Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa

Matchday dates

• Matchday one: 6-7 September
• Matchday two: 13-14 September
• Matchday three: 4-5 October
• Matchday four: 11-12 October
• Matchday five: 25-26 October
• Matchday six: 1-2 November

2. Knockout stages: draw and fixture dates

Round of 16

• Draw: 7 November
• Fixture dates: 14-15 and 21-22 February and 7-8 and 14-15 March

Quarter-finals

• Draw: 17 March
• Fixture dates: 11-12 and 18-19 April

Semi-finals

• Draw: 17 March
• Fixture dates: 9-10 and 16-17 May

3. When and where is the 2023 Champions League final?

The Uefa Champions League final will take place on Saturday 10 June 2023 at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.

The 2022 Uefa Champions League final will not be remembered for Real Madrid beating Liverpool 1-0 to win the biggest prize in European club football for a record-extending 14th time. Nor will it be remembered for Vinícius Jr’s 59th-minute winner or the heroic man-of-the-match performance of Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

In the days after the final in Paris the major talking points are all focused on what happened off the pitch – and in particular the chaotic scenes outside the Stade de France in the hours building up to the showpiece fixture.

‘Widespread concern and confusion’

As the scheduled 8pm (BST) starting time approached thousands of Liverpool supporters were still waiting to get inside the ground. The kick-off was delayed by 36 minutes, with European football’s governing body Uefa initially citing the “late arrival” of Liverpool fans.

Many ticket-holders were left “stranded” outside the stadium and footage also emerged of riot police using tear gas, said The Telegraph. Gates were closed and fans were then directed into “narrow bottlenecks”, causing “severe congestion and widespread concern and confusion”.

Merseyside Police, who were on the ground in Paris in an advisory capacity, said the Liverpool supporters were “100%” not late and the behaviour of the fans at the turnstiles was “exemplary in shocking circumstances”. In a tweet an officer said it was the “worst European match I’ve ever worked or experienced”.

‘People’s safety was put at risk’

The biggest game in club football was “wrecked by incompetence and shocking mismanagement”, said Dominic King in the Daily Mail. “It was appalling” and the “anger that ripped through the Liverpool fans was intense”. They were “not the only ones put in jeopardy by abysmal organisation” though, as Real Madrid fans experienced similar issues.

In the aftermath of the scenes in Paris, French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera has blamed a “mass gathering” of supporters with “fake tickets” for the chaos, the BBC reported. Liverpool fans have criticised the French police response and UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has described the scenes as “deeply concerning”.

Uefa has been accused of a “narrative of lies” to blame Liverpool fans for the Champions League final trouble, said The Telegraph. After another day of “toxic fall-out”, it has been revealed that disabled and blind supporters were among those tear-gassed by French police.

Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan has called for a “full and transparent” independent investigation to help establish the facts. “It’s absolutely imperative that we understand what happened and how we got into that situation where people’s safety was put at risk,” he said.

‘Horrendous for our fans and families’

Fans of the Anfield club compared their “terrifying” treatment in Paris to the Hillsborough disaster, The Guardian reported. Some described seeing people scared for their lives, with children “trembling with fear”, as French police fired tear gas into crowds. Liverpool supporter David Hughes said the shambolic organisation and attempts to blame the fans “echoes” the April 1989 disaster, in which his father died. “The first thing they do is blame the fans,” he told The Guardian. “They seriously need to have a good look at themselves. You can’t have 20,000 fans coming under two columns under a subway. Unfortunately, we’ve had experience of that in the past and it doesn’t work.”

In his post-match interview Liverpool left-back Andrew Robertson criticised Uefa and called the governing body’s organisation a “shambles”. The Scot revealed that one of his friends was told his ticket was a fake, “which I assure you it wasn’t”, he said. “To be honest people were just making it up at times and panicking. It was horrendous for our fans and all families that have been through it as well. It wasn’t a nice experience, not a nice final to come to. The Champions League should be a celebration but it wasn’t that.”

Writing in The Telegraph, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher called Uefa’s attempt to blame fans “a disgrace” and said it was “time they came clean”.

In a repeat of the 1981 and 2018 finals, Liverpool and Real Madrid will lock horns for the third time in European football’s showpiece match. In the European Cup final in Paris 41 years ago the English club were victorious 1-0 thanks to Alan Kennedy’s winner. While in 2018 in Kyiv, the Spaniards lifted the Champions League trophy thanks to a Gareth Bale-inspired 3-1 victory.

The European giants have 19 titles between them – Real Madrid have won the competition a record 13 times while Liverpool have won it six. And on Saturday night in Paris they will look to add another trophy to their glittering haul.

Real, the world’s most valuable football club, come into the final on a high having finished 13 points clear of Barcelona to win the La Liga title. Liverpool missed out on a historic quadruple after Manchester City pipped them to the Premier League title by just one point last weekend. However, the Anfield side still have their eyes on a third trophy this season after previously winning the English League Cup and FA Cup.

On their journey to the final Los Blancos have made amazing comebacks in the knockout stages to see off Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. Liverpool have reached the showpiece following aggregate victories over Inter Milan, Benfica and Villarreal.

1. Match details: kick-off time, TV coverage and live stream

The 2022 Uefa Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid will be held at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, on Saturday 28 May. Kick-off is at 8pm (BST) and French official Clément Turpin will be the match referee. The Stade de France also held the 2000 and 2006 Champions League finals.

The big match will be exclusively live in the UK on BT Sport 1, coverage begins at 6pm. The broadcaster will also stream the game for free via btsport.com, the BT Sport app and the BT Sport YouTube channel.

2. Previous finals and head-to-head

The two “legendary” clubs have “a lot of history”, said Roger Gonzalez on CBS Sports. Including the finals in 1981 and 2018, they have played each other eight times in the competition.

Head-to-head

• Games played: 8
• Real Madrid wins: 4
• Liverpool wins: 3
• Draws: 1
• Real Madrid’s European Cup titles (13): 1955-56, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1965-66, 1997-98, 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18
• Liverpool’s European Cup titles (six): 1976-77, 1977-78, 1980-81, 1983-84, 2004-05, 2018-19

1981 European Cup final: Liverpool 1 Real Madrid 0

• Where: Parc des Princes, Paris, France
• Liverpool goalscorer: Alan Kennedy (81 minutes)

2018 Champions League final: Real Madrid 3 Liverpool 1

• Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kyiv, Ukraine
• Real goalscorers: Karim Benzema (51 mins), Gareth Bale (63 and 83 mins)
• Liverpool goalscorer: Sadio Mané (55 mins)

3. Route to the final

Liverpool

• 2021-22 Champions League record: W10, D1, L1, goals scored 30, goals conceded 13
• Top scorer: Mohamed Salah (8)
• Group B: winners
• Round of 16: beat Inter 2-1 on aggregate
• Quarter-finals: beat Benfica 6-4 on aggregate
• Semi-finals: beat Villarreal 5-2 on aggregate

Real Madrid

• 2021-22 Champions League record: W8, D0, L4, goals scored 28, goals conceded 14
• Top scorer: Karim Benzema (15)
• Group D: winners
• Round of 16: beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 on aggregate
• Quarter-finals: beat Chelsea 5-4 on aggregate
• Semi-finals: beat Man City 6-5 on aggregate

4. The bosses: Jürgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti

German head coach Jürgen Klopp, 54, is aiming to win his second Champions League with Liverpool. The Reds beat Tottenham Hotspur in an all-English final in Madrid in 2019. Real’s Carlo Ancelotti has his eyes on a record fourth career title in what will be his fifth final. The 62-year-old Italian, who previously managed Liverpool’s rivals Everton, led AC Milan to victory in 2003 and 2007 and also won the trophy in 2014 in his first spell as Real boss.

5. Possible starting XIs

Liverpool’s predicted line-up (4-3-3)

• Alisson
• Trent Alexander-Arnold
• Ibrahim Konate
• Virgil van Dijk
• Andy Robertson
• Jordan Henderson
• Fabinho
• Naby Keita
• Mohamed Salah
• Sadio Mane
• Luis Diaz

Real Madrid’s predicted line-up (4-3-3)

• Thibaut Courtois
• Dani Carvajal
• Eder Militao
• David Alaba
• Ferland Mendy
• Toni Kroos
• Casemiro
• Luka Modric
• Fede Valverde
• Karim Benzema
• Vinicius Junior

6. Predictions: who will win the Champions League final?

Michael Owen, who played for both clubs in his career, does not think that the final will be such a close affair. Speaking to the Daily Mail, the former England striker is backing Liverpool to “blow away” the Spaniards and predicts a “3-1 or 3-0” victory for the Merseysiders. “I think they could beat them reasonably convincingly because they are an exceptional team at the minute and are too good for Madrid.”

Ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is also “confident” that his former team will beat Real. Speaking on Sky Bet’s The Overlap podcast, the pundit acknowledged that “of course, Real can win – it’s a one-off game”, but believes that the Reds will come through. On the same podcast Gary Neville said he doesn’t think Liverpool will lift the trophy. When discussing Real’s ability for comebacks, he picked out their midfield as the key area. “I look at Real Madrid’s midfield in Casemiro, [Toni] Kroos, [Luka] Modric – plus the two that come in late with [Federico] Valverde and [Eduardo] Camavinga – those five players drive them right from the first minute and right to the end,” Neville said. “I think Liverpool’s midfield is their weak point and in the last 15 minutes that midfield for Real Madrid – the five of them combined – will see them win the game on Saturday.”

Real Madrid have pulled off some “dizzying comebacks” in this season’s Champions League, said Tom Kershaw in The Independent. But Liverpool are a “stronger squad” and have “consistently shown the ability to rise to the occasion themselves”. He predicts a 3-1 win for Klopp’s side.

“On paper”, Liverpool are the “better” team, said Paul Kasabian on Bleacher Report. But after their “sensational and mystifying” Champions League run, Real Madrid appear to be “a team of destiny after living on the edge for the entire knockout round and somehow surviving”. In the end, “all signs point to a tremendous finish” to one of the most exciting knockout rounds in history. “The guess here is Liverpool wins a classic, 3-2.”

Liverpool go into the final as favourites and “rightfully so after a stellar season”, said Matt Verri in the London Evening Standard. Real captain Karim Benzema, the tournament’s top scorer this season with 15 goals, and his strike partner Vinicius Jr will “fancy their chances of getting success against Liverpool’s high-line”. However, the Reds are the “more complete team” and are well placed to secure a third trophy of the season. “Liverpool to win, 3-1.”

“Talk about a tough game to call,” said Ben Knapton on SportsMole. After their penalty shoot-out wins in the League Cup and FA Cup finals, Klopp’s side “may be taken all the way to spot kicks again”. “We believe that Liverpool’s recent experience from 12 yards will help them get their hands on Europe’s biggest prize for the seventh time and end the Real fairytale. Liverpool 2-2 Real Madrid (A.E.T - Liverpool to win on penalties).”

Some fans and pundits will argue that Real Madrid have been “lucky” in this season’s Champions League, said tipster Fredo on Oddschecker.com. But it takes “another type of mentality” to be down two goals in the 89th minute and still prevail against the champions of England. That is why the “champions mentality” will give Real their 14th title.

While “conventional wisdom” would have Liverpool as the “better” team – “whatever that’s worth in a massive game such as this” – betting against Real Madrid’s Champions League magic “feels foolish”, said Kyle Bonn on SportingNews.com. “In a game in which it’s impossible to separate the teams, it’s perhaps best not to try separating them at all.”

Real Madrid may have lost 4-3 to Manchester City in the first leg of the Uefa Champions League semi-finals, but their hopes of winning the competition for a record 14th time have been kept alive once again by the exploits of Karim Benzema.

The French striker, 34, scored two goals in a classic at the Etihad Stadium. He netted his first on 33 minutes after sweeping home Ferland Mendy’s cross. His second, a brilliant “Panenka” penalty, ensured a grandstand second leg next Wednesday in Spain.

‘Ice cold, this guy’

Showing “nerves of steel” with eight minutes remaining, Real captain Benzema “dinked” his spot-kick over City keeper Ederson to make it 4-3 on the night, said BBC Sport. The “nonchalance summed up a sensational match” between two of Europe’s heavyweights.

Speaking on BT Sport, former England defender Rio Ferdinand praised the forward’s confidence for the vital spot kick. He’s “ice cold, this guy”, Ferdinand said of the four-time Champions League winner. “Even if it was in the last minute, he would’ve still executed it.”

With context, the “audacious” Panenka is “even more breathtaking” when you consider that he has missed three out of his last four penalties, including two in the same game against Osasuna last week, said Daniel Davis in the Daily Mail.

Benzema said it was “mental confidence, that’s all” on his Panenka. “I have a lot of confidence in myself so I do it and it turns out well.” He also revealed that he changed his technique after being studied by opposition goalkeepers. Even he admitted that his penalty was “cold blooded”.

One of the world’s great strikers

Death, taxes, Benzema scoring in the Champions League. “Some things are just certainties in life,” said Anish Dogra on talkSPORT. After his brace in Manchester, he has now netted 14 goals in the competition this season, surpassing Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.

Benzema netted five times in the group stages, but it’s been in the knockouts where he has really made the headlines. In the round of 16 he netted a second-leg hat-trick as Real came back to beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 on aggregate. Then in the quarter-finals against Chelsea he scored another hat-trick in the first leg at Stamford Bridge and a 96th-minute extra-time header at the Bernabéu to send Real through to the semi-finals 5-4 on aggregate.

With Benzema in their attack, Real will “always have hope”, said Phil McNulty on the BBC. The Frenchman deserves his place in the “upper echelons of the great strikers in world football”.

Favourite to win the Ballon d’Or?

After 66 goals in 148 games for Lyon, Benzema left the French club for Madrid in 2009. He has now racked up 600 appearances for the Spanish giants and scored 320 goals. This makes him the club’s third-highest goalscorer of all-time behind former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo (450) and Raúl (323). He has also won an impressive 20 trophies during his time at the Bernabéu: four Champions Leagues, four Club World Cups, three Uefa Super Cups, three La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and four Spanish Super Cups.

With his milestone appearance at the Etihad, Benzema has equalled Paco Gento for the number of games in a Real shirt, Marca reported. He has “undoubtedly” been the “most decisive player” in the Champions League this season, but with 41 goals in 41 games for Real across all competitions this also makes him “favourite to win the Ballon d’Or”.

Ahead of the first leg, Man City midfielder İlkay Gündoğan said Benzema has “everything it takes” to win the Ballon d’Or. And his chances of scooping the award in 2022 might have been improved by a “change of criteria which means players will now be judged over the course of a typical club season rather than a calendar year”, said James Walker-Roberts on Eurosport.

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has regularly praised the skipper for his leadership and for setting an example to the rest of the squad. “He has so much personality,” Ancelotti said after Real’s win at Chelsea earlier this month. “He knows he’s a very important player here. Karim improves every day like a fine wine.”

The knockout stages of the Uefa Champions League have become “an absolute must-watch”, the BBC said last year. And this season, the “pinnacle” of European club football has once again proved to be one of the greatest shows in world sport.

In the two quarter-final second legs on Tuesday night, there was drama in both ties. In Spain Real Madrid lost 3-2 on the night to holders Chelsea and needed extra-time to seal a 5-4 aggregate victory. While in Germany Villareal scored an 88th-minute equaliser against six-time winners Bayern Munich to draw 1-1 on the night and progress 2-1 on aggregate.

The Spanish press celebrated “wildly” after the two La Liga teams made it through to the semi-finals, the Daily Mail reported. “What a night, what delirium!” was the headline in Marca, which released a “double-page front cover edition with each half dedicated to each side”.

Benzema breaks Chelsea hearts

Fans inside the iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium witnessed “arguably one of the best games this season”, said the Mail. On a dramatic Champions League night Real Madrid survived a stirring comeback from Chelsea to reach the last four.

Real, who needed their own comeback to beat Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, took a 3-1 lead into the second leg thanks to Karim Benzema’s hat-trick in last week’s match at Stamford Bridge. Defending champions Chelsea travelled to Spain requiring a miracle to reach the semi-finals – and the miracle was “soo close”, said Daniel Childs on Football.London.

Thomas Tuchel’s side went into a 3-0 lead on the night, 4-3 up on aggregate, after goals from Mason Mount, Antonio Rudiger and Timo Werner. The “greatest comeback result in the club’s history was on”, said David Hytner in The Guardian.

But just after Werner’s 75th-minute goal, Real substitute Rodrygo forced extra-time with a superb volley and then in the 96th-minute in-form French striker Benzema “broke Chelsea’s hearts” with a headed winner, said the Mail. The Blues “will not get the credit they deserve for this performance, that is the pity”. It will go down as a defeat “when on the night Chelsea won”.

The clash at the Bernabéu will go down in history as a “Champions League classic”, said James Stroud on GiveMeSport. And the night “will live long in the memories of everyone present”, Hytner added.

When are the semi-finals?

There could be further drama when the remaining quarter-final second legs are played on Wednesday evening. After their 1-0 win at the Etihad Stadium last week, Premier League champions Manchester City will travel to Spain to face Atlético Madrid. Liverpool host Benfica at Anfield and will be confident of reaching the last four having beaten the Portuguese side 3-1 in the first leg.

Real Madrid and Villarreal are the first two teams through to the Champions League semi-finals, which will be played on 26-27 April and 3-4 May. Thirteen-time winners Real will play Man City or Atlético and Villarreal will face Benfica or Liverpool.

Champions League semi-final draw

• Manchester City or Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid
• Benfica or Liverpool vs. Villarreal
• Ties will be played on 26-27 April and 3-4 May

It’s only “half-time” in their round of 16 tie against Sporting CP, but Manchester City already have one foot in the Uefa Champions League quarter-finals after a stunning 5-0 win in Lisbon.

Pep Guardiola’s side strolled to victory against the Portuguese champions on Tuesday night with Bernardo Silva (two), Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling on the scoresheet. Silva, in particular, was “brilliant”, said the BBC, with the former Benfica man “silencing the boos that greeted every touch” the Lisbon-born player made.

Billed as a “potentially tricky tie” for City, the beleaguered hosts “could only watch in despair” as the Premier League champions scored four goals in the first half, Sky Sports reported. This “statement” result – the joint-biggest victory by any side in the history of the Champions League knockout stages – has “further underlined why City are considered favourites to lift the trophy”.

‘Desperate to win in Europe’

Since Sheikh Mansour bought them in 2008, City have been England’s most successful club with 13 trophies in that time, talkSPORT reported. But despite their massive success domestically – and £1.8bn spent on transfers – they have still not won European football’s top club competition. The closest they have come is last year when they reached the final, but lost 1-0 to English rivals Chelsea.

City have been favourites to win the Champions League before, said Luke Edwards in The Telegraph. They were “equally impressive” on their way to the final last season, but the “ultimate prize, the club’s Holy Grail”, slipped through their fingers at the last moment. Guardiola and City’s owners are “desperate to win in Europe”, Edwards added. Could this be their moment? They will “never get a better chance”.

The Citizens’s display in Portugal has “only strengthened their case” for Champions League success this season, said the Liverpool Echo. And former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves believes they are the team to beat.

“They’re favourites to win this competition,” Hargreaves said on BT Sport. “I think these players have delivered time and time again. The margins are fine, we’ve seen that in the Champions League, but I think he [Guardiola] backs his players to get the job done this season."

Pep: ‘We can do better’

City were “sensational” against Sporting and were “seemingly playing a different version of the sport to anybody else in Europe”, said Sarah Winterburn on Football365.

Sporting will be “dismissed as sacrificial lambs” but Real Madrid would not have done this in Lisbon, she added. “Nor would Chelsea nor Bayern Munich nor PSG. Liverpool might, but the truth is that this season’s Liverpool do not look quite as devastating as this City.”

Guardiola declared City’s 5-0 demolition of Sporting as the “dream result”, The Guardian reported. But the Spaniard believes “we can do better” in terms of performance. “I am absolutely more than delighted,” he said. “We were so clinical when we arrived to the goal. We have a duty as a manager and team to analyse.”

City will welcome Sporting to the Etihad Stadium for the return leg on 9 March. Even though they have the five-goal cushion, first-leg hero Silva has urged his team-mates to “keep going”. He told mancity.com: “There’s still a job to do in Manchester, we can’t relax. In the Champions League you cannot relax.”

Lionel Messi has spoken about his new career goals after being unveiled as a Paris Saint-Germain player. The Argentine arrived in the French capital yesterday to sign a two-year contract with PSG and today he held his first press conference at Le Parc des Princes.

PSG fans gathered outside the club’s stadium to welcome their new hero. There was a “rapturous reception” for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner, Goal reports. “Flares, fireworks, drums, chants, you name it!”

He is not the only high-profile signing PSG have made this summer. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who like Messi is also Argentine, has recruited global stars such as Spanish centre-back Sergio Ramos and Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Messi will reportedly earn £960,000 per week and wear the No.30 shirt at PSG - the same number he wore when he began his professional career with Barcelona. And alongside his ex-Barca team-mate Neymar and France striker Kylian Mbappe, the trio will now form one of the most potent front threes in world football.

The 34-year-old won the Uefa Champions League four times with Barca, while PSG are yet to lift Europe’s major club trophy. The French club reached the final in 2020, where they were beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich, and last season lost in the semi-finals to Manchester City.

Revealing his ambitions for his new club, here’s what Messi had to say in his first press conference in Paris…

Why he chose PSG

“It was a difficult change after so long a time. But the moment I arrived here, I felt very happy and I really want to begin the training sessions. I want it to be quick. My only will now is to begin the training sessions. I want to work with the staff and team-mates and begin this new moment of my life.”

Pochettino and the PSG staff

“The whole dressing room and the staff had an influence on my decision. When we saw it was possible, the first thing we did was talk to them and Pochettino. We’ve known each other for a long time and we are close, in a way. It’s been very easy since the very beginning. All the squad and the staff did a lot to help me choose this club.”

Hunger for trophies

“I have this will to play. I am really impatient. I still want to win, as I did the first moment of my career. I feel this club is ready to fight for all the trophies. This is my goal, I want to keep growing and keep winning titles and that is why I came to this club. I know my goals and PSG’s goals are the same and want to be bigger and bigger.”

European glory

“My goal and my dream is to win the Champions League once more. It’s not easy. Sometimes you can have the best team in the world and you don’t win the Champions League - this is football. Paris has been so close to a victory in the Champions League. In the best competition, the best teams are playing. It’s very difficult to win it. You need a very united squad. This dressing room is very united but you also need luck. It’s a very special competition and that’s why it’s so beautiful and so important - we all want to win this competition.”

Playing in Ligue 1

“I’ve been following, and I know Ligue 1 because of my friends. This league has been growing a lot... it’s more competitive, all the teams are getting stronger because they want to beat PSG.”

Star-studded squad

“I’ve got some friends here in the dressing room. When you see the squad you really want to play with them. We had contact and Neymar, of course, did a lot and was important. It’s really crazy and I’m happy about that. Sharing the day to day life with them and all the squad. Really there are some amazing transfers here and the team is incredible. I’m going to be playing with the best players.”

Playing alongside Neymar again

“Neymar is a great player, best of the world in his position. I wanted him at Barca, now it has turned around, and I’m here with him. He’s a spectacular kid - dressing room full of magnificent players.”

The possibility of facing Barcelona at the Camp Nou

“Barcelona is my home - I have been there since I was a kid and I’ve lived so many things there. I don’t know if we are going to face each other - it would be very nice to go back to Barcelona. It will be very strange to play at home there in Barcelona with another shirt but it can happen and we will see.”

When he’s not busy campaigning for children to receive free school meals, Marcus Rashford can be found kicking a ball around for Manchester United and England.

It turns out that the 22-year-old is not just a successful activist, but he’s also pretty good at playing football, too.

Off the pitch, Rashford has seen his petition to end child food poverty hit more than one million signatures. And on the pitch on Wednesday night he played a starring role in Man Utd’s 5-0 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League.

Appearing as a 63rd-minute substitute, Rashford netted a “quickfire hat-trick” for his first treble in senior football, Sky Sports says.

It was quite a response for the youngster who has been accused by some of “virtue signalling” and told to “stick to the football”.

With his hat-trick coming in a 16-minute spell, Rashford “displayed his powers at multi-tasking - showing it is possible to be a campaigner at the same time as a goalscorer”, BBC Sport reports.

Speaking after the game United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “Marcus has showed he can keep focusing on what’s important on and off the pitch at the moment. He did really well today coming off the bench.”

In a tweet Rashford said he “can’t stop smiling” after scoring a first hat-trick for his boyhood club and seeing the petition milestone of one million signatures.

United and Flo help out

Rashford launched his petition to “end child food poverty” on 15 October, but a motion by the Labour Party to extend free school meals over holidays until Easter 2021 was voted down by MPs in the Commons last week.

Despite the vote, Rashford has continued his fight against the government and this week he has flooded his Twitter timeline with retweets of charities, schools and companies who have supported his campaign.

Rashford’s own club is one of many to back his initiative. In a statement Manchester United and the Manchester United Foundation announced a partnership with FareShare that will see 5,000 meals cooked and delivered to local school children this week.

Organisations of all sizes and people of all ages are behind Rashford. Last night he signed off Twitter with a message to his 3.7 million followers to read a story about 89-year-old Flo Osborne.

The great-great-grandmother has rallied to Rashford’s calls and has baked hundreds of pies to help to feed hungry kids during half term, The London Economic reports.

When asked about Rashford’s “lovely idea” she said: “I saw it on the news and I thought, that’s lovely. I have been baking pies throughout lockdown to help vulnerable people in the community, and I love doing it. It keeps me going, and gives me something to do. But I thought, I would love to help the little ones, too.”

The start of the 2020-21 Champions League season has been overshadowed by reports of a new tournament which could replace European football’s top club competition.

Marcus Rashford’s late winner for Manchester United away at Paris Saint-Germain last night would usually take top billing on the back pages of the morning papers, but it’s the “European Premier League” that has stolen many headlines.

Breaking the exclusive story yesterday, Sky News says more than a dozen teams from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are in negotiations about becoming founder members of the new Fifa-backed tournament. The Times adds that the breakaway league is “championed” by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez.

Liverpool and Man Utd are reportedly in talks to join the new league while Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Tottenham are among the other candidates.

Sky News has learned that Wall Street banking giant JP Morgan is in talks to provide $6bn (£4.6bn) of debt financing to help launch the European Premier League, with the proceeds repayable from “future broadcast income generated by the tournament”, according to a football executive.

The “bombshell plot” would “reshape the sport’s global landscape”, the broadcaster said.

How would it work?

The creation of a European super league is not a new concept, but following the recent “Project Big Picture” revelations, the latest rumours look to have substance.

The new tournament could “usurp” the Uefa Champions League, Sky says. The format would involve up to 18 teams playing home and away fixtures during the regular European season. Top-placed teams would play in a knockout tournament and a provisional start date could come as early as 2022.

A formal announcement about the plans could be made as soon as the end of October, an industry figure has revealed, but a number of key details are yet to be finalised. It was described by the source as “potentially the most important development in world club football for decades”.

However, a spokesperson for Fifa, world football’s governing body, said it “does not wish to comment and participate in any speculation about topics which come up every now and then and, for which, institutional structures and regulatory frameworks are well in place at national, European and global level”.

Uefa opposes ‘boring’ plan

In response European football’s governing body Uefa “strongly opposes” the plans and says a European super league or variants would “become boring”, Sky Sports reports.

A statement said: “The Uefa president has made it clear on many occasions that Uefa strongly opposes a Super League.

“The principles of solidarity, of promotion, relegation and open leagues are non-negotiable. It is what makes European football work and the Champions League the best sports competition in the world.

“Uefa and the clubs are committed to build on such strength not to destroy it to create a super league of 10, 12, even 24 clubs, which would inevitably become boring.”

The start of football’s death?

Eurosport’s Ben Snowball says the radical plan to shake-up European football - “aka, put more money in the pockets of rich clubs” - has got tongues wagging. He believes that the European Premier League is the “start of football’s death”.

All the signs of football’s demise are already there, says Snowball, “fans treated as customers, £15 pay-per-view matches, half the Football League tiptoeing extinction, redundancies of club staff (and mascots) to enable big-money moves, an alarming apathy among certain high-paid players. And now a proposal for a lucrative breakaway 18-team European Premier League to replace the Champions League from 2022”.

Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters’ Association, says the idea shows that billionaire owners of clubs “are out of control” and only care about their own greed, the BBC reports. Miles added: “This has to be the last nail in the coffin of the idea that football can be relied upon to regulate itself.”

Meanwhile, La Liga president Javier Tebas was scathing about the project, arguing that plans like this “only look good when drafted at a bar at five in the morning”.

Uefa has made the draw for the group stages of the 2020-21 Champions League.

The draw held at Uefa’s HQ - the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland - had a number of caveats. Each of the eight groups contained one team from each pot and no teams from the same country could be drawn together.

Group G is the standout draw with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus facing Lionel Messi’s Barcelona. Juve and Barca are grouped with Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros.

Defending champions Bayern Munich, who won all 11 matches last season, are in group A with Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moscow.

Premier League champions Liverpool are in group D with Ajax, Atalanta and Midtjylland. Frank Lampard’s Chelsea joined Europa League winners Sevilla, Krasnodar and Rennes in group E.

Manchester City, Porto, Olympiakos and Marseille are in group C while Manchester United are with Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig and Istanbul Basaksehir in group H.

Matchday one of the group stage is on 20-21 October and all matches will be live on BT Sport.

Champions League group stage draw

Group A: Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moscow Group B: Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Borussia Monchengladbach Group C: Porto, Man City, Olympiakos, Marseille Group D: Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, Midtjylland Group E: Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes Group F: Zenit St Petersburg, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, Club Bruges Group G: Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kiev, Ferencvaros Group H: Paris St-Germain, Man Utd, RB Leipzig, Istanbul Basaksehir

2020-21 Champions League key dates

20-21 October: group stage matchday one 27-28 October: group stage matchday two 3-4 November: group stage matchday three 24-25 November: group stage matchday four 1-2 December: group stage matchday five 8-9 December: group stage matchday six 16-17 February 2021: round of 16 6 and 14 April: quarter-finals 17 April and 5 May: semi-finals

When is the 2021 Champions League final?

The 2021 final will take place on Saturday 29 May and will be held at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.

How to watch on TV

BT Sport will again have exclusive UK rights for the Champions League and Europa League. The broadcaster will show live coverage of every match.

2020 Uefa Champions League final Paris Saint-Germain 0 Bayern Munich 1

Bayern Munich are celebrating becoming champions of Europe for the sixth time after a 1-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday’s Uefa Champions League final.

Players, pundits and fans had hoped for a “goalfest” between the two attacking teams, but the showpiece was a nervy affair and settled only by a 59th-minute header from Bayern’s Kingsley Coman against his former team.

Here we pick out five talking points from the final held in the Portuguese capital Lisbon.

‘The King’ of Munich: a serial trophy winner

Coman started his career with PSG and only played three senior games for the French giants before moving on to Italian club Juventus in 2015. The French international then spent two seasons on loan with Bayern before making his move to Germany permanent in 2017.

The 24-year-old - who is nicknamed “The King” - has been a serial winner in his short career so far, The Sun reports. He’s won 20 trophies despite playing just 193 games and has never failed to win a league title. Incredibly, he has won a trophy every 9.65 games he played.

With half-an-hour to go in Sunday’s final he headed home Joshua Kimmich’s cross to help Bayern land the ultimate prize.

Speaking after the final whistle, Coman said: “It’s extraordinary, a great happiness. I feel a little sad for Paris, they’ve had an extraordinary journey and we must respect what Paris have done. We tried to keep them under pressure and they played on the counterattack mostly. We didn’t concede a goal and that was the most important thing. Paris had a great game, but so did we. It was a great final.”

‘Masterstroke’ by Flick

Uefa.com reporter Jordan Maciel described Coman’s inclusion in the final as a “masterstroke of man-management” by Bayern head coach Hansi Flick.

In the three previous knockout games Flick did not change his starting XI, but for the final he brought in Coman in place of Ivan Perisic and the decision proved to be match-winning.

Maciel said: “The most uncharacteristic of goals sealed a sixth European Cup success and a second treble for Bayern. It was a masterstroke of man-management that made the difference in an otherwise even game.”

Perfect record, goals galore and Mr Safe Hands

The victory in Lisbon means Bayern finish their Champions League campaign with a 100% perfect record - 11 wins from 11 matches.

ESPN reports that the Germans are the first team to win every Champions League match en route to the title, first team in Champions League history to win 11 straight games and first unbeaten champion since Manchester United in 2007-08.

“Now that is how you win a Champions League,” says ESPN’s Anirudh Menon.

Bayern scored an impressive 43 goals in their 11 matches and star striker Robert Lewandowski ended the 2019-20 Champions League season as top scorer with 15. Poland international Lewandowski scored 55 goals in all competitions for Bayern.

While much of the focus was on the star attackers ahead of the Lisbon final, it was goalkeeper Manuel Neuer who proved a major difference between the two teams.

The Bayern captain made a number of great saves and produced a world-class performance before lifting the famous silver trophy.

What a turnaround

Flick was appointed Bayern caretaker manager in November when he stepped into the top job following Niko Kovac’s dismissal.

Bayern were in crisis at the time having been crushed 5-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt and the result left the defending German champions fourth in the Bundesliga table.

After a run of 18 wins in 21 competitive matches, the 55-year-old Flick was appointed head coach on a permanent basis in April and went on to lead his team to the Bundesliga title, German cup and now the Champions League.

After “miraculously” transforming Bayern into Europe’s best club side, DW.com says Flick’s treble is “unparalleled in the modern era” and is the best debut season for a coach in football history.

The Bayern head coach praised his whole team for their hardworking display against PSG. He said: “We really make life difficult for the opposition. When you think how we worked defensively until the 92nd minute - Lewandowski was chasing after the ball, that was incredible. It was a complete team performance.”

Missed chances leaves PSG and Neymar in tears

While Kingsley Coman takes the spotlight for scoring Bayern’s winner, PSG and their star forwards will look back on missed opportunities.

In the first half of the final Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Ángel Di María all spurned opportunities to open the scoring - and the setbacks mean PSG still await a first-ever Champions League title.

PSG head coach Thomas Tuchel said: “All we lacked was the first goal. We had chances and they got the first goal. I’m convinced that if we’d got the first goal, we would have won that same game 1-0.”

Midfielder Ander Herrera added: “We’ve won four trophies and lost the Champions League final – without deserving to, I think. They were more clinical than us. When you play another top team in Europe, if you don’t score they will.”

When the final whistle was blown PSG’s Brazilian superstar Neymar was left in tears at what could have been for the dejected French giants.

Uefa.com’s Chris Burke said: “Neymar was unable to wield his influence when it mattered most. Despite coming close to giving Paris the advantage in the first half, he was mostly a fringe figure as Bayern’s players put him under close scrutiny. Without Neymar waving his wand, the French champions struggled for ideas after the restart.”

2020 Uefa Champions League final

Who: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bayern Munich When: Sunday 23 August Where: Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Lisbon, Portugal Kick-off time: 8pm (BST) UK TV coverage: live on BT Sport 1

Football fans watching Sunday’s Uefa Champions League final between Paris-Saint Germain and Bayern Munich should expect to see a glut of goals according to Alphonso Davies.

Two of Europe’s most attacking sides go head-to-head in Lisbon and both teams can boast having a potent strikeforce.

PSG will hope their front three of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Ángel Di María can lead them to a first-ever Champions League title, while Bayern will be confident of their chances with goal machine Robert Lewandowski leading their attack.

Polish striker Lewandowski has scored 55 goals in all competitions this season and will be supported by the likes of Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry and Ivan Perišić.

The embarrassment of attacking riches should lead to an entertaining final, says Bayern star Davies. Speaking after Bayern’s 3-0 win over Lyon in the semi-final, the 19-year-old Canadian left-back said: “PSG are a good team. It will be a good game. There will be goals in that game.”

Van Persie: ‘Mbappe is something else’

Former Arsenal and Manchester United forward Robin van Persie was asked to assess the talented attacking line-ups of the two teams and he picked out PSG’s Mbappe as the key player.

Speaking on BT Sport, Dutchman Van Persie said: “Lewandowski is such a joy to watch. For the last seven or eight years he’s been world class. So consistent.

“Neymar, everyone knows is a fantastic player. What I really like about him is no matter what even if he misses chances, he makes his dribbles. Even in the last game, the last round he made 16 dribbles which is the most in like the last 10 years we’ve seen. He’s unreal.

“But Mbappe is something else in my opinion. He plays at such a high level, such high speed as well but he still sees the through balls. Every choice he makes, when to dribble, when to pass, when to shoot, when to give an assist. He gives a lot of assists as well.

“For me I would go for Mbappe because he is playing on a different speed, a different level.”

Key talking points

Ten out of ten

Five-time European champions Bayern have won all ten of their Champions League matches this season and scored 42 goals in the process.

Lewandowski has scored 15 of their goals and notable results during the campaign include a 7-2 win at Tottenham in the group stage and an 8-2 hammering of Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

Defence is also strong

As well Neymar, Mbappe and Di María, French champions PSG can also call upon strikers such as Mauro Icardi. The Argentine forward has scored five goals during the run to the final, the same amount as Mbappe.

It’s not just the attack that’s strong for Thomas Tuchel’s team. In their run to the final PSG only conceded five goals in ten games - fewer than any other team in the Champions League this season.

Did you know?

This year’s Champions League final is the first since 1998 to feature two teams who are the reigning champions of their respective countries.

What time is kick-off and is it on TV?

Sunday’s Champions League final in Lisbon kicks off at 8pm (BST) and the match is live on BT Sport 1.

Pep Guardiola has won every trophy there is to win in England since becoming manager of Manchester City in 2016.

The Spaniard has guided City to Premier League titles in 2017-18 and 2018-19, the FA Cup in 2019, League Cups in 2018, 2019 and 2020 and FA Community Shields in 2018 and 2019.

But despite his domestic successes, he has a major gap in his City CV: winning the Uefa Champions League.

As head coach of FC Barcelona, Guardiola led the Catalans to Champions League titles on two occasions - 2008-09 and 2010-11. However, at City he still awaits European glory. Could 2020 be the year when Guardiola and Co finally lift the famous silver trophy? He will find out in the next 11 days.

It’s a knockout

With the coronavirus putting a halt to the football season, City had to wait five months to complete their round of 16 tie against 13-time European champions Real Madrid.

In February City won 2-1 in the first leg at the Bernabeu and in the return fixture at the Etihad last Friday they repeated the scoreline to secure a 4-2 aggregate victory and a place in the last eight.

The post-lockdowon conclusion of the Champions League has a new look to it, with a mini-tournament taking place from 12-23 August in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.

Instead of the usual two-legged affairs, the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be one-off knockout fixtures - similar to those seen at major international tournaments such as the Fifa World Cup or Euros.

The action starts on Wednesday with the first quarter-final between Atalanta and Paris St-Germain. On Thursday RB Leipzig face Atletico Madrid and Friday sees Barcelona take on Bayern Munich. City’s clash against French side Lyon on Saturday concludes the round.

‘Every game is a final’

Speaking ahead of the tie against Lyon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, Guardiola has urged his players to embrace the sudden-death format.

The 49-year-old City boss said: “It is quite similar to a World Cup. Before it was last-16, quarter-final and semi-final with two games and now every game is a final.

“You are in, or you are out. We will see a final against Lyon, there are no second chances or mistakes. We are looking forward to it, we are going to prepare well and will try to go through.”

With a potential three games in eight days in Lisbon, Guardiola believes his squad are fully focussed on the task at hand. Not just the knockout fixtures, but also preparing for the games in the right way.

However, it won’t be all work and no play for the City squad though.

“We cannot stay nine or ten days away in Portugal staying in the room just waiting for the matches,” Guardiola said. “We have to try and make walks, make good lunches and dinner together, and of course training and prepare for the games as best as possible. And after that, try to beat them.

“When you arrive at this stage and you see the desire the players have to go through or win this competition, it is just to have fun. Because I know in every single situation they will be focused, they are going to prepare incredibly well.”

Should City beat Lyon and progress to the semi-finals it would see Guardiola go up against one of the teams he formerly managed - Barcelona or Bayern Munich.

It’s a challenge that the serial winner will have to face if he wants to bring the Champions League trophy back to Manchester.

2020 Champions League fixtures

All one-leg ties are being held in Lisbon, Portugal, and are live on BT Sport.

Quarter-finals

- Wednesday 12 August: Atalanta vs. Paris St-Germain (8pm BST; Estadio da Luz, Lisbon)- Thursday 13 August: RB Leipzig vs. Atletico Madrid (8pm BST; Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon)- Friday 14 August: Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich (8pm BST; Estadio da Luz, Lisbon)- Saturday 15 August: Manchester City vs. Lyon (8pm BST; Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon)

Semi-finals

- Tuesday 18 August: RB Leipzig or Atlético Madrid vs. Atalanta or Paris Saint-Germain (Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica)- Wednesday 19 August: Manchester City or Lyon vs. Barcelona or Bayern Munich (Estádio José Alvalade)

2020 Champions League final

- When: Sunday 23 August- Where: Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica

Champions League winner odds

Prices according to Oddschecker (as of 11 August)

- Manchester City: 9/4- Bayern Munich: 3/1- Paris Saint-Germain: 11/2- Barcelona: 8/1- Atletico Madrid: 17/2- Atalanta: 12/1- RB Leipzig: 20/1- Lyon: 50/1

European football was thrown into chaos yesterday by two announcements that are likely to have far-reaching ramifications for the sport’s attempt to emerge from the coronavirus shutdown.

The first was the declaration by the French government that all professional sport is suspended in the country until September at the earliest.

In a stroke the hopes of restarting Ligue 1 vanished and according to The Daily Telegraph the decision left Uefa and the French football federation “stunned”. Quite why they should have been so surprised isn’t clear.

Although some schools and shops in France are scheduled to reopen next month there will be strict rules in place, such as the observation of the two metre social distance and the wearing of masks at all times.

The same regulations will apply on public transport when France emerges from its lockdown on 11 May.

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Delusional

Did French football seriously think it would be able to resume - as some had declared - in June without these rules in place?

Globally, sport, particularly football, has yet to produce a solution as to how competitions can resume without flouting these fundamental health and safety measures.

The general public are unlikely to react favourably if they perceive post-lockdown there is one rule for them and another for football.

Furthermore, the French government was probably mindful of what happened on 11 March when Paris Saint-Germain played Borussia Dortmund in the Uefa Champions League. Although the match was played behind closed doors, thousands of fans congregated outside the Parc des Princes to celebrate long into the night.

Football authorities and clubs the world over are deluding themselves if they think such scenes won’t be repeated if matches resumed over the summer.

Too great a risk

The French government’s decision is the right one, according to Fifa’s chief doctor, who has expressed his belief that scrapping this season would be best for the sport.

“My proposal is if it is possible, avoid playing competitive football in the coming weeks,” said Michel d’Hooghe, the chair of Fifa’s medical committee.

Expressing his “scepticism” about resuming competitions amid the coronavirus pandemic, d’Hooghe added: “There is a risk and it is not a risk that has small consequences. It can have consequences of life and death and that is why I am so careful and I ask everyone to be very careful before deciding to play again.”

The decision of the French government and d’Hooghe’s declaration piles the pressure on other countries, as well as Uefa, who from the outset has appeared unwavering in its determination to complete the Champions League and Europa League seasons.

PSG defiance

The Telegraph says the French decision “throws into turmoil” their plans given that PSG are already in the Champions League quarter-finals while Lyon are 1-0 up on aggregate against Juventus after the round of 16 first leg.

PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi issued a defiant statement shortly after the government’s announcement, saying: “We respect of course the French government decision – we plan on competing in the Champions League with Uefa agreement – wherever and whenever it is held.

“If it is not possible to play in France we will play our matches abroad subject to the best conditions for our players and the safety of all our staff.”

Al-Khelaifi may have to run that idea by the French government. Last week Prime Minister Edouard Philippe warned the country that travelling abroad may not be possible for several months, and he’s shown he is not a man to kowtow to the football dollar.

Today’s back pages

Is the Premier League restart a pipe dream?

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1. Anfield tie under investigation

The Guardian reports that the Uefa Champions League tie between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid on 11 March will be investigated by public health authorities over a potential coronavirus rise in the city.

Anfield was at a 52,000 capacity for the match, including 3,000 fans from Spain which was already on partial lockdown.

Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson said: “I have asked [the city’s public health director] Matt Ashton and his team to conduct a full investigation into any potential link between that match and the situation with coronavirus in the city.

“We want to come to a view as to whether that decision had an impact on the people of this city and I’ve asked Matt to work with the universities to see if the data can give us an indication of that.”

2. Werner and Willian in Reds’s sights

Liverpool could be on the verge of two major signings this summer. According to Sky Sports RB Leipzig and Germany forward Timo Werner is ready to sign for the Anfield club if they pay his £52m release clause before it expires on 15 June. Meanwhile, Sport Witness reports that Chelsea winger Willian is in “favourable” negotiations over a free transfer.

3. Are we the champions?

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp adorns the back page of The Daily Telegraph after Uefa’s decision that qualification for next season’s European competitions has to be based on “sporting merit”.

The Daily Mirror says that in making its decision, Uefa has “effectively taken the possibility of a null and void Premier League season off the table”, which it believes is good news for Liverpool.

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4. London Marathon could be elite-only

London Marathon race director Hugh Brasher has not ruled out the rescheduled 4 October event only featuring elite runners. He told The Guardian: “We are trying to stay really agile and to keep scenario planning. And at the moment, I don’t want to discount anything until it becomes really impossible.”

5. Rugby player banned after signing for two clubs

South African rugby union player Rohan Janse Van Rensburg has been fined and banned for two weeks after it was revealed he had signed contracts with two Premiership clubs, Sale and Gloucester. The Daily Telegraph reports that Sale have also been given a suspended five-point deduction for their role in the saga.

6. England vs. West Indies postponed

England’s Test series against the West Indies, which was scheduled to start in June, has been postponed after cricket’s shutdown was extended until at least 1 July.

England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison said: “As much as we remain hopeful that we can deliver some cricket this summer, we are in the midst of a worldwide crisis and our priority - over and above the playing of professional sport - will be to protect the vulnerable, key workers and society as a whole.

“That’s why, simply put, there will be no cricket unless it’s safe to play. Our schedule will only go ahead if government guidance permits.”

7. British sport faces bankruptcy

Sport in the UK could find itself locked down until 2021 in a warning that will send a chill through clubs, organisations and governing bodies.

The Daily Telegraph says that sports are “desperate for clarification over both that timeframe and how social distancing measures may specifically apply to participants and crowds”, given that it’s the loss of gate revenue that threatens to devastate sport.

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8. Dier in the dock

The Football Association (FA) has charged Spurs and England international Eric Dier with misconduct after he climbed into the stand to confront a fan following the FA Cup defeat to Norwich in March.

The FA said: “Eric Dier has been charged with misconduct for a breach of FA Rule E3. It is alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder’s actions were improper and/or threatening.”

Dier, who was led away by stewards before he could get close to the fan, has until 8 May to respond.

9. Neville confirms departure in July 2021

England women’s head coach Phil Neville has today confirmed that he will leave the role in the summer of 2021. Neville said: “I am looking forward to getting back to work with the team as soon as possible. We have a fantastic squad of players and there is plenty to work on as we look to progress as a team going into 2021.”

10. Burrow picked by Bengals in NFL Draft

The Cincinnati Bengals last night selected 23-year-old quarterback Joe Burrow as the No.1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Heisman Trophy winner Burrow, who played college American football at Louisiana State, said: “I knew I was going to have a really good season because I knew we had good players coming back, great coaches and we were going to work really hard. But to jump up to number one overall is crazy to me. It’s a dream come true.”

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Uefa is still striving to complete the Champions League and Europa League but increasingly it looks like it is in denial about the gravity of the situation.

According to The Guardian more and more Premier League clubs are “actively discussing the possibility of bringing the season to an early end, with concerns growing over the feasibility of a return even behind closed doors”.

At a meeting last week of the 20 clubs and officials from the Premier League there was a unanimous desire to try and finish the season, but nonetheless that ambition could not conceal the bitter truth that it may no longer be possible.

Attempts in France to reschedule the domestic rugby union season for July were abandoned on Wednesday on instructions from medical officials and that is an omen of what confronts football.

The Guardian says Premier League clubs are openly discussing the hurdles in the way of a return “with some asking whether the challenges will soon become too great”.

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Moyes has doubts

West Ham United’s David Moyes is the first Premier League manager to articulate the doubts, saying this week: “The deeper and deeper you look the harder you feel it is to get it up running again.”

The Guardian has spoken to clubs who have aired a number of concerns including finance and sporting integrity, but the most pressing one is medical safety.

“I think we’ve got to realise there are a lot of people whose lives we could be putting at risk,” said Moyes.

“We can’t let that happen. I think until we have the testing, which we need for the nurses and the doctors - I’m finding it really difficult to see where the conclusion is and how we can start [to play].”

Reality check

Uefa, however, continues to claim that it will be possible to complete the two showpiece competitions.

According to BBC Sport, at a video conference of its 55 associations on Tuesday Uefa said there was “still the possibility of the competitions being played throughout June, July and August”.

That would entail completing the domestic leagues by 31 July and then finishing the Champions League and Europa League in August.

The BBC says that Uefa’s plan is for the quarter-finals and semi-finals of both competitions to be played as two-legged ties between 11 and 22 August, although these could yet become one-off games.

Fixture jam

But the plan ignores the fact that the rescheduled matches would cut into the start of the 2020-21 season, creating further problems, and cluttering up a fixture list that is already crammed given that the 2020 European Championships have been pushed back to June 2021.

“We’ve got to be careful that we are not asking an incredible amount of the players,” said Moyes.

Today’s back pages

Phil Neville to leave Lionesses role next summer

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Anfield tie under spotlight

The Guardian reports the claim that Atletico Madrid supporters may have brought coronavirus with them when they came to Anfield for last month’s Uefa Champions League tie.

The match, on 11 March, saw 3,000 Spaniards make the journey to Liverpool at a time when Madrid was already in the throes of a partial lockdown.

The Guardian says that Liverpool city council’s director of public health, Matthew Ashton, has admitted that the fixture “should have been called off”, while the mayor of Madrid, Jose Luis Martínez-Almeida, said at the weekend that it was a “mistake” to permit Atletico fans to make the journey.

Speaking yesterday at the daily coronavirus press conference at Downing Street, the government’s deputy chief scientific adviser, Angela McLean, described the possibility of a link between cases of the virus in the two cities as an “interesting hypothesis”.

She then told a reporter from the Liverpool Echo: “I think it would be very interesting to see in the future when all the science is done what relationship there is between the viruses that have circulated in Liverpool and the viruses that have circulated in Spain.”

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Gunners agree deal - but Ozil snubs pay cut

Many of the papers report the news that Arsenal have become the first Premier League club to agree a wage cut with its players.

Watford, West Ham and Southampton have all announced wage deferral schemes in recent weeks, but yesterday the Gunners revealed the terms of their deal.

“Arsenal hope to take a short cut”, says Metro, with the paper explaining that the players will take a 12.5% cut until March 2021, but this money will be reimbursed if they finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League. If Arsenal make it to the Europa League the players will receive 7.5% back.

Metro quotes the Arsenal statement declaring that the “agreement is based on the assumption we will finish the season 2019/20 and receive the full broadcasting revenues”.

The majority of Arsenal’s squad agreed to the deal but the Daily Mirror and Daily Star report that Mesut Ozil is one of three first-team players to reject the club’s 12.5% pay cut.

Arsenal confirm wage deal but Mesut Ozil refuses 12.5% cut

Depression worry

The Times devotes part of its back page to a report warning that among professional footballers “symptoms of depression [have] doubled in the wake of lockdown measures”.

Between 1 January and 31 March, 299 members of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) sought therapy through Sporting Chance Clinic’s networks of therapists and a confidential helpline, “just under half as many as sought counselling services in the whole of 2019 [653]”.

As a consequence every pro player has been sent a mental-health survey by the PFA as they “seek feedback” from players in England’s male and female professional leagues.

The Times says that “counsellors have been made available to players via the Skype, FaceTime and Zoom video call apps to discuss any problems”.

Today’s sport headlines

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Uefa is striving to complete this season’s Champions League competition even if it means playing the final on 29 August.

Normally, the qualifying rounds of Europe’s showpiece tournament are well underway by late August but in the exceptional circumstances that the world now finds itself, Uefa is mulling the feasibility of staging the 2019-20 final at the start of the 2020-21 European football season.

According to BBC Sport, Istanbul will host the final (as was always the intention) with the Europa League final taking place in Gdansk on 26 August.

European football’s governing body is scheduled to hold a video conference on 23 April in which the idea will be discussed in the context of the coronavirus crisis.

With football unlikely to restart before June, Uefa is said to be keen to finish domestic leagues first before completing the Champions League and its sister tournament.

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Two scenarios

BBC Sport says that two scenarios are under consideration. The first is to run the quarter-finals and semi-finals as two-legged matches in July and August, as normal, and the second is to condense the ties into one-off fixtures once the domestic seasons is finished, in effect staging a mini tournament in one week.

However, there remains the problem of what to do about the last-16 matches.

Four of the eight Champions League round of 16 ties were completed before football shutdown last month, but four - including Manchester City’s tie against Real Madrid - are incomplete.

Fixture headache

In the Europa League none of the last-16 second-leg ties are completed and two first-leg games are yet to be played. It has been suggested that those two matches could be decided on the toss of the coin but it is more complicated for the ties that are incomplete.

Should Uefa decide that the winners of the first leg will go through to the quarter-final there could be legal ramifications from disgruntled clubs.

Today’s back pages

Premier League deadlock over pay and schedule, cricket’s in crisis and Toon deal to be finalised by May

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Uefa has postponed the finals of all this season’s major competitions but European football’s governing body remains optimistic that the Champions League and Europa League will be decided this summer.

In line with all international sport, football in Europe has been suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic and currently the continent’s two showpiece competitions are in limbo.

But BBC Sport reports that “it is still hoped to play the respective finals on 24 June and 27 June”, although to accomplish that task it may mean tinkering with the format of the tournaments.

The Champions League final had originally been slated for 30 May in the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.

Four round of 16 ties have been completed in the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig and Atalanta all through to the quarter-finals. But the Manchester City vs. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea, Juventus vs. Lyon and Barcelona vs. Napoli ties still have the return legs to finish.

In the Europa League, six first-leg ties have been completed but two are outstanding.

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Toss of a coin

According to the BBC, “work is now being undertaken to try to work out a formula that would allow the competitions to reach a conclusion”.

Two of the Europa League last 16 matches - Sevilla vs. Roma and Inter vs. Getafe - have not even had their first leg completed and it’s believed Uefa may decide these games on the toss of a coin.

Turkish delight?

The fact that the last 16 games have not been completed places Uefa in a quandary as does the possibility that domestic leagues will resume at different times.

Britain, for example, has just gone into a national lockdown, while Italy is in its third week of confinement and Spain and France the second week.

Completing the outstanding round of 16 ties of the Champions League and Europa League is Uefa’s priority and then the quarter-finals and semi-finals could also be played over a single game, perhaps in a mini-tournament in the host city of Istanbul.

Today’s back pages

Tokyo Olympics ‘set for 2021’ and football players ‘revolt’ against matches behind closed doors

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For the first time in the tournament’s 60-year history the European Championships have been postponed.

The decision announced by Uefa yesterday that the 2020 competition, scheduled to be staged in 12 cities, will now kick off in 2021 took no one by surprise.

But nonetheless it was still a momentous declaration, underlining the extent to which the world - and not just that of sport - has been turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic.

European football’s governing body took the unprecedented decision during an emergency video conference involving major stakeholders.

The reasoning behind the rescheduling of the Euros to 11 June to 11 July 2021 is to allow Europe’s domestic leagues to complete their seasons.

With football across the continent expected to be closed down until the beginning of May, there could - if the virus is contained - still be time to finish league and cup competitions in May and June.

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Solidarity

“We are at the helm of a sport that vast numbers of people live and breathe that has been laid low by this invisible and fast-moving opponent,” said Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin.

“It is at times like these, that the football community needs to show responsibility, unity, solidarity and altruism.

“The health of fans, staff and players has to be our number one priority and… there was a real spirit of co-operation, with everyone recognising that they had to sacrifice something in order to achieve the best result.”

Clash

BBC Sport reports that one result of the rescheduled Euros is that they will now clash with the Women’s European Championship, which is due to be held in England in July 2021, while the Nations League and the European Under-21 Championships are also inked in for that month.

Asked about the clash, Uefa said those tournaments will be “rescheduled accordingly”. According to the BBC “it is currently unclear if that involves minor tweaks to dates, or large-scale postponements”.

Working group

Euro 2020 was due to start on 12 June although there were still some qualifying play-offs to be completed. They were scheduled for this month but have been put back to June, as have a series of friendly international matches.

In the meantime Uefa has set up a cross-party working group to pore over the outstanding football calendar in an attempt to reach a solution that would permit all domestic leagues to be completed in May and June, while also allowing time to bring the Champions League and Europa League to a satisfactory conclusion.

Reactions to Uefa’s Euro 2020 decision

Barney Ronay, The Guardian

“A Euros in 2021 does at least offer the promise of some kind of re-emergence. Distant as it seems, it could even be a time of joy.”

Paul Hayward, The Daily Telegraph

“Postponements and cancellations in sport are not what the global health emergency is about. Terminations of life and livelihoods are at its core. Most of the players denied a chance to shine in an England shirt this summer will find that moment not erased but merely delayed. At club and international level their promise will survive the loss of a tournament that was configured, unwittingly, as the perfect virus-spreader.”

Martin Samuel, Daily Mail

“Agreeing to delay the European Championship by a year but keeping its pan-continental format reveals an absence of understanding of what is to come. Without coronavirus it was a rotten plan. At the time of the continent’s biggest crisis since the Second World War, when the air travel industry stands on the brink of oblivion - the International Air Transport Association’s prediction is that all but 30 of 700 commercial airlines will fold without government help - it is lunatic.”

Dave Kidd, The Sun

“The postponement of Euro 2020 by a year was an inevitable no-brainer and Uefa chief Aleksander Ceferin was right to rule out the prospect of staging such a jamboree of football behind closed doors.”

Today’s back pages

French Open farce creates ‘confusion and anger’ and Champions League could be played on weekend

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French farce

The news that the French Open has been rescheduled for September is reported on the back pages of many of the papers.

The tournament becomes the first tennis major to fall victim to coronavirus although Wimbledon is also expected to be affected by the pandemic.

Roland Garros was supposed to host the world’s finest from 24 May to 7 June but it will now start on 20 September, making it the last of the year’s majors.

However, The Guardian reports that the decision by the French tennis federation to reschedule the clay-court event has “created confusion and anger across the game”.

The reason, as the Daily Express explains, is that the new dates not only come just a week after the conclusion of the US Open but they also clash with the Laver Cup.

This popular and established exhibition team competition is a favourite for some of the top stars, including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and the Guardian says the French Open could be boycotted by many players.

Nadal is a 12-time French Open champion and the clash with the Laver Cup puts the Spaniard in an “more obviously embarrassing position”.

Not only is he a key figure for Team Europe in the Laver Cup but he’s also the “king of Roland Garros”. The Guardian says without Nadal, the French Open is “seriously diminished��.

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Something for the weekend?

Like their rivals, i Sport reports on the decision to postpone this summer’s European Championships to 2021. But the paper also leads on its back page with what it claims is an exclusive: namely, that Champions League matches could be moved to the weekend in order to complete the tournament this season.

The paper says Uefa has previously sought to play Champions League matches on primetime weekend slots, but the attempts “have been blocked by the major European leagues”, such as the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga, who have jealously guarded this lucrative time slot for their domestic fixtures.

Following yesterday’s video conference, a working group composed of club, league and Uefa representatives has been established to find a solution to finishing the domestic leagues, Champions League and Europa League.

i Sport says the football calendar will be “meticulously analysed and a raft of possible solutions devised and debated”.

Euro 2020 postponed: Uefa president says ‘health of fans and players is the priority’

Olympics in peril

The Times claims that contrary to the bullish statements emanating from Japan in recent days that the Olympic Games will go ahead as planned, senior figures in British sport are now “90% certain” that they won’t escape unscathed from the coronavirus chaos that has ravaged the rest of the sporting calendar.

The Games are due to start in Tokyo on 24 July and yesterday the International Olympic Committee (IOC) conducted a video conference with the international federations and “insisted that it was still its intention for the Games to go ahead despite the coronavirus crisis”.

But despite the optimistic declaration, in private the IOC is increasingly fearful that the Games will be delayed or even cancelled.

The Times says that the IOC has “until 60 days before the start of competition”, which would be 26 May, to delay Tokyo 2020.

Today’s sport headlines

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European football’s governing body, Uefa, is hosting a video conference with major stakeholders today and it promises to be a packed agenda.

The European Championships are expected to be postponed to the summer of 2021 in order that domestic leagues can be completed in May and June, but there is also the burning question about what to do with the Champions League and Europa League.

Before coronavirus created havoc with international sport, the Champions League had been intriguingly poised.

Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Atalanta and RB Leipzig had already qualified for the quarter-finals, while three of the four remaining fixtures - Man City vs. Real Madrid, Napoli vs. Barcelona and Lyon vs. Juventus - are all finely balanced.

In the other tie Bayern Munich have all but guaranteed a place in the last eight after beating Chelsea 3-0 away at Stamford Bridge in the first leg.

Coronavirus: Italy calls for Uefa to postpone Euro 2020

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Mini-tournament

According to reports, one option that will be discussed at today’s conference is the possibility of a mini-tournament.

BBC Sport says Uefa wants the Champions League and Europa League “to reach a conclusion because they also have major broadcasting contracts to satisfy”, and there is the recognition that players and fans will be desperate to resume normality as quickly as possible once the stringent lockdowns across the continent have been lifted.

Like the Champions League, the Europa League has reached its last-16 stage, and one solution would be to play the quarter-finals and semi-finals as one-off games. However, it remains unclear what would happen to the second leg of the last-16 matches.

There is sure to be fierce opposition if Uefa decided to scrap the second leg and move straight to the quarter-final stage with the clubs who hold the aggregate lead progressing.

Summer showdown

The BBC says that Uefa will examine the feasibility of playing the quarter-finals and semis “over a handful of days as a mini-tournament - in Istanbul and Gdansk, host cities for this season’s finals”. This would reduce travelling demands and cause the least disruption to the domestic leagues.

Assuming that the Euros are cancelled, that would allow Uefa to use the four weeks set aside for the tournament - 12 June to 12 July - to complete domestic and European fixtures.

The BBC says that in terms of financial implications, the European Championships are of secondary importance because “most countries rely on the payments from Uefa that come out of major international tournaments to allow their own leagues to function properly”.

However, there are an estimated 400 staff working exclusively on the Euros and it is uncertain what would happen to them if the tournament is postponed until 2021.

Today’s back pages

England’s Three Lions are caged for a year and the Grand National and Boat Races are cancelled

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Champions League last-16 second leg Liverpool 2 Atletico Madrid 3 (after extra-time; 2-4 on aggregate)

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted he was a “bad loser” as he sucked up the sight of his side being dumped out of the Uefa Champions League by Atletico Madrid.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Spain, holders Liverpool knew it was always going to be a tough assignment against the crafty and committed La Liga outfit and so it proved as they suffered a 3-2 loss at the end of 120 enthralling minutes.

“It’s so difficult to play a side like this,” Klopp said in the aftermath of the Anfield agony. “I don’t understand with the quality they have the football they play. They could play proper football but they stand deep and have counter-attacks.

“We accept it, of course, but it doesn’t feel right tonight. I realise I am a really bad loser, especially when the boys put such an effort in against world-class players on the other side who defend with two rows of four.”

In the cold light of day, however, Klopp will realise that this defeat was a further sign that Liverpool have lost their edge in recent weeks.

This was their fourth loss in six matches, a slump that has seen them exit the FA Cup and suffer a 3-0 hammering at the hands of lowly Watford.

The momentum that took them on an unbeaten 44-match Premier League run has gone, and with it their dream of back-to-back Champions League titles.

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Adrian agony

To blame Atletico for their game plan is indeed the sign of a bad loser. The world knew how they would approach the second leg, and, alas, the world wasn’t that surprised when the Spaniards were given a helping hand by another blunder from Adrian.

The Brazilian goalkeeper was at fault last week when his blunders made life easy for Chelsea in their FA Cup fifth-round tie, and last night his poor clearance fell into the path of Marcos Llorente.

Liverpool were leading 2-0 at the time - thanks to goals from Georginio Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino, the second four minutes into extra-time - but Llorente’s effort gave the visitors the priceless away goal.

Blame game

As the belief drained from the Reds, Atletico closed in for the kill, scoring again through Llorente and then Alvaro Morata, as Liverpool suffered their first defeat at Anfield in the Champions League since 2014. In other words it was the first time Klopp has lost in front of the Kop in the competition.

That perhaps accounts for his uncharacteristically snarky reaction to Atletico’s victory; or perhaps he was trying to deflect attention from Adrian, who has almost single-handedly led his side through the exit of two competitions in the space of seven days.

“We will not blame him for a second,” Klopp told reporters. “What you do, I don’t know, but stay respectful, that would be really nice because he didn’t want to do that.

“He saved us in so many moments when he played… he’s a man, a grown man, and he will deal with that. We will help him with that.”

PSG progress

In the evening’s other tie, Paris Saint-Germain beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to reach the last eight of the Champions League for the first time in four years.

There were no fans to share in their delight with the match played behind closed doors as part of the French attempt to contain coronavirus, but that didn’t put PSG off their stride.

Trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Germany, Neymar headed PSG in front on 26 minutes and Juan Bernat added a second while Dortmund’s frustration was seen in the second-half dismissal of Emre Can.

Today’s back pages

Llor out! Adrian agony as Atletico stun Liverpool and football’s crisis plan is revealed

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Reds crash out of Europe

Holders Liverpool are out of the Uefa Champions League and their dramatic 3-2 defeat at home to Atletico Madrid dominates the back pages.

None of the headlines will make easy reading for Reds keeper Adrian who would be best advised to stay under the duvet this morning.

“Choker” is how the Daily Mirror describes the 4-2 aggregate loss, above a photo of a distraught Adrian after what the paper calls a “another howler”.

The Daily Telegraph has a picture of the gloveman on one knee alongside the headline “Adrian agony”.

The paper explains how his sloppy clearance seven minutes into extra-time gifted the tie to Atletico, allowing Marcos Llorente to score a priceless away goal after Georginio Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino had put the Reds in control.

The Daily Star emblazons its back page with “Llor out”, describing Adrian’s blunder but also highlighting the clinical finishing of Llorente, who scored a second in extra-time as Liverpool’s morale collapsed in the closing stages.

Former Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata completed Atletico’s triumph with a third goal in the final minute of extra-time.

In last night’s other Champions League last-16 second leg match Paris Saint-Germain beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on the night to qualify 3-2 on aggregate.

Klopp backs Adrian: ‘We will not blame him for a second’

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Three Lions roar on... for now

The other story that features on most of the back pages is the news that England’s friendlies later this month against Italy (27 March) and Denmark (31 March) will go ahead - for now at least.

The defiant message is a rare beacon of hope on the continent as more and more countries cancel sporting events because of coronavirus.

Gareth Southgate will name his England squad next week and the Daily Mirror says that “plans still in place for the games even though players have been expecting them to be called off”.

The FA tweeted to fans that: “At present, and in line with current government advice, nothing has changed regarding the status of our games against Italy and Denmark later this month. We will be sure to inform fans should there be an update.”

Coronavirus impact on sport events: what’s postponed, cancelled or being played behind closed doors?

Football’s crisis plan

Italy has been worst hit by the virus - and a story that came too late for the print newspapers is that Juventus and Italy centre-back Daniele Rugani has tested positive - and it’s already been announced that their friendly with Germany on 31 March will be behind closed doors.

The Guardian believes that the European Championships are now “at risk”, despite bullish messages from Uefa that the tournament will go ahead.

The Times reports that the FA may have been a little premature in their message with the paper reporting that “all football matches in England will be played behind closed doors under government plans to combat coronavirus that could be triggered as early as today”.

The paper says that the government’s Cobra committee will meet today and among measures to be introduced are:

• The season will not be postponed but matches in the Premier League and lower divisions will be played behind closed doors
• No games will be shown in pubs to avoid congregation of people
• Premier League games will not be shown live in the 3pm slot on Saturday afternoons
• Broadcasters will be authorised to show more than one Premier League game during the lunchtime and tea-time television slots on Saturday, and the scheduled slots on Sundays and Mondays

Today’s sport headlines

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Spurs knocked out in Leipzig

The dominant story on the back pages is Tottenham Hotspur’s dismal defeat against RB Leipzig in the last 16 of the Uefa Champions League last night.

“That was Dier, Jose”, blasts the Daily Mirror, above a photo of a glum Jose Mourinho and Eric Dier, the pair coming to terms with the 3-0 hammering by the German outfit.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Spurs were easily rolled over by Leipzig, for whom Marcel Sabitzer’s double in the first 20 minutes killed the tie as a contest.

Emil Forsberg scored in the final minutes to give the hosts a 4-0 aggregate win and condemn Spurs to yet another season without a trophy.

The Daily Mail labels the limp performance “Euro trash”, while The Times says that Spurs - who have not won in six games in all competitions - were “brought to their knees” by Leipzig.

The Daily Express singles out Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for blame, saying the Frenchman’s two blunders gifted Leipzig the goals that ended their slim hope of reaching the quarter-finals.

In the evening’s other tie, Atalanta’s Josip Ilicic scored four goals at Valencia in the Champions League’s first match to be played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Atalanta’s 4-3 win in Spain made it 8-4 on aggregate and sealed their place in the last eight.

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Wolves must play

The decision to call off Manchester City’s Premier League match with Arsenal this evening came too late for the papers but there is still plenty of coronavirus coverage with the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror reporting that Wolves’s request to Uefa to postpone their Europa League last-16 tie against Olympiacos has been rejected.

The Greek club’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, has tested positive for coronavirus, which is why the City game has been shelved with Arsenal because he came into contact with some Gunners players and staff in the last round of the competition.

But the Express reports that the Europa League match between Olympiacos and Wolves will go ahead tomorrow, behind closed doors, in line with the Greek government’s enforced temporary suspension of spectators attending sporting events.

Reds on alert

The Daily Mirror and the Daily Star carry the comments from Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, the defending champions host the Spaniards at Anfield and Klopp is concerned at what tactics their visitors may adopt.

Under the headline, “Klopp’s dark arts warning”, the Mirror says the Reds boss hasn’t forgotten the first leg when Atletico tried to get Sadio Mane dismissed by play acting.

“You need always a referee who is aware of situations like this, we cannot do it by ourselves,” said the German.

“We expect a really ‘experienced’ performance from Atletico, let me say that. In all different departments [they are] experienced and we have to deal with that.”

In tonight’s other Champions League last-16 second leg Borussia Dortmund take a 2-1 aggregate lead to Paris Saint-Germain.

Both ties kick off at 8pm and are live on BT Sport.

Today’s sport headlines

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1. Coronavirus 'could bankrupt clubs'

English Football league clubs fear going out of business if matches have to be played in empty stadiums because of the coronavirus outbreak, reports The Guardian. Clubs, particularly those in League One and League Two, are “seriously worried about the likely financial impact if they cannot sell tickets to matches and have to repay season ticket holders”, says the paper. However, the government met sports bodies on Monday and insisted that currently there was “no rationale” for postponing matches or banning spectators from sporting events. The meeting came on the day Ireland’s Six Nations match against France was postponed until October and the Indian Wells tennis tournament in the US was cancelled.

2. Chelsea and Barcelona play behind closed doors

Chelsea’s Champions League tie against Bayern Munich next week is the latest big game set to be played behind closed doors, due to fears over the coronavirus. The Blues are 3-0 down from the first-leg at Stamford Bridge and face an uphill task to progress past the German champions. Now reports from Germany suggest the Bavarian government is set to cancel or restrict events which will attract over 1,000 spectators to keep the outbreak in check. Barcelona’s Champions League last-16 second leg match with Napoli, scheduled for 18 March, will also take place without spectators. The games between PSG and Borussia Dortmund and Valencia and Atlanta are also being played without fans while Wolves’ Europa League tie against Olympiakos will also take place in an empty stadium.

3. All sport in Italy suspended

All sporting events in Italy have been suspended until April 3 due to the spread of the coronavirus. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte extended a series of quarantine measures, including a ban on public gatherings, to all of Italy and said: “There’s no reason for the games to continue. The fans will have to deal with it. We won’t even allow gyms to be used.” The suspension applies to Serie A football but Serie A but not to clubs or national teams participating in international competitions. Italy’s top sports body, the Italian Olympic Committee, had earlier called for all sports to be halted until next month and asked the government to enforce the measure.

4. Cheltenham gets underway

The Cheltenham festival gets underway today, despite fears over the coronavirus outbreak. Around 250,000 spectators are expected to attend the four days of racing and organisers have hired extra bathroom attendants and installed in 300 hand sanitiser dispensers and 24 hygiene stations around the course. “After all the will-it-won’t-it chat, relief that the meeting is finally over the start line means the famous roar of approval, which traditionally greets the first race on the first day, could be louder and longer than normal,” says Marcus Armytage of the Daily Telegraph. He tips favourite Epatante to triumph in the big race of the first day, the Unibet Champions Hurdle.

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5. Man Utd plot £100m transfer swoop

Manchester United are planning a £100m swoop on Birmingham and Aston Villa for Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish this summer. Talks over a deal for 16-year-old midfielder Bellingham are already underway after he travelled to Manchester to meet club officials, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He spent several hours at the club’s training complex and was accompanied by his parents before being driven away. As he is still only 16 he cannot sign a professional deal until June. Meanwhile, it has also been reported that United are willing to pay up to £70m to land 24-year-old Aston Villa skipper Grealish this summer. His current Villa deal - which runs until 2023 – does not have a buy-out clause, so United will have to spend big to land him.

6. Mourinho urges Spurs to 'dare'

Jose Mourinho insists that Spurs can overcome Red Bull Leipzig in the Champions league tonight despite a lengthy injury list and 1-0 deficit from the first leg. Ahead of the clash he invoked the Spurs motto “To Dare Is To Do” and said his team would stay optimistic. But his side were dealt a fresh blow on Monday when it was confirmed that winger Steven Bergwijn is unlikely to feature again this season with an ankle problem. Forward Dele Alli backed his manager and said there was no time to “get the violins out” and called on Spurs to “step up” against their German opponents.

7. Marler cited over Jones incident

England prop Joe Marler’s season could be over after he was cited for his “intimate” assault on Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones during Saturday’s Six Nations clash. “Marler will attend a disciplinary hearing on Thursday and if found guilty he can expect a ban of at least 12 weeks,” reports The Guardian. He has been cited under World Rugby’s law that states players must not “grab, twist or squeeze the genitals”. The “bizarre incident… was caught on camera and quickly went viral during the match”, says the paper. “It has polarised opinion – dismissed as a light-hearted attempt to wind-up the Wales captain in some quarters and met with condemnation in others.” Marler will have company on Thursday with Courtney Lawes also cited for a dangerous tackle on Jones, while Manu Tuilagi will also face the music after being sent off for a head-high tackle on George North.

8. Alan Green set to leave BBC

Veteran football commentator Alan Green will not have his BBC contract renewed when it expires this summer, reveals The Times. Green, 67, who has worked for the broadcaster for 45 years told the paper: “I feel a mixture of disappointment and anger. I don’t think it’s justified. I was basically told, ‘You don’t fit our profile.’ I got a fair idea of what they meant by just listening to the output over the last year or so. It’s not the organisation I loved for so many years.” He follows Mark Pougatch and racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght who have also been discarded by the BBC.

9. Vardy back as Leicester thrash Villa

Jamie Vardy ended a three-month goal drought as he came off the bench to score twice as Leicester City thrashed struggling Aston Villa 4-0 in the Premier League. Leicester had only two points from their previous four matches but rediscovered their form at the King Power stadium. Ashley Barnes gave them a first half lead before Vardy made his entrance in the second half. The Foxes striker had not scored since December but his first contribution was to score a penalty. He found the net again 16 minutes later and Barnes added a fourth late on. “Vardy only had seven touches of the ball - but two of them were goals,” notes the BBC. “The result boosts Leicester's Champions League chances, with the 2016 title-winners sitting eight points above fifth-placed Manchester United with nine matches remaining.” Things aren’t so rosy for Villa who lie 19th and now face fixtures against Chelsea, Wolves, Liverpool and Manchester City.

10. Wilder looking forward to Fury rematch

Deontay Wilder is “counting down the days” until his rematch with British heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, reports Mail Online. The Bronze Bomber triggered a clause in the contract and will now fight Fury for a third time, with a fight date in July on the cards. “While most boxing fans now want an all-British unification fight between Fury and Anthony Joshua, that is not on the near-horizon with Joshua fighting Kubrat Pulev at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20,” says the Mail. “As AJ takes on the Bulgarian, Fury will likely face Wilder for a third time with the new Allegiant Stadium, which will be home to the relocated NFL franchise the Las Vegas Raiders, the frontrunner to host the fight.”

The 2019-20 Uefa Champions League knockout stage began with some huge results in the round of 16 first legs. But there is now as much focus on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak as the football.

Barcelona confirmed on Tuesday that their game against Napoli on March 18 would take place behind closed doors, and it is expected that Chelsea's tie with Bayern Munich the same night will also be a lock-out.

On Monday Paris Saint-Germain were ordered to play Wednesday’s home tie against Borussia Dortmund behind closed doors after banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people to try and slow the spread of the disease.

The clash between Valencia and Atalanta tonight will also be played in an empty stadium, and Uefa has done away with the pre-match handshakes, following in the footsteps of the Premier League.

On the pitch Spurs travel to Germany this evening and even though his team lost 1-0 Jose Mourinho was in a positive mood after the first leg.

“It’s not 10-0 and the result is still open,” said Tottenham boss Mourinho. “It’s as simple as that. We wouldn’t be the first team to lose 1-0 at home and then win the tie away. So why shouldn’t we believe?”

Despite losing 1-0 in the Spanish capital, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes the power of Anfield can help his side progress to the last eight on Wednesday night.

He said: “I am really looking forward to the second leg. It’s half-time and we’re 1-0 down. The second half will be played in our stadium and they will feel it.”

Chelsea require a miracle after losing 3-0 at home in their first leg against Bayern Munich, but may not have to contend with raucous home support if the tie does take place in an empty arena, while Manchester City will be confident of progressing after winning 2-1 at Real Madrid.

Here we take a look at the round of 16 second leg fixtures and pick out the pundit predictions ahead of the games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Champions League last-16 second leg fixtures

• Tuesday 10 March: RB Leipzig vs. Tottenham (1-0 on aggregate); Valencia vs. Atalanta (1-4)
• Wednesday 11 March: PSG vs. Borussia Dortmund (1-2); Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid (0-1)
• Tuesday 17 March: Manchester City vs. Real Madrid (2-1); Juventus vs. Lyon (0-1)
• Wednesday 18 March: Barcelona vs. Napoli (1-1); Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea (3-0)
• All matches kick off at 8pm (GMT) and are live on BT Sport

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Predictions: RB Leipzig vs. Tottenham (1-0)

Bwin

“Only Timo Werner’s 58th-minute penalty separated these sides in London, but the Bundesliga outfit looked much the better team for large parts of that contest. We’re backing Julian Nagelsmann’s men to come out on top again on home turf.”

Football Predictions

“We’ve got the feeling that RB Leipzig look likely to get the goals that they need when they face Tottenham, who will not find it easy to score. We’re predicting a decent 2-0 winning margin for RB Leipzig after 90 minutes.”

Pinnacle

“A Timo Werner penalty proved enough to separate these sides for the first leg in London, and Leipzig are heavily expected to finish the job and book their quarter-final place at the expense of a Tottenham team who are clearly struggling in the absence of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min. Percentage chance of qualifying: RB Leipzig 80.20% Tottenham 19.80%.”

Football Tips

“If Mourinho’s strike-force options don’t improve, then the prognosis, like our predictions, suggest a heavy loss that will send Spurs out of the Champions League knockout rounds with a bitter aftertaste.”

BettingPro

“Leipzig are unlikely to risk their away goal lead and chase the game with the same fearless aggression from the start, so we’re going to go with a low scoring game in the return leg, with a Leipzig 1-0 win the most likely outcome.”

Infogol

“The Infogol model predicts a 61% chance of a win for RB Leipzig. There is a 20% chance that Tottenham Hotspur will win. The draw is a 19% chance.”

Predictions: Valencia vs. Atalanta (1-4)

Football Predictions

“In our opinion, Atalanta and Valencia should both be able to score more than once here although it’s hard to pick a clear winner. Shouldn’t be much in it, and there should be goals with a draw being quite a realistic outcome. With that in mind, we reckon that it will be a 2-2 when the full-time whistle blows.”

Football Tips

“We can see this one fizzling out into a draw. Valencia have to come forward to try and come from behind in the tie, but Atalanta have the quality to pick them off on the break and as such, we expect the two sides to cancel each other out in this game for a draw.”

Pinnacle

“Valencia found themselves hopelessly overpowered by a free-scoring Atalanta side that have netted the third most goals [70] in Europe’s top five leagues this season, and the odds give them less than a 10% chance of overturning their 4-1 defeat. Percentage chance of qualifying: Valencia 9.72% Atalanta 90.28%.”

Predictions: Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid (0-1)

Squawka

“All their good work will be undone as [Diego] Simeone heads to Anfield and tries to defend for 90 minutes; only to find that Liverpool’s relentless will to win and his own side’s mental fragility means there will be only one outcome from such an approach. They will hold as long as they can, but eventually they will cave to the pressure as they always do. Liverpool to advance.”

Football Tips

“The fortress that is Anfield has played host to many historic Champions League games down the years, paired with a wall of red banners and the cacophonous singing Kop. Combine this with the Reds’s gegenpressing, attack-dominant starting XI and the chances of another comeback are more than likely.”

Pinnacle

“Defending champions Liverpool fell foul of a typically stern and defensively organised Atletico performance in the first leg, although they are still very narrowly favoured to remain in the competition ahead of Diego Simeone’s side. Percentage chance of qualifying: Liverpool 51.12% Atletico Madrid 48.88%.”

Predictions: PSG vs. Borussia Dortmund (1-2)

Bwin

“Past evidence suggests Borussia will struggle to keep PSG at bay on the road. They lost 3-1 at Barcelona and 2-0 at Inter during this season’s group stage, while last term they went down 2-0 away to Atletico Madrid in their pool and were beaten 3-0 by Tottenham in London at this point. Take 11/1 for a 3-1 home victory.”

Pinnacle

“Whilst an impressive brace from this season’s breakout star Erling Braut Haaland led Dortmund to a first leg victory, the odds give PSG a slight edge in advancing to the quarter-finals for what would be the first time in four seasons. Percentage chance of qualifying: PSG 52.11% Borussia Dortmund 47.89%.”

PSG’s striker situation: keep Mbappe by selling Neymar or risk losing both?

Predictions: Man City vs. Real Madrid (2-1)

Pinnacle

“A Kevin De Bruyne masterclass enabled Manchester City to come from behind and defeat La Liga leaders Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and the market indicates they have reason to feel confident about their chances of reaching the quarter-finals. Percentage chance of qualifying: Man City 86.99% Real Madrid 13.01%.”

Predictions: Juventus vs. Lyon (0-1)

Pinnacle

“A fortuitous Nicolas Tousart goal condemned Juventus to defeat versus Lyon in arguably the most shocking result amongst the first legs, and whilst they are still favoured to advance, their chances have dropped from an initial 85% rating to just under 55%. Percentage chance of qualifying: Juventus 54.60% Lyon 45.40%.”

Predictions: Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea (3-0)

Pinnacle

“Bayern Munich produced a thoroughly impressive and ruthlessly clinical second half performance to dismantle Chelsea in the first leg of their tie, leaving Frank Lampard’s side virtually zero chance of advancing and all but ending their campaign.”

Predictions: Barcelona vs. Napoli (1-1)

Pinnacle

“Napoli turned in a determined display to earn a respectable 1-1 draw at home against Barcelona, although the market indicates that will not be enough to secure a spot in the quarter-final. Percentage chance of qualifying: Barcelona 77.72% Napoli 22.28%.”

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On paper everything’s going pretty well for French champions Paris Saint-Germain.

They are top of Ligue 1 with a 13-point lead over their nearest rivals, are through to the French Cup final after beating Lyon 5-1 and will also face the same club in the French League Cup final on 4 April.

In the Uefa Champions League, PSG were beaten 2-1 by Borussia Dortmund in the last-16 first leg in Germany on 18 February.

However, the Parisiens will be confident of overturning the one-goal deficit when they host Dortmund at the Parc des Princes on 11 March.

The reason for their confidence will be the talent and recent form of their star strikers - Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

In Wednesday night’s 5-1 French Cup semi-final win over Lyon 21-year-old Mbappe scored a hat-trick, including a sensational solo goal, while 28-year-old Neymar got on the scoresheet with a second-half penalty.

This season the dynamic duo have already contributed 47 goals to PSG’s trophy hunt. France international Mbappe has scored 30 goals in 32 matches while Brazil star Neymar has 17 goals in 21 games.

With strike rates this impressive, PSG will be optimistic that their Champions League participation will continue past the last 16.

However, it also means that their star attackers will attract lots of interest from rivals clubs. Especially Real Madrid and Barcelona, who are once again circling…

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Mbappe: the Ronaldo replacement?

Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left for Juventus in 2018 Real Madrid have been linked with the world’s top strikers as they search to finally replace the Portuguese superstar.

With a French legend at the helm, head coach Zinedine Zidane, it’s no surprise that they are regularly linked with 2018 Fifa World Cup winner Mbappe.

In recent weeks it’s been claimed that there’s tension between Mbappe and PSG head coach Thomas Tuchel. The Daily Mail, citing Spanish publication Marca, says Real Madrid are aware of this and want the young forward to “become a key man of their team”.

Marca adds that Mbappe has “not won the hearts of all fans” at PSG and despite having a contract in Paris until 2022 he has yet to enter negotiations.

Zidane is a long-term admirer of Mbappe and Real are poised to enquire about the 21-year-old, who previously played for Monaco.

In fact, Zidane likes Mbappe so much that he admitted he was “in love” with his countryman.

Speaking before a Real vs. PSG Champions League group match in November, Zizou said: “I’ve known him for a long time. I’ve been in love with him for a long time, but as a person first.”

Sell Neymar to keep Mbappe?

Mbappe’s strike partner Neymar is also linked with a move away from the French capital.

The Daily Express reports that Neymar’s former club Barcelona are ready to sacrifice French international Antoine Griezmann in order to try and bring the Brazilian back to the Camp Nou this summer.

Neymar, who left Barca for PSG in a world-record £200m deal in 2017, has scored 68 goals in just 79 appearances and has struck a dangerous partnership with Mbappe.

However, he has also had some rocky times at the Parc des Princes and Spanish paper AS and The Sun both report that PSG could sell him in order to keep Mbappe.

PSG see Mbappe as their “crown jewel”, says the Sun, and will offer him a lucrative salary. Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of PSG, has made the striker’s renewal “a priority to the extent that the board see no other player as non-transferrable”.

Holy grail: the Champions League

On Saturday PSG return to Ligue 1 action with a trip to Strasbourg. Then on Wednesday they host Dortmund in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16.

After winning everything there is to win in French domestic football, PSG and their Qatari owners once again see the Champions League as their holy grail.

They will look to Mbappe and Neymar to fire them to victory against the Germans and secure their spot in the quarter-finals and beyond.

Any team with Mbappe and Neymar in their ranks always stand a chance of lifting the big trophies, but with rival clubs looking to steal their prize assets, this may be the critical year in PSG’s plan to conquer Europe.

If they lose to Dortmund or get knocked out later in the competition, the duo may seek pastures new. And without one, or both, of their star strikers, PSG’s long wait for the top trophy is likely to continue.

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Uefa Champions League last-16 first leg Real Madrid 1 Manchester City 2

Pep Guardiola praised his players after they produced a stunning performance to beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabeu last night.

It was the first time that the Sky Blues have defeated the Spanish giants in the Champions League, but it was a deserved result for a side that showed great resolve in fighting their way back from a goal down.

“I’m happy for the victory, of course, and the performance as well,” said Guardiola, whose side now have a crucial advantage ahead of the return leg at the Etihad on 17 March.

The performance was all the more spirited given that City are still reeling from the two-year ban that means this season will be their last in Europe’s showpiece tournament until 2022-23.

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Cool and calm

It was a rather nervous first half as the two sides probed each other like boxers in a ring, and it took a defensive blunder on the hour mark for the game to really come to life.

As Rodri and Nicolas Otamendi dithered, Vinicius Junior seized on their indecision to set up Isco for the opening goal. Sergio Ramos almost doubled Real’s advantage with a shot that blazed over the City bar, but then 12 minutes from time Gabriel Jesus headed the visitors level.

Five minutes later substitute Raheem Sterling was felled in the box and Kevin De Bruyne made no mistake from the penalty.

Guardiola’s side had missed five of their previous seven spot kicks but the Belgian’s coolness exemplified a City display that was in contrast to Real’s, who had Ramos sent off in the dying minutes.

Halfway house

City even coped with the loss of defender Aymeric Laporte, who limped off in the first half with a hamstring injury, on a night that will go down in the club’s history.

Nonetheless, despite their euphoria, Guardiola emphasized that the job is only half done.

“We are happy but, of course, there is the second leg,” he said. “It is still not over. If there is one team in the world that can overcome anything, it is this club [Real Madrid].

“Hopefully we can do a good performance and go through. We have not won anything yet but to win here is a big satisfaction.”

Asked if the Uefa ban had helped get his boys buoyed up for the match, Guardiola replied: “We cannot control what happens off the pitch, only on the pitch. These players want to do it for ourselves and our fans.”

Do or die for Zidane

Real’s head coach, Zinedine Zidane, knows that his future may well rest on the outcome of the second leg.

Last season the club were dumped out of the tournament at the last-16 stage, a bitter humiliation after three consecutive titles, and a repeat next month would probably see Zidane following Santiago Solari out of the exit.

“I’m not happy that we played well but with ten minutes left, we changed and made errors which hurt us,” reflected the Frenchman.

“We didn’t deserve it but this is football. We needed 90 minutes of total concentration, especially against a team like City. But we know that there’s half of this tie left and now it’s simple - we have to go to City and win.”

Lyon edge Juventus

In last night’s other last-16 tie, a first-half goal from Lucas Tousart gave Lyon a 1-0 win over Juventus in France.

The Italian champions dominated their hosts but lacked a cutting edge in front of goal, and just after the half-hour mark Tousart converted Houssem Aouar’s cross for the winner.

Paulo Dybala thought he had levelled for Juventus late on but his effort was ruled offside.

“It was a game of two halves,” said Lyon boss Rudi Garcia. “The first half was very beautiful. Not only did we defend very well, we respected the game plan to the letter. In the second half we didn’t exist with the ball and suffered.”

The second leg is scheduled to take place in Turin on 17 March, although that could be subject to change depending on the coronavirus outbreak that has locked down much of northern Italy this week.

Champions League results and fixtures

Last-16 first leg results

• Atlético Madrid 1 Liverpool 0
• Borussia Dortmund 2 Paris Saint Germain 1
• Atalanta 4 Valencia 1
• Tottenham Hotspur 0 RB Leipzig 1
• Chelsea 0 Bayern Munich 3
• Napoli 1 Barcelona 1
• Lyon 1 Juventus 0
• Real Madrid 1 Manchester City 2

Last-16 second leg fixtures

• Tuesday 10 March: Valencia vs. Atalanta (1-4 on agg); RB Leipzig vs. Tottenham (1-0)
• Wednesday 11 March: PSG vs. Borussia Dortmund (1-2); Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid (0-1)
• Tuesday 17 March: Manchester City vs. Real Madrid (2-1); Juventus vs. Lyon (0-1)
• Wednesday 18 March: Barcelona vs. Napoli (1-1); Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea (3-0)
• All matches kick off at 8pm (GMT) and are live on BT Sport

Today’s back pages

Man City are the Real deal with ‘Bernablue’ win

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Advantage City

“Bernablue” is the headline emblazoned on the back page of the Manchester Evening News, and the delight of the newspaper is shared by the national press after Manchester City’s superb 2-1 victory last night against 13-time European champions Real Madrid.

Metro describes it as a “mad night” for the Sky Blues, and claims that the win was a tonic for English football after Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham had all suffered defeat in their Champions League last-16 first legs.

With its “De-light” headline, the Daily Mirror pays tribute to the cool penalty of Kevin De Bruyne (who ended a club run of four consecutive misses from the spot), while the Daily Express and The Daily Telegraph have “Real deal” splashed across their back pages.

The Times could be accused of a touch of pomposity in its “That’s what Europe will be missing” headline.

Chief football writer Henry Winter says that in beating Real Madrid 2-1, City “stuck it to Uefa”, implying that the governing body is at fault for City’s two-year Champions League ban and not a club that breached football’s fair play rules.

i Sport’s headline catches the mood with more pith. “Not going quietly”, screams the paper, which acknowledges the guts of a City team that raided Real.

‘It’s not over yet’: delight for Man City but Pep warns of a Real fightback

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So long, Sharipova

The Daily Telegraph, Metro and The Guardian all carry the news that Maria Sharipova has called time on her tennis career.

“Ave Maria” says the Guardian, above a picture of the Russian, who announced herself on the world stage by stunning Serena Williams to win Wimbledon as a raw 17-year-old in 2004.

Sharipova went on to win four more grand slam titles, but writing in the Guardian, Kevin Mitchell offers a harsh if honest assessment of her legacy.

Mitchell writes: “The 32-year-old Russian, who won five grand slams and could freeze a room with her aloof grandeur, will be remembered as the ice queen of the sport, respected more than loved inside the game.”

Coronavirus chaos

Most of the papers carry the latest on how the spread of coronavirus could affect the sporting world after the announcement yesterday that Ireland’s Six Nations match with Italy has been postponed.

The Guardian says that the decision has plunged the tournament into chaos and “there are also escalating doubts over England’s trip to Italy [on 14 March] amid concerns the tournament may not be completed for the first time in almost 50 years”.

The paper also says that the Formula 1 Australian, Bahrain and Vietnam grands prix may have to be cancelled while there are growing fears for this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Today’s sport headlines

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Real Madrid vs. Manchester City

• What: Uefa Champions League last-16 first leg
• When: Wednesday 26 February
• Where: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, Spain
• Kick-off time: 8pm (GMT)
• TV coverage: live on BT Sport 2

All eyes will be on Manchester City tonight as they travel to Spain for the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie against Real Madrid.

It’s the first time City have played in Europe since they were handed a two-year ban from the Champions League, a punishment that the English side will appeal.

City have never beaten 13-time Champions League winners Real Madrid and head coach Pep Guardiola knows it will be a huge test.

Urging his side to embrace the challenge, Spaniard Guardiola said: “I know this is a big opportunity in the last 16. We are playing the king of this competition, so we know the challenge in front of us.

“They [Real] are the best and it’s a huge challenge for us to meet them. We are convinced that we want to play against them, win and be the level of this competition.”

With the two-year ban looming, The Times says this season could be Guardiola’s final shot at the “holy grail” - winning European football’s top club competition with City.

Guardiola, who used to coach Real’s rivals Barcelona, added: “We have to show our personality. I know my players, myself, all the club want to fight until the end for this title. But if you want to do that [win the title] you have to face these teams sooner or later.

“You have to beat Madrid, you have to beat Barcelona, you have to beat Bayern Munich. You have to beat the big, big teams.

“If we’re able to do it we’ll be so happy. If not then next season... well, next season I don’t know but when we are able to play we are going to come back.”

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Sterling fit for Bernabeu clash

England forward Raheem Sterling will be available for tonight’s clash after three weeks out with a hamstring injury. Spanish midfielder David Silva could also feature but German winger Leroy Sane is still out with a knee injury.

Guardiola said: “Raheem is fit, his natural physical condition and regeneration is amazing. He told us he could play at West Ham and Leicester but the doctors said be careful as muscular injuries take three weeks. After 15 days he wanted to play. He is fit, he is ready.”

Hazard could be out for the season

Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane fears that Eden Hazard could miss the rest of the season after suffering a fractured ankle in the 1-0 La Liga defeat to Levante at the weekend.

Zidane said: “I don’t know if his season is over, I don’t know but I hope not. I don't know if he will need an operation, it’s not my area. I can see he’s not happy.

“It’s important he stays positive but of course it’s difficult. It’s a bad moment, it won’t be easy and he will feel like this for a while.”

Champions League results and fixtures

Last-16 first-leg results

• Atlético Madrid 1 Liverpool 0
• Borussia Dortmund 2 Paris Saint Germain 1
• Atalanta 4 Valencia 1
• Tottenham Hotspur 0 RB Leipzig 1
• Chelsea 0 Bayern Munich 3
• Napoli 1 Barcelona 1

Tonight’s last-16 first-leg fixtures

• Lyon vs. Juventus (8pm, live on BT Sport 3)
• Real Madrid vs. Manchester City (8pm, live on BT Sport 2)

Today’s back pages

Bayern Munich and Gnabry cause a ‘power Serge’ at Stamford Bridge

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Champions League last-16 first leg Chelsea 0 Bayern Munich 3

Chelsea saw their Champions League aspirations crushed by Bayern Munich last night as the Blues were battered at Stamford Bridge.

The German champions inflicted a 3-0 thrashing on their hosts in the first leg of their last-16 tie, a deficit that will take a minor miracle to overturn when the two clubs meet at the Allianz Arena in the return leg on 18 March.

London calling

Bayern have acquired a habit of humiliating London’s finest, having annihilated Arsenal 5-1 at the Emirates in 2017, and then scoring seven against Tottenham last October in a group match.

Chelsea similarly had no answer to the brutal brilliance of Bayern, although ironically it was a former Gunner who once again did the most damage.

Serge Gnabry scored four goals in the 7-2 hammering of Spurs, and against Chelsea he found the net twice in a superb display of finishing.

The provider on both occasions was Robert Lewandowski, and the Pole added a third for the visitors on 76 minutes to give the Germans a lead that will almost certainly take them through to the quarter-finals.

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Super Serge

Arsenal must wonder how and why they let Gnabry, 24, slip through their fingers in 2016 after four seasons at the club, but at least the fans can now appreciate his tweets.

“North London is RED!!!” he tweeted last autumn after demolishing Spurs, and last night he declared on the same platform: “London still red.”

Count yourselves lucky, Arsenal, that you won’t be meeting Serge and Bayern Munich any time soon.

Bad discipline

A miserable evening for Chelsea was rounded off by the dismissal of defender Marcos Alonso, sent off seven minutes from time for tangling with Lewandowski.

If that wasn’t bad enough for the Blues, there was also a yellow card for Jorginho (for dissent), which rules him out of the return leg.

“Jorginho is done by talking to the ref, which is unnecessary,” rued Frank Lampard, who was also candid in his assessment of his side’s display.

“The performance was poor and sometimes you have to be brutally honest. They outclassed us in every department and it’s quite sobering.

“I’m disappointed we couldn’t do more against them. We have to take it on the chin and work towards getting back to the levels we want to be at.”

Napoli 1 Barcelona 1

In last night’s other last-16 tie, Barcelona came from a goal down to draw with Napoli in Italy.

Dries Mertens put the hosts in front in the first half - a goal that took him level with Marek Hamsik as Napoli’s all-time top scorer with 121 - but Barcelona levelled after 57 minutes when Antoine Griezmann converted Nelson Semedo’s low cross.

The Spaniards lost Arturo Vidal late on when he was dismissed for a second yellow card, but they held out and will be favourites to progress to the last eight when the sides meet at the Camp Nou on 18 March.

“They didn’t hurt us, they tickled us,” reflected Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso. “It went wrong in one moment and they punished us.”

Tonight’s fixtures

There’s a huge game at the Bernabeu this evening as Real Madrid host Manchester City. In tonight’s other last-16 first leg tie Lyon are at home to Juventus. Both matches kick off at 8pm and are live on BT Sport.

Today’s back pages

Bayern Munich and Gnabry cause a ‘power Serge’ at Stamford Bridge

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Super Serge

The remarkable exploits of Serge Gnabry dominates the back pages with The Guardian’s “power Serge” headline encapsulating the gushing praise for the brilliant Bayern Munich marksman.

Having scored four goals in their 7-2 win against Tottenham in October, the 24-year-old added two more against Chelsea as the Germans ran out 3-0 winners in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Stamford Bridge.

“Serge and destroy” is splashed across the back of the Daily Mirror with the paper claiming that Bayern’s victory “all but knocks out Chelsea” from the competition. The Sun’s “Smash ’N Gnab 2” headline is a nod to Gnabry’s feats against Tottenham.

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Murray sidelined?

The Guardian, The Times and the Daily Mirror have some worrying news about Andy Murray, who is struggling to be fit for this summer.

“Fear” is the word used by the Mirror and The Times, both of whom claim that the 32-year-old British tennis star may be required to go under the surgeon’s knife once more.

According to the Times, the three-time grand-slam champion “will discover in the next few weeks whether he requires more surgery on his right hip that could rule him out of Wimbledon this summer”.

The Guardian says that Murray, who has not played since November, is still eager to carry on playing at the top level but the paper quotes the Scot saying: “I have become quite pessimistic about time frames.”

Stokes honoured

The Daily Mirror carries a photograph on its back page of England cricket star Ben Stokes receiving his OBE from the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace.

Jos Buttler was also there to collect an MBE from Prince William in recognition of what England achieved last year in winning the Cricket World Cup for the first time.

According to the Mirror, “Big Ben” declared: “This gong is for the whole team.”

The decoration caps a remarkable transformation for the 28-year-old Stokes, who two years ago was cleared of affray in a high-profile court case after a brawl in Bristol.

Today’s sport headlines

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Manchester City displayed defiance on and off the pitch last night as they beat West Ham 2-0 in their first match since being slapped with a two-season Champions League ban by Uefa.

Goals from Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne eased the Sky Blues to a comfortable Premier League win against the Hammers, a victory that moves City into second spot above Leicester.

The performance heartened the City faithful who made their feelings at the ban clear throughout the game with a series of anti-Uefa chants along with several banners displaying such messages as “Uefa cartel” and “Uefa mafia”.

Their resolve was matched by their manager’s when Pep Guardiola addressed the BBC in his post-match press conference.

“We appeal,” he said, referring to the club’s intention to contest the ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas). “When someone believes they are right they have to fight.”

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All to play for

Guardiola said his players’ performance against West Ham had come as no surprise given the professionalism of his squad, adding that they had discussed the importance of focusing on their job despite the furore surrounding the ban.

“What happens off it we cannot do much [about it],” explained the Spaniard. “We talked about what we have to do until the end of the season, especially for the people who love this club. We will play our game the best as possible. We have a lot of interesting things to play for.”

Going nowhere

When he was asked about his future, Guardiola replied: “If they don’t sack me I will be here. I love this club. I like to be here. This is my club and I will be here, no matter.

“The club has to fight and I trust the club 100% [in] what they have done, and they have explained to me.”

Broadside at Barca

Guardiola also had a few choice words for former club Barcelona, whose president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has endorsed Uefa’s decision to ban City and hit them with a £25m fine for overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts.

“If they are happy we are suspended, I say to the president of Barcelona, give us two appeals,” said Guardiola.

“I ask right now the people trust what they have done. Don’t talk too loud Barcelona. That is my advice, because everybody is involved in situations. We are going to appeal and hopefully in the future we can play Champions League against Barcelona.”

Guardiola’s comments suggest that he is unlikely to accept Bartomeu’s invitation to return to Barcelona where “the door is always open for him”.

Today’s back pages

‘Leip too far’ for toothless Tottenham and Marcus Rashford is a major doubt for Euro 2020

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Spurs slump to defeat

Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to RB Leipzig last night in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash has provided inspiration for many of the fourth estate’s finest headline writers.

“Jose’s hopes down the pan”, screams the Daily Star, while Metro goes for “A Leip too far” and The Sun opts for “Strop-Spur”.

The latter is a reference to the antics of Dele Alli who, according to the Sun “threw a tantrum after being subbed” as Spurs struggled to break down their German opponents.

The paper says that Alli hurled his boots in disgust after being removed by Mourinho, although the Daily Mirror - under the headline “bottled it” - says that when the England ace was subbed midway through the second half he “slumped on the bench before throwing a water bottle to the ground”.

His reaction summed up the frustration felt by Spurs, says Metro, who were left “toothless” by the injury absence of strikers Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son.

Lucas Moura tried his best up front, says the Daily Express, but as Mourinho told reporters after the defeat: “It’s a situation like going to fight with a gun without bullets.”

The Leipzig goal came courtesy of a penalty from Timo Werner on 58 minutes and Mourinho expressed his concern at the state of his injury-ravaged squad going forward.

“What worries me is that these are our players for the next however many matches,” he said. “Moura was absolutely dead, Bergwijn was absolutely dead, Lo Celso was absolutely dead.

“We are really in trouble. If it was just this game I’d say ‘no problem’ but we have FA Cup and Premier League games.”

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Marcus misery

Nearly all the papers find space on their back pages for the news that Marcus Rashford could miss the European Championships on account of the double stress fracture in his back.

The Times says that Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has cast “fresh doubt” on Rashford’s participation in Euro 2020 after his star striker hobbled off against Wolves last month.

The paper claims that Solskjaer has warned Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate “against selecting Rashford for the tournament, which begins on 12 June, unless he is fully fit”.

Under the heading “Euro heartbreak”, the Daily Mirror quotes Solskjaer saying: “It’ll be touch and go. It takes time. I’m not a doctor but I was hoping that he would recover quicker than it actually looks like he will. He’ll be out for another few months, definitely.”

i Sport points out that the news will alarm Southgate, who “is already sweating on the fitness of Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane”, and is therefore facing the prospect of going into the tournament without two of his first-choice frontmen.

Rashford injury setback for England: Man Utd star ‘touch and go’ for Euro 2020

Today’s sport headlines

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Champions League last-16 first leg Atletico Madrid 1 Liverpool 0

Liverpool experienced a rare losing feeling in Madrid last night as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Atletico in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash.

The Spanish side did to the Reds what they have done to the rest of the Premier League this year, pressing their opponents and then seizing on their mistakes.

The error from Liverpool came on five minutes when their defence was caught ball-watching at a corner, allowing Saul Niguez to pounce for the only goal of the game.

Pain in Spain

So effective were Diego Simeone’s side in neutering their illustrious visitors (unbeaten in the Premier League since January 2019), that it wasn’t until 53 minutes that the Reds managed to get close to the Atletico goal.

Even then Mohamed Salah headed wide, and the only other opportunity that came their way fell to Jordan Henderson, who hooked his shot wide.

Holders Liverpool have it all to do in the second leg at Anfield on 11 March but Jurgen Klopp struck an upbeat tone in assessing his side’s chances of overturning the first-leg deficit.

“I am really looking forward to the second leg,” said the Reds manager. “It’s half-time and we’re 1-0 down. The second half will be played in our stadium and they will feel it.”

Power play

Despite his bullish tone, Klopp appeared to have been unsettled by the raucous crowd and the way Simeone orchestrated their emotions.

“We speak from time to time about the power of Anfield and the power a stadium can have and tonight you saw that,” he said. “I’m not sure if Diego Simeone saw a lot of the game because he was continually animating the crowd.”

Klopp then conveyed a message to the Madrid faithful, a warning disguised as a welcome: “Atletico fans who can get a ticket... ‘welcome to Anfield’.”

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Dortmund 2 PSG 1: Hotshot Haaland

In last night’s other tie, Borussia Dortmund beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 on a night when Neymar was outshone by the brilliance of Erling Braut Haaland.

The 19-year-old Norwegian scored both goals for the hosts, either side of an effort by Neymar for the French champions.

The result leaves the tie very much in the balance but the German outfit will fancy their chances in Paris next month if Haaland shows the same killer instincts in front of goal.

The teenage sensation has scored an astonishing 39 goals in 29 appearances this season and team-mate Axel Witsel said of Haaland: “He still has huge room for improvement but he is on the road to becoming a truly great player.”

Born in England to father Alf-Inge, who played for Leeds and Manchester City, Haaland accepted his man-of-the-match award but then declared: “I feel like I still can do a lot better. I have to play better at this level, have to work hard to improve.”

Tonight’s round of 16 first-leg fixtures

• Tottenham Hotspur vs. RB Leipzig (8pm, live on BT Sport 2)
• Atalanta vs. Valencia (8pm, live on BT Sport 3)

Today’s back pages

Klopp’s Liverpool get a Spanish lesson and Spurs are hit by Son injury setback

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Spanish lesson

“Saul destroying” is the headline in i Sport with the paper reporting how sloppy defence at a corner meant Liverpool slumped to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

It’s a theme repeated across the back pages, from the Daily Star’s “Jurgen’s Liverpool crack at last” to The Guardian’s “Spanish lesson”.

Saul Niguez’s early goal will give Atletico a precious advantage in the return leg at Anfield next month but what really caught the Guardian’s eye was what it describes as the Spanish side’s “defensive nous” in shutting out their visitors.

The Times captures the frustration of Jurgen Klopp’s side with a photo of an exasperated Mohamed Salah above the headline: “Liverpool finally show they’re human.”

In last night’s other games Borussia Dortmund beat Paris Saint Germain 2-1.

Tonight’s last-16 first legs see Tottenham Hotspur take on RB Leipzig (8pm, live on BT Sport 2) and Atalanta host Valencia (8pm, live on BT Sport 3).

Welcome to Anfield, Atletico: Klopp is excited for second leg despite defeat in Madrid

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Bad to worse

Most papers find room on their back pages to report the latest blow to befall Tottenham.

Having lost Harry Kane until April with a hamstring injury, Spurs are reeling from the news that Heung-min Son has broken his arm.

The South Korean striker has been in a rich vein of form recently and The Times says Spurs are in “shock” at the news.

Jose Mourinho fears Son could be out for many weeks, the Daily Mirror reports.

Speaking ahead of tonight’s clash against Leipzig, Mourinho admitted: “The situation couldn’t be worse. I was worried about not having attacking options on the bench, now I don’t have attacking options on the pitch.”

Front row change

Independent and The Guardian report on the withdrawal of Mako Vunipola from England’s Six Nations clash with Ireland on Sunday at Twickenham.

The Saracens loosehead prop has returned to Tonga for “personal reasons” and his place in the 33-man squad has been taken by Bath’s Beno Obano.

The Indy says that head coach Eddie Jones will probably name Joe Marler in his starting XV with super sub Ellis Genge - who scored the all-important try in the win against Scotland - kept on the bench until the second half.

Today’s sport headlines

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Wenger whine

Metro reports that former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has backed Uefa for banning Manchester City from the Champions League for two seasons for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.

“It is important for the clubs to work with the natural income they have,” said the Frenchman. “The point of sport is basically to win, but by respecting the rules.

“We celebrate the best in every sport but we need to know they respect the rules. If that doesn’t happen it is not real sport so that’s why it’s so important. Once you play in a competition you agree to the rules.”

Wenger saw several of his Arsenal stars head north to the Etihad during his time in charge of the Gunners - including Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna and Samir Nasri - and clearly this still rankles.

“I think this is a deep question,” he said. “They bought all my players, yes!”

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Sexist or common sense?

The Times reports that ex-England boss Fabio Capello has “reignited the debate” about reducing the size of the goal for female footballers.

In a panel discussion at the Laureus World Sports Awards with Jill Ellis, the World Cup-winning former United States head coach, Capello said: “I think the goal for the women is too big… every time when you shoot at the goal, for the ’keeper it’s really difficult.”

Ellis, who coached the US to their second successive World Cup victory last summer, “respectfully disagreed” with the Italian, saying: “The purity of the game is the purity of the game and we all love that. We’ve grown up with the game and I don’t think we feel that we need to modify that.”

When a member of the audience put it to Capello that the dimensions of a tennis court are the same for men and women, he replied: “In tennis, you don’t have to jump. The problem in football is you have to jump.”

Chelsea left feeling blue

Manchester United’s 2-0 win at Chelsea last night dominates the back pages with a variety of headlines.

“Dirty Harry” is the Daily Mail’s splash, a reference to defender Harry Maguire, who scored one of United’s two goals but in the Mail’s eyes should have been sent off for kicking Michy Batshuayi in the groin in the first half.

The incident was reviewed by VAR, which strangely exonerated Maguire, and the Red Devils also got lucky when the same system denied Chelsea a goal for a foul when it appeared to the neutral that the first infringement was by United midfielder Fred.

Those incidents account for the Daily Star’s headline “A Bridge too VAR” and The Times is also inspired by a film title with its “Escape to Victory” headline.

‘Soul destroying’ for Lampard: reactions to Man Utd’s VAR-cical victory

Today’s sport headlines

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Pep Guardiola has pledged his loyalty to Manchester City in the wake of the club’s two-season ban from the Uefa Champions League.

According to The Times, the Spaniard has “informed the Manchester City board and his players that he intends to carry on as manager”.

The news will come as a huge relief to the City chiefs, who were reportedly “stunned” at the severity of the punishment handed down last week by Uefa.

Not only are the reigning English champions suspended from European competition for two years but they were also slapped with a £25m fine after being found guilty of breaking financial fair play (FFP) rules between 2012 and 2016.

Although City will challenge the ban in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), it’s expected that the best they can hope for is a one-season reduction, and that will still leave a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the Etihad.

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Man of honour

But The Times says that despite rumours at the weekend linking Guardiola to Juventus, the Spaniard will not invoke the break clause he has in his contract and will honour the final year of a deal that expires at the end of next season.

The papers say that Guardiola addressed the squad at the club’s training ground on Saturday and urged his players to use the ban as a motivation for the rest of the season.

City play away at Real Madrid next week in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash, and on Wednesday they host West Ham in the Premier League.

Guardiola will speak to the press about that match tomorrow - and inevitably most of the questions will be about the ban - but The Times expects him to confirm he will not be leaving the club.

Sterling staying

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail says that a number of star players are also staying loyal to the club - for the moment.

Raheem Sterling is known to be on the radar of Real Madrid but the England frontman’s agent, Aidy Ward, told the Mail: “Raheem is solely focused on Manchester City and will not be distracted by any talk of transfers at the moment.”

The future of Sterling and his team-mates will probably hinge on the outcome of City’s appeal, although when exactly their case will be heard is unclear.

The Daily Express adds: “It remains a possibility that CAS won’t be able to reach a verdict before the start of next season. In that situation, if the ban were to be upheld, it would be suspended for one year and come into force in the 2021-2022 season.”

Today’s newspaper back pages

Del Piero says Guardiola is ‘destined’ for Juventus

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Paris Saint-Germain and France striker Kylian Mbappe has heaped praise on Liverpool by describing the Premier League leaders as a “machine”.

In a wide-ranging interview with BBC Sport at the launch of his charity “Inspired by Kylian Mbappe”, the 21-year-old also discussed his future with the French champions, his childhood idols and his trophy ambitions for the rest of the year.

Here we take a look at what the World Cup winner had to say...

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Mbappe on his childhood idols

“Well, I’ve had phases. As a kid, it was [Zinedine] Zidane. If you’re a kid and you’re French, your idol is Zidane.

“After, it was Cristiano [Ronaldo], who I had the luck to go up against, and then the Brazilians for their way of playing. I want to leave my mark with my values, to leave a message in the history of football.”

Mbappe on being linked with Zidane’s Real Madrid

“Everyone talks about it - when I was young I talked about it too. But now I’m a player and I know it’s not the moment.”

Mbappe on his future with PSG

“We are in January - it’s the money time of the season. Imagine I answer your question and say something. Everybody will talk about it and it’s not good for PSG.

“Now I’m with PSG and I’m 100% with the club. I want to help the club grow this season, to win a lot of titles, so for me it’s not good to talk about [my future].

“I think about the club because the club helped me. I came here at 18. I was a talent but I was not a superstar. Now I’m a superstar, thanks to PSG and the French national team.

“I have to stay calm and stay focused on PSG. After that, at the end of the season, we will see. But now I’m focused on my game.”

Mbappe on Premier League leaders Liverpool

“What Liverpool do in this moment is amazing. They’re like a machine, they’ve found a rhythm and are like ‘we play again, we play again’.

“They’ve lost zero games. When you watch you think everything’s easy but that’s not easy. The guys are focused, they play games every three days and they win, they win, they win.

“Now the problem is that everybody watches Liverpool, and everybody watches what we can do against them, so now they have to show they are strong again but it’s a very good team with a very good manager.”

Mbappe on his ambitions for 2020

“It would be a treble of Champions League, European Championship and Olympic Games. That wouldn’t be bad.

“That seems unattainable for the time being but I’m going to make sure I fulfil this dream. It would be a proud moment to be able to win the first European [Cup] for PSG and for our country to keep winning.”

Today’s back pages

Chelsea and Man Utd target PSG striker Edinson Cavani

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Barcelona sack Valverde

Barcelona have sacked manager Ernesto Valverde and he will be replaced by Quique Setien, who has been given a deal until June 2022.

The dismissal of Valverde – the first coach to be sacked by Barcelona mid-season since they gave Louis van Gaal the boot in January 2003 – highlights the weight of expectations at the Camp Nou. The Catalan club lead La Liga on goal difference from Real Madrid, and they have progressed to the Last 16 of the Champions League as group winners, but recent results haven’t been good, and last week they lost to Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup.

Liverpool to blame?

Nonetheless, Valverde might have thought he had built up enough credit in the bank since replacing Luis Enrique in 2017. He has won back-to-back league titles since arriving in Barcelona, as well as Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup titles, but there is a growing feeling within the club that he’s not the man to re-establish the club as Europe’s dominant club.

According to Spanish paper Marca, Valverde’s fate was sealed last season by the manner of the semi-final defeat against Liverpool in the Champions League, which they describe as “continental shame”.

It’s now five years since Barcelona won the Champions League and the board believe change is required sooner rather than later.

Setien in hotseat

But is Setien the right man for the job? The 61-year-old has a modest CV, having coached Las Palmas and Real Betis in recent seasons, and he was sacked from the latter six months ago.

He’ll also be without striker Luis Suarez for the rest of the season with the Uruguayan ace sidelined with a serious knee injury. Sky Sports reports that Barcelona are looking at replacements, and although they have their eye on Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez they will have to meet his £95m (€111m) release clause

Reaction to Valverde’s dismissal

Gary Lineker: “Wish him well. Won @LaLigaEN last two years. Currently top of the table. Expectations run high at @FCBarcelona. Mes que un club [More than a club].”

Former Barca star Andres Iniesta: “The way the club have gone about things is a little ugly”.

Marca: ”Valverde doesn’t deserve this - something we all agree on - to be belittled like he has been in last few days. But Barcelona, the institution - not the board - didn’t deserve Valverde in the last few months.”

BBC Sport’s Spanish football expert Andy West: “Setien – whose stubborn nature makes him a divisive figure across Spain – is a devout disciple of Cruyffian football, and from now on it is certain that Barca will once again play ‘Barca’ football. Whether they can play it well, though, is another matter.”

When putting together the sporting predictions for 2019 we backed Liverpool to win their first top-flight title since 1990.

At the time, 21 matches in, the Anfield club were four points clear at the top of the table and looked a good bet to go on and lift the Premier League trophy.

However, Manchester City had something to say about that as Pep Guardiola’s side went on a magnificent winning run to claim back-to-back titles.

With another healthy points advantage, could Liverpool finally end what is now a 30-year wait for the title? Or can Man City (or Leicester) stop the runaway Reds in their tracks?

Here we look into our crystal football and predict the big winners in 2020.

Premier League: Liverpool

Surely Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp and the Kop will be celebrating a Premier League title win come May?

In terms of league form the Anfield club are streets ahead of their rivals and even with another miraculous comeback the gap – 10 points at Christmas, with a game in hand – should be too big for Man City and Leicester to close.

Carabao Cup: Manchester City

Man City have won the league cup for the past two seasons and will hope to make it a hat-trick in 2020.

However, in the two-legged semi-finals they will face rivals Manchester United. After losing the Manchester derby 2-1 at home in December, City will be out for revenge against the Red Devils.

Should Guardiola’s men defeat United over two legs they will be confident of beating Leicester City or Aston Villa in the Wembley final on 1 March.

FA Cup: Tottenham Hotspur

It really is the luck of the draw when predicting a winner of the FA Cup.

In the third round Wolves will face Man Utd while on Merseyside there’s a derby between Liverpool and Everton – so at least two Premier League teams will be out of the cup early.

Man City are always a decent bet for any domestic cup, but over in north London Jose Mourinho has been tasked with ending Tottenham’s trophy drought.

Could 2020 be a special year for Spurs and the Special One?

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Uefa Champions League winners: Barcelona

The chase for the Premier League title could have a negative effect on Liverpool’s Champions League defence.

The holders have a tough task in the last 16 against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid and could find themselves out of the competition at the first knockout stage.

The Champions League is also the holy grail for Guardiola and Man City. But while we believe they will beat Real Madrid in the round of 16, there could be more UCL heartbreak this season for the men from the Etihad.

Barcelona suffered a stunning defeat at Anfield in the semi-final last season, but there won’t be any tears this time around for the Catalans.

We predict that Lionel Messi will be lifting the famous silver trophy in the Istanbul final on 30 May.

Uefa Europa League: Inter Milan

Five British teams – Manchester United, Arsenal, Celtic, Wolves and Rangers – have qualified for the knockout stages of European football’s second biggest club competition.

It would be easy to pick one of the UK sides to lift the Europa League trophy on 27 May in Gdansk, but there will be plenty of dangerous competition from teams who have dropped down from the Champions League.

Ajax and Inter Milan are two of the teams who enter at the round of 32 stage in February and we predict that it will be Italian giants Inter who will be celebrating in Poland.

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2020 Uefa European Championship: France

Dig out the memes and dust off the flags, football’s coming home!

This summer promises to a cracker with Euro 2020 on the schedule. The tournament will be held for the first time in multiple countries and luckily for England, Wembley Stadium has been chosen as a host venue.

England will play their three group games at Wembley and the London ground has also been selected for both semi-finals and final.

Could this (sort of) home advantage work in favour of the Three Lions? England boss Gareth Southgate will certainly hope so.

However... let’s be realistic here, this is England we’re talking about.

While we believe that Southgate’s side could reach the last four, the “years of hurt” will continue for the Three Lions as they lose in the semi-finals. To Germany. On penalties. Probably.

The Germans, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Spain and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal (the holders) will hope to be contenders for the Euro crown.

But with players like Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and N’Golo Kante in their ranks, we feel that France will be too strong for the rest and complete a World Cup and Euro double.

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Premier League sides Liverpool and Manchester City will face Madrid clubs in the Uefa Champions League round of 16.

Holders Liverpool have been drawn against Atletico Madrid in the first knockout stage while Man City take on Real Madrid.

Tottenham and Chelsea both have German opposition in the last 16. Last season’s beaten finalists Spurs are drawn against RB Leipzig and Chelsea have a huge tie against Bayern Munich.

In the other games Borussia Dortmund face Paris Saint-Germain, Atalanta take on Valencia, Lyon play Juventus and Napoli face Barcelona.

Round of 16 draw in full

The eight seeded teams play at home in the last-16 second legs.

• Borussia Dortmund vs. Paris Saint-Germain
• Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
• Atalanta vs. Valencia
• Atlético Madrid vs. Liverpool
• Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich
• Lyon vs. Juventus
• Tottenham Hotspur vs. RB Leipzig
• Napoli vs. Barcelona

When are the last-16 fixtures?

The Champions League round of 16 first legs will take place on 18-19 and 25-26 February 2020. The second legs are on 10-11 and 17-18 March. All matches kick-off at 8pm and will be live on BT Sport.

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Last-16 first-leg fixtures

Tuesday 18 February

• Borussia Dortmund vs. PSG
• Atletico Madrid vs. Liverpool

Wednesday 19 February

• Atalanta vs. Valencia
• Tottenham vs. RB Leipzig

Tuesday 25 February

• Napoli vs. Barcelona
• Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich

Wednesday 26 February

• Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
• Lyon vs. Juventus

Last-16 second-leg fixtures

Tuesday 10 March

• Valencia vs. Atalanta
• RB Leipzig vs. Tottenham

Wednesday 11 March

• PSG vs. Borussia Dortmund
• Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid

Tuesday 17 March

• Manchester City vs. Real Madrid
• Juventus vs. Lyon

Wednesday 18 March

• Barcelona vs. Napoli
• Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea

Reactions to the draw

Atlético Madrid vs. Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool manager: “It’s an interesting draw. Before the draw I actually thought it would be Madrid – either one of the two clubs – and that’s the way it is. Madrid is the place where we only have fantastic memories, all of us, so that’s great, but this time we play Atletico there and it’s their home ground.

“It’s a tough one, but if you go through all of the draws, there are pretty much four or five potential finals already in the last 16.

“So, really, really good; a good draw, a difficult game like it should be, but how we most of the time think and say, I don’t think Mr Simeone is running through his living room and is happy that he got Liverpool.

“It will be a tough game. Two teams who are used to playing intense football, different styles and slightly different organisation of course, but both are ready for intensity and that makes it pretty tough for both.”

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City

Txiki Begiristain, Man City director of football: “It is a difficult one, of course. Real Madrid have won 13 times so they are the best. We want to be the best so we want to beat them. It is always a pleasure to go to Real Madrid and play in big stadium like the Bernabeu. We know what we are going to face but they know our team and our manager too. I think we have to keep connected to all of the competitions and we will have chances to win some. In the league, Liverpool are many points ahead but we have to be connected.”

Lyon vs. Juventus

Pavel Nedvěd, former Juventus player: “We can’t complain, considering that last year we drew Atlético, but if you’re not in form when the Champions League comes back around between February and March, there is little that you can do. The precedents are favourable to us, but they do not count for anything, only the form in the moment counts.”

Rudi Garcia, Lyon head coach: “It’s a great challenge to take, a real pleasure to host them [Juventus]. We’re in the top 16 teams in Europe [and we’re happy for that]. Miralem Pjanić [former Garcia player at Roa, former Lyon player, now at Juve] is a person with great quality, incredibly skilled. He is a big strength of Juventus. Happy to welcome Maurizio Sarri. He is a very good coach, with a lot of experience.”

Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich

Thomas Müller, Bayern forward: “Now we know which team we have to deal with. We expected it to be a team of European top quality. But we are very confident, I am okay with that draw. Nevertheless, Chelsea has players who can be very dangerous, like [Christian] Pulisic or [Callum] Hudson-Odoi.”

Manuel Neuer, Bayern goalkeeper: “We watched the draw with the team. We are looking forward to London. We made some great experiences there. Surely you think of the final 2012 in Munich. They are a dangerous team, which we have to take seriously. We have to deliver a highly concentrated performance, but want to move to the next round.”

Tottenham Hotspur vs. RB Leipzig

Markus Krösche, RB Leipzig sporting director: “It was obvious that we’d get a big club. That is normal at this stage of the competition. But we will do everything we can to qualify for the next round.”

Julian Nagelsmann, Leipzig coach: “Spurs is very nice and exciting! They are a top team in Europe, in a fantastic city, with world stars who have experienced a lot. Of course it won’t be easy. But we are really looking forward to it – especially the stadium.”

Borussia Dortmund vs. Paris Saint-Germain

Marco Reus, Dortmund forward: “A great matchup for both the players and fans. Our goal is to advance to the next round!”

Atalanta vs. Valencia

Antonio Percassi, Atalanta president: “The draw could have been worse. In my opinion Valencia was the best possible option for us to deal with, then we’ll see how it goes.”

Napoli vs. Barcelona

Gennaro Gattuso, Napoli head coach: “A great team, a great challenge, two fascinating races. We will face them [Barcelona] without fear.”

2019-20 Champions League season calendar

• 18-19 and 25-26 February: round of 16, first leg
• 10-11 and 17-18 March: round of 16, second leg
• 20 March: quarter-final and semi-final draw
• 7-8 April: quarter-finals, first leg
• 14-15 April: quarter-finals, second leg
• 28-29 April: semi-finals, first leg
• 5-6 May: semi-finals, second leg

When is the final?

The 2020 Champions League final will be played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday 30 May.

How to watch on TV

BT Sport has the UK rights for the Champions League and the broadcaster will show every game live in the 2019-20 season.

Champions League winner betting odds

Prices according to Oddschecker

• Manchester City: 4/1
• Liverpool: 5/1
• Barcelona: 11/2
• Paris Saint-Germain: 15/2
• Bayern Munich: 8/1
• Juventus: 12/1
• Tottenham Hotspur: 20/1
• Real Madrid: 20/1
• Atlético Madrid: 40/1
• Chelsea: 50/1
• RB Leipzig: 50/1
• Borussia Dortmund: 66/1
• Atalanta: 100/1
• Valencia: 100/1
• Napoli: 125/1
• Lyon: 250/1

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Champions League debutants Atalanta and Spanish giants Atletico Madrid have secured the final two places in Monday’s round of 16 draw.

Despite losing their first three matches in group C, Italian outfit Atalanta found their form late on and a brilliant 3-0 win at Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday night earned them a runners-up spot behind Manchester City.

English champions City thrashed Dinamo Zagreb 4-1 in Croatia, a result that allowed Atalanta to finish second on seven points, one more than Shakhtar and two more than Zagreb.

Joy for Atletico

Atletico Madrid and Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen were competing for the runners-up spot in group D behind Juventus, and it was the Spanish side who won the spoils thanks to a 2-0 win over Lokomotiv Moscow.

Leverkusen lost by the same scoreline at home to Juve and finished third, thereby dropping into the knockout phase of the Europa League.

Fab Four

Of the clubs to reach the last 16 of the Champions League, England and Spain each have four representatives, Germany and Italy three and France two.

Man City had already wrapped up group C ahead of the trip to Zagreb, and a 4-1 win underlined their dominance of a group in which they finished seven points clear of their nearest rival.

Gabriel Jesus was the star of the show against Dinamo with a hat-trick while Phil Foden also got on the scoresheet.

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Bullish Mourinho

Tottenham lost their final group B match to Bayern Munich but the 3-1 scoreline was an improvement on the 7-2 thrashing they received in north London in October.

Ryan Sessegnon scored Spurs’s consolation and the Lilywhites will face one of Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Valencia or RB Leipzig in the next round.

Despite that daunting line-up, Spurs manager Jose Mourinho was upbeat about his side’s chances in the last 16.

“I think the teams that finished first will wish they don’t play against us,” he said. “We are one of the strongest teams from the second group. By the end of February I will understand my players better, they will understand me better. We have two more months of work together. I think we will be much more ready.”

Champions League last-16 draw: seeds, UK start time, TV and live stream

Who has qualified for the last 16?

• Group A: Paris St-Germain (winners), Real Madrid (runners-up)
• Group B: Bayern Munich (winners), Tottenham (runners-up)
• Group C: Manchester City (winners), Atalanta (runners-up)
• Group D: Juventus (winners), Atletico Madrid (runners-up)
• Group E: Liverpool (winners), Napoli (runners-up)
• Group F: Barcelona (winners), Borussia Dortmund (runners-up)
• Group G: RB Leipzig (winners), Lyon (runners-up)
• Group H: Valencia (winners), Chelsea (runners-up)

Today’s back pages

Man City boss Guardiola hails Jesus for his ‘goaly trinity’

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Pep hails Jesus

Independent reports that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hailed Gabriel Jesus after the striker hit a hat-trick in last night’s 4-1 Champions League win at Dinamo Zagreb.

Midfielder Phil Foden was also on the scoresheet as City finished top of group C. City and group runners-up Atalanta are through to Monday’s last-16 draw.

Jesus’s “goaly trinity” was praised by Guardiola, says the Daily Mirror, as City hit the 500th goal of his Etihad reign.

On Jesus’s performance Guardiola said: “We are incredibly delighted with Gabby. A striker needs goals and he scored three. Hopefully it can help his mood to be incredibly positive.

“Gabriel is an incredible fighter, how he helps us to defend and does absolutely everything, but a striker needs goals and that is important for him, for the team, for everything.”

After the match 22-year-old Jesus said: “It’s special. When I was young, I’d think about the Champions League - I wanted to play, I wanted to score, I wanted the ball. For me it’s a very special moment when I score goals and a hat-trick as well.”

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Spurs lose in Germany

Tottenham Hotspur finished second in group B but suffered another defeat against Bayern Munich.

Earlier in the group campaign Spurs lost 7-2 at home to Bayern and the north London club were “Mullered again”, says the Daily Star, with the Germans winning last night’s match 3-1 to finish top of the table.

Kingsley Coman opened the scoring on 14 minutes for Bayern but Ryan Sessegnon equalised for Spurs on his first start for the club. Goals from Thomas Muller and Philippe Coutinho secured the win for the Bundesliga giants.

Man City, Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea are through to the Champions League last-16 draw, which takes place on Monday at 11am (GMT). The draw will be live on BT Sport 1.

Today’s newspaper back pages

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Premier League clubs Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea will be in the draw for the last 16 of the Uefa Champions League.

Taking place on Monday 16 December in Nyon, Switzerland, the draw will see the eight seeded teams (group winners) paired with one of the eight unseeded teams (group runners-up).

Uefa has confirmed that no team can play a club from their group or a club from the same country.

Round of 16 first-leg matches will be played in February and the second legs will be played in March.

What time is the last-16 draw?

The Champions League last-16 draw starts at 11am (GMT) on Monday.

TV and live stream details

BT Sport 1 will provide coverage of the draw from 10.45am and Uefa.com will also show a live stream from 11am.

Fans can watch the last-16 action via BT Sport’s new contract-free monthly pass, costing £25 per month. See more at bt.com

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Which teams are in the draw?

Seeded teams: group winners

• Paris Saint-Germain (group A winners)
• Bayern Munich (group B winners)
• Manchester City (group C winners)
• Juventus (group D winners)
• Liverpool (holders; group E winners)
• Barcelona (group F winners)
• RB Leipzig (group G winners)
• Valencia (group H winners)

Unseeded teams: group runners-up

• Real Madrid (group A runners-up)
• Tottenham Hotspur (group B runners-up)
• Atalanta (group C runners-up)
• Atlético Madrid (group D runners-up)
• Napoli (group E runners-up)
• Borussia Dortmund (group F runners-up)
• Lyon (group G runners-up)
• Chelsea (group H runners-up)

What are the rules of the draw?

• Seeded teams are at home in the second legs
• No team can play a club from their Champions League group or a side from the same country

When are the last-16 fixtures?

Round of 16 first legs will be on 18-19 and 25-26 February. The second legs are on 10-11 and 17-18 March. Seeded teams will be at home in the second legs. All matches will kick-off at 8pm and are live on BT Sport.

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Chelsea conquered their nerves to book a place in the last 16 of the Uefa Champions League with a 2-1 victory over Lille at Stamford Bridge.

First-half goals from Tammy Abraham and Cesar Azpilicueta set the Blues on their way against a second-string Lille side, but a late goal from the French visitors threatened to derail their progress.

Loic Remy’s effort on 78 minutes meant the Chelsea faithful endured a nervous few final minutes, aware that defeat would see them slip out of contention at the expense of Ajax.

But Frank Lampard’s team held on to finish second in group H behind Valencia and one point ahead of their Dutch rivals, who lost 1-0 at home to the Spanish outfit.

Last season’s semi-finalists, Ajax have paid the price for selling off so many of their squad in the summer, and their failure to progress is a bitter disappointment after their thrilling brand of football last year.

Twitchy

Chelsea have now made it to the knockout stages in 15 of their 16 Champions League campaigns, with 2012-13 their only failure, but Lampard admitted it had been squeaky bum time in the final ten minutes.

“It did get twitchy,” he said. “We need to take our chances better. At 2-0 I thought it was not quite done and when Lille scored it made it a more nervy finish to the game than it needed to be.”

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Reds also through

Defending champions Liverpool picked up the points they needed to qualify from group E, but they were made to work hard for it by Red Bull Salzburg.

The Austrian outfit threw everything they had at the visitors in the first 45 minutes, looking to add to their recent tally of 87 goals in 24 matches. But the Reds stayed strong, kept a clean sheet, and then hit their hosts with two goals in two minutes after the break.

Naby Keita headed in Sadio Mane’s cross on 57 minutes and then Mohamed Salah fired home from a tight angle to make sure of their passage into the last 16.

“I really love it that my team is so smart that they listen and they put in a shift in like that,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. “Salzburg was unbelievably strong, especially in the first half, but we as well were ready for that fight.”

Napoli thrashed Genk 4-0 to finish second in group E, but an hour after the win the Italian club parted company with head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who is already being linked to both Arsenal and Everton.

Today’s back pages: Salah stunner seals a ‘full English’ in last 16

The end for Inter

Ansu Fati became the youngest goalscorer in Champions League history as he scored a late winner for Barcelona to end Inter Milan’s hopes of reaching the last 16. The 17-year-old converted Luis Suarez’s pass four minutes from time to seal a 2-1 win at the San Siro.

The Spanish giants had already qualified for the knockout phase, but their win on the road, coupled with Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 victory at home against Slavia Prague, means Inter finish third with the second qualifying spot going to the Germans.

“I played the give and go with Luis and when I scored the stadium just went silent, I’m super-happy,” said Fati. “It’s a dream… you look around and think: ‘what have I done?’”

Two spots left in last 16

There are still two qualification places up for grabs on Wednesday evening. Manchester City are through as group C winners and it will be between Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta for the runners-up spot.

Man City are away at Dinamo Zagreb (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 3) while Shakhtar host Atalanta (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 1).

Juventus have won group D but second place is yet to be confirmed with Atlético Madrid and Bayer 04 Leverkusen in contention. On Wednesday Atlético host Lokomotiv Moscow (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 3) and Leverkusen are at home against Juve (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2).

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Fixtures, permutations and draw details

When is the draw for the last 16?

The draw for the Champions League round of 16 takes place at 11am (GMT) on Monday 16 December in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw features the eight group winners (seeded) and eight runners-up (unseeded). Two final spots will be decided on Wednesday evening.

Teams through to the last 16Seeded (group winners)

• Barcelona (group F)
• Bayern Munich (group B)
• Juventus (group D)
• RB Leipzig (group G)
• Liverpool (group E)
• Manchester City (group C)
• Paris Saint-Germain (group A)
• Valencia (group H)

Unseeded (group runners-up)

• Borussia Dortmund (group F)
• Chelsea (group H)
• Lyon (group G)
• Napoli (group E)
• Real Madrid (group A)
• Tottenham Hotspur (group B)

Wednesday 11 December: fixtures and permutations

Group A

• Club Bruges vs. Real Madrid (8pm, live on BT Sport ESPN)
• Paris Saint-Germain vs. Galatasaray (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 4)

Permutations (according to Uefa)

• PSG are through as group winners
• Real Madrid are through
• Club Brugge cannot finish in the top two. They will finish third if they beat Madrid, or if Galatasaray fail to beat PSG
• Galatasaray cannot finish in the top two. They will be confirmed in fourth place if they lose to PSG

Group B

• Bayern Munich vs. Tottenham Hotspur (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2)
• Olympiakos vs. Red Star Belgrade (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 5)

Permutations

• Bayern are through as group winners
• Tottenham are through
• Red Star are unable to finish in the top two. They will finish in third if they avoid defeat at Olympiacos
• Olympiacos are unable to finish in the top two. They will finish in third if they beat Red Star

Group C

• Dinamo Zagreb vs. Manchester City (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 3)
• Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Atalanta (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 1)

Permutations

• Man City are through as group winners
• Shakhtar will go through if they beat Atalanta, or if they draw and Dinamo fail to win
• Dinamo will go through if they beat City and Shakhtar do not beat Atalanta
• Atalanta will go through if they beat Shakhtar and Dinamo do not beat City

Group D

• Atlético Madrid vs. Lokomotiv Moscow (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 3)
• Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. Juventus (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2)

Permutations

• Juventus are through as group winners
• Atlético will go through if they beat Lokomotiv or if Leverkusen fail to beat Juventus
• Leverkusen will go through if they beat Juventus and Atlético do not beat Lokomotiv
• Lokomotiv will finish fourth

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