Now that the weekend has landed, it’s time to wrap things up. We’ll leave you with Jonathan Wilson’s take on the Champions League draw. Good day!
It’s a little-known fact that the weekend officially lands at the precise moment we publish our squad sheets on a Friday afternoon.
Nations League latest
A busy evening of Women’s Nations League action is under way. England play in Portugal later (John Brewin will be on MBM duty for that) while Scotland and Wales are among the early kick-offs in League A. Both are trailing in the first half:
13 min: Italy 1-0 Wales
Bonansea 5
30 min: Austria 1-0 Scotland
Purtscheller 14
Updated
Also on this day in 1998… Gilles Grimandi’s big dipper continues Arsenal’s stealthy march towards the title.
And the Conference League draw
Jagiellonia v Cercle Brugge
Molde v Legia Warszawa
Celje v Lugano
Pafos v Djurgården
Panathinaikos v Fiorentina
Borac v SK Rapid
Real Betis v Vitória SC
Copenhagen v Chelsea
And the Europa League draw
Round of 16 ties
AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham
Ajax v Eintracht Frankfurt
Bodø/Glimt v Olympiakos
Viktoria Plzeň v Lazio
Fenerbahçe v Rangers
Roma v Athletic Bilbao
FCSB v Lyon
Real Sociedad v Manchester United
Ties will take place on 6 and 13 March.
Quarter-final ties
AZ Alkmaar/Tottenham v Ajax/Eintracht Frankfurt
BodøGlimt/Olympiakos vs Viktoria Plzeň/Lazio
Fenerbahçe/Rangers v Roma/Athletic Bilbao
FCSB/Lyon v Real Sociedad/Manchester United
Ties will take place on 10 and 17 April.
Semi-final ties
1. AZ/Tottenham/Ajax/Frankfurtv BodøGlimt/Olympiakos/Plzeň/Lazio
2. Fenerbahçe/Rangers/Roma/Athletic Bilbao v FCSB/Lyon/Real Sociedad/Manchester United
Ties will take place on 1 and 8 May.
A reminder of the Champions League draw
Round of 16 ties
PSV vs Arsenal
Real Madrid vs Atleti
Paris vs Liverpool
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa
Benfica vs Barcelona
Borussia Dortmund vs Lille
Bayern München vs Leverkusen
Feyenoord vs Inter
Ties take place on 4/5 & 11/12 March.
Quarter-final ties
PSV/Arsenal vs Real Madrid/Atleti
Paris/Liverpool vs Club Brugge/Aston Villa
Benfica/Barcelona vs Dortmund/Lille
Bayern/Leverkusen vs Feyenoord/Inter
Ties take place on 8/9 & 15/16 April.
Semi-final ties
PSV/Arsenal/Real Madrid/Atleti vs Paris/Liverpool/Club Brugge/Aston Villa
Benfica/Barcelona/Dortmund/Lille vs Bayern/Leverkusen/Feyenoord/Inter
Ties take place on 29/30 April & 6/7 May.
On this day in 1998… Emile Heskey 2-0 Chelsea.
Everton v Man Utd (Saturday, 12.30pm)
David Moyes has to choose between Charly Alcaraz, who was so impressive at Selhurst Park last weekend, and Abdoulaye Doucoure, who is available after suspension.
We’ve got them both fit at the moment so that gives us a decision to make. We’ll look at it and I’ll need both of them - we’re really short of numbers here.
I think I’ve got nine or 10 players out injured so for us to be getting results with that amount of players out is great credit to the players who are playing at the moment.
We’ve had a really good run and we’ve got to try to keep that going now. When you take over a team a little bit into the season, you have to find a way of getting the best results.
Whatever we have asked the players to do, they’ve been fantastic. We are playing a lot better and doing a lot better in recent games.
Read Suzanne Wrack on the Luis Rubiales verdict
Jenni Hermoso was in a position of power, a World Cup winner and Spain’s record goalscorer. She, along with many of her teammates, had complained about the federation’s treatment of the squad. It required the assault by her boss being broadcast live around the world for people to take seriously that the environment around the team was not appropriate. Even then she needed to endure a trial and hope the judge would deliver a guilty verdict.
What about the women who don’t have their assaults broadcast live around the world and lack the international profile of a successful elite athlete? What chance do they have of justice?
Updated
On this day in 2001… Alan Smith’s delicious goal is the highlight of a stunning Leeds victory in Anderlecht.
A reminder of this weekend’s Premier League fixtures
Leicester v Brentford (Fri, 8pm)
Everton v Man Utd (Sat, 12.30pm)
Arsenal v West Ham (Sat, 3pm)
Bournemouth v Wolves (Sat, 3pm)
Fulham v Crystal Palace (Sat, 3pm)
Ipswich v Tottenham (Sat, 3pm)
Southampton v Brighton (Sat, 3pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (Sat, 5.30pm)
Newcastle v Nottm Forest (Sun, 2pm)
Man City v Liverpool (Sun, 4.30pm)
On this day in 2006… Thierry Henry does Madrid.
Some news on Luis Rubiales, whose appeal against his three-year suspension from Fifa has been dismissed by Cas.
A Cas panel that his behaviour at the World Cup presentation ceremony in 2023, when he kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips without consent, “constituted multiple and serious violations of the Fifa Disciplinary Code… The appeal by Mr Rubiales is dismissed and the contested decision is maintained.”
Updated
On this day in 1996… the beginning of Newcastle’s haunting title collapse.
Aston Villa v Chelsea (Saturday 5.30pm)
Good afternoon. Unai Emery says Ezri Konsa and Leon Bailey may be fit to start against Chelsea at Villa Park tomorrow.
We are going to train this evening because we played on Wednesday, yesterday we trained in the morning.
[Konsa] did compensation work with the players. Today, I will test him as well. If he is feeling good, he will be in the squad. To play or not, I will decide. I don’t know yet.
Leon trained yesterday and, the same as Konsa, if he’s training normally today, he will be available to be in the squad and the possibly play tomorrow.
On this day in 1990… Aston Villa’s seventh successive league win puts them top of Division One.
Alas, that was as good as it got.
Friday’s Football Daily is here. Tell the zygomaticus major muscle it won’t be needed for the next five minutes.
Updated
Arsenal v West Ham (Saturday 3pm)
A fair few Arsenal fans have given up on Raheem Sterling, but Mikel Arteta has a different perspective.
Raheem is so experienced, and like many other players, we know that what you did yesterday is not whether it was really good or not. That could be relevant to the next game, to the next action. He’s fully focused, he’s trained really well this week and [is] ready to go again… We really need him.
Thanks John, hello everyone. Let’s start with the thoughts of Arne Slot when he was asked whether he’d spend every waking hour between now and May worrying about Arsenal’s results.
I think the biggest question to be asked is from Man City because we face a strong team again, like we faced at Villa.
Yeah, Arsenal plays before us but we know that doesn’t make the game easier or more difficult than we have against City. We know we have 12 games to play and Arsenal has 13 games to play.
If we constantly look at Arsenal or what other teams are doing, that would not help us. We already know how difficult it is to go to the Etihad, so we don’t need Arsenal to get involved in that even more.
And with that, my stint here is done. Rob Smyth will take it to the bridge.
Pep Guardiola selling off the family silver, the Bernardo Silva? Things are moving fast at Manchester City. Jamie Jackson reports.
More meat on that Manchester United leak story.
It would be a real shame to lose St James’ Park but it appears in the offing. Louise Taylor reports.
West Ham transfer moves afoot?
Ian Sargeant gets in touch: “I’m a little old fashioned in wanting to see our clubs do well in European competition (yes even Spurs) I can’t help finding it a little amusing to see Liverpool fans complain about there being no benefit from being no1 seed in the draw or that the draw wasn’t a good old fashioned jiggle of the bag and pull them out F A Cup Style.
“Can I be just the one West Ham fan that still is bitter about the blatant unfairness of the Carabao Cup third round draw? You may remember the seeded Liverpool – to rest their wearying legs from travelling too far before the autumn had past - were given a strenuous home tie against a side that has won once at Anfield since the early 1960s. Good luck all the same you Reds (and all the others)>
Goodison Park’s Messiah, soon to be the Everton Stadium’s Moses, David Moyes, having revived the club from the darkness of Dyche, has been speaking about playing comedy club Manchester United. Moyes, of course, was one of the originators of the comedy, a kind of Chevvy Chase Saturday Night Live presence.
Anyway, here’s Moyes on the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.
“It sounds simple to say another two wins and you might get over the line. When you’re sitting in this seat, every win in the Premier League is really, really difficult, certainly not taking anything for granted.
“We’ve had a really good run and we’ve got to try and keep that going now. When you take over a team a little bit into the season, you have to find a way of getting the best results. Whatever we have asked the players to do, they’ve been fantastic. We are playing a lot better and doing a lot better in recent games.
I played against [United] a lot when I was manager of West Ham so it’s another game in many ways. It’s a great football club but my job is to try and beat them at the moment.”
Sunday’s other Premier League game sees Newcastle host Nottingham Forest, having won the previous meeting this season.
Nuno, Forest’s manager, is playing it typically downbeat.
“We are OK. We are in a good position. We are enjoying ourselves, realising every game is difficult. Understanding a game in the Premier League makes you believe there’s no easy way.
“This is where we are. We are trying to compete till the end and do it well, but always believing that we’re in a good position. We have a healthy squad and we have solutions.”
More from Manchester United, their manager Ruben Amorim, speaking on the record, presumably with permission.
“It’s more important in training, and what I am seeing in training is that they are improving and creating relationships. We are bonding and understanding the way we want to play. Even the sound of the training is different - when we are making an exercise, you feel the sound. People are talking, asking for the ball and giving directions. You can feel it in the environment, we are changing. It’s important to use that in the game.
“In some games that you think are more difficult, you feel that we can play and create situations and that is a good thing. In this moment, when you watch the games, you feel that there is more problems than solutions. We are capable, but we have to be consistent.”
News from the happy ship Manchester United, where according to Daily Telegraph sports newshound Mike McGrath, the following email has been leaked from CEO Omar Berrada.
“Anyone disclosing information outside of the club is breaching their obligations of confidentiality, and we are very clear that this will be considered gross misconduct. To protect the club and its colleagues, additional measures are being put in place to prevent future breaches of confidentiality and also identify any persons responsible.”
So that’s gone well.
Mikel Arteta also spoke, ahead of Arsenal’s game with West Ham. He’s happy with the PSV draw – he should be – and Ben White may be back. What about the others: Saka, Martinelli etc
“I don’t know, that’s a question for the doctor. They are progressing really well. Gabby is a bit ahead of Bukayo but we will have to see how the boys are feeling and what we are prepared to do.”
Will Mikel Merino play up front? “No, not to him or to other players. I want the players when they are on that pitch, taking the initiative….There are some players training regularly with us now. We might have to use them and they look ready.”
The end for De Bruyne and City?
These quotes, from Pep, suggest so:
“Decisions. My decision. Yeah, of course, he played against Madrid at home, of course he can play...The relationship with Kevin De Bruyne is exceptional. I can’t be thankful enough for what he’s done for me, the team, everyone. It’s just a decision.”
“Normally I don’t speak with players, not just Kevin, on why they don’t play. They don’t ask me why when I decide to let them play from the beginning or during.”
“But maybe for the demands, the way we now need to play because of the absences or strengths that we have and physicality and many things, we need a game of more control and not up and down. Don’t tell me why. It’s not personal, I decide the decisions, that’s all, no more than that...”
Nothing personal, but the physicality stuff seems most pertinent.
While all that draw malarkey was taking place, some strong stuff from Pep Guardiola, ahead of that death or glory game for Manchester City against Liverpool.
Will Haaland be fit: “Don’t know yet. Tomorrow we will know it but I don’t know. It’s better to have Erling on the pitch but obviously, we don’t have it but of course with Erling we are stronger.”
John Stones: “He’s injured, difficult one, next hours/days we will know whether he needs surgery or not. Like Manuel Akanji.”
“We can compete with any team. We have two central defenders out for two to three months. The Premier League is massively important for us. In the Premier League we have played really good games.
“We are not stable but in other games such as against Newcastle, we have been at a high level. We will try to play a good game and the points that we need to stay up there to qualify [for the Champions League] next season.”
Chelsea v Copenhagen draws 1990s memories of the brief Chelsea career of Brian Laudrup. Brilliant for Rangers, he headed south, and…was soon off. The one goal he scored was against Copenhagen, the club he soon joined before hooking up with big brother Michael at Ajax.
From 1998:
Thanks, Dave “The Rave” Tindall. I’m here for the next two hours, so get in touch.
And with that, I’ll hand you over to John Brewin for some more manager quotes and build-up.
Conference League draw
For completists, here’s that Conference League draw. Chelsea will play Molde or Legia Warszawa in the quarters if they progress.
Jagiellonia v Cercle Brugge
Molde v Legia Warszawa
Celje v Lugano
Pafos v Djurgården
Panathinaikos v Fiorentina
Borac v SK Rapid
Real Betis v Vitória SC
Copenhagen v Chelsea
The MLS begins its thirtieth season this weekend and several questions remain as pertinent and tantalizingly open as ever, says Aaron Timms. The article lists the average attendance in the MLS last season. Fancy a guess before taking a read?
It’s Manchester City v Liverpool at the weekend. For several years, an absolutely crucial game with huge ramifications for the outcome of the title. This season it could still decide the fate of the champions but Pep’s men are reduced to the role of spoilers. Here’s Barney Ronay on whether Guardiola still has it in him.
Some more draw e-mails.
Charles Antaki: “Come to think of it, I think watching AZ Alkmaar/Tottenham/Ajax/Eintracht Frankfurt v BodoGlimt/Olympiakos/Viktoria Plzen/Lazio would be quite a spectacle. Spurs players might find themselves a bit disorientated and unable to do much with the ball, but they would be quite used to that.”
krishnamoorthy v: “Chelsea is an enigma. No other team could possibly equal its record of having won the League, the Cchampions League, Europa League and possibly the Conference League this season. In TG parlance, The Big Cup, the Big Vase, the Milk Cup, the Tin Pot cup, paper cups, invisible cups and what not. We can beat the City and lose to Brighton. Win 8-0 and lose 6-0. Terry can earn a red card just standing up. If we were a film character, we would be Maria from the Sound of Music. Exasperating.”
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has given his reaction to the Reds’ last-16 Champions League draw with PSG. Seems a bit ChatGPT but apparently he said this to Liverpoolfc.com.
“At this stage of the competition, the quality of opponent is only going to be of a very high standard and in PSG we have drawn a team and a club with real European pedigree.
“They qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League in style earlier this week with a big win against Brest and they had some really good results in the league phase, defeating Stuttgart, Manchester City, Girona and Salzburg.
“As is the case with ourselves, PSG are top of their domestic league and are enjoying a long unbeaten run. This tells us all that we need to know about the challenge that we will face but it is also a challenge that we will look forward to, knowing that we also fully deserve to be in the last 16.
“Of course, our immediate focus is on our upcoming Premier League fixtures, starting with Manchester City on Sunday, but we will be doing everything we can to ensure that we are in the best possible shape when the Champions League resumes.”
Chelsea have been drawn against FC Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League last 16.
Europa League draw and dates
Round of 16 ties
AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham
Ajax v Eintracht Frankfurt
Bodø/Glimt v Olympiakos
Viktoria Plzeň v Lazio
Fenerbahçe v Rangers
Roma v Athletic Bilbao
FCSB v Lyon
Real Sociedad v Manchester United
Ties will take place on 6 and 13 March.
Quarter-final ties
AZ Alkmaar/Tottenham v Ajax/Eintracht Frankfurt
BodøGlimt/Olympiakos vs Viktoria Plzeň/Lazio
Fenerbahçe/Rangers v Roma/Athletic Bilbao
FCSB/Lyon v Real Sociedad/Manchester United
Ties will take place on 10 and 17 April.
Semi-final ties
1. AZ/Tottenham/Ajax/Frankfurt v BodøGlimt/Olympiakos/Plzeň/Lazio
2. Fenerbahçe/Rangers/Roma/Athletic Bilbao v FCSB/Lyon/Real Sociedad/Manchester United
Ties will take place on 1 and 8 May.
Everton are now above Manchester United in the table. Who’d have thought that a few weeks ago.
Here’s Ben McAleer of WhoScored on why Everton’s decision to change managers midway through the season is working out a lot better than United’s. The two sides play each other in Saturday’s 12.30pm fixture.
West Ham are targeting a striker still involved in the Champions League - Lille frontman Jonathan David. A bid for Lazy Line Painter Jane could follow.
For some context, this is what the bookmakers think following the Champions League draw. The two Spanish giants head the betting. Liverpool and Arsenal come next.
10/3 Real Madrid, 9/2 Barcelona, 11/2 Liverpool, Arsenal, 7/1 Bayern Munich, 12/1 PSG, Inter, 20/1 Atletico Madrid, 33/1 Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, 50/1 Borussia Dormund, 66/1 Benfica, 100/1 Lille, 150/1 Club Brugge, PSV, 200/1 Feyenoord.
While Chelsea await their Tin Pot draw, boss Enzo Maresca is more concerned with getting a place at Europe’s top table again. The Italian reckons winning all their remaining seven home games should do the trick and secure a return to the Champions League. Good luck with that given that they’ve won only 50% of their top-flight matches at Stamford Bridge this season.
“We have 13 games to go and seven of them are at home,” said Maresca. “I think that winning the seven at home can be enough to finish top four.
“The difficult moment that we have now is probably because of the injury situation. We have five, six players that are significant players that are out. I watched again the first game against Villa (a 3-0 win in December) and we have five players probably that are out. The team has changed completely.
“I’ve been clear since day one. I’m not here to survive, I’m here to win games. I’m here to bring this club to fight for titles. The problem is that when you win games you look humble, and when you don’t win you look like a lack of ambition.
“I’m ambitious. The club is ambitious. We have the same manager and same players and same sporting director as two months ago when we were second in the league. Nothing has changed, only unfortunately that we are dealing with many injuries. This has affected the level of the team.”
Noni Madueke is the latest to be crocked and he could be out until April with hamstring knack.
Kári Tulinius writes: “I suppose we could have a Spurs v Man Utd final, but given how both have been playing lately, that requires a lot of teams having a series of improbably bad off days, starting with AZ Alkmaar and Real Sociedad, both of whom have been a lot better this season.”
The Conference League draw is at 2pm. Not sure we’ll cover that beyond telling you who Chelsea will play.
The final is in Wroclaw, Poland on 28 May.
Here’s our story from Nick Ames on the Champions League draw which threw up Liverpool v PSG.
“Arne Slot’s side will host the second leg of their meeting with PSG at Anfield, giving them a potential advantage against opponents who have clicked into form after a stuttering start in this season’s competition. PSG put 10 goals past their domestic rivals Brest in the playoffs and finished the league phase with impressive wins over Manchester City and Stuttgart.”
A reminder of the Europa League dates…
Round of 16: 6 & 13 March
Quarter-finals: 10 & 17 April
Semi-finals: 1 & 8 May
Final: 21 May (Bilbao)
So, digesting all that, we could have a Spurs v Man Utd final. And a Rangers v Man Utd semi.
And the semi-finals. First legs on left.
AZ Alkmaar/Tottenham/Ajax/Eintracht Frankfurt v BodoGlimt/Olympiakos/Viktoria Plzen/Lazio
Fenerbahce v Rangers v Roma/Athletic Bilbao v FCSB/Lyon v Real Sociedad/Man Utd
Now the quarter-finals. First legs on left.
BodoGlimt/Olympiakos v Viktoria Plzen/Lazio
AZ Alkmaar/Tottenham v Ajax/Eintracht Frankfurt
Fenerbahce v Rangers v Roma/Athletic Bilbao
FCSB/Lyon v Real Sociedad/Man Utd
And that leaves this…
Viktoria Plzen v Lazio
Roma v Athletic Bilbao
And now the Premier League duo…
AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham
Real Sociedad v Man Utd
Next up we have…
Ajax v Eintracht Frankfurt
FCSB v Lyon
It’s the Europa League draw for the last 16. Let’s go! Swirl the balls!
Bodo/Glimt v Olympiakos
Fenerbahce v Rangers
They’re now showing the short explainer video. Put the kettle on, grab a Twix/Jive.
Former Athletic Bilbao striker Aritz Aduriz is doing the draw for this one. Makes sense given that the final is in Bilbao. Manchester United, Tottenham and Rangers fans await their fate.
Updated
The Europa League draw is coming up soon, folks!
“When do the Europa League round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals take place?” asks Neil from the moon.
Round of 16: 6 & 13 March 2025
Quarter-finals: 10 & 17 April 2025
Semi-finals: 1 & 8 May 2025
Final: 21 May 2025 (Bilbao)
Here’s our look at the weekend Premier League games.
It includes Daniel Harris on Man City v Liverpool: “Should Liverpool win, it will be hard to see them being caught, but should they falter, the sense that they are a decent team taking advantage of serendipitous lapses elsewhere will compound. The question, though, is whether City are able to locate their energy and rhythm after a chastening experience in Madrid.”
Back to domestic matters and Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking ahead of the Seagulls’ short trip to bottom-placed Southampton on Saturday.
Brighton were hammered 7-0 by Nottingham Forest but have won five of their last seven matches in all competitions, including a pair of victories against Chelsea in league and FA Cup.
So can Brighton push for a European place? They’re currently 10th but just two points off eighth spot which could secure it.
Hurzeler said: “Internally, we have clear goals and clear vision. But it is game by game. The Premier League and our season has shown things go from here to here. We worked hard for this momentum and it’s now about keeping that.
“After the loss to Forest, we tried to get back the intensity from the start of the season. We lost this intensity and energy through the season so we said we want to go back to our roots, back to the things that made us strong
“We want to be a team that is very hard to beat. We play against Southampton but we also play against ourselves and our limits. I demand from my team that we go with this intensity against Chelsea, but also Southampton so we have no difference in our approach.”
Champions League draw and dates
Full draw and dates. Liverpool will host PSG just a few days before the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle.
Round of 16 ties
PSV vs Arsenal
Real Madrid vs Atleti
Paris vs Liverpool
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa
Benfica vs Barcelona
Borussia Dortmund vs Lille
Bayern München vs Leverkusen
Feyenoord vs Inter
Ties take place on 4/5 & 11/12 March.
Quarter-final ties
PSV/Arsenal vs Real Madrid/Atleti
Paris/Liverpool vs Club Brugge/Aston Villa
Benfica/Barcelona vs Dortmund/Lille
Bayern/Leverkusen vs Feyenoord/Inter
Ties take place on 8/9 & 15/16 April.
Semi-final ties
PSV/Arsenal/Real Madrid/Atleti vs Paris/Liverpool/Club Brugge/Aston Villa
Benfica/Barcelona/Dortmund/Lille vs Bayern/Leverkusen/Feyenoord/Inter
Ties take place on 29/30 April & 6/7 May.
Updated
More reaction. Liverpool being shafted a bit seems a theme.
Ben Duxbury writes: “Hi Dave. There really was no benefit in finishing top of the league stage was there? Villa and Arsenal much better draws than Liverpool.”
Chris (a Liverpool fan): “So, if we get through all our games we will have to (in all probability) beat: PSG, Villa, Real Madrid and Barcelona in the final. Top seed my arse.”
Glynn from Leicester: “I’d love to know why they can’t just put 16 names in a hat, FA Cup style. Why all the chicanery? Only a cynic would suggest that every little foible in the draw format, every little complication, is designed to help keep the big teams apart till the ‘right’ time - but I’m not a cynic, so what can it possibly be?”
Barry Mcauley: “I don’t think Barcelona could have given themselves a handier draw to the semi finals if they’d have picked their prospective opponents themselves.
Timo in Germany: “As a German I have to tell you though that Leverkusen against Munich isn’t really a derby in terms of the teams being close together since the cities are 287 miles apart. Maybe I’m misunderstanding the term derby since english is not my first language, in which case forget about it.” Ah, yes, I kind of meant same country. It was me being clumsy!
Something else from the draw. “The winners of the semi-final on the silver side of the bracket are designated as the nominal home team for the final.”
I think that means Liverpool would play in red if they took on Bayern or Barcelona in the final. Okay, we’re getting ahead of ourselves here.
Liverpool will probably also be pleased that they can’t play Real Madrid in the final. That never goes well for the Reds, at least in modern, non-Alan Kennedy times.
So, if I’ve got this right, we can’t have an all-English final. Good, that never feels right anyway. Liverpool v Spurs was a shocker.
And it doesn’t stop there. And now the home and away order for the semis.
Semi-final 1:
PSV/Arsenal/Real Madrid/Atletico Madrid v PSG/Liverpool/Brugge/Aston Villa
Semi-final 2:
Benfica/Barcelona/Dortmund/Lille v Bayern/Leverkusen/Feyenoord/Inter
And now the quarter-final draw. Duos on the left play the first leg at home.
PSG/Liverpool v Brugge/Aston Villa
PSV/Arsenal v Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid
Benfica/Barcelona v Dortmund/Lille
Bayern/Leverkusen v Feyenoord/Inter
Another here’s another corker. Tough draw for Arne Slot’s side
PSG v Liverpool
Benfica v Barcelona
It’s Dutch opposition for the Gunners.
Arsenal v PSV
Feyenoord v Inter
Next up, oof!!! A derby double!!
Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid
Bayern Munich v Leverkusen
Updated
Let’s go. Balls are being swirled.
The first team out are Villa.
Aston Villa v Brugge
Lille v Dortmund
“I hope the procedure is clear,” deadpans UEFA deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti.
A video explains just how the draw works. I was confused eight seconds in. It’ll be done soon.
Live scenes from Nyon show some men in suits watching football highlights. Giovane Elber, a former Champions League winner with Bayern, is the special guest. He looks particularly smart.
More Champions League draw e-mails trickling in. Excitement building.
Derek Duffy writes: “Hi David. I haven’t sent you a question so thanks for not answering it.”
No probs.
Pedro notes: “I can’t help but see that the league phase top 8, alphabetically ordered, shows that all teams fall within the first half of the alphabet! I’m calling a conspiracy here.”
We do know possible last-16 opponents at least. So, for the Premier League teams we have these either/or scenarios:
Arsenal – Feyenoord or PSV
Aston Villa – Club Brugge or Dortmund
Liverpool – Benfica or PSG
Good grief. I’ve had some actual, real emails.
A practical one from Jason: “How quickly will we know fixture dates… need to book flight to Liverpool away game but need to know if Tues or Wed match! Need fast fingers before prices rocket!”
And a dose of reality from krishnamoorthy v: “Do not worry about lack of mails - we old faithfuls will never let you down. Why bother with this draw and the next three months when we know Real Madrid wins it anyway.”
The pretend questions are still not pouring in. Marilyn from Keswick: “How does the round of 16 draw work?”
I’ve absolutely no idea, Marilyn. It’s just waffle. So I’ll paste the official blurb from UEFA. Shrug emoji.
The clubs are paired based on their positions at the end of the league phase to form four seeded pairs (clubs in positions 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8).
The clubs in each seeded pair are drawn into one of two positions in the round of 16 against the relevant winner of the knockout phase play-offs, whose position was determined by the knockout phase play-off draw.
Four bowls are prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of each pair of seeded teams placed in the corresponding marked bowls according to the league rankings.
The draw allocates the side of the bracket for all the seeded teams, starting with the teams ranked 7/8 and finishing with the teams 1/2.
One ball is taken from the bowl containing the two relevant ranked teams (i.e. the teams ranked 7 and 8) and is opened to display the team. The first team drawn from this bowl is placed in their reserved spot on the silver side of the bracket (see bracket graphic below). The other seeded team of the pairing is then drawn and displayed, and allocated in the corresponding reserved spot on the blue side of the bracket (see below).
The same procedure is carried out with the remaining seeded teams.
In principle, the seeded clubs play the return leg at home.
Ron from Carlisle hasn’t been in touch: “Can teams from the same country face each other in the Champions League round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals?”
Yes Ron. And, get this, teams can even play against other teams they came up against in the league phase.
Bob from Plymouth now: “Hi Dave, when do the Champions League round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals take place?”
Here are the dates, B-dog.
Round of 16: 4/5 & 11/12 March
Quarter-finals: 8/9 & 15/16 April
Semi-finals: 29/30 April & 6/7 May
Final: 31 May (Munich)
Have a question about the Champions League draw? Using a series of fictional people who haven’t written in, I’ll answer your imagined queries.
Terry from Bridgend writes (he doesn’t): “Hi Dave, you’re looking well. Tell us the top eight from the league please in alphabetical order please. And follow that with the unseeded play-off winners, again alphabetically please.”
No probs Tezzer.
League phase top eight
Arsenal (England)
Aston Villa (England)
Atletico Madrid (Spain)
Barcelona (Spain)
Inter (Italy)
Leverkusen (Germany)
Lille (France)
Liverpool (England)
Play-off winners
Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Bayern München (Germany)
Benfica (Portugal)
Club Brugge (Belgium)
Feyenoord (Netherlands)
Paris (France)
PSV (Netherlands)
Real Madrid (Spain)
Updated
Let’s start by setting the scene for the weekend Premier League action. It starts tonight with Brentford travelling to Leicester so don’t forget to transfer Bryan Mbeumo back into your fantasy team.
Friday
8pm Leicester v Brentford
Saturday
12.30pm Everton v Man Utd
3pm Arsenal v West Ham
3pm Bournemouth v Wolves
3pm Fulham v Crystal Palace
3pm Ipswich v Spurs
3pm Southampton v Brighton
5.30pm Aston Villa v Chelsea
Sunday
2pm Newcastle v Nottingham Forest
4.30pm Man City v Liverpool
Preamble
It’s a double dose of fun this (looks out of window) grey Friday morning. Yes, we’ve got the usual build-up to the weekend Premier League action but also the draw for the knockout phase of the Champions League, a spectacle that won’t feature Manchester City after Pep Guardiola’s men were swept aside by Real Madrid.
For the Premier League, the respective managers of Brighton, Newcastle and Chelsea are first in the hotseat as they regale us with tales of team news, current form and opposition strengths. Then after lunch Pep, Mikel, Ruben and Ange are put under the spotlight.
That Champions League draw in Nyon takes place at 11am UK time. I’ve just read the ‘procedure’ on the UEFA website and it’s all a bit Partridge 1994 World Cup. It takes in the last 16, quarters and semis and apparently by the end of it we’ll even know the designated home team in the final. “Gooooaallll”.
