While Manchester City put their quest for European qualification on the line again on Saturday when they host Brighton & Hove Albion, coach Pep Guardiola warned the south coast side are not the only team who can knock them out of contention.

Defending Premier League champions City are fifth in the standings and only a point above seventh-placed Brighton. Just seven points separate fourth-placed Chelsea and Fulham in 10th.

Guardiola has praised the rise of mid-table teams such as Brighton to challenge for top spots this season, and when asked on Friday if he considered Saturday’s opponents as rivals, he said: “And Bournemouth, and Aston Villa, and Newcastle (United), and maybe Fulham. Fantastic teams.

“Not a surprise. I had the feeling that they deserve it. They are really good, consistent, they have incredible weapons in the way they play.”

City’s early-season goal was to capture an historic fifth-consecutive league title, but their hopes unravelled with several poor performances.

They were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid last month, and so qualifying for Europe’s elite club competition next season has become their main target.

Third-placed Nottingham Forest dealt them a further blow last weekend with a 1-0 league victory.

“If we are able to qualify for the Champions League, it would be a huge success from my point of view. There are seasons that you have to live that,” Guardiola said. “It is in our hands, it depends on us and our behaviours and our football whether we will be there or not.”

The Catalan was nonchalant when asked about the disappointment of their early Champions League exit.

I don’t have any disappointment and regret. We don’t deserve to be there. Enjoy football, the fantastic games that were at Anfield or in Paris, the competitiveness in Madrid, how good Barcelona is playing all season, the way they played for 65, 70 minutes against Benfica,” Guardiola said.

“I’m just a spectator to learn, see it, enjoy it, and absolutely I don’t have the feeling, ‘Ah it’s a pity Man City are not there.’

New England manager Thomas Tuchel is set to name his first Three Lions squad on 14 March, 73 days after officially starting his role and becoming just the third non-British manager of the men’s team after Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

Tuchel’s squad is one of the most eagerly anticipated England selections for a long time, following eight years under Gareth Southgate. His interim replacement, Lee Carsley, picked largely the same players plus some who served him well in the Under-21s during his six-game tenure with the senior squad.
The German has reportedly compiled a 55-player longlist ahead of his first squad selection, but which players will make the final 26-man group for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualification matches versus Albania and Latvia at Wembley?
Our writers picked out five players we think could make the cut, with each of them either uncapped or having extremely limited experience with the England national team.

Myles Lewis-Skelly

England have a left-back problem, Euro 2024 taught us as much. With injuries, retirements and a general lack of depth in the position, there’s now a genuine opportunity for a new name to stake a claim. That might just be Myles Lewis-Skelly.
It’s not his natural position – even Mikel Arteta acknowledged after Arsenal’s win in the north London derby that Lewis-Skelly had “never played as a full-back before.” But such has been the 18-year-old’s rapid rise this season that he’s forcing his way into serious international consideration.
His ascension to the first team has undoubtedly been accelerated by Arsenal’s injury issues, but Lewis-Skelly has quickly shown he belongs at the elite level.

On the ball, he is calm in pressured situations, and a composed figure when Arsenal look to play out from the back. The youngster boasts the highest open-play passing accuracy of any Arsenal player this season (95.0%) and also leads the squad in final-third passing accuracy (92.2%).
Despite being so young, it’s impressive how strong and combative Lewis-Skelly is. Remarkably, he leads all Premier League players this season for ground duel success rate (73.8%). For someone of his age to be doing that is phenomenal.

Elliot Anderson

It will have been abundantly clear to Tuchel as soon as he took the job that midfield is where he has the greatest embarrassment of riches. England could probably field an entire 26-man squad of quality midfielders.
He’s probably not going to do that, though, so the numbers will have to be whittled down.
Either way, one player who’ll at the very least be in contention is Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, and for many reasons. He offers midfield versatility, his skillset is incredibly well rounded, he’s having a very good season, and he’d provide more defensive work rate than perhaps many of his positional rivals.

England have produced a lot of technically-gifted midfielders and creators over the past 10 years or so, but there’s often been a sense they’ve lacked defensively-shrewd operators.
Anderson, however, works tirelessly. His 6.7 possession recoveries per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season is the fifth most among midfielders (min. 900 mins played), while he ranks fourth among the same group for pressures – defined as closing down an opponent with the intention of winning possession or forcing a pass – in the defensive third of the pitch (13.0) per 90.
But he’s so much more than just a protective shield for the defence or a workhorse.

Among nominal defensive midfielders, he ranks seventh in the Premier League this term for progressive carries – movements with the ball that move play at least five metres upfield – per 90 (11.0). And that is despite him playing for a Nottingham Forest side that have the lowest average share of possession in the competition.
It reflects not only the purpose and drive he can bring to midfield, but also his technical quality on the ball.
That positivity also extends to an attacking threat. He’s had 15 instances of a carry ending with either a shot or chance created, which is the second most among those classed as defensive midfielders this season.

Anderson has the ability and skillset to play pretty much anywhere in the middle of the park. But it’s his effectiveness in a deeper role that might give him the edge, as could the fact he’s no mere destroyer.

Djed Spence

Djed Spence had never even started a Premier League game as recently as 14 December, but in the three months since his full debut, he has made himself undroppable at Spurs. His form at club level means he has to be in the conversation for an England call-up, too.

His rise has been quite astonishing. In August, he was left out of Tottenham’s Europa League squad, and he was barely trusted to play a minute in a game of any importance. He made only five appearances in any competition before his first Premier League start at Southampton late last year.
An exceptional defender who is rarely beaten by an opponent in an individual battle, Spence ranks top of all Premier League defenders to play at least 600 minutes this season for duels won per 90 (8.1).
He also brings an attacking threat, particularly with his ability to bring the ball out of defence and carry it up the pitch with purpose. Among the same group of defenders, he comes out on top for both attempted (4.0) and successful (2.2) dribbles per 90. He also tops all Premier League full-backs for progressive carries per 90 (5.7) and for carries followed by a take-on per 90 (1.9) as well.

Able to play either at right-back or left-back, Spence would also bring a useful versatility to a squad limited in size. England aren’t exactly stacked in either position, and Spence is a very good option on both sides of defence.

Liam Delap

Liam Delap has been a bright spark in what has been a largely disappointing season for Ipswich Town in the Premier League. Kieran McKenna’s side currently sit six points from safety and look set to be relegated back to the Championship, but Delap’s form has proved he’s good enough to be a Premier League footballer.

With 10 Premier League goals, he’s scored over a third of Ipswich’s total in the competition this season (38.4%). At this rate, Delap could end up being just the fifth player in Premier League history to score more than 15 for a team that have been relegated that season.

Delap is tall, stocky, quick, has exceptional balance, and the rate at which opponents bounce off him shows how strong he is. He moves with the ball like few others at the top of the game, and he is excelling as one of the Premier League’s best ball carriers in what is his first season of regular action in the top flight.
Of players to have played at least 200 minutes in the Premier League this season, Delap averages the second-longest carries behind Anthony Elanga at 14.4m per carry. He is also one of only four strikers to have played at least 1,500 minutes of Premier League action this season and average over 100m with ball carries per 90 (100.2) alongside Jarrod Bowen, Alexander Isak and João Pedro.

Only 22 years old, Delap could prove to be an able back-up option to Harry Kane as a striker, even more so with Ivan Toney’s move to Saudi Arabia seemingly making it less likely he’ll make Tuchel’s squad.

Adam Wharton

One of the more problematic areas for England in recent years has been pairing someone in central midfield with Declan Rice.

With the failed experiment of Trent Alexander-Arnold at Euro 2024 and Conor Gallagher also not working – albeit his form in Spain this season could persuade Tuchel to take a look at him – Southgate turned to teenager Kobbie Mainoo for much of the tournament. It worked to an extent but didn’t feel like an ideal solution, and arguably even less so now with the Manchester United youngster struggling for fitness and form this season.
It therefore seems like an opening is there, and Adam Wharton could be the man to grasp the opportunity. He was part of the squad for Euro 2024 but was one of five Three Lions players who didn’t play a single minute in Germany. His only cap came in a 28-minute substitute appearance in the pre-tournament friendly win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

His time could be now, though. Still only 21 years old, the Crystal Palace midfielder missed around three months of the season with a groin issue but has been a shining light in a buoyant Eagles side since his comeback in early February.
Wharton made his first start of 2025 in the recent 4-1 thrashing of Aston Villa, delighting Selhurst Park with a supreme performance, and has been a key part of Oliver Glasner’s team when available this season.
Of Palace players to have played at least 60 minutes in all competitions in 2024-25, no one has regained possession from opponents as frequently as Wharton (7.4 per 90) and no player averages more open-play chances created per 90 as his 1.6 (level with Eberechi Eze).

In fact, in the Premier League this season, of players to have played at least 800 minutes, no one can match Wharton’s possession won per-90 average of 7.5.

Source: (Statistics were gotten  from Opta Analysts)

Writer: Njemedzeh Bertrand (Katikaa’s Commumity Manager)

Inter Miami CF are through to the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals after a 2-0 triumph (4-0 aggregate) over Jamaican side Cavalier FC in Leg 2 of their Round-of-16 series on Thursday at National Stadium Independence Park.

The Herons advance to take on MLS foe LAFC, who topped the Columbus Crew in their Round of 16 series by a 4-2 aggregate scoreline. Thursday’s match featured a second-half cameo from superstar Lionel Messi, who scored a goal in his return to action after sitting out the first leg for load management.

Inter Miami 2, Cavalier FC 0

Goals from Luis Suárez and Messi made for a relatively stress-free result for the Herons, who came into the matchup protecting a 2-0 aggregate lead.

It marked the second goal of the series for Suárez after he netted an 83rd-minute insurance tally in Leg 1. Messi then gave the crowd a moment to remember, converting a breakaway finish on the last kick of the match to round out the 4-0 aggregate final.

Inter Miami return to MLS action this weekend with a Sunday Night Soccer clash at Eastern Conference foe Atlanta United (7 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).

Goals

37′ – MIA – Luis Suárez

90’+2′ – MIA – Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi playing in Jamaica 🇯🇲  is his 51st country that the Argentine has played in. And to talk about Javier Mascherano, Inter Miami coach, he has been unbeaten this 2025:

Javier Mascherano’s Inter Miami remains undefeated in 2025, winning their last 5 matches:

✅ 2 (3) – (2) 2 vs. América.
✅ 0 (5) – (4) 0 vs. Universitario.
✅ 3-1 vs. San Miguelito.
✅ 5-0 vs. Olimpia.
🟰 2-2 vs. Orlando City.
✅ 1-0 vs. Sporting Kansas (Concacaf Champions League).
🟰 2-2 vs. NY City FC (MLS).
✅ 3-1 vs. Sporting Kansas.
✅ 4-1 vs. Houston Dynamo.
✅ 2-0 vs. Cavalier FC (Concacaf Champions League).
✅ 1-0 vs. Charlotte.
✅ 2-0 vs. Cavalier FC.

Bruno Fernandes netted a hat-trick as Manchester United eased to a 4-1 win over Real Sociedad to reach the Europa League quarter-finals and Tottenham Hotspur advanced after a 3-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.
United will face Lyon in the last eight after the French side strolled to a 4-0 win over Steaua Bucharest.

After a 1-1 draw in Spain, United were a goal down after 10 minutes when Matthijs de Ligt fouled Mikel Oyarzabal and Oyarzabal converted from the spot. But the hosts levelled six minutes later with a penalty of their own scored by Fernandes after Igor Zubeldia had fouled Rasmus Hojlund.
Another spot-kick gave United the lead five minutes after the interval, with Aritz Elustondo adjudged to have fouled Patrick Dorgu and Fernandes again made no mistake.

After Sociedad were reduced to 10 men when Jon Aramburu fouled Joshua Zirkzee, Fernandes completed his hat-trick and Diogo Dalot wrapped up a 5-2 aggregate victory for United in added time.
Spurs’ season effectively hinged on whether they could overturn a 1-0 deficit against AZ Alkmaar in the third meeting between the sides in this year’s competition.

They managed it thanks to two goals by Wilson Odobert, the French youngster’s first for the club since joining in August.
Odobert opened the scoring in the 26th minute after a poor clearance by AZ’s Wouter Goes and the hosts moved ahead on aggregate three minutes after the break when Son Heung-min set up James Maddison for a side-footed finish into the corner.
AZ were gifted a way back in to the tie in the 63rd minute when Peer Koopmeiners took advantage of a defensive error to fire a shot past Guglielmo Vicario.
But Odobert struck again in the 74th minute to ease the home jitters, finishing off a flowing Tottenham attack down the left from close range.

Spurs will next face Eintracht Frankfurt who eased to a 6-2 aggregate win over Ajax after a 4-1 home victory in which Mario Gotze scored twice.
Lyon, 3-1 up from the first leg, cruised into the quarter-finals, with Ernest Nuamah and Georges Mikautdze both scoring twice.

Bilbao beat AS Roma 3-1, the Italian side reduced to 10 men after Mats Hummels was shown an early red card and the hosts’ Nico Williams scored twice either side of Yuri Berchiche’s goal.
Roma’s Leandro Paredes converted a late penalty but the Spanish side advanced 4-3 on aggregate.
Lazio, 2-1 up from the first leg against Viktoria Plzen, went behind to a Pavel Sulc goal early in the second half but scraped through with a 1-1 draw and a 3-2 aggregate win thanks to Alessio Romagnoli’s late header.
The Italians will next meet Bodo/Glimt who lost 2-1 at Olympiacos but advanced 4-2 on aggregate.

Julian Alvarez’s penalty being disallowed without being allowed to be retaken has caused huge controversy as Atletico Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.

UEFA on Thursday said it would consider a potential rule change after Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez’s penalty was controversially disallowed in their Champions League shootout loss to Real Madrid. Real Madrid won Wednesday’s shootout 4-2 after a 2-2 draw on aggregate to qualify for the quarter-finals, with Atletico coach Diego Simeone casting suspicion on the decision to rule out Alvarez’s spot-kick. The Argentina international was deemed by VAR to have kicked the ball twice, touching it with his standing foot as he slipped before striking to score.

Although minimal, the player made contact with the ball using his standing foot before kicking it,” UEFA said in a statement.

“Under the current rule, the VAR had to call the referee signalling that the goal should be disallowed.”
However, European football’s governing body said it would hold talks with the sport’s lawmakers regarding the rule on double touches.
“UEFA will enter discussions with FIFA and IFAB to determine whether the rule should be reviewed in cases where a double touch is clearly unintentional,” it added.

Simeone said he wanted to believe the officials got the penalty decision right.
“I’ve never seen a penalty where they’ve called the VAR, but well, they would have seen that he touched it, I want to believe, I want to believe they saw he touched it.”

The coach asked members of the media during his press conference to raise their hand if they had seen a replay in which it was clear Alvarez had touched the ball twice.
“Raise your hand, anyone who saw Julian touch it twice, who is going to raise their hand? Nobody has raised their hand,” shouted Simeone.

The Premier League has received a significant boost in the race for an additional Champions League qualification spot after Lille got eliminated.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Dortmund secured a 2-1 comeback victory at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, clinching a 3-2 aggregate win and advancing to the quarter-finals. Lille’s defeat means that the French league is officially out of contention for one of the extra UCL places available for next season.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

This season, UEFA introduced a rule granting two additional Champions League spots to the leagues with the best collective performance in European competitions. These extra spots are determined based on the coefficient rankings, which track results across the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League. With France now out of the equation, the race for these coveted slots is narrowed down to just four leagues – England, Spain, Italy, and Germany.

DID YOU KNOW?

Despite Manchester City and Liverpool exiting the Champions League, English clubs remain well-represented across all European competitions. Arsenal and Aston Villa have both progressed and if they continue their runs, they could meet in a potential semi-final showdown. Meanwhile, Manchester United and Tottenham are still competing in the Europa League, but since they are in separate brackets, they cannot eliminate each other before the final. This ensures that England will continue to rack up valuable coefficient points regardless of their progress.

WHAT ARE THE CURRENT STANDINGS?

1. England, 23.035 – (Five out of seven English teams are still in Europe, aka 5/7)
2. Spain, 20.892 – (5/7)
3. Italy, 19.375 – (4/8)
4. Germany, 17.546 – (3/8)
5. Portugal, 16.250 – (1/5)
6. France, 15.785 – (2/7)
7. Belgium, 15.250 – (1/5)
8. Netherlands, 15.250 – (3/6)
9. Greece, 12.187 – (2/4)
10. Norway, 10.812 – (2/4)
For the Premier League it will look like this:
Champions League: 1-5
Europa League: 6, FA Cup winners
Conference League: Carabao Cup winners
Whereas, for LaLiga, the Bundesliga, or Serie A it will be:
Champions League: 1-5

Europa League: 6, Cup winners
Conference League: 7

WHAT NEXT?

The Premier League appears set to lock in its extra place earlier than usual, possibly before the end of March. With multiple English teams still in contention across all three European competitions, England’s standing is stronger than ever. As the knockout stages progress, all eyes will be on the remaining Premier League clubs, whose performances will dictate how early England secures its additional Champions League place for the 2025/26 season.

Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid in a Champions League penalty shootout — again — to keep its title defense alive Wednesday and advance to the quarterfinals.
Defender Antonio Rüdiger scored the decisive spot-kick in a 4-2 shootout win after two Atletico players missed. Marco Llorente’s shot struck the bar after Julian Alvarez’s score despite slipping was disallowed because he touched the ball twice.

Madrid also beat Atletico in a shootout to win the 2016 final — part of a streak of eliminating its city rival in the knockout rounds for four straight years, starting with the 2014 final.
Madrid moves on to the quarterfinals to face Arsenal, which also advanced Wednesday along with Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund. The quarterfinals lineup was completed with Madrid’s win in a tense derby that had ended 2-2 on aggregate score.

Atletico led 1-0 after 90 minutes and extra time in its Metropolitano Stadium to cancel out Madrid’s 2-1 advantage from the first leg last week.
Two key incidents defined regulation time. Atletico Madrid scored within 30 seconds and Real Madrid missed a penalty in the 70th minute.
Atletico took the lead with its first attack when England midfielder Conor Gallagher pounced on the ball from close range when a cross by Rodrigo De Paul was deflected into the goalmouth.

Madrid star Vinícius Júnior blazed a penalty kick high over the Atletico goal when he could have sent the 15-time champion through. He was substituted in extra time for his teenage fellow Brazilian, Endrick.

Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham stepped up to score Madrid’s first two spot-kicks, and Fede Valverde also scored before Lucas Vazquez’s kick was saved by Jan Oblak.
It was more relaxed in London, where Arsenal rested some regulars in a 2-2 draw with PSV Eindhoven to run up a 9-3 aggregate score.
Aston Villa also had a stress-free evening at home to ensure England has two teams in the quarterfinals, one night after Premier League leader Liverpool was beaten at Anfield by Paris Saint-Germain in a shootout.
Villa won 3-0 against Club Brugge, which played with 10 men from the 17th, after a 3-1 win in Belgium last week. Brugge defender Kyriani Sabbe was sent off for pulling back Marcus Rashford when running clear on goal.

Substitute Marco Asensio, on loan at Villa from PSG, scored twice in the second half to ensure his temporary club will meet his parent club next.
Borussia Dortmund rallied with two second-half goals to win 2-1 at Lille and advance 3-2 on aggregate. The beaten finalist last season now faces Barcelona.

Quarterfinals draw

The quarterfinals pairings are: Arsenal vs Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain vs. Aston Villa, Barcelona vs. Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich vs. Inter Milan
First-leg games are on April 8-9 and return games are one week later.

England’s unexpected challenge

There’s only one former European champion from England left in the Champions League. Villa’s unbeaten home record has driven its run to the quarterfinal, with wins against Bayern, Bologna, Celtic and now Brugge.
Liverpool’s exit to PSG followed Manchester City being pushed out of the knockout playoffs last month by Real Madrid. Without the Champions League winners in 2019 and 2023, respectively, England’s challenge halved to just two.
Villa’s 1982 European Cup title is perhaps a less-remembered one in the competition’s 70-year history. Arsenal’s only time in the final was a loss to Barcelona in 2006.
Villa manager Unai Emery now goes back to Paris where his two seasons as coach there until 2018 seemed to be unsatisfactory for both parties.

Dortmund thrives in Europe

Just like last season, Borussia Dortmund is better in the Champions League than the German league.
The Bundesliga’s 10th-place team trailed Lille from the fifth minute to Canada forward Jonathan David’s shot, before rallying in the second half for a decisive 2-1 win. Dortmund leveled in the 54th from Emre Can’s penalty and Maximilian Beier sealed the victory nine minutes later with a rising shot.
Dortmund was the beaten finalist last June – losing 2-0 to Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium – and got into this Champions League only because Germany earned a bonus entry for fifth place in the Bundesliga.
Niko Kovač, the club’s third coach in the Champions League this season, now takes Dortmund to face former star forward Robert Lewandowski at Barcelona.

Top-5 leagues dominate

Expected exits for Brugge and PSV — after Benfica and Feyenoord were eliminated Tuesday — leaves only the five wealthiest leagues in Europe are now represented.
No team from outside England, Spain, Germany, Italy or France has reached the Champions League final since Porto coached by Jose Mourinho won in 2004.
UEFA will share almost 2.5 billion euros ($2.7 billion) total prize money among the 36 Champions League teams this season and the 20% higher payouts this season figure to widen the wealth gap in European soccer. England and Spain also are in line for bonus fifth places in the Champions League next season, sending tens of millions more in prize money there.
Each quarterfinalist will get 12.5 million euros ($13.6 million). A place in the semifinals pays an extra 15 million euros ($16.3 million).

Arsenal will take on Champions League champions Real Madrid in the quarter-final following a penalty shoot-out thriller at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Atletico Madrid won the game 1-0 on the night thanks to Conor Gallagher’s early goal. The tie went to penalties, which Real Madrid won 4-2 after Antonio Rudiger scored the decisive penalty.

However, the outcome wasn’t without its controversy. After Kylian Mbappe, Alexander Sorloth and Jude Bellingham scored their spot-kicks, Julian Alvarez stepped-up to make it 2-2.

The former Manchester City forward squeezed his penalty under the roof to level. But just as Federico Valverde was about to take his penalty, referee Szymon Marciniak halted play.

VAR then informed the Polish official that Alvarez’s penalty struck a double touch meaning it would not count. It meant that the Argentina international’s penalty was voided. Antonio Rudiger would go on to score the decisive spot-kick to set-up a meeting with Arsenal.

Alvarez’s penalty was overturned because rules state that penalties can not strike both feet. Alvarez’s right-footed penalty rebounded off his left-foot as he slipped.

Speaking on CBS Sports, former referee Christina Unkel revealed that the impact sensor in the ball used for the semi-automated VAR technology would have sensed the extra touch from Alvarez.

It means Atletico crash out of the tournament to their arch rivals. It’s the first time Arsenal will meet Real Madrid since the last 16 clash in 2006, which is famously remembered for Thierry Henry’s historic goal at the Santiago Bernebau.

Chelsea are thought to have been put off expanding their multi-club model due to the conflict of interest presented by the potential involvement of sister club Strasbourg in the Champions League.
BlueCo, the consortium fronted by Todd Boehly and US private equity firm Clearlake Capital, have owned Chelsea since 2022 and expanded their portfolio of clubs with the acquisition of French top-flight side Strasbourg in June 2023.

UEFA regulations prohibit one entity from directly or indirectly controlling two teams in the same competition. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has previously hinted at some wiggle room in these restrictions but nothing significant has emerged, prompting the likes of Chelsea to seriously reconsider their investment in multiple teams.
“It is definitely having an impact,” an unnamed source told The Telegraph. “There is not so much incentive for owners to invest in European clubs, as part of a multi-club structure, if they cannot be competitive.
“Owners who already have European clubs are having second thoughts about buying more, while some of those that had planned to buy a European club have started to look elsewhere or just pause the idea entirely.”

Strasbourg sit seventh in Ligue 1 but are within one win of the top six which guarantees access to UEFA competitions and are just four points adrift of Monaco in the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot.
In the event that two members of the same multi-club project both qualify for the same European competition, the side with the highest rank in their domestic top flight takes preference. Thus, if Strasbourg finish higher in Ligue 1 than Chelsea in the Premier League, it would be the Blues who are denied access to the Champions League and instead have to settle for the continent’s second tier.
Manchester United risked this scenario last season. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS has a 27.7% stake in the Red Devils and boasts a majority ownership of French side Nice. Both teams qualified for the 2024/25 Europa League, with Nice finishing fifth in Ligue 1 and eighth-placed United winning the FA Cup.

According to UEFA’s regulations, United would have been demoted to the Conference League, but INEOS transferred its shares into a blind trust until 1 July 2025 to avoid any conflict of interest. Chelsea may be advised to perform the same workaround.

Raphinha has taken to the Champions League like a duck takes to water since his move to Barcelona from Leeds United, and on Tuesday night he enjoyed another mercurial night in European action.
It is approaching three years since Raphinha swapped Leeds United for Barcelona. The 31-time Brazil star followed his idol Ronaldinho with a move to the Nou Camp, rejecting moves to Arsenal and Chelsea.

After an indifferent first couple of seasons in which Raphinha still managed to score 21 goals and lay on 25 assists, he has gone to another level. He has matched his goal involvements from the first two seasons.
A total of 46 goal involvements in his first season, Raphinha scored twice and laid on an assist – albeit, thanks to Lamine Yamal – to take his tally to 27 goals and 19 assists this term, a whopping 46 in total.

Thierry Henry discusses if Raphinha will win the Ballon d’Or

Harry Gray recently said that Raphinha is “the best in the world”, with the Brazilian on fire. His brace and assist last night has seen him now score 14 goals in 22 Champions League games, laying on 11 assists.

Talking on CBS Sports after a 3-1 win over Benfica, Thierry Henry says Raphinha is well within the shout to win the Ballon d’Or. Barcelona winning the Champions League would hand Leeds a £10m windfall.
“Yes, he is right up there. Raphinha is ahead for me now because of what he is doing, 11 goals in the Champions League [this season]. Mo Salah is a contender for it, Harry Kane as well, Dembele,” Henry said.
“But Raphinha is on a lot of goals with only one penalty. Not saying Kane shouldn’t be taking them, he’s been outstanding but Raphinha – what he is doing, he is complete. He defends, press well. He has it all.”

Raphinha sits top of the Champions League goalscoring rankings

Ultimately, if Raphinha is to win the Ballon d’Or then Barcelona need silverware. Things look positive, with Barcelona currently top of La Liga, level on points with Real Madrid but do have a game in hand.

But if there’s no silverware won, sitting top of the Champions League goalscoring rankings will certainly help. Raphinha has scored 11 goals this season, sitting ahead of both Harry Kane and Serhou Guirassy.
A big title and the golden boot in the Champions League will surely be enough for Raphinha to go and win the Ballon d’Or. If he does win the Champions League, his decision to join Barca will be proven right.

Mo Salah in tears after Liverpool crash out of the Champions League on penalties to PSG in what could be his final shot at European glory with contract running out in the summer

Mo Salah was pictured in tears after Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League on penalties to PSG on Tuesday night.
Leading 1-0 on aggregate after a first-leg win in Paris, the Reds were taken to extra time thanks to Ousmane Dembele’s finish after 13 minutes

Neither side could find a breakthrough in extra time, meaning that spot kicks were required to decide who would advance to the quarter finals.

Once Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez missed from 12 yards for Arne Slot’s men, the Parisians gained the upper hand in the shootout.
Deziree Doue slammed home the decisive kick, meaning that Luis Enrique’s side will play Inter in the quarter-finals.
Following his side’s elimination from Europe’s premier club competition, Salah was overcome with emotion as he broke down in tears on the pitch.

Salah’s reaction comes with this potentially being his final shot at a second Champions League with Liverpool, having lifted the trophy in 2019.

But the Egyptian is yet to sign a new contract on Merseyside, with his existing deal set to run out this summer.
Fellow team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold also have deals which expire at the end of this campaign – with both still to agree extensions.
Salah has been an integral part of the Liverpool side that have emerged as runaway Premier League leaders – with the Reds currently sitting 15 points ahead of Arsenal.
While Salah and his team-mates will be dejected by defeat in Europe, they have little time to feel sorry for themselves.
They take on Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday, in what is the first piece of major silverware up for grabs this season.

Any hopes of a treble were extinguished by their defeat to PSG, following their shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Plymouth in the fourth round.
Salah being seen in tears comes after he was labelled as the best player in the world by Wayne Rooney in the build-up to the game against PSG.

Appearing as a pundit on Amazon Prime’s coverage of the match, the former Manchester United striker gave his thoughts.

Rooney said: ‘Mo Salah, in my opinion, is the best in the world right now, he doesn’t always come back and you can get away with that [at his level]’.

Fabio Capello admitted that Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona marked one of the three ‘football revolutions’ that he experienced in his lifetime, but was also very critical of the current Manchester City manager, suggesting his ‘arrogance’  and desire to be ‘the main character’ ended up damaging his career.

“I really appreciated Guardiola as a coach; he did beautiful things,” Capello told Spanish newspaper El Mundo in an interview.
“I have experienced three revolutions in football, roughly one every twenty years: Cruyff’s Ajax, Sacchi’s Milan, and Guardiola’s Barça. I have no problem saying it.”

Capello: Guardiola always wanted to be ‘the main character’, his Barcelona side damaged football

The former Milan and Real Madrid coach first met Guardiola when the latter moved to Roma in his late playing days, with Capello still recalling a debate between the two.

“One day, he came to tell me how I should do my job, and I replied: ‘Start running, and then you can talk.’ The fact is, he would stroll around the pitch, and I had no intention of playing him instead of someone who deserved it more. That was the end of the debate.
“Do you know what I don’t like about Guardiola? His arrogance. The Champions League he won with City was the only one where he didn’t try anything strange in the decisive matches.

“But in other years, in Manchester and Munich, on crucial days, he always wanted to be the main character. He changed things and made inventions just so he could say: ‘The players don’t win, I win.’ And that arrogance cost him several Champions Leagues. I respect him, but I see it clearly.”

Guardiola’s Champions League triumph with Manchester City in 2023 marked his first major European trophy as a coach in 11 years, despite consistently managing teams that were contenders for the title.
He had previously won the Champions League twice with Barcelona, in 2009 and 2011, with a team that, according to Capello, did ‘enormous damage to football’.
“Furthermore, even though it’s no longer his fault, he has done enormous damage to football,” Capello continued.
“Why? Because everyone spent ten years trying to copy him. This ruined Italian football, which lost its identity. I kept saying: ‘Stop now, you don’t have Guardiola’s players!’

“Moreover, the absurd idea prevailed that playing well meant precisely that. Touch, touch, touch, touch, touch, touch, touch, touch… Nowadays, in Italian football, it’s the goalkeeper who plays the ball! A disaster, and also a bore that scared many people away from football—just look at the highlights. Why watch 90 minutes of passing and passing sideways without battles, without running?

Luckily, football is changing. For the first time, Spain changed things by winning the European Championship with two wingers and playing fast in Spain.”
Capello had already slammed Guardiola before Manchester City met with Juventus in the Champions League in December, describing him as ‘too arrogant and presumptuous’.