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’.

A top Champions League referee was once arrested as part of a drugs and prostitution raid at a ‘sex party’ – after accidentally finding himself in sleazy company.
Slavko Vincic will take charge of Tuesday night’s clash between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich and could officiate English clubs later in the competition.

Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal are all in prime position to advance over the next two days, having won their away ties against Paris Saint-Germain, Club Bruges, and PSV respectively.

Vincic, who refereed last season’s Champions League final, was caught up in a sordid affair almost five years ago.
In May 2020 he was released by police after being arrested at the party in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The official attended what he claims was an invitation to a business lunch in the Bosnian city of Bijeljina but found himself caught up in the raid and was arrested along with Tijana Maksimovic, who police believed to be the leader of a prostitution ring.

In January 2021, Maksimovic pleaded guilty in full to the criminal charge of international enticement to prostitution, with a year-long sentence in prison proposed for her.

All in all, officers reportedly held nine women and 26 men in total, and seized four packets of cocaine, 10 pistols, three protective vests, over 10,000 euros (translated from various currencies).
Vincic was not accused of being directly involved in the operation and was questioned as a witness before being let go.
He told Slovenian outlet Vecer that he had nothing to do with the group.
‘I found myself on this ranch by chance. I have my own company, I was in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a business meeting,’ he said.
‘I accepted an invitation to lunch, which turned out to be my biggest mistake. I regret it.
‘I was sitting at a table with my company, all of a sudden the police came and what happened, happened.
‘I have nothing to do with the group that was arrested and detained, nor do my business partners.

The president of the Association of Football Referees of Slovenia, Vlado Sajn, defended his official, saying: ‘According to the information we gathered from official and unofficial sources, and last but not least from Slavko himself, he is not suspected of anything, no proceedings have been instituted against him.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has suggested that Manchester United will have to wait until at least 2030 before moving into their new ‘iconic’ stadium.
Ratcliffe, who owns a 28.94 percent stake in the club, took part in a series of interviews on Monday in which he issued an update on plans to move out of Old Trafford. United have played their home matches at the stadium since 1910 but ever since becoming co-owner, Ratcliffe has had his sights on building a ‘Wembley of the North’.

The Manchester-born billionaire believes that United will have the ‘world’s most iconic stadium’ which will serve as the ‘nucleus’ of a government-funded regeneration project in the south of the city. Multiple reports say that United will make an announcement confirming their decision to build a new 100,000-seater stadium as opposed to renovating Old Trafford will be made on Tuesday.

As for when the Red Devils will be ready to make the move, Ratcliffe revealed to ex-United captain Gary Neville for The Overlap: “I won’t say much more but Norman Foster, who also is a Mancunian and is the world’s greatest architect in my view, has really created the most iconic – well you’ve seen it (the design) – absolutely incredible.

“It would be marvellous if Manchester United could go down that road in five years’ time or six years’ time and have that stadium.”
The founder of petrochemicals company INEOS also said: “It’s definitely deliverable but I think it needs to be set in context again. “And at the moment, if you look at the Premier League, we’ve got some great stadiums but we don’t have a Bernabeu and we don’t have a Nou Camp, we don’t have that in the Premier League, although it’s the greatest league in the world.

“And also, if you look at the north of England, the north of England has won 10 Champions League finals and London has won two. So there’s quite a few reasons there to have the world’s most iconic football stadium in the north of England and at the world’s greatest club.

“It’s the greatest football club in the world. Then if it’s going to build a new stadium it should be a new stadium that’s befitting the greatest club in the world and also a stadium that befits the greatest league in the world. Because the Premier League is the greatest league in the world.”

Amid concerns over United’s financial capacity to build the stadium, Ratcliffe told the Times: “I think it is financeable. But key to it is being part of the government regeneration project for southern Manchester which, you know. Rachel Reeves has talked about as one of those three major planks of their growth strategy.

Liverpool’s new Adidas kits have reportedly been leaked after they penned a £300m deal with the German giants.
After five years kitted out by Nike, the Premier League leaders are capitalising on their success by switching things up with a lucrative move to Adidas.

The German sportswear titans are set to fork out a whopping £60m annually, decking out the men’s, women’s, and academy squads from head to toe. This massive deal kicks off on August 1, 2025.

There has been no confirmation of what Liverpool’s 2025/26 kits will look like, but there have been a few leaked efforts to feature across social media.
Their home kit will be red, obviously, with the iconic Adidas stripes on the shoulders. The Liverpool logo, Adidas logo and sponsor will all potentially be in white with white trim and piping across the sleeves and torso, reports the Mirror.

The away kit is rumoured to be a flip of that, featuring a white body with red trim, and the Liverpool emblem encased in a shield. The potential third shirt has certainly sparked chatter.

Boasting a striking teal hue, it’s designed as a nod to the 1980s, complete with striped trim, an Adidas originals trefoil logo, and a vintage Liverpool crest.
Adidas’ CEO Bjørn Gulden is thrilled with the deal: “We are extremely excited that adidas and Liverpool Football Club are teaming up once again. The club is one of the biggest and most iconic names in world football with a huge fan base.

“The jerseys worn during previous partnerships are some of the greatest ever created. We are honoured to once again provide the players with cutting-edge technology to perform at the highest level and are looking forward to creating more classics for the fans.”
Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan added: “Everyone at the club is incredibly excited to welcome adidas back into the LFC family. We have enjoyed fantastic success together in the past and created some of the most iconic LFC kits of all time.”

Liverpool have twice donned the Adidas stripes. The Reds signed an initial agreement with Adidas in 1985, with the deal lasting for 11 seasons up to 1996.

They won three league titles, three FA Cups and the League Cup during that period before a move to Reebok for 10 years. Reebok were bought by Adidas in 2005, and a year later the three stripes, were back on the Liverpool kit.
However, the Reds only won one trophy during their previous stint with Adidas, the 2012 League Cup, before Warrior took over.

Raphinha is arguably one of the most naturally gifted players ever to play for Leeds United.
The Brazilian signed for the Whites from Rennes for £17 million ahead of the club’s return to the Premier League, and he was greeted with expectation given his impressive exploits in France and Portugal.

While the Elland Road faithful weren’t able to fully embrace his debut season due to the restrictions the following year, Raphinha truly came into his own.
He became the heart of the team, almost single-handedly guiding Leeds to Premier League survival and capturing the imagination of fans in the process.
The 28-year-old’s final appearance for the club came at Brentford, where he stepped up to slot home a cool penalty amid a crucial 2-1 win in the fight for survival. The scenes in the away end were jubilant that day, and it was a fitting farewell for Raphinha, who would leave for Barcelona that summer in a deal worth £55 million.

Swapping Elland Road for the Camp Nou, the winger has steadily made his mark, with his performances this season placing him firmly in the conversation for the Ballon d’Or. However, to truly claim that accolade, silverware is essential, and with Barcelona’s strong Champions League ambitions, Leeds won’t begrudge the Brazilian’s success, especially with a smart trophy-related add-on included in his 2022 sale.

Raphinha’s £10 million Champions League clause 

Hansi Flick has the Catalan club playing some of the most attractive football seen since the days of Pep Guardiola and they are embroiled in the hunt for silverware on multiple fronts.
In La Liga they are sitting first. In the Copa del Rey they have the second-leg of the semi-final to look forward to, and they have already claimed Spain’s Super Cup. However, the one that Leeds should be concerned about is the Champions League.
For Barça and many other European giants, it is the ultimate competition, and if they were to win it with Raphinha in their ranks, Leeds would be set to earn around £10 million, according to Marca.

This would take his overall sale north of £60 million, making him comfortably the Whites’ most expensive departure, with the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Georginio Rutter trailing far behind.

Many will be analysing the Spanish giants’ chances in the competition. In the first leg of their Round of 16 tie, they secured a 1-0 victory over SL Benfica thanks to Raphina’s goal (see below), despite being reduced to ten men, and with the return leg at home, they’ll be feeling optimistic about progressing.

Past that, they arguably have the easier side of the bracket, with their most difficult tie likely to be a semi-final against either Bayern Munich or Inter Milan if they get past the next two stages.
On paper, it’s hard to see why they can’t go all the way, but Flick must ensure they play to their strengths, with that attacking trio of Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, and Raphinha posing a serious threat to any opposition.

Leeds United supporters will be proud of Raphinha’s achievements

Raphinha is one of those rare players whom Leeds fans will feel privileged to have watched up close, contributing 29 goals and assists in just 67 appearances – a mere taste of the brilliance he’s showcased at Barcelona this season.
His first two years at the Catalan club saw him slowly earn his stripes, but even so, last campaign he managed 23 goal contributions in 37 games.

This season, however, Raphinha has truly soared. After 40 appearances, he has already amassed an astonishing 43 goal involvements. In the Champions League, he’s been nothing short of spectacular, scoring nine goals in as many games and if they are to win the competition, the Brazilian will be heavily involved.

His form has even earned him the honour of captaining the team on several occasions, a testament to his growing influence at the club.
While Leeds supporters may not have anticipated such remarkable figures, they will undoubtedly take pride in the impact Raphinha has made at Barcelona and will be hoping he can help secure that additional £10 million from his Champions League success.

Romelu Lukaku gave Napoli the lead on 26 minutes and Giacomo Raspadori doubled that on the hour before Albert Gudmundsson pulled a goal back for Fiorentina.

Antonio Conte’s Napoli climbed back to within a point of leaders Inter Milan, who came from two goals down to beat bottom side Monza 3-2 on Saturday.
“We deserved the victory,” said Conte.
“We could have been a bit more efficient with our chances and managed the final part of the game with less anxiety because let’s not forget that we dropped many points around the 90th minute in the last five games.”
Napoli, who won the title two years ago, were top at the end of January but have been playing catch-up with Inter after picking up just four points in five matches before beating Fiorentina at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Atalanta hammered Juventus 4-0 in Turin to stay within three points of Inter and snap the hosts’ five-game winning streak. It was just a second defeat of the season for Thiago Motta’s side.
Mateo Retegui notched his league-leading 22nd goal of the season from the penalty spot after a handball in the first half and Marten de Roon added a second right after the break for Atalanta.

Davide Zappacosta steered in a third for Gian Piero Gasperini’s rampant side before Ademola Lookman’s deflected strike completed a thumping victory.
“It was an unimaginable result for many, but it was the perfect performance from us,” Gasperini told DAZN, suggesting an unlikely tilt at the Scudetto for the traditionally small, provincial club was not beyond them.

People need to dream. We must never stop them dreaming. We may say it’s impossible, but if you believe enough, things can become possible.”
Fourth-placed Juventus are now nine points adrift of Inter and could be overtaken by Lazio, who host Udinese on Monday.
Motta said the defeat signalled the end of any outside title chances for his team.
“We are sad, we are disappointed, but at the same time this talk of the Scudetto that you dragged us into will no longer be talked about,” he said.

Roma continued their resurgence under Claudio Ranieri as Matias Soule’s goal after only 22 seconds was enough to secure a 1-0 win at Empoli for their fifth successive league victory.

The 73-year-old Ranieri has brought stability to a club that sacked Daniele De Rossi in September and then moved on from his successor Ivan Juric less than two months later.
Roma are unbeaten in 12 games in Serie A since mid-December, rising from just above the relegation places into contention for Europe next season.

They are four points behind Bologna in sixth, which offers a spot in the UEFA Conference League.