Man City draw Southampton and Chelsea face Leeds in FA Cup semi-finals

fa cup semi final draw man city southampton chelsea leeds

The FA Cup semi-final draw delivered exactly the kind of matchups the competition thrives on. Manchester City will face Southampton in one tie, while Chelsea take on Leeds United in the other, with both matches to be played at Wembley on April 25 and 26.

Southampton's dream run continues

Southampton's reward for one of the upsets of the season is a semi-final against Manchester City. Their 2-1 victory over Arsenal on Saturday sent the Premier League leaders crashing out, and the Saints now find themselves two wins from lifting the trophy despite spending much of the campaign in a relegation fight. City will be heavy favourites after demolishing Liverpool 4-0 in their own quarter-final, with Erling Haaland scoring a hat-trick, but Southampton have already shown they can rise to the biggest occasions this season.

The last time Southampton reached an FA Cup final was in 2003, when they lost 1-0 to Arsenal (at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff). Their only FA Cup triumph came back in 1976 against Manchester United. Beating City would give their fans something to cherish regardless of what happens in the league.

Chelsea and Leeds meet at Wembley

Chelsea's route to the final looks the more favourable on paper. Cole Palmer captained the side to a 7-0 thrashing of Port Vale in the quarter-finals, and they will fancy their chances against a Leeds side who needed penalties to get past West Ham on Sunday. But Leeds have waited 39 years for an FA Cup semi-final and will not go quietly. Their dramatic shootout victory at the London Stadium, with Pascal Struijk converting the decisive penalty after a tense 120 minutes, showed the sort of resilience that can trouble anyone over 90 minutes at Wembley.

Leeds have not appeared in an FA Cup final since 1973, when they lost to Sunderland. Chelsea, by contrast, won the competition in 2018 and have been regulars at this stage for the best part of two decades. The gulf in recent cup pedigree is wide, but this season's FA Cup has not followed the script.

A semi-final weekend to savour

The draw has split the two perceived favourites, meaning a City-Chelsea final remains possible. But this competition has already punished anyone who assumed the obvious outcome. Arsenal and Liverpool are both gone, knocked out by a team fighting relegation and a Haaland-inspired City side respectively.

For Southampton and Leeds, the semi-finals represent something rare. Both clubs carry the weight of decades without a major Wembley occasion, and both earned their place the hard way. City and Chelsea will expect to progress, but expectation has not counted for much in this year's FA Cup.

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Champions League quarter-finals: Salah heads to Paris, Real Madrid and Bayern meet again

Football stadium at night packed with fans

Salah's final Champions League campaign with Liverpool takes him to the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, April 8, in a tie loaded with storylines. He hit his 50th Champions League goal during the last-16 victory over Galatasaray and has looked as sharp as ever in what everyone now knows is his farewell season at Anfield. Liverpool head to Paris with genuine belief they can reach the semi-finals.

PSG vs Liverpool is the tie of the round

PSG won the Champions League last season under Luis Enrique, hammering Inter Milan 5-0 in the final. They are a different animal at home in Europe, and the Parc des Princes will be hostile. Liverpool and PSG last met in the 2018-19 group stage, splitting the results: Liverpool won 3-2 at Anfield, PSG took it 2-1 in Paris. This knockout meeting is a step up from anything they have faced before against each other.

For Liverpool, the question is what happens after Salah leaves. The club have been linked with Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig, Michael Olise from Bayern and even Iliman Ndiaye from Everton as potential replacements. But that is a problem for the summer. Right now, Salah wants to make these final European nights count.

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich: a rivalry that never gets old

The other Tuesday tie sends Bayern to the Santiago Bernabeu, a fixture that has produced some of the most dramatic Champions League moments in the competition's history. Real Madrid dominated Manchester City in the last 16, where Federico Valverde's first-half hat-trick in the first leg proved decisive. Bayern, meanwhile, dismantled Atalanta 10-2 on aggregate to cruise through.

Both clubs have spent decades owning this competition. Meeting in the quarter-finals feels almost routine for them, which makes it no less compelling.

Arsenal face their lightest draw, and that is dangerous

Arsenal were handed Sporting CP in the draw and will fancy their chances of reaching a second consecutive Champions League semi-final. The first leg is in Lisbon on Tuesday, April 7. Sporting have been impressive in Portugal, but the gap in squad depth between the two sides is significant. The danger for Arsenal is complacency.

Mikel Arteta's side are nine points clear at the top of the Premier League and are still alive in the FA Cup. A deep European run alongside a title push would be some achievement. But European knockout football has a habit of punishing English clubs who assume the hard part is over before it starts.

Barcelona and Atletico play out an all-Spanish affair

The final quarter-final pits Barcelona against Atletico Madrid, starting at Camp Nou on Wednesday, April 8. Barcelona hammered Newcastle 7-2 in the last 16, while Atletico reached this stage after a wild 7-5 aggregate win over Tottenham. Diego Simeone warned before the Spurs tie that Premier League pace would test his side, and the second leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was uncomfortable, but the 5-2 first-leg cushion did the job.

Barcelona, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal in devastating form, will be favourites. But Atletico in a knockout tie under Simeone are never easy to put away.

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Champions League quarter-finals arrive next week with four blockbuster ties

Football match at a stadium under floodlights

Sporting CP vs Arsenal (April 7)

Arsenal arrive in Lisbon on the back of a perfect Champions League league-phase campaign. They topped the group as leading scorers, then dispatched Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 on aggregate in the last 16, wrapping things up with a 2-0 win at the Emirates in the second leg. Sporting, by contrast, came through one of the most dramatic ties of the round. They trailed 3-0 from the first leg before staging a remarkable comeback to win the second leg 5-0 in Lisbon, advancing 5-3 on aggregate. Knockout football plays by different rules.

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich (April 7)

Two clubs with 21 European Cups between them meet again. Real Madrid looked ominous in dismantling Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate, with Federico Valverde's first-leg hat-trick the highlight. Bayern were equally ruthless, putting 10 past Atalanta across two legs. Thibaut Courtois may be a doubt for Madrid, which could open up an avenue for Harry Kane and company. This fixture has produced memorable moments going all the way back to the 1980s, and nothing about this edition suggests it will be any different.

Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid (April 8)

An all-Spanish affair that pits La Liga's runaway leaders against Diego Simeone's ever-resilient Atletico. Barcelona dismantled Newcastle 8-3 on aggregate in the last 16, with a 7-2 second-leg rout at Camp Nou that left Newcastle stunned. Atletico, meanwhile, knocked out Tottenham with a 7-5 aggregate scoreline. Simeone's side have proven they can score goals this season, but containing Raphinha and Lamine Yamal across two legs is a different challenge altogether.

PSG vs Liverpool (April 8)

A repeat of last season's last-16 tie, which PSG won on penalties. Liverpool will be determined to change the outcome this time around. Arne Slot's side pulled off one of the great turnarounds in the last round, winning 4-0 at Anfield to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Galatasaray. PSG, the defending champions, hammered Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate and look formidable going forward. Slot called the draw "exciting" and there is no shortage of attacking quality on both sides.

The road to Budapest

The semi-final bracket is now set. The winner of Sporting vs Arsenal will meet either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid, while the other side of the draw places Real Madrid or Bayern Munich against PSG or Liverpool. The final will be played on May 30 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. For Real Madrid, the prospect of crossing paths with Bayern again brings a familiar edge to the knockout stages. Elsewhere, the structure of the draw leaves every remaining contender with a realistic route to the final. Four ties remain, each with its own narrative, and the first legs are just around the corner.

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Eddie Howe faces a seven-game reckoning at Newcastle as chief refuses to guarantee his future

Professional football stadium pitch and stands

There was a time, not all that long ago, when Eddie Howe seemed the safest man in English football. Newcastle were in the Champions League, fans adored him, and the Saudi-backed project looked like it had found the perfect manager to grow with. That feels like a different club now.

The lunch that said everything

David Hopkinson, Newcastle's chief executive, met Howe for what he described as an "intense" two-hour lunch after the 2-1 home defeat to Sunderland. The Tyne-Wear derby loss was bad enough. Losing it at St James' Park made it worse. Hopkinson did not hide his displeasure, and when asked whether Howe would still be in charge next season, he refused to commit. He said those conversations would happen "when it's time," meaning after the final seven matches of the campaign.

That is corporate language for "prove it or we move on."

How Newcastle got here

The club sits 12th in the Premier League with seven games left. They have not won a league match since beating Tottenham in early February, a run that has dragged them from the fringes of European contention into the grey middle of the table. The Sunderland result was the low point, but the slide started well before that.

Howe would argue, and has argued, that the club's finances forced his hand. Newcastle sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool last summer for 125 million pounds to stay within profit and sustainability rules, and then failed to make a single first-team signing in the January window. Losing a striker of Isak's quality without replacing him was always going to hurt. Record revenues of 335 million pounds and a 44 percent jump in commercial income looked great on the balance sheet. On the pitch, it felt like treading water.

Seven games, one question

Hopkinson said he expects a "great run" from the remaining fixtures. That is a demand dressed up as encouragement. Newcastle play Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Arsenal, Brighton, Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Fulham between now and mid-May. None of those games are unwinnable, but none are easy either, particularly for a squad that has lost its confidence and its best forward.

Win four or five, and Howe probably keeps his job. Stumble through with draws and narrow defeats, and the conversation about his future shifts from "when" to "who next."

The bigger picture

What makes this so uncomfortable is that Howe did not create all of these problems. He inherited a mid-table squad, took them to the Champions League, and then watched the club sell its best asset to balance the books. Blaming the manager for the consequences of that decision feels unfair, and Howe's supporters inside the club know it.

But football does not deal in fairness. Results are the only currency, and Howe has seven games to find some.

Ten years of FIFA membership and one match from the World Cup: Kosovo's extraordinary rise

Ten years. That is all it has taken. Kosovo joined FIFA in May 2016, a small nation of 1.8 million people that had to fight just to be allowed to play international football. On Tuesday night in Pristina, they host Turkey in a European World Cup playoff final. Win that single game and Kosovo go to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Lose and they wait another four years. There is no safety net.

How Kosovo got here

The qualification campaign was impressive on its own terms, but the playoff run has been something else. Kosovo finished second in their group behind Switzerland, grinding out results against teams with far more pedigree and deeper squads. Their reward was a semi-final away to Slovakia last Wednesday, and what unfolded in Bratislava was chaos in the best sense. Kosovo won 4-3 in a match that swung from end to end and could have gone either way three or four times over.

Vedat Muriqi, the Mallorca striker who is Kosovo's all-time leading scorer with 32 goals, has carried the attacking burden throughout qualifying. But this is not a one-man team. Edon Zhegrova, who moved from Lille to Juventus in September 2025, has the sort of dribbling and creativity that can unlock any defence on a given night. Florent Muslija adds energy and drive from midfield.

The blow they have to absorb

Kosovo will be without captain Amir Rrahmani, the Napoli centre-back who tore a muscle in his left thigh in mid-February and has not played since. Losing your captain and best defender for the most important match in your country's history is a brutal hand to be dealt. The team coped without him against Slovakia, but Turkey are a different proposition entirely.

Turkey want this just as badly

If you think Kosovo are operating on emotion, consider Turkey's situation. They have not been to a World Cup since 2002, when they finished third in Korea and Japan with a squad built around Hakan Sukur and Rustu Recber. That was 24 years ago. An entire generation of Turkish football fans has grown up without seeing their country at the biggest tournament on the planet.

Turkey beat Romania 1-0 in their semi-final through a Ferdi Kadioglu goal on 53 minutes. Under coach Vincenzo Montella, they have a squad packed with quality at every level. Arda Guler has been one of Real Madrid's best players this season. Kenan Yildiz is a regular at Juventus. Hakan Calhanoglu captains Inter Milan. Merih Demiral and Caglar Soyuncu give them a solid defensive foundation.

On paper, Turkey should have too much. But playoff football does not care about squad depth or club pedigree. It cares about who holds their nerve for 90 minutes.

The head-to-head says one thing, the occasion says another

Kosovo have never beaten Turkey. They have played three times, losing all three, including a 6-1 thrashing in a 2014 friendly and two defeats in 2018 World Cup qualifying (2-0 and 4-1). The record is lopsided and there is no way to dress it up.

But those games happened when Kosovo were still learning what international football even felt like. This is a different squad in a different moment. They are playing at home in Pristina, with a crowd that will make every blade of grass feel like it belongs to them. The stadium will be small by World Cup standards, but the noise will carry.

Four finals on one night

Kosovo and Turkey are one of four playoff finals on Tuesday, all kicking off at 20:45 CET. In the other ties, Bosnia and Herzegovina host Italy in Path A, Sweden welcome Poland in Path B, and Czechia play Denmark in Path D. Four World Cup spots, four matches, no second chances.

Italy, Sweden and Denmark are expected to qualify. Kosovo are the wildcard, the team nobody had in their bracket at the start of the campaign. That is exactly the position they want to be in. Nobody expects them to win. Nobody expected them to get this far either.

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Italy, Sweden, Turkey and Denmark one win from the World Cup as European playoff finals arrive on Tuesday

Tuesday brings the sharpest night of European football all year. Four matches. Four World Cup places. Eight teams, and half of them are going home.

The semi-finals played on March 26 produced drama across the board. Sweden came from behind to beat Ukraine 3-1, Kosovo edged Slovakia 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller, and both Bosnia and Czechia needed penalty shootouts to advance past Wales and the Republic of Ireland respectively. Italy cruised past Northern Ireland 2-0, Turkey squeezed by Romania 1-0, Denmark hammered North Macedonia 4-0, and Poland beat Albania 2-1.

Path A: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Italy

Italy are expected to progress but Bosnia showed character to beat Wales on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The Azzurri will be heavy favourites, though Italian football has a habit of producing upsets when everyone assumes the result is settled. Just ask anyone who watched them fail to qualify in 2018 and 2022.

Path B: Sweden vs Poland

Two sides with genuine World Cup pedigree. Sweden's 3-1 destruction of Ukraine was the most impressive semi-final performance, with Viktor Gyokeres scoring a hat-trick across the semi-finals. Poland have Robert Lewandowski and enough experience to make this uncomfortable.

Path C: Kosovo vs Turkey

Kosovo's 4-3 win over Slovakia was chaotic and brilliant in equal measure. Turkey are the more established side and will fancy their chances, but Kosovo have already shown they can outscore anyone on their day. This could be the wildest of the four finals.

Path D: Czechia vs Denmark

Denmark looked the strongest of all eight teams in the semi-finals, putting four past North Macedonia without reply. Czechia scraped through on penalties against Ireland after a 2-2 draw. The Danes will start as favourites and with good reason.

Intercontinental playoffs also approaching

Beyond Europe, the intercontinental playoff route continues. Jamaica beat New Caledonia 1-0 on March 27 and will face further tests for their spot. Those finals are scheduled for March 31 and April 1.

Tuesday's European finals will fill the remaining slots in what is shaping up to be the biggest World Cup ever staged, with 48 teams heading to the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer.

The free agent class of 2026 could be the most stacked in football history

Every summer brings a handful of notable free agents. This summer is bringing an entire squad's worth of them, and the calibre is absurd. When Mohamed Salah confirmed on March 24 that he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season, walking away from the final year of a contract that ran until 2027, he became the latest name on a list that keeps growing.

The names that matter most

Start with the Premier League. Salah has scored 10 goals and provided 9 assists across all competitions for Liverpool this season. He is 33, yes, but his output still puts him among the most productive wingers in Europe. Sporting Director Richard Hughes negotiated an early release as a goodwill gesture after nine years of service. Liverpool have reportedly already begun targeting Michael Olise at Bayern Munich and Juventus winger Francisco Conceicao as replacements, but filling that gap will not be straightforward.

Then there is Bernardo Silva, who has made no secret of his feelings about life in Manchester. He told reporters earlier this season that the city is "not 100 per cent what I would ideally want in my life," and with his contract expiring in June, he looks set to leave. Juventus have offered a three-year deal worth around 8 million euros per season. Inter Miami, with Lionel Messi on speed dial, are also circling, though MLS salary cap rules make that move complicated. Benfica, his boyhood club, appear to be out of the running after Silva indicated he wants to stay in a top European league.

La Liga is losing big names too

Antoine Griezmann signed with Orlando City in late March, ending a long-running saga about whether he would leave Atletico Madrid for MLS. Robert Lewandowski's Barcelona contract expires in June, and at 37, a renewal is far from guaranteed. Real Madrid could lose Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba and Dani Carvajal in one window. That is three-quarters of a back line.

Serie A and the Bundesliga are not immune

Dusan Vlahovic at Juventus, Mike Maignan at AC Milan, Paulo Dybala at Roma. All out of contract. In Germany, Bayern Munich face their own uncertainty. Leon Goretzka looks set to leave on a free transfer, while Manuel Neuer’s future remains unresolved. Both Serge Gnabry and Dayot Upamecano have signed contract extensions — Gnabry until 2028, Upamecano until 2030 — so the exodus is not as sweeping as it appeared. Even so, losing even one or two established players without a transfer fee would be a blow for a side trying to reassert themselves at the top of the Bundesliga.

Why it matters

Free agents shift the market in ways that are hard to predict. When a club saves 60 or 70 million euros on a transfer fee, that money does not disappear. It gets redirected. Wages go up. Signing bonuses balloon. Agent fees reach new highs. The result is a market where the rich get richer and the selling clubs get nothing.

This summer's crop is unusual because it includes so many players at elite clubs who simply ran down their deals. That was once the preserve of squad players looking for a way out. Now it is superstars who know their value and are happy to wait.

The window has not even opened yet and the free agent market already looks like the main event. By the time it closes, European football could look very different.

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Tyne-Wear derby returns to St James' Park as Newcastle and Sunderland meet for first time in a decade

Packed football stadium for a derby match

The last time Sunderland walked out at St James' Park for a Premier League match, Rafa Benitez had just arrived at Newcastle and both clubs were fighting relegation. That was March 20, 2016, and the 1-1 draw that day feels like it belongs to a completely different era. Ten years on, the fixture returns with Newcastle in 9th and Sunderland, newly promoted, sitting 13th.

Newcastle need a response after Barcelona humiliation

Eddie Howe's week could hardly have gone worse. The 7-2 thrashing by Barcelona in the Champions League last 16 was as brutal as the scoreline suggests, and while European elimination was always likely against a side that good, the manner of the defeat stung. Howe needs his squad to channel that frustration into a derby performance.

Newcastle have won three of their last five league games and sit on 42 points from 30 matches. That is enough for 9th, six points off the top six. A win here would be the perfect reset.

The injury list complicates things. Bruno Guimaraes (hamstring), Fabian Schar (ankle), Lewis Miley (muscle) and Emil Krafth (knee) are all out. Sandro Tonali is a doubt with a hip and groin issue. If Tonali fails a late fitness test, Newcastle will be stretched thin in midfield.

Sunderland looking to rediscover early-season form

Regis Le Bris took Sunderland up last season and for the first few months of their return to the top flight, the Black Cats looked right at home. They beat Newcastle 1-0 at the Stadium of Light in December when a Nick Woltemade own goal settled it, and at one point sat comfortably in the top half.

Since the turn of the year, though, results have dried up. Sunderland have won just three league games in 2026 and only one of their last six. A 1-0 home defeat to Brighton last time out was their third straight loss at the Stadium of Light, and Le Bris knows his side need to find something away from home. The 1-0 win at Leeds remains a rare bright spot from recent weeks.

The return of captain Granit Xhaka is a boost. He brings experience and composure that Sunderland have missed. Whether Enzo Le Fee returns to the lineup is less certain, with Le Bris weighing his options.

What is at stake

For Newcastle, this is about pride as much as points. Losing at home to Sunderland would make it two derby defeats in one season, something the St James' Park faithful would not forgive easily. For Sunderland, a result here would go a long way toward securing their top-flight status. They sit on 40 points, 15 clear of the relegation zone, but a strong finish would silence any lingering doubts about whether they belong.

Anthony Taylor will referee. Kick-off is at 12:00 GMT.

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Champions League quarter-finals confirmed: PSG face Liverpool, Real Madrid draw Bayern as Arsenal land Sporting

Wednesday's second legs wrapped up the Champions League round of 16, and the quarter-final picture is now complete. Eight teams remain, the draw was made back on February 27, and the matchups look mouth-watering.

The four quarter-final ties

Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool leads the bill. PSG demolished Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate to reach this stage, while Liverpool overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit by beating Galatasaray 4-0 at Anfield. Two attacking heavyweights going head to head over two legs.

Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich is the tie neutrals will circle. Madrid battered Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate, with Federico Valverde's first-leg hat-trick doing most of the damage. Bayern, who hit Atalanta for six in the first leg, are in fine form too. This one has a final feel about it already.

Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid is an all-Spanish affair. Barcelona put seven past Newcastle on Wednesday night to win 8-3 on aggregate, while Atletico thrashed Tottenham 5-2 in their first leg and advanced comfortably. Diego Simeone against Hansi Flick will be a tactical chess match.

Arsenal vs Sporting CP rounds out the draw. Eberechi Eze's stunner helped Arsenal beat Leverkusen 3-1 on aggregate, and Sporting qualified as one of the top seeds from the league phase. Mikel Arteta's side will be favourites, but Sporting have already shown they can handle big European nights.

Schedule and dates

The first legs take place on April 7 and 8, with the return fixtures on April 14 and 15. The semi-final draw has also already been made, so teams know the full path to the final in Budapest on May 30.

Who got knocked out?

Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle, Galatasaray, Atalanta, Leverkusen, and Tottenham are all out. English football's dominance in Europe took a hit this week, with only Liverpool and Arsenal surviving.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City face Champions League defining nights as second legs arrive

Tuesday night delivers three of the most anticipated second legs of this Champions League campaign, each carrying its own storyline and its own level of jeopardy for the English sides involved.

Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen (agg: 1-1)

Arsenal have the most straightforward task of the three, though straightforward is relative when the opponent is Bayer Leverkusen. The first leg in Germany finished 1-1 after Robert Andrich put the hosts ahead early in the second half and Kai Havertz, of all people, converted an 89th-minute penalty against his former club to level the tie.

The Emirates has been a fortress in this competition. Arsenal have won all four home Champions League matches this season, scoring 12 and conceding three. Gabriel Martinelli has been prolific in Europe, hitting six goals across this campaign. Mikel Arteta will be without Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino through injury, but with a nine-point lead in the Premier League and momentum behind them, Arsenal will fancy their chances of reaching the quarter-finals.

Leverkusen, managed by Kasper Hjulmand since Erik ten Hag's dismissal in September 2025, will lean on their counter-attacking pace. Patrik Schick leads the line, with Malik Tillman and Ibrahim Maza providing the creative spark behind him. They will be without several players including Mark Flekken, Lucas Vazquez and Loic Bade.

Chelsea vs PSG (agg: 2-5)

This one looks close to over. PSG tore Chelsea apart in Paris, racing to a 5-2 victory in the first leg. Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha all scored before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia struck twice late on to inflict serious damage. Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez replied for Chelsea, but those away goals offer only a sliver of hope.

Chelsea need to win by at least three clear goals at Stamford Bridge to force extra time, or by four to go straight through. Their recent form makes that look improbable. Liam Rosenior's side have won just twice in their last six across all competitions, losing three times including a 5-2 hammering in that first leg and a 1-0 home defeat to Newcastle at the weekend. Mykhaylo Mudryk is suspended, Reece James is out with a hamstring injury and Malo Gusto is a doubt.

PSG arrive well rested after their domestic fixture was postponed. Luis Enrique's side are the reigning European champions after beating Inter Milan 5-0 in last season's final, and they have scored in five straight Champions League matches this term. Kvaratskhelia, who was devastating in the first leg, will be the man Chelsea fear most.

Man City vs Real Madrid (agg: 0-3)

If Chelsea's task is daunting, Manchester City's borders on impossible. Federico Valverde scored a first-half hat-trick at the Bernabeu to put Real Madrid firmly in control at 3-0. Real Madrid have progressed from all 35 previous major European ties where they won the first leg by three or more goals. History is screaming against a City comeback.

Pep Guardiola has all but conceded the tie is done, though he insisted his team will "fight for everything" at the Etihad. Erling Haaland, with seven goals in this season's Champions League, remains City's biggest threat. They have won three of their four home European fixtures this term, but only one by the kind of margin they now need. Sverre Nypan is unavailable.

Real Madrid can afford to be measured. Kylian Mbappe is available, though Jude Bellingham has travelled but will not play. Valverde has scored five goals in his last three matches and is in the form of his career.

Also on Tuesday

Sporting host Bodo/Glimt in the night's other second-leg tie, with the Norwegian side looking to continue their remarkable run through the competition.

Catch all the Champions League action here