That’s all for today folks. Thanks for reading and all the comments. Much appreciated. The football blog will be back next Friday.
Barney Ronay goes all Peter Fonda in this intro to his piece about England’s hopes in Euro 2020.
“We want to be free, to do what we want to do. We want to throw beer in the air. We want to dress up as Gareth Southgate in his kindly Victorian undertaker phase. And that’s what we’re going to do (with appropriate clearance and a favourable infection curve). We’re going to have a good time. We’re going to have a party.”
I probably should have saved the Kraftwerk link for this.
The Champions League draw threw up lots of intriguing scenarios. And BTL there are all sorts of permutations being kicked about.
ZiggyHousedust writes: “This is what I think is bound to happen. 100%.
“Liverpool to go all the way, Salah taking in revenge on Ramos, bursting Tuchel’s balloon, with a goal that isn’t a goal, and beating Citeh in Instanbul with a goal that is 12mm over the line, simultaneously crushing the blue and the red of Manchester in one go.
“Meantime, they finish 5th to Everton’s 4th in the PL and as Champions take the last Champions League slot.
“Bolted on.”
Quiz time. Plenty of football in this one...
While Liverpool’s Magical Mystery Tour bus sets off for Madrid (well, Budapest), it’s a different story down at Spurs.
The Fiver welcomes you aboard Funtime Jose’s party bus
Didn’t he do well? Hmmm, not according to most. Louise Taylor asks if it’s time to stick or twist for Brucie.
Meanwhile, in related news, retro Leeds United artist #burlybanksy has come up with this.
I think if we all did the Brucie pose once a day the world would be a happier place. pic.twitter.com/biKigDyh1P
— Andy McVeigh (@pantsdanny) March 18, 2021
And this...
Whitehall Road retro.#lufc #burleybanksy pic.twitter.com/WJVAfsgyjs
— Andy McVeigh (@pantsdanny) March 10, 2021
Updated
Let’s play a word association game with Virginia.
I’ll go Virginia Plain for 50 blanks and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
Doubtful anyone will come up with Joao Virginia. But that’s who Everton will have in goal for the FA Cup clash with Manchester City.
The 21-year-old will be making just his third appearance for the Blues with both Jordan Pickford and Robin Olsen injured.
Thanks Luke. Staying on tonight’s game... some numbers.
- Only Sheffield United (11) have lost more Premier League home matches this season than Fulham’s nine.
- Leeds have won all three of their PL matches against sides in the bottom three this season by an aggregate score of 10-3.
- Illan Meslier needs one clean sheet to become the youngest goalkeeper to keep 10 in a PL season.
That’s all from me today - I will hand you back to David Tindall for the remainder of today’s blog. Have a great weekend!
A few words from the Fulham manager Scott Parker ahead of a huge game against Leeds: “The most important thing ... is three points on Friday night. The psychological element to the game is that we can come out of the bottom three, and put even more pressure on the teams above us. So of course, there is that element ... but the main thing is for the team to perform as they have performed in the last few months.”
It would be a seriously impressive feat for Fulham to stay up, and they are looking increasingly confident.
First priority: perform. 💪
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) March 19, 2021
Scott's staying level ahead of #FULLEE. 👔
The Real Madrid coach, Zinedene Zidane, is staying focused on domestic issues after his team were drawn against Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finals.
“We know Liverpool: they’ll demand a lot from us physically, but this is for us to think about after the international break,” Zidane said in his Friday press conference a bit earlier today. “This season as a whole is tough. We can’t get ahead of ourselves, we have to take things day by day and be ready for whatever happens. We know we’re alive in the title race and we want to carry on working hard for that. Every year the final stretch of the season is do or die. I’m not focusing on the schedule, rather the day-to-day. That’s what really gets us going. We’re alive, we’re working hard and that’s inspiration enough for us.”
Eden Hazard will be absent for Saturday’s trip to Celta Vigo with a muscle problem as his injury nightmare at the Bernabeu continues. “We want Eden to recover properly, completely. That’s the most important thing for us,” Zidane said. “We don’t want him to have surgery. We’ll have a distinct plan for him. We want him back and firing.” (Reuters)
Updated
There is some good news for Spurs fans today: Tottenham 3-0 Manchester United!
In the Under-23s, but still. Jamie Bowden, Marcel Lavinier and Kion Etete got the goals and both teams had a man sent off.
Lee Bowyer, who has taken the reins at Birmingham City following the dismissal of Aitor Karanka, has been speaking to the media and will take his team to Watford tomorrow afternoon:
“I know what the capabilities of this club are, I have been here when we have played in the Premier League and a cup final. I would love to be a part of bringing some success and moving the Club back in the right direction,” Bowyer said.
On tomorrow’s opponents, Watford: “Watford are a Premier League side, they have pace, strength and are direct. They are a good team, but they have weaknesses. All sides have weaknesses. We need to take our chances and capitalise on those and work hard for each other.”
Ben Fisher will be bringing you the live action from the WSL this evening. Arsenal, who are fourth, meet Manchester United who are third and six points ahead of the Gunners. Kick-off at Meadow Park is 6.30pm UK time and here is Suzanne Wrack’s preview:
The Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has challenged Michael Keane to use his England snub as motivation to convince Gareth Southgate he deserves a place at Euro 2020.
“I think it is the decision of the coach of the national team and the only way to change this is to work hard and to be focused on what he is doing. This season was good, really good. He played for the national team but in this period he is not going to play for the national team but it doesn’t matter,” said Ancelotti.
“I think he has to be focused on the Euros and he has two months to convince Southgate he is ready for the national team. There are a lot of good centre-backs in England. I think Michael doesn’t have to be worried about this, it can be an opportunity to try to be better in what he is doing. He is doing really well, his season is really good, but I think he can do better, he can do more. He has to be focused there to try to improve.” (PA)
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Chelsea meet Sheffield United in their FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday. The Blues must find a balance between attack and counter-pressing game, manager Thomas Tuchel said today. Chelsea have never scored more than two goals in a game since Tuchel took charge and despite their 13-game unbeaten run.
“We lack some precision in the final third and some goals, but we’ve never lacked the work-rate against the ball, touches in the box, shots,” Tuchel told reporters ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Sheffield United. Maybe we lacked composure but that’s our fault because we work so hard against the ball. It’s about balance and I believe we have that balance in how the players feel. We’ll never stop to think about how to create chances, offensive solutions, where to create spaces and to accelerate our attacks. But we also think about counter-pressing.” (PA)
Updated
La Liga fixtures for this weekend right here:
Friday
Real Betis v Levante
Saturday
Athletic Bilbao v Eibar
Celta Vigo v Real Madrid
Huesca v Osasuna
Real Valladolid v Sevilla
Sunday
Getafe v Elche
Valencia v Granada
Villarreal v Cadiz
Atlético Madrid v Alavés
Real Sociedad v Barcelona
Updated
Yet more depressing news on social media racism from the PA wire:
Sheffield United striker Rhian Brewster has revealed he has become the latest footballer to suffer racial abuse on social media. The 20-year-old former Liverpool forward has made public an abusive message he received on his Instagram account. The Blades tweeted: “As a club we applaud Rhian for bringing the disgusting message sent to him to light. We will now support him and work with him, the Premier League and all the relevant authorities to ensure the person behind this post is brought to justice.”
"There has got to be a hell of a lot more done. People are wanting engagement with players and wanting to understand players but with things like this it will just drive them away."
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) March 19, 2021
Paul Heckingbottom when asked about the abuse that Rhian Brewster received.#SUFC 🔴
Updated
What are the Bundesliga fixtures this weekend, I hear you cry? Second-placed RB Leipzig could draw to within a point of Bayern Munich, if they beat Arminia Bielefeld this evening. Bayern Munich meet ninth-placed Stuttgart tomorrow:
Friday 19 March
Arminia Bielefeld v RB Leipzig
Saturday 20 March
FC Köln v Borussia Dortmund
Bayern Munich v VfB Stuttgart
Eintracht Frankfurt v Union Berlin
Werder Bremen v Wolfsburg
Schalke v Borussia Mönchengladbach
Sunday 21 March
Hoffenheim v Mainz
Hertha Berlin v Bayer Leverkusen
Freiburg v Augsburg
Updated
The Bournemouth manager (until the end of the season at least), Jonathan Woodgate, has a chat before the FA Cup quarter-final meeting with Southampton:
“We are definitely the underdogs because they are a Premier league team, but we will go in there thinking we can win the game, no matter what,” Woodgate said. “If it has to go to extra-time, go to penalties, we are confident we can cause an upset. It is a fantastic achievement for the football club and we are just trying to get into a semi-final, but it is going to be really difficult. They are a good team with really experienced players, everyone will be thinking Southampton are going to win. But our players will not think that. We will be right on it.”
If you can drag yourself away from football, the Gold Cup is due to start in five minutes at Cheltenham:
Yesterday’s Goal of the Day in Premier League Twitterland is a personal favourite of mine. Collymore’s inspired effort at Old Trafford in 94/95:
When Stan Collymore silenced Old Trafford 🤫#GoalOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/EEA1xGIaOw
— Premier League (@premierleague) March 18, 2021
Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers comments on the club’s announcement of a pre-tax loss of £67m: “There’s a huge impact with Covid ... that will hit every club ... but I think it shows the confidence the club have in managing the budget, and the figures, that they continue to invest ... despite the pandemic the club are still pushing on with their long-term vision ... hopefully we get supporters back next season and that [loss] figure comes down. The club have been magnificent [in investing].
“There will be spending this summer ... but it won’t be the same as if we were pre-Covid.”
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Aston Villa manager Dean Smith reacts to Ollie Watkins’ England call-up: “I’m thrilled for Ollie ... he’s one of the most hard-working individuals I’ve worked with. He’s got lots of qualities, but the biggest one for me has always been his attitude, his selfless nature to the team when he works. Last year, he was the top-scorer in the Championship, and we wanted to bring him to Aston Villa, and we believed he could make that step up ... He’s got himself into the England squad with his performances ... and everyone at the club is thrilled for him.”
Press conference quotes are coming thick and fast now.
Thomas Tuchel reacts to his Chelsea side being pitted against Porto in the Champions League quarter-final: “First of all I’m happy that we play an international game, and not an English team, because Champions League is about that, I always prefer to play against teams from other countries. Then we have second leg at home, which feels good ... maybe a slight advantage to finish at home ...
“Clearly many people will make us the favourites against Porto. That will not help us, because you can ask in Turin, what the opinion about this is, if it helps you to be favourites ... but we are self-confident, and self-confidence is strongly connected with our performances. We face a strong opponent, we face with all the respect, but now we are in the quarter-final, we think about how to win it. We see our ‘chances’.
Updated
The Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has given a fitness update before Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final tie against Manchester United. Ricardo Pereira (hamstring) is out, but Dennis Praet will be OK to feature after recovering from a hamstring strain of his own.
“Ricardo won’t be available for the weekend, but we’re pretty confident, after the international break, he’ll be okay,” Rodgers said. “It’s just a slight strain, but thankfully nothing too serious. Dennis will be available for the weekend. On ‘Cengo’ (Cengiz Under), we’ll see how he is after the international break.”
Pep Guardiola has been speaking to media. Manchester City meet Everton in the FA Cup tomorrow evening, and were drawn against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, earlier today.
On the trip to Everton: “It is a final tomorrow, away. The quality of their players is there, no doubt about it. But it is another incredible opportunity in a competition. It is the last game before the international break. Hopefully we can finish well and when we come back the important part of the season starts.”
On Carlo Ancelotti: “I don’t know how many years he has been a manager, but it was at the best clubs in the world. In all the places he has had success. People talk about him as a manager and person and I know how he took care of me before I started [coaching]. I visited him in Milan and he allowed me to see one or two training sessions. He was so kind. I admire him a lot.”
On Dortmund: “It is a privilege to be in the last eight teams. I didn’t see much of them this season because we don’t have time, but in this international break will have time to see them. But Dortmund are always a good team.”
On Erling Haaland: “The numbers speak for themselves. He is one of the best strikers in the world right now for his age. I know the quality of this player.”
The Celtic interim boss John Kennedy has said they will not give Rangers a guard of honour, following the title win, in the Old Firm match on Sunday.
Manchester United have agreed a five-year shirt sponsorship deal with TeamViewer worth a cool £235m a year. It’s set to begin next season:
Updated
David Moyes speaks before West Ham’s meeting with Arsenal: “I think Arsenal are an improving side ... Mikel’s building a really good team there, and it’ll be a tough game. They will take confidence from winning a local derby ... we’ll do our best to nullify them, but we’ll do our best to put over what we’re good at as well. I’m really pleased for Jesse [Lingard, being called up for England], his performances have warranted it. I have to say, he’s been very good ... he’s helped us, he’s been a good acquisition to the squad in January.
“We’ve not thought about that [Lingard joining permanently].”
Updated
The Brighton v Newcastle match preview is in:
Thanks David. “Platitude Queen ... a renowned ... horse. Well known for its sense of humour - look at that wiggle, marvellous.” As Alan Partridge once said.
Right, time to hand back to Luke McLaughlin. I’m off to back Zeinab Badawi’s Twenty Hotels in the next at Cheltenham.
Man Utd will be hopeful of staying on track for Europa League glory after drawing Granada in the last eight but the job in hand this weekend is a quarter-final FA Cup clash with Leicester.
Here’s Ole Gunnar Solskjær ahead of Sunday’s trip to the King Power: “Of course we drew in the league against them and we know we have to defend well against them. They’ve got (Jamie) Vardy and (Kelechi) Iheanacho now with the form they’re showing, goalscoring form, and you’ve got other quality players there – the passes of (Youri) Tielemans, the runs of (Ayoze) Perez.
“We know we’ve got a game on our hands.”
After saying he wants Manchester United judged on league form rather than trophies, Ole Gunnar Solskjær is now insisting that trophies are bloody great. Hell, yeah.
The United boss said: “I spoke about it a few days ago about trophies, sometimes it can hide the fact what you’re doing in the background.
“But I feel we are improving all the time and we’re getting closer and to win a trophy could be a boost for everyone, yes.
“We’ve had this before when we won the Carling Cup in the 2006 season with Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, their first wins and it was the first of many.
“We feel, or we hope, a trophy can be a catalyst of more to come.”
United last won one of those silver things in 2017.
Some reaction from Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp to the draw against Real Madrid. He says it’s “exciting” and “cool”, not the words he used after the 2018 Champions League final when Loris Karius took ‘having a shocker’ to unprecedented levels.
The Reds boss told liverpoolfc.com: “It’s exciting, exciting. It’s obviously a tough draw but I am fine with it because if you look at all the other teams you think, ‘Oh my god’ because they are all strong and all have quality, that’s clear. I am really looking forward to the games.
“It’s only just over two years ago that we faced them and it was a tough night for us, so to get the chance to play them again is cool.
“I know it’s a different round and whatever and we don’t know where we will play and stuff like this, but that’s all OK. If it will be Budapest, that’s fine. We are fine with that. The home game maybe hopefully at Anfield, that would be great as well.
“So, no, nothing bad to say – nothing bad to say actually, it’s just cool.”
Updated
Back to Champions League Chelsea and Sid Lowe’s piece, if you missed it, certainly hints at a big power shift between the Premier League and La Liga. Atletico are four points clear in Spain. And yet Chelsea brushed them aside easily.
Let’s get in the mood with one of the better FA Cup songs. Well, at least in the last 25 years. And other caveats.
Here’s Chelsea’s 1997 Britpop-inspired effort from Suggs & Co. Some definite Madness piano 31 seconds in.
And, of course, Antonio Rudiger appears to have declared himself a Madness fan.
OOOONE. STEP. BEYOOOOOOOND. 🔥🦁👊🏾💙 #Hustle #AlwaysBelieve @championsleague @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/X7TJ6MUswU
— Antonio Rüdiger (@ToniRuediger) March 17, 2021
Updated
Shifting back to domestic issues, let’s not forget it’s FA Cup quarter-final weekend.
Saturday
12:15 Bournemouth v Southampton
17:30 Everton v Man City
Sunday
13:30 Chelsea v Sheff Utd
17:00 Leicester v Man Utd
A new twist on that philosophical classic.
VladimirUlyanov writes: “If an English club wins the Champions League on BT Sport with no spectators, it’s kind of like a tree falling in the rainforest. Does the fact that no-one sees or hear it mean it has not happened?”
Bit harsh. Daren’t look at Vladimir’s Europa League metaphor.
Updated
That Europa League draw again with some added detail.
Arsenal have a poor record with fonts so they’ve gone safe. United showing a touch of arrogance with theirs.
Up next: @slaviaofficial 🇨🇿#UEL
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 19, 2021
⚔️ A #UEL quarter-final showdown with Granada awaits! ✨#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 19, 2021
Shirt (checks spelling) news. Manchester United have agreed a five-year deal with TeamViewer to become their principal shirt sponsor from next season.
The remote software firm will replace car manufacturers Chevrolet, who have had the gig since 2014.
The draw sending synapses sparking all over the place...
Robert Lin writes: “A Villareal-Arsenal semi would bring back some memories, remember that Riquelme penalty versus Lehmann?”
#OTD in 2006: Jens Lehmann saves Juan Roman Riquelme's last-minute penalty to send Arsenal into the Champions League final. Arsenal went through on aggregate. #afc pic.twitter.com/usAykXfJhJ
— Throwback Arsenal (@ThrowbackAFC) April 25, 2018
One for The Knowledge maybe...
rl59 writes: “Are United the first side ever to play our own former ITV franchise in a UEFA competition?”
Updated
And to add some betting context to the Champions League, it’s the other Manchester lot who lead the way.
2/1 Man City, 7/2 Bayern, 5/1 Chelsea, 11/2 Liverpool, 7/1 PSG, 10/1 Real Madrid, 25/1 Borussia Dortmund, 33/1 Porto.
Liverpool fancied to take down Real then.
If you’re planning a Cheltenham punt (follow our live blog here) and stop by to check the updated odds for the Europa League, they show Manchester United as clear 7/5 favourites, with Arsenal next best at 23/10.
So, the United v Arsenal final is on! If so, Arsenal would be the nominal home team.
Updated
Europa League semi-final draw
Granada/Manchester United v Ajax/Roma
Dinamo Zagreb/Villarreal v Arsenal/Slavia Prague
Updated
Europa League quarter-final draw
Granada v Manchester United
Arsenal v Slavia Prague
Ajax v Roma
Dinamo Zagreb v Villarreal
Now for the semi-final draw ...
Dinamo Zagreb v Villarreal completes your quarter-final draw.
Ajax v Roma is the third last-eight clash.
Arsenal v Slavia Prague is the second quarter-final.
Granada v Manchester United is the first quarter-final.
Here’s how the eight teams are officially ranked.
8 Manchester United
11 Arsenal
16 Roma
17 Ajax
25 Villarreal
33 Dinamo Zagreb
37 Slavia Praha
75 Granada
Once again, there’s no country protection so Man Utd v Arsenal could just happen. Although conspiracy theorists will have noted that all the English teams were kept apart in the Champions League draw.
“We’re on the road to Gdansk,” says Pedro, clearly a fan of Talking Heads.
Pedro Pinto ready to do his stuff...
Thanks Luke. The Europa League draw is coming right up but while they muck about, check out the full details of those mouthwatering Champions League match-ups.
Hot off the press -
Good question. Any Real Madrid fans in?
🤔⚽ What do you think of the #UCLdraw, #RMFans? pic.twitter.com/HrjRlrvNUi
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 19, 2021
jsc100 comments: “As a Liverpool fan I’m super excited for the Madrid match - I think the only thing I could wish for is that the 2nd leg be held at a packed out, furious Anfield, but we play better at the Puskas than Anfield at the moment anyway. Benzema and Modric will be dangerous, but the team as a whole has had a tough season with injuries and inconsistency, a bit like us. The semi is another matter though, and it will be incredibly tense if we make it there.
“As for the other draws, as people have said, it’s fantastic for the neutrals. The four best attacking sides in the competition all have to face each other and only City’s defence has been remotely reliable this season. Considering most people already put Bayern in the final before today, and the quadruple for City has been increasingly mentioned over the past few weeks, a City-Bayern semi-final would be mouthwatering.”
The spectre of José Mourinho will hang over that Chelsea v Porto encounter, almost needless to say. Based on current form, and Thomas Tuchel’s clear displeasure at silly things like conceding goals, they have a chance. “No one will want to play us,” insists Tuchel -
Liverpool lifting the Champions League, in Istanbul of all places, after the season they’ve had? Can you imagine? I mean, can you really imagine that? The history books would need to be thrown out, rewritten, then thrown out again.
Updated
BeyondParody comments BTL: “From a City perspective I am quite pleased with that outcome even with the prospect of facing the strongest three teams left in the competition. I didn’t want an English team because those tend to be very unEuropean in how they pan out. Real Madrid should never be discounted and Porto are very difficult to play against.
“Dortmund v City is going to be a great tie and a good chance to see how good Haaland is. BM v PSG should also be a great game. Of course we should all realise that Liverpool are going to win it again, it’s just in their DNA.”
Updated
Rangers have issued a statement following the accusations of racism directed at their player, Glen Kamara, during the Europa League defeat by Slavia Prague last night.
Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson said: “Racism is unacceptable in any form and in any setting. The racist abuse suffered by Glen Kamara will not be tolerated by Rangers. As a club, we stand resolutely behind Glen as we support him and his team-mates. We stand behind each and every one of our players. Regardless of race, religion, colour or creed - if you wear the famous blue of Rangers FC, you are one of our own. Everyone, Anyone. Several of our players have subsequently received racist, threatening and sickening abuse online. This is abhorrent and once again highlights the responsibility social media outlets have in eradicating abuse from faceless cowards. We refuse to acknowledge any attempt to defend, deflect or deny the abuse Glen Kamara experienced last night.”
Updated
Over in the WSL, the race for the Champions League places is heating up. Here is Suzanne Wrack before Arsenal’s meeting with Manchester United this evening:
Champions League key dates
April
6/7 April: Quarter-finals, first leg
13/14 April: Quarter-finals, second leg
27/28 April: Semi-finals, first leg
May
4/5 May: Semi-finals, second leg
29 May: Final – Atatürk Olympic Stadium
No, it’s the other way around. The team listed first plays the home leg first, and the away leg second:
@LukeMcLaughlin The team listed first in each tie plays away first leg, home second leg?
— Pól O'Caithniadh (@czarak) March 19, 2021
Updated
Let’s take a look at how the Premier League’s crack Photoshop editors have reacted to the draw, which sees Liverpool meet Real Madrid, Chelsea take on Porto and Man City meet Dortmund:
⭐️⭐️⭐️ QUARTER-FINAL DRAW ⭐️⭐️⭐️
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 19, 2021
Liverpool 🆚 @realmadrid #UCLdraw | #UCL pic.twitter.com/9yPdYQmaFy
Our @ChampionsLeague quarter-final opponents have been confirmed! 🤝#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/qjM6N5ajWw
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 19, 2021
We’ve been drawn against Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the #UCL!
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 19, 2021
First leg: 6/7 April
Second leg: 13/14 April
How’s that for you, Blues?
🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/iEhm3qadRR
Breaking news on the domestic scene: Gary Neville says that elements of English football are stirring xenophobia in their “resistance” to the appointment of Maheta Molango as chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association. Read the story:
Updated
So: Pep Guardiola’s Premier League-leading team take on Dortmund and the scary figure of Erling Haaland in the last eight (not to mention England’s Jadon Sancho). If City can get past Dortmund, then Pep’s former club, Bayern Munich (the current holders) or PSG will be awaiting them in the last four. Tough to say the least, but that’s life at the top.
Meanwhile, the semi-finals may yet see a renewal of the Liverpool v Chelsea European rivalry ... but Jürgen Klopp’s men need to get past Real Madrid first, and Chelsea - in such impressive form under Thomas Tuchel - must defeat Porto. Chelsea fans the happiest with that draw? Real Madrid, as is being observed widely, are not the force that they once were and Liverpool will fancy that one, too. Tuchel’s Chelsea are looking harder and harder to beat, so the carrot of a semi-final against Chelsea should be on offer for Liverpool, unless Porto can repeat their Juventus heroics against the 2011-12 champions.
Updated
Champions League semi-final draw
QF 3 v QF 1: Bayern Munich or PSG v Man City or Dortmund
QF 4 v QF 2: Real or Liverpool v Porto or Chelsea
Winner of SF 1 v Winner of SF 2 is the final ‘draw’.
Updated
Champions League quarter-final draw
Manchester City v Borussia Dortmund
Porto v Chelsea
Bayern Munich v Paris Saint-Germain
Real Madrid v Liverpool
Now for the semi-final draw ...
Updated
Real Madrid v Liverpool is the fourth match ...
Updated
Bayern Munich v Paris Saint-Germain is the third match to be drawn, last season’s final!
Porto v Chelsea is the second quarter-final!
Updated
Manchester City v Borussia Dortmund is the first tie out to come out of the pot.
Updated
Here we go ... the actual draw is about to begin. A completely open draw, no country protection, no seedings for the two-legged quarter-finals.
Updated
Hamit Altintop is in the house, formerly of Schalke, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid.
“Good games, good performances, good moments,” he sensibly observes of the recent Round of 16 ties.
After a quick video montage, Georgio Marchetti joins Pedro Pinto on stage. The actual draw is edging ever closer.
“Like most human activities, staging football competitions continues to be a challenge, but it’s one that we’re not afraid of,” roars Marchetti.
“I hope Spurs get an easy draw,” says Cartozzz of the Europa League, the draw for which is coming up at 12pm. “I haven’t checked yet, but I assume we must have gone through last night.”
“Hoping for a “Revenge of the Ex” draw today,” says SolidSnake -
“City v Bayern
Chelsea v PSG
Liverpool v Dortmund
Porto v Madrid - this one less manager-based, but is Pepe-adjacent.”
Updated
Champions League theme klaxon! The draw is beginning! It’s only Pedro Pinto reading off an autocue.
Updated
Here’s a bit of YouTube gold from Paul Kellington on Twitter: the draw for the 1990 World Cup.
“And the Netherlands play the West Germans ...”
What’s Sepp Blatter up to these days, anyway?
The eight teams in the Europa League are as follows - including the titans of Arsenal and the giants of Manchester United. David Tindall will be along at 12pm to steer you through that one:
Ajax
Arsenal
Dinamo Zagreb
Granada
Manchester United
Roma
Slavia Prague
Villarreal
Thomas Helmer, who last summer called the Europa League ‘the loser’s Cup’ while fulfilling his draw duties, will presumably not be involved.
Updated
It’s Gold Cup day over at Cheltenham, of course, and you can keep up with all the live action here with our team of writers -
Thanks for your comments.
Horace says: “Chelsea fan here. Oddly, I think the “easiest” draw would be against Real Madrid. They need a rebuild and Spanish football, in general, seems to be in a bit of a state.”
Jim adds: “As a Liverpool fan, this is the least confident I’ve felt going into a Champions League draw under Klopp. I would feel we were favourites against Porto, and PSG or Dortmund could be interesting. After that ... I would be worried.”
Christian chips in: “Have a sneaky feeling Liverpool are going to pull a 2005 and win the whole thing.”
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Here are some quotes from the England manager, Gareth Southgate, on his decision to leave the Liverpool wing-back Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his latest squad:
Gunners goalie Bernd Leno has been having a chat with Arsenal.com after they progressed to the last eight of the Europa League 3-2 on aggregate despite a 1-0 defeat by Olympiacos.
“We need to be 100 per cent every game,” the Germany goalkeeper said. “If we play like today then we won’t reach anything this season. I think there are only very good teams in the quarter-finals and we need two perfect games to go to the semi-finals and two more games to go to the final. The Europa League is very important for us - this is probably the closest way to go to the Champions League and also to win a big European trophy so we need to step up. We need to have the motivation to win every game, cut out the easy mistakes and go through to the final and hopefully have a big final at the end of the season.”
Leno wants the squad to take the Olympiacos performance as a “warning” for the remainder of the campaign as Arsenal prepare to return to Premier League action away to London rivals West Ham on Sunday. “I think we suffered and it was not necessary,” he added. “I think in the first 15 or 20 minutes we controlled the game, but then we’ve made too many easy mistakes and in the second half we conceded the goal and then everybody was nervous. We made it hard for ourselves and, like I said, it was not necessary. In the dressing room it was quiet because everybody knows that it was not a good performance from us. We cannot change it any more, but the positive thing is that it was a warning.”
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Anyone fancy a renewal of Liverpool and Chelsea’s famous (infamous?) Champions League rivalry? The head-to-head is here on the uefa.com website, starting in 04/05, with two gloriously goalless group matches following in the 05/06 campaign, and plenty more to come after that.
The runners and riders for the Champions League draw, which is coming up in half an hour. There are no seedings, it’s an open draw, so we could see some spicy Premier League on Premier League action, with three English teams in the hat:
Bayern Munich
Borussia Dortmund
Chelsea
Liverpool
Manchester City
Paris Saint-Germain
Porto
Real Madrid
Here we have 10 things to look out for this weekend. There is plenty going on:
José Mourinho was NOT HAPPY last night:
We’re 45 minutes away from the Champions League draw. This season’s final takes place in Istanbul on 29 May, which may give Liverpool a bit of extra motivation to make it there, given what happened back in in 2005. What are your hopes for the draw - Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City fans? You can email me, send a tweet or post BTL.
Can Illan Meslier of Leeds become the youngest goalie to keep 10 clean sheets in one Premier League season? Marcelo Bielsa’s side travel to London to meet Fulham tonight.
⛔️ @MeslierIllan has kept nine clean sheets in the #PL this season
— Premier League (@premierleague) March 19, 2021
If he keeps another one during #FULLEE, he’d be the youngest keeper to reach 10 shutouts in a single season in the competition (21 years and 17 days) pic.twitter.com/QGYzQzTyAy
From the PA wire: Gemma Grainger has been appointed manager of the Wales women’s team on a four-year contract. Grainger, who spent 11 years working with the England women’s age group set-up as head coach of teams from under-15 to under-23 level, succeeds Jayne Ludlow, who left the position in January.
“I’m proud to become Cymru’s national team manager and I can’t wait for the challenge ahead,” Grainger said. “Every part of my career has been deliberate and thought out to build towards taking a senior team to a major tournament. It’s an exciting time for everyone and I’m looking forward to working with staff and players to fulfil everyone’s potential to go to the next level. It’s an opportunity for me and the players to write a new chapter and build on the story of women’s football in Wales.”
“I feel angry. It’s difficult to describe how I feel now because I know Glen and I trust him 100%. It’s extremely disappointing.”
Steven Gerrard reacts after Ondrej Kudela of Slavia Prague was accused of racism by Rangers’ Glen Kamara last night:
Here’s a story about a team that crashed out of Europe last night. Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris gave his teammates - and the wider club - both barrels after they crashed out of the Europa League against Dinamo Zagreb.
“I think we are all more than disappointed, it is just a disgrace,” Tottenham’s captain told BT Sport. “I just hope everyone in the changing room feels responsible for this situation because it is a disgrace … The taste of the defeat is more than painful and we are all responsible for that.”
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Preamble
We’re deep into the month of March, the clocks are about to change and the weather is steadily warming up: that can only mean one thing - the Business End™ of the football season is fast approaching. Today’s Friday Football Countdown™ is an action-packed affair with draws for the Champions League and Europa League, plus the build-up to the FA Cup quarter-finals, four Premier League games, the Football League programme, and a look at what’s in store in European leagues.
The Champions League draw, live from Nyon in Switzerland, begins at 11am (all times GMT). Once the pleasantries are out of the way, there will be three Premier League teams in the hat: Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Porto and Real Madrid are the other contenders.
Arsenal and Manchester United are vying for Europa League honours along with Dinamo Zagreb (who dumped Spurs out last night), Ajax, Slavia Prague, Granada, Roma and Villarreal, and that draw begins at 12pm.
Bournemouth v Southampton (12.15pm tomorrow), Everton v Manchester City (5.30pm tomorrow), Chelsea v Sheffield United (Sunday 1.30pm) and Leicester v Manchester United (5pm Sunday) are the FA Cup clashes on the menu.
As if that wasn’t enough excitement for one weekend there are four PL fixtures: Fulham v Leeds tonight, Brighton v Newcastle tomorrow, and Aston Villa v Tottenham and West Ham v Arsenal on Sunday. Birmingham City begin life post-Aitor Karanka with Lee Bowyer at the helm against Watford at 3pm tomorrow.
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