Liverpool win

Lazio’s Italian midfielder Marco Parolo celebrates (2nd R) scores the 2-1 goal with his head during the UEFA Champions League Last-16, second leg football match FC Bayern Munich v Lazio in Munich, southern Germany on March 17, 2021.(CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP)

The draw also pitted Premier League leaders Manchester City against Borussia Dortmund, with Chelsea playing Porto in the other tie.

Hansi Flick’s Bayern side defeated PSG 1-0 behind closed doors in Lisbon last August to win their sixth European Cup and remain the team to beat, having won 18 and drawn one of their 19 games in the Champions League since the beginning of last season.

The first leg is set to be played in Germany on April 7, with the return in Paris on April 13.

“The draw is of course a difficult one, and surprises exist, but we’re going to play against the team that is the best on the continent at the moment,” said PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino, who was appointed in January and oversaw a 5-2 aggregate win over Barcelona in the last 16.

“We’re optimistic,” the Argentine told PSG’s official website.

The meeting of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Zinedine Zidane’s Real is another re-run of a recent final, with the Spaniards beating the Reds 3-1 in Kiev in 2018 to win the last of their record 13 titles to date.

Liverpool then won the trophy for the sixth time in Madrid in 2019 but their Premier League title defence this season has unravelled, with the Anfield club sixth in the table having lost nine times in 17 games in 2021.

Klopp’s side are due to be away in the first leg on April 6, but it remains to be seen where that match will be played.

– Travel headaches? –

Atletico Madrid’s home leg against Chelsea in the last 16 was moved to Bucharest due to restrictions imposed on travel to Spain by British authorities in the pandemic.

The winner between Liverpool and Real will go onto a semi-final against either Chelsea or Porto, throwing up the possibility of an all-English last-four tie. Liverpool beat Chelsea in the semi-finals in 2005 and in 2007.

Real have often struggled this season too but they may be optimistic about their prospects in the wake of the draw.

“I think they would have signed for that, in fact with two hands,” ex-Madrid player, coach and sporting director Jorge Valdano told Spanish TV channel Movistar Plus. “Liverpool are not what they were last year.”

Real coach Zinedine Zidane said of Liverpool: “We know them, physically they demand a lot from you.”

Unbeaten in 13 games since the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as coach, Chelsea will be expected to get the better of Portuguese champions Porto, who ousted Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo in the last 16.

However, that tie could also be relocated given travel restrictions between the UK and Portugal which prompted both legs of the recent Europa League clash between Arsenal and Benfica to be played at neutral venues.

“I’m happy we play an international game, not against an English team, because the Champions League is about that and I always prefer to play teams from other countries,” said Tuchel.

“Clearly many people will maybe now make us favourites but you can ask in Turin their opinion about whether it helps you to be favourites,” referring to the Juventus defeat.

Meanwhile City will be strong favourites against Dortmund, with the winner of that tie going through to a semi-final against Bayern or PSG.

The prolific Erling Braut Haaland will be Dortmund’s main threat, with City boss Pep Guardiola saying: “The numbers speak for themselves, he’s one of the best strikers in the world right now, at his age.”

Travel restrictions between the UK and Germany could also have an impact on that tie.

Both legs of City’s last-16 tie against Borussia Moenchengladbach were played in Budapest, as was Liverpool’s tie against RB Leipzig.

This season’s semi-finals are due to be played in late April and early May, with the final on May 29 in Istanbul.

AFP

Salah targets successful end to Liverpool’s ‘tough’ season, source youtube/Liverpool FC

Jurgen Klopp’s side are certain to surrender the Premier League title after a miserable run sent the champions crashing down to seventh place.

The injury-hit Reds are 25 points behind leaders Manchester City and five points adrift of fourth placed Chelsea.

Qualifying for next season’s Champions League via a top four finish will be tricky but not impossible.

Liverpool have shown signs of getting back on track after beating Leipzig in the Champions League last 16 second leg and Wolves in the Premier League.

With a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid looming in April, Egypt forward Salah wants his Liverpool team-mates to target European success.

“I’m happy about our last results, so hopefully we can just keep winning,” Salah told Liverpool’s website.

“It’s tough for all of us because of the situation we have been through and our position in the Premier League, but I believe it’s going to be better.

“In the Champions League we are doing good.”

Despite Liverpool’s poor run, Salah is still this season’s joint Premier League top-scorer alongside Harry Kane on 17.

His own goalscoring has not suffered too badly as he has already reached 25 in all competitions for the third time in four seasons, but the forward is keen to focus on what he can do to help the side’s progress.

“I don’t want to just talk about my season because we play as a team, so I’d say it’s a tough season for all of us and we just need to carry on and try to win games,” Salah said.

“We’re going to give our 100 per cent to win the next few games and hopefully we can do that and do good also in the Champions League.”

AFP

Real Madrid’s French defender Ferland Mendy (R) challenges Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah during the UEFA Champions League first leg quarter-final football match between Real Madrid and Liverpool at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Valdebebas in the outskirts of Madrid on April 6, 2021.(GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP)

At the bottom, Fulham have a chance to lift themselves out of the relegation zone while Manchester United will seek revenge at Tottenham after their 6-1 humiliation earlier this season.

AFP Sport looks at some of the main talking points ahead of the weekend action in the English top-flight.

Can Liverpool stop Anfield rot?

When Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-1 at Anfield in mid-December it appeared to be business as usual for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

But little did they know that they would reach April with no further wins on their home turf and a paltry two goals to show for their efforts.

The Premier League champions take on mid-table Aston Villa on Saturday with a chance to clamber back into the top four, at least temporarily.

Liverpool suffered a chastening 3-1 defeat at Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in midweek but results in the Premier League last weekend went in their favour.

Klopp described their 3-0 win at sorry Arsenal as a “very important statement” but his side must rediscover the winning formula at home after six successive defeats in the league.

Lingard leads charge for hungry West Ham

Jesse Lingard is a revitalised player since joining West Ham on loan from Manchester United, where he had become a forgotten man.

The England midfielder flourished in the early days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign at Old Trafford but became an increasingly peripheral figure as Bruno Fernandes assumed the main creative role.

But the 28-year-old has made up for lost time since arriving at the London Stadium in January, scoring six goals in eight Premier League matches.

He has also won back his place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

West Ham, who host Leicester on Sunday, are fourth in the Premier League table, one point clear of Chelsea with eight games remaining.

Lingard, who scored a spectacular goal and played a part in the other two in Monday’s 3-2 win against Wolves, has urged his team-mates to stay level-headed.

“We need to maintain our focus in each game,” he said. “We’ve got a tough run of fixtures but the lads are ready and we’ll prepare for the next game.”

Newcastle fight to stay clear of drop zone

Newcastle, who have been flirting with the relegation places, could find themselves in the bottom three by the time they kick off on Sunday if Fulham beat Wolves.

Steve Bruce’s side have won just two of their past 21 games in all competitions but the manager has dismissed suggestions of a split in the camp.

“That is the big thing that frustrates us all, a so-called mole in the dressing room, certain players unhappy, blah, blah, blah, the spirit is not good, this nonsense,” he said.

The Magpies can take some confidence ahead of the game against Burnley from last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham.

Fulham themselves have not taken advantage of Newcastle’s struggles but would climb above them on goal difference if they beat Wolves on Friday.

Manager Scott Parker said his team would “fight and scrap” to stay in the division.

Bottom-placed Sheffield United appear doomed but there is a flicker of hope at 19th-placed West Brom, who hammered 10-man Chelsea 5-2 last week.

Fixtures (GMT)

Friday

Fulham v Wolves (1900)

Saturday

Manchester City v Leeds (1130), Liverpool v Aston Villa (1400), Crystal Palace v Chelsea (1630)

Sunday

Burnley v Newcastle (1100), West Ham v Leicester (1305), Tottenham v Manchester United (1530), Sheffield United v Arsenal (1800)

Monday

West Brom v Southampton (1700), Brighton v Everton (1915)

AFP

In the other standout tie of the last eight 13-times champions Real Madrid face six-times winners Liverpool in a repeat of the 2018 final won by the Spanish club.

* Fulham’s Premier League survival hopes suffered a damaging blow as a 2-1 home defeat by Leeds United on Friday left them in the relegation zone with games running out.

* Fulham’s bid for Premier League survival suffered a major blow as Raphinha sealed Leeds a 2-1 win at Craven Cottage on Friday (Mar 19). Scott Parker’s side would have climbed out of the relegation zone for the first time since December 20 if they had managed a rare home victory.

* Monaco rebooted their title hopes, moving to within four points of Ligue 1 leaders Lille after a 4-0 win at Saint-Etienne on Friday (Mar 19). Stevan Jovetic’s first-half strike was followed by second-half goals from Aurelien Tchouameni, Sofiane Diop and Krepin Diatta which closed out a comfortable win for Niko Kovac’s men who had taken just a point from their last two league outings.

* Lee Zii Jia shocked two-time world champion Kento Momota to reach the semi-finals of the All England Open on Friday (Mar 19). The Malaysian beat the world number one 21-16, 21-19 to end his Japanese opponent’s tournament after a much-anticipated return to international action this week.

* Croatia’s AC Milan winger Ante Rebic will miss their opening 2022 World Cup qualifiers versus Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta with a muscle injury, the Balkan nation’s FA (HNS) said on Friday. Kristijan Lovric, who plays for Croatian top-tier side HNK Gorica, was called up to replace Rebic as the 2018 World Cup runners-up get their qualifying campaign underway.

* Aslan Karatsev battled past fellow Russian Andrey Rublev in Dubai on Friday (Mar 19) to continue his dream season and reach his maiden ATP singles final. The 27-year-old, who became the first man to reach the semi-finals on their Grand Slam debut in the Open era at the Australian Open last month, edged out his in-form compatriot 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

* World number one Novak Djokovic will delay his comeback to the ATP Tour following a muscle injury after deciding to skip the Miami Open starting next week to spend more time with his family. Djokovic sustained a muscle tear that hindered him during his successful Australian Open title defence last month and the 33-year-old planned to return at Miami before playing the Monte-Carlo Masters and the ATP 250 Serbia Open.

* The Portugal Masters, which was scheduled to take place from April 29-May 2 at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course in Vilamoura, has been postponed due to travel difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Tour said on Friday. The Tour said that the event will be replaced on the calendar by the Tenerife Open at Golf Costa Adeje, which will move from its original date of April 15-18.

* Belgium coach Roberto Martinez included Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku in the squad for World Cup qualifiers later this month on Friday despite a coronavirus outbreak at the striker’s club. Inter’s game with Sassuolo on Saturday has been postponed after four players tested positive for Covid-19.

* Teenage midfielders Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich and Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen received maiden call-ups to the Germany squad as coach Joachim Loew announced his 26-man squad on Friday for this month’s World Cup qualifiers.

* Manchester United will meet Spanish side Granada in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, with Arsenal up against the side who knocked Scottish champions Rangers out in the last 16, Slavia Prague, in their last eight clash.

Victory moved Liverpool above Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United and left them only two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea who were thrashed at home by West Bromwich Albion earlier, throwing the top-four battle wide open. Liverpool have 49 points from 30 games with Arsenal down in ninth place with 42 points after a 12th defeat of the season.

* Romelu Lukaku scored his 20th Serie A goal of the season to earn Inter Milan a 1-0 win at Bologna on Saturday and send the Milanese club eight points clear on top of the table. Inter are on 68 points, eight ahead of second-placed rivals AC Milan, and will extend that lead to 11 points if they win their game in hand against Sassuolo on Wednesday.

* Real Sociedad beat local rivals Athletic Bilbao 1-0 in the rescheduled 2020 Copa del Rey final on Saturday to get their hands on a major trophy for the first time since 1987. Athletic have now lost their last five Copa finals but have another shot at the trophy when they play Barcelona in this season’s showpiece back at La Cartuja on Apr 17.

* Carl Frampton announced his retirement from professional boxing on Saturday after failing in his bid to become Ireland’s first three-weight world champion. The 34-year-old Northern Irishman was stopped in the sixth round of his WBO super-featherweight fight in Dubai by defending champion Jamel Herring of the United States.

* Juventus needed a 79th-minute equaliser from Cristiano Ronaldo to rescue a 2-2 draw in the Turin derby against relegation battling Torino on Saturday, leaving the champions’ Serie A title defence in tatters. Juve slipped to fourth place on 56 points, level with Napoli in fifth, who they face on Wednesday.

* Leon Goretzka’s first-half goal was enough to give Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich a crucial 1-0 victory at second-placed RB Leipzig on Saturday, as they opened up a seven-point lead at the top and edged closer to a ninth straight league crown. Bayern, facing Paris St Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, are on 64 points, with Leipzig second on 57. VfL Wolfsburg, 1-0 winners against Cologne, are third on 54.

* Four-times British champion jump jockey Richard Johnson announced his retirement on Saturday at the age of 43. The Englishman holds the record for most appearances in the Grand National without winning (19), and is second in the all-time list of National Hunt Racing winners behind Tony ‘AP’ McCoy.

* Manchester City extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to 17 points as Benjamin Mendy and Gabriel Jesus fired them to a 2-0 win at third-placed Leicester City on Saturday. City now need, at most, 11 points from their remaining seven matches to secure their third Premier League title in four seasons.

* MotoGP rookie Jorge Martin clinched pole position at the Doha Grand Prix while his team mate Johann Zarco made it a surprise one-two for Pramac Racing team, the satellite Ducati team, on Saturday. Maverick Vinales, who won the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix last weekend, seemed to have clinched pole before he was demoted to third at the end of the session while the factory Ducati team’s Jack Miller will start fourth on the grid.

* Lille leapfrogged Paris St Germain to grab the lead in Ligue 1 on Saturday after Jonathan David found the back of the net in a 1-0 win over the French champions, who had Neymar sent off in the last minute. Canada striker David scored in the first half to put the northerners on 66 points with seven games remaining, three ahead of PSG who were lacklustre throughout the showdown.

* Eintracht Frankfurt striker Andre Silva headed in an 87th-minute winner to stun hosts Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on Saturday and give his team a major boost in their bid for a top four-finish and a spot in next season’s Champions League. The Portuguese headed in a Filip Kostic cross at the far post for his 22nd league goal of the season to lift Frankfurt to 50 points in fourth place, seven ahead of Borussia Dortmund in fifth.

* Real Madrid forwards Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema struck to give their side a 2-0 win at home to Eibar in La Liga on Saturday, keeping up the pressure on leaders Atletico Madrid ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Liverpool.

* Leeds United winger Jack Harrison netted in the first half and his cross led to an own goal in the second as his side moved into the Premier League’s top 10 with a 2-1 win over bottom side Sheffield United on Saturday. Leeds moved up to 10th in the table on 42 points, while Sheffield United remain bottom on 14 points after 30 games.

* Napoli survived a spirited fightback from bottom side Crotone to earn a 4-3 win and go fourth in Serie A on Saturday, as the fierce battle for Champions League qualification continued. Lazio clinched a vital win and climbed into sixth place as Felipe Caicedo scored an 88th-minute penalty to beat Spezia 2-1 in Rome.

* Elsewhere, relegation battlers Benevento and Parma played out a 2-2 draw, Hellas Verona went seventh with a 2-0 win at Cagliari and Franck Ribery was sent off during Fiorentina’s 1-1 draw at Genoa on Giuseppe Iachini’s return as Viola coach.

* Lewis Hamilton beat old Formula One rival Nico Rosberg in the battle of team owners in qualifying for the first race of the new electric off-road Extreme E series in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. France’s nine-times world rally champion Sebastien Loeb and Spanish team mate Cristina Gutierrez led the way for the seven- times Formula One world champion’s X44 outfit over the rock-strewn tracks and desert dunes.

* Badminton’s world governing body will vote in May on a proposal to change the sport’s scoring system after this year’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, it said on Saturday.

* Brentford’s promotion bid continued to falter when they were held to a 1-1 draw at Huddersfield Town in the second tier Championship on Saturday. Brentford climbed to third in the table on 69 points, nine points behind second-placed Watford who have played a game more and occupy the second automatic promotion spot.

* Relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion gave their Premier League survival hopes a huge boost with a stunning 5-2 victory over 10-man Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

* Substitute Jens-Petter Hauge’s late equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw for AC Milan at home to 10-man Sampdoria in Serie A on Saturday, cancelling out an inspired lob from veteran striker Fabio Quagliarella.

* Fans will not be allowed to attend the April 19-25 Serbia Open as the tournament will be held in line with measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic, organiser Djordje Djokovic said on Saturday.

* Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho has signed a new contract keeping him at the club until 2024, the Premier League team said on Saturday. The Nigeria international has scored 32 goals in 117 games in all competitions for Leicester after he arrived from Manchester City in 2017.

* Everton playmaker James Rodriguez will return to the squad for Monday’s Premier League home game against Crystal Palace after being out for more than a month due to a calf problem, manager Carlo Ancelotti said. Rodriguez, who has five goals and four assists in the league this season, last played in Everton’s 2-0 Merseyside derby win over Liverpool at Anfield on Feb. 20.

Goals from Roberto Firmino, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Sadio Mane capped a dominant display by Juergen Klopp’s side whose first league win since a 7-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace on Dec. 19 restored their place in the top four.

* Alcoyano’s fairytale Copa del Rey run came to an end when they were beaten 2-1 by Athletic Bilbao in the last 16 on Thursday.

* The Bangladesh Cricket Board said on Thursday (Jan 28) it will vaccinate hundreds of players against the coronavirus by the end of February in a bid to restart domestic tournaments.

* Brazilian striker Junior Negrao has left Asian Champions League winners Ulsan Hyundai after helping the Republic of Korean side win the continental title last month, the club announced on Thursday.

* Japan’s three-times Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka has invested in National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team North Carolina Courage to become a team owner, the US top-flight club said on Thursday.

* Police are investigating a potential breach of Italy’s COVID-19 regulations by Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo after he allegedly travelled between the regions of Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta.

* Thomas Muller’s hopes of playing for Germany at the Tokyo Olympics are over after the German FA (DFB) confirmed Thursday (Jan 28) he will not be selected. The Bayern Munich star is not on the extended list of players, submitted to the German National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), being considered for Tokyo, the DFB confirmed to AFP subsidiary SID.

* Frenchman Yannick Bestaven was declared the winner of the Vendee Globe round-the-world sailing race in the early hours of Thursday (Jan 28) after he was handed a time bonus of over 10 hours for his role in rescuing a fellow competitor.

* Formula E on Thursday cancelled its Paris race due to restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and said E-Prix races planned for Seoul and the Chinese resort of Sanya remained uncertain.

* Tottenham’s chances of a top-four finish in the Premier League suffered a blow as Harry Kane was forced off with an ankle injury at half-time of their clash with Liverpool on Thursday (Jan 28).