Sports

Atalanta will hope to keep Italy s Champions League interest alive in Tuesday s last-16 second legs.

Gian Piero Gasperini s men have the simple tasking of overturning a 1-0 deficit away to Real Madrid, the most successful club in the competition s history and winners of four of the past seven tournaments.

Zinedine Zidane s men have struggled for consistency in 2020-21 but the Champions League traditionally brings out their best, while Atalanta s visit could also be one to celebrate for Toni Kroos.

Madrid may be confident in their chances, but Manchester City are in an even more enviable position, having won 2-0 away to Borussia Monchengladbach in their first leg.

Gladbach have struggled badly since the announcement that Marco Rose will be leaving for Boru…

Brendan Rodgers says Celtic are under no illusions they are in for a tough test against Borussia Dortmund in front of the Yellow Wall in the Champions League.

Celtic got off to a flying start in the last round, brushing aside Slovan Bratislava 5-1 last month to win their Champions League opener for the first time, and sit second in the table behind Bayern Munich.

Having also won their final group-stage match last season, Rodgers side are looking to win three consecutive matches in the competition for the first time since 1976.

But coming up against last season s runners-up, who began their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Club Brugge, is a different prospect for the Scottish champions.

Asked if this was the acid test for his side, Rodgers said: I think t…

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell has stressed the club’s search for investment is part of a natural drive to improve.

Chairman Jim McMahon this week announced he would step down by the end of the season and claimed the club needed “significant investment” to retain a “competitive player budget”.

Interim chief executive Derek Weir is also aiming to make way for a permanent successor by the end of March.

The board will soon unveil plans for a fund-raising initiative which they have been working on for at least two years, but the fan-owned club had never previously publicly announced their intentions.

Preparing for Sunday s task

— Motherwell FC (@MotherwellFC)

“I think we can dramatise things,” said Kettlewell, whose tea…

Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez has lifted the lid on his acrimonious exit from Barcelona and revealed he was told he was past his best.

Suarez has scored 16 goals in 20 league appearances this season, firing Diego Simeone s side to the top of LaLiga, and is the competition s joint top goalscorer alongside former Barca team-mate Lionel Messi.

After the 34-year-old was allowed to join the Catalans title rivals on a cut-price deal, Atleti have opened up an eight-point advantage over fourth-placed Barca, and hold a three-point lead over Real Madrid, with a game in hand.

The Uruguayan netted 198 goals in six seasons at Camp Nou but, after new coach Ronald Koeman was hired, Suarez revealed he was told he was no longer up to their standards.

What really …

Florentino Perez has called on Real Madrid s electoral board to set in motion the process of deciding the presidency and board of directors.

Madrid have not needed to carry out a full election since 2006, after the end of Perez s first spell in charge, which lasted just over six years.

Ramon Calderon won that vote but subsequently resigned in 2009, and Perez – who had overseen the Galactico era in the early 2000s – returned for a second term as the only candidate to officially stand.

A similar situation has presented itself this time around, with Perez currently the only candidate in the race, meaning there would be no vote unless another member puts themselves forward.

However, Spanish businessman Enrique Riquelme, did last week suggest that he …

Massimiliano Allegri has denied reports that several Juventus players were angered by his decision to impose a training retreat ahead of Saturday s derby against Torino.

Juventus suffered a humiliating 2-0 defeat at Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday, leaving Allegri s team on the brink of a group-stage exit from the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Juve have taken just 13 points from their first nine matches of the Serie A season, their worst return at this stage of a campaign since 2015-16 (12), and are already 10 points adrift of leaders Napoli.

Bianconeri chairman Andrea Agnelli was forced to reject reports Allegri would be fired following the loss in Israel, after which the Juventus coach revealed the team would hunker down at their Continassa training ground ahead of Sat…

Erling Haaland continued his incredible start to life in the Premier League with a record-setting treble in Manchester City s 6-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest.

The Norway international made it two hat-tricks in the space of five days – and a perfect one at that, with his right foot, left foot and head – in City s latest statement victory.

Meanwhile, Liverpool left it late to see off Newcastle United 2-1 at Anfield.

There were goals and drama elsewhere on Wednesday, too, and Stats Perform unpacks the pick of the data.

Manchester City 6-0 Nottingham Forest: Haaland makes history

Haaland now has nine goals in five Premier League games since joining City from Borussia Dortmund – the best start of any player in the competition s history at this…

Pat Noonan believes being able to win in different ways has been the key to FC Cincinnati s fine run of form, as the Orange and Blue look to make it eight straight victories against Nashville SC on Wednesday.

Cincinnati have won their last seven league games to surge up the Eastern Conference standings, and they currently sit just one point adrift of leaders Inter Miami with a game in hand.

They overcame fellow high-fliers Toronto FC by a 4-3 scoreline in a thriller last time out, and Noonan has praised his players for being adaptable in the face of different challenges.

It s hard to win in this league and it s hard to win consecutively like we ve done, Noonan said.

I think what we re able to do is adapt in games and win in different ways. When we nee…

Liverpool are in the driving seat of their Champions League semi-final against Villarreal after a 2-0 win at Anfield on Wednesday.

A game that was never likely to match the excitement of Tuesday s seven-goal thriller between Manchester City and Real Madrid finally came to life in the second half as an own goal from Pervis Estupinan and a Sadio Mane strike sealed a strong first-leg advantage for the Reds.

Unai Emery s side defended resolutely for much of the game, managing to get to half-time goalless, but they were ultimately undone by some typically fast attacking from Jurgen Klopp s team in the second half.

This was Liverpool s 12th European Cup or Champions League semi-final, with no English side playing in the final four more often (level with Manchester Unit…

Dani Ceballos acknowledged Spain were made to suffer before sealing their place at Euro 2020 with a dramatic 1-1 draw in Sweden.

Marcus Berg s 50th-minute opener and an abductor injury for David de Gea looked set to add up to a frustrating outing for Robert Moreno s men on Tuesday.

But Valencia striker Rodrigo Moreno came off the bench to poach a stoppage-time equaliser and make certain of qualification for next year s European Championship.

Spain were on the receiving end of a similar fightback when Norway snatched a 1-1 draw in their previous match and Arsenal playmaker Ceballos – who operated at the tip of a midfield diamond during an impressive opening – noted improvement in Stockholm.

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