And before we sign off on another busy day, it’s Football Daily! Thanks for joining us.
Who wants to see Fernando Torres boxing. In a Trent Alexander-Arnold shirt. Go on then.
Yes, that’s Fernando Torres 🇪🇸
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) March 15, 2024
Training in a Trent Alexander-Arnold shirt 🤯 #LFC pic.twitter.com/nkVI4vzkm6
A bit more detail from the Erik ten Hag press conference. But first, here’s his head-to-head record (in charge of Ajax and United) with his opposite number in Sunday’s FA Cup clash.
Jurgen Klopp: 3 wins
Erik ten Hag: 1 win
Draws: 1
Liverpool Goals : 10
Ajax/Man Utd goals: 2
Marco Silva couldn’t be more complimentary of his opposite number, Ange Postecoglou, as Fulham prepare to host Tottenham on Saturday. Spurs won the reverse fixture 2-0 although the Cottagers did knock Tottenham out of the Carabao Cup on penalties when the two met at Craven Cottage in August. Take it away Marco…
A great job from Ange, no doubts about it. Big, big transformation. I can tell there is a big, big change in the way they play – the approach and the way they have been brave, the quality as well.
They started so, so strong. Of course, during the season you can have some ups and downs, but they’ve been really brave. Difficult to play against, and credit for him. And for the players, because it’s not just the manager, the players have to understand. They understood clearly what was the idea, they bought into it for sure, and you can see that on the pitch.
Manchester United v Liverpool in an FA Cup tie this weekend. Steven Pye wasn’t going to let that one go.
Although violence was a constant feature in both matches – the initial 2–2 draw at Goodison Park and the replay four days later at Maine Road – the atmosphere in both matches was off the scale.
Thanks Taha. With many of the teams around them not in action, Saturday is a good chance for Brentford to pull further clear of the drop zone. Victory at Burnley would move them eight ahead of third-bottom Luton if the Hatters lose at home to Nottingham Forest and here’s a boost for the Bees: Brian Mbeumo could be back. Here’s Brentford boss Thomas Frank on his frontman.
He’s very close. I have a decision to make, to maybe involve him in the squad this weekend. He’s been on the grass for a week, he looks good, and he’s one of our best players. I need to find out if it’s just a touch too early, or to bring him for the game against Burnley.
He’s progressed really well. He had a good first season, better second and has really taken the next step in his third season in the Premier League. He was on track for a really remarkable season. Everyone wants those good numbers for offensive players in terms of goals and assists. We’ve missed his one-on-one actions and runs in behind.
That’s enough from me. David Tindall’s back to see this thing to the close. Cheers!
It’s been mentioned already down the page but it really is a massive boost for Manchester United that Rasmus Højlund is looking as if he’ll be fit for the FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool on Sunday. He was finally looking the part up top before suffering a muscle injury last month, scoring seven goals in six consecutive league games before his layoff. Even after that slow start – it took him until Boxing Day to score in the league – he’s United’s leading goalscorer across all competitions this season.
After a number of WSL managers condemned player-coach relationships, here’s Suzy Wrack explaining the scale of the problem.
The Guardian in recent months has been made aware of more than 18 staff members, including coaches, head coaches, assistant coaches and managing directors, across the pyramid, who have had relationships with players in their teams within the past 10 years.
I have spoken to a senior leader of a club in the top two tiers who has seen two staff members let go and another undergo disciplinary processes in four years, for blurring the professional lines with players.
“It looks like a little bit of a tradition, three years in a row playing the kings of the competition,” said Pep Guardiola regarding his side meeting Real Madrid again in the Champions League.
The two teams put on a serious show in the 2021/22 semi-finals, when City won the first leg 4-3, were 1-0 up in the second after 89 minutes, and then somehow ended up losing 3-1 in extra time.
City got their revenge in last year’s semis, when they won the second leg 4-0 to win 5-1 on aggregate. Some performance that.
Aside from the obvious Cup chat ahead of Sunday’s quarter-final, Jürgen Klopp was also asked Liverpool meeting Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-finals. PA reported these quotes from the manager:
Atalanta we played there [in 2020] – not that I watched them since then 500 times, but still the same manager, pretty sure a similar structure so it means uncomfortable to play against, very well organised. I have a lot of respect for what Atalanta is doing in the last years, very consistent.”
A weird one for Liverpool – they met Atalanta in the 2020/21 Champions League group stages, beating them 5-0 away from home before losing 2-0 to the Italian side a few weeks later.
Real Madrid file complaint over 'racist and hateful abuse' aimed at Vinícius Júnior
Real Madrid have released a statement regarding “racist and hateful abuse” that has been aimed at Vinícius Júnior. The Brazilian has been repeatedly racially abused while playing in Spain and said last year that “racism is normal in La Liga”. Here’s the whole statement from Madrid.
Real Madrid C. F. has filed a complaint with the Official State Prosecutor over hate and discrimination offences pertaining to the racist and hateful abuse aimed at our player Vinicius Junior in the areas surrounding the Montjuic Olympic Stadium and the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, ahead of the F. C. Barcelona-Napoli and Atlético de Madrid-Inter Milan Champions League fixtures.
Real Madrid calls on Prosecutors to request the recordings available of both locations from the security forces in order to identify the perpetrators of the abuse.
Real Madrid condemns these violent attacks of racism, discrimination and hate against our player Vinicius Junior, which have sadly been a recurrent and ongoing concern for some time. Our club will continue working hard to uphold the values of football and sport as a whole, and will remain steadfast in the fight for a zero-tolerance approach to the types of despicable incidents we have seen on multiple occasions in recent times.
Jamie Vardy to miss FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea
PA are reporting that Jamie Vardy, that blast from the past, won’t be fit to play Leicester’s FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea on Sunday. “It’s small problems, I have said many times, we all love Jamie Vardy but he is 37 and we can not forget that,” said the Leicester manager, Enzo Maresca. “Fortunately it is not a big issue and it is the international break [after] which we can hopefully have all of our players back.” In case you’re wondering, Vardy has 15 goals in 28 games this season.
Here’s Jacob Steinberg’s interview with Callum Hudson-Odoi, who seems to have been around for ages but, as he remind us, is still at the start of his career.
I’ve experienced so much in my time already in football. You look back and think there’s so much more to come. I’m only 23. I can achieve so many great things. Everything is focused on football and making sure I get the best out of myself.
Ten Hag on Rashford's future: 'He should be part of this project'
Erik ten Hag’s asked about the future of Marcus Rashford and whether he envisages the club ever selling the forward to boost their financial situation:
We didn’t re-sign him last season for four years with the intention to sell him. He should be part of this project, so that is not a subject we talk about.
Hello all! Mauricio Pochettino’s been having a chat ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup quarter-final with Leicester, a rematch of the final from 2021. Apparently some of his players didn’t get much shut-eye before their Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool … Well, that doesn’t help, does it? Here are the quotes from PA:
For us to beat Leicester will be massive for us because there is a possibility for this team to play at Wembley again. Some players did not sleep the day before the [Carabao Cup] final and that is about experience in these situations and it has to be better. For us to challenge in the final and play in Europe through the FA Cup will be massive. We learned through experience and with the pain [of defeat] we learn more.
Updated
I’m going to step away from the blog for a bit. Taha Hashim will take over – you can email him here.
Talking of Manchester United, there’s good news from them on the injury front, with Rasmus Hojlund, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka all likely to be available to face Liverpool. “We had a good week,” Erik Ten Hag said. “The players you mention returned on the pitch. Partly at the start of the week and today we had a session and they were all training. I think [they are available]. We have tomorrow one session. Of course, we have to see how they recover from this but it looks good.”
Meanwhile Mason Mount has been eased back into training over the week – “First part of the week partly, but then also he had some full sessions with us, so it’s looking good.”
Jurgen Klopp’s press conference is under way, and he’s asked if he’s going to enjoy Liverpool’s FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United:
I’m looking forward to it. I’m not sure that’s exactly what you call enjoyment. Ask me after the game if I enjoyed it. But before the game it’s just work. I don’t know much about their season but I saw a few really good games. They have a lot of quality there. It’s always a tough place to go for us. It means everything to both fan groups, we know that. We try to show that on the pitch as well with the work-rate. But you never know, and there are no guarantees, just opportunities. That’s how we see it and we’re really ready to give it a try.
Pep Guardiola is facing the media now. He’s got this to say on Manchester City’s Champions League tie against Real Madrid: “We don’t have another option. It seems like tradition, three years in a row, to play the kings of the competition.”
Sky are broadcasting live a door that Pep Guardiola is expected to walk through shortly. These are special Friday moments. Spurs have already held their press conference, in which we learned that Micky van de Ven, who limped out of last weekend’s win at Aston Villa, will miss their trip to Fulham but “with the international break we don’t think he’ll miss much more”, but Richarlison has returned to training and could play this weekend. “Richy trained today and we’ll see how he pulls up,” Ange Postecoglou said. “If he pulls up well, he’ll be involved tomorrow.”
And then the semi-finals look like this. The winner of the first semi-final will be officially classified as the home side when the final is played in Athens on 29 May.
Aston Villa or Lille v Olympiacos v Fenerbahce
Viktoria Plzen or Fiorentina v Club Brugge or PAOK
Uefa Conference League quarter-final draw
A Uefa Conference League draw has taken place! And the fixtures look like this:
Club Brugge v PAOK
Olympiacos v Fenerbahce
Aston Villa v Lille
Viktoria Plzen v Fiorentina
If you’re looking for more draw-based content, I can heartily recommend this story on the Europa League draw:
West Ham have an extremely tough draw but Michail Antonio will be happy with it, given they will be at home in the second leg of their quarter-final against Bayer Leverkusen and, if successful, again in their semi-final against Milan or Roma. This is what he’s had to say about his side’s Europa League chances:
You always want the second leg at home so we can bring it back to our fans. It doesn’t matter if we feel we’re down, doesn’t matter if we’re losing. We believe when we come back here we can win the game. We have that confidence.
One thing with us in Europe, we definitely know how to play, we definitely know how to go far. So hopefully we can do what we did last year. We always think about winning it. Whenever we get into Europe we believe and we have got the confidence to win it.
There’s some big names out there obviously, but one thing we know how to do is win games in Europe. We got the final last year and won it, the year before we got to the semis and felt like we should have done better. So hopefully this year we can do it again.
Good news for Premier League clubs with European ambitions: it’s probably going to be even easier to qualify for continental competition next year. Indeed, it’s getting increasingly hard to avoid. Essentially, if Arsenal or West Ham win their quarter-finals, against German opposition, an extra Champions League spot should be a done deal. Paul MacInnes reports:
English clubs are set to clinch a fifth Champions League spot next season, with Uefa analysis suggesting a 90% chance that the Premier League takes an extra place ahead of the Bundesliga.
An expanded Champions League format from 2024 means two places are to be given to sides from countries who have performed the best in Europe over the previous season. Uefa’s coefficient table has Italy top, with Germany narrowly ahead of England in second place. But West Ham’s emphatic victory over Freiburg may well prove decisive in tipping the scales in England’s favour.
Before the quarter-final stages of Uefa’s three club tournaments, England is the equivalent of a single draw behind Germany in the coefficient table, calculated according to points awarded for performance and divided by the number of sides who started the season in competition. England began with eight teams and Germany seven, but after West Ham’s passage at Freiburg’s expense, Germany have three teams in quarter-finals while England have five.
Much more here:
Here are both of the European draws, to save you a little scrolling:
Champions League quarter-finals
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
Atlético Madrid v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Manchester City
Paris Saint-Germain v Barcelona
Europa League quarter-finals
Milan v Roma
Liverpool v Atalanta
Bayer Leverkusen v West Ham
Benfica v Marseille
Updated
And for what it’s worth, whoever wins the first of those semi-finals will be treated as the home team in the final in Dublin.
And so to the semi-finals. The draw has been completed and this is it:
Benfica or Marseille v Liverpool or Atalanta
Milan or Roma v Bayer Leverkusen or West Ham
Updated
Europa League quarter-final draw in full
It’s Benfica! So the final draw for the final eight looks as follows:
Milan v Roma
Liverpool v Atalanta
Bayer Leverkusen v West Ham
Benfica v Marseille
It’s Bayer Leverkusen against West Ham United, which means Benfica will face Marseille. But who’s at home first?
Liverpool, the team nobody wanted to draw, will be at home in their first leg against Atalanta!
The first Europa League quarter-final sees Milan play Roma in an all-Italian clash!
I interrupt this blog of cup draws with news of a cup draw. The FA Cup semi-final draw will be this Sunday after the game between Manchester United and Liverpool, and will be broadcast live on ITV1, and on FA Cup social media channels. Ian Wright will pluck balls, which will be numbered as follows:
1 Wolverhampton Wanderers or Coventry City
2 Manchester United or Liverpool
3 Chelsea or Leicester City
4 Manchester City or Newcastle United
Find out all the details of the #EmiratesFACup semi-final draw 👇
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 15, 2024
“The magic of the Europa League was on full display in the round of 16,” we’re told. Nobody talks about the magic of the Europa League. It’s not a thing. But sure, some football was played.
Anyway, Fernando Llorente is going to be the ball-plucker for this one.
The action has started in Nyon, with a video presentation of the eight remaining sides. I have to say, draws these days have a distressing lack of amateurishness and general chaos to them.
And here’s how the quarter-final draw will happen:
At this stage of the competition, no teams are seeded and there is no country protection.
Eight balls containing the names of the quarter-finalists are placed in the large central bowl and shuffled.
The first and second balls drawn determine the first quarter-final pairing, with the first ball drawn representing the home team for the first leg.
The procedure is repeated with the remaining balls to complete the quarter-final pairings.
It will be followed by the semi-final draw. This is all the same as for the Champions League draw we’ve just enjoyed.
At this stage of the competition, no teams are seeded and there is no country protection.
Four balls containing slips of paper marked ‘Winners of quarter-final 1’ to ‘Winners of quarter-final 4’ are placed in a large central bowl and shuffled.
The first and second balls drawn determine the first semi-final pairing, with the first ball drawn representing the home team for the first leg.
The procedure is repeated with the remaining balls in the bowl to complete the semi-final pairings.
We’re just a few minutes away from the Europa League draw. Here once again are the teams involved:
Atalanta
Benfica
Leverkusen
Liverpool
Marseille
Milan
Roma
West Ham
Here’s some news of Everton’s takeover. Strictly speaking the news is that there’s no news but there should be news soon.
A decision from the Premier League board on whether to accept 777 Partners’ prospective takeover of Everton is set to be made next week.
Meetings between 777 and the Premier League took place last week, resulting in final questions being put to the prospective Everton owner, which provided its response. Further meetings were held at the start of this week before the matter was sent to the Premier League board to make the final decision. Everton’s financial future could be in jeopardy if the proposed takeover is not approved.
A deal was agreed for the American company to buy the club from Farhad Moshiri in September but the league’s investigation has taken longer than anticipated. One issue has been the complex nature of 777 Partners’ business interests, which has made the league’s due diligence process longer than usual as it investigates the company. The Financial Conduct Authority has given its approval for the deal and the Football Association also passed it.
More here:
If you’re starting to think about booking travel for the Champions League quarter-finals, you’re too late.
Flights to Munich on Easyet have gone up from about £50 to almost £300 in the last 15 minutes
— Orbinho (@Orbinho) March 15, 2024
Ben Fisher has interviewed Coventry’s Callum O’Hare ahead of their FA Cup quarter-final at Wolves:
When Callum O’Hare stepped up his rehabilitation from a serious knee injury last August, Coventry’s physios recognised the need to temper his enthusiasm. After eight monotonous months, he was inevitably excited to tie the laces on his boots and hit the grass. He felt “fresh out of the jailhouse” after countless days spent watching teammates train from an exercise bike in the gym, but was told to expect a fine if he began kicking the balls too soon upon his return.
“The staff know how much I love football,” he says. “If there’s a ball in front of me, I’ll always play with it, no matter what it is: a tennis ball, a little floater – anything. Or I’ll make socks into a ball. They were like: ‘You’re not quite at the stage to be kicking balls.’ My first jog around the pitch, one of the players tried to pass me the ball and I just had to leave it. It was heartbreaking. ‘Sorry, I can’t.’”
Much more here:
Here’s PA Media’s take on the draw:
Manchester City face a Champions League quarter-final blockbuster against 14-time European champions Real Madrid.
The teams have met at the semi-final stage in the last two seasons, with City hammering Real 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium last season on their way to winning their first Champions League title.
Arsenal have been drawn against six-time European champions Bayern Munich, whose star striker Harry Kane is the former talisman of their bitter north London rivals Tottenham. The Gunners have lost each of their last three meetings with Bayern 5-1, so will be hoping for much better this time around.
City and Arsenal will meet in the semi-finals if they can negotiate their tricky quarter-final ties. Paris St Germain and Barcelona will go head to head, as will Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
The quarter-final first legs will be played on April 9 and 10, with the second legs the following week. The semi-finals take place on April 30 and May 1, with the return legs on May 7 and 8. Wembley will host the final on Saturday, June 1.
And here’s Bayern Munich’s:
Back to North London 👀🏴 pic.twitter.com/w2S9qj0EWS
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) March 15, 2024
Champions League semi-final draw in full
The remainder of the Champions League draw looks like this:
Atlético Madrid or Borussia Dortmund v Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona
Arsenal or Bayern Munich v Real Madrid or Manchester City
The winner of the first of those semi-finals will officially be the home team in the final which Wembley is so looking forward to, which mainly matters for kit-choosing reasons.
Now for the semi-final draw, and we already know there can only be one English finalist! That’s because the first semi sees Atlético Madrid or Borussia Dortmund face Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona.
Updated
Champions League quarter-final draw in full
The final teams are drawn from the bowl, and the four fixtures end up looking like this:
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
Atlético Madrid v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Manchester City
Paris Saint-Germain v Barcelona
Updated
It’s Real Madrid v Manchester City! Which means that Barcelona will play PSG in the final tie.
It’s Atlético Madrid v Borussia Dortmund! The last two fixtures are going to be corkers.
The next team out of the bowl is Atlético Madrid, so they’ll also be at home in the first leg.
Arsenal will play Bayern Munich, with the first leg at home.
The first team out of the hat (plastic bowl) is Arsenal.
The Champions League draw is about to happen. It’s a completely open draw, with no seedings or other fripperies, which means it will be disappointingly brief and completely devoid of moments of bafflement and confusion, which is a shame.
The mythic Wembley Stadium is looking forward to welcoming the two most successful sides, apparently. I think you’ll find it’s an inanimate object incapable of feeling complex emotions, chaps. Anyway, John Obi Mikel has just been introduced and will assist with the draw.
The action has started in Nyon, with a lengthy video presentation of the remaining Champions League teams.
Before the draw, I’ve got an England Under-21 squad for you. Here’s the PA Media report:
Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, versatile Leeds player Archie Gray and Luton centre-back Teden Mengi are among six players called up to the England Under-21 squad for the first time for the Euro 2025 qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Luxembourg.
Head coach Lee Carsley has named a 24-man squad, with Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers all handed maiden call-ups.
Mainoo, 18, has been involved for United in the Premier League as well as Champions League and FA Cup this season, scoring two goals. Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite and Chelsea forward Cole Palmer were both selected in Gareth Southgate’s senior squad for March’s Wembley friendlies against Belgium and Brazil.
Among those to miss out from the last Under-21s squad because of injury are Liam Delap, on loan at Hull from Manchester City, and Norwich winger Jonathan Rowe. England are three points behind Ukraine in Group F and will travel to Azerbaijan for their next qualifying fixture on March 22 before then hosting Luxembourg in Bolton on March 26.
England Under-21 squad to play Azerbaijan and Luxembourg: Matthew Cox (Bristol Rovers, on loan from Brentford), Sam Tickle (Wigan), James Trafford (Burnley); Charlie Cresswell (Leeds), Callum Doyle (Leicester, on loan from Manchester City), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton, on loan from Manchester City), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Teden Mengi (Luton), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Brooke Norton-Cuffy (Millwall, on loan from Arsenal), Nathan Wood (Swansea); Carney Chukwuemeka (Chelsea), Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), James McAtee (Sheffield United, on loan from Manchester City), Tyler Morton (Hull, on loan from Liverpool), Archie Gray (Leeds), Alex Scott (Bournemouth); Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (Borussia Dortmund), Jay Stansfield (Birmingham, on loan from Fulham), Samuel Iling-Junior (Juventus), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Jaden Philogene (Hull), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa).
Crikey, that’s quite the build-up. Uefa draws are imminent. I do enjoy a good draw – though of course this could be a disappointing one, time will tell. Personally I’d be up for a four-hour draw, and I’m disappointed that Uefa won’t let me have one. It would be like football’s equivalent of Test cricket.
Right, I’ve been Dave Tindall and that’s my warm-up stint done. Please return to your seats and give a big hand for today’s headline act … Mr Simon Burnton.
Updated
How the bookies see it. Latest odds here. Should Arsenal really be second favourites?
Champions League: 13/8 Man City, 4/1 Arsenal, 9/2 Real Madrid, 6/1 Bayern Munich, 11/1 PSG, 14/1 Barcelona, 18/1 Atletico Madrid, 25/1 Borussia Dortmund.
Europa League: 11/10 Liverpool, 10/3 Bayer Leverkusen, 6/1 AC Milan, 11/1 Roma, West Ham, 12/1 Atalanta, 18/1 Benfica, Marseille.
Obviously, these could all change significantly after the draws are made.
Here’s how Liverpool and West Ham eased into the quarter-finals of the Europa League last night. And also how Rangers didn’t.
Oh, and let’s not forget how Villa walloped Jordan Henderson’s Ajax in that thingy West Ham won last season.
Back to domestic matters and here’s what you should have your beady eyes on over the next couple of days.
Beady Eye – whatever happened to them? Anyway, here’s the lead singer dedicating a song to Jack Grealish in Birmingham last night.
Liam Gallagher dedicating song to @JackGrealish last night in Birmingham pic.twitter.com/q19tg1ZJCt
— James Nursey (@JamesNursey) March 15, 2024
Europa League draw:
And coming up at midday, the ‘everyone wants to avoid Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen’ draw. Klopp v Alonso is surely best saved for the final but it could happen in the last eight. Here’s who’s left: three from Italy, two from England and one each from Portugal, Germany and France.
Atalanta
Benfica
Leverkusen
Liverpool
Marseille
Milan
Roma
West Ham
Champions League draw:
These are the eight teams still battling for glory. And, yep, it’s an open draw. No country protection means we could have Arsenal v Man City, Real Madrid v Barcelona and Bayern v Dortmund in the last eight. Imagine that! We’ll also get the semi-final match-ups drawn out too.
Arsenal
Atlético Madrid
Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Borussia Dortmund
Manchester City
Paris Saint-Germain
Real Madrid
Preamble
Good morning! It’s a big one. Not only the Ides of March but also the day of quarter-final draws in the Champions League and Europa League.
Adding to those draws which begin at 11am, we’ll be looking ahead to quarter-final weekend in the FA Cup and building up to a somewhat reduced Premier League programme: as on-the-ball fantasy managers know, there are just four games.
Righty, let’s get this thing started.
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