In-form Atletico Madrid look to end their Champions League slump against city rivals Real Madrid

Real Madrid’s French forward Kylian Mbappe (C,L) and teammates attend a training session on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg between Real Madrid CF and Club Atletico de Madrid at Real Madrid Sports City in Valdebebas, on the outskirts of Madrid, on March 3, 2025. (AFP)

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Updated 04 March 2025

March 04, 2025 04:23

In-form Atletico Madrid look to end their Champions League slump against city rivals Real Madrid

The round of 16 will begin this week to cap the inaugural season of a new Champions League format that featured a league phase and a playoff round
The other last-16 matchups will include the local rivalry of German clubs Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, and powerhouses Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool going against each other

Updated 04 March 2025

March 04, 2025 04:23

MADRID: The Madrid derby takes center stage in the round of 16 of the Champions League, with Atletico Madrid in a commanding position to try to finally get the best of rival Real Madrid in the European competition.

Madrid, the record 15-time European champion, have been a thorn for Atletico in the Champions League over the years, beating the city rival in two finals and eliminating it from the competition the other two times they faced off in the knockout rounds.

But this Atletico arrive for Tuesday’s first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium playing some of their best soccer since coach Diego Simeone took over more than a decade ago, and showing the confidence that they can take on the long-time rivasl head-on.

The round of 16 will begin this week to cap the inaugural season of a new Champions League format that featured a league phase and a playoff round.

The other last-16 matchups will include the local rivalry of German clubs Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, and powerhouses Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool going against each other.

Atletico Madrid enter the match against Madrid in good form and enjoying one of its best seasons under Simeone. The team is ahead of its rival in the Spanish league standings, and is only one point behind leader Barcelona.

Atletico hasn’t lost any of its matches this season against either Madrid or Barcelona. In the Spanish league, it beat the Catalan club 2-1 in Barcelona and drew 1-1 in both games it played against Madrid. Atletico hasn’t lost to Madrid in four consecutive matches, having eliminated the city rival in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey last season.

“It’s a match with a lot of respect, against a great rival, who respects us in the same way.” Simeone said Monday. “For the city of Madrid it is spectacular that the two teams face each other and, for Spain, having a team in the quarterfinals is going to be fantastic.”

Simeone’s team finished fifth in the league phase of the Champions League, while Madrid was only 11th and had to play extra playoff games against Manchester City.

The last time Atletico faced Madrid in the Champions League, it was eliminated in the semifinals in 2017. It also lost to Madrid in the final both in 2014 and 2016, and in the 2015 quarterfinals.

Overall, Atletico has won only three of its 10 meetings against Madrid in UEFA competitions, with five losses and two draws.

“The derby is always a special match,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “They are always very even and very competitive matches, and it’s going to be like that again tomorrow (Tuesday). Atletico is having a very good season.”

Madrid is coming off a loss at Real Betis in the Spanish league, while Atletico won 1-0 against Athletic Bilbao.

PSG vs. Liverpool

Premier League leader Liverpool finished the league phase in first place but there was little reward as they will have to take on France powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16.

PSG struggled in the league phase, finishing in 15th place, but picked up momentum in the playoffs by routing fellow French club Brest 3-0 in the first leg and 7-0 in the return game at home, when seven different players scored.

Liverpool won seven of their eight Champions League matches this season, with the lone defeat coming at PSV Eindhoven in the final matchday, when it had little to lose.

Benfica vs. Barcelona

An in-form Barcelona, which had the second-best campaign in the league phase, will face a familiar foe in Benfica.

The two teams met in the league phase, with the Barcelona winning a 5-4 thriller in Lisbon. Benfica stunned Barcelona 3-0 at home in the group stage in 2021-22, and held the Spanish powerhouse to a 0-0 away draw in results that helped keep the five-time champion from advancing to the knockout stage at the time.

PSV vs. Arsenal

PSV Eindhoven brought one of the surprises of the league phase with its 3-2 win over Liverpool, and then it got past Juventus with an extra-time victory in the playoffs.

It will now another face another Premier League team in top form: An Arsenal squad that is second in the Premier behind Liverpool and that finished third in the league phase of the Champions League.

Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen

The all-German encounter will feature a Leverkusen side that finished sixth in the league phase and a Bayern team that needed a stoppage-time goal by Alphonso Davies to get through the playoffs against Celtic.

Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen trails Bayern by eight points in the Bundesliga, but did not concede any attempts on target when the two played a 0-0 draw last month.

Other matchups

Last year’s runner-up, Borussia Dortmund will take on a Lille side that thrived in the league phase, finishing seventh after a campaign that included wins over both Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

Aston Villa also were a league-phase surprise, losing only once to finish eighth and set up the round-of-16 matchup against a Club Brugge squad that defeated Villa 1-0 at home in November. Brugge eliminated Atalanta in the playoffs.

Inter Milan conceded only once — in a 1-0 loss at Leverkusen — en route to a fourth-place finish in the league phase. It will face a Feyenoord team that will have Robin van Persie as its third coach in the Champions League this season.

Newcastle’s miserable away form continues with 3-1 loss at Brentford

Updated 25 sec ago

Reuters

November 09, 2025 21:23

Newcastle’s miserable away form continues with 3-1 loss at Brentford

Sunday was their third straight away defeat in the league while Brentford moved up to 12th

Updated 25 sec ago

Reuters

November 09, 2025 21:23

LONDON: Newcastle United’s miserable away run in the Premier League continued on Sunday with a 3-1 defeat by Brentford after Dan Burn conceded a second-half penalty and was sent off.
Igor Thiago made it 2-1 from the spot in the 78th minute, after a 56th-minute Kevin Schade equalizer, as the hosts fought back from going a goal down against the run of play in the 27th at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Thiago then grabbed his second, and eighth league goal of the season, in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Burn was sent off in the 73rd for his second yellow for fouling Dango Ouattara and Newcastle replaced concussed goalkeeper Nick Pope with Aaron Ramsdale off the bench in a rash of substitutes once VAR confirmed the penalty.
Newcastle have yet to win away in the league this season, losing five and drawing four in the top flight since last April, while faring considerably better at home, in the Champions League and in cup competitions.
Sunday was their third straight away defeat in the league while Brentford moved up to 12th.
“The Champions League, you have to forget about it to a degree but the Premier League is everything,” manager Eddie Howe said. “At the moment, we are suffering.
“We know we will rightly be criticized for our away form, and all we can do is stick together and fight back.”
Harvey Barnes put the visitors ahead with their first shot on target after Brentford, who have already beaten Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa in West London, had come close to taking the lead.
The winger wrong-footed two defenders with a neat twist before slotting past goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Pope denied Brentford an opener in the 17th, pushing away a Mikkel Damsgaard effort and then blocking captain Nathan Collins’ follow-up shot after a goalmouth scramble.
Despite being a goal down at halftime, Brentford had 54 percent possession and five shots to Newcastle’s two and it was not long before the scores were level again with Schade heading in off a trademark long throw from Michael Kayode.
Brentford thought they had a penalty in the 61st when Burn downed Ouattara but the referee instead booked the Brentford player for diving.
Newcastle striker Yoane Wissa, out injured since his move to Tyneside from Brentford, was absent from the visiting squad but the home fans still let their feelings be known about the manner of his departure.