Quique Setien has insisted that Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi remains a cut above Bayern Munich’s prolific striker Robert Lewandowski.Messi and Lewandowski will go head-to-head on Friday when Barcelona face Bayern in a mouthwatering Champions League quarter-final showdown in Portugal.Former Bayern and Germany defender Lothar Matthaus this week claimed in-form Lewandowski has now jumped a...Full Story »

Paris St Germain are confident Kylian Mbappe will be fit for Wednesday night’s Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta in Lisbon.The fleet-footed forward missed PSG’s Coupe de la Ligue final victory over Lyon on July 31, having suffered an ankle injury in the Coupe de France final win over St Etienne a week earlier.But boss Thomas Tuchel provided an upbeat assessment of the 2...Full Story »

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will warn his players again about Atletico Madrid’s gamesmanship but admits this time he will not be forced into protecting them against red cards. In their Champions League last-16 first leg 1-0 defeat in the Wanda Metropolitano, Klopp substituted Sadio Mane as he feared he would be dismissed after being targeted by Atletico. The hosts generated contact ...Full Story »

Pep Guardiola insists his Manchester City players will have plenty more opportunities to win the Champions League – despite the club’s impending ban. City head into the first leg of their last-16 tie against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu with a cloud hanging over them after being suspended from the competition for the next two seasons. The Premier League champions are appealing aga...Full Story »

Frank Lampard has told Chelsea to turn the current European order on its head against Bayern Munich.Lampard has accepted many will brand Chelsea underdogs when hosting the buoyant Bundesliga leaders in the Champions League last 16 first leg on Tuesday night.The Blues boss expects a stern challenge from a Bayern side that hammered Tottenham 7-2 in London in October but has told his players they h...Full Story »

Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho does not expect Son Heung-min to play again this season.The South Korea international has undergone surgery on a broken arm suffered in Sunday’s 3-2 win against Aston Villa, where he scored two goals with the injury.The club have said that he will be out for a “number of weeks” but Mourinho is much more pessimistic.It is a massive blow to Spur...Full Story »

Jurgen Klopp wants to consign Liverpool’s Champions League success last season to history as he focuses on winning the competition again.The holders return to the scene of last June’s final victory over Tottenham on Tuesday as they face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Wanda Metropolitano.The Reds are already well on course to win the Premier League title,...Full Story »

Zinedine Zidane insists reputations are at stake against Club Brugge even though Real Madrid are already assured of a place in the Champions League knockout phase. Pool A leaders Paris St Germain can not be overtaken in the final round of group games, while Brugge and Galatasaray are fighting for Europa League qualification. Zidane fears that Real will pay the price if they fail to take Brug...Full Story »

Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho will give his fringe players the chance to impress in their closing Champions League group stage game with Bayern Munich. Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Jan Vertonghen and Serge Aurier have all been left at home for the dead rubber in Group B on Wednesday, where both teams have already qualified for the knockout stages. A host of players who have yet to feature wit...Full Story »

Pep Guardiola is confident Phil Foden can fill the boots of David Silva at Manchester City. Foden, 19, is set for a rare start as City wrap up their Champions League Group C campaign against Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia. Veteran playmaker Silva has not travelled due to injury but, as he has already announced he is to leave the club at the end of the season, it could be a foretaste of the future....Full Story »