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Champions League news

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Guardiola warns Man City ahead of Real Madrid clash

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has issued a clear challenge to his squad ahead of their monumental Champions League clash with Real Madrid, insisting that his players must prioritise their identity over the fear of failure. Speaking ahead of the trip to the Santiago Bernabeu, the Catalan coach emphasised that success in Europe’s elite competition is not just about the final score, but about the courage to play without restraint on the grandest stage of all.

Lamine Yamal Barcelona HIC

Last-gasp Yamal earns Barca a draw they barely deserved

Lamine Yamal kept his cool to convert a penalty with the last kick of the game to earn Barcelona an undeserved 1-1 draw with Newcastle in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at St. James' Park on Tuesday. The Blaugrana's teenage sensation had, just like the rest of his team-mates, performed poorly on Tyneside and could have had no complaints had another winger, Harvey Barnes, proven the match-winner.

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Thiaw trip ruins Newcastle's night after Barnes & Hall heroics

Newcastle were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash with Barcelona on Tuesday. Eddie Howe's side looked on course to record a famous victory when Harvey Barnes gave them the lead in the 86th minute, only for Malick Thiaw to concede a stoppage-time penalty which Lamine Yamal converted with the final kick of the game.

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Calamitous Kinsky produces all-time stinker as Spurs spanked

Igor Tudor stated that he is more confident than ever that relegation-threatened Tottenham will remain in the Premier League, but their terrible form in 2026 continued with a 5-2 thrashing by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last-16. It was another night of embarrassing individual errors, combined with a confusing system that handed the Spanish giants all the initiative they needed to put the tie to bed in the first leg.

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Manchester City v Nottingham Forest - Premier League

Donnarumma relieved by Mbappe absence for Real Madrid

Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has expressed a massive sense of relief as Kylian Mbappe remains sidelined for the upcoming Champions League clash against Real Madrid. While acknowledging the immense talent of his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate, the Italian admits facing a Madrid side without their talisman provides a welcome tactical advantage.

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Osimhen sure Galatasaray 'can hurt' Liverpool at Anfield

Victor Osimhen was the architect of a famous European night in Istanbul as Galatasaray secured a vital 1-0 lead over Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie. The Nigerian superstar provided a sublime assist for Mario Lemina to net the only goal of the game, leaving the Premier League giants with plenty of work to do in the return leg. Following the final whistle, a defiant Osimhen warned the Reds that the Turkish champions have what it takes to finish the job on Merseyside.

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War keeps PSG president from Chelsea clash

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi remains stranded in Doha due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East severely disrupting international travel. With flights grounded and airspace restricted following recent strikes, the club chief faces a frantic race against time to attend PSG's crucial Champions League round-of-16 tie against Chelsea at the Parc des Princes.

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Shocking Salah & comical Konate lead Liverpool shambles

Liverpool coach Arne Slot claimed that his team were in a much better place as they returned to Istanbul to face Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday - but the Reds looked to have made zero progress at all as they slumped to another 1-0 defeat at RAMS Park that this time puts them at real risk of elimination.

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📽️ | Spurs fans serenade Pochettino in flight to clash vs Atletico

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino was serenaded by a plane full of Tottenham Hotspur fans while traveling to Madrid for the team's Champions League clash on Tuesday. ​Pochettino, who led Spurs to the 2019 Champions League final, found himself on the same flight as a large contingent of supporters heading to the Metropolitano Stadium to watch their side face Atletico Madrid.

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HOW?! Spurs’ UCL form puzzles amid ‘rubbish’ relegation excuses

Tottenham eased their way into the last-16 of Champions League competition, but find themselves locked in a Premier League relegation battle. That inconsistency has left many in north London puzzled, with ex-Spurs star Gus Poyet telling GOAL why he is not buying “rubbish” excuses for domestic struggles and sees a falling giant tumbling out of the fabled ‘Big Six’.

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Will Mbappe face City? Arbeloa delivers injury update

Alvaro Arbeloa has delivered an update on Kylian Mbappe's fitness ahead of the first leg of Real Madrid's Champions League round of 16 tie against Manchester City. The French forward has been struggling with a persistent knee injury, missing Los Blancos last three games across all competitions.

Brighton & Hove Albion v Arsenal - Premier League

Arsenal welcome back key trio ahead of Leverkusen clash

Arsenal have received a significant triple fitness boost ahead of their Champions League round-of-16 first-leg encounter against Bayer Leverkusen. Key defensive and attacking figures were spotted during the club's final training session before they departed for Germany. While Mikel Arteta still faces some notable absences, the return of this influential trio strengthens the Gunners' hand for a crucial European away leg.

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Hincapie is Arsenal's new hero - so what now for Lewis-Skelly?

Arsenal came out of the 2025 summer transfer window as one of its perceived winners. They didn't go toe-to-toe with reigning Premier League champions Liverpool in terms of bringing in star talent, but they stacked their squad full of enough quality so they wouldn't be hit as hard if they suffered another injury crisis this season. Their 2024-25 campaign was derailed in large part due to a drop in talent beyond their strongest XI.

Pedro Porro Tottenham

Porro breaks silence on apparent touchline outburst at Tudor

Pedro Porro has moved to clarify his relationship with Tottenham interim head coach Igor Tudor following a visible show of frustration during the club's recent defeat to Crystal Palace. The Spaniard’s outburst sparked rumours of dressing room unrest as Spurs prepare for a daunting Champions League trip to Atletico Madrid. However, Porro has now insisted that Tudor was not the target of his anger.

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Has Osimhen missed his chance to join a UCL contender?

It's been a little over two years since Victor Osimhen revealed that he'd made up his mind on which club to join after Napoli. Just three days later, Partenopei president Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed that the striker would "go to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain or some Premier League team". Osimhen instead ended up in Istanbul playing for Galatasaray, the biggest team in Turkey but not exactly the destination the Nigeria international had in mind when he announced his intention to leave Naples.

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Madrid & Man City's UCL rivalry is anything but boring

When Real Madrid were paired with Manchester City in the Champions League last-16, the groans could be heard all the way from Plaza Mayor to Piccadilly Gardens: 'Again?!' The complaints were entirely predictable and, at some level, understandable. By the end of the second leg next Tuesday, the two teams will have faced each other 11 times in the past five seasons, and on 17 occasions since 2012.

Frequently asked questions

Egypt are the team who have won the most AFCON titles in history, with seven to their name. It was in 1957, the inaugural edition of AFCON, where Egypt attained glory. They would go on to add three more trophies before the turn of the century (1957, 1986, 1998), before completing a threepeat in 2006, 2008, and 2010.

The first-ever AFCON featured just three teams. Between 1968 and 1990, eight teams featured in the tournament. An expansion in 1992 saw 12 teams feature in AFCON, and 16 from 1998. The latest expansion in 2019, though, sees 24 teams fight for glory.

Cameroon legend Rigobert Song set the record of most AFCON appearances in 2010, playing in his 36th game in the tournament. That record was equalled by Ghanaian icon Andre Ayew in 2024.

Cameroon icon Samuel Eto'o leads the all-time goalscoring charts with an impressive 18 goals over the course of 29 matches during six different tournaments.

Egypt's Essam El Hadary is the oldest player ever to play in AFCON at the age of 44 years and 21 days. He achieved this feat in 2017 during Egypt's 2-1 loss to Cameroon.

Former Ghana defender Joseph Odoi made his AFCON debut in 1984 at the age of 15 years and 164 days, becoming the youngest player ever to feature in the African Cup of Nations.

Samuel Eto'o, Mohamed Salah, Yaya Toure, Didier Drogba, Jay-Jay Okocha, Sadio Mane, Roger Milla, Ahmed Hassan, George Weah, etc, are some of the biggest names to have featured in the African Cup of Nations.

Charles Gyamfi, Hassan Shehata, Herve Renard, and Avram Grant are some of the most famous coaches to have led their respective teams at AFCON.