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      Bayern Munich vs Man City: Pep’s side aim to seal the deal in Germany after Champions League first leg romp – stream, TV

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      MANCHESTER CITY and Bayern Munich conclude their Champions League quarter-final encounter THIS Wednesday – but most would argue that the tie is all but over.Rodri’s 27th minute screamer broke the deadlock in the first leg despite City’s shaky start to the match.
      Erling Haaland sealed the deal for Manchester City in the first legCredit: Rex
      Sadio Mane got into a bust-up with Bayern teammate Leroy SaneCredit: Getty
      And two quick-fire second half goals from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland made sure that Pep’s men had a strangle hold of this mouth-watering fixture.
      To make matters worse for Bayern, ex-Manchester City star Leroy Sane and Sadio Mane got into a physical altercation which may have added some disruption to the team.
      However, the Bundesliga giants will back themselves to pull off a memorable comeback – something which fans have been treated too often in this monumental competition.
      When is Bayern vs Man City?

      Bayern Munich’s tasty Champions League second leg against Manchester City will take place on Wednesday, April 19.
      It is scheduled to get underway at 8pm BST – 9pm local time.
      Allianz Arena is the allocated venue for this match and it can host approximately 75,024 spectators.
      Manchester City raced to a 3-0 lead in the reverse fixture.

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      What TV channel is it on and can it be live streamed?

      Bayern Munich vs Manchester City will be broadcast LIVE on BT Sport 1 in the UK.
      Coverage is set to commence from 7pm BST – a whole hour before kick-off.
      Subscription members of BT Sport can stream the entire action live via the BT Sport website or BT Sport app.
      Alternatively, SunSport will have minute-by-minute coverage of the game including build-up and post-match reaction.

      What is the team news?
      Bayern’s boss Thomas Tuchel is expected to still be without Sadio Mane after punching teammate Leroy Sane resulted in a suspension for the AFCON winner.
      Leroy Sane has a swollen lip after being punched in the face by Sadio ManeCredit: Reuters
      Manuel Neuer (broken leg) and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (knee) are also ruled out this crunch clash.
      But French international Lucas Hernandez could return after shaking off a knee injury.
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      Elsewhere, Pep Guardiola almost has a full bill of fit players with only Phil Foden unavailable due to an appendicitis issue.
      What are the odds?

      Bayern to win 17/10
      Draw 13/5
      Man City to win 11/8

      To qualify

      Bayern 12/1
      Man City 1/50

      *Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes are correct at time of publication More

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      Chelsea vs Real Madrid: Lampard’s Blues facing mountainous task in crucial Champions League quarter-final – Stream, TV

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      CHELSEA face Real Madrid in a huge Champions League clash – but the Blues have it all to do. Frank Lampard’s side lost 2-0 to Los Blancos in the first leg and were outplayed throughout as Ben Chilwell was sent off.
      Vinicius was man of the match in Real Madrid’s win over ChelseaCredit: EPA
      Chelsea went 1-0 down in the first half through Karim BenzemaCredit: Getty
      And since Lampard took over for his second stint as Chelsea boss, he’s also lost both of his league games against Wolves and Brighton.
      Chelsea have already come from behind to knock Borussia Dortmund out of the competition earlier this season.
      But Real Madrid are a different proposition, and even if Chelsea manage to grab two goals, it’ll be hard to keep Carlo Ancelotti’s men from scoring themselves.
      A win for Lampard’s men would rank as one of their greatest in the competition they’ve won twice, but it’ll be the tallest of orders at Stamford Bridge.

      When is Chelsea vs Real Madrid?

      Chelsea’s clash with Real Madrid will take place on Tuesday, April 18.
      The game will kick off at 8pm BST.
      Stamford Bridge will play host.

      What channel is it and can it be live streamed?

      Chelsea vs Real Madrid will be shown live on BT Sport 1 in the UK.
      You can live stream the action from the BT Sport app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.

      Team news
      Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell will miss the game through suspension after being sent off in the first leg at the Bernabeu.
      Kalidou Koulibaly was hauled off in the second half with a hamstring injury and will be on the sidelines for a few weeks.
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      Joao Felix should be back in the side after suffering a minor knee injury, starting the game against Brighton at the weekend from the bench.
      Vinicius Jr and Toni Kroos missed their weekend win over Cadiz, but they should be back for the trip to West London.
      Odds

      Chelsea – 9/5
      Draw – 23/10
      Real Madrid – 29/20
      Chelsea to qualify – 7/11
      Real Madrid – 1/16

      *Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes and correct at time of publication. More

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      Man City began Jude Bellingham transfer charm offensive last October with gift to Borussia Dortmund star

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      MANCHESTER CITY began ramping up their charm offensive to land Jude Bellingham last October.They presented the midfielder with a shirt signed by Erling Haaland after the 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund.
      Man City hinted at their interest for Jude Bellingham after meeting Dortmund in a Champions League group game six months agoCredit: Getty
      Bellingham, 19, was invited into City’s dressing room and given the top his old team-mate  wore in the Champions League tie.
      Boss Pep Guardiola has made signing the England star his priority this  summer and City are  confident of  winning a bidding war with Real Madrid, despite Dortmund likely to want £130million.
      They feel the chance to work under Guardiola and link up again with Haaland  also gives them the edge.
      Manchester United are also thought to be keen.
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      But any serious offer from Old Trafford could depend on a potential takeover being completed in time for the summer window.
      Liverpool, however, appear to have backed out of the hunt because of the expected fee
      And Dortmund still believe they can keep Bellingham.
      The Bundesliga giants reckon the £138m deal they received from Barcelona for Ousmane Dembele in 2017 is a fair indicator of how much the ex-Birmingham teenager should command.
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      At the time France winger Dembele was just 20 — a few months older than Bellingham is now.
      Any move seems certain to shatter the £106m Chelsea paid Benfica for Enzo Fernandez in January. More

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      Liverpool pulling out of Bellingham transfer race came out of the blue.. Real Madrid will be rubbing hands with glee

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      IT was a bit strange how Liverpool have let it be known that they won’t be signing Jude Bellingham this summer.Because there is only one club Bellingham has publicly stated he wants to play for in the future — and that is Birmingham City!
      Liverpool have pulled out of the bidding war for Borussia Dortmund star Jude BellinghamCredit: Rex
      Borussia Dortmund’s Brummie star has stated he’d like to go back and finish his career with the boyhood club he started out with as a 15-year-old.
      Of course, Jude will not be heading to St Andrews next season.
      Even as club captain and a lifelong Bluenose, I am happy to admit that Real Madrid or the Manchester clubs might be more tempting options for him.
      Many people assume that Jude, who has never played in the Premier League, will fancy a return to English football, but I’m not so sure.
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      Kids of his generation grew up in the Messi-Ronaldo era and most of them know more about Real and Barcelona than any English clubs.
      There is a real lure for them in playing for either of those Spanish giants.
      Just imagine being Jude, though. He is still only 19 and he seems to have all of the world’s biggest and most glamorous clubs desperate to sign him.
      If that was me, my head would explode. It would be the same for most teenage lads.
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      But Jude is still totally at his game, aiming for the Bundesliga title with Dortmund. His head doesn’t seem to have been turned at all.
      In the summer, if he does move, he will be looking around and asking, ‘What is the best project for me?’
      And that wasn’t going to be the Reds, given that they are extremely unlikely to be playing Champions League football and they need an entire midfield overhaul.
      For me, the Santiago Bernabeu is his most likely destination.
      I watched Real against Chelsea on Wednesday and it was no more than a six or seven out of 10 performance by the ridiculously high standards of the 14-time European champions.
      But even then, players like Luka Modric and Vinicius Junior made your jaw drop at times.
      Real are regenerating their midfield – the wonderful Modric is 37 now, Toni Kroos, at 33, has openly talked about retiring this summer, and Casemiro has already moved on to Manchester United.
      Troy Deeney believes Real Madrid will benefit from Liverpool ending Bellingham interestCredit: Getty
      They have some wonderful young players, the likes of 20-year-old Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, 24, Rodrygo and of course Vinicius — both 22.
      I’m sure Jude would love to be part of that. What an opportunity for him it would be.
      And having been at Dortmund since he was 16, he is used to living and playing abroad.
      Going to Madrid will not be as daunting for him as it would be for a young English player moving straight from a  Premier League club.
      Not that anything seems to faze Jude, anyway.
      I think going to Germany at such a young age has been the making of him.
      That formative experience is what will help turn him into a genuine world great.
      I know the family, Jude’s brother Jobe is a team-mate of mine, and I know the move had some challenges for them in the early days but it was the right decision to go to the Bundesliga and it has paid off handsomely.
      Bellingham has attracted immense interest from the Premier LeagueCredit: Getty
      I am convinced he will captain England and whichever teams he plays for.
      He’s already skippered Dortmund and they are a massive club with a passionate fanbase.
      It seems that Manchester City will be Real’s main rivals for Jude’s signature.
      I look at how another Brummie, Jack Grealish, has developed so brilliantly under Pep Guardiola and know that Jude could add new dimensions to his already world-class all-round game.
      But then again Real’s gaffer Carlo Ancelotti, with his four European Cups, isn’t exactly a clown, is he?
      As for Liverpool, it seems as if they are keen to sign Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher from Chelsea.
      Now, they are two decent players and a lot younger than their current midfield, which clearly needs some refreshing.
      But those two are not players who would go to Anfield and change the whole mood of the club.
      Bellingham still has a soft spot for childhood club BirminghamCredit: PA
      They are more like younger versions of what Liverpool already have.
      Jude would have been that game-changer but I’m not sure he would ever have chosen them above Real, for instance.
      And now that Jurgen Klopp’s team won’t be among the European elite next season, that is even clearer.
      It feels like Liverpool are deliberately lowering the expectations of their supporters ahead of the summer transfer market because so many of those fans seemed convinced that Jude would be the player to revitalise their team.
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      Presumably they thought Liverpool’s passionate fanbase and great history might be an irresistible lure for him.
      But as every Birmingham fan knows, there is only one club Jude gets truly emotional about! More

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      Roy Keane gives brutal assessment of ‘lucky boy’ Frank Lampard’s chances of success at Chelsea

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      ROY KEANE doesn’t expect “lucky boy” Frank Lampard to lead Chelsea to Premier League and Champions League success as interim boss.Lampard made a surprise return to the Blues earlier this month as caretaker boss until the end of the season following Graham Potter’s dismissal.
      Roy Keane described Chelsea interim manager Frank Lampard as a “lucky boy”Credit: Rex
      But the West Londoners’ fortunes haven’t improved since the arrival of the club’s record goalscorer in the dugout as he lost both of his first two matches in charge against Wolves and Real Madrid.
      Manchester United legend Keane thinks Lamps is lucky to get yet another big opportunity in management after a disappointing spell at Everton.
      The Sky Sports pundit also doesn’t expect Chelsea to make it to the top four in the Premier League, let alone win the Champions League.
      Keane told The Overlap: “Good luck to him. The way thing has changed in football, the manager is under a lot of pressure now.
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      “A lot of clubs are looking for managers until the end of the season. Listen, good luck to him.
      “I’m not bothered, but…. They’ve got some excellent players, but obviously something is missing at the moment.
      “Even in the last couple of performances, they’re not finding a way to win.
      “I look at the personality of a team when all the stats are positive in terms of possession and chances created, but they haven’t got that nastiness that some of the Chelsea teams have had over the last few years.
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      “Frank is a lucky boy. Frank has had some really good jobs, you need some luck in the game, but to go back in there?
      “Do I see Chelsea going on to win the Champions League or kicking on to get into the top four? I can’t see it.
      “Listen, it’s a mad game we’re involved with and they do have some quality players.
      “Because they’ve brought so many players in it does take some time to gel, I don’t think they’ve got that team spirit and unity at this moment in time…
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      Manchester United legend Keane doesn’t expect Lampard to succeed at ChelseaCredit: Getty
      “I think Chelsea have a lot of good players, but good players don’t make a good team.
      “I think these players will take a long time to gel. When you bring so many players into your football club, it does take time for players to settle in. At Chelsea, managers don’t get that time. They’re at the door.” More

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      Graham Potter’s Chelsea Champions League squad selection comes back to bite Frank Lampard after injury blow

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      KALIDOU KOULIBALY has been ruled out of Chelsea’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid.Manager Frank Lampard confirmed the huge blow ahead of Saturday’s game against Brighton, revealing the defender will miss weeks with a hamstring injury.
      Graham Potter was sacked as Chelsea manager after just seven months in chargeCredit: Reuters
      Frank Lampard returned to be caretaker manager at the start of AprilCredit: Getty
      The former Napoli man, 31, pulled up after making a superb run back to deny Rodrygo a clear run at goal early in the second half at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
      Koulibaly limped off and was replaced by Marc Cucurella, and will now miss the return leg with Chelsea already trailing 2-0.
      Lampard said: “He won’t be available for either game, the hamstring injury is going to be a matter of weeks rather than days.
      “He is a very good, very experienced player.
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      “People talk about our [big] squad, but we haven’t got lots of cover at certain times and the Champions League squad is different to the Premier League squad.
      “It is a disappointment for him and us but an opportunity and we carry on without him and hopefully he gets fit as quick as he can.”
      Chelsea’s huge squad meant Graham Potter was forced to leave a number of players out of their Champions League squad.
      And Potter decided to omit January signing Benoit Badiashile, who would be the perfect replacement for Koulibaly.
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      Instead Potter chose to include Mykhailo Mudryk, who has struggled to live up to his £88m price tag.
      The Blues face a huge uphill battle to reach the semi-finals having conceded goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio in the first leg.
      Lampard will also be without Ben Chilwell following his straight red card.
      Kalidou Koulibaly wont be making an appearance in the Champions League quarter-final second-leg against Real MadridCredit: Getty More

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      I won the Champions League, featured in Messi’s debut and refused to play for Spain – now I’m known more for politics

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      OLEGUER PRESAS may have had a glimmering football career but he is now more known for his politics.The former Barcelona defender won the Champions League and also played in a certain Lionel Messi’s debut.
      Oleguer Presas was a regular for Barcelona when he playedCredit: Getty
      He ended his career at Ajax in 2011Credit: Getty
      Oleguer played 175 times for the Catalan giants during a five-year spell between 2003 and 2008.
      He was part of the squad that beat Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League Final, alongside club legends such as Carles Puyol and Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
      Despite playing for one of the best clubs in Spain, he never played for the national side, instead opting to represent Catalonia.
      He left the LaLiga side in 2008 for Dutch giants Ajax.
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      The defender spent the rest of his career in Holland before hanging up his boots in 2011.
      And he is indeed very proud of his career.
      Speaking to Diari de Barcelona, Oleguer said: “I am proud to have arrived at Barca, for me this is success.
      “Then you win a Champions League or you don’t, or a league… It depends on many factors.
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      “What is the result of effort and dedication is this entire trajectory. I’m proud of that, yes.”
      However, he is not living off his footballing career and instead has gone on to support political causes and Catalonian nationalism.
      Despite also winning two LaLiga titles, politics was always on his mind.
      As many of his team-mates went on to play for Spain, he rejected the chance ahead of the national side’s success at the Euros and World Cup.
      He said: “I did not feel this commitment to a national team that does not represent me in any way.
      “On the contrary, it generates rejection and aversion in me for what it represents.
      “The conversation with [Spain manager at the time] Luis Aragones was very frank, honest and calm. It’s not that I can’t feel comfortable, it’s also that I’m not interested.
      “I haven’t seen or followed the European Championships or the World Cups, it doesn’t have much sense.”
      Although he opted to play for Catalonia over SpainCredit: Getty
      And he was aware of the impact his views had on people’s opinion of him.
      He added: “When you’re in the thick of it, some picked me up as an icon because of what I said and some hated me.
      “I was always quite aware of that.”
      In his youth, he was considered to be quite rebellious as he attended protests in Barcelona and Amsterdam.
      When promoting his 2006 book Camí d’Itaca, he said of his political escapades: “I know that everything I say can have a lot of repercussion, but in what sense? Controversy, newspaper articles, radio comments, conversations… and will something change?
      “Even knowing that it will not change immediately, you have to get wet, because indifference is equivalent to giving up.
      “And we have to dream, whatever the cost, because it is the only way to get closer, even if it is with the slow passage of time, to the utopia. We have to be optimistic. Ithaca is not that far away.”
      But now Oleguer is more focused on battling against the commercialisation of the sport he was once at the top of.
      Oleguer is now more known for his politics than his footballing careerCredit: Reuters
      He told VilaWeb: “For years, football has been a business, a spectacle, focused on making economic profits.
      “Fans are no longer fans, they are spectators. Members are no longer members, they are consumers of the club.
      “Everything revolves around money.”
      The former Barcelona star also runs a football project that aims to take away the competitive nature out of football.
      He said at a Tedx event in Tarragona: “I thought training football was the way to go.
      “But I didn’t like the things I saw in traditional training football.
      “In this sense, the project was an opportunity to, from a passionate point of view, hold training sessions where learning was not solely football-related in order to seek the sporting excellence that is usually sought, but with vital learning and where the football aspect was not central.
      “I realised that grassroots football is very focused on performance and from my point of view there are human situations that I don’t like and that make me feel uncomfortable.”
      He now helps a football project that aims to take away the competitive edge of the gameCredit: Getty
      At the project, people get to enjoy the beautiful game without being sucked into the competitive side of football.
      Speaking to Marca, he said: “It has been good for us not having competition for this moment of joint learning that aims to change the most competitive and individualistic dynamics.
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      “If we had started in a competition without doing any previous work, it would have been more difficult to explain to them that the result is not important and that we all have to play together.
      “We live in an unjust society, and I try to do what I do to put an end to inequalities.” More

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      Thomas Tuchel breaks silence on Sadio Mane’s Bayern Munich ban after he punched Leroy Sane in the face

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      THOMAS TUCHEL has broken his silence on Sadio Mane’s alleged punch on Leroy Sane.The two players were involved in a heated exchange following the defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League.
      Thomas Tuchel has defended Sadio Mane after his alleged punch on Leroy SaneCredit: AP
      The two have been back in training with each otherCredit: AP
      Sane was believed to be left with a bloodied lip after the former Liverpool star reportedly punched him.
      But the Bayern boss has defended Mane and revealed that the problem has been “settled”.
      Mane has been fined and banned for one game.
      Tuchel said: “That’s settled. A game and a fine are the consequences of what happened.
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      “The way both players involved dealt with it, the way the other players dealt with it, it had a cleansing effect. 
      “We had a positive atmosphere yesterday and today. I’m here to defend Mane.
      “I’ve known him for a very long time and only know him as an absolute professional. I also know his entourage.
      “He has never been guilty of anything.
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      Bayern will be up against it when they take on Man City in the second leg of the tie.
      They will host the Citizens at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday as they looked to overcome the three-goal deficit, after hosting Hoffenheim on Saturday. More