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      Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger picks his two favourites to win Champions League this summer but ‘anything can happen’

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      ARSENE WENGER believes Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are best placed to take advantage of a weaker Champions League.
      The Frenchman believes the competition has declined in quality lately with PSG among his favourites despite also, as he sees it, declining as a team.

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      Arsene Wenger believes PSG and City are best placed to duel over a maiden Champions League crownCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      With Real Madrid still to be seen off in the last-16, Pep Guardiola’s City are 3/1 joint-favourites with Bayern Munich to win the crown.
      And Les Parisiens, back at 5/1 with Ladbrokes, are also fancied by the 70-year-old Arsenal legend.
      Wenger is quoted by Metro as telling Europe 1: “When you are playing a match against Atalanta or Atletico Madrid, anything can happen.
      “But for me, Manchester City and PSG are the two favourites in terms of their potential.

      “Aside from that, honestly, PSG, I feel they are a little bit less strong than three or four years ago.
      “In terms of their holistic setup, PSG were maybe a bit more complete three to four years ago, in all positions.

      “The competition was stronger as well.
      “But I think that there has been a general decline in the quality of European football at the very, very, very highest level and they are still amongst the two or three best in Europe.”

      Only four of this year’s quarter-finalists have been confirmed after the coronavirus pandemic struck midway through the last-16 stage.

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      Manchester City lead Real Madrid 2-1 ahead of Saturday’s second leg at the EtihadCredit: PA:Press Association

      City and Bayern lead Real Madrid and Chelsea, respectively, before their home legs at the end of this week.
      A victory for the Premier League runners-up would set up a tie with Juventus or Lyon, with the winner then likely facing either Bayern, Barcelona or Napoli.
      Arguably on the easier side of the draw, PSG are booked to meet Atalanta on August 12 in Lisbon before the winner plays Atletico Madrid or RB Leipzig for a place in the final.

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      Barcelona consider legal claim against Arthur over ‘unacceptable’ Champions League snub

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      BARCELONA star Arthur Melo faces legal action after refusing to return to training before the resumption of their Champions League campaign.
      Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu has accused the 23-year-old of showing a “lack of respect” towards his team-mates.

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      Arthur has agreed to join Juventus at the end of the season and has now gone Awol from BarcelonaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Barcelona’s squad are back in training ahead of Saturday’s last-16 showdown against Napoli.
      But they will be without Arthur as he has decided to stay in Brazil – without the club’s permission.
      Arthur has already agreed to join Italian giants Juventus in a deal worth £66million in July.
      However, the deal does not go through until the end of the season and the club have opened a legal file against him.

      During an interview with Sport, Bartomeu said: “What Arthur has done shows a lack of respect for his team-mates because the team wants to do well in the Champions League.
      “It is not logical that playing for such an important title, a player decides to remove himself.
      “It is unjustifiable and totally incomprehensible.
      “We reached the agreement that until the Champions League ended he would continue playing for Barca, both in the league and in the Champions League.

      “He is a player who has a certain importance in the team and who could help us.”
      Before he added: “But he did not appear from the return of the mini-vacations.
      “It is an unacceptable act of discipline.

      “And that is why we have opened a file for him, because there is no argument to justify his absence.
      “He called and said, ‘I will not return, I will stay in Brazil’.
      “It is his decision. No one has given him permission.”

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      Napoli want Champions League clash with Barcelona moved to Portugal after Catalonia coronavirus case spike

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      NAPOLI president Aurelio De Laurentiis wants his team’s Champions League game against Barcelona moved to Portugal because of a coronavirus spike in Catalonia.
      The teams are set to play their last-16 second leg tie at the Nou Camp on August 8 but the Napoli big-wig wants a change of plan.

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      Napoli boss Gennaro Gattuso is looking to reach the Champions League quarter-finalCredit: AFP

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      Napoli president Aurelio De Laurenttis has called for his side’s game with Barcelona to be moved to Portugal
      The first leg was a 1-1 draw in Naples in February.
      But the second leg which was originally scheduled for March 18 was postponed because of coronavirus.
      And now the pandemic is causing problems again with a recent spike in the number of daily confirmed cases in Catalonia.
      The Champions League quarter-finals are already set to take place in Portugal and De Laurentiis wants to know why those plans don’t apply to the last-16.

      He said: “I hear a lot of perplexity and fear coming from Spain and they’re acting like nothing is wrong.
      “What does it take to say, ‘Don’t go to Barcelona but rather go to Portugal, Germany or Geneva? 

      “If they’ve decided to play the Champions League in Portugal and the Europa League in Germany, I think we can go to Portugal or Germany for the round of 16.
      “I don’t understand why it should stay in a city that has a really critical situation.”

      The winner of the tie will face Bayern Munich or Chelsea on the quarter-final with the Blues 3-0 down from the first leg.

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      Barcelona boss Quique Setien ‘must win Champions League or be sacked’ as Lionel Messi looks to save dismal season

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      BARCELONA boss Quique Setien will be sacked if he doesn’t win the Champions League, according to reports.
      The 61-year-old replaced the popular Ernesto Valverde in January but has struggled to get the team going since.

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      Barcelona boss Quique Setien will be sacked if he doesn’t win the Champions League

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      Lionel Messi will try to save Barca’s season by bringing European glory
      Barca lost out on the LaLiga title to Real Madrid for the first time since 2016/17 with Lionel Messi blasting his “weak and erratic” teammates.
      And if the Catalan giants fail to win the Champions League next month, the Spaniard will be headed to the job centre, according to Spanish outlet Sport.
      After Barca lost 2-1 at home to ten-man Osasuna on the last game of the season, Messi also cast doubt over their ability to reach the last eight of the Champions League.
      They drew 1-1 at Napoli in the first leg of their last-16 tie before lockdown and have to beat the Italians or draw 0-0 in the home leg on August 8 to progress.

      Messi, 33, said: “We didn’t want to end the season like this but it represents how the season has gone.
      “We were a very erratic, very weak, low-intensity team. We lost a lot of points and today’s game is a summary of the season.

      January until now has been such a terrible time for everybody
      Lionel Messi

      “We have to be self-critical. Starting with the players but doing a global self-criticism.
      “We are Barca and we have to win everything.

      “We can’t look at Madrid. Madrid have done their job, but we have helped them a lot.”
      Messi added: “If we want to win the Champions League, we have to change a lot. If we continue like this, we will lose the game against Napoli.
      “We have to change lots of things. We have a game against Napoli just around the corner and things have to change.”
      And the Argentine seem to take particular aim at Setien when he said: “January until now has been such a terrible time for everybody.”
      Setien’s contract expires in 2022 but it includes a break clause when club elections take place in 2021.

      However, the coach is living his dream as Barca boss and has a very good relationship with the board.
      But the Spaniard is said to be aware that the next few weeks could be his last chance to save himself.
      At a recent meeting with club heavyweights Eric Abidal and president Josep Maria Bartomeu, Setien remained confident in his abilities but said he would only stay on if the squad accepted the decision.

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      BT Sport to show Champions League and Europa League finals for FREE and will broadcast World Cup-style tournament live

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      FANS will be able to watch both the Champions League and Europa League finals for FREE next month, BT Sport have confirmed.
      The British broadcaster will also air every single match as both tournaments finally reach their climaxes in August.

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      Manchester City will pick up their European campaign against Real MadridCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Resuming from the remaining round of 16 matches, both competitions will lead up to a bumper final weekend.
      The Europa League final will take place on Friday 21 August in Cologne, while the Champions League’s showpiece match will go ahead two days later in Lisbon.
      And fans will be able to watch both matches for FREE, by accessing either the BT Sport app or BT Sport YouTube channel.
      The Europa League gets back underway next Wednesday, with round of 16 second legs between Shakhtar Donetsk and Wolfsburg – and FC Copenhagen and Istanbul Basaksehir kicking things off in the teatime kick-off slot.

      And Manchester United will also return to action later on that evening, when they host LASK, 5-0 up from March’s first-leg in Austria.
      There will be more British involvement a day later, as Rangers travel to Leverkusen trailing 3-1 from the first-leg in Glasgow – while Wolves will hope to get the job done against Olympiacos at Molineux having drawn 1-1 in Greece.
      Following the round of 16 phase, the tournament will move to Germany, with matches being hosted in Cologne, Duisberg, Dusseldorf and Gelsenkirchen.
      As for the Champions League, things get going on again on Friday 7 August, when Juventus attempt to overhaul a 1-0 deficit to Lyon, and Manchester City look to get the job done against Real Madrid having won 2-1 in Spain.

      A day later Bayern Munich will surely get past Chelsea at the Allianz Arena, having stormed to a 3-0 lead in the first-leg, while Barcelona will try and get past Napoli with the score tied at 1-1.
      All matches from that point onward in Europe’s premier competition will take place in Lisbon, with the draw having already been made.
      Hipster-favourites Atalanta will face cashed-up Paris Saint-Germain to kick off the quarter-finals on Wednesday 12 August.
      Then Liverpool’s conquerors Atletico Madrid will face Tottenham-slayers RB Leipzig a day later.
      The Friday will see Napoli or Barcelona take on Bayern Munich (or in theory, Chelsea), before Saturday’s battle between Manchester City or Real Madrid and Juventus or Lyon.

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      Manchester United lead LASK 5-0 going into their Old Trafford second legCredit: EPA

      Games will be split between Benfica’s Estadio da Luz and Sporting Lisbon’s Estadio Jose Alvalade – with the final going ahead at the former.
      The semis will take place on the 18th and 19th of August, before the main event on the 23rd.
      Coverage will be fronted by regular BT Sport favourites Gary Lineker, Jake Humphrey and James Richardson.

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      The Champions League final will take place at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz on August 23Credit: Reuters

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      Kylian Mbappe ruled out of PSG’s Champions League clash vs Atalanta with ankle injury in huge blow for Ligue 1 giants

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      KYLIAN MBAPPE is out of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League game against Atalanta.
      The French ace has been ruled out after sustaining an ankle injury.

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      Kylian Mbappe has been ruled out of PSG’s Champions League gameCredit: AFP or licensors

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      Mbappe was left in agony on the floor from a horror challenge
      It is a massive blow for PSG as they prepare to return to competitive European action after the French league was curtailed by Covid-19.
      The French champs confirmed the 21-year-old is set to be out for around three weeks after scans revealed an ankle ligament injury.
      PSG play surprise Italian package Atalanta in the Champions League quarter-final on August 12.
      But they will be deprived of the French World Cup winner who will not have recovered in time to feature.

      Mbappe was left stricken after suffering the injuring during the Coupe de France final.

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      Mbappe wiped away tears on his way off
      Saint-Etienne skipper Loic Perrin slid in with a horror challenge and received his marching orders after making the tackle.
      The incident sparked a 22-man brawl but PSG regrouped to go on to lift the trophy after Neymar’s goal gave them a 1-0 win at the Stade de France.
      Mbappe was left writhing around in agony on the turf before later wiping away tears as he was helped from the field.

      Mbappe revealed in a conversation with French president Emmanuel Macron that his ankle “cracked a bit”.

      But he did allay fears of a more serious injury by saying: “It’s broken, you think? No I don’t think so.”
      Fans were quick to blame the Fifa cover curse for Mbappe’s latest injury after he was announced as EA Sports’ Fifa 21 cover star.
      He will also miss PSG’s Coupe de Ligue final against Lyon on Friday night.

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      Man City boost with Champions League clash against Real Madrid set to be held at Etihad despite new coronavirus rules

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      MANCHESTER CITY’S Champions League home clash with Real Madrid is set to go ahead – despite new coronavirus restrictions.
      The Government has re-imposed the requirement for travellers arriving in the UK from Spain to spend 14 days in quarantine.

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      Pep Guardiola hopes his Man City side make up for missing out on the Prmeier League title by winning the Champions League for the first timeCredit: PA:Press Association
      But it is understood that the exemptions previously announced for participants in major sporting events will remain in place.
      City are due to take on Real behind closed doors at the Etihad on August 7, holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg that took place in Madrid in late February.
      The authorities in Spain have ordered some businesses to close again amid fears of a second spike of Covid-19 there, prompting concern that CIty’s match could be affected.
      Culture secretary Oliver Dowden announced the sporting exemptions to travel restrictions earlier this month and there are no plans to revoke them.
      Dowden said: “It will mean that fans of the British Grand Prix, international cricket and Champions League football can look forward to yet more sporting action on home soil – a further boost to our national recovery.”
      Meanwhile, Etihad great David Silva claims his achievements have surpassed all expectations as he prepares for his 309th and final Premier League match – at home to bottom side Norwich on Sunday.

      Having won four titles as City’s ultimate stylist, the 34-year-old said: “When I look back at everything, I could never in my wildest dreams have imagined what I would achieve.”

      Spain midfielder Silva has also won the FA Cup twice and EFL Cup five times after joinng from Valencia in 2010.
      And despite being better known for his magical creativity and touch, he has also hit 60 Prem goals.

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      Kylian Mbappe ‘heard ankle crack’ in horror tackle that reduced PSG star to tears and makes him Champions League doubt

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      PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN forward Kylian Mbappe has revealed he heard his ankle crack after being on the end of a horror challenge from Loic Perrin.
      The 21-year-old was reduced to tears after receiving the blow in the Coupe de France final, with Perrin being sent off as a result of the tackle.

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      Kylian Mbappe could miss the Champions League next month with an ankle injuryCredit: AP:Associated Press
      The incident sparked a 22-man brawl on the pitch at the Stade de France, with Les Parisiens emerging victorious after winning 1-0 thanks to Neymar’s early strike.
      But the sight of Mbappe on crutches will have terrified PSG fans ahead of their Coupe de la Ligue final on July 31 as well as their Champions League quarter-final meeting against Atalanta next month.
      And Mbappe was heard speaking to French president Emmanuel Macron about his injury, as he told him: “It cracked a bit.”
      After Macron asked if he had broken his ankle, Mbappe replied: “It’s broken, you think? No I don’t think so.”

      The World Cup winner is understood to have had scans on Friday night, with PSG fearing he may have suffered ligament damage that will see him out for the rest of the season.
      KYL-ER BLOW
      Mbappe took to social media on Saturday morning, as he told his followers: “Awakening as a winner, no better feeling possible. Thank you all for your messages, it touches me a lot. Kisses to all and have a good weekend.”
      Manchester United ace Marcus Rashford responded to his post, as he commented: “Feel better bro!”
      PSG boss Thomas Tuchel was left fuming by the tackle on Mbappe after the match, as he slammed the rough tactics imposed by Claude Puel’s side.

      He said: “We won, in a final, that’s the most important thing. It was very difficult. We won but we have a lot of things to improve.

      ⏳👊🏽🙏🏽.Réveil en tant que vainqueur, pas de meilleure sensation possible.Merci à tous pour vos messages, ça me touche beaucoup.Bisous à tous et bon week-end 😀 pic.twitter.com/gwTI48KXrm
      — Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) July 25, 2020

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      Mbappe, 21, was left in agony after being challenged heavily by Loic Perrin

      “Aside from that, there were situations with Thilo (Kehrer), Neymar and Kylian Mbappe and that costs us dearly. We have to wait. I don’t have news on Kylian Mbappe.
      “This season, we have played three times against St-Etienne, there have been three red cards. And each time, they happen in the first 30 minutes, not at the end of the match when they are tired.
      “Today, it started with Ney and finished with Kylian. Aside from that, we got handed three cards for their foul (Perrin red card)! I really cannot understand that.”

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