Liverpool to face Sparta Prague in Europa League last 16

Sparta Prague’s Indrit Tuci celebrates scoring their second goal with Jan Kuchta during their Europa League — Play-Off — Second Leg match against Galatasaray ar epet ARENA, Prague, on Feb. 22, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 23 February 2024
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Liverpool to face Sparta Prague in Europa League last 16

  • Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool will be strong favourites to reach the quarter-finals
  • Leverkusen, led by Xabi Alonso, are unbeaten in 32 matches in all competitions this season, and will again face Qarabag

NYON, Switzerland: Three-time winners Liverpool were drawn to face Sparta Prague in the Europa League last 16 on Friday, while unbeaten Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen will take on Azeris Qarabag.
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool will be strong favourites to reach the quarter-finals as they bid for a quadruple in the German's final season before stepping down as manager.
The first leg will be played in the Czech capital on March 7, with Anfield hosting the return game a week later.
Leverkusen, led by Xabi Alonso, are unbeaten in 32 matches in all competitions this season, and will again face Qarabag, having already seen off the Azeri champions twice in the group stage.
Also renewing acquaintances will be last year's Europa Conference League winners West Ham and Freiburg, after David Moyes' side's brace of victories against the Bundesliga club in Group A.
"It's kind of stupid that you can come back against your group opponents in the round of 16," said Freiburg captain Christian Guenter.
"You could already tell that some of us were upset."
Seven-time European champions AC Milan continue their bid to win a maiden Europa League title against Slavia Prague after their knock-out round play-off win over Rennes.
Scottish Premiership leaders Rangers, losing finalists in 2022, take on Portuguese Primeira Liga pace-setters Benfica, still chasing a first European trophy since 1962.
Premier League club Brighton continue their first ever European adventure at last season's runners-up Roma.
First legs to be played on March 7, second legs to be played on March 14.

Full last-16 draw
Sparta Prague (CZE) v Liverpool (ENG)
Marseille (FRA) v Villarreal (ESP)
Roma (ITA) v Brighton (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Rangers (SCO)
Freiburg (GER) v West Ham (ENG)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Atalanta (ITA)
AC Milan (ITA) v Slavia Prague (CZE)
Qarabag (AZE) v Bayer Leverkusen (GER)


Green Falcons hold Alkhobar training session in preparation for World Cup qualifiers

Updated 2 min 34 sec ago
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Green Falcons hold Alkhobar training session in preparation for World Cup qualifiers

  • French coach Herve Renard supervised the team as they held a light recovery session
  • Team preparations resume tomorrow night with full training session

KHOBAR: The Saudi national football team held a training session on Saturday in Alkhobar, as they continue preparing for the decisive ninth and 10th rounds of the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

French coach Herve Renard supervised the team as they held a light recovery session at the health facilities of the Green Falcons’ base camp, a media statement said.

Injured left back Muteb Al-Harbi continued his rehabilitation program under the medical staff’s supervision, while teammate Mohammed Bakr resumed physical training with the team’s fitness coach.

After the recovery session ended, Renard gave the players some free time, with the squad scheduled to return later this evening at their base.

The Green Falcons’ preparations resume tomorrow night with a full training session at 7 p.m. in Ettifaq Club Stadium.

The first 15 minutes of the session will be open to the media to offer a glimpse into the team’s readiness as the qualifiers draw near.

Saudi Arabia stands at third place in Group C with 10 points from eight matches. Japan tops the group on 20 points, while second-place Australia has 13 points.

The Green Falcons play against Bahrain on June 5 and Australia on June 10.


Real Madrid most valuable soccer team for fourth straight year, say Forbes

Updated 31 May 2025
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Real Madrid most valuable soccer team for fourth straight year, say Forbes

  • Real became the first soccer club to bring in a billion dollars in a single year
  • England’s Manchester United are second in Forbes’ list with a $6.6 billion valuation

MADRID: LaLiga side Real Madrid topped the list of the most valuable soccer teams in the world for the fourth year in a row with a valuation of $6.6 billion, business magazine Forbes has said.

Real became the first soccer club to bring in a billion dollars in a single year after they posted a record $1.13 billion in revenue for the 2023-24 season, the magazine added in a report published on Friday.


The Spanish club, the second sports team in history to hit the 10-figure threshold after National Football League side Dallas Cowboys, are the first soccer team to register one billion euros in revenue in a single season, Deloitte had said earlier this year.

England’s Manchester United are second in Forbes’ list with a $6.6 billion valuation after generating $834 million in revenue in the 2023-24 season despite a forgettable Premier League campaign where they finished eighth.

Real’s LaLiga rivals Barcelona are third, valued at $5.65 billion, while Liverpool and Manchester City are fourth and fifth.

Forbes named six Premier League sides among the top 10 most valuable teams with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea making the list after Bayern Munich and Paris St. Germain.

“Together, the 30 most valuable soccer teams are worth more than $72 billion, or an average of $2.4 billion, up 5 percent from 2024’s record $2.26 billion,” Forbes said.


Ajax appoint Heitinga as new coach

Updated 31 May 2025
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Ajax appoint Heitinga as new coach

  • Former club manager Marcel Keizer will serve as Heitinga’s assistant
  • “John knows the club well,” Technical Director Alex Kroes told the club website

AMSTERDAM: Ajax Amsterdam have named John Heitinga as their new coach, with the former Netherlands defender signing a two-year deal, the Eredivisie club confirmed on Saturday.

Heitinga, who grew up in the club’s youth ranks and was part of Ajax’s senior squad for seven and a half seasons, was one of Arne Slot’s assistants at Liverpool in their Premier League-winning season.


Former club manager Marcel Keizer will serve as Heitinga’s assistant and has signed a contract of the same duration, Ajax added.

“John knows the club well,” Technical Director Alex Kroes told the club website.

“We are convinced that he, together with Marcel, will help improve our players and build on the progress made since last summer in terms of, for example, elite sporting culture and discipline.”

Heitinga replaces Italian Francesco Farioli, who resigned earlier this month after a year in charge.

Record 36-time champions Ajax finished the season second after blowing a nine-point lead as they were pipped to the league title by PSV Eindhoven on the final day.

Ajax last won the league in 2021-22.

“It’s good that it’s decided early on in the summer break that they will be in charge from the end of June. (We) can now continue working with John and the other parties involved on the squad composition for the coming season,” Kroes added.

Former Atletico Madrid and Everton defender Heitinga coached youth and reserve teams at Ajax after he retired from playing, following his return to Ajax, in 2016.

He was also briefly appointed as acting coach of Ajax in 2023 after the firing of Alfred Schreuder.

Heitinga, who won 87 caps for the Netherlands, was then David Moyes’s assistant at West Ham United before taking on the same role at Liverpool.

“I am incredibly excited to start,” Heitinga said.

“The last years in England have done me a lot of good. I’ve been able to develop further alongside David Moyes and Arne Slot, while also getting a behind-the-scenes look at two major clubs.

“I’m ready to continue as a head coach and I’m honored to be given that opportunity at Ajax.”


‘We’re going in there to win it’: Manchester City chairman targets FIFA Club World Cup success

Updated 31 May 2025
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‘We’re going in there to win it’: Manchester City chairman targets FIFA Club World Cup success

  • In part 2 of his review of the 2024-2025 season, Khaldoon Al-Mubarak looks forward to the FIFA Club World Cup and and the developments taking place across City Football Group

ABU DHABI: Manchester City’s chairman, Khaldoon Al-Mubarak, has provided his annual review of the season to the club’s official online channel. In part 2 of the interview he reveals the team’s desire to retain the FIFA Club world Cup taking place in June and discusses the developments taking place across City Football Group. Here are some of the highlights.

On the FIFA Club World Cup…

“Well, as the defending champions coming into this new format, of course, we’re very excited. We’re very excited to come in as champions. The format actually, I really like it.

“This is a very, very serious competition. I think, in the summer, the whole world will be watching this with a big number of the top teams in the world will be competing in this tournament.

“I can assure you we’re going to give it our best shot. We’re going in there to win it. This is the beginning of the new season, not the continuation of last season.

“The team will take the rest that they will take right now, and then they start pre-season and then immediately straight into the Club World Cup.”

On Manchester City’s North Stand redevelopment…

“It’s coming up very fast. It’s going to be a great addition to the campus. Once we start the new season, everybody will start physically seeing it a lot clearer.

“The hotel is also coming up nicely. It’s moving very, very fast, but we’re happy with the contractors on the ground. This is going to be a game changer. You will see over these next 12 to 18 months. This is going to be a game changer for the campus and for the club.”

On NYCFC…

“Well, more than the foundation, the work is fully now in full effect. Construction is happening at a fast pace. This is going to be an incredible stadium. We’re very excited about what we’re doing in New York, what we’re doing for that community in terms of a proper football stadium, with a team that now is closing in on 10 years.

“It’s been a great journey. And they’ve earned (it). They deserve a stadium, and finally, they’re going to get it. And we have now a line of sight of when it’s going to be finished and it’ll be transformative for football fans in New York, for our fan base, and really at a time where football is booming in America.”

On City Football Group…

“It’s developed very well. We look at City Football Group as a group, but then each team individually and each team gets the attention it requires and gets a lot of attention from the whole leadership team.

“There’s individuality with each club. Depending on where they are around the world, each one has its own requirements. But overall, one of the things that gives us confidence is how many similar models now are following our CFG model.

“There are a lot of other groups now that are pursuing what we have built at City Football Group, which tells you there’s an appreciation that this is a good model and it’s a model that’s effective.”


Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan face off in the Champions League final

Updated 31 May 2025
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Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan face off in the Champions League final

  • European club football’s biggest prize is at stake between two teams that have felt the pain of falling at the last hurdle in recent years
  • Inter was a losing finalist against Manchester City in 2023 and PSG lost in its only final against Bayern Munich in 2020

MUNICH: Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan go head-to-head in the Champions League final in Munich on Saturday.

European club football’s biggest prize is at stake between two teams that have felt the pain of falling at the last hurdle in recent years.

Inter was a losing finalist against Manchester City in 2023 and PSG lost in its only final against Bayern Munich in 2020.

After spending billions of dollars and signing some of the sport’s greatest players like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, PSG is still waiting to win its first Champions League title. Those superstars have now departed, but coach Luis Enrique has assembled one of the most exciting squads in Europe, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia filling the void left by that trio.

Enrique is aiming to win the competition for the second time as a coach, having lifted it with Barcelona in 2015, and would become the seventh coach to win the trophy with different teams.

“The motivation for me is to win the Champions League title for the first time for PSG,” he said. “That is the gift I want to give the people, the club, the city.”

Inter was looking for a treble just over a month ago, but is now left with the Champions League as its only possible trophy. It lost the Italian title by a point and was knocked out of the Italian Cup in the semifinals.

“These players in these four years did a lot — won a lot and lost sometimes. It happens. But we all gave our all, everyone. We are proud to be Inter,” coach Simone Inzaghi said. “I dreamed of playing the Champions League final. I didn’t do it as a player, but thanks to this group of players I’ve been in two finals as a head coach.”

Inter has won the Champions League or European Cup on three occasions, most recently in 2010.

When does the Champions League final begin?

The match at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. local time.