Liverpool, Barcelona Risk Missing Automatic Qualification to Champions League Round of 16

Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah talks to Liverpool's French striker #22 Hugo Ekitike during a team training session at their training ground in Kirkby, Liverpool, northwest England on January 20, 2026, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League, league phase football match against Olympique Marseille in Marseille. (AFP)

08:57-21 January 2026 AD ـ 02 Sha’ban 1447 AH

Liverpool, Barcelona Risk Missing Automatic Qualification to Champions League Round of 16

Liverpool and Barcelona are leaving it late to secure automatic qualification to the Champions League round of 16.

With just two rounds remaining, the defending champions of England and Spain currently sit outside of the top eight spots that will advance automatically.

Teams placed from nine to 24 enter a two-legged playoff to go through to the round of 16.

Liverpool topped the league phase last year, but then faced the daunting task of playing eventual winner Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16. Arne Slot's team is going a different way about it this time around and may have to navigate a playoff to advance.

Liverpool is away to Marseille on Wednesday and could be boosted by the return of Mohamed Salah from the Africa Cup of Nations. He headed off to represent his country last month after a public row with Slot raised doubts about his future.

Salah was unhappy with his lack of game time and aired his views in an explosive interview. He returns to Liverpool at a time when the Merseyside club needs more firepower following injury to record signing Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, who has only recently returned to action.

Barcelona was runner-up to Liverpool during the league phase last year and progressed to the semifinals before losing to Inter Milan.

Now it is playing catch up as it heads to Slavia Prague.

Chelsea's new coach Liam Rosenior takes charge of his first Champions League game with the club at home to Pafos.

Rosenior replaced Club World Cup-winning coach Enzo Maresca this month after leading Chelsea's sister club Strasbourg to the top of the third-tier Conference League standings.
Bayern Munich — one of this season's favorites — hosts Union Saint-Gilloise.

China Sprint Race Presents ‘Huge Challenge’ in F1’s New Era

Formula One F1 - Australian Grand Prix - Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia - March 8, 2026 Drivers in action during the race. (Reuters)

06:41-11 March 2026 AD ـ 22 Ramadan 1447 AH

China Sprint Race Presents ‘Huge Challenge’ in F1’s New Era

Formula One F1 - Australian Grand Prix - Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia - March 8, 2026 Drivers in action during the race. (Reuters)

Formula One's new era heads into its first sprint in Shanghai this weekend, with the Chinese Grand Prix promising a very different test to Melbourne, where George Russell led home a Mercedes one-two.

The Silver Arrows dominated the season-opener, Russell winning from Kimi Antonelli and followed home by the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in the first race under sweeping new regulations.

Lando Norris and McLaren struggled, the British world champion trailing home fifth and teammate Oscar Piastri failing to even start after crashing on his way to the grid.

Red Bull's four-time champion Max Verstappen carved his way through the field to sixth after starting 20th on the grid following a qualifying crash.

The Shanghai International Circuit, unlike the Albert Park track in Melbourne, has one long straight and several complexes of turns.

It will require a different approach to battery deployment and energy harvesting in the new cars, which have a 50-50 split between conventional and electrical power.

But with only one practice session before sprint qualifying on Friday, the teams will have little time to hone their set-ups and strategies.

Saturday morning will see the sprint race over 19 laps of the 5.451km circuit and grand prix qualifying in the afternoon.

Sunday's grand prix will be over 56 laps, and if the race in Melbourne is anything to go by, it could be very eventful.

"Shanghai is going to be important to be straight on point with deployment, with everything, because obviously we get only one practice and then we go into qualifying," said Antonelli.

"The rate of development is going to be massive and it's going to be important to not put any wrong step because the situation can flip very quickly."

Leclerc agreed: "To have a sprint race so early on in a season like this will be a huge challenge for everybody. It's going to be very tricky."

Race-winner Russell said his only reservation about the 2026 cars was a lack of control when the active front wing was opened up under the new "straight mode".

Introduced this season to reduce drag and give a boost of speed akin to the now-defunct DRS system, Russell said it made the cars skittish.

- 'Pretty big gap' -

"The only thing I would request from the FIA is that the front wing doesn't drop as aggressively," said Russell.

"When we open 'straight mode' we will have lots of understeer, and when I was behind Charles and I was trying to duck out of his slipstream it was like my front wing wasn't working.

"So, I think from a safety aspect that would make the racing safer, better. I don't see a downside of doing it."

Norris was highly critical of the new cars.

McLaren, so dominant last season, were off the pace all weekend in Australia.

"The gap to the guys ahead is pretty big and we clearly have a lot of work to do," said the world champion.

Verstappen admitted Red Bull also have problems to address.

"I had some issues at the start with the battery so as soon as the clutch was dropped, I had no power, so that is something we need to understand," said the Dutchman.

"It was a decent comeback from P20 and we will work as a team to close the gap further."

New to the grid, Cadillac were encouraged by Sergio Perez finishing 16th on the team's much-anticipated debut.

"It was great to see the Cadillac Formula 1 Team bring its first car home," said team principal Graeme Lowdon.

Sports

Sinner Edges Into Indian Wells Quarters, Sabalenka Powers Past Osaka

Asharq Al Awsat

06:34-11 March 2026 AD ـ 22 Ramadan 1447 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

06:34-11 March 2026 AD ـ 22 Ramadan 1447 AH

Sinner Edges Into Indian Wells Quarters, Sabalenka Powers Past Osaka

World number two Jannik Sinner survived a stern test from Joao Fonseca on Tuesday to reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals, while women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka eased past 16th seed Naomi Osaka 6-2 6-4 to progress to the women's last eight.

Sinner was pushed hard by the 19-year-old Brazilian, trailing 6-3 in the first set before rallying to close out the match 7-6(6) 7-6(4).

"I am very happy winning this match," Reuters quoted Sinner as saying.

"Joao is an incredible talent. He was serving really well. I was trying to be as aggressive as possible and that was the key to get through against the incredible talent."

The Italian will now meet the home favorite Learner Tien on Friday for a place in the last four.

"I feel he is a very consistent player and I am very happy to face him again. He has improved a lot since the last time we met," Sinner said of his American opponent.

Meanwhile, in the ⁠first meeting between ⁠the two four-time Grand Slam champions since 2018 - when Osaka beat Sabalenka at the US Open en route to her maiden major title - the Belarusian's power proved too much for the former world No. 1 on Tuesday.

"Yeah that's crazy, for so many years we only played once. I'm pretty sure we are playing many more matches, she's coming back playing great tennis," Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. "I'm pretty happy for the result today, much better than last time."

Mar 10, 2026; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Naomi Osaka (JPN) and Aryna Sabalenka (BEL) embrace after their fourth round match in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Osaka began confidently with a strong opening service game, but top seed Sabalenka soon found her rhythm and capitalized on a brief ⁠dip from the Japanese, breaking for 2-1 after two double faults.

The Belarusian tightened her grip with a barrage of powerful backhands to lead 5-2, then served out the set comfortably with an ace.

After a series of solid holds from both players early in the second, Sabalenka again used her firepower to take control, breaking again for a 4-2 lead that proved decisive in closing out the win and continuing her run in the tournament without dropping a set.

"I'm happy that I put so much pressure on her today, that I brought variety to the court," Sabalenka said. "My serve worked well. On the return I played really great tennis. Happy with my performance for sure."

Last year's runner-up Sabalenka will continue her quest for a first title in the California desert against Canada's Victoria Mboko, who sailed past higher-ranked American Amanda Anisimova 6-4 6-1.

It will be a rematch of an Australian Open round-of-16 between ⁠the two, which Sabalenka won ⁠in straight sets.

Elsewhere, Australia's Talia Gibson enjoyed the biggest win of her career, beating Italy's world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini 7-5 2-6 6-1 in her first match against a top-10 player.

The 21-year-old, playing her first WTA 1000 main draw, also became the first qualifier in 11 years to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament.

"I just have a confidence in the way I'm playing," Gibson said. "I'm in shock."

Czech Republic's Linda Noskova, the 14th seed, sailed past Alexandra Eala in just 55 minutes with a 6-2 6-0 win to book a quarter-final meeting with Gibson.

In the men's draw, Alexander Zverev saw off Frances Tiafoe 6-3 6-4, converting two of three break points and firing 14 aces to seal his ninth win over the 21st-seeded American.

He will next face France's Arthur Fils as he looks to reach his first Indian Wells semi-final.

Fils earlier produced a stunning 6-3 7-6(9) win over Canadian ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, saving five set points and rallying from 0-5 down in the second-set tiebreak to book a place in the quarter-finals for the second consecutive year.

Sports

Iranian Women’s Football Team Member Changes Mind on Asylum in Australia

Members of Iran's women's football team walk as they arrive at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport after taking part in the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 tournament in Australia, in Sepang on March 11, 2026. (AFP)

06:22-11 March 2026 AD ـ 22 Ramadan 1447 AH

Iranian Women’s Football Team Member Changes Mind on Asylum in Australia

An Iranian women's football team member who sought sanctuary in Australia has changed her mind after speaking with teammates, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Wednesday.

Seven members of Iran's visiting women's football team had claimed asylum in Australia after they were branded "traitors" at home over a pre-match protest.

One player and one support member sought sanctuary before the side flew out of Sydney to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday evening in emotional scenes, joining five other athletes who had already claimed asylum.

Burke said in parliament on Wednesday that he had since been advised one of the group "had spoken to some of the teammates that left and changed their mind".

"She had been advised by her teammates and encouraged to contact the Iranian embassy," he said.

"As a result of that it meant the Iranian embassy now knew the location of where everybody was."

The remaining players have been moved from a safe house to another location, he said.

The travelling squad arrived in Malaysia early Wednesday morning after flying out from Sydney, AFP photos at Kuala Lumpur International Airport showed.

There were fears male minders travelling with the team might try to prevent other women seeking asylum.

Burke said each player was separated from the squad at Sydney Airport and given time to mull the offer in private.

Australian officials had "made sure this was her decision" he said, referring to the Iran team member who had changed her mind.

Liverpool, Barcelona Risk Missing Automatic Qualification to Champions League Round of 16

Liverpool, Barcelona Risk Missing Automatic Qualification to Champions League Round of 16

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China Sprint Race Presents ‘Huge Challenge’ in F1’s New Era

China Sprint Race Presents ‘Huge Challenge’ in F1’s New Era

Sinner Edges Into Indian Wells Quarters, Sabalenka Powers Past Osaka

Sinner Edges Into Indian Wells Quarters, Sabalenka Powers Past Osaka

Iranian Women’s Football Team Member Changes Mind on Asylum in Australia

Iranian Women’s Football Team Member Changes Mind on Asylum in Australia

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