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Which Teams Are in Danger Heading into a Pivotal Week in the Revamped Champions League? 

Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Chelsea - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 25, 2025 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Chelsea - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 25, 2025 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)
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Which Teams Are in Danger Heading into a Pivotal Week in the Revamped Champions League? 

Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Chelsea - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 25, 2025 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Chelsea - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 25, 2025 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)

The Champions League’s new-look league phase reaches its conclusion on Wednesday with big names like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in danger of early elimination.

Holder Real Madrid and six-time winner Bayern Munich are fighting to avoid a playoff.

With so much jeopardy going into the last games before the knockout stages, UEFA’s revamp of its elite club competition looks to have delivered.

How was the Champions League revamped?

The European Cup has evolved since its inception in 1955 when it was a straight knockout tournament played over four rounds. It expanded over the years and in 1992 was rebranded the Champions League.

From 2003, 32 teams played in eight groups of four, with 16 advancing to a knockout stage.

But for this season the group stage was scrapped and replaced by one group of 36 teams. The draw was seeded and each team played one-off games against eight different opponents.

The top eight teams automatically advance to the round of 16. Teams placed ninth to 24th go into a playoff and those below are eliminated.

How will the final round of games work?

Traditionally, the group stage finale was split over two days, but all 36 teams will play at the same time on Wednesday. Kickoff is 9 p.m. CET (2000 GMT).

Only leader Liverpool and second-placed Barcelona have qualified for the last 16. Record 15-time winner Real Madrid is one of 16 teams vying to be one of the other six teams to automatically qualify for the last 16 and avoid a playoff.

What are the big stories to look out for?

Manchester City, the 2023 champion, needs to beat Brugge just to secure a place in the playoffs. Anything less and it will be eliminated.

PSG beat City last week to move into the playoff spots, but a loss to Stuttgart could still see it go out.

Madrid eased concerns about a potential early exit by defeating Salzburg 5-1 last week. The defending champion may yet have to settle for a playoff and the possibility of an uncomfortable draw, given so many big teams are in places 9-24.

They include Bayern, Juventus, PSG and last year’s beaten finalist Borussia Dortmund. City will be hoping to join that list as well.

Who is on top?

Liverpool is in first place with a perfect winning record from its first seven games.

Liverpool needs a point against PSV Eindhoven to win the league phase. Barcelona is three points behind and could yet take top spot with a win against Atalanta if Liverpool loses.

Is there an advantage to coming first?

That remains to be seen. In a season that has already been congested by the addition of two extra league phase games, there is an obvious advantage to avoiding the playoffs and two more matches.

But the number of big teams in the playoff spots means there is the chance of drawing one of the favorites in the round of 16.

If the standings remain the same after Wednesday’s games, Liverpool would face the prospect of Madrid, Bayern, Juventus or Celtic in the last 16. Hardly a reward for finishing top.

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Sports

Youngest F1 Title Leader Antonelli to Keep ‘Raising Bar’ After Japan Win

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Racing Course racetrack in Suzuka, Japan, 29 March 2026. (EPA)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Racing Course racetrack in Suzuka, Japan, 29 March 2026. (EPA)
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Youngest F1 Title Leader Antonelli to Keep ‘Raising Bar’ After Japan Win

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Racing Course racetrack in Suzuka, Japan, 29 March 2026. (EPA)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Racing Course racetrack in Suzuka, Japan, 29 March 2026. (EPA)

Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli vowed to "keep raising the bar" after winning Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings.

The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

Antonelli's Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell.

Mercedes are struggling to contain the excitement building around their young driver, even if Antonelli said he was "not thinking too much about the championship".

"Of course it's great but it's still a long way to go and I need to keep raising the bar, because George is very quick," he said.

"For sure he's going to be back at his usual level and also competitors will eventually get closer."

Antonelli led home Piastri by 13.722sec, with Leclerc a further 1.548sec back in third.

Russell finished fourth to drop to second in the championship standings on 63 points. Leclerc is third on 49.

Russell battled Piastri for the lead over the first half of the race but pitted just before the safety car which dropped him out of contention for the win.

Piastri secured second in his first grand prix start of the season, after crashing on his way to the grid in the opener in Australia and missing the race in China because of a technical problem.

Piastri led for the first half of the race before the safety car gave Antonelli his chance.

"It would have been really interesting to see what would have happened without that," said Piastri.

"A shame that we never got to see what would have happened, but I think for us to be disappointed at this point about finishing second is a pretty good place to be."

- Poor starts 'making life harder' -

McLaren's world champion Lando Norris was fifth ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Alpine's Pierre Gasly.

Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen, the winner in Japan for the past four years, was eighth after starting from 11th on the grid.

Antonelli had become the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history in China and again was at the head of the grid.

But he suffered a shocking start and was down in sixth by the first corner.

Piastri took the early lead ahead of Leclerc, with Norris, Russell and Hamilton all sweeping past Antonelli.

"It's an area where I need to work a lot because it's definitely not good enough," said Antonelli.

"I'm just making my life a lot harder."

The young Italian had made up some of the lost ground when a crash by Haas driver Ollie Bearman brought out the safety car during the pit stop window.

Piastri had already pitted but Antonelli was able to dive in for fresh tires moments after the safety car was deployed and emerged in front of the Australian, a stroke of luck that effectively won him the race.

"I was very lucky with the timing of the safety car," said Antonelli.

Bearman got out of his car unaided but was limping badly as race marshals helped him off the track.

Haas later said he had "a right knee contusion" and initial X-rays showed no fractures after hitting the barrier at high speed.

Formula One now takes an extended break until the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.

The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races scheduled for April have been cancelled because of the war in the Middle East.

Sports

Mexico, Portugal Draw 0-0 as Azteca Stadium Reopens After World Cup Renovations

Mexican fans cheer for their team during a friendly football match between Mexico and Portugal at the Banorte (formerly known as Azteca) Stadium in Mexico City on March 28, 2026. (AFP)
Mexican fans cheer for their team during a friendly football match between Mexico and Portugal at the Banorte (formerly known as Azteca) Stadium in Mexico City on March 28, 2026. (AFP)
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Mexico, Portugal Draw 0-0 as Azteca Stadium Reopens After World Cup Renovations

Mexican fans cheer for their team during a friendly football match between Mexico and Portugal at the Banorte (formerly known as Azteca) Stadium in Mexico City on March 28, 2026. (AFP)
Mexican fans cheer for their team during a friendly football match between Mexico and Portugal at the Banorte (formerly known as Azteca) Stadium in Mexico City on March 28, 2026. (AFP)

Mexico and Portugal played to a scoreless draw on Saturday night in a warm-up match that marked the reopening of the Azteca Stadium after nearly two years of renovations for the 2026 World Cup.

Goncalo Ramos had the best scoring chance in the match when he rattled the goalpost in the 26th minute.

The iconic Azteca stadium, which hosted the finals of the 1970 and 1986 World Cup tournaments, has been closed since May 2024 for renovations for the upcoming World Cup, where it will host five matches: three first-round matches and two for the knockout stages.

On Saturday, the Mexicans were without 12 players through injury, including six starters that helped the team win the CONCACAF Nations League and the Gold Cup last year.

The Portuguese also faced the match with absences, most notably those of forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Leão.

Mexico opens its tournament June 11 in Mexico City against South Africa in the opening match of the tournament.

The Mexicans will play against Belgium next Tuesday at Soldier Field in Chicago, while Portugal face the United States at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Portugal will make its debut in the World Cup on June 17 against the winner of the intercontinental playoffs match between Jamaica and Congo.

Sports

Kit Confusion: US and Belgian Players Can’t Tell Which Team’s Jersey Is Which from Distance

Alexis Saelemaekers #22 of Belgium is challenged by Christian Pulisic #10 of the United States during the International Friendly match between United States and Belgium at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Getty Images/AFP)
Alexis Saelemaekers #22 of Belgium is challenged by Christian Pulisic #10 of the United States during the International Friendly match between United States and Belgium at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Kit Confusion: US and Belgian Players Can’t Tell Which Team’s Jersey Is Which from Distance

Alexis Saelemaekers #22 of Belgium is challenged by Christian Pulisic #10 of the United States during the International Friendly match between United States and Belgium at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Getty Images/AFP)
Alexis Saelemaekers #22 of Belgium is challenged by Christian Pulisic #10 of the United States during the International Friendly match between United States and Belgium at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Getty Images/AFP)

Christian Pulisic couldn't figure out teammates from opposing Belgians in a friendly with kit confusion.

“That can’t happen. It was a bit strange,” the US star said after Saturday's 5-2 loss to Belgium.

The US wore its new Nike jerseys with red and white horizontal stripes that resemble a waving flag, an apparent homage to American jerseys at the 1994 World Cup with vertical red-and-white stripes.

Belgium had on its new Adidas road jerseys with a background of a light color called Frozen Blue mixed with pink and black trim, a tribute to surrealist artist René Magritte.

“It definitely was a little bit difficult whenever you do like a quick glance to tell which was which. It was almost like a 50-50 thing,” American midfielder Weston McKennie said. “So you definitely have to maybe take a little more time on the ball before you made a decision or play one touch to a player.”

Both teams exchanged uniform plans well ahead of the match, according to the US Soccer Federation, and the outfits were cleared before the game by the match officials.

Belgium’s home jersey in a solid red while the US’s other is dark blue with a subtle star pattern and red trim, which it plans to wear for Tuesday’s friendly against Portugal.

While the flawed fashions became apparent during the first half, neither team had different sets of jerseys on site they could switch to at the break.

Decisions could depend on shorts — the US wore blue and Belgium white. The Americans had white socks and the Belgians blue.

Players hadn't been concerned about the game's sartorial aspects.

“I didn’t know until we took off the pre-match, whatever, shirts and then saw it and I was like — everyone was a bit shocked,” Pulisic said. “A lot of times you get the ball, you look up, you can’t really lock in on something. You only can base it off the color of the shirt. That’s how it works. And when it’s very similar, it's difficult.”