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Champions League Semis: Barcelona-Inter Revives Memories of 2010 Epic and Arsenal Hosts PSG 

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho, of Portugal, reacts after a Champions League semifinal match, second leg, between Barcelona and Inter Milan, at the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona, Spain, on April 28, 2010. (AP)
Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho, of Portugal, reacts after a Champions League semifinal match, second leg, between Barcelona and Inter Milan, at the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona, Spain, on April 28, 2010. (AP)
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Champions League Semis: Barcelona-Inter Revives Memories of 2010 Epic and Arsenal Hosts PSG 

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho, of Portugal, reacts after a Champions League semifinal match, second leg, between Barcelona and Inter Milan, at the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona, Spain, on April 28, 2010. (AP)
Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho, of Portugal, reacts after a Champions League semifinal match, second leg, between Barcelona and Inter Milan, at the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona, Spain, on April 28, 2010. (AP)

The free-flowing attack of Barcelona comes up against the rugged, smothering defense of Inter Milan in the Champions League semifinals.

Ring any bells?

Go back to 2010 — when Lamine Yamal was not even 3 years old and Lionel Messi was close to his prime — and Camp Nou was the scene of one of the most memorable matches in Champions League history, between the same teams going head-to-head there again on Wednesday.

Protecting a 3-1 lead from the first leg, Inter — coached at the time by Jose Mourinho — delivered a defensive masterclass against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona to survive with 10 men for more than an hour and lose just 1-0 to progress to the title match.

Memories will come flooding back ahead of the rematch this week, especially with the two protagonists owning the same traits as 15 years ago.

Barcelona is back in the Champions League semifinals for the first time since the 2018-19 season, on the back of by far the best attack in the new-look, 36-team league stage. With Yamal, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski up front, Barca scored 28 goals in eight games — and has netted nine more goals in eliminating Benfica and Borussia Dortmund in the knockouts.

Then there’s Inter, the Italian champion, which conceded just once in eight games in the first stage and held on grimly to oust Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals.

Inter won the 2010 final, against Bayern, for a third European Cup title so its run toward the final this season has echoes of that title-winning campaign.

Arsenal vs. Paris

Saint-Germain While the Barcelona-Inter Milan semifinal is awash with history, this one seems relatively fresh.

Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have met just three times in the Champions League and never in the knockout stage. One of those occasions was this season, when Arsenal won 2-0 at Emirates Stadium.

And it’s at home that the Gunners play on Tuesday in the first leg, hoping to reproduce the exploits that saw them beat defending champion Real Madrid in both legs in the quarterfinals.

Their opponents, however, are aiming to eliminate an English opponent for the third straight round, after seeing off Liverpool and — less impressively — Aston Villa.

With its “galacticos” — Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Messi — long gone, PSG is bidding to win a first Champions League title by going with talented up-and-coming players instead.

Arsenal is also striving to become European champion for the first time, having not reached the semis since 2009.

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Pressure on Italy as Play-off Hopefuls Eye 2026 World Cup

Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso gestures during the Italian team press conference in Florence, Italy, Monday, March 23, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)
Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso gestures during the Italian team press conference in Florence, Italy, Monday, March 23, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)
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Pressure on Italy as Play-off Hopefuls Eye 2026 World Cup

Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso gestures during the Italian team press conference in Florence, Italy, Monday, March 23, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)
Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso gestures during the Italian team press conference in Florence, Italy, Monday, March 23, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)

The final line-up for the 2026 World Cup will be decided over the next week, with 16 teams competing for the last four places allocated to European countries.

Twelve runners-up from the qualifying groups and four teams that earned spots through their UEFA Nations League results have a second chance to punch their ticket to football's global showpiece.

AFP Sport looks at the four play-off routes that will determine the remaining qualifiers for the first 48-team World Cup:

Path A

Four-time World Cup winners Italy face immense pressure as they attempt to qualify for a first appearance at the tournament since 2014.

After lifting the trophy in 2006, Italy's record at the World Cup has been dire. They suffered two successive group-stage exits before missing out entirely on the 2018 and 2022 editions.

In order to avoid another qualifying failure Italy must overcome Northern Ireland in Bergamo on Thursday, before a potential final against Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 31.

"It's only normal that there's pressure - only if you had no blood in your veins would you not feel it," said Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso, who played in the 2006 final which the Azzurri won on penalties against France.

Northern Ireland are big underdogs against Italy but hope to end a 40-year absence from the World Cup.

Wales host Bosnia in Cardiff in the other semi-final.

Manager Craig Bellamy told AFP earlier this month that he "feels a responsibility" to lead Wales to a second straight finals. Their appearance in Qatar was the country's first at the World Cup in 64 years.

Path B

Ukraine's footballers will hope to lift the morale of a war-torn country by competing at a first World Cup in 20 years. To get there, they need to beat Sweden on neutral ground in Valencia and then Poland or Albania.

Sweden picked up just two points in a dismal qualifying campaign, but a team now coached by former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter will get another shot on the strength of their Nations League performances.

However, Sweden will be without key man Alexander Isak as the Liverpool forward is not yet ready to return from a broken leg suffered in December.

Poland can count on Robert Lewandowski who is eyeing a third World Cup, but Albania -- led by former Arsenal and Barcelona defender Sylvinho -- believe they have what it takes to qualify for the first time.

Path C

Kosovo stand two wins away from a first major tournament a decade on from their admission to UEFA and FIFA. They came second in their qualifying group after two wins over Sweden and a victory in Slovenia.

"It's a massive opportunity for us. The whole country is buzzing with excitement. Everyone's over the moon," Kosovo captain Vedat Muriqi told FIFA.com.

Mallorca striker Muriqi sits second only to Kylian Mbappe in La Liga this season with 18 goals. The 31-year-old is also Kosovo's all-time record scorer.

Slovakia, who last featured at the World Cup in 2010, host Kosovo in Bratislava while Türkiye and Romania square off in Istanbul.

Türkiye have not played at the World Cup since a surprise third-place finish in 2002. Romania's most recent appearance was in 1998.

Path D

Troy Parrott's heroics snatched the Republic of Ireland a play-off berth, but there is much still to be done if the Irish are to return to the World Cup stage.

Ireland, who haven't featured at the tournament since 2002, head to Prague to take on the Czech Republic in the semi-finals. The winner of that tie will host the final against Denmark or North Macedonia.

"There's a quiet confidence in the group growing together, it's great to see but we know there's a lot of hard work to come," said Ireland assistant John O'Shea.

Denmark missed out on automatic qualification after a dramatic defeat in Scotland but will be expected to see off North Macedonia, whose lone tournament appearance came at Euro 2020.

Kasper Schmeichel is absent for Denmark after revealing last week that he may have played his final game, with two surgeries required to repair his damaged shoulder.

Sports

Madrid’s Mbappe Fit and Ready to Play Every Game Before World Cup

Soccer Football - International Friendly - International Friendly - France Training - INF Clairefontaine, Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, France - March 23, 2026 France's Kylian Mbappe arrives before training. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - International Friendly - International Friendly - France Training - INF Clairefontaine, Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, France - March 23, 2026 France's Kylian Mbappe arrives before training. (Reuters)
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Madrid’s Mbappe Fit and Ready to Play Every Game Before World Cup

Soccer Football - International Friendly - International Friendly - France Training - INF Clairefontaine, Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, France - March 23, 2026 France's Kylian Mbappe arrives before training. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - International Friendly - International Friendly - France Training - INF Clairefontaine, Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, France - March 23, 2026 France's Kylian Mbappe arrives before training. (Reuters)

France striker ‌Kylian Mbappe says he has fully recovered from a knee injury and wants to play all of Real Madrid's remaining matches in the season run-in as he builds toward the World Cup.

The 27-year-old missed four league games in 2026 due to a ‌lingering knee issue ‌from last season ‌but ⁠featured off the bench ⁠in the 64th minute of Madrid’s 3-2 win over Atletico on Sunday.

Mbappe has been named in France’s squad for friendlies against Brazil on March 26 ⁠and Colombia three days later ‌in the ‌United States, which is co-hosting the ‌June 11-July 19 World Cup ‌with Canada and Mexico.

"I have made a 100% recovery," Mbappe told AS.

"I prepared for the last two World ‌Cups in the best way possible, which is to play, ⁠score ⁠goals, win titles, and fight until the last minute for my club, and this year I am going to do the same to arrive in top form."

France will play in Group I at the World Cup with Norway, Senegal and the winner of an intercontinental playoff.

Sports

AFC Confirm Jeddah to Host Postponed Asian Champions League Matches

The Asian Football Confederation logo
The Asian Football Confederation logo
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AFC Confirm Jeddah to Host Postponed Asian Champions League Matches

The Asian Football Confederation logo
The Asian Football Confederation logo

Four Asian Champions League Elite ties that were postponed due to the conflict in the Middle East will be moved to Jeddah and played on a single-leg basis next month, the Asian Football Confederation said on Tuesday.

The ⁠last-16 encounters had originally been scheduled to be played in Qatar, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on a home-and-away basis in the first two weeks of March.

Defending champions Al-Ahli ⁠are due to take on Al-Duhail from Qatar while four-times winners Al-Hilal face Al-Sadd. Shabab Al-Ahli from the UAE play Iran's Tractor FC and Al-Wahda meet Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad.

Those fixtures will now be held on April 13 and 14 as single-leg ties ahead of the tournament's finals stage.

Jeddah had already been slated to ⁠host ⁠the quarter-finals, semis and final on a centralized basis with matches running from April 16 to 25.

Last-16 matches on the Eastern side of the draw have already been concluded, with Japanese pair Vissel Kobe and Machida Zelvia joined in the quarter-finals by Thailand's Buriram United and Johor Darul Ta'zim from Malaysia.

The draw for the quarter-finals will be conducted in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.