Good morning football fans. It’s Tuesday, April. 14 - The Champions League quarter-final second legs, Fifa faces competition from rugby over 2031 hosting cities, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
Champions League Quarter-Finals leg 2 (April 14): Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona, Agg 2-0, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Atletico are unbeaten in their ten previous Uefa competition home games against fellow Spanish opposition. They’ve also won all 22 previous two-legged Uefa ties in which they had won the first leg away, while Barcelona have lost all six such games in which they were defeated in the first leg at home. Liverpool vs. Paris Saint-Germain, Agg 0-2, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Liverpool have won 14 of their 18 Uefa competition home games against French opposition, though they did lose the most recent one to PSG in last season’s round of 16 deciders. See the Champions League bracket here.
Results…
Premeir League: Manchester United 1-2 Leeds (Table)
TOP TALKING POINTS
Champions League Quarter-Finals
The Uefa Champions League quarter-finals return this week for the second-leg ties. See all the fixtures in bracket view here.
On Tuesday, the two home teams face very different situations heading into the quarter-finals: Atletico have a two-goal advantage over Barcelona, while Liverpool are at a two-goal disadvantage against Paris Saint-Germain. A popular prediction market website projects that Atletico have a 75% chance of advancing, while PSG are given an 88% chance.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, both home sides - Arsenal (1-0 agg vs Sporting CP) and Bayern Munich (2-1 agg vs Real Madrid) - are expected to advance to the semi-finals, with 90% and 85% chances, respectively. Arsenal, despite their dip in form of late, are still 34% favourites to win the competition, while Bayern Munich are closely behind with 29.5%.
Historically speaking, of the 115 Champions League knockout ties in which the hosts lost the first leg, only seven have managed to get through - a 6.1% chance of overturning a first-leg loss. Three of these matches were decided by the away-goals rule, which was removed in June 2021.
FIFA’s Rugby Competition
Several cities in the United States are considering withdrawing from hosting the 2031 Women’s World Cup, reportedly due to “Fifa’s handling of this summer’s World Cup.” The Guardian first reported that a number of cities were exploring whether to instead focus on hosting the men’s 2031 Rugby World Cup as its organiser, World Rugby, has fewer financial and stadium demands than Fifa.
Last month, Fifa pushed back the date by which it would confirm the 2031 World Cup hosts, although the joint bid from the US, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica is the only one on the table. Reports from The Athletic earlier this month suggested that the US government hasn’t yet provided mandatory guarantees on visas, tax, and security that Fifa ordinarily requires in the bidding process.
Meanwhile, World Rugby has made guarantees that it will finance its events and share profits with USA Rugby. Unlike Fifa’s events, it will not require the hosts to underwrite the tournament. As such, World Rugby has attracted expressions of interest from 27 US cities, featuring 33 stadiums, 20 of which were shortlisted by Fifa for the Women’s World Cup. Chicago and Pittsburgh have both already pulled out of hosting the World Cup, citing Fifa’s financial demands.
Premier League’s IP Concern
The Premier League has raised concerns about the UK government’s plans to relax copyright laws governing the use of AI. In an attempt to make the UK an attractive technology hub, the government had proposed expanding access to copyrighted material for AI training, potentially through an opt-out system rather than requiring permission by default. While these plans have since been paused and are being reconsidered, the government plans to rework the policy using a different approach. The Premier League is joining many musical artists, including Elton John, who oppose any relaxation of IP (intellectual property) laws.
A Freedom of Information Request (FOI) by the Times revealed opposition by the Premier League, which stated that “strong copyright protections have been fundamental to the Premier League’s success.” The league queried whether ministers had considered the contribution of the Premier League and sport to the UK economy when devising its plans, citing that the English top-flight creates nearly 100,000 jobs and generates £8bn annually in gross value added to the UK economy.
The Premier League called for a licensing framework that ensured copyright owners were fairly remunerated for their IP and could exert greater control over its use. However, a government spokesperson said that it doesn’t yet have a “preferred option” as it reworks the policy.
POLL
Do you think Neymar should be selected for Brazil's 2026 World Cup squad?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Championship side West Brom have been charged with an alleged breach of financial rules related to the 2024-25 season, and are at risk of a points deduction that could effectively relegate them (More) | John Terry is reportedly part of a consortium looking to take over League Two club Colchester in a deal worth £14m (More)
> Tottenham defender Christian Romero has reportedly been ruled out for between five and eight weeks due to a knee injury, meaning he will likely miss the rest of the Premier League season (More)
> Villarreal midfielder Thomas Partey has pleaded not guilty on two new counts of sexual assault (More)
Americas
> FC Cincinnati has reportedly held preliminary discussions with Neymar’s camp over a move to the MLS (More) | CF Montreal has sacked head coach Marco Donadel after six losses in seven games in the current regular season (More)
> Co-founder of NWSL’s Angel City FC Kara Nortman claims that many WSL clubs are treated as “an afterthought” by their owners (More)
> United States defender John Tolkin will be out for “the coming weeks” with a knee ligament injury (More)
> Guadalajara’s lead at the top of the Liga MX Clausura has been reduced to three points following their 4-1 loss to Tigres UANL; see the Liga MX table (More)
Rest of the World
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think Arsenal will win the Premier League?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🏆 Yes (51%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (47%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (2%)
Your punditry takes:
🏆 C.C: “I’m a City fan, and we are not as infallible as we have been in the past, and likely have a stumbling block upcoming. Arsenal will do everything to get a point from this weekend's match, and that will be the difference.”
🏆 J.L: “I have to believe in my club despite the recent run of form. Always an optimist, I believe we will win even down by three on the road. Until the whistle blows, I believe. Yes, Arsenal will win the Premier League.”
🙅♂️ E.P: “The team I saw on Saturday did not look like presumptive champions. They looked disjointed, confused and maybe even scared. I couldn’t point to a leader on the pitch. Whereas Man City had everything clicking on Sunday. Rodri’s injury will be a concern, but no other major absences. Does not look good for the Gunners.”
🙅♂️ C.S: “The pressure is mounting. They played tight against Bournemouth and looked uncomfortable on the pitch, while City looks poised and in control of their own destiny.”
EXTRA TIME
How hackers could disrupt the World Cup.
A totally unexpected goal in the Paraguayan league.
Ranking the biggest Premier League title slip-ups.
The best stats from the weekend.
Why we misremember football’s greatest team.
Keane, Neville, and Carragher discuss the future Man Utd manager.
Racing club have unveiled their new 2026 home kit.
Which injuries could decide the Premier League relegation run-in?
GAME FACE ON
Question: Only one player has scored a hat-trick for three different clubs in the men’s Uefa Champions League. Can you name him?
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
In Manchester there is never the sun. If the sun arrived in November, we would be champions in January.
Answer
Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Barcelona).
