Summary

  1. 'I would've preferred to concede than go down to 10 men'published at 12:58 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    Barcelona 1-4 PSG (4-6 agg)

    Barcelona '"gave" Paris St-Germain their victory in the Champions League on Tuesday night, says midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.

    Luis Enrique's side led 1-0 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate following Raphinha's early goal, but four unanswered PSG goals from Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha and a brace from Kylian Mbappe sealed 4-1 win on the night and a 6-4 aggregate victory for the French champions.

    Barcelona played the majority of the second leg with 10 men after Ronald Araujo was shown a straight red card in the first half for a foul on Bradley Barcola.

    "I'm disappointed, very disappointed," former Manchester City captain Gundogan told CBS Sports - as reported by Marca.

    "It was in our hands and we gave it to PSG. We gave it to them in the easiest way."

    The Germany midfielder added that unless Araujo would have been better off letting Barcola shoot rather than bring him down, which led to his dismissal.

    He said: "It's hard to say, but in these crucial moments you have to be sure if you go for the ball.

    "I don't know if he touches the ball or not. I prefer to concede a goal or even allow a one on one. Give the goalkeeper the opportunity to stop it or even give them the goal.

    "Being one less so soon kills you in the game."

    Ilkay GundoganImage source, Getty Images
  2. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 12:47 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

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    I don't get why managers like Xavi pin the responsibility of the result on the referee. They lost because of their players' poor discipline, not because of the referee. They were still in the lead when the red card was given. Ultimately they threw qualification for the semis away.

    Luke

    Taking strange satisfaction from Xavi’s misery. Now he knows how Chelsea felt in 2009 when they were absolutely robbed after a farcical refereeing display against his Barcelona - a much more controversial night than their capitulation last night.

    Sam, London

    Chelsea Michael Ballack protests to the referee in their 2009 Champions League tie against BarcelonaImage source, Getty Images
  3. Red card changed everything - Xavipublished at 12:39 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    Barcelona 1-4 Paris St-Germain (4-6 agg)

    Ronald Araujo's red card "changed everything" for Barcelona in their Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, according to manager Xavi.

    Barcelona had led the tie 1-0 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate before Araujo's red card led to four unanswered second-half goals from PSG as the Ligue 1 champions clinched a 6-4 win on aggregate in Spain.

    Asked about whether he felt his side would still lose without Araujo's dismissal, Xavi was quick to dismiss that possibility.

    "A very easy answer. We had a two-goal advantage and we were inflicting them damage each time we reached their defence. We understood that very well during both games. I think we defended very well against them," said Xavi.

    "It's true that Fabian [Ruiz] did very well in his wing. But we had him under control. We defended our area very well. I think we had the game under total control. Both in attack and defence during all phases of the game. And then the red card changed everything."

    XaviImage source, Getty Images
  4. Champions League preview & reactionpublished at 12:34 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    Football Daily graphicImage source, .

    The latest episode of the BBC's Football Daily podcast also have plenty more reaction to Tuesday night's Champions League ties, while host Kelly Cates and the team look ahead to tonight's quarter-finals for Manchester City and Arsenal, as well as discussing the form of Chelsea star Cole Palmer.

    Listen to the latest episode of the BBC's Football Daily podcast here.

  5. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 12:25 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

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    Shows how tough Newcastle had it in the Champions League compared to Manchester United, we had two semi-finalists in our group [Paris St-Germain and Borussia Dortmund] but they got knocked out by Galatasaray, Bayern and Copenhagen.

    Anon

  6. How Spanish media reacted to double Champions League exitspublished at 12:22 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    Here is a look at how today's Spanish papers reacted to Barcelona and Atletico Madrid exiting the Champions League at the quarter-final stage:

    AS's back page translates as "Mbappe Kills Barca" after the France striker's two second-half goals confirmed victory for Paris St-Germain over Barca.

    Mundo Deportivo has opted for "Deadly Red" as their back page headline, with Ronald Araujo's first-half red card proving to be the turning point in the tie for Barca.

    Marca refers to both defeats, going with the headline "The Athletic crashes in Germany and Mbappe gobbles up Barca," following Atletico Madrid's defeat by Borussia Dortmund.

    Will Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid make it an unwanted hat-trick for Spanish sides with defeat at Manchester City tonight?

    Ronald Araujo is sent offImage source, Getty Images
    Antoine GriezmannImage source, Getty Images
  7. Postpublished at 12:16 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    Right..back to the Champions League and a return to Tuesday's thrilling quarter-final ties.

    At one point, Spain looked set fair to have three teams in the semi-finals, with the possibility of an El Classico - Barcelona v Real Madrid - in the final at Wembley a mouth-watering prospect.

    But Paris St-Germain's victory at Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund's thrilling comeback at home to Atletico Madrid means that Real Madrid are now the last La Liga side standing.

    If Manchester City can do a job on them tonight at the Etihad that would end Spain's participation in this season's competition.

    Needless to say, the Spanish press has not taken that turn of events too well...

  8. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 12:13 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

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    I’m surprised that there is no talk about Cole Palmer fitting into that 10 role. You could have Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice behind him and then Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Harry Kane ahead of him. I think the way to go is Palmer at 10 while Bellingham drops to centre-midfield and Foden pushes up to be a winger.

    Kaden

    RE Russ at 11.06 BST - I have to disagree. Bukayo Saka will start on the right, Jude Bellingham will shift back alongside Declan Rice. Phil Foden can play behind Harry Kane with "Goal" Palmer in the mix too.

    Dillsy, Surbiton

    Cole PalmerImage source, Getty Images
  9. Watch Moyes' news conference livepublished at 12:08 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    West Ham v Bayer Leverkusen (0-2 agg, Thurs, 20:00 BST)

    West Ham United

    We will be hearing from West Ham boss David Moyes from around 14:00 BST, before their quarter-final second leg with Bayer Leverkusen.

    Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is also due to speak to the media.

    You can watch Moyes' press conference live on this page, so stay tuned for the latest team news and more from the Hammers' manager.

    David MoyesImage source, Getty Images
  10. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 11:59 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

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    Jude Bellingham unquestionably will be a future England captain. Probably after Harry Kane retires from international football. However, Bellingham needs to sort his behaviour out. It’s one thing to be arrogant being a world-class player, but you need to have a calm head on your shoulders. We don’t need another "Beckham moment’" like we had against Argentina [in the 1998 World Cup]. Before Bellingham joined Madrid, he was calm and composed, but now he’s easily irritated. Gareth Southgate & Co need to have a word with him before the Euros get underway.

    Tom, Laugharne

    Jude Bellingham playing for Real MadridImage source, Getty Images
  11. Bowen, Phillips and Areola back in West Ham trainingpublished at 11:53 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    West Ham v Bayer Leverkusen (0-2 agg, Thurs, 20:00 BST)

    West Ham United

    Some good news for West Ham ahead of their Europa League quarter-final second leg against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday night.

    Winger Jarrod Bowen and midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who have both had recent injury issues, are both currently taking part in today's open training session ahead of tomorrow's second leg.

    Hammers top scorer Bowen has missed West Ham's last two matches, including the first leg defeat in Leverkusen, with a knee injury.

    Midfielder Phillips, on loan from Manchester City, has also missed the last two matches with a meniscus issue.

    There is also a training return for goalkeeper Alphonse Areola who has missed the last four matches with a groin injury.

    West Ham manager David Moyes will hope that all three are available tomorrow night as the Hammers look to overturn a 2-0 deficit against a Leverkusen side who were crowned Bundesliga champions three days ago and are yet to lose a match in all competitions this season.

    Jarrod BowenImage source, Getty Images
  12. England's fifth-place Champions League hopes take a hitpublished at 11:44 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    Borussia Dortmund 4-2 Atletico Madrid (5-4 agg)

    Simon Stone
    BBC Sport

    Borussia Dortmund's magnificent victory against Atletico Madrid was great news for on-loan Manchester United star Jadon Sancho and Marcel Sabitzer, who left Old Trafford after spending the second half of last season on loan with Erik ten Hag's side.

    However, it was bad news for England's chances of a fifth Champions League place next term.

    Borussia Dortmund gained points for their match victory and a bonus for reaching the semi-final.

    Those three co-efficient points are then divided by seven - the number of German teams who played in Europe this season - and added to their total.

    It takes Germany onto 17.214, still trailing Italy, who have 18.428, but crucially, clear of England, who have 16.750.

    The battle is not over yet but England could really do with Arsenal knocking out Bayern Munich tonight or, less likely admittedly, West Ham reaching the Europa League semi-finals at the expense of Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday.

  13. Postpublished at 11:40 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    Another side plot is how each nation's respective results in the three European cup competitions will affect the number of qualifying places they will have for next season.

    If, like me, the very mention of "co-efficient points" hurts your brain then never fear, Simon Stone is here...

  14. 'I would rather play the difficult games' - Walcottpublished at 11:36 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    Bayern Munich v Arsenal (2-2 agg, 20:00 BST)

    Former Arsenal striker Theo Walcott says he would "rather play the difficult games" the Gunners have coming up as opposed to easier fixtures.

    Mikel Arteta's side suffered their first league defeat of 2024 against Aston Villa on Sunday and face a tough test in Germany in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich.

    Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, Walcott said: "Arsenal are at a stage now where we are talking about them at the level of Manchester City which is credit to Mikel for what he has done.

    "I know they lost a lot of points towards the end of last season but the teams they played were teams they would have expected to win against and they didn't. But this time Villa are going for the Champions League so they are a top-four team at this moment.

    "The games Arsenal have got coming up are very difficult but I would rather play the difficult games. As a player you want those difficult games and big moments. You want to be the player everyone is talking about. You want to create something, you want to create history - and they can."

    BBC Sport has a dedicated Arsenal page packed with news, analysis and fan views - get it here

    Mikel ArtetaImage source, Getty Images
  15. 'Saliba and Gabriel need to be confident against Bayern'published at 11:28 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    Bayern Munich v Arsenal (2-2 agg, 20:00 BST)

    Arsenal's centre-back partnership between William Saliba and Gabriel could be key to their chances in Munich.

    Former England and Arsenal defender Matthew Upson believes the defenders must focus and show confidence if they are to keep Bayern at bay.

    Mikel Arteta's side go into the tie off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday that saw them miss the chance to go top.

    Arsenal had been in impressive form in recent months and Upson has called on Saliba and Gabriel to put the mistakes made against Villa to one side before tonight's clash in Germany.

    "The margins are so small and it’s funny that last week, we spoke before the game about how well they’ve been, really talking them up and that was probably the first game I’ve seen where they’ve made a little mistake," Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live.

    "Since New Year, they’ve been rock solid and then again, just the pass out to Zinchenko on [Sunday] just little bits like that are costing them and in these matches, it just tips the balance.

    "Tonight is total focus - no mistakes, no doubt. Be confident and hopefully that will get them out of that little rhythm of the last couple of matches where they’ve made just small mistakes but they’ve been costing them."

    You can listen to this morning's BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast show in full here.

    William Saliba and GabrielImage source, Getty Images
  16. 'Arsenal can upset Bayern'published at 11:20 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    Bayern Munich v Arsenal (2-2 agg, 20:00 BST)

    Well...former Arsenal and England centre-back Matthew Upson certainly believes the Gunners can bounce back from their 2-2 draw in the home leg against Bayern Munich to make it through.

    Despite not having home advantage tonight, Upson believes that injuries to Bayern wingers Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman, as well as left-back Alphonso Davies being suspended, could give Mikel Arteta's side the necessary advantage to reach the semi-finals.

    "I think they can with those injuries, which will be a big blow for Bayern," Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live.

    "Alphonso Davies being suspended tonight, the Bayern left-back, he was brilliant.

    "He did a really good job against Bukayo Saka, certainly in the second half. I think with that in mind, I just might fancy Arsenal."

    You can listen to this morning's BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast show in full here.

    Kai Havertz and Leandro TrossardImage source, Getty Images
  17. Postpublished at 11:16 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    If Manchester City's task at home to Real Madrid is considered to be a tough one, then Arsenal's trip to Bayern Munich probably takes it up a notch.

    City are at the Etihad and can take confidence from the memories of last season's decisive 4-0 win at home to Real in the Champions League semi-finals.

    For Arsenal, they have no recent history to buoy them as they travel to take on a Bayern Munich side looking to restore some pride following a below-par Bundesliga campaign.

    Can Mikel Arteta's side upset the odds and get the win they crave in Germany?

  18. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 11:06 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

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    The question of Jude Bellingham or Phil Foden at no.10 for England is irrelevant if Gareth Southgate plays 4-3-3. Declan Rice will be in the middle of the midfield three, Harry Kane in the centre of the front three. Foden and Bellingham will play on either side.

    Russ from Durham

  19. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 11:01 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

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    If Jude Bellingham can stay on his feet and bark orders at himself and his team-mates rather than at the referee, then he can prosper tonight.

    James

  20. Foden v Bellingham - the battle for England's number 10 shirtpublished at 10:55 British Summer Time 17 April 2024

    Man City v Real Madrid (3-3 agg, 20:00 BST)

    Phil Foden and Jude BellinghamImage source, Getty Images

    There are plenty of story lines as Manchester City take on Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final second leg at Etihad Stadium tonight.

    One key talking point promises to be the comparison between England's Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, who are both candidates to play as number 10 for the Three Lions at Euro 2024.

    Foden has lit up the Premier League this season with his performances in a more central role for City, while Bellingham's form for Real Madrid has caught the eye across Europe.

    Check out this feature on what should be a welcome dilemma for Gareth Southgate.

    Our BBC Sport feature includes a vote if you want to have your say, but we will run our own straw poll here too - click thumbs up if you want Foden to be England's number 10 at the Euros, thumbs down for Bellingham.