Reigning champions and runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool were beaten 1-0 away to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie last night. Saul Niguez struck after just four minutes at the raucous Wanda Metropolitano Stadium and after that Atletico retreated into an effective rearguard action that successfully frustrated the competition favourites. In the night's other last-16 clash, Borussia Dortmund teenager Erling Haaland scored twice in eight minutes to lead his team to a 2-1 victory over PSG - he has now scored 10 Champions League goals in seven games this season. Tonight, Tottenham host RB Leipzig, where José Mourinho faces a younger version of himself in Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann. Also at 8pm, Atlanta face Valencia, while a half an hour earlier Manchester City host West Ham in their rescheduled Premier League fixture.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell will today reveal his team to face England at Twickenham on Sunday afternoon - and Gerry Thornley expects an unchanged XV with the only change to the matchday 23 being Caelan Doris replacing Max Deegan as Ireland go in search of three Six Nations wins from three and the Triple Crown. In his column this morning (Subscriber Only), Gordon D'Arcy explains why digging deep is the only recipe for Twickenham success: "regardless of the English personnel, sustained physicality is guaranteed every time they take to this field. Wave after wave of attack must be repelled. Discipline and skullduggery will both be needed. Otherwise, what we witnessed through our fingers last August could revisit this Ireland team."
Seán Moran believes the GAA in trouble if sectional interests are not accountable to the rules: "centrally there is the division between the Croke Park administration and local units, generally presented in the modern idiom as a 'disconnect'. It may be merely reflective of a world in which all administration is regarded with hostility, regardless of merit, but it drives discontent." Read his column in full here. There are two Munster football Under-20 quarter-finals tonight, with Clare hosting Waterford and Limerick taking on Tipperary - both throwing in at 7pm.
Meanwhile JP McManus's jockey Mark Walsh - who won last season's Champion Hurdle for McManus on Espoir D'allen - will swap sides in next month's Cheltenham Gold Cup after picking up the plum 'Blue Riband' ride on Delta Work for Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown Stud team. Replacing the injured Jack Kennedy.
