Bayern Munich and Real Madrid will set one new European soccer record and equal another when the Champions League resumes at the do-or-die stage this week after its winter break.
When they clash in Munich tonight in the first leg of the first knockout stage it will be their ninth meeting in the Champions League -- one more than the record of eight they share with the ties between Manchester United and Juventus, Galatasaray and Barcelona and Real Madrid and Porto.
When they meet again in the second leg in two weeks' time at the Bernabeu for their 16th overall competitive European clash they will set a record all-time European head-to-head tally, one more than the series of games between Real and Inter Milan.
Their previous 14 matches have seen nine wins for Bayern, four for Real with one match drawn but the Spanish champions start as favorites to emerge on top from this knockout round.
Real, who play their 100th Champions League match today, are near peak form after forging five points clear in the Primera Liga with a 4-2 win at Espanyol on Saturday.
Coach Carlos Queiroz has no serious injury concerns and should be able to field his first choice side against Bayern.
That will mean a return to the starting line-up for David Beckham, who was suspended for the Espanyol game, and Luis Figo, who came on as a second-half substitute and showed no ill effects from his slight thigh muscle injury.
However, Bayern have a doubt over playmaker Michael Ballack, whose bronchitis kept him out of Germany's 2-1 friendly win over Croatia last week. He has not been able to train properly since.
Bayern beat SV Hamburg 1-0 on Saturday to close the gap on leaders Werder Bremen but as well as missing Ballack they were without Germany keeper Oliver Kahn (back), who should return.
European champions AC Milan will also be looking back at history as they aim to get past Sparta Prague, who have never scored a goal against them in four previous European meetings.
Sparta were busy in the transfer window but failed to make up ground on leaders Banik Ostrava on Saturday as their hopes of retaining the Czech title faded in a 0-0 draw with Pribram.
But they will need to be on top form against a Milan team buoyed by a sensational 3-2 comeback win over Inter on Saturday.
Milan are quoted by British bookmakers at 13-2 to retain the European Cup, Sparta at 150-1 to win it for the first time -- and the odds on a Sparta upset in this tie are almost as great.
The English trio of Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea face contrasting away legs this week.
Arsenal, who are also chasing an FA Cup and League double, look too strong for a Celta Vigo side struggling in the Spanish league -- despite wins over Milan and Ajax Amsterdam in the group phase of this competition.
Celta are back in relegation trouble after losing 2-0 at home to Malaga on Saturday and returning to European competition could be a dangerous distraction for Radomir Antic's side.
Celta will likely be without Jesuli, who scored one of the goals in the 2-1 victory at AC Milan that clinched their place in the second phase. The influential midfielder suffered a thigh injury in Saturday's defeat and is doubtful.
Former Gunner Silvinho, now with Celta, believes Arsenal are strong enough to end their run of six matches without a win in Spain since Arsene Wenger became manager in 1996.
"They're one of the top five teams in the world and we'll have to be at our absolute best to beat them," he said last week.
Leaders Arsenal, unbeaten in the premier league, took a huge step nearer the title on Saturday when they won 2-1 at Chelsea while Manchester United drew 1-1 at home to Leeds United to slip seven points behind with 12 matches to play.
Arsenal's main injury doubt is skipper Patrick Vieira who injured a knee in the weekend win.
Chelsea's expensively-assembled team now have only one trophy to play for after defeat in the FA Cup to Arsenal last week and being effectively knocked out of the title race.
They could still harbor Champions League ambitions in two weeks' time after opponents Stuttgart warmed up for tomorrow's first leg by losing 1-0 to lowly Kaiserslautern on Saturday.
Manchester United, who, like Real, will play their 100th Champions League match, travel to Portuguese champions-elect Porto with defender Mikael Silvestre doubtful and Rio Ferdinand suspended.
Porto striker Derlei is injured but tall Lithuanian striker Edgaras Jankauskas could cause a jittery United defence some problems at set pieces.
Despite falling behind in the title race, United have a better European pedigree than Arsenal and are still rated as one of the favorites to lift the European Cup in three months time.
For the first time in almost 36 years, a Parisian derby will be played in French soccer’s top flight when reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain FC take on the nouveau riche Paris Football Club (PFC) today. Not one of the players involved in today’s match — PFC’s 38-year-old third-choice goalkeeper Remy Riou is almost certainly not going to be involved — was born the last time there was a Parisian derby in Ligue 1. That was on Feb. 25, 1990, when Moroccan midfielder Aziz Bouderbala scored a brace as Racing Paris 1 beat PSG 2-1 at the Parc des Princes home that
Stan Wawrinka’s 40-year-old legs did not let him down over three-plus hours in his first singles match of a farewell tour yesterday. Three-time Grand Slam singles champion Wawrinka beat Arthur Rinderknech of France, who is ranked 29th to Wawrinka’s 157th, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5). The match went 3 hours, 16 minutes. Wawrinka last month announced that this year would be his last on the ATP tour. “Today was a tough battle ... it’s amazing to come here for the first time, to have so much support,” Wawrinka said yesterday. “Twenty years on tour, you kind of always play in the same place
BOUNCING BACK: Antetokounmpo had just returned from an eight-game injury absence last month, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their third win in four games Giannis Antetokounmpo threw down the game-winning dunk with 4.7 seconds remaining to lift the Milwaukee Bucks to a 122-121 victory over the Charlotte Hornets and grab a slice of NBA history on Friday. The Bucks trailed by as many as 16 on their home floor, but Antetokounmpo scored 12 of his 30 points in the final quarter to help seal the win in a frantic finish that saw five lead changes in the final 45.7 seconds. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) added 10 rebounds and five assists. It was his 158th regular-season game with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka yesterday got her season off to a winning start for Japan in the United Cup, after the UK’s Emma Raducanu pulled out of their singles clash with a fitness issue, while in Brisbane, Taiwan’s Latisha Chan and Wu Fang-hsien crashed out of the women’s doubles. In Perth, despite Osaka’s win, the UK took the match 2-1 with a deciding mixed doubles victory. Osaka was too strong for reserve and 276th-ranked Katie Swan, winning 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 as Raducanu watched from the sidelines. “I’m proud of how I fought,” Osaka said. “I’d never played here, it was tough.” Britain
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