Premier League leaders Liverpool will face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League last 16, while Arsenal take on PSV Eindhoven and Aston Villa face Club Brugge. Holders Real Madrid – who knocked out Manchester City in the knockout phase play-offs – face local rivals Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich play Bayer Leverkusen in an all-Germany affair.
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Dan Sheehan will captain Ireland against Wales in Saturday’s Six Nations game in Cardiff. The hooker will lead the team for the first time with regular skipper Caelan Doris ruled out because of a knee injury. Sheehan came off the bench in Ireland’s wins over England and Scotland but replaces the injured Ronan Kelleher in a team showing seven changes from the win at Murrayfield.
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Manchester City’s Champions League campaign came to a tame conclusion at the Bernabeu as Kylian Mbappe’s brilliant hat-trick inspired holders Real Madrid to a comfortable victory and place in the last 16. Pep Guardiola’s side were attempting to reverse a 3-2 deficit from the play-off first leg but this contest was effectively over after four minutes when Mbappe opened the scoring. Nico Gonzalez would score a consolation goal for the visitors but it was too little too late.
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James Maddison scored the winner on his return from injury as Tottenham beat fellow Premier League strugglers Manchester United. Maddison, who has missed nearly four weeks with a calf injury, was the only player following in after United keeper Andre Onana parried Lucas Bergvall’s shot and completed an easy tap-in in the 13th minute. United huffed and puffed but were unable to find an equaliser as they slumped to their 12th league defeat.
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World No 1 Jannik Sinner will serve a three-month ban from tennis after reaching an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) following two positive drug tests in 2024. The Italian has accepted a period of ineligibility that suspends him from playing from February 9 until May 4, meaning he can return ahead of the next Grand Slam, with the French Open starting on May 25.
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