Today’s headline is: “Destination round of 16”. FC Barcelona are now all but assured of a place in the knockout stage after a draw, avoiding the need for a preliminary round. Hans-Dieter Flick returns to Da Luz, the stadium where he inflicted the painful 2-8 defeat on Barça with Bayern Munich. Supporters will be able to follow the match live from 9:00 p.m.
In the Champions League today, Atlético Madrid faces Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen. Under the leadership of Diego Simeone, Atlético will be looking for a victory to hope for a top-eight qualification and secure direct entry into the knockout stage of the tournament.
FC Barcelona is also preparing for the quarter-finals of the 2024-25 Copa del Rey. After an impressive 5-1 win over Betis in the previous round, the draw has determined that their next challenge will be against Valencia.
On the Barcelona side, club president Joan Laporta distanced himself from allegations made on Monday concerning an alleged fraud of 4.7 million euros between 2016 and 2018 against a family who won 34 million euros in the lottery Primitive. He attributed responsibility for the management of the company CSSB Limited, through which the plaintiffs had attempted an unsuccessful investment to support a Chinese second division team, to Joan Oliver, the former general manager of Barça and responsible for TV3, which was in charge of this Hong Kong-based company. Laporta, appearing as a defendant, claimed that he had not signed any contract and argued that he was included in the lawsuit because of his notoriety aimed at raising its importance, according to sources consulted by this newspaper.
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In tennis, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are preparing to face each other in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in what is anticipated to be the first big shock of the tournament. The young Spaniard is in search of a new historic record while the Serbian aims to strengthen his dominance in the sport.
Finally, in motorsport, SPORT presents an interview with Edgar Canet. The Catalan driver, aged just 19, captivated the world’s attention by winning Rally 2 in his rookie season at the Dakar, proving that at his young age he is a true motorsport prodigy destined to a great future.
