That concludes the blog for today. Here’s how to follow the weekend’s sporting action.

Brighton: Ed Aarons spoke to Premier League record breaker James Milner.

Milner credits his father for instilling the fighting spirit that has carried him through a remarkable 24 seasons in English football’s top flight. He started as a 16-year-old with Leeds under the watchful eye of Terry Venables, and has had spells at Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool and now Brighton.

“He knew what I was like and he used to say: ‘You don’t work hard enough, you’re not going to make it,’” he says of his father. “He’d never say it in a horrible way or anything like that. But he’d be like: ‘You got no chance of scoring the goal from there.’ And then [I would] take free-kicks and two shots later it’s in the top corner. He knew how to get the best of me.”

West Ham: The club’s accounts for the 2024-25 season have “dropped” with the news revenue to 31 May 2025 dropped to £227.5m with total losses at £103.5m.

To quote the published accounts’ review of the year: “The Club once again made the strategic decision to provide funds to significantly enhance the squad during the 2024-25 summer transfer window with six new additions to the squad at a total cost of £132.6m (see note 11), alongside three outgoings.

“The Club was able to secure the core aim of maintaining its Premier League status for a fourteenth consecutive season, which remains the longest period the Club has remained in the topflight in the modern era and in the Premier League since its inception in 1992.

“However, the season was ultimately disappointing as adverse results led to the appointment of Graham Potter as new Head Coach, replacing Julen Lopetegui in January. At the same time, the Director of Football, Tim Steidten, also left the Club. The 14th place at season end was below expectations.”

Manchester City: Interesting stat from Simon Bajkowski, the Manchester Evening News football writer on X.

“Manchester City will play Real Madrid for the 10th and 11th time in the last five seasons. By the end of their last-16 tie, #mcfc will only have faced five teams - Newcastle, Liverpool, United, Chelsea and Spurs - more than they’ve played Real.”

Rangers v Celtic: Some beef between Danny Rohl and Martin O’Neill after
the Gers head coach remarked it would be interesting to see who O’Neill picked in goal for Sunday’s match.

O’Neill: “So he’s picking our team? Well done, old Danny, well done. He’s only in less than a year himself. He’ll soon know all about it in the next four or five years.

“I must sit down here and see if I can find out.... maybe he might have a choice of some players and maybe I could put my oar in there and find out what he’s doing. Listen, sorry, I have to laugh. He’s had a comment about our team, as in the picking of the team? Extraordinary. Absolutely extraordinary. He hasn’t been in Glasgow long.”

It’s been a big week in football finance, and this news from Thursday comes as something of a surprise, and is a confirmation of the idea that the higher the wage bill, the greater the success.

Football Daily: on the big match in Germany this weekend.

Champions League: Jonathan Wilson has run the rule over the last-16 draw.

West Ham: Nuno Espirito Santo says Mads Hermansen has earned his second chance at being first-choice goalkeeper at West Ham. Nuno recalled Hermansen three matches ago and has been rewarded with two clean sheets - the first since he took charge - and five points to boost their survival bid.

“I think he’s getting confident, he has the confidence of his team-mates and he has the confidence of our coaching staff. I think inside of the group of goalkeepers they are helping each other very, very much to try and make us a better team and Mads is doing well. Credit to him.

“He was patient to wait for his chance. He never stopped working, preparing himself. The chance came and I think he’s delivering. It’s not only about the goalkeeper. I think it has a lot to do with the way we defend set-pieces. We are improving.

“It requires a lot of individual focus, determination to go and head the ball in the right moment, to stop and contain difficult opponents, to try and solve what’s happening these days - it’s almost like wrestling inside the six-yard box. All these things I think we have improved, which helps the task of the goalkeeper.”

Fulham: Marco Silva has pledged to not take Tottenham lightly. Fulham’s win at Tottenham earlier this season was part of Thomas Frank’s downward spiral.

“I know that the position they are in is below their standards, this season has not been the best, but I have enough experience and maturity to know that sometimes it’s so tricky to have these types of games that you can’t underestimate a group of players and a club that wants to react.

“Let’s hope we don’t give them a good day for them to react and we can be at our best level, because we need our best level. Me, my players, and I hope our fans, we don’t go in a direction to underestimate them, because it’s going to be a big mistake. I’m 100 per cent sure we are not going to do it, because the respect is there.

“We won the last games against them because we were better, and we should prove it on the pitch again on Sunday if we want to win the game.”

Rangers v Celtic: Ahead of the latest Glasgow derby, Ewan Murray on a fixture Hearts will be watching closely.

A Rangers win would place Celtic in tricky territory, five points behind their oldest foes. Celtic’s game in hand will be played in Aberdeen on Wednesday, before a return to Ibrox on Scottish Cup business. Hearts hope to extend their lead at the top to seven points on Saturday when Aberdeen visit Edinburgh. An Old Firm draw would suit Hearts perfectly.

Transfer news: Norwich’s Josh Sargent has completed a permanent transfer to Toronto FC for an undisclosed fee. “All at Norwich City thank Josh for his contributions to the club and wish him well in the next stage of his career,” reads the club statement. The USMNT striker has been at Carrow Road since 2021.

Arsenal: Mikel Arteta on Chelsea, to whom Arsenal have not lost since 2021, winning 10 of the last 16 matches.

“We know the importance of the game and the team we are going to have in front of us. We just have to prepare in the best way to earn the right to win it, as I always said.

“What you have done two weeks or two years ago is irrelevant because every game and every context is different, the players might change, the mood of the team might be different. We are prepared.

“They can change throughout the game and they have a manager very comfortable doing that, so we are prepared for the possible scenarios we can face and then we will try to be better than them,” Arteta added.

Brentford: Keith Andrews signed a new deal, until 2032.

“I feel very honoured. The people I work with have entrusted me to take the club forward as the face of it because it’s obviously not just me. There’s so many people who push hard on a daily basis to try and make us better.

“I love being at this club, I love the challenges it brings and the level we are at. What we need to do to not just survive but thrive at this level is right up my street. I don’t doubt myself or feel I’ve ever suffered from that. That’s not from a place of arrogance, I always try and take a step forward and when I don’t, I learn from the mistakes I’ve made.”

Arsenal: Mikel Arteta has been talking ahead of Sunday’s game with Chelsea. Viktor Gyokeres got two goals last week at Tottenham.

“One thing leads to another. The performances are good, you understand the games, the performances better, the league better and your team-mates better. We have always known about his quality. He is an incredible striker. He just needs to understand the team and the league better. We are in the right trajectory.

“The demand he puts on himself and expectations to help his team is big. My players tell me he is a nightmare to face in training and that’s always a good sign of how good a player is.”

“I want to see signs of confidence, enthusiasm and the will to win what’s in front of us. That’s what I see every single day from the team.”

Confirmed dates for those Champions League last-16 ties.

Tuesday, 10 March

• 5.45pm (UK time): Galatasaray v Liverpool

• 8pm Atalanta v Bayern Munich

• 8pm Atletico Madrid v Tottenham

• 8pm Newcastle v Barcelona

Wednesday, 11 March

• 5.45pm Bayer Leverkusen v Arsenal

• 8pm Bodo/Glimt v Sporting

• 8pm Paris St-Germain v Chelsea

• 8pm Real Madrid v Manchester City

Tuesday, 17 March

• 5.45pm Sporting v Bodo/Glimt

• 8pm Arsenal v Bayer Leverkusen

• 8pm Chelsea v Paris St-Germain

• 8pm Manchester City v Real Madrid

Wednesday, 18 March

• 5.45pm Barcelona v Newcastle

• 8pm Bayern Munich v Atalanta

• 8pm Liverpool v Galatasary

• 8pm Tottenham v Atletico Madrid

Chelsea: The club have announced the women’s team has a new sporting director, Phil Radley. Paul Green, after a 13-year spell, departed earlier this month. Radley had previously been with FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark for over a decade.

A club statement read: “In this new club position, Phil will play a central role in shaping the long-term direction of the women’s team, working in close partnership with Head Coach Sonia Bompastor, her technical staff and the club’s football leadership group.

“Phil will help drive the team’s sporting vision, building on the strong progress made under Sonia’s leadership.

“He will lead the continued development of the women’s football programme, aligning performance strategy, squad planning and succession planning to ensure sustained competitiveness at the highest level. He will also oversee player recruitment, contracts and all negotiations with players’ agents and representatives, helping to build and maintain a high-performance environment capable of delivering consistent success.”

Chelsea: A lot of talk about the latest financial figures.

According to Uefa, Chelsea’s losses were more than double the ­second-worst in Europe, the £171m posted by Lyon. The figures are also about £260m worse than those posted by the Blues in 2023-24.

Liam Rosenior had this to say: “My job is to focus on the team, trying to make the team and the squad as strong as possible to win things. I will have those conversations with the ownership and those above me. But [finances] are not something that is at the forefront of my mind. I just want to make sure we are successful on the pitch.”

Here’s Will Unwin’s take on the Harry Maguire contract from Michael Carrick’s press conference today.

Manchester City travel to Leeds United on Saturday hoping to close the gap to two points, with Arsenal playing Chelsea the next day. The 5.30pm kickoff comes during the current holy period when Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset. On Saturday sunrise is at 6.59am and sunset is at 5:44 p.m. Among City’s frontline players, Omar Marmoush, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Abdukodir Khusanov and Rayan Cherki are Muslim.

Guardiola was asked if their fasting would affect his selection for the match. “No, they take care and they know how you handle these situations,” he said.

It is thought there will be a break at 5.44pm at Elland Road to allow any fasting players on either side to take in nutrition.

Crystal Palace: Ahead of that game at Old Trafford, Oliver Glasner has been garlanding Michael Carrick with praise:

“Of course, when Man United plays at home against Crystal Palace, everybody there is expecting now a win. They are a very good team now. They gave a very good balance between, it’s a very experienced team, with really, very experienced Premier League players, and very young players with huge talent.

“It’s a good mix they have now, but I think the most important thing for them is they are consistently playing with their team and have a clear structure in the way they are playing. This is what I could see against Everton. They have a great spirit right now. It was really impressive seeing Matheus Cunha celebrating winning a duel in their own box. This, I think, is what Michael Carrick brought into this team.”

Manchester United: Michael Carrick on Harry Maguire’s contract running down.

“Within the squad, there is that balance, you want that younger potential and excitement and helping develop players, you need the sweet spot in the middle with players at the peak, and experience is massive.

“It’s hard to put a price on how valuable that can be. Harry has gained an awful lot of experience with this club. Casemiro leaving is another one, and we have to understand what.”

United play Crystal Palace on Sunday at Old Trafford.

Champions League draw: Rosenior also commented on Chelsea pulling PSG in the last-16 draw.

“So excited. PSG are a fantastic team. I have experience of playing against them in France. I have always admired them. Luis Enrique has done an incredible job. These are the games you live for, games that you come into football for. It’s going to be a great tie. But we’ve got another three games before that, that I need to focus on.”

Chelsea: Liam Rosenior has been talking about the racist abuse on social media Wesley Fofana received after last week’s draw with Burnley. “It was a tough day for Wes. First for what happened in the game and the racist abuse he got online. It affects you in ways that shouldn’t exist. It’s something we have to try and erradicate from life and football. He is strong and has trained this week.”

“Players have incredible support on and off the pitch. Social media is part of the younger generation - it’s the way they communicate and the way they live. In a perfect world, players don’t take notice of what’s on social media but they do. I hope that the players that are on it realise it’s just noise. It’s people with opinions. Some are valid and some come from a place that is not a good place.”

The Women’s Asian Cup takes place in Australia, and kicks off in Perth when the hosts take on the Philipines.

That’s enough from me. Here’s John Brewin to see things through.

With regard to Mikel Arteta’s bid to get Arsenal over the title-winning finishing line after three consecutive second-place finishes, Pep Guardiola was asked for his recollections of doing so with Barcelona in 2008-9, his first season as a head coach. The reply was pithy. “I don’t remember. I’m not here to give advice to Mikel,” said the Catalan.

David Moyes is giving James Garner plenty of love. The Everton manager reckons Thomas Tuchel should take note. “He’s predominantly a midfield player but can play several positions,” said Moyes.

“We had to play him left-back at the start of the season in a couple of games when we didn’t have anybody available. We’ve had to put him at right-back at different times because we think he’s as good as anybody there. In midfield he’s been excellent. I actually believe he’s getting close to being the levels to play for his country. So hopefully he can keep that up and could possibly get selected.”

Nottingham Forest need goals if they are to avoid relegation and who better to provide them than Chris Wood, who racked up 20 last season?

Only Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak outscored Wood in the last Premier League campaign. Now there is increasing optimism that Wood could feature in Forest’s run-in, an April return mooted.

Vitor Pereira, the Forest head coach, said of the striker: “Yes, I hope [he can] recover as soon as possible, because this is very important for us. The information that I have is [that he is] working hard to come as soon as possible.”

The 34-year-old has not played since October and underwent knee surgery at the end of last year. The New Zealand captain is desperate to return to fitness before the summer’s World Cup.

His last Forest goal came in a home defeat to Midtjylland, who Forest have been drawn against in the two-legged round of 16 next month. Forest travel to Brighton, one of Wood’s former clubs, as they return to league action on Sunday.

Palace faced AEK Larnaca at home in October … and lost 1-0. The winner of that tie could meet Fiorentina – runners-up in 2023 and 2024 – in the quarter-finals.

Conference League: The Eagles are off to Cyprus. Crystal Palace will take on AEK Larnaca in the last 16.

Former Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patrício is the special guest for the Conference League draw. He won the comp with Roma back in 2022.

Handover: With no shortage of Premier League managers yet to have their pre-match say, Taha Hashim is here to take up the cudgels.

Manchester City: Pep Guardiola is shooting the breeze ahead of Manchester City’s trip to Leeds tomorrow evening and has offered his two cents on City having to play Real Madrid in the Champions League … again.

“For our club, as much as you play against the best teams in the whole history of this competition, you learn and improve and you are better in the future,” he says.

No, me neither.

Scottish Premiership: Danny Rohl has reminded Luke McCowan that Rangers are ahead of Celtic in the title race after the Hoops midfielder confidently claimed: “We know if we’re at it no team in that league touches us”.

McCowan asserted his belief after the Parkhead side’s 1-0 win over Stuttgart in Germany on Thursday night saw the reigning William Hill Premiership champions lose their Europa League play-off 4-2 on aggregate. Ahead of the Glasgow derby at Ibrox on Sunday and with 10 fixtures remaining, Rangers are four points behind leaders Hearts and two ahead of Celtic, who have a game in hand over the leading pair.

“I think at the moment we are in the second position, they are behind us,” said Rohl, upon being asked for a reaction to McCowan’s comments. “They have at the moment seven or eight defeats. I think in general it makes no sense to speak too much about the other side, we have to focus on ourselves.

“We want to win this game. I see my team is ready to take points and then we’ll see on Sunday. Hopefully both teams try everything and I’m confident that we have a big chance of winning this game.” [Press Association]

Europa League draw: Nottingham Forest will play Midtjylland and Aston Villa will play Lille. Full draw to follow …

Europa League: They’re mid-montage in Nyon and the draw for the Europa League Round of 16 is imminent. We’ll bring you news of that once MC Pedro Pinto and Tees & Cees Man Giorgio Marchetti have conducted it with the help of their glamourous assistant, the Porto legend Maniche.

Champions League: Manchester City have been drawn against Real Madrid in the Champions League knockout phase for the sixth time since the 2019-20 season. The two clubs have already faced each other once in the group stage, with City coming from behind to win 2-1 in December.

Defending champions Paris St Germain will face Chelsea in what will be a repeat of last year’s ill-tempered Club World Cup final where the Premier League side came out on top.

Arsenal, who finished top in the league phase, play Bayer Leverkusen while Bayern Munich, who were second, play Atalanta. Newcastle United face Barcelona while Liverpool take on Galatasaray.

Premier League strugglers Tottenham Hotspur face Atletico Madrid while Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt – who have beaten City, Atletico and Inter Milan (home and away) this season – take on Portuguese side Sporting. [Reuters]

Manchester United: The sacking of Ruben Amorim could end up costing the club almost £16m. Amorim’s 14-month reign ended on 5 January after his public attack on United’s hierarchy, with his five coaches also leaving Old Trafford.

First impressions: It’s a nice draw for Arsenal, who will play one of the weakest sides in the competition (other opinions are available) and face Bodo/Glimt or Sporting if they advance to the quarter-finals. Manchester City will play Bayern Munich or Atalanta if they can get past Real Madrid.

We will have a Chelsea v Liverpool quarter-final if they both qualify, while Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur could meet in the last eight but both sides have an awful lot of work to do to make that happen. Finally, would anyone in their right mind confidently bet against Bodo/Glimt seeing off Sporting to set up a potential quarter-final against Leverkusen or Arsenal?

While anyone who has seen Tottenham play this season might suggest nothing could be further from the truth, one of this season’s Champions League’s semi-finals could be a North London derby. Oof!

• Atalanta v Bayern Munich

• Bayer Leverkusen v Arsenal

• Galatasaray v Liverpool

• Atletico Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur

• PSG v Chelsea

• Newcastle v Barcelona

• Real Madrid v Manchester City

• Bodo/Glimt v Sporting

The draw: We’re already two montages in and now Ivan Rakitic has been introduced to help with the draw. The Barcelona and Sevilla legend is looking dapper and fresh, rocking a dark pinstripe suit and heavily gelled short back and sides.

Bournemouth: Unbeaten in seven league games, four of which they’ve won, Bournemouth host Sunderland in tomorrow’s lunchtime kick-off. Regis Le Bris’s side make the long trip to the south coast, hoping to arrest a run of three consecutive league defeats.

“They’re a team that has played really well this season,” said Iraola of tomorrow’s opposition. “Their goalkeeper has been very good, he has a long kick and they can press very early. Every free kick, they put a lot of pressure on you.” Iraola told reporters that Lewis Cook will be out for an unspecified number of weeks with a hamstring injury.

Liverpool: Mo Salah is in his worst goalscoring drought of his Premier League career but head coach Arne Slot is confident it is something he will overcome. The Egypt international has won the Golden Boot four times since arriving at Anfield in 2017, the latest in last season’s title-winning campaign but has gone nine league matches without finding the net. It’s his worst run in the English top flight but Slot said while the criticism was to be expected because of the 33-year-old’s high standards it was not a cause for a concern as it was a problem afflicting all his forwards.

“He set his own standards and those are so high and the moment he doesn’t score for a few games people are immediately surprised – that is the biggest compliment he can get,” said Slot. “With data you can use it to your advantage or disadvantage but not to use the FA Cup game – if we play a Premier League side - you could argue if that is fair.

“Three games ago he had an assist and a goal against a very good Premier League team in Brighton so that is the reality and then you can change data and say he did not score in nine Premier League games. We are used to Mo scoring a lot of goals and at this moment in time that is maybe the biggest difference in his performance and game time. But we also know this has happened before, I don’t know if it happened nine games in a row but I’ve had these questions earlier if he didn’t score for three or five but I know in the end he always starts scoring again. He is not our only attacker at this moment in time that doesn’t score as much as we are used to.” [Press Association]

Football Association news: Kevin Thelwell has been appointed the FA’s Elite Coach Developer, tasked with supporting the progression of elite homegrown coaches.

The former Rangers and Everton sporting director’s strategic role at St George’s Park will span men’s and women’s football and he will report to Dan Ashworth, the chief football officer at the national football centre.

Newcastle United: With the draw for the Round of 16 looming, Eddie Howe has been asked for his thoughts on Newcastle’s next opponents – Barcelona or Chelsea – and jokes with reporters that he’s just glad his side won’t have to play Manchester City in the next round. The Newcastle head coach’s record against Pep Guardiola (P22 W2 D2 L18) is pretty dismal, even if his side did beat them at St James’ Park in the Premier League earlier this season.

“Really special and really positive for us,” he says. “I think we are just grateful we can’t get Man City! We are looking forward to what the draw brings and we will look forward to that game when it comes around.” If Newcastle are paired with Chelsea, the sides will meet three times in a row across eight days – two legs of the Champions League tie either side of a Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool: The reigning champions had the highest wage bill – up £42m to £428m – in the Premier League when winning their 20th league title last season, the club’s latest set of accounts have revealed. Andy Hunter reports …

Newcastle United: Eddie Howe’s side host Everton at St James’ Park tomorrow and ahead of the game, the Newcastle head coach has provided an injury update on Bruno Guimaraes. Like Arne Slot before him, he doesn’t seem sure when one of his team’s best midfielders will be available.

“I have had some good contact with Bruno,” he told reporters. “He seems very positive with his injury and how he feels. He has done a lot of work. He is being well looked after as well. We hope that he can come back and give us a push at the back end of the season. We have to treat his injury carefully.”

An ever-present when he is fit, the 28-year-old Brazilian has missed Bruno has missed Newcastle’s last four games with a hamstring injury and was ruled out for at least eight weeks just over a fortnight ago.

Champions League Round of 16 draw

This will kick-off in an hour or so but here’s a quick run-down on what, for those of us still suffering night terrors from the World Cup draw, should be a comparatively straightforward affair.

The top 8 teams from the league phase (seeded) are paired against the eight winners of the play-offs and the bracket is split into four sections. Here are your permutations ...

• Arsenal or Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta

• Liverpool or Tottenham v Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray

• Barcelona or Chelsea v Newcastle or Paris Saint-Germain

• Sporting or Manchester City v Real Madrid or Bodø/Glimt

The first legs will be played on 10 and 11 March, the second legs will be played on 17 and 18 March, and the eight seeded teams will be at home for the second legs.

Liverpool: We’ll kick off with some bad news for Liverpool fans, ahead of their side’s match against West Ham tomorrow. Arne Slot has opened his pre-match presser by telling reporters that Florian Wirtz will not be fit for the game and there’s no confirmed time frame on the German’s return. Wirtz missed Liverpool’s somewhat fortuitous win against Nottingham Forest last weekend after being forced to pull out during the warm-up.

“I don’t expect Florian to be available,” he says. “It’s a disappointment. Every time a player is not available is a disappointment, it’s something that I didn’t expect after last week. At this moment time, I don’t know [when he will return]. Usually when I say that, I do know and I don’t want to share. But this time, I honestly don’t know.

“It’s a big accomplishment for Wirtz to stay fit for such a long time because he had to make a step up from where he played to the Premier League and Liverpool. It tells a lot about his mentality and work rate that he has stayed fit for so long. It is a disappointment for him and for us, because he has played really, really well lately”

Slot also reveals that Jeremie Frimpong will be available for tomorrow’s match after being sidelined since the end of January.

Europa League – VfB Stuttgart 0-1 Celtic (agg: 4-2): Celtic restored a modicum of pride following their first leg humbling, in what is likely to be Martin O’Neill’s final European match as a head coach. Ewan Murray reports from MHP Arena …

Europa Conference League – Crystal Palace 2-0 Zrinjski Mostar (agg: 3-1): A Round of 16 tie against Larnaca or Mainz awaits Oliver Glasner’s side after they made short work of their visitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina in south London. Ed Aarons reports from Selbhurst Park …

Europa League – Nottingham Forest 1-2 Fenerbahce (agg: 4-2): Nottingham Forest survived a second leg scare to advance to the Round of 16, where they will face Midtjylland or Real Betis, two teams they failed to beat in the league phase of the competition. Ben Fisher reports from the City Ground …