Friday Draws, ‘Maracanazo’… Five Stories to Start Your Day

Nyon’s glass walls will decide more than match-ups at midday. When the Champions League round-of-16 draw begins at 12:00 CET, Europe’s heavyweight clubs will discover whether their spring is paved with possibility or peril. Real Madrid, fresh from topping their group, could face either Manchester City’s star-studded line-up or Sporting Clube de Portugal’s giant-killing ambition. Atlético Madrid brace for an English assault, with Liverpool or Tottenham ready to visit the Metropolitano. Across the Spanish corridor, FC Barcelona wait anxiously for either Newcastle’s physical stampede or a reunion with Luis Enrique’s resurgent Paris Saint-Germain.

While the balls tumble in Switzerland, Barcelona’s camp received grim news. Midfield metronome Frenkie de Jong will miss the next five to six weeks after sustaining an injury in Thursday’s training session. The Dutchman’s absence leaves Hansi Flick without one of his primary engines just as La Liga and European stakes sharpen.

In Madrid, another curtain prepares to fall. According to L’Equipe, Antoine Griezmann’s storied second spell at Atlético is nearing its finale, with Orlando City poised to welcome the French forward to Major League Soccer this winter. Club officials had hoped to retain him until June, but the 33-year-old appears set for a new chapter across the Atlantic.

Spain’s European momentum is not confined to the Champions League. At a raucous Balaídos, Celta de Vigo edged PAOK 1-0 courtesy of a solitary strike from Williot Swedberg, sealing passage to the Europa League round of 16. The Sky Blues now watch Olympique Lyon and Aston Villa battle for the right to face them in the next phase, a tie overseen by the tactical mastery of Unai Emery.

South American football provided the week’s most dramatic narrative. In Rio de Janeiro, Lanús overturned Flamengo 3-2 at an incandescent Maracanã to claim the Recopa Sudamericana, the continent’s super-club trophy. The defeat sparked fury among Flamengo supporters, many of whom directed blame at former idol Lucas Paquetá for the Brazilian side’s collapse.

From Swiss boardrooms to Brazilian cauldrons, Friday’s headlines prove once again that football never sleeps.