The Champions League quarter-finals take place next week and the draw for the semi-finals has already been made so each team knows their potential route to the final in June. Six of the eight remaining teams hail from England and Spain – three each – with one German and one Portuguese side also among the quarter-finalists.
Juventus had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the first leg but will be confident of completing the job when they host Villarreal with a place in the Champions League quarter-finals at stake. Dusan Vlahovic scored inside the first minute but Dani Parejo’s equaliser boosted Villarreal’s chances.
Chelsea head to France for the second leg of their Champions League tie with a 2-0 lead and it would be a surprise if they fail to make it through to the quarter-finals. A goal in each half from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic secured victory at Stamford Bridge.
Manchester United were second best for much of the first leg against Atletico Madrid but returned to Old Trafford level at 1-1 thanks to a late equaliser. They are now firm favourites at 1.42 to reach the Champions League quarter-finals but those odds look too short.
Ajax twice wasted a lead in the first leg of their Champions League clash with Benfica but are expected to be more ruthless in the return match. The teams drew 2-2 in Portugal a fortnight ago but Ajax will feel they wasted the chance to return to Amsterdam with the lead.
PSG were more dominant in the first leg of their Champions League clash with Real Madrid than the result suggested and can highlight their superiority in the Spanish capital. Kylian Mbappe scored the goal which sees the French side head to Madrid with a 1-0 lead.
Manchester City have effectively already secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals and Sporting Lisbon will hope that means they can avoid another heavy defeat in the second leg. City are 5-0 up from the first leg in the Portuguese capital.
Liverpool are sitting pretty in their Champions League tie with Inter Milan after a 2-0 win in Italy but were given a tough test at the San Siro. The Nerazzurri were the better team for large parts of that contest and are fancied to have their moments on Merseyside.
Bayern Munich left it late when drawing the first leg of their Champions League clash with Salzburg but should now advance on home turf. The German giants, who won 3-1 and 6-2 in group-stage games between these teams last term, dominated for long periods in Austria.
European teams have won the last eight editions of the FIFA Club World Cup and Chelsea can extend that sequence by seeing off Palmeiras. The Blues were the last Champions League victors to taste defeat when going down to Corinthians in 2012 but can finally make amends.
United are not able to be picky about which trophies they win these days and will be relieved to be hosting lower-league opposition in the FA Cup fourth round. They went into the winter break on the back of two Premier League wins and can use the cup tie to get back into the swing of things.
Rafael Benitez is under pressure to quickly improve Everton’s fortunes and that should ensure they treat their FA Cup third-round tie at Hull seriously. The Toffees are languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table with just one win since late September so confidence must be low.
Patrick Vieira lifted the FA Cup four times as a player and will be keen to steer Crystal Palace into round four at the expense of Millwall. The Lions were once regarded as a team to fear on home turf by Premier League clubs but their recent record in this event is only moderate.
Manchester City have been hit by a Covid outbreak ahead of their FA Cup trip to Swindon but it is still hard to envisage the Robins pulling off a shock result. Pep Guardiola will miss the visit to The County Ground, along with at least seven first-team players.