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Six English clubs, one huge night – all to play for in Champions League

Wins for Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle and Spurs last time out in the Champions League kept them each in the hunt for a top-eight finish

BySam Drury

BBC Sport journalist

Published21 January 2026

Updated 5 hours ago

A blockbuster final day of games in the Champions League’s league phase in rich in dramatic potential, with 30 teams waiting for their fate to be decided.

Six English clubs are eyeing top-eight spots, while there are notable familiar faces looking to get the better of their former employers.

Arsenal are safely through to the last 16, where they will be joined by Bayern Munich, but just about everybody else still has work to do and major targets to aim for in a congested 36-team table.

The table-topping Gunners have been predicted as being best-placed to win the competition for the first time, with Opta ranking their chances at 31%, ahead of Bayern on 16.9%

Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle United and Chelsea are the other Premier League sides occupying a top-eight spot, and staying there would mean they avoid the play-offs and go straight into the last 16.

Manchester City – currently in a play-off spot – are behind seventh-placed Newcastle and eighth-placed Chelsea only on goal difference. The English trio feature among eight teams on 13 points heading into Wednesday’s final round of games, with all 18 matches kicking off at 20:00 GMT.

There have never been six clubs from one country in the competition before, never mind in the knockout stages.

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Man Utd stun leaders Arsenal to open up title race

Manchester United loosened Arsenal’s grip on the Premier League title race with a 3-2 win in north London on Sunday thanks to stunning second-half goals by Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha.

Victory would have restored Arsenal’s seven-point lead over chasers Manchester City and Aston Villa, both of whom won this weekend, but Mikel Arteta’s side instead left the door open as they lost at home for the first time this season.

United’s win, their first in the league at Arsenal since 2017, lifted them to fourth, and while they are not in the title equation themselves, it fuelled the new-found optimism sweeping the club since Michael Carrick stepped in as interim coach.

Everything was going to plan for Arsenal when they took the lead in the 29th minute with a Lisandro Martinez own goal.

But a terrible mistake by Martin Zubimendi in the 37th minute gifted United an equaliser for Bryan Mbeumo.

Dorgu then smashed a ferocious shot in off the crossbar to put United ahead in the 50th minute but substitute Mikel Merino prodded the hosts levelin the 84th.

United were not finished though and substitute Cunha was allowed to advance towards Arsenal’s goal before curling a low shot past the dive of David Raya from 25 metres to spark wild celebrations amongst the visiting fans.

Arsenal, who are now winless in three league games after two 0-0 draws, have 50 points from 23 games with City and Villa on 46. United moved fourth with 38 points.

United’s win followed their 2-0 defeat of Manchester City last weekend in Carrick’s first game of his second spell as the club’s interim manager.

The nerves are clearly starting to show at Arsenal as they seek their first title since 2004.

Even after Martinez got his legs in a tangle and deflected Martin Odegaard’s shot past his own keeper, Arsenal never looked completely at ease and slowly lost control of the game.

The omens still looked bad for United at that stage with Arsenal having won their last 15 Premier League games in which they had taken the lead.

But when William Saliba passed to Zubimendi who in turn gifted the ball straight to Mbeumo to score in style, the visitors suddenly sensed an opportunity.

Things took a dark turn for Arsenal five minutes after the interval. Again their defence was found wanting as Dorgu was allowed to control a bouncing ball before thumping a left-foot volley in off the crossbar past a stunned Raya.

Arteta reacted by making four substitutions, sending on Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino and Ben White while Noni Madueke also joined the fray later from a stacked bench.

There was huge relief when United failed to deal with a corner and Merino prodded in from close range — the ball being adjudged to have crossed the line after a brief delay.

It looked as though Arsenal had got out of jail and might even snatch a win but United’s belief was unwavering as Cunha delivered a gift to City and Villa.

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Perth Scorchers win sixth BBL title over Sydney Sixers

Josh Inglis blasted a six to seal a crushing six-wicket victory for the Perth Scorchers and their record sixth Big Bash League T20 title over the Sydney Sixers in Perth on Sunday.

Inglis hit the winning runs over the long-off ropes in his unbeaten 29 as the Perth franchise comfortably ran down the Sixers’ total of 132 to win with 15 balls to spare before a record 55,018 home crowd at Optus Stadium.

Opener Mitch Marsh topscored for the Scorchers with 44 off 43 balls, while team-mate David Payne was named player of the match for his three for 18 off four overs that put the Sixers on the skids.

“I’m elated for the Perth fans. It was nervy but when you take a couple of wickets it calms the nerves. You always want to contribute and it was nice that I was able to do that tonight,” Payne said.

It was a final between the two most successful clubs in BBL history, with the Sixers chasing their fourth title.

“A sixth title for this club, it’s special. We are incredibly fortunate to have a group of players who’ve pretty much grown up together. That cohesion and connection is something we really pride ourselves on,” Marsh said.

New Zealander Finn Allen capped off a brilliant season by overtaking David Warner’s 433 runs to finish as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 466 after his swashbuckling 36 off 22 balls.

The Sixers were making their return transcontinental trip to Perth in the space of six days, having stumbled in the qualifier.

They were always struggling to match the Scorchers in the final after losing the toss and being sent in to bat.

Steve Smith, Josh Philippe and Moises Henriques were all dismissed for 24, and the Sydney Sixers were bundled out for a below-par score on the final ball of their 20 overs.

Jhye Richardson supported Payne with three wickets for 32 as the Scorchers kept a tight rein on the Sixers’ scoring.

Smith was the crucial wicket, given out lbw to Aaron Hardie on review after looking in good touch with three fours off 13 balls.

Australia’s Test batting star Smith had been in red-hot scoring form in the BBL since the Ashes tour, scoring 299 runs with a century and two half-centuries at an average of 59.80.

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‘Winning is the best way’ as captain Sabina leads unbeaten Bangladesh in futsal triumph

Futsal success has offered Sabina Khatun both a new stage and a timely reminder of her enduring value to Bangladesh football.

The 32-year-old captain led Bangladesh to the title in the inaugural SAFF Women’s Futsal Championship 2026, finishing as the tournament’s only unbeaten team with five wins and a draw in the seven-team competition held in Bangkok, Thailand.

The triumph added another chapter to Sabina’s leadership legacy, following back-to-back SAFF Women’s Championship titles in 2022 and 2024 under her captaincy.

“Winning always brings happiness and it is the best way to earn laurels for the nation, especially after battling hard against opponents,” Sabina said in a voice message to The Daily Star from Thailand on Sunday.

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Bangladesh’s dominance in the new format was shaped decisively by their captain. Sabina not only adapted seamlessly to futsal but also led from the front, finishing as the competition’s top scorer with 14 goals — seven more than the joint second-highest scorers, her teammate Krishna Rani Sarkar and India’s Khusbu Saroj, underlining how her level was a cut above the rest.

“My role has always been to score goals, whether in football or futsal,” she said.

“It feels good to score in both versions, but scoring is never easy. It takes skill and constant effort.”

Sabina joined the futsal squad with limited preparation time and yet believed the team could still make an impact if experience was used wisely.

“If my inclusion helps the team, then there was no reason not to join,” said the Satkhira native. “We didn’t have much time to prepare, but I felt that bringing in a few experienced players and giving them one or two months of training could produce something positive.”

Despite her success in futsal, Sabina remains unwilling to revisit the controversy surrounding her apparent exclusion from the national women’s football team following a rift with English coach Peter Butler.

“There are many questions about the coach, but I don’t want to comment,” she said.

“It’s an old issue and I don’t want to raise it again, especially when the women’s team has an important tournament coming up in March. Everyone should wish them the best.”

She also called on continued public support for the women’s game. “The people of the country have always stood by women’s football, and I hope they will continue to do so in the coming days.”

Sabina, however, is prepared to accept scrutiny that comes with her profile.

“Criticism is part of being a professional. Players are praised during good times and criticised during bad times. Accepting both should be a professional’s character.”

On and off the court, Sabina believes her responsibility remains unchanged.

“I try to be the same person everywhere — friendly with others and always trying to inspire the team.”

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Carrick says Man Utd must ride wave of confidence

Manchester United’s stand-in manager Michael Carrick continued his dream start to his second stint in the position with victory at Arsenal on Sunday and said his team must ride the wave of confidence that has swept away the Old Trafford gloom.

Former midfielder Carrick answered United’s call in the wake of Ruben Amorim’s sacking this month and his two games in charge have seen a 2-0 win against Manchester City and a thrilling 3-2 victory at Premier League leaders Arsenal.

“We’ve got to ride it and use the emotion, you have got to use the energy and use the confidence,” Carrick, whose team moved up to fourth in the table, said.

“You’ve got to be humble enough to understand how we could just achieve these two big results. It doesn’t just come easy, so we need to continue that and bottle it and use it again.”

United had to dig deep on Sunday as Arsenal bossed the opening half-hour and led through a Lisandro Martinez own goal. But Bryan Mbeumo was gifted an equaliser and stunning goals by Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha in the second half sealed a first United league win at Arsenal since 2017.

“The goals were fantastic goals and some of the football was good, and we looked dangerous at certain times,” Carrick, who won multiple league titles in United’s midfield, said.

“Other times we had to defend, but it was just a performance with a bit of everything, really.”

Carrick was also unbeaten in his three-game stint as caretaker manager in 2021, including a 3-2 win against Arsenal before handing over the reins to Ralf Rangnick.

With Carrick placed in charge until the end of the season this time, he has the chance to stake his claim for the role on a permanent basis and his stock has risen rapidly.

“What happens next I’m not going to be answering it every week. I’m enjoying it and I’ll continue to do what I can,” the 44-year-old said when asked about his ambition.

“I know from our perspective it’s just about moving forward to the next game. It’s been less than two weeks that we’ve been together, so it’s just keep getting good habits and good routines. The boys have been fantastic with that.

“But I don’t think we can look too far ahead. We’ll finish where we finish by getting the results.”

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Milan held by Roma to leave Inter five clear at Serie A summit

AC Milan’s title hopes suffered a blow as they were held to a 1-1 draw by AS Roma in a rain-soaked clash in the capital on Sunday that left Inter Milan five points clear at the top of the Serie A standings.

Second-placed Milan moved to 47 points, while Roma climbed to third on 43, level with Napoli, who suffered a 3-0 defeat earlier on Sunday.

Inter had cranked up the pressure in the title race with a 6-2 comeback win against Pisa on Friday.

Roma had several chances to grab the opening goal in the first half, but Milan keeper Mike Maignan was in inspired form, producing a reflex save on the line to deny the hosts just before the break, with his performance earning him the Man-of-the-Match award.

After a difficult first half, Milan made the breakthrough in the 62nd minute when Koni De Winter rose to glance home a header from a cross, sparking wild celebrations on the visitors’ bench.

However, the home crowd were roaring 12 minutes later when Davide Bartesaghi was penalised for handball and the referee pointed to the spot, with Lorenzo Pellegrini making no mistake to level for Roma.

Neither side could break the deadlock in the closing stages, with Roma dominating possession and Milan waiting for an opening on the counter.

The visitors had a late scare when the ball struck Christian Pulisic’s arm. The incident, however, was waved away by the referee as his arm was tucked against his body, and the sides shared the spoils.