Last season’s league phase felt relatively exciting because two of the favourites — Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain — struggled to reach the knockout stage. But this was surely an anomaly: it owed little to the competition’s setup, and the switch to eight matches rather than six offers less chance of surprises.

Liverpool needed a win (or maybe just a draw) to finish in the top-eight of the UEFA Champions League, and the Reds left no doubt as they hammered Azerbaijani side Qarabag 6-0 at Anfield.

However the Mavericks slice it, their new focus is Flagg, and every roster decision has to be with him in mind.

Europa League league phase concludes Top eight teams automatically qualify for last 16 - as it stands table here Aston Villa and Lyon have already secured places Villa come from 2-0 down to lead RB Salzburg 3-2 Nottingham Forest put four past Ferencvaros Aston Villa v Red Bull Salzburg (29/01/2026) BBC Radio WM.

The UEFA Europa League wraps up its league phase on Thursday as Aston Villa hosts Red Bull Salzburg at Villa Park.

After the thrilling conclusion to Champions League action the day before, the Europa League takes centre stage to determined the 24 participants for the knockout stage.

There might be a relegation race, too, after two wins from two has 18th-place West Ham United five points clear of 19th-place Burnley and five points back of 16th-place Nottingham Forest. But we're not really worried about the bottom of the table today.

An Emirates Stadium memento and an unlikely love for Crystal Palace were features of recent talks between the two nations