Conference League Draw: conference league draw noted as Champions League last 16 confirmed
The conference league draw appears amid wider European-draw coverage, with Champions League draw from 11am (GMT) and confirmed last-16 dates. The first legs will be played on 10 and 11 March, the second legs will be played on 17 and 18 March.
Conference League Draw context
The provided headlines driving this briefing include: Bayer Leverkusen drawn in Champions League last 16; Champions League last 16: Manchester City face Real Madrid; Europa League draw – live; and UEFA Champions League round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draw: Where is it, when is it, who is involved? Coverage noted Champions League draw from 11am (GMT) | Mail John.
Confirmed last-16 match dates
Organisers have confirmed the schedule: the first legs will be played on 10 and 11 March, and the second legs will be played on 17 and 18 March. One tie with a listed kick-off time is 5. 45pm (UK time): Galatasaray v Liverpool.
Premier League weekend focus
Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend remains part of the round-up. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been talking ahead of Sunday’s game with Chelsea and referenced Viktor Gyokeres, who got two goals last week at Tottenham. Arteta outlined his view of Gyokeres’ development: “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. ” Arteta added a separate insistence on mentality: “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. ”
Brentford deal and reaction
Brentford confirmed that Keith Andrews signed a new deal, until 2032. Andrews said he felt honoured by the trust placed in him and stressed the collective effort at the club: “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. ”
Chelsea women’s appointment
Chelsea announced that 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. The club’s statement set out Radley’s remit: in the new club position he 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. The statement added that 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; and 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 finances and reaction
There is a lot of talk about the latest financial figures. Uefa data show 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 addressed the balance between finances and on-pitch priorities: “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. ”
All items above are drawn from the same round-up of draw coverage and club updates; some headlines and match pairings have been confirmed alongside managerial comments and club announcements.
