LONDON: The top two teams in the Champions League standings meet Wednesday as Arsenal hosts Bayern Munich in a game between the leaders in the Premier League and Bundesliga.
Arsenal has yet to concede a goal in four straight wins in the eight-round opening phase but is still second behind Bayern on the tiebreaker of more goals scored, with both having the same goal difference.
Five of Bayern’s 14 Champions League goals were scored by Harry Kane, who returns to North London where he averaged 30 per season in his last nine years at Arsenal’s archrival Tottenham.
Inter Milan is the only other team on 12 points — in third place in the 36-team standings — and looks for a fifth straight win at Atletico Madrid.
Real Madrid is at Olympiakos after its 1-0 loss in the fourth round at Liverpool, which now hosts PSV Eindhoven.
Paris Saint-Germain is at home to Tottenham in a repeat of their Super Cup game in August that the Champions League title holder won in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw.
Two Europa League winners in the past four seasons, Eintracht Frankfurt and Atalanta, meet in Germany, and Sporting Lisbon hosts Club Brugge.
This is the fourth season of UEFA excluding teams from Russia in its competitions during the war on Ukraine but Pafos hosting Monaco is a meeting of clubs whose owners include Russian billionaires.
Pafos is co-owned by Sergey Lomakin and Monaco’s majority owner is Dmitry Rybolovlev, who once bought a property in Florida from future US President Donald Trump.
The other early game Wednesday sends Kairat Almaty from Kazakhstan to face Copenhagen. Each team has just one point and is, respectively, No. 35 and No. 33 in the standings.
Arsenal hosts Bayern in clash between Champions League’s top two. Inter aims for 5th win at Atletico
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Arsenal hosts Bayern in clash between Champions League’s top two. Inter aims for 5th win at Atletico
- Arsenal has yet to concede a goal in four straight wins. Bayern is still top on the tiebreaker of more goals scored as both teams have the same goal difference
- Inter Milan is the only other team on 12 points and looks for a fifth straight win at Atletico Madrid
Saudi boxing’s inaugural ‘Kingdom’s Belt’ Championship crowns winners in Riyadh
- Record participation of 246 fighters highlights growing momentum of boxing across the Kingdom
RIYADH: The Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation staged its inaugural “Kingdom’s Belt” Championship in Riyadh this week, with champions crowned on Saturday after four days of competition.
Held at the Mike Tyson Club in Boulevard City, the tournament featured 246 male and female fighters representing 46 clubs from across the Kingdom — the largest turnout for a domestic boxing championship organized by the federation.
Athletes qualified through regional tournaments, setting up national-level competition across multiple weight divisions in both men’s and women’s categories.
The championship formed part of the federation’s official calendar and was run under technical and administrative supervision, with bouts conducted in line with approved regulations and officiating standards.
Fighters progressed through preliminary rounds and semifinals before Saturday’s finals, where winners received the Kingdom’s belts during the closing ceremony.
The event showcased competitive matchups across divisions and highlighted the continued growth of organized boxing in Saudi Arabia.
Federation officials said the tournament represents an important addition to the domestic calendar, offering athletes a structured pathway to compete nationally while supporting efforts to develop the sport across the Kingdom.
