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LONDON — Leeds United were promoted to the Premier League on Friday after West Bromwich Albion’s 2-1 defeat at Huddersfield ensured the Championship leaders will end their 16-year exile from the top-flight.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were able to celebrate promotion without kicking a ball as second placed Albion’s failure to take three points guaranteed Leeds will finish in the top two.

“We are back. Leeds United are Premier League,” the club said on their Twitter account moments after the final whistle.

Leeds are five points clear at the top and they can clinch the Championship title with a draw against Derby at Pride Park on Sunday.

Albion’s defeat means third placed Brentford will reach the top-flight for the first time in 73 years if they win their last two games.

A tense 1-0 win over Barnsley at Elland Road, secured by Michael Sollbauer’s own goal, had moved Leeds to the brink of promotion on Thursday.

Now they can look forward to renewing old rivalries with Manchester United and Chelsea next season.

“It’s unbelievable and it’s still not sunk in,” Leeds captain Liam Cooper said.

“Our club, our fans and our players have sacrificed so much. We’ve been in the doldrums for 16 years.

“To lead this team to promotion back to where we know we’ve always belonged is unbelievable. We deserve it. We’ve been the best team all season.”

Bielsa has earned iconic status in west Yorkshire after the Leeds boss finally put his club back on the football map.

Midfielder Kalvin Phillips saluted Bielsa’s contribution, saying: “When the manager first came in I never thought I would be in this position two years down the line.

“He’s the best in the world. There’s no manager I would rather be under than Marcelo Bielsa.

“The Premier League is the best in the world and after 16 years we’re back in there.”

Despite warnings from Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani to stay at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, Leeds fans gathered outside Elland Road to celebrate, but their emotion was understandable.

Leeds are one of England’s biggest clubs, with their legion of fanatical fans following them around the country and regularly attracting home crowds of over 30,000 despite years of underachievement.

Rich history

Their long-awaited return to the top tier completes a turbulent journey that saw them become a laughing stock when they languished in third tier obscurity.

Leeds have been away from the Premier League for so long that Twitter and Instagram didn’t exist the last time they played in the top-flight.

So it was fitting that Leeds goalkeeper Kiko Casilla took to Twitter to celebrate, writing: “We are BACK! We are in the Premier League! Yessssssssssss!

“Many days dreaming of this Day. We deserve it. Proud of this TEAM, proud of our supporters.”

Liverpool midfielder James Milner, who started his career at Leeds, tweeted: “Congratulations LUFC. Back where you belong.”

Leeds went through 14 different managers following their 2004 relegation from the Premier League, until the sleeping giant was awoken by former Lazio and Marseille boss Bielsa.

Bielsa has turned the tide at a tortured club infamously labelled the ‘Damned United’ by novelist David Peace and forever remembered as ‘Dirty Leeds’ in the minds of fans who saw their no-holds-barred style in the Don Revie era.

The 64-year-old Argentine led Leeds within touching distance of promotion in his first season, but they crumbled in the final weeks and were beaten in the play-off semifinals by Derby.

Notorious for working his players so hard in training that they often burn out by the end of the season, Bielsa has benefitted from the coronavirus hiatus allowing his players to come back refreshed for the final furlong of the promotion race.

Champions of England in 1969 and 1974 under Revie, then in 1992 when Howard Wilkinson called the shots, Leeds have a rich history. 

PARIS — Motorcycling is often a family affair, and yet before Alex Marquez joined Marc at Honda for this season two brothers had never raced together for the same team in MotoGP.

Honda had more obvious options than Alex Marquez as replacements for another Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo this season, including Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami and Frenchman Johann Zarco.

But Marc Marquez, who is 27, dreamt of riding alongside his younger brother at the highest level and the team heeded its six-time world champion and signed 24-year-old Alex, although the team announced on Monday that it would only be for one year.

Next season Alex will drop to satellite team LCR while 29-yer-old Pol Espargaro, also the younger of a pair of racing Catalan brothers, will join from KTM. Espargaro's brother Aleix rides for Aprilla.

Other brothers to have ridden at the same time include the French Sarrons, Dominique and 250cc world champion Christian, on rival teams in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The Marquez brothers will become the first to race for the same team when the coronavirus-delayed MotoGP season kicks off in Jerez this weekend.

Marc Marquez began his phenomenal career by winning the 125cc, now Moto3, title, in 2010 at the age of 17.

He won the Moto2 title in 2012 and the MotoGP title in his first full season in 2013 and repeated the triumph in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Alex has taken a little longer.

He won Moto3 in 2014 and finally took the Moto2 in 2019, a good progression when compared with anyone except his brother.

The two kids from Cervera, discovered motorcycling young, pushed by their father Julia.

They developed under the guidance of Emilio Alzamora, the 1999 125cc world champion.

"Marc and I have been racing together since we were very young, more or less every weekend," said Alex in 2014.

"I spend most of my time with him. Besides being my brother, he's my best friend."

When Alex won the Moto2 title last year, after a crisis of confidence caused by crashes in 2016, his brother said he was "even more satisfied" than if he had won the crown.

"It's difficult to be 'the brother of' and he's under a lot of pressure," said Marc. "Today he gave a championship ride. He's not 'the brother of', he's Alex Marquez."

Mark, who is 1.69 metres, and Alex, who is 1.8 metres, were inseparable until they were confined during the coronavirus pandemic that delayed their season.

'I'm here to learn'

"We train and do almost everything together," said Marc. "I think it's good for both of us. We help each other all the time."

Together for the first time in the same category, the brothers face a new challenge: to preserve their bond while negotiating the complicated relationship between team-mates: partners in the garage and rivals on the track.

"Having Marc as a team-mate is the best way to find out as quickly as possible what this class is like, the secrets of Honda and to learn everything I can," said Alex, whose goal is to be MotoGP rookie of the year.

"I hope that soon I will be able to say that he is one of my rivals. This year it will be nothing like that: I'm here to learn as much as I can from him."

Marc agrees that this should be a season of brotherly cooperation.

"I have my own goal and my teammate's goal is different," Marc said.

"But it's certain that one day we could find ourselves fighting for a race, or even a title. I hope so. But I'm telling you: on the circuit, everyone sees their own interests and tries to give 100 per cent of themselves."

Honda's decision to allow Alex just one season to learn at his brother's side means that if he becomes a true competitor to Marc, the sibling rivalry will not break out in the team garage.

MILAN — Mario Pasalic scored a hat-trick as Atalanta brushed aside struggling local rivals Brescia 6-2 to move second in Serie A on Tuesday.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side extended their unbeaten league run to 13 games to move six points behind leaders Juventus.

Inter Milan and Lazio are two points behind Atalanta before they play against SPAL and Udinese respectively later this week.

Gasperini’s side have scored 93 league goals so far this season — 26 more than eight-time reigning champions Juventus.

“We don’t do it to humiliate the opponent, but we try to play our game,” said Gasperini. 

“Already last year we were the best attack in the league, this year we have surpassed ourselves, scoring many goals with many different players. 

“Playing in the Champions League has helped us and made us grow,” added Gasperini, whose side will play Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight next month. 

“We are preparing for Paris Saint-Germain, but also want to fight to the end in Serie A. 

“I think the best way to be ready for August 12 will be to play these last five league games to the maximum.”

The game between high-scoring Atalanta and 19th-placed Brescia was one between two neighbouring teams from cities ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.

A minute’s silence took place before kick-off with players forming a circle with the backdrop of the music “Rinascero, Rinascerai” (I will be reborn, you will be reborn), by Bergamo musician Roby Facchinetti.

Atalanta’s top scorer Luis Muriel, with 17 league goals this season, watched from the stands hours after the Colombian left hospital after suffering a head injury in a fall at his home.

But his absence was not felt with Croatian Pasalic opening the scoring within two minutes at the Gewiss Stadium connecting with a Ruslan Malinovskyi cross.

Brescia hit back minutes later with Ernesto Torregrossa pouncing on Atalanta defender Mattia Caldara’s poor clearance.

But the hosts got back into their stride and were four-goals up after half an hour with Marten De Roon, Malinovskyi and a Duvan Zapata header within a five-minute spell.

The punishment continued in the second half with Malinovskyi again setting up Pasalic to beat Lorenzo Andrenacci in the Brescia goal after 55 minutes.

The Croatian added a third three minutes later sending in Ebrima Colley’s cross for his ninth goal this season, five of them against Brescia, having scored a brace in the away leg last November.

“It’s the best moment of my career,” said Pasalic after his maiden hat-trick.

“There are still five games left and we can do even better.

“We have scored more than 90 goals in Serie A, we have shown against Juventus (2-2 draw) that we can match even the strongest teams.”

Nikolas Spalek pulled a goal back for Brescia who move closer to Serie B next season.

Atalanta however are having one of the best seasons in the club’s 112-year history with a berth in the Champions League quarter-finals in their debut season.

AMMAN — More than 750 members of national sports teams have been tested for COVID-19, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

The tests have been carried out by the Jordan Sport Medicine Federation in Al Hussein Youth City as part of the new strict health procedures in place to allow them to return to training.

Both athletes and coaches participated with the tests carried out in collaboration with Ministry of Health.

AMMAN — The quadrennial elections to elect members to the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) as well as Jordan’s national sports federations have been postponed to 2021, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

The elections traditionally follow the Olympic Games which were previously postponed to 2021 and on Monday, under the presidency of HRH Prince Feisal, the general assembly voted to endorse the postponement.

The meeting, which was held online, also agreed to adjust Article 9 and 10 (Statement A) of the national sport federation regulations to allow the postponement. The General Assembly also approved the Financial and Administrative reports for 2019.

MADRID — Real Madrid need one victory to secure La Liga after they held off a second-half comeback from Granada on Monday to win 2-1 and move four points clear of Barcelona.

With two games left, Madrid will be crowned champions if they beat Villarreal at home on Thursday regardless of how Barca fare at the Camp Nou against Osasuna.

But they were made to sweat by a Granada team that are gunning for Europe and have been arguably the division’s surprise of the season after being promoted from second tier last year. 

Ferland Mendy and Karim Benzema looked to have set Madrid on course for a comfortable win at Los Carmenes, but Granada were transformed after the break and Darwin Machis’s 50th-minute strike gave them hope. 

An increasingly nervous Madrid were clinging on by the end and needed Sergio Ramos to clear one shot off the line as Zinedine Zidane’s side dug in for a ninth consecutive victory. 

“Our vision when we start every season is to win the league,” said Zidane. “There are two games left. We are close but we’re not there yet.”

When the final whistle blew, Zidane roared with relief and Ramos clenched his fists after coming through their toughest test since the restart. 

“We can’t relax, we’re a bit closer but we have to carry on,” said Ramos afterwards. 

“We let our guard down here a bit in the second half. We won the first half and lost the second and maybe that’s a warning for us. We have to make sure we don’t repeat that mistake.” 

Madrid could win La Liga for the third time in eight years at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium on Thursday night. “It would mean a lot,” said Ramos. 

“It’s the prize for consistency over the whole year. Maybe we had a period of reflection during the suspension, and we came back and reacted. We’re in the race and hopefully on Thursday we can celebrate.” 

If Madrid slip up against Villarreal, they will still have a second chance on Sunday when they finish at Leganes while Barcelona visit Alaves. 

Machis’s goal was the first Madrid have conceded in six matches but few would have seen it coming after the first half. 

Madrid scored twice in six minutes, with both goals coming from breaks down their left. 

Mendy had space in front of him and kept going, accelerating between Victor Diaz and Dimitri Foulquier before firing high and into the roof of the net from an acute angle. 

The second goal came down the same side, Isco’s backheel allowing Luka Modric to switch left to Benzema, who this time cut inside Diaz and shot into the far corner. 

Madrid cruised through the rest of the half, pushing the ball around at will, but comfort perhaps created complacency and Granada improved after the break. 

Machis pulled a goal back, striking through the legs of Courtois after Casemiro was dispossessed in midfield and Madrid were rattled as Granada began to dictate play. 

A scramble in Madrid’s six-yard box saw several players hacking at the ball in panic and Courtois was twice required to make smart saves late on. 

The closest Granada came was when the ball fell to Ramon Azeez at the back post and he fired towards the near post with Courtois stranded but Ramos was on the line to clear. 

Earlier, Villarreal’s hopes of Champions League football were dashed after they lost 2-1 at home to Real Sociedad to confirm that fourth-placed Sevilla will join Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid in the competition next season.

Villarreal remain fifth, three points ahead of Getafe and Real Sociedad, with all three hoping to secure a place in the Europa League. Getafe drew 0-0 against Alaves.

SPIELBERG, Austria — Lewis Hamilton secured his first win of the season and the 85th of his career with a perfectly-judged victory from pole position as Mercedes delivered a one-two finish in Sunday’s Styrian Grand Prix.

The six-time world champion bounced back from a disappointing season-opening Austrian Grand Prix on the same Red Bull Ring circuit a week earlier with a consummate display.

He is also now within six wins of Michael Schumacher’s record.

Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas, who won the curtain-raising race, finished 13.7 seconds adrift in second to deliver a solid Mercedes one-two, their first in Austria since 2015.

Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull, slowed by slight car damage in the final stages, ahead of his teammate Alex Albon, who defended stoutly to finish fourth.

“It’s great to be back up here and thanks to the team,” said Hamilton. 

Bottas said he had enjoyed his battle with Verstappen.

“Starting fourth, this was damage limitation for me,” he said.

“I tried, but we are just a bit too slow,” admitted Verstappen.

Bottas leads the embryonic championship ahead of Hamilton with Lando Norris third. 

Norris came home a remarkable fifth for McLaren after passing both Racing Points cars during a thrilling final lap, Sergio Perez taking sixth after starting from 17th on the grid, and Lance Stroll seventh.

Daniel Ricciardo was eighth for Renault, Carlos Sainz clocked fastest lap and finished ninth in the second McLaren and Daniil Kvyat 10th for Alpha Tauri.

Both Ferraris were eliminated after crashing together on the opening lap, Charles Leclerc apologising to four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, who is in his last season with the team, for his ill-judged dive down the inside that resulted in a disaster for the Italian team.

“I am disappointed in myself. I’m sorry but being sorry is not enough,” tweeted Leclerc.

Hamilton made a smooth start from his record 89th pole position, pulling clear of Verstappen and an aggressive Sainz.

There was early drama when the two Ferraris collided at Turn Three, Leclerc bouncing off the kerb as he attempted an over-ambitious move to pass Vettel and crashing into the rear of the German’s car.

The four-time champion’s machine was badly damaged, the rear wing almost removed, and after limping to the pits he was forced to retire.

Leclerc survived, but abandoned the contest soon after the resultant Safety Car had pulled in.

On resumption, Hamilton took control. 

Having given a master-class in the wet on Saturday, this was, by comparison, a measured and strategic Sunday stroll.

The sport’s only black race winner and champion showed no affects either from another muddled pre-race gesture by the drivers in support of F1’s anti-racism stance in which he took a knee again, with at least 10 others, while four stood. 

All wore “End Racism” t-shirts.

Hamilton soon built a commanding lead ahead of Verstappen’s Red Bull, the Briton reeling off fastest laps at will while Mercedes teammate Bottas closed in from third.

Verstappen was first to pit and rejoined behind the Finn, but ahead of teammate Albon shortly before Esteban Ocon became the third retirement in his Renault.

Hamilton pitted from the lead after 28 laps, swapping his softs for a set of mediums, and was soon followed by Bottas, who returned 8.2 seconds adrift of Verstappen.

Behind the leaders, the fastest man on track was Perez, who had carved through the field after starting 17th. 

With 15 laps remaining, he was fifth and hounding Albon for fourth.

By this time, Verstappen was hampered by a flapping front-wing footplate and Bottas had closed to within a second.

On lap 66, Bottas passed him on the back straight, but the Dutchman fought back and forced him to try again on lap 67 when, finally, he sealed his spot in an inevitable Mercedes one-two.

There was late drama also when Renault said they were launching an official protest about the legality of the Racing Point car.

MILAN — Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penalties as Juventusntus snatched a dramatic 2-2 draw against Atalanta on Saturday to take a massive step towards a ninth straight Serie A title.

Lazio’s 2-1 loss to Sassuolo earlier in the day gave Atalanta, on an 11-match winning streak heading into the game, the chance to move second and cut the gap to Juventus to six points.

But despite trailing twice and being outplayed for long periods, Maurizio Sarri’s Juventusntus moved eight points clear at the top with six matches remaining as Ronaldo took his tally to 28 league goals this season.

“We can’t make calculations yet, we can’t take our foot off the gas until we are mathematically champions,” said Juventus captain Leonardo Bonucci.

It was an ultimately frustrating outing for Atalanta who stay third, nine points off the pace, after conceding both spot-kicks for handball.

“What are we meant to do, cut our arms off? You can at most put your arms in front of your body,” Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini told DAZN.

“The interpretation of the rule is not the same here as elsewhere. Other countries don’t give penalties like that.

“These are the rules here, fine.”

Juventus started brightly but it did not take long for the visitors to take control and start to dominate possession.

Josip Ilicic fired the first real chance of the game wide, but Atalanta grabbed the lead in the 16th minute, scoring for the 25th consecutive match in all competitions.

Papu Gomez was the creator, wriggling free in midfield before exchanging passes with Duvan Zapata before sliding the ball back for the Colombian to drill home his 15th league goal of the campaign.

The goal made Atalanta the first Serie A club in almost 70 years to have three players score 15 times in a league season, with Zapata joining Ilicic and Luis Muriel in reaching the mark.

Zapata was proving a real nuisance for Juventus, with Matthijs de Ligt doing well to block another goalbound effort, before the striker narrowly failed to connect with Timothy Castagne’s cross.

Paulo Dybala almost levelled for the hosts against the run of play, but his volley was deflected wide.

The reigning champions were gifted a route back into the game nine minutes after half-time as Marten de Roon was penalised for handling Dybala’s cross.

Ronaldo stepped up to score his 27th Serie A goal this term, drawing him within two of Lazio’s Ciro Immobile at the top of the goalscoring charts.

Atalanta continued to attack in search of the victory they needed to boost their title hopes, but shortly after substitute Muriel fired a free-kick into the wall, Malinovskiy’s low strike flicked the base of the post.

Ronaldo almost put Juventus in front with 10 minutes to play, but visiting goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini made an excellent save to keep out the Portuguese star’s half-volley.

Malinovskiy did put Atalanta back into the lead in the 81st minute, as Muriel picked out his fellow sub to hammer a fierce shot past Wojciech Szczesny.

But Atalanta shot themselves in the foot again in the 90th minute, as Ronaldo fired in his second spot-kick after Muriel was penalised for handball.

Lazio stumble again

Earlier on Saturday, Lazio’s title dream suffered, yet, another setback as Francesco Caputo’s injury-time header grabbed Sassuolo a late victory at the Stadio Olimpico.

The capital club sit eight points adrift of Juventus in their tilt at a first league title since 2000, but have suffered three straight defeats.

“Talking about the Scudetto was always a bit of a stretch and we have to look reality in the face,” coach Simone Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia.

“That doesn’t mean we will give up. Next season, in the Champions League, we’ll be able to rotate the squad more.”

Luis Alberto gave Lazio a first-half lead, but that was their only shot on target in the match as Sassuolo fought back through goals from Giacomo Raspadori, on his full league debut, and Caputo.

Roma strengthened their grip on a Europa League slot with a comfortable 3-0 win at relegation-threatened Brescia.

PARIS — Barcelona and Bayern Munich will meet in a blockbuster Champions League quarter-final should both sides make it through, after Friday’s draw for the latter stages of the competition which will be played out in Lisbon in August following a long suspension because of the coronavirus.

Barca and Bayern, who have each won five European Cups, are hoping to be among the eight teams who will head to the Portuguese capital for a “Final Eight” mini tournament behind closed doors, with the final on August 23 at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz.

Bayern, who won their eighth straight German Bundesliga title last month, already have one foot in the quarter-finals having won 3-0 away to Chelsea in the first leg of their last-16 tie in March, while Barcelona have more work to do after a 1-1 draw with Napoli in the first leg in Italy.

However, Bayern Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had a warning for his team, who also won the German Cup last week.

“After we won the double, there is already too much euphoria around. Now the focus is on Chelsea, then we’ll see. But of course in the quarter-finals there are only very strong opponents anyway,” he said.

Meanwhile, if Manchester City can finish the job in their last-16 tie against record 13-time European champions Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola’s team will go on to a quarter-final against either Juventus or Lyon.

City won 2-1 in Madrid in the first leg in March and are well placed to advance to the mini tournament in Lisbon in what could be their last chance to win the coveted trophy for a while — they are due to be banned from the Champions League for the next two seasons for breaches of Financial Fair Play rules, pending the outcome of an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“We have to play against Madrid. If we think about the next step, the king of this competition — Real Madrid — will put us out,” Guardiola said.

Juventus must overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg of their last-16 tie against Lyon. Postponed in March as the pandemic took over, all remaining last 16 second legs are due to be played on August 7 and 8.

The winners will advance to the Final Eight, which will be held as a unique straight knockout tournament in Lisbon due to the difficulties caused by the coronavirus.

The draw threw up the possibility of a Clasico semifinal, with Barcelona and Madrid on a collision course to meet in the last four should both make it that far.

A new face in the final?

The other side of the draw is clearer. First-time quarter-finalists RB Leipzig of Germany will meet Atletico Madrid, runners-up to city rivals Real the last time the Champions League final was played in Lisbon in 2014. Atletico knocked out holders Liverpool in the last 16.

The winners of that quarter-final will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Atalanta in the last four. None of those teams have ever won the trophy, and only Atletico have been to the final before.

“It is a difficult draw. Atalanta are a team who love to attack and score lots of goals,” said PSG coach Thomas Tuchel. “We still have a good few weeks to prepare. It’s exciting.”

PSG against Atalanta will be the first quarter-final at the Estadio da Luz on August 12, with RB Leipzig facing Atletico at Sporting’s Estadio Jose Alvalade the following day.

The other ties will be played on August 14 and 15. The semifinals are scheduled for August 18 and 19.

All games are set to be played without spectators after UEFA confirmed on Thursday that “matches should take place behind closed doors until further notice” because of the uncertain health situation around Europe.

The situation in Lisbon is particularly concerning, with lockdown restrictions reimposed last week on 19 neighbourhoods across the northern periphery of the city as virus cases increase at a worrying rate.

However, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has dismissed fears that an alternative plan to complete the tournament may be required, saying last week “there is no need for a Plan B”.

This season’s final was initially supposed to be played in Istanbul in late May before the COVID-19 crisis took hold. The Turkish city will now host the 2021 final instead.

PARIS — Four months on from the last match in this season's Champions League, the draw for the final eight will be held on Friday amid ongoing uncertainty about how safe it will be to play out the competition in Lisbon as planned, and with four last-16 ties still to be completed.

It was on March 11 that Paris Saint-Germain beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 behind closed doors to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time in four years and their players celebrated wildly with jubilant supporters who had gathered outside the Parc des Princes.

The same night, holders Liverpool were knocked out by Atletico Madrid in front of 52,000 fans at Anfield, a mass gathering which British scientists later said had aided the acceleration of the coronavirus pandemic.

Within days football across Europe was suspended and it was only in mid-June that UEFA was able to unveil a way of finishing its flagship tournament, the main economic driver for European football's governing body -- before the pandemic, it estimated gross commercial revenue from its competitions this season would be 3.25 billion euros ($3.69bn).

And so the plan is to go to the Portuguese capital for a unique "final eight" straight knockout tournament from the quarter-finals onwards, starting on August 12 and finishing with the final at Benfica's Estadio da Luz on August 23.

It will share the quarter-final and semi-final matches with the Estadio Jose Alvalade, Sporting's home just along Lisbon's Segunda Circular ring road.

Games behind closed doors?

Benfica's home staged the Champions League final in 2014 when Real Madrid beat Atletico. Then it was filled to its 65,000 capacity, but this time it is expected all matches will be played behind closed doors due to fears an influx of supporters from around Europe could spark a new wave of COVID-19.

Indeed, the biggest concern right now is Lisbon itself.

Last week lockdown restrictions were reimposed on 19 neighbourhoods across the northern periphery of Lisbon, worryingly close to both venues. The restrictions concern some 700,000 people and will remain in place for at least a fortnight.

Portugal, a country of 10 million, is currently registering over 300 cases of coronavirus a day. Three-quarters of the 443 new cases registered on Wednesday came in the Lisbon area.

No Plan B

That raises questions about whether the final eight will happen as planned, although UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has remained outwardly bullish.

"I am confident that with the continued and constant collaboration between all stakeholders, we will conclude the season in a positive way in Lisbon. There is no need for a Plan B," Ceferin said last week.

UEFA plans to complete the Europa League with an identical format, a final eight in Germany, with the final due to go ahead in Cologne on August 21.

The draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals of both competitions will be held on Friday, from 1000 GMT. However, before getting that far in either competition, there are a host of last-16 ties to be completed.

In the Europa League last 16, only six of the eight first-leg matches were played in March.

In the Champions League, Atalanta and RB Leipzig are through to the last eight along with PSG and Atletico. The remaining last 16, second legs will see Juventus face Lyon, Manchester City take on Madrid, Bayern Munich face Chelsea and Barcelona meet Napoli.

UEFA has kept open the idea of also moving those games to Portugal if necessary, to the northern cities of Porto and Guimaraes.

While some of the continent's behemoths still hope to book their spots in Portugal, Atletico and PSG might see the unique format as an ideal opportunity for European glory.

"We are capable of winning this competition, just like the other seven teams will be. I am convinced that we will be a strong proposition," said the PSG coach Thomas Tuchel.

Underdogs Atalanta, from the northern Italian city of Bergamo devastated by the pandemic, are dreaming of going all the way.

The same can be said of RB Leipzig, although they will have to do without star striker Timo Werner after he was sold to Chelsea.