When the Champions League draw took place, Liverpool needed several things to increase their chances of winning not only this competition, but also the Premier League.

As is the case in the current era of Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, the fortunes of Liverpool and Manchester City are usually linked. Only one can earn each of the three remaining trophies on offer, though both might ultimately earn it.

The UEFA draw – done correctly on first request this time – matched liverpool with Benfica: a big check in the “what we wanted to see” box. But the good news didn’t stop there.

Manchester City and Chelsea are both on opposite sides of the draw, with Guardiola’s men facing what could prove to be a tricky double game with Atlético Madrid, although an Atlético Madrid that Liverpool already have beaten home and away this season.

READ MORE: Liverpool may have an innovative solution to Jürgen Klopp’s nightmare as FSG’s only bet could backfire

READ MORE:Liverpool have obvious summer transfer target as £67m double scouting trip confirmed for FSG

The winner will face either Chelsea or Real Madrid; just as tricky as Bayern Munich (assuming they overtake Villarreal), who await the Reds if they can beat Benfica.

More interestingly, Liverpool and Manchester City will be playing on the same night in the Champions League, so neither have a huge advantage ahead of the clash between the two in the league in terms of recovery time and preparation time. The two have five days after the first leg before they meet at the Etihad Stadium, sandwiched between the two European fixtures.

But Atlético should be a tougher test and closer bond overall than Liverpool’s visit to Benfica, although Manchester City will ultimately be favorites to get the job done against Diego Simeone’s well-prepared side. It’s not the Atlético of three or four years ago, but they will always make it tough and keep the scoreline tight, especially against a team that has struggled to score goals at times lately.

The way is there for a Liverpool vs Manchester City final in Paris although there is plenty of action to be played before then. The top two in England are the competition favorites and that is, statistically, the most likely outcome, although football does not always follow that pattern.

Whether Liverpool would rather face Guardiola over two legs or one is a point that can be debated, but they have at least avoided the possibility of having to play against Manchester City four times in 18 days. There’s still a chance it could be two weekends in a row if the duo go head-to-head in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, but that would be far less daunting than a four-time header in pursuit of four trophies .

Frankly, playing as little as possible at Manchester City is better. If the teams played each other four times in such a short time, it would have been a nightmare – after all, it’s hard to imagine a team winning all four encounters (or at least making the most progress in each of the three competitions) .

If Liverpool are to claim the treble this season, they will always need a bit of luck in the draw for each competition, and so far the Gods of Football (if Mikaël Silvestre, the man chosen by UEFA to select meetings, can be called like that…) played ball. The quadruple is still on the way and while it remains an almost impossible task to win it all, it is undoubtedly more likely than it was a few hours ago.

Karim Benzema was Real Madrid’s MVP for the second game in a row as they eliminated Mallorca on Monday.

Five days after his Champions League hat-trick against Paris Saint-Germain, Benzema scored twice and set up another as Mallorca were beaten 3-0 at Palma.

Setting up Vinicius Junior for the 55th-minute opener, Benzema took his La Liga assist tally to 11 in 25 games this season.

Best bets and predictions for the weekend’s matches in Ligue 1, Bundesliga and Serie A.

Best bets

Nantes beats Troyes
BT Sport 3, 8 p.m.
1pt 6-4 general

Hoffenheim or no double chance against Bayern Munich
2:30 p.m.
1pt 11-8 BoyleSports, Hills

Sassuolo beats Salernitana 2 p.m.
1pt 5-6 bet365, Betfred

Overview

Troyes against Nantes

With the Coupe de France final to be expected in May and a top-four spot still a real possibility in Ligue 1, it’s shaping up to be a bright season for Nantes.

With Randal Kolo Muani and Ludovic Blas having 18 league goals this season, Nantes have great attacking options and opened PSG 3-1 in February with just 28 per cent possession.

However, they are also comfortable when dominating the ball and that could be the case when they travel to Troyes, who beat Bordeaux’s basement boys last time out but still only had that 38% possession in this contest and looks largely out of their depth in Ligue 1.

Troyes have already lost 14 games in the French top flight and only two of their six triumphs have come at home.

Hoffenheim-Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich refused to take their foot off the pedal in a 7-1 thrashing against Salzburg on Tuesday, but they could face more resistance from the top four contenders at Hoffenheim on Saturday.

Hoffenheim entered the Champions League qualifying table with four straight Bundesliga wins and they should be imagining their chances of avoiding defeat against the Bavarians.

Bayern are once again in pole position to claim a tenth straight league title, but they haven’t been without their flaws of late, having lost to Bochum and been held to a draw by Salzburg and Bayer Leverkusen since early February. . They seem to be worth picking up in the double chance market.

Salernitana v Sassuolo

Four successive draws suggested Salernitana could have half a chance of surviving in Serie A, but they were put in their place by Inter last time out, losing 5-0 at San Siro.

They are now best priced 8-11 for relegation and could struggle to contain Sassuolo when they meet next.

European football seems out of reach for Sassuolo but that hasn’t slowed them down lately as they have beaten Inter, Fiorentina and Venezia in their last three games, scoring at least twice in each of those wins.

Domenico Berardi, Giacomo Raspadori and Gianluca Scamacca are part of a dangerous attack and they should emerge comfortable winners at Stadio Arechi.

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FIRST PUBLICATION AT 1:05 PM, MARCH 11, 2022

Stan Sport viewers can enjoy a huge weekend of live rugby this weekend with Super Rugby Pacific and Six Nations round four action returning on Saturday morning.

Women’s rugby is in the spotlight this weekendh Super W continue and the opening round of Super Rugby Aupiki – a competition made up of New Zealand’s top female players set to set the rugby landscape alight with the competition’s inaugural season.

the UEFA Champions League between the Round of 16 second leg. On Wednesday, Stan Sport’s Tom Steinfort, Mark Boschich and Craig Foster will cover all the action from Manchester United v Atletico and Thursday all eyes will be on Juventus v Villarreal.

ROUND 4

BLUES V HIGHLANDERS
FRIDAY MARCH 11
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 4:30 PM ADT

Beauden Barrett made a winning return from a concussion for the Blues last weekend in another thrilling finish against the Chiefs. His reward is a first start of the season in the No. 10 jersey against a Highlanders team at 0-3 and in desperation mode.

REBELS V BRUMBIES
FRIDAY MARCH 11
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 7:15 PM ADT

Even at home, it becomes a difficult task for the victoryless rebels. The Brumbies have done business in 2022 and sit third in the standings after three wins from three. But the Rebels have been boosted by the return of the Wallabies Reece Hodge and Andrew Kelway.

HURRICANES V MOANA PASIFIKA
SATURDAY MARCH 12
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 2:15 PM ADT

The Hurricanes are one of the in-form teams in the competition after back-to-back wins over the Blues and Highlanders. Moana Pasifika showed great promise in her opener.

CRUSADERS V CHIEFS
SATURDAY MARCH 12
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 4:30 PM ADT

It’s business as usual for title favorites Crusaders who lead the competition after three rounds. But the Chiefs are fiercely competitive and those games are often close. All Blacks five-eighth Richie Mo’unga will be making his first start of the season for the Crusaders.

FIJIAN REDS V DRUA
SATURDAY MARCH 12
LIVE ON STAN SPORT FROM 7:15 PM AEDT & 9GEM FROM 7:30 PM AEDT

Brad ThornThe Reds sit second in the table after a perfect start to the season, despite a few injuries. The Drua, meanwhile, are buoyant after their first-ever victory. The Reds will be led by a young flanker Fraser Mc Reight following an overabundance of injuries.

WARATAHS V FORCE
SUNDAY MARCH 13
LIVE ON STAN SPORT FROM 1:30 PM ADT

Both teams are 1-2 and this therefore forms a crucial game for their chances in the final. young accessory Angus Bell and No. 8 Will Harris are attracting NSW attention with their athleticism, while Will Harrison will make his first start of the season as a full-back after recovering from injury.

ROUND 4

WALES V FRANCE
SATURDAY MARCH 12
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 6:50 ADT

France are on track for their first Six Nations title since 2010 after three impressive wins. But the proud defending champions of Wales will not ride at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. “It takes you, it gives you goosebumps”, coach of the France team Fabien Galthie said of the atmosphere.

ITALY V SCOTLAND
SUNDAY MARCH 13
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 1:05 ADT

Italy have not won a Six Nations game since 2015 when they beat Scotland at Murrayfield and now would be the perfect time for a repeat as their future participation is in question. Scotland will be without a star winger Durhan van der Merwe after his red card in club.

ENGLAND V IRELAND
SUNDAY MARCH 13
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 03:40 ADT

England and Ireland are both 2-1 and in must-have mode to keep their title hopes alive behind leaders France. England have home advantage in their stronghold of Twickenham. ‘We are going in the right direction’, England manager Eddie Jones noted.

2ND ROUND

REBELS V BRUMBIES
FRIDAY MARCH 11
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 5:00 PM ADT

REDS V FIJIANA
SATURDAY MARCH 12
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 5:10 PM ADT

WARATAHS V FORCE
SUNDAY MARCH 13
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 4:10 PM ADT

ROUND 1

CHIEFS V MATUTA
THURSDAY MARCH 10
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 5:00 PM ADT

CHIEFS V HURRICANE
TUESDAY MARCH 15
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 1:30 PM ADT

BLUES V MATATU
TUESDAY MARCH 15
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 5:00 PM ADT

16TH OF MAY

SPECIAL MATCH: MANCHESTER UNITED V ATLÉTICO MADRID
WEDNESDAY MARCH 16
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 6:35 ADT

With the advantage of playing at home, Manchester United hold the slight advantage going into the second leg of their round of 16 match Atletico Madrid. Swedish teen Anthony Elanga scored a crucial first-leg equalizer while Atletico will be without an injured right-back Sime Vrsaljko.

MATCH FEATURE: JUVENTUS V VILLARREAL
THURSDAY MARCH 17
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 6:35 ADT

Juventus and Villarreal are tied at 1-1 after a goal-scoring first leg Dusan Vlahovic and Dani Parejo. This is Villarreal’s first round of 16 in 13 years against a Juventus side who are in the round of 16 for the eighth consecutive campaign.

MATCH FEATURE: JUVENTUS V VILLARREAL
THURSDAY MARCH 17
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 6:35 ADT

Juventus and Villarreal are tied at 1-1 after a goal-scoring first leg Dusan Vlahovic and Dani Parejo. This is Villarreal’s first round of 16 in 13 years against a Juventus side who are in the round of 16 for the eighth successive campaign.

ROUND 20

WORCESTER V EXETER
SUNDAY MARCH 13
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 1:25 ADT

NEWCASTLE FALCONS V SARACENS
SUNDAY MARCH 13
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 1:55 ADT

SALE V GLOUCESTER
SUNDAY MARCH 13
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 1:55 ADT

LEICESTER V IRISH LONDON
SUNDAY MARCH 13
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 1:55 ADT

NORTHAMPTON V WASPS
MONDAY MARCH 14
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 1:55 ADT

BRISTOL V HARLEQUIN
MONDAY MARCH 14
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 1:55 ADT

ROUND 4

WALES U20 V FRANCE U20
FRIDAY MARCH 11
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 6:55 ADT

ITALY U20 V SCOTLAND U20
SATURDAY MARCH 12
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 5:55 ADT

ENGLAND U20 V IRELAND U20
SUNDAY MARCH 13
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 6:05 ADT

ROUND 10

SUNGOLIATH V LANCE
FRIDAY MARCH 11
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 8:55 PM ADT

BRAVE LUPUS V GREEN ROCKETS
SUNDAY MARCH 13
LIVE ONLY ON STAN SPORT FROM 4:25 PM ADT