Barca, Real and Atleti neck and neck, plus Champions League play-off preview

Jimbo’s got Pol Ballús, Seb Stafford-Bloor, Julien Laurens and Rory Smith alongside him as the Champions League Knockout Round Play-offs get underway. 

We start with a look at some of the big ties across Tuesday and Wednesday including the small matter of Manchester City v Real Madrid - for the fourth season in a row in Europe! Elsewhere, there’s the all-French affair between Brest and PSG, Celtic host Bayern Munich and Feyenoord v Milan just got a bit more interesting following the dismissal of Brian Priske…  

Domestically, in Spain the La Liga title race is the gift that keeps on giving with just two points separating Real, Atleti and Barcelona at the top of the table. That’s after Carlo Ancelotti’s side were held in a 1-1 draw by their Madrid rivals, allowing Barca to close the gap with a 4-1 victory over Sevilla. 

Over in Italy, it was a big Monday night in Milan as the Champions closed the gap to leaders Napoli to just one point after a 2-1 win over Fiorentina… just four nights after they’d played in Bergamot and la Viola had won 3-0 in a match that was rescheduled after the collapse of midfielder Edoardo Bove back in December. Napoli’s lead at the top stands at one point as they were held by Udinese. 

In France, PSG continued their imperious Ligue 1 form with a 4-1 victory over Monaco, which included a first goal for the club for a certain Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Distant chasers Marseille and Nice both registered wins of their own to keep up their Champions League charge in what’s a very competitive chase for a top three spot. 

And in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich prepared for their trip to Glasgow with a 3-0 win over Werder Bremen, stretching their lead at the top of the table to eight points. That’s because closest rivals Leverkusen let complacency creep in again as they were held to a goalless draw by Wolfsburg. Meanwhile, Dortmund have gone five home games without a win in the league - their worst run since 2006 - after their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Stuttgart. 

Produced by Lucy Oliva. 

RUNNING ORDER: 

• PART 1: Moments of the weekend (00.45)

• PART 2: Champions League teases (06.15)

• PART 3: La Liga review - Title race gets even tighter, plus is Antony actually good in Spain?! (10.35)

• PART 4: Serie A review - Miixed fortunes in Inter v Fiorentina double-header as Napoli slip up again (21.20)

• PART 5: Ligue 1 review - Kvara bags his first PSG goal as chasing pack bunches up (41.35)

• PART 6: Bundesliga review - Bayern extend their lead while Dortmund’s troubles continue (49.25)

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