Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund will play each other for the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League title after knocking out their opponents in the two-leg semifinals this and last week. Real were first held 2-2 by Bayern Munich in the first leg at the Allianz Arena on April 30. Back at home on Wednesday, the Spanish heavyweights trailed 1-0 until the 88th minute before Joselu scored two goals in three minutes for his side to come back and secure the victory. Dortmund didn't have to overcome any deficit against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) since they won both legs 1-0, but their win was no less hard because their opponents hit the posts six times in the two games. Real have won the Champions League title 14 times, much more than any other European club. The last time Dortmund made the tournament's final was in 2013, after eliminating Real in the semifinals. Host: Li Xiang Guests: Josh McNally, Bhargab Sarmah Cover designer: Feng Yuan

The four teams for the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League semifinals were confirmed after the second-leg contests of the tournament's quarterfinals on Tuesday and Wednesday. Real Madrid eliminated the reigning champions Manchester City after defeating them in the penalty shoot-out at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola's football philosophy again backfired. Bayern Munich beat Arsenal 1-0 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on Wednesday, maintaining the final hope of keeping the 2023-24 season from ending fruitless. Paris Saint-Germain repeated what Barcelona did to them during the 2016-17 campaign, coming back from the lost first leg with a big win at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona, Spain, on Tuesday. Borussia Dortmund knocked out Atletico Madrid after securing a 4-2 home win at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, Germany, on Tuesday. This time, they will have no Bundesliga distraction and can focus on the Champions League. Host: Li Xiang Guests: Josh McNally, Bhargab Sarmah Cover designer: Feng Yuan

European clubs had gone through another three days of competition at the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Some of the heavyweights were not very happy with their performances. For example, Arsenal were upset by Porto 1-0 in the first-leg game of the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday. What's even more humiliating than the loss was that the Gunners couldn't manage a shot on target. AC Milan suffered an unexpected loss to Rennes 3-2 in the Europa League on Thursday, but at least they managed to move forward with a lesson learned: Always take your opponents seriously, no matter how big your lead is. Two struggling powerhouses, Barcelona and Napoli, had a 1-1 draw in the Champions League. It was not the best result for either side, but not the worst either. Inter Milan secured a close 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. They presumably could have scored more goals for a bigger lead before the second leg, but a win is a win. Host: Li Xiang Guests: Josh McNally, Bhargab Sarmah Cover designer: Feng Yuan

Bayern Munich became the poster background for the only upsetting result of the four UEFA Champions League games in the past two days as they lost to Lazio 1-0 at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, on Wednesday. Like the way they were beaten by Leverkusen in Bundesliga four days ago, Bayern lacked energy, coordination and nearly everything to win against Lazio. It's not the end of the season or the world, but manager Thomas Tuchel must do something to wake up his players. Manchester City secured a relatively easy win of 3-1 over Copenhagen at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Tuesday, but the two injuries they suffered in Jack Grealish and Barnardo Silva soured the victory. It took some hard work and good luck for Real Madrid to defeat RB Leipzig 1-0 at Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany, on Tuesday. The epic goal by Brahim Diaz and his injury gave his side mixed feelings. Host: Li Xiang Guests: Josh McNally Cover designer: Feng Yuan

When the 2023-24 NBA trade deadline fell on February 8, there were no game-changing blockbuster deals. The New York Knicks gained the most by acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. They are now the biggest challenger to the top circle of the Eastern Conference. The Dallas Mavericks made a good, if risky and desperate move of trading for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. If they don't achieve any breakthrough in the coming three seasons, the team will have a lot to lose. While most teams did something, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers remained quiet, but for different reasons. Host: Li Xiang Cover designer: Feng Yuan

It's not rare for football heavyweights to part ways with their managers at the end of a season, but such breakups don't happen in the middle of the season very often, not to mention twice within three days. Jurgen Klopp announced that he will leave Liverpool after the 2023-24 season because he is running out of energy after working in the position for over eight years. Judging by the club's performance under him, he is their best manager in the past 30 years. Xavi is in his third season as Barca's manager. Though they didn't perform well in the UEFA Champions League, the team won their first La Liga title in four seasons during the 2022-23 campaign. Where do the two managers' departures leave the two clubs after the 2023-24 season? Host: Li Xiang Guests: Josh McNally Cover designer: Feng Yuan

Over 200 players were reportedly recruited from clubs in England, Germany, Spain, Italy and France, where the world's top football leagues are, for the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d'Ivoire. Moreover, many Asian players had to depart their clubs for the Asian Cup in Qatar. That means some clubs will miss their best players in the middle of the 2023-24 season. For example, Liverpool will have to bear the absence of their ace scorer, Mohamed Salah, when Manchester City are pressing hard upon them. Tottenham Hotspur, in the short term, will need to find a replacement for their best striker, Son Heung-min. Most players always put playing for their national teams first, but clubs, understandably, have their own concerns over a possible dip in performance and the rise in the risk of injuries to the players whose salaries they pay. When international tournaments for national teams overlap with league competitions, it's impossible to make everyone happy. Host: Li Xiang Guests: Josh McNally, Bhargab Sarmah Cover designer: Feng Yuan

After most clubs played 20 games, the Premier League is looking at a very close contest for the championship among five teams: Liverpool, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur from No. 1 to No. 5. None of the five competitors are perfect. For example, Liverpool lack no passion or resolution in the forward positions, but neither Darwin Nunez nor Mohamed Salah is consistent enough as a finisher. Villa are new to the title race, so they lack the experience and the depth to stay in the game until the end, but it's already a big happy surprise for them to come so high at this stage of the season. As the reigning champions, City don't seem motivated enough to sweat to win every game. However, it's still Pep Guardiola's team with a very dominant roster. They are not to be underestimated if the team puts their minds to it. Arsenal again struggled after a great start of the season, in fact, earlier than usual this time because it's only January. They have a good lineup, except in the striker position with Kai Havertz, who somehow has unconditional trust from manager Mikel Arteta. Hotspur in fifth on the standings may not be the best championship contender due to their mediocre defense, but their sharp firepower makes probably the biggest X factor, especially to all of the four teams ahead.

Draymond Green is expected to come back for the Golden State Warriors from his 12-game suspension next week. The team is currently 17-18 and 10th in the Western Conference, hardly better than they were before Green was suspended. They still blew big lead or struggled to win over weak opponents on many occasions. It's unfair to say that coach Steve Kerr hasn't tried to make changes in rotations and players' roles for the Warriors to perform better. He actually tried a lot, but just not in the right spots.

The draw for the Round of 16 competitions at the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League was announced on Monday as follows: Porto vs. Arsenal Napoli vs. Barcelona Paris Saint-Germain vs. Real Sociedad Inter Milan vs. Atletico Madrid PSV vs. Borussia Dortmund Lazio vs. Bayern Munich Copenhagen vs. Manchester City RB Leipzig vs. Real Madrid UEFA have always been good at arranging dramatic matchups in the Champions League for decades because games between rising powers like City or PSG and traditional powerhouses including Real Madrid or Bayern can not only draw more attention, but also leave memorable stories. However, this time, all of the supposed heavyweights seemed to be assigned underdogs they can handle. Of course, with matchups like these, the seemingly strong teams will find it very difficult to justify their failures if they are upset in the two-leg contests.