Atletico Madrid’s players firmly believe they will hit back from a first-leg deficit and beat Bayer Leverkusen to stay alive in the Champions League tonight.

Two Paris St Germain fans were taken to hospital after being stabbed following last night’s Champions League match against Barcelona at the Nou Camp, Catalan police have announced.

Spanish football is proposing a stadium ban on all radical supporter groups, known as ultras, after violent clashes on Sunday led to the death of a Deportivo La Coruna fan.

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone shares Jose Mourinho’s belief that winning is all that matters as the Spanish leaders bid to eliminate Chelsea from the Champions League.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is considering surrendering the Premier League title to Liverpool by fielding a weakened team at Anfield on Sunday to prioritise the Champions League semi-final second leg with Atletico Madrid.

Chelsea could be without three of their stalwards in Petr Cech, John Terry and Frank Lampard when they face Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was in a curt mood on the eve of his team’s Champions League semi-final first leg with Atletico Madrid and refused to discuss Saturday’s controversial Premier League loss to Sunderland.

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone insists Thibaut Courtois has the same single-minded focus as his team-mates as the Belgium goalkeeper prepares to face his parent club Chelsea in tonight’s Champions League semi-final first leg at the Vicente Calderon Stadium.

Atletico Madrid 2 Celtic 0

A trip to watch the Madrid derby ended badly for Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp after he was mugged by local thieves.

ATLETICO MADRID are known as ‘Los Colchoneros’ — mattress makers — because of their red-and-white striped shirts, but there have been times when their supporters believed it was because they provided a comfortable rest for the opposition.

Atletico Madrid 0 Chelsea 0

Didier Drogba was included in the Chelsea starting line-up for tonight’s Champions League match at Atletico Madrid after serving his three-match European suspension.

Liverpool’s Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid next week will be played at the Vicente Calderon stadium after all.

Manchester police in the UK have offered to assist in the compilation of a report on the treatment of Bolton fans by Spanish police during the club’s UEFA Cup game against Atletico Madrid.

Bolton have lodged an official complaint with UEFA at what they have branded the “overzealous and disproportionate” treatment of their fans by Spanish police at last night’s UEFA Cup match at Atletico Madrid.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insisted Atletico Madrid’s offer for forward Jose Antonio Reyes was “not serious enough to be considered”.

Arsenal have rejected Atletico Madrid’s bid for forward Jose Antonio Reyes.

SPAIN have been drawn against Slovakia in the European Zone play-offs for a place in next summer’s World Cup finals in Germany.

Atletico Madrid confirmed early Wednesday afternoon that Serbo-Montenegrin international Mateja Kezman has signed for the club.

Middlesbrough are ready to bring matters to a head in their bid to secure Brazilian Juninho’s return to the Riverside Stadium.