The Champions League's new format is more difficult than its predecessor was, Diego Simeone said ahead of Atletico Madrid's trip to Sparta Prague.

Each of the 36 teams in Europe's premier club competition must play eight group-phase games, with the top eight sides qualifying for the last 16 and the next 16 in the standings taking part in playoffs to decide who joins them.

At the halfway point in the first phase, Atleti are a lowly 23rd with six points, two points and three places above Tuesday's opponents. 

The likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain also find themselves 17th or lower, while surprise packages Sporting CP, Monaco, Brest and Aston Villa are flying high in the top eight.

Simeone believes the change in format has had a major effect this season, with the Opta supercomputer now giving his team a 55% chance of reaching the last 16 and just a 1% probability of lifting the trophy. 

"From what the results are showing us, and what happens in the games, I understand that this format invites everyone to pay even more attention," Simeone said on Monday.

"Once we move forward and this first experience is over, we will have a clearer idea of what we really think.

"They always put pressure on you to win. That happened before too, but now it is a league where everyone plays against everyone, and it is not easy for anyone."

Atletico boosted their hopes of avoiding elimination as they came from behind to win 2-1 at Paris Saint-Germain on matchday four, courtesy of a last-gasp goal from Angel Correa.

"The Champions League demands the most from you. It forces you to win," said Simeone, who celebrated his 700th game as Atletico head coach last weekend.

Sparta, currently fourth in the Czech First League, have failed to win in six of their last seven matches in all competitions, but Simeone does not expect a routine outing.

"They're tough opponents. At home they have a fast pace," Simeone added. "I can't imagine any other situation than taking this game to where we think we can do some damage.

"It often happens that all teams, at home and at the start of games, show intensity and strength. 

"It's logical as they are with their fans. You have to adapt to the pace of that start. We're away from home and the opponent will push very hard." 

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique has urged his side to be brave in Tuesday's Champions League clash at Bayern Munich, admitting their stuttering start leaves no room for error.

PSG are languishing just under the play-off section of the Champions League standings in 25th, having won one, drawn one and lost two of their four matches to date. Bayern are 17th with two wins and two losses.

The difficult start to the campaign has made things more challenging for the Ligue 1 leaders, Luis Enrique said at his pre-match press conference on Monday.

"It's obvious that after four matches, including three at the Parc des Princes, with fair or unfair results, unfair for me, we have to have good results to qualify," he said.

"We made things difficult for ourselves. Football is what it is. You have to score.

"We will give it our all, we will be brave, we will take risks, as we usually do."

Bayern have won their last three games against PSG in the Champions League, with the French side failing to score in each of those matches.

Luis Enrique accepts it will be a tough match and that his side need to perform above and beyond.

"It is very clear that we are two teams that are similar. We want to have the ball, we press very high... we have similar statistics," he said.

"We are among the best teams with goal chances, but there will only be one ball. And so one team will have to suffer. Them, or us.

"We'll probably have to go further against Bayern. Run more, raise the level, especially against Bayern at home."

Sergio Aguero insists it is "not wise" to rule out the prospect of Manchester City catching Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

Liverpool opened up an eight-point gap at the summit on Sunday with a 3-2 win over Southampton, a day on from City's humiliating 4-0 home loss to Tottenham.

It marks the second-biggest lead by a team at the top after 12 matches of a Premier League campaign, bettered only by Manchester United's nine-point advantage in 1993-94.

However, City have previously made up ground when trailing Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool to win the title – the latter by 10 points in 2018-19. 

And Aguero, a five-time Premier League title winner with City, has warned Liverpool that history could yet repeat itself this season.

"Pundits are always quick to call the race and my response is always the same: it ain't over until it's over," he told Stake.com. 

"The current point advantage may be insignificant by the end of the season. We've seen that happen frequently. 

"The 2011-12 season had us eight points below United and we took that trophy."

City are the first reigning English top-flight champions to lose five games in a row in all competitions since Chelsea in March 1956.

Three of those losses have come in the Premier League, which Opta's supercomputer now gives Pep Guardiola's side just a 15.4% chance of winning.

That compares to 76% for Liverpool, but those percentages could swing drastically should City pick up three points at Anfield when the sides face off next weekend. 

"Beating Liverpool will certainly help," Aguero said. "But it's not wise to make such sweeping statements when the tournament still has a long way to go."

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany is ignoring Paris Saint-Germain's poor start in the Champions League and expects a fierce test when the Parisiens visit Bavaria on Tuesday.

Six-time European champions Bayern are a lowly 17th in the 36-team Champions League table, currently occupying a playoff spot with just six points from four games.

PSG, meanwhile, are in danger of missing out on qualification entirely, sitting 25th with four points after being dealt a difficult draw.

Ahead of this week's fifth round of matches, the Opta supercomputer gave Bayern a 75% chance of reaching the last 16, either via automatic qualification or the playoffs.

PSG, meanwhile, are assigned just a 45% chance of making the round of 16.

However, Kompany will not take anything for granted ahead of the visit of Luis Enrique's men, saying: "We are playing against one of the big clubs in Europe. 

They have a lot of individual quality and a very good coach. Both teams will want to win. We are playing at home and this match is of utmost importance to us.

"It's a squad with incredible talent. The spaces between the lines are never big, the pressing is very aggressive and good.

"When they have the ball, they have a clear attacking approach. As a team, they are really very good."

While the German giants have lost two of their four Champions League matches this season, they are undefeated in the Bundesliga and have not conceded a goal in five consecutive league games, but Kompany is still striving for more.

"There are many teams in the competition that we haven't seen yet. We often talk about finishing in the top eight... our goal is to finish top one," the Belgian added.

Bayern are without 20-year-old defensive midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, who broke his collarbone in October.

"Aleks is not yet fully integrated into training. It is going well and quickly, but it will still take a little while," Kompany said.

One man who is raring to go is Harry Kane, who has scored 50 Bundesliga goals since joining from Tottenham in August last year, needing just 43 games to reach that mark – fewer than any player in the league's history.

"It has been a long time since I felt as good as I do now," the England captain said. "As an experienced player, you learn a lot about different phases in a game.

"Since I've been at Bayern, my numbers have gone up. I hope that this continues and that we can keep raising our standards.

"Without the players around me, all of the goals I score would not be possible. They create space.

"We have a lot of competition for different positions, a lot of quality and a high tempo. Sometimes I also drop deeper to give my team-mates more space. We get on very well."

England's all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson went unsigned during the second day of the Indian Premier League auction for 2025.

Anderson, who retired from Test cricket in July, opted to enter the IPL auction despite his last T20 international appearance coming more than 15 years ago.

The 42-year-old, who has never previously played in the IPL but declared 'something in me thinks I can still play' upon entering the auction, had a price tag of £115,000.

However, no team opted to take a punt on the veteran bowler on the second and final day of the auction on Monday.

Anderson could still be signed as an injury replacement or to take the place of any player forced to leave the competition due to international commitments, though his lack of match practice makes that prospect unlikely. 

The other big story of the auction saw 13-year-old batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi signed by Rajasthan Royals for £105,000, having earned international attention with a 58-ball century for India Under-19s versus Australia last month.

While Anderson was snubbed, several other England players were picked up. Sam Curran was re-signed by Chennai Super Kings one year after becoming the most expensive player in IPL history, with the team also swooping for Jamie Overton.

Will Jacks joined Mumbai Indians, while Moeen Ali was picked up by defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders after going unsold on day one. 

Jonny Bairstow and Ben Duckett, as well as Australian duo Steve Smith and David Warner, failed to land deals, after India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant became the record buy on Sunday, costing Lucknow Super Giants £2.54million.

RB Leipzig's lowly position in the Champions League standings does not reflect their performances, said Inter coach Simone Inzaghi ahead of their clash at San Siro on Tuesday.

Inter sit fifth in the 36-team group phase, having collected an impressive 10 points through four games, winning three in a row after starting with a draw at Manchester City.

Leipzig, meanwhile, are one of five teams still without a point. 

If they lose on Tuesday, they will equal their longest-ever losing run in the competition, having lost five straight between February and October 2021 – two under Julian Nagelsmann and three under Jesse Marsch.

"Leipzig are a team that has been in the Champions League for six years and until Saturday they had the best defence in the Bundesliga," Inzaghi told a press conference on Monday.

"In the four Champions League matches they have played they deserved more, they have only clearly lost against Celtic.

"They have a coach [Marco Rose] who has been there for many years, they have many quality players and the ranking does not reflect their performances in Europe. We know that we are facing a strong team".

Leipzig, who are third in the Bundesliga after losing 4-3 at Hoffenheim on Saturday, kicked off their European campaign with a 2-1 loss at Atletico Madrid and home defeats by Juventus (3-2) and Liverpool (1-0). They lost 3-1 at Celtic last time out.

Inter, meanwhile, are unbeaten in 11 home matches in the competition (nine wins, two draws), keeping nine clean sheets during that run. Inzaghi, however, says they have further gears to find.

"We always have to work harder, this positive moment is the best to push and improve even more," Inzaghi said, reflecting on Saturday's 5-0 win at Verona in Serie A.

"We always try to see where we can do better. On Saturday in Verona, we scored five goals in one half, but we saw where we made some mistakes that could have cost us dearly.

"Last year it was one thing, this year it's different. Both in the league and in the Champions League there are many pitfalls."

Inter, who won the Scudetto last season and were Champions League runners-up in 2023, are third in Serie A, one point behind Napoli and level with second-placed Atalanta.

Midfielder Davide Frattesi is likely to miss the Leipzig game but Inzaghi will hope to have midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and forward Lautaro Martinez available.

"Frattesi has been having a little problem with his ankle for 10 days. It will have to be evaluated. Yesterday it gave him some problems and today he didn't feel at his best," Inzaghi said.

"Calhanoglu and Lautaro were absent in Verona but had two good training sessions yesterday and today. Tomorrow morning, I will evaluate the lineup."

Calhanoglu was substituted at half-time in Turkiye's match against Wales on November 16 with a muscle issue, while Martinez, who scored in Argentina's World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru, fell sick as he returned from international duty. 

Xabi Alonso stressed that he needs all of his players to compete in Bayer Leverkusen's packed schedule, with Salzburg next up in the Champions League.

French striker Martin Terrier joined Leverkusen's long injury list when he fractured his right forearm during their 5-2 comeback win over Heidenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday, while Jeremie Frimpong also had to go off before half-time.

Jonas Hofmann was ruled out for the rest of the year due to a thigh injury before that game on Saturday, joining Victor Boniface, Amine Adli, Nordi Mukiele and Jeanuel Belocian on the sidelines.

"We need the whole squad but with six injured players, everyone is even more important," Alonso told reporters.

"It's intense to play every three days. A special situation in which we need every single player."

Along with injury concerns, Leverkusen have struggled with form in the past weeks as they drew 1-1 with Brest and then lost 4-0 to Liverpool in Europe's top competition.

Since the start of last season, no team has won more games in major European competition than Leverkusen (11, excluding qualifiers), while only Liverpool (39) and Manchester City (38) have scored more than Alonso's side (37) in this period.

However, since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, Leverkusen have won six of their seven home matches in major European competition (D1), and beat Milan in their only match on home soil in the Champions League this term (1-0). 

Leverkusen, winners of the domestic double last season, are 13th in the Champions League standings and will face Salzburg, who are 30th, but Alonso said Pepijn Lijnders' side cannot be taken lightly.

"We know how important the upcoming home games against Salzburg and Inter are. We expect a good opponent tomorrow," he added.

"Salzburg plays with a lot of intensity and dynamism. We want to get these important points in the BayArena. We need the energy from the fans. In difficult moments, they can influence and push us."

Pat Cummins says Australia are still confident they can win the Border Gavaskar Trophy despite slumping to a 295-run defeat to India in the first Test.

The hosts started day four needing 522 runs after slipping to 12-3 at the start of their second innings but could only reach 238 as India's attack made quick work of things in Perth.

Australia have won just one Test series when losing the opener (home and away) since 1970. They have lost 24 series and drawn five, though three of those five draws were two-match series.

Despite a poor start to their five-match series, Cummins insisted it was unlikely Australia would make any rash decisions ahead of the second Test.

"I am not a selector, but I would be very surprised if we made any big changes," he told ABC Sports.

"Really confident these are the best of 11 guys coming into this week. This week didn't go our way, but I'm still confident that's the case.

"We challenge each other. We will stick firm, so this week doesn't change that.

"We were clearly well off the mark. There is a lot to work on. So, the most important thing is, there's four Test matches next to come.

"What's the next move? How do we make sure that we don't be in this position again?"

India had racked up just 150 runs during their first innings, but a strong bowling performance against Australia steadied the ship before centuries from Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal put them out of sight.

The tourists claimed their biggest Test win (by runs) in Australia on Monday, while it was also their third-biggest away Test victory in history.

Captain Jasprit Bumrah, who took his 40th wicket on Australian soil as he finished with bowling figures of 8-72, was pleased with the faith India showed after their early setback.

"We were put under pressure in the first innings, but the way we responded after that, I'm really very proud of the team," Bumrah said.

"I played here in 2018, so I remember that when you start here, the wicket is a little soft and then becomes quicker and quicker. So, I was relying on that experience. Obviously, this wicket was a little less spicy than the last one that I played here, but we were really well prepared.

"So I was just telling everyone to have faith in their process and ability, because over here at this moment you have an opportunity to do something special. So, on a given day, experience does matter, but if you have faith in your ability, you can do something special."

Despite a mid-season wobble allowing McLaren's Lando Norris to make things interesting, Max Verstappen is Formula One's drivers' champion again.

The Red Bull driver may have only placed fifth at Saturday's Las Vegas Grand Prix, but finishing one place ahead of Norris was enough to wrap up the title with two races to spare. 

Only Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, with seven apiece, plus Juan Manuel Fangio (five) have now bettered Verstappen's four world crowns in F1 history.

Speaking after Saturday's celebrations, Verstappen said the difficulties affecting Red Bull in 2024 – from Adrian Newey's exit to reports of tensions between team officials and his father Jos – necessitated laser-sharp levels of focus.

"The beginning was a bit messy but I think I'm quite calm in those situations," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.

"I think it's very difficult to disturb me with anything. I'm very focused on the racing side of things.

"I know that when I sit in the car, I forget about everything, even positive or negative stuff. I focus on what's ahead of me and that's performance, and I drive the car as fast as I can."

After Verstappen further cemented his place in F1 history, we run through the best Opta facts to emerge from his latest title triumph.

An unconvincing triumph?

Verstappen sent records tumbling with his third title triumph in 2023, winning a remarkable 19 of 22 races to smash his own record for the most victories in a single season (15 in 2022).

This term, he has had to do things a different way. With just two races remaining in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, Verstappen has eight victories to his name. Should he fail to win another race, he will be the F1 champion with the fewest victories in a season since 2012, when Sebastian Vettel only needed five race victories to triumph.

The tight nature of the field – alongside the struggles of Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez – means there is a real chance of Red Bull finishing outside the top two in the constructors' championship standings.

They currently have 555 points, with leaders McLaren amassing 608 and Ferrari boasting 584 in second.  

Should Red Bull finish third, Verstappen will be the first F1 drivers' champion to not represent one of the top two teams since 1983, when Nelson Piquet triumphed despite Brabham finishing third, behind Ferrari and Renault.

While some may argue Verstappen has benefited from not having one consistent title rival, he also deserves credit for shaking off his team's troubles to come out on top.

The key moments

Several key moments helped Verstappen maintain his stranglehold on the drivers' title.

Seven wins in the first 10 races saw him fly out of the traps, including back-to-back victories in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in the opening two weeks. At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, he became just the seventh driver to surpass 100 podium finishes in F1 history. 

He now has 111, fewer only than Hamilton (201), Schumacher (155) and Vettel (122).

However, Verstappen failed to win from pole at Red Bull's home grand prix in Austria in June, and that race kickstarted a run of 10 without victory for the Dutchman. 

His next win arrived in Sao Paulo in early November, and it was certainly worth the wait.

He raced from 17th to take the spoils in a chaotic race, becoming the first driver in F1 history to win from 10 different positions on the grid. It was only the sixth time a driver has climbed at least 16 places to win a race, and the first such occasion since Kimi Raikkonen in Japan in 2005 (also 16).

And where better to seal the title than under the bright lights of Las Vegas? 

The F1 drivers' champion has now been crowned in the United States on nine occasions. Only Japan (13) and Italy (11) have played host to more coronations. 

Of those nine occasions, three have taken place in the city of Las Vegas: two at the Caesars Palace Grand Prix in 1981 (Piquet) and 1982 (Keke Rosberg), and Verstappen's triumph this year.

More history in the making?

Verstappen's four titles have all come in succession, making him just the fifth driver to achieve that feat and the fourth to do so since the turn of the century. 

In 2025, Verstappen will aim to become just the second driver to reign supreme for five years.

Schumacher won five titles in a row between 2000 and 2004 while Vettel (2010-2013) and Hamilton (2017-2020) have achieved four-peats more recently. Fangio previously won four straight crowns from 1954 to 1957.

While Hamilton's move to Ferrari and the continued development of McLaren duo Norris and Oscar Piastri should keep things competitive, few would bet against Verstappen's reign continuing. 

Barcelona's recent form is a worry for Hansi Flick as they looked to end a two-match winless run against Brest in the Champions League.

Barca went on a remarkable seven-game winning streak through October and early November before stumbling to a 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad and a 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo in LaLiga, with Lamine Yamal absent from both matches.

After losing their opening Champions League match to Monaco, Barcelona have since won three in a row, including a thumping 4-1 win over Bayern Munich.

Flick, who took charge in May, said his young squad need to learn to cope with adversity and that a positive result against Brest would be a good start.

"The important thing is to win and that is our focus for tomorrow's game," Flick told a press conference. "It's about eliminating the mistakes, this is important. We have a lot of things we can do better with the ball and this is the focus.

"We have a young team, the youngest in LaLiga, and it's not always an easy ride... It is important that the players know that they are good, that they have quality and that they have to stick together.

"We want to teach them and I always think positively. It's a young team and during the season it's normal to have times like this. For me, the important thing is to learn from it."

Barcelona will again be without Yamal for their Champions League tie as he continues to recover from an ankle sprain, with the team having lost all three LaLiga games which he has not started this season.

He has been pivotal to the Blaugrana this campaign and is the only player across Europe's big five leagues to complete 25+ dribbles (34), create 25+ chances (26), have 25+ shots (39), score 5+ goals (five) and provide 5+ assists (seven).

"We all know how talented he [Yamal] is and how his quality on the pitch can impact a game," Flick added.

"Lamine has a quality that allows you to have more control of possession but also makes the opponent give us more space.

"I think and hope that this will be the last game he misses because [on Monday] he was looking very good [in training] but we will have to wait. I hope that on Saturday he will be an option... maybe from the bench... but we'll see."

Defender Inigo Martinez backed his teammates to overcome Yamal's absence.

"We know how important Lamine is... he gives us a lot, is a difference maker who pushes the defensive line back, he is aggressive, generates assists and a lot of fear in the opponent," Martinez said.

"He is vital and very important, but that doesn't mean that the next player to come on won't be up to the similar level.

"Anyone who jumps in at Barcelona needs to be capable of playing at the highest level. The day that Lamine doesn't play, and we win, this chat that we can't win without him will vanish. We have enough [in the] squad to win every game."