FROM THE ASSISTANT EDITOR

In recent years the Champions League knockout rounds have delivered some epic drama worthy of its own Netflix series. From Bayern Munich’s 8-2 thrashing of Barcelona in Lisbon last year, to Liverpool’s extraordinary semi-final comeback against the same opponents in 2019, plus the unexpected heroics of Ajax, Atalanta and RB Leipzig, this stage of the competition has witnessed some of football’s most defining and iconic moments. As crunch time begins again, we’ve taken a look at all the teams involved in the last 16 (page 52), plus a glance at the players to watch in the Europa League (page 60).

If the UEFA competitions can match the dying minutes of the Copa Libertadores final, then we’ll have plenty to look forward to. Tim Vickery has a full report from the Maracana on page 84. The Club World Cup has been and gone too, with Samindra Kunti covering the tournament in Qatar (page 82), and he’s not the only person with an eye on the Middle East country: John Duerden has given us an update on the 2022 World Cup preparations (page 32).

Finally, we’ve had the chance to assess the January transfer window. There’s a World Soccer debut for Emre Sarigul as he takes a look at Mesut Ozil’s arrival at Fenerbahce (page 28), plus six of the best signings on page 64 and the usual round-up of the most eye-catching comings and goings on page 18.

Jamie Evans, Assistant Editor

“If the UEFA competitions can match the dying minutes of the Copa Libertadores final, then we’ll have plenty to look forward to”