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Français (Afrique)Ligue des Champions UEFA : Real Madrid – Bayern Munich les compos officielles
À une heure du choc tant attendu entre le Real Madrid et le Bayern Munich, les compositions officielles sont rendues publiques. Côté bavarois, tous les regards étaient tournés vers Harry Kane. Incertain ces derniers jours, l’attaquant anglais est bien présent et mènera l’attaque du Bayern Munich. Une excellente nouvelle pour les hommes de Thomas Tuchel, qui pourront compter sur leur serial buteur pour tenter de faire plier la défense madrilène. En face, le Real Madrid n’a pas réservé de surprise majeure. Kylian Mbappé est bien titularisé et sera le leader offensif de la Maison Blanche. L’international français, très attendu dans ce type de rendez-vous, aura la lourde responsabilité de guider l’attaque madrilène face à une défense allemande toujours redoutable. Autour de Mbappé, le Real Madrid aligne ses cadres habituels, avec une équipe taillée pour les grandes soirées européennes. Même constat du côté du Bayern Munich, qui mise sur son expérience et sa puissance offensive pour rivaliser au Santiago Bernabéu. Ce duel entre deux géants du football européen s’annonce explosif, avec des stars présentes sur la pelouse et une qualification en jeu. Tous les ingrédients sont réunis pour un spectacle de très haut niveau. Les compositions officielles Real Madrid : Lunin – Trent – Rudiger – Huljsen – Carreras – Tchouameni – Valverde – Pitarch – Arda Guller – Vinicius – Mbappe Bayern Munich : Neuer Upamecano – Tah – Kimmich – Gnabry – Kane – Luis Diaz – Olise – Laimer – Stanisic – Pavlovic
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LIVE | Will Orlando Pirates go top of the table tonight?
Orlando Pirates end a lengthy break from competitive action with a return to the Betway Premiership as they welcome Golden Arrows to Orlando Amstel Arena on Tuesday night.
The final stretch of the 2025/26 season continues with the Buccaneers still firmly in the title race with a return to the summit beckoning as they host a crucial home fixture.
They have a tricky hurdle to navigate in the form of the KwaZulu-Natal outfit determined to continue a steady climb up the table.
A victory for either team on Tuesday would provide a significant boost to their season objectives, setting the stage for a compelling return to football at the iconic Soweto venue.
High and lows
It has been a season of highs and lows for Golden Arrows, who enjoyed one of their better spells as far as results are concerned prior to the recent FIFA break.
They have built up some momentum heading into this crucial phase of the campaign, picking up seven points in their last three games.
The latest results have extended what has been a decent start to the year as they head to Soweto having picked up at least one point in six of their last seven league games, with the biggest blemish in this period coming in the form of a defeat away to Mamelodi Sundowns.
Despite winning their last away game, travelling has only yielded eight points in 11 games for Abafana Bes’thende this season courtesy of just two wins and as many draws.
They have mainly struggled to get over the line while not being exactly goal shy as they boast one of the better goal-scoring records on the road with 14 scored so far, only second to the Buccaneers’ 24 goals.
A highly demanding midweek assignment now beckons and will require a bit of tightening up at the back, something they have mostly struggled away from home where they have conceded 19 goals so far.
Golden Arrows’ quest for maximum points could be boosted by a possible return of action for star midfielder Siyanda Ndlovu, who has been out injured since early March, while the experienced Velemseni Ndwandwe is likely to remain sidelined as he is yet to feature this season.
Bucs Team News
Locked in one of the most captivating title races in Betway Premiership history, Orlando Pirates could find themselves back at the top of the table after last weekend’s league result saw them drop down to second.
Only two points separate them from current log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns while they are slightly ahead in goal difference – a factor that could potentially decide the title race.
Their supremacy in that regard was helped along by an emphatic result in their last league outing as they netted six unanswered goals away to TS Galaxy, bouncing back from a disappointing 1-1 stalemate at home to Siwelele.
It’s a slip-up they will look to place firmly behind them on their return to familiar turf with the importance of each of their next eight fixtures now even more amplified.
Orlando Amstel Arena has provided the backdrop for much of the Soweto giants’ success throughout the campaign, and has been the scene of eight home league wins in 11 matches.
They have however stuttered in recent weeks, claiming four out of an available nine points in the last three games they have hosted.
With each of their remaining fixtures now a must-win, Orlando Pirates will have to dig deep to rediscover the form that handed them a run of seven consecutive home victories earlier in the season.
They could receive a welcome injection of experience with Deano van Rooyen likely to return to action after picking up a knock that saw him sit out the recent trip to Mbombela.
Head-to-Head
Tuesday night’s showdown in Soweto will be the 50th league meeting between the two sides – a landmark fixture in a rivalry that dates back to Golden Arrows’ promotion to the top flight at the turn of the millennium.
Orlando Pirates have dominated the fixture over the years, picking up 27 wins while only falling on the losing side seven times with 15 games failing to produce a winner.
Seven of their victories have come in their seven most recent encounters with the Durban outfit, where they have netted an impressive 22 goals with just five conceded.
Three of the Buccaneers’ goals came in the reverse fixture at King Zwelithini Stadium, where Nkosikhona Ndaba’s first-half opener was followed by a Yanela Mbuthuma brace late in the second period.
They now face Abafana Bes’thende eyeing their fourth league double in a row – a feat they have achieved once in the 26 years since the very first league encounter between the two sides.
TV Coverage and Ticket Info
The game kicks off at 19:30 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport PSL.
Tickets to attend the match are available for purchase online on OpenTickets as well as selected retail outlets nationwide.
Prediction
Orlando Pirates 1-1 Golden Arrows
Champions Cup quarter-finals: Match-by-match guide
A look ahead to this weekend’s Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals.
Bath vs Northampton Saints
Friday, 10 April, The Rec (9pm SA time)
The quarter-finals open with a blockbuster all-English showdown. Bath, winners of the 2024-25 EPCR Challenge Cup, host last season’s Champions Cup runners-up the Northampton Saints, with both sides looking to go all in the way with French clubs having won each of the past five editions of the competition.
The two teams are also setting the pace domestically, with Northampton currently leading the Premiership standings and Bath in second. This will be their first meeting in the knockout stages of the competition, adding extra intensity to an already fierce rivalry.
MORE: Thomas the Tank leads SA’s Champions Cup charge
Glasgow Warriors vs Toulon
Saturday, 11 April, Scotstoun Stadium (4pm SA time)
The Glasgow Warriors will play their first-ever home quarter-final as they face three-time champions Toulon in what promises to be a tightly contested encounter.
Glasgow are chasing a historic first semi-final appearance, while both teams will be eager to go further after exiting at this stage last season. Their most recent meeting saw Toulon edge a one-point victory in last season’s pool stage. Glasgow arrive unbeaten this campaign, while Toulon haven’t lost a match since the opening round.
PLAY: Investec Champions Cup game centre
Leinster vs Sale Sharks
Saturday, 11 April, Aviva Stadium (6:30pm)
Sale travel to Dublin to take on tournament heavyweights Leinster in a compelling quarter-final clash.
Leinster are unbeaten this season and will look to capitalise on home advantage as they continue their pursuit of a fifth European title. Sale, however, have already improved on last season’s round-of-16 knockout, and proved their resilience with an away win.
VOTE! Investec Player of the Year
Bordeaux Bègles vs Toulouse
Sunday 12 April, Stade Chaban-Delmas (4pm SA time)
The quarter-finals conclude with an all-French heavyweight clash as defending champions Bordeaux Bègles take on six-time winners Toulouse.
Bordeaux will take confidence from knocking Toulouse out in last season’s semi-finals, as well as winning their most recent domestic meeting in March. They remain unbeaten this season, but Toulouse – current leaders of the Top 14 – bring formidable pedigree despite two pool stage defeats.
With both sides in outstanding form, this encounter promises a fiercely contested finish to the weekend.
WATCH: Champions Cup top tries (Round of 16)
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
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LDC UEFA : Sur quelles chaînes suivre Sporting CP – Arsenal ?
Le stade José Alvalade à Lisbonne accueillera mardi soir un duel attendu entre le Sporting CP et Arsenal, pour le match aller des quarts de finale de la Ligue des champions 2025-2026. Le club portugais s’est qualifié après une incroyable remontée face à Bodø/Glimt, s’imposant 5-0 au retour après une défaite 3-0 à l’aller. De son côté, Arsenal a confirmé sa régularité sur la scène européenne en décrochant sa place grâce à une victoire 2-0 à domicile contre le Bayer Leverkusen, après un nul 1-1 à l’extérieur. Historiquement, Arsenal possède un léger avantage sur le Sporting CP avec trois victoires, trois matchs nuls et une seule défaite. Leur dernier affrontement, en novembre 2024, s’était soldé par un succès net des Londoniens (5-1) à l’extérieur. Où voir Sporting – Arsenal en direct ? La rencontre de mardi débutera à 19h00 GMT et sera diffusée en direct sur plusieurs chaînes, dont beIN Sports MENA, Canal+ Sport France, DAZN, Paramount+ et Prime Video UK.
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Dota 2 needs more stadium events: I’m a diehard fan and can’t even remember the last five offstage winners
The Dota 2 esports scene is in a healthy place if we’re looking at the sheer number of S-Tier events. We have million-dollar tournaments almost every month, but the issue is — the majority of them are either played in a closed studio or entirely online.
And, even though I’m a hardcore Dota fan, these tournaments can feel pretty dull at times. What’s missing? A crowd.
Offstage Events Left and Right
There are simply way too many offstage events. Excluding The International and the Esports World Cup, there are three main tournament organizers pumping out events in the scene: ESL, PGL, and BLAST — all of which produce two or three Dota 2 events throughout the year.
The issue is that most of these tournaments are conducted online or in a studio. Apart from one stadium event per year, ESL hosts DreamLeague, an entirely online tournament series. On the other hand, PGL and BLAST tend to stick to studio formats, though BLAST has implemented stadium tournaments a few times.
Though Dota fans will pretty much always have constant action to watch, these games just don’t bring the same spark as those played in front of a crowd. You might see cinema-tier games here and there, but for the most part, these events just don’t feel as engaging.
Let’s not get started with DreamLeague. I believe this tournament series has many flaws. Matches are played online and have an extremely draining format. The event uses two group stages to whittle down 16 participants to just four, stretching it to nearly two weeks. After dozens of games and effort, the playoffs are surprisingly short, only requiring four matches to determine the winner.
With these events, it just feels like we’re watching the same thing over and over again. We have the same teams, the same players, the same patch, the same heroes, and the same talent showing up event after event. And though these events are produced by different organizers, it just feels like none of them have any identity. There really isn’t anything unique about these events, aside from maybe different formats.
I’m a diehard Dota fan who’s been watching tournaments since I was 13. I’ve barely missed any pro games. But a decade later, I’ve started getting a little lazy when it comes to tuning in. I legit couldn’t tell you who won the 25th season of PGL Wallachia or the 70th iteration of DreamLeague.
Even two-time TI winner Yaroslav “Mipsohka” Naidenov is in agreement. According to Hawk.Live, he mentioned on stream: “I honestly don’t know how you don’t get tired of Dota. There are so many tournaments every single day. You constantly watch the same picks and the same teams. It’s just boring.”
Feeding Off the Breadcrumbs of Stadium Events
However, Dota’s magic never fails when there’s a crowd in play. The most recent LAN was ESL One Birmingham 2026, which was an absolute treat to watch. Sure, it cheated a little with a new patch being dropped in the middle of the tournament, but it was still a very fun event overall. We had the crowd cheering every time Satanic took a sip of his drink.
Dating back to 2025, we also had BLAST Slam IV held in Singapore in November. We were treated to one of the best grand finals we’ve seen in recent years, with Tundra and Falcons getting peer pressured by the crowd to pick the exact same drafts in the fourth and fifth games. I remember this match more vividly than the grand final of PGL Wallachia Season 7, even though that one happened less than a month ago.
And, of course, we had The International 14, which produced crazy games and insane storylines.
LAN Dota just hits differently, as the pros play under pressure. You have thousands of fans sitting in front of you. When the nerves start kicking in, you make mistakes that can open the door for insane comebacks or back-and-forth games. These are the matches where Dota is at its best.
The worst part? We only get these kinds of events three or four times a year when there are 15 to 20 tournaments in total.
We Need Dota 2 Events That Mean Something Again, And It’s Possible
With ESL One Birmingham 2026 already out of the way, we’re only expecting two more stadium events: the Esports World Cup and The International. Unless BLAST comes in clutch and announces a stadium event later in the year, we just don’t have very many arena LANs to look forward to, which, in all honesty, doesn’t feel like enough for me.
What if each of the big tournament organizers pitches in one stadium event per year? ESL already does its share with yearly arena LANs, and BLAST doesn’t seem opposed to the idea. Now, we’re left with PGL. These guys host Counter-Strike tournaments all the time, surely they can spare a single larger-scale Dota tournament per year? And if Valve sprinkles one Major per year, that’d be even better.
Let’s take this scenario. ESL, BLAST, and PGL each contribute one arena event. Valve runs The International and adds a Major in between. Then, we have the Esports World Cup. We now have six arena events per year, spread roughly every two months.
This should be enough Dota to look forward to. These events will mean something, and each tournament organizer will have the opportunity to implement something unique to make them stand out.
And of course, tournament organizers can still host their studio LANs or online tournaments. People who want to watch those still can, and fans who don’t can simply skip them and wait for the bigger events.
I mean, what’s really stopping this idea? One argument could be player fatigue, where competitors would be too exhausted to play this many events. But… they’re flying to these studio events already, so why not have more fun in an arena while they’re there?
Are financial constraints from tournament organizers another issue? Honestly, I don’t really see the need for them to slap $1 million prize pools at every single tournament. Surely they can shave it down to something like $800,000 and use the rest for running costs. People will still watch, and teams will still participate. For reference, Valve Majors from 2021 to 2023 had prize pools of only $500,000, and nobody really complained.
Surely, many cities would welcome a big Dota LAN with open arms. There are several passionate regions, like South America and Southeast Asia, that would love to host one. Events like these could also possibly attract new players from around the world.
But, until any tournament organizers or Valve step in, I’ll just look forward to yet another season of PGL Wallachia, I guess…
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