SPORTS

Arsenal are preparing for a potentially season-defining Champions League clash against Bayern Munich on Wednesday as familiar doubts simmer over whether they can handle the pressure after their damaging Premier League defeat by Aston Villa.

The sacred flame for the Paris 2024 Olympics was lit Tuesday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises.

The spectre of another disappointing exit from the Champions League hangs over Paris Saint-Germain after a 3-2 first-leg defeat at home left them with a fight to turn around their quarter-final tie against Barcelona in Tuesday's return.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are locked in a tense battle for Premier League supremacy, with Unai Emery threatening the Gunners' grip on top spot and Phil Foden taking centre stage for the champions.

Bad weather delayed the start of the 88th Masters at Augusta National on Thursday with world number one Scottie Scheffler and second-ranked Rory McIlroy scheduled to tee off in a dream first-round pairing.

Real Madrid and Champions League holders Manchester City shared a pulsating 3-3 draw in a rollercoaster quarter-final first leg on Tuesday.

After a dazzling college career that smashed records on and off the basketball court, Caitlin Clark's legacy as a trailblazing icon for women's sport is already secure.

Liverpool avoided a repeat of their FA Cup quarter-final defeat at United earlier this season as Mohamed Salah equalized with an 84th minute penalty after Aaron Wan-Bissaka chopped down Harvey Elliott.

Phil Foden shone in the absence of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne as the England international's hat-trick handed Manchester City a thumping 4-1 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Tottenham missed the chance to move into the Premier League's top four after a 1-1 draw at West Ham, while Newcastle were also held 1-1 by Everton on Tuesday.

Formula One owners Liberty Media have agreed to buy MotoGP on Monday in a deal valued at around $4.5 billion, the American company said.

Manchester United lost more ground in the battle for a place in next season's Champions League after a dramatic finale in a 1-1 draw at Brentford on Saturday, as Son Heung-min fired Tottenham to a 2-1 win over Luton.

Japanese star Shohei Ohtani made a triumphant Los Angeles Dodgers home debut on Thursday, getting help from fellow Most Valuable Player teammates in a 7-1 rout of St. Louis.

Chelsea reached the semi-finals of the Women's Champions League on Wednesday despite a 1-1 draw at home to Ajax, while Lyon also progressed after brushing aside Benfica in France.

Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers take center stage on Thursday as Major League Baseball's new season gets under way on US soil against the backdrop of a gambling scandal that has engulfed its brightest star.

For three decades Joe Lau has tied his racehorse training career to the rising and falling fortunes of the Macau Jockey Club, but in a few days it will all be over.

Shohei Ohtani remained mum on Sunday on the gambling and theft allegations surrounding his former interpreter, but Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he hoped Ohtani's plans to speak on Monday would bring "clarity."

Malaysia on Friday decided against hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games because of the cost, the government said, in a fresh blow to an event seen as outdated by some.

Israel's hopes of reaching the European Championships for the first time against the background of bloody conflict at home were shattered by a 4-1 defeat to Iceland on Thursday while war-torn Ukraine stayed on course for the finals with a last-gasp comeback.

Brazil's justice system on Wednesday will decide whether former Manchester City and Real Madrid striker Robinho will serve his nine-year rape sentence, handed down by an Italian court, in the South American country.

Fans who snapped up tickets to watch Lionel Messi in Hong Kong, only for him to sit out the friendly, will get a 50-percent refund -- as long as they don't launch legal action.

World number one Iga Swiatek powered past Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 on Sunday to claim her second Indian Wells WTA title two years after she beat Sakkari for her first.

Manchester United are aiming to derail Liverpool's bid for a quadruple and salvage a difficult second season for Erik ten Hag in Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final.

When England head to Lyon on Saturday to face France in a potential Six Nations title decider they will be shorn of four members of the side that took them to a surprise third place in the Rugby World Cup in October.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and Italian rival Jannik Sinner remained on course for a semi-final showdown after cruising into the last eight of the ATP-WTA Indian Wells Masters on Tuesday.

Qualifying lucky loser Luca Nardi scored the biggest win of his young career on Monday, stunning world number one Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at the ATP-WTA Indian Wells Masters.

The Premier League's top three are separated by a single point with 10 games remaining as a thrilling battle between Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City looks set to go to the wire.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique defended his stuttering team after they were held 2-2 by Reims in Ligue 1 on Sunday, a third straight domestic draw which still allowed the reigning champions to go 10 points clear at the top of the table.

Liverpool host Manchester City in a defining moment in the Premier League title race as Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola conclude their top-flight rivalry on Sunday.