Former Ireland fly-half David Humphreys says the side's next two Six Nations games against Italy and Scotland are now "must-win" following the side's opening defeats by Wales and France.

"Farrell has to win the next two games," he told BBC Radio Ulster.

"Italy have shown enough in the past two games to give them a huge amount of confidence against Ireland."

The ex-Ireland fly-half says any thoughts over giving relatively inexperienced internationals more game time in Rome on 27 February are now likely to go out the window for Farrell as he chases an absolutely essential win.

After the game in the Stadio Olimpico, Ireland face a much-improved Scotland away on 14 March before completing their campaign against champions England in Dublin six days later.

Experienced half-backs Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray sat out the France defeat because of injury and Humphreys believes they have to return if fit.

"Andy Farrell will have to ask what team he needs to pick to win the Italy game, not what team does he need to pick to win the World Cup," he said.

Munster scrum-half Murray, 31, missed out on the France game with a hamstring strain and Ireland captain Sexton, 35, remained on the sidelines as he followed return to play protocols following a concussion sustained against Wales on the opening weekend.

Jamison Gibson Park and Billy Burns deputised for the duo, with the latter replaced early in the second half by Ross Byrne, and Humphreys says Murray and Sexton are still a level above their replacements.

"I thought Gibson Park played well but those two players (Murray and Sexton) are top-quality internationals. I understand the point about making the transition and looking at the World Cup but Andy Farrell has to win some games in this Six Nations.

"It is a huge dilemma. Not just for international coaches but for anyone involved in performance sport - you are judged by results, not just performance.

"When he first came into the job Farrell had the chance to put his own stamp on this team by making those changes. There is absolutely no doubt that Sexton and Murray are the best half-backs in Ireland by a considerable margin."

Ireland have to adapt to Farrell

While the defeat by Wales can be attributed to Peter O'Mahony's early dismissal and several individual errors, Farrell's men rarely threatened the French line and were undone by flashes of attacking flair by the visitors.

Humphreys, who won 72 international caps, says France "deserve credit" for their performance in Dublin but Ireland need to improve in attack if they are to move forward under Farrell.

"I thought France were the better team and they created some very clear try-scoring opportunities," he said.

"The biggest frustration he will have is that while Ireland had a lot of possession in the second half, they didn't really create any try-scoring chances.

"The one try they got was a French line-out which bounced into their hands. They have to go away and find a way of attacking against the best teams - like France or England.

"In the past under Joe Schmidt, the way his game plan was set out, he created those by how he trained and how he prepared. Farrell is trying to implement a heads-up, play what you see style of rugby but that is hard to do," he added.

"It is going to take some time for those players to adapt to that and you have to, with the possession that Ireland had, create more try-scoring opportunities than we saw against France."

SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. — Ethan Dotson claimed top honors in the modified headliner on the third and final night of the Superstition Showdown at Arizona Speedway.

Dotson led Tanner Black to the checkered flag on the three-eighths-mile dirt track.

Jake O’Neill, who won the first two features, finished third. Tripp Gaylord and Cody Laney rounded out the top five.

Fred Ryland won the IMCA Northern SportMod feature and Chanse Hollatz topped the stock car main event.

The finish:

Ethan Dotson, Tanner Black, Jake O’Neill, Tripp Gaylord, Cody Laney, Tim Ward, Chaz Baca, Collen Wineberger, Casey Arneson, Bricen James, Kollin Hibdon, Cody Thompson, Zachary Madrid, Spencer Wilson, Austin Kiefer, Lance Mari, Grey Ferrando, Jake Pike, Brandon Schmitt, Braxton Yeager, Paul Stone, Riley Simmons, Kellen Chadwick, Jon Debenedetti.

GERNO DI LESMO, Italy — Yamaha Motor Co. and Dorna Sports have signed a contract that will continue the manufacturer’s participation in the MotoGP world championship for an additional five years through 2026.

The news was officially confirmed by Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Principal & Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Lin Jarvis during today‘s post-’Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Launch‘ media debrief.

Yamaha started its MotoGP international racing program in 1961, making this season the Japanese manufacturer‘s 60th anniversary. Throughout their contest in MotoGP, Yamaha has secured 511 Grand Prix wins, 38 rider world titles, 37 Manufacturer titles and five Triple Crowns.

“First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Carmelo Ezpeleta and Dorna, as well as all of the Yamaha personnel who made our successful run at the highest level of motorcycle racing possible,” said Yamaha executive officer Toyoshi Nishida. “At Yamaha we take great pride in taking part in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. We are all very pleased that we can confirm the contract renewal for a further five years at the start of an important season for our company.

“Yamaha started competing in World Grand Prix racing in 1961. Sixty years on, Yamaha‘s passion for motorcycle racing and eagerness to take on a challenge remains unchanged. MotoGP makes up a large part of Yamaha‘s DNA. The premier class‘ cutting-edge technology will continue to make their way to Yamaha street bikes, bringing customers‘ motorcycle and motorsport fantasies to life on and off-track, giving them the feeling of Kando.

“At the same time, I think the coming five years of collaborating with Dorna and the other MotoGP manufacturers will be very important for the future. We want to keep the excitement of MotoGP racing while at the same time making it more sustainable and appealing to a wider public.”

MILTON KEYNES, England – Following Honda’s decision to exit Formula One as an engine manufacturer at the end of the season, Red Bull has reached an agreement with Honda Motor Co Ltd to operate the Honda F-1 engine program beginning in 2022.

The announcement follows the FIA’s introduction of a Formula One engine development freeze that takes effect from the beginning next year. The Red Bull/Honda agreement covers the duration of the development freeze, enabling the use of Honda engine technology at both Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri until the next generation engines are introduced in 2025.

A new company, Red Bull Powertrains Limited, has been formed to oversee this project. This new division will be housed and operated from Red Bull Racing’s F1 Team base on the Red Bull Technology Campus in Milton Keynes.

“We have been discussing this topic with Honda for some time and following the FIA’s decision to freeze power unit development from 2022, we could at last reach an agreement regarding the continued use of Honda’s hybrid power units,” said Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Dr. Helmut Marko. “We are grateful for Honda’s collaboration in this regard and for helping to ensure that both Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri continue to have competitive power units. The establishment of Red Bull Powertrains Limited is a bold move by Red Bull but it is one we have made after careful and detailed consideration. We are aware of the huge commitment required but we believe the creation of this new company is the most competitive option for both teams.”

“This agreement represents a significant step for Red Bull in its Formula One journey,” said Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner. “We were understandably disappointed when Honda made the decision to leave the sport as an engine manufacturer, as our relationship yielded immediate success, but we are grateful for their support in facilitating this new agreement. Honda has invested significantly in hybrid technology to ensure the supply of competitive power units to both teams. We now begin the work of bringing the power unit division in-house and integrating the new facilities and personnel into our Technology Campus. In the meantime, we are fully focused on achieving the best possible results in what will be Honda’s final season as an official power unit supplier.”

When the Chicago Blackhawks publicly admitted to a rebuild this past offseason, there was plenty of speculation about whether Chicago's veteran core would want to see it through.

Perhaps we weren't asking the right questions. One month into the 2021 season, the Blackhawks are far more competitive than expected; at 7-5-4, Chicago is in lockstep with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the fourth Central Division playoff spot. And while the youth movement has been a driving force, we should have been asking: Is the veteran core going to expedite this rebuild?

Captain Jonathan Toews remains away from the team with a medical absence, while Brent Seabrook has not played this season, still recovering from a back injury.

However, the two top performers on the Blackhawks -- besides rookie goaltender Kevin Lankinen -- are Stanley Cup stalwarts Patrick Kane, who is third in the league in points with 22 through 16 games, and Duncan Keith, who leads the team in minutes played by a decent margin while still playing elite-level defense. Neither appears to be slowing down anytime soon.

"I feel like my energy levels have never been better, really," Keith said Sunday evening.

A quick reminder that Keith is 37 years old. But across sports, we're starting to recalibrate athletic longevity. Though there is still an obsession with youth, especially in hockey, we've been inundated with more and more examples of athletes defying Father Time.

When the Patriots parted with Tom Brady they might have figured he would decline in his 40s -- because quarterbacks typically have -- but that didn't happen. Brady credits his off-field work, the TB12 method, for a lot of his success. Meanwhile, in a season when many expected LeBron James to take it easy thanks to an unprecedented 71-day offseason, the 36-year-old is top 10 in the NBA in minutes played, building a legitimate MVP case. A few years ago, James' business partner, Maverick Carter, said the Lakers star spends about $1.5 million on his body per year.

A few years ago, Keith said he planned to play until he's 45. The defenseman admits he spoke a little capriciously. "I kind of just said that because I was sick of the media asking," he said. "It started a few years ago when I was 34 or 35. For me, I felt like I was young, I didn't know why I was being asked these questions. At 37 now, I look around and I'm the oldest guy on the team and there's not a whole lot of guys my age [in the league] anymore."

Asked if he could play to 50, Keith laughed. "I don't know if I'll go that far," he said. "But I feel really good right now."

Ask anyone who has played with Keith and they'll tell you he's obsessive about his off-ice regimen. Many young players try to absorb the lessons, while others are just in awe.

"My first year, I was really impressed to learn how much work [Keith] does off the ice, especially when it comes to recovery," Kirby Dach told me last year. "He puts so much work in you don't see behind closed doors."

In 2019, The New York Times wrote an article about Keith's routine in which he called himself a "biohacker and part-time hockey player." Keith said he lies on a mat with electric currents for eight minutes every morning, and routinely spends time in front of Joovv lights, which are designed to help with recovery.

"I've always been diligent about my training," Keith says, now. "But now I feel like I put it all together. I've learned a lot over the years of what my body specifically needs."

Since Keith debuted in 2005-06, only Ryan Suter has played more minutes than his 28,839. Perhaps most impressive is Keith's consistency. As a rookie he led the Blackhawks in ice time with over 23 minutes per game. Sixteen years later, he's still leading the team, averaging over 24 minutes per contest.

Keith said the aspect of his routine that has changed the most as a pro is his nutrition. "I always thought my eating habits were pretty good," he said. "But now I'm at a point where I'm really dialed in, and I know how to get my energy levels up if they were down through healthy, nutritious foods I put in my body, knowing what my body responds well to."

And for Keith, the answer is not always complicated. "I eat a lot of steak, a lot of meat, and potatoes," he said.

Beyond nutrition, he's constantly thinking about his energy levels.

"I think in general, I've had more awareness to what takes energy away from myself," Keith said. "Whether that's staying up late, staring at my phone, looking at the screen on a TV or computer. I don't think it's necessarily one little gadget that helps me. They've got Normatec boots that help with lymphatic drainage, which is good. There's lots of those types of little things out there you can do and spend money on, but I feel it's always really important to master the basics, which nobody really can -- or anyone that I've met has. That's your sleep, your food, your hydration and your breathing. So I focus on those and it branches out after that."

Of course, we've heard countless athletes talk about sleep, nutrition and hydration, but breathing is discussed far less often.

"It's very underrated," Keith said. "There should be more talk about that. Breathing, and the power of the brain, are two things in hockey or sports, that don't get enough attention. I don't know why that is. The muscles and aesthetics get mentioned -- everyone wants to look good -- and that's important, for sure. There's meditation breathing to bring your nervous system down to more of a parasympathetic state, where you're relaxing, and you're able to recover and rest. But for me, I work on my breathing and the mechanics of it a lot. I actually really started getting into proper breathing eight years ago, and have taken it to the next level in the last year especially. So that's something I'll continue working on."

Entering the 2021 season, Keith wasn't quite as daunted by the team's approach as some Blackhawks fans might have been. "My mindset didn't really change, because it feels like this has been going on for a while now," Keith said. "As a player, going through the ups and downs of the season each day, wins and losses, the rebuild isn't just starting this season. I just think the organization is trying to be a little more transparent with people. Some of these young guys that come in are excited to play NHL hockey and be in the NHL, and it's invigorating to be part of that type of energy."

This gives Keith an opportunity to be transparent about his own situation. Because he's still contributing at an elite level, and playing on a bargain of a contract for his services -- he's on the tail end of a 13-year contract, which pays him $5,538,462 annually through 2022-23 -- many have assumed Keith might waive his no-trade clause to play for a contender. But Keith emphatically says he has no intention of doing that.

"Why would I go anywhere?" Keith said. "Where is it better than Chicago? It's a great city, I've been fortunate to play here my whole career, great ownership, and I just love it. My goal is to win another Stanley Cup in Chicago. That's what I want."

Jump ahead:
Three stars of the week
What we liked this week
What we didn't like
Best games on tap
Social post of the week

Emptying the notebook

1. A group of 27 student-athletes, coaches and administrators announced the formation of a group called College Hockey for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion this week.

"It's a group of people that wanted to get together and actually make a change in hockey," says University of Alabama Huntsville freshman Ayodele Adeniye, who is part of the coalition. "Our saying is, 'One shift at a time.' Because it might not be the biggest change at a time, but we're just trying to enact change in some way at all times."

Adeniye himself has an interesting story. He was born in 1999 in Ohio, one year before the Blue Jackets debuted, so he grew up amid the area's participation spike, fostered by the Blue Jackets. Adeniye began playing through the NHL's local Hockey Is For Everyone program, the Columbus Ice Hockey Club. "Up until I was around 6 or 7, I was playing with a majority of Black kids," he said. "But as I started going from lower-level hockey and working my way up to higher levels, I started to be the only one."

College hockey, Adeniye explains, is not extremely diverse. "I have one teammate [Peyton Francis] who is African-Jamaican-Canadian," Adeniye says. "But other than him, I have not seen another Black kid in our league. I saw one other player of color this year, when we played [Robert Morris University]. I'm actually in a group on Instagram of all the Black kids playing in NCAA hockey, and I think there are 15 or 16 of us total."

Adeniye chose UAH in part because his parents moved to Alabama when he was 16. UAH is the only Division I program in a southern state. "My mom hasn't really been able to see me play a lot since I was 16," he said. "So I knew I would be closer to her, and the fam."

When he heard about the formation of the College Hockey for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion group, it piqued his interest. Adeniye reached out to a reporter he knew who had a phone number for Jennifer Flowers, the WCHA women's league commissioner who was organizing the group. "I reached out to her, then told my coach I wanted to be a part of it, and they accepted me," he said.

The group meets on Sundays, via Zoom, and so far is focusing on its "first shift." Members have been sending each other resources they find online focusing on systemic racism. Their first goal is to put together an instructional video that can be played in every college hockey locker room ahead of next season. Adeniye has his own ideas, too.

"There isn't a whole lot of grassroots hockey in Alabama," Adeniye says. "There's not a lot of hockey programs down there, and we definitely don't have any diversity programs or anything like that down here. So once COVID is over, I'm hoping to get into the inner city, and places where there hasn't traditionally been hockey here, and spread the game. I already have a couple teammates that want to support me. I'm going to call it African Floor Hockey Fanatics, and we'll go to Boys & Girls Clubs around here and teach them how to play ball hockey, give them tickets to games, and spread hockey all over Huntsville and the South, which will make it a more inclusive game."

2. It's been a while since the best women's players in the world -- Marie-Philip Poulin, Shannon Szabados, Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne-Schofield, Brianna Decker -- have had a stage to perform. We'll start to see them showcased in PWHPA games, beginning Feb. 27 at Madison Square Garden, but the event everyone is circling is April's IIHF Women's World Championship in Nova Scotia (which gets a second chance at hosting after the 2020 tournament was canceled).

Players I've talked to are cautiously optimistic the world championships will go on this year -- especially since the IIHF and Hockey Canada were able to stage a world junior championships in December, in a bubble in Edmonton. However, we haven't heard much about the women's senior tournament, at all. I heard that Hockey Canada asked the IIHF to move the tournament back until May, and the sides might push it back as far as August. I asked Hockey Canada for an update last week. In a statement, the organization said it is in constant communication with IIHF as well as the province of Nova Scotia.

"At present time, hosting the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship in Halifax and Truro, N.S., on behalf of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) remains a priority for Hockey Canada," the statement said. "All our hockey, venue and event partners remain committed to finding a solution to host a successful world championship."

So, stay tuned ...

Three stars of the week

1. Cam Atkinson, RW, Columbus Blue Jackets

After a down 2019-20, Atkinson looks to have rediscovered his scoring touch. The Blue Jackets veteran had three goals and four assists in three games this week. Atkinson now has three short-handed goals on the season, and 15 shorties for his career, which is now the most in Columbus franchise history (passing Rick Nash's 14).

2. Mike Smith, G, Edmonton Oilers

He missed the first month of the season on long-term injured reserve, and some fans weren't pleased that the Oilers decided to bring back the 38-year-old (instead of finding an upgrade this offseason). But Smith was a stabilizing force for Edmonton this week, stopping 65 of 66 shots over two appearances (.985 save percentage), including a shutout against Montreal.

3. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights are 8-1-1 at home this season, and Fleury has been a big part of that success. A 30-save shutout on Sunday (the 63rd of his career) meant he stopped 100 of 106 shots over four games this week (.943 save percentage), three of which were wins.

What we liked this week

1. Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask is one of the best personalities in the game. He doesn't take himself too seriously. He has human moments, and is happy to talk about them. And that's exactly what happened Wednesday night when Rask left the Bruins' net with one minute remaining in a tied game.

"I honestly thought we were down 2-1," Rask admitted afterward. "That's it. I thought we were down 2-1. I was waiting for [coach Bruce Cassidy] to wave me over there. I'm like why the heck is he not? ... Then I think Chucky [Charlie McAvoy] told me, 'Buddy it's 2-2.' So ..."

Luckily the Bruins made it out of the jam unscathed, and won thanks to Brad Marchand's overtime winner.

"It's an entertainment industry I guess," Rask said. "That's what we're trying to provide, entertainment for the fans. I'm sure people were shocked at first, but hopefully they got a good laugh out of that. I sure did."

2. Speaking of Fleury, here's the best save I've seen this year:

Marc-Andre Fleury is on another level rn @SinBinVegas pic.twitter.com/6SHtWGStxn

— i Reporter Liam ? (@Blutman27) February 12, 2021

3. The Los Angeles Kings recognized Black History Month on Tuesday with all players wearing warm-up jerseys featuring either Willie O'Ree's or Blake Bolden's name. This is exactly what allyship looks like, and it was cool to see how moving the gesture was for the 29-year-old Bolden, who works for the Kings and is the NHL's first Black female scout.

Literally career highlight #BHM https://t.co/jA2X38KOLz

— Blake Bolden (@SportBlake) February 10, 2021

What we didn't like this week

1. While I know new Pittsburgh president of hockey ops Brian Burke and GM Ron Hextall are well-known hockey men with experience running NHL teams -- something the Pittsburgh Penguins coveted, given their urgency to maximize the end of the Sidney Crosby era -- you have to ask yourself: Are there really only 40 people qualified for these types of jobs, and at what point do we stop cycling through them? Again, not a total slight to the Penguins here, what they did is just emblematic of hockey's hiring practices.

Last year, NHL coaching agent Neil Glasberg -- a champion for diversifying front offices, including the consideration of more European candidates -- called this the NHL's groupthink problem. We've talked about it in relation to coaches, but it's just as bad with management positions.

"The easiest way to frame it is an unwillingness to consider -- let alone listen -- to anybody who isn't widely known by the hiring manager, whether it's the GM, the [assistant] GM, owner, or whoever is running the search," Glasberg said. "Which I think is selling themselves short. Why wouldn't you want to talk to as many qualified people as possible? Instead, most NHL teams have this 'hire-a-friend' mentality. I hear this from my guys all the time: 'It's not the best candidate that gets hired. It's the candidate with the best network or who is the best known.' That's not how you build success. No company would ever be successful if they were just hiring people they knew."

2. Greg Wyshynski and I will have much more on the NHL's plans to finish the season later this week, but it's of note that we're only a month in, and the NHL has already had to adjust its safety protocols twice -- clamping down on player movements each time. In the latest edict, sent to teams this week, it is "strongly recommended" that members of players' households limit their activities as much as possible. Players, meanwhile, will be required to remain at home unless they are attending practices and games, exercising outdoors, performing essential activities (such as going to the doctor), or dealing with family or other emergencies.

There's still optimism that the season can be completed in its current format, and sources on both the NHL and NHLPA sides stressed that they're willing to tweak protocols as many times as needed to adapt. There haven't been any meaningful conversations about returning to a bubble -- and we know how players feel about the bubble, so it would be a hard sell -- but it's alarming that we're in a situation where some teams (like the Vancouver Canucks, who have competed in 18 games) have played double the amount as other teams (the New Jersey Devils have completed just nine games).

That's why everyone you talk to around the NHL stresses one thing: Pay attention to points percentage. All teams might not get to 56 games, but it will be essential for every division to hit approximately the same number of games.

Top games on tap this week

Note: All times Eastern.

Monday, Feb. 15: St. Louis Blues vs Arizona Coyotes, 4 p.m.

It all comes down to this: In an unprecedented seven straight games featuring the same opponents, Monday marks the pivotal Game 7. The Yotes came out strong, but the banged-up Blues won the past two. Aggregate goals are 20-19, St. Louis. Both teams are looking forward to a break from each other after this.

Friday, Feb. 19: Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames, 9 p.m. (ESPN+)

Despite this being an entire season built around rivalry games, every contest in the Battle of Alberta feels like appointment viewing. Both teams are still trying to find their stride, with Edmonton putting veteran James Neal on waivers over the weekend (to be put on the taxi squad for cap flexibility).

Saturday, Feb. 20: Vegas Golden Knights at Colorado Avalanche, 3 p.m.

The NHL's first of a two-game set in Lake Tahoe will feature these two Western powers. Get excited for a stunning backdrop -- the rink was built on a golf course next to the lake -- plenty of panoramic views and some playoff-level intensity (it will be the third time these teams play this week). Luckily for Colorado, star Nathan MacKinnon is back after being sidelined three weeks with a lower-body injury.

Social media post of the week

Chirping doesn't stop once you hang up the skates. Classic troll job from Kevin Bieksa here:

Why aren't we talking more about the fact @kbieksa3 has Ryan Kesler's ESPN body issue photo in the background ? @Sportsnet @hockeynight pic.twitter.com/017VCVvBmT

— Danielle Michaud (@SNMichaud) February 14, 2021

Tiger Woods is eligible for the first World Golf Championships event of the year, if he chooses – or is physically able – to play.

The top 50 in the latest Official World Golf Ranking qualified for the WGC at The Concession, contested Feb. 25-28 in Florida. Woods is currently at 48^th, but hasn’t played competitively since December after having a back procedure.

There were no changes along the top-50 line, with Bubba Watson remaining in the final spot and Will Zalatoris, at 49^th, locking up a WGC start.

With his victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Daniel Berger bumped up two spots to 13^th. Maverick McNealy, who finished in solo second place, jumped from 189^th to 126^th. Patrick Cantlay, who was alone in third place, moved up three spots to No. 8, bumping Patrick Reed out of the top 10.

And thanks to his second consecutive top-5 finish on Tour, Jordan Spieth continued his climb. He’s moved up 30 spots over the last two weeks and is currently 62^nd in the world.

Below is a look at the current top 10, with where they stood the previous week in parentheses:

1 (1). Dustin Johnson

2 (2). Jon Rahm

3 (3). Justin Thomas

4 (4). Xander Schauffele

5 (5). Tyrrell Hatton

6 (7). Collin Morikawa

7 (6). Rory McIlroy

8 (11). Patrick Cantlay

9 (8). Webb Simpson

10 (9). Bryson DeChambeau

Ronald Koeman has said he doesn't believe there is a team in better form than his Barcelona side going into Tuesday's Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain.

Barca beat Alaves 5-1 on Saturday and welcome PSG to Camp Nou for the first leg of their round-of-16 tie on the back of a seven-game winning run in La Liga, although they did lose to Sevilla in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal last week.

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Koeman has always played down Barca's chances of success this season, often referring to a transition year, but optimism has grown on the back of performances since the turn of the year.

"I don't see other teams much better than Barcelona at the moment," he said in a news conference on Monday.

"But I don't think it is good if you are changing a lot of things in the team and playing with young players to expect to win the Champions League. That's not good.

"We have a good team, though. The team is doing better and playing at a high level. They are at a high level physically, too. And we have fantastic players, which means we can beat everyone and that's what we want to show by competing with the best teams in Europe."

Barca are missing a quartet of key players for the PSG game -- Sergi Roberto, Ronald Araujo, Ansu Fati and Philippe Coutinho -- but could welcome back Gerard Pique ahead of schedule.

The defender has been out of action with a knee problem since December but returned to training last week and Koeman will leave it as late as possible before making a decision on his fitness.

Meanwhile, PSG will be without the injured Neymar, with the emphasis, therefore, falling on Kylian Mbappe to help them in their quest to win at Camp Nou for the first time ever.

"It is not just a duel between [Lionel] Messi and Mbappe," Koeman added. "It is a game between two teams and one of those teams has the best player in the world, Messi, on their side. We need him in his best form for the tie.

"It is the same for Paris with Mbappe, who is a really good, quick player, who can make it hard for our defence. But it's nice, these players are to be enjoyed as a football fan."

Messi, 33, has been linked with a move to PSG in the summer when his contract expires. The French club's sporting director, Leonardo, and several players have all spoken openly about their desire to sign the Argentina international if possible.

"They haven't destabilised us; I don't know if that was the intention from them when speaking about Leo," Koeman said.

Defender Jordi Alba said the speculation surrounding Messi's future has not affected the dressing room and added that the Barca captain remains committed to the club.

"Even if I did know for sure what Leo was going to do, I wouldn't say openly!" Alba said. "He has already said what his intention is [to wait until the end of the season].

"He will make the decision he has to make but right now he is committed to Barcelona, wants to have a great season and from there I hope we can win a trophy and then Leo will decide.

"I am sure the decision he makes will be well thought out and the best one for him. I hope he stays for many years but it is a decision for Leo and we must respect whatever he decides. But right now he is focused on Barcelona."

Jurgen Klinsmann won the World Cup and European Championship with Germany during a glittering career in which he played for Inter, Tottenham and Bayern, among others. As a coach, he led Germany to a third-place finish at the 2006 World Cup and managed the U.S. men's national team from 2011-16. In addition to an ESPN.com column, he is a regular guest on FC Daily.

The Champions League is the best competition in soccer and its knockout rounds offer the game's highest quality.

Don't get me wrong: I love the World Cup, European Championship and Copa America, but if you played the best national teams against the best club teams then the countries would lose. As a coach, meanwhile, you constantly look at what is being done in the Champions League. From the tactical approach to the tempo of games, it sets trends.

You could watch Barcelona under Johan Cruyff in the 1990s to see how they stretched the field to open up teams and used outside backs almost like wingers. Or look at how the No. 6 has developed into a very important role, with players like Didier Deschamps or Andrea Pirlo almost more of a passing "quarterback" than a No. 10, or Javier Mascherano moving back into defence. Then you had teams playing without a striker, using six attacking midfielders instead, like Barcelona with Lionel Messi as a false nine.

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It is true that the group stage can get a little boring if the favourites are too strong, but at the end of the competition, you really want the best teams to face each other, and the existing format gives a better chance for that to happen. It also forgives you a bad game, unlike when I played!

Back in the days of the old European Cup, I was at Inter and we drew Malmo from Sweden, who were managed by Roy Hodgson, in the first round. They won the first leg 1-0, then parked the bus to draw in Italy. These days, that would mean one point from two games and a situation that would be rescuable with four more games. Back then, we were out.

But while more games are better, I hope that we never get to a stage where there is a European Super League, meaning some clubs don't play in their domestic competitions. You always want to have the opportunity for other teams to play their way into the Champions League and compete with the best. Talking of which, let's look at the contenders to win this season's competition.

One of my other old clubs, Bayern Munich, are the holders and the team to beat as the knockout rounds begin. It is arguably the biggest club in the world and set up to compete every year; you know that, as a player or a coach, the job is to win titles and there is an approach that is repeated daily, whether at training, a German Cup game or the Champions League final.

Bayern set the tone for what other clubs want to achieve, but it is always hard to repeat as Champions League winners because a little drop in energy going into the next year is natural and you ask: "How can we do that again?" Real Madrid are the only team to retain the trophy in the modern era, so that shows you how big a challenge Hansi Flick's men face.

It helps that they have Robert Lewandowski, who is the best No. 9 in the world and a wonderful example of how good you can be over a long period if you fit perfectly into a style of play, if you stay as hungry as the day before and if you enjoy yourself.

Left foot, right foot, headers penalties, even free kicks, Lewandowski has everything in his repertoire that a complete striker needs, and you can show what he does to any young player learning the game. I mentioned Marco van Basten in my last column and he is the player that comes to mind when I have watched Robert through the years.

Another important player is Thomas Muller, who I first met more than 10 years ago when I was Bayern manager. What stood out immediately was his intelligence and decision-making; whatever he is doing, he is doing it in the simplest way possible. He is a master at connecting the dots and has this Bayern Munich "chippiness" that means he is never content. Even if he scores three goals today, he is already focused on the next game!

I expect Bayern to beat Lazio and Juventus to go through against Porto. Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona is a 50-50, Liverpool have the edge over RB Leipzig and Manchester City are clear favourites against Borussia Monchengladbach. Sevilla against Borussia Dortmund will be an open affair since the German club is struggling and Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea will be fascinating to watch with high-energy coaches Diego Simeone and Thomas Tuchel on the sideline.

Maybe the surprising team in this Round of 16 could be Atalanta against Real Madrid because the football they play is fun to watch -- high energy, high pressing -- and their understanding for each other is perfect. Keeping that up over an entire season is a struggle so they lose some games in Italy that you do not expect, but they made quarterfinals last season so have some experience at the top level.

The key to making a deep Champions League run is finding form and rhythm at the right time. Bayern, for example, closed last season with 21 consecutive wins in all competitions and what you see around this time is the top teams trying to find the accelerating mode and come out of the winter cold, which makes them super dangerous.

You look at Barcelona and Real Madrid, who had a rough start to the season. Paris were similar and changed manager, while Man City found their form a bit sooner but even they have not always had their best. Bayern themselves took some time to distance themselves from the rest of the Bundesliga.

Bayern took some time to distance themselves from the rest of the pack in Germany, but return from winning the Club World Cup with another Bundesliga title in their sights, as well as repeat success in the Champions League, which will be a must-watch when it resumes this week.

Former players Muttiah Muralitharan and Sidath Wettimuny are among a group of 12 who have submitted a petition in the courts seeking an overhaul of Sri Lanka Cricket's "flawed" constitution.

There has long been a view that SLC's existing constitution, which was drafted in the pre-professional era, is unfit for purpose, and is the source of many of the nation's cricketing ills, including an ailing domestic structure. Although there have previously been unsuccessful attempts to alter SLC's constitution, this is the first time pressure is being put on SLC via the nation's courts.

As a first action, Sri Lanka's Court of Appeals, where the petition was lodged, has given notice to SLC, and the country's sports minister (who is also a respondent). They have been asked to respond to the petition on March 15.

The petition raises several concerns but its primary aim appears to be to severely restrict the number of votes at the SLC election. By doing so, it hopes to reduce the number of first-class teams, amongst other aims. There are no fewer than 148 votes up for grabs at SLC election, compared, for example, to 38 votes in the BCCI election, in a country with roughly 60 times Sri Lanka's population. The petition states the decline in the men's national team's results since 2016 is down to poorly administered domestic cricket.

The petition also suggests a change in the constitution could help bring more women into administrative positions at SLC (the current executive committee is all men), and also help more meaningfully spread the game beyond the four provinces that have so far produced Sri Lanka cricketers.

"We are a country playing Test cricket since 1982," the petition states. "The rest of the 5 provinces: North, East, Sabaragamuwa, Rajarata and Uva have produced zero test players. We have not even made a dent in developing cricket in two-thirds of the land in Sri Lanka."

SLC was approached for comment but did not respond.

Petitioners: Kushil Gunasekara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sidath Wettimuny, Michael Tissera, Saleem Marsoof, Dinal Phillips, Rienzie Wijetilleke, Thilan Wijesinghe, Vijaya Malalasekara, Ana Punchihewa, Somasundaram Skandakumar, Palitha Kohona

Shakib Al Hasan has said that the Bangladesh team has the ability to bounce from adversity, after their first series whitewash at home in nine years. The home side lost the Dhaka Test by 17 runs against West Indies, after already losing the game in Chattogram by three wickets.

It led to stinging criticism led by BCB president Nazmul Hassan who didn't mince his words in a press conference shortly after the Dhaka defeat.

Shakib, who missed part of the first Test and the entirety of the second Test due to a thigh injury, said that Bangladesh has come out of similarly difficult situations in the past.

"It is definitely a difficult time for us, but we have had such times before," Shakib said at a private event in Dhaka on Monday. "We have worked together in the past to get out of such situations, and I believe we can do it again. I believe we have the ability. We have got out of such situations before. A couple of good results will change the scenario. We wouldn't be talking about anything if we had scored the 17 runs yesterday.

"Nobody wants to lose in any sport. We didn't think it would turn out like this. We beat their full-strength side in the previous tour. Everything was okay till the fourth day of the first Test. Our bad phase started from the fifth day."

Shakib said that like all team managements, the Bangladesh one also takes winning decisions but it sometimes doesn't work out. "There's no right or wrong decision in cricket. Every decision is taking by players, captain and the team management thinking of a win," he said. "If we would've won, you wouldn't have asked these questions, but you have a job to ask questions even then. I think everyone has a responsibility," he said.

Shakib also explained why he needed the break for the tour of New Zealand, which he said was partly due to his injury and partly because his wife is giving birth to their third child.

"It will take me six to eight weeks to recover from the injury, which means there's a good chance that I will miss the New Zealand tour. If it takes me six weeks, I might make it to the T20I series, but there's a personal reason for asking for the leave.

"We are going to have our third child, which is exciting for both of us," he said. "I must be next to my wife. More importantly, the Covid-19 situation in the US is pretty bad. Only the husband is allowed in the hospital, so I must be with her."