Europa League: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger wants to avoid Atletico Madrid

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said he would prefer to avoid a Europa League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid after beating AC Milan in the last 16.

England striker Danny Welbeck scored twice - either side of a long-range strike from Granit Xhaka - as the Gunners won the second leg 3-1.

Hakan Calhanoglu had opened the scoring for Milan, but the Italian side fell to a 5-1 aggregate defeat.

"We would certainly want to avoid Atletico Madrid," said Wenger.

The draw for the quarter-finals - which features teams from eight countries - will take place on Friday at 12:00 GMT.

This was Arsenal's third win in a week after their first-leg victory in Milan and Sunday's 3-0 Premier League defeat of Watford.

Prior to victory at the San Siro, the Gunners had lost four successive games in all competitions.

"It's much better. We needed that to recover from our results," Wenger said.

"It shows how the team has responded. We had a difficult game but in the end we won it. If we have the results and the way to play football, the crowds will be behind us."

This season's Europa League quarter-finalists are: Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, CSKA Moscow, Lazio, Marseille, RB Leipzig, RB Salzburg and Sporting Lisbon.
The draw will take place in Nyon, Switzerland at 12:00 GMT on Friday - and you can follow it live on the BBC Sport website and app.
Turkish international Calhanoglu produced a stunning finish from 30 yards to give the Italians the lead.

The Gunners levelled within four minutes through Welbeck, who was controversially awarded a penalty after going down under minimal contact from Ricardo Rodriguez.

Xhaka's long-range effort bobbled into the net for Arsenal's second after poor goalkeeping by Milan's highly rated Gianluigi Donnarumma, before Welbeck headed in a third.

"It was an open game. We played backwards a bit too much in the first half to protect the result. We played a very good side," said Wenger.

"We have to improve defensively, but overall we are team with technical quality which is more attack-minded.

"We struggle a bit more when we have to defend. We finished the game more compact and more solid."

THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW

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Liverpool rushed Lallana back too early, admits Klopp

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits he made a mistake in rushing Adam Lallana back from injury as the England midfielder hopes to make his first start in two months against Porto on Tuesday.

Lallana has not been in the starting line-up since the FA Cup win over Everton in early January after two setbacks from a thigh problem forced him to miss the first four months of the campaign.

Lallana has managed just 186 minutes of Premier League action since making his comeback from that pre-season injury in November, but against Porto he could be in line for his first European appearance since the 2016 Europa League final defeat to Sevilla.

“Adam absolutely was an integral part of the team… he is important to us,” said Klopp.

“But he needed only time. Life is to learn from your mistakes and we all have to learn.

“We made this mistake — he looked fit. Maybe two little setbacks, not the biggest setbacks, but in and out, in and out. So now we have to build with him. He is coming close.”

Klopp, whose team are locked in a battle with Manchester United to finish second in the Premier League, said 29-year-old Lallana lacked rhythm due to his time on the sidelines but he remained a key part of the Liverpool set-up.

Liverpool have one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals as they defend a 5-0 lead when they host Porto at Anfield.

Klopp will resist the urge to make sweeping changes even though only a remarkable comeback by the Portuguese club will stop his side coasting into the last eight.

That could mean the likes of 32-goal Mohamed Salah, who has played 3,060 minutes for his club this term, and 22-goal Roberto Firmino (3,053), will feature despite what is essentially a dead rubber.

“They are all desperate to play, to be honest,” said Klopp, who said he on the other hand was focusing on Porto instead of Saturday’s trip to Manchester United.

“When I said we will not rest any players I was thinking more that we will bring the best team we can have for this game.”

Salah has scored in nine of the past 10 matches and a goal on Tuesday would see him equal the club record of goals in eight consecutive matches set by Dick Forshaw (1924-25) and John Aldridge (1988-89).

He would be an obvious man to rest but Klopp said he did not know whether keeping the Egyptian playing is best for someone on such a scoring streak.

“These things are good for him. Both ways,” he said. “They are playing Saturday and Saturday and there is rhythm in that as well so we could say that is OK — do we need a Tuesday game for the rhythm?

“I’m not sure. I don’t think there is a 100 percent answer.”

North and South Korea agree to hold summit in April

(CNN)North and South Korea will hold a summit for the first time in more than a decade in April, South Korea's national security chief Chung Eui-yong said Tuesday after returning from a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea told South Korea that it would freeze its nuclear and missile testing "while dialogue is ongoing," Chung said. He added that Pyongyang also expressed willingness to talk to the United States "in an open-ended dialogue to discuss the issue of denuclearization and to normalize relations with North Korea."

Chung said the summit would be held in the demilitarized zone that divides the two Koreas and the two leaders would open a communication hotline.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in sent Chung and four other top government officials to Pyongyang Monday, when they met with Kim and some of his top aides.

It's believed to be the first time the young leader has ever met with any officials from South Korea since taking power in 2011.

Developing story - more to come

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