By Tim Stannard

1) Liverpool left as last English club standing in European finale

La Liga is getting greedy. Not content with supplying both participants in the 2016 Champions League final – from the same city, no less, just to show off – the mighty Spanish want to hog all four spots in Europe’s two big season-ending club finals. Real Madrid sealed the ‘Madrid uber alles’ double on Wednesday night by barely breaking into a sweat against a truly hapless Manchester City. On Thursday Villarreal and Sevilla are heading into their own semifinal second-leg clashes in the Europa League.

The Yellow Submarine of Villarreal is sailing into Anfield – technically a land-locked football stadium but not for the purposes of Sports Burst – to try and pile further humiliation on the Premier League, a division so lame it can be won by 5000-1 long shots and is to European competition what Donald Trump is to making the world feel warm and snug about the immediate future of the planet.

As with fine English tradition, if anyone can spare the blushes of the country, it is a foreigner. And that foreigner is Jurgen Klopp who is hoping that the Anfield roar can overturn a 1-0 deficit against their Spanish visitors. Villarreal, though, are all with the feeling very sprightly having secured fourth spot in La Primera and qualification to the preliminary stages of next year’s Champions League. Catch all the highlights and the best analysis of that hot-to-trot clash on the XTRA at 10PM ET.

2) Sevilla look for Europa League three-peat in Sanchez Pizjuan semi

If you are Canadian, you are already truly blessed by being one of Her Majesty’s Subjects. But doubly so on Thursday as Sevilla’s home game against Shakhtar is live on beIN SPORTS at 3.05PM ET. Unai Emery’s men are in familiar territory with this being the third Europa League semifinal for the team in three years. The other two went quite well, considering Sevilla went on to win the entire competition. Tune into the XTRA tonight for the highlights and see if Spain can make it a clean sweep of all the European final places.

3) Colombia put one hand on Copa America trophy with tough squad decision

Colombia’s chances in the Made-Up Copa America have been boosted hugely by the absence of Monaco-Manchester United-Chelsea-who-the-heck-knows striker, Falcao in the preliminary 40-man squad. Manchester United’s other 30-year-old striker, Flacao also misses the cut.

Carlos Tevez has returned to the Argentina fold with the former Juventus player being named in Tata Martino’s 40-man preliminary squad. If Tevez can score a penalty, over the next three weeks, even in his back garden then he’ll make the final cut. Dunga is expected to announce the full and proper Brazil team that heads off to the USA for the improvised summer tournament, later on Thursday.

4) Another muted move for King Zlatan and a proper one for King Cole. Who may have a merry old soul

King Zlatan news! Although whatever drivel comes out of the mouth of the super Swede’s agent is as substantial as a soggy rice cake, Mino Raiola has claimed to Italian GQ that his client could return to Milan, apparently fancying the chance of scrabbling about for Europa League spots to end his career.

In a quick catch-up from Wednesday, Tampa Bay Rowdies confirmed the signing of former England playmaker, Joe Cole. And he will be gracing the screens of beIN SPORTS throughout the season as part of the channel’s extensive NASL coverage which continued on Wednesday night with Edmonton defeating Jacksonville Armada down in Florida, an away trip of about 8000 miles.

5) Trump unites boxing battlers as cyclists gear up for Giro start

Rather than taking potshots at each other, boxers Amir Khan and Canelo Alvarez have taken aim at Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump. The pair who are due to fight in Las Vegas on Sunday night were critical of Trump in the fight presentation. Not surprising, really, considering one is a Muslim and the other is Mexican.

The Madrid Open – a fairly big deal in the tennis world – is starting to reach the interesting stages with Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Milos Raonic all in action in the third round on Thursday. Second seed and defending champion Andy Murray, has already been in action and has made it through to the quarterfinals, having beaten Gilles Simon.

Across the Med and the cyclists are already for the toughest race on the planet, the Giro d’Italia which gets underway on beIN SPORTS on Friday from 8.25AM ET. And it looks like Vicenzo Nibali is going to be the one to catch in the three-week race.