Good evening sports fans. There’s already been plenty to keep us busy today as Cheltenham got underway this afternoon (no, we didn’t win a penny) but we’ve still got live European football and the small matter of the Merseyside derby to attend to.

I’ll be focusing on FC Basel’s attempt to progress past German giants Bayern Munich. They hold a one-goal lead from the first leg. In the San Siro, two former Chelsea man, Didier Deschamps and Claudio Ranieri, go head-to-head.

Watch (German) highlights of Basel v Bayern’s first leg here:

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We’ve got teams sheets, so here you are:

Bayern Munich: Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Badstuber, Alaba, Gustavo, Kroos, Robben, Ribery, Muller, Gomez. Subs: Butt, Petersen, Olic, Pranjic, Contento, Schweinsteiger, Tymoschuk.

Basel: Sommer, Steinhofer, Abraham, Dragovic, Park, Cabral, Xhaka, Shaqiri, Fabian Frei, Alexander Frei, Streller. Subs: Colomba, Degen, Huggel, Yapi Yapo, Stocker, Kovac, Zoua.

Munich, who have won 11 out of their last 12 Champions League at home, are boosted by news that Arjen Robben and Mario Gomez start after both being ruled as doubtful.

Basel boss Heiko Vogel, facing the club whose youth team he once managed, goes with Marco Streller and Alexander Frei in attack. 20-year-old Swiss sensation Xherdan Shaqiri has agreed to join Bayern in the summer and starts against them tonight.

English referee Mark Clattenburg celebrates his 37th birthday by taking charge of this one. He’s just blown his whistle to signal the start of the match.

Bayern win a corner and it’s whipped in by Robben but the Dutchman can’t beat the first man. He finds the ball at his feet seconds later and a heavy touch runs it out of play.

Schoolboy stuff as play is stopped for two ball on the pitch. Basel unhappy after trying to get a quick attack going.

The home team’s game plan is clearly obvious from the opening eight minutes: Get the ball to Arjen Robben. The former Chelsea winger has already been heavily involved – first seeing a deflected shot caught by Yann Sommer, then when he cuts back onto his favoured left foot he fires a couple of yards wide.

GOAL! Bayern Munich (1) 1-0 (1) FC Basel (Arjen Robben)

That didn’t take long! Robben beats the offside trap and collects after Thomas Muller’s shot is blocked to drill past Sommer. Game on.

The Germans are pouring forward in numbers here. Franck Ribery has had a shot saved and team-mate Mario Gomez shows great improvisation to flick a cross on target but Sommer is in the right place to snuff it out.

The 20-minute mark passes and it’s been unbelievably one-sided so far. Toni Kroos and Muller link up and only a last-ditch interception by Basel defender David Abraham stops the former from being clean through on goal.

Muller heads goalward from the resulting corner but it is scrambled away.

Sky Sports co-commentator Alan McInally, who spent three years with Bayern says if they were 3-0 up nobody would be surprised on this performance. And he’s not wrong.

It takes the visitors 34 minutes to win their first corner of the night and Alexander Frei chips into straight into the hands of Manuel Neuer. Horribly wasteful at a time when chances are few and far between.

Streller then just higher than two defenders but can only direst his header off-target.

Super effort from Kroos fizzes just over the bar. The 22-year-old has looked sharp though.

Alex Frei peels off to the back post but is stretching and directs a half-volley high and over.

Who wants to see the goal then?

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GOAL! Bayern Munich (2) 2-0 (1) FC Basel (Thomas Muller)

Ribery picks out Robben on the right flank and he earns himself an assist by finding Muller at the front post, who helps it past Sommer with a side-footed volley. No more than they deserve.

GOAL! Bayern Munich (3) 3-0 (1) FC Basel (Mario Gomez)

A free-kick by Kroos is put back across goal by Holger Badstuber where Luis Gustavo and Mario Gomez are waiting. The German international taps home from close range to put his side 3-1 up on aggregate with half-time looming.

Half-time: Bayern (3) 3-0 (1) FC Basel

Why not watch Bayern’s third during the interval:

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Heiko Vogel will be glad to get his men into the dressing they were completely overrun in the opening 45 minutes. As it stands, Marseille are going through as it remains scoreless in Milan at half-time.

Meanwhile, in the Merseyside derby, there’s been a goal. Find out who got it here.

The second half has just started. Does the future Bayern man have it in him to drag Basel back into this?

GOAL! Bayern Munich (4) 4-0 (1) FC Basel (Mario Gomez)

There’s no way back now. Ribery beats his mand on the left flank and centres for Gomez to score his eighth goal of this year’s competition with a cracking finish.

According to Mister Chip has now scored 20 Champions League goals in 32 appearances. Here’s his second of the evening:

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GOAL! Bayern Munich (5) 5-0 (1) FC Basel (Mario Gomez)

Gomez records his 11th hat-trick in 17 months by nodding home from Ribery, who dances past his marker. This is a rout.

Alex Frei has the ball in the net but it’s ruled out by Mr Clattenburg for a handball. Looks a harsh call to be fair.

GOAL! Bayern Munich (6) 6-0 (1) FC Basel (Mario Gomez)

That is incredible. The lethal combination of Ribery and Gomez strikes again as Basel full-back Markus Steinhofer is given the runaround for the umpteenth time tonight. He is replaced by ex-Liverpool fringe player Philipp Degen and there’s a rousing reception for Bastian Schweinsteiger, who comes on for Muller.

GOAL! Inter Milan (1) 1-0 (1) Marseille (Diego Milito)

The Argentinian striker has just broken the deadlock at the San Siro in the 75th minute, which means we could be in store for extra-time in that one.

GOAL! Bayern Munich (7) 7-0 (1) FC Basel (Arjen Robben)

Robben times his run to perfection and is played in by Schweinsteiger. That’s his last piece of action as Anatoliy Tymoshchuk comes on in his place.

French winger Franck Ribery is also withdrawn after a performance which suggests he is back to his best. Shaqiri, who has been quiet, heads off down the tunnel too and Jacques Zoua takes his place.

Stat time:

Chants of ‘BAYERN, BAYERN’ ring out around the Allianz Arena as the final seconds run down…

Full-time: Bayern Munich (7) 7-0 (1) FC Basel

GOAL! Inter Milan (1) 1-1 (2) Marseille (Brandao)

The Brazilian frontman looks to have snatched if for Marseille in the 92nd minute. In a dramatic end to the game, the Ligue Un side have keeper Steve Mandanda sent off.

GOAL! Inter Milan (2) 2-1 (2) Marseille (Giampaolo Pazzini)

Inter score from the penalty spot but it’s not enough. Marseille go through on away goals.

Full-time Inter Milan (2) 2-1 (2) Marseille

Arjen Robben during a post-match interview:

The pressure is always there at a club like Bayern. We were 1-0 behind and had to make sure we didn’t concede a goal. Once the first one went in, it worked as a relief for the team, then the second and third followed. We had a lot of fun on the pitch.

Last Saturday we also scored seven so you can say that we are back on track. I wouldn’t say we are the favourites but we reached the final two years ago and we will see who we are paired with in the draw.”

So Bayern Munich go marching on into the quarter-finals after a devastating night in front of goal. They will join Benfica, AC Milan, APOEL Nicosia, Barcelona and Marseille in Friday’s draw.

Tomorrow, the final two spots are up for grabs as Chelsea host Napoli and Real Madrid welcome CSKA Moscow. We’ll be liveblogging once again… we’re looking forward to it already.

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