AC Milan and Atlético Madrid each qualify almost automatically for the Champions League

Milan moved up to 10th place in the new single league format and is now within sight of the automatic qualification places. Bratislava lost all five games.

Milan won 3-1 in their last game in Madrid.

Alvaraz and Griezmann lead Atletico to a 6-0 win

Argentine World Cup winner Julian Alvaraz scored twice and Atletico Madrid beat Sparta Prague 6-0 to move up to ninth place.

Alvaraz scored a free kick after 15 minutes and Marcos Llorente shot from distance before half-time. Alvaraz fended off a counterattack at the start of the second half after being set up by substitute Antoine Griezmann, who then added himself to the scoresheet in his 100th Champions League game.

Angel Correa scored a late brace for Atlético.

Atletico defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the preliminary round and extended their winning streak in all competitions to six games.

Sparta remained in the elimination places with four points.

The top eight overall teams will advance directly to the round of 16 in March. Teams placed ninth through 24th advance to the knockout playoff round in February, while the bottom 12 teams are eliminated.

Later it’s: Manchester City against Feyenoord; Barcelona vs. Brest; Bayern Munich vs. Paris Saint-Germain; Inter Milan vs Leipzig; Young Boys vs Atalanta; Bayer Leverkusen against Salzburg; and Sporting Lisbon against Arsenal.

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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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