Thomas Tuchel "fell in love" with Bayern Munich in a damaging 3-0 defeat to Manchester City he described as "a lot of fun" on Tuesday.

Bayern's hopes of advancing to the Champions League semi-finals look to be in tatters following a one-sided scoreline in their last-eight first leg in Manchester.

City were undoubtedly deserving winners, with Opta counting four big chances to Bayern's one.

But the Bundesliga giants bossed 56 per cent of the possession as City were forced to play without the ball; only on four occasions under Pep Guardiola have they seen less of the play.

That might have been the source of Tuchel's optimism then, as the man who led Chelsea to a 2021 final victory over City revelled in a loss that will likely cost his new side.

"I don't agree with the result at all," he told Prime Video. "We were punished in phases in which we were the better team. We were simply brutally punished today.

"I thought our performance was very good until 2-0. I don't want to talk down the result; I saw a very good performance until the 70th minute.

"I think we deserved at least one goal and gave away one or two too many. I think our players were lacking a bit in confidence and form. Of course, the result is bitter for us.

"I fell in love with my team a little today, the way they performed. Even if sounds strange, that was a lot of fun."

If you didn't see this coming, you can't have been paying attention.

Bayern Munich were bulldozed by a spectacular Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, a 3-0 dismissal of the 10-in-a-row Bundesliga winners a sign of the times.

It was a bad night for the men in red, a desperate one for Dayot Upamecano; a match to remember for City, and perhaps the moment the doom-mongers had seen coming.

How can this City team be stopped? They were terrific and dominant, save from a 20-minute spell at the start of the second half when Bayern gamely gave just about as good as they got.

A team into which mind-blowing sums have been invested were destined to scale heady heights such as these, though. The wealth of talent at Pep Guardiola's disposal is unsurpassed, the Abu Dhabi ownership having backed the manager to bring together an elite pool of players.

This is why some with a Bayern allegiance would like German football's tight ownership rules to be relaxed. For now, a tight rein on spending means Bayern cannot possibly compete in the transfer market with City.

Twenty-five years ago, City were hurtling towards relegation to England's third tier. Now they surely are everyone's Champions League favourites, ripe to be crowned kings of Europe for the first time with one foot in the semi-finals.

Erling Haaland's 45th goal of the season put the seal on this rout, leaving Bayern facing near-certain elimination in front of their own fans in next Wednesday's second leg.

Rodri's wonder strike had broken the deadlock, and Bernardo Silva hit the second to quell Bayern's brief resurgence.

Norwegian Haaland has managed the most competitive goals by a player for a Premier League club in a single season. And if you didn't see that coming, you can't have been paying attention. Deadly for Borussia Dortmund, Haaland was bound to score bucketloads in this City team.

Bayern, traditionally the club that scoop up the best talent from within the Bundesliga, had been powerless when the chequebooks came out for Haaland.

Haaland fancied this occasion early on and took aim from an outlandish angle, from an opportunity given a miniscule xG rating of 0.028. The wild slash with his left boot soared over the bar.

Jamal Musiala was denied by an outstanding block from Ruben Dias as Bayern carved out the best chance of the opening 25 minutes, but then £62.6million man Rodri rocked the Germans with his sensational finish.

The wickedly swerving strike with his left foot came from 25 yards, as Bayern waited for a pass from the player who had not scored in 43 previous Champions League appearances.

Former City winger Leroy Sane fired 18 inches wide from 30 yards to serve a reminder of Bayern's threat, but shooting from that range hinted at desperation.

By half-time, Rodri had passing accuracy of 90.3 per cent and had won six of his eight duels. He had also won possession on 10 occasions, more than anyone else on the pitch, while losing the ball just four times. Even setting aside the goal, he had been magnificent, and City's defending was terrific, with Ederson yet to make a save.

Sane drew a first save from Ederson in the first minute of the second half, and the Brazilian did not make a clean catch, rather juggling the ball. He made a better stop two minutes later, and again it was Sane with the strike after being played through by Musiala.

City could not take advantage of haphazard Bayern defending as Joshua Kimmich blocked Haaland's thumping shot, but that was a sign of trouble to come for Bayern.

Bayern brought on former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane in the 69th minute, but it was 2-0 seconds later, before Mane got to touch the ball.

Upamecano looked to step out of defence but hopelessly lost the ball to Jack Grealish, whose clever backheel played in Haaland. As Bayern braced for him to shoot, the Norwegian crossed instead and Bernardo Silva planted a powerful header through Yann Sommer's grasp.

Sommer saved from substitute Julian Alvarez as Bayern's defence was ripped open again, and the third goal arrived when World Cup winner Alvarez crossed from the right flank, £50million centre-back John Stones headed across goal from the far post, and Haaland, the most coveted player in Europe last summer, volleyed in calmly from a chance he was never going to miss.

Joao Cancelo, on loan to Bayern from City, was booed onto the pitch when he appeared as a substitute. Bayern don't think they have the funds to buy the City cast-off, which sums up the difference between these outfits.

City have won their last 11 home games against German sides in this competition by a 42-10 aggregate, and Haaland has 11 goals in seven Champions League games for City now.

It was entirely predictable he would get on the scoresheet at the Etihad Stadium, but here's a thing that changed for Haaland in this game: as well as taking his goals tally to six in eight appearances against Bayern, he finished on the winning side.

He had lost all seven games he played for Dortmund against Bayern.

Things change once you join City. This is a winning machine, a team on a nine-game streak now, and nights like this make you fear for Arsenal, sat increasingly precariously at the top of the Premier League. They make you fear the rest of Europe will be powerless to prevent a rhapsody in blue come the Champions League final in Istanbul, too.

England tasted defeat for the first time under Sarina Wiegman as goals from Sam Kerr and Charlotte Grant saw them shocked 2-0 by Australia on Tuesday.

The Lionesses headed into the game on a 30-match unbeaten run, one that has seen them win Euro 2022 as well as the Finalissima against Brazil last week.

But a below-par display saw their streak ended at the Brentford Community Stadium, as an uncharacteristic mistake from captain Leah Williamson allowed Kerr to nip in and open the scoring by lifting the ball over Mary Earps and in.

Grant then doubled her team's lead, arriving at the back post to meet Kerr's deep cross before her header towards goal was deflected by Williamson, completely wrong-footing Earps and sealing victory for Australia.

The upset defeat is not ideal preparation for England as they look ahead to the upcoming World Cup, hosted by the team they just lost to, which is now just 100 days away.

Having suffered her first defeat during her England tenure, Wiegman was at a loss to explain why her team played so poorly, telling ITV4: "I don't have the reason.

"We spoke at half-time that we need to be quicker, have energy, stretch them and run behind. At other times we lost the ball a little quickly. The reasons for that, I have to think about a little longer.

"This is the first time we've lost, but we always learn. We see things done well and things we have to do better. We have to improve to be at our best at the World Cup. Every game is for learning, and this is a big one."

Rodri wants to see Manchester City go on the attack again against Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, believing they did not finish the job at the Etihad Stadium.

City beat Bayern 3-0 on Tuesday in a dominant display, with goals from Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland putting Pep Guardiola's men in control against his former club.

Rodri's spectacular first-half strike was his first in the Champions League and came "in a moment when we were struggling", he told BT Sport.

It "gave us a bit of confidence to keep going", the midfielder added, and City certainly did that, good value for further goals as they laid siege to Yann Sommer's goal.

Guardiola's side had only 44 per cent of the possession – their fifth-lowest mark of his tenure – but clearly posed the bigger threat, beating Bayern 1.92 to 0.83 on xG.

"Sometimes we have to understand we cannot have 80 per cent of the possession," Rodri said. "They play, too, and have talented players to keep the ball, and we don't feel comfortable with the ball.

"But we understood perfectly where the game was and waited for the moment."

Assessing the tie, the Spain international said: "We don't think it's done. Of course, we know where we're going, we know the team. It's a good result, and we're happy because of the performance. We don't think much on that.

"We're facing now Leicester in the Premier League, and when we face them back at their home, we have to expect another final.

"I think we have to try to win the game if we want to go [through]. We cannot be conservative."

Nicolo Barella and Romelu Lukaku scored as Inter earned a 2-0 victory at Benfica in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday.

In a tense affair at the Estadio da Luz, both teams found it hard to create opportunities, though the hosts shaded the first half as they pressed to get their noses in front on home soil.

But a rare moment of attacking quality from Barella put Inter ahead, before substitute Lukaku scored from the spot to clinch the win for the Serie A side.

Simone Inzaghi's men are now very much in control heading into the second leg, set to be played at San Siro next Wednesday.

The first half was a cagey affair with clear-cut chances few and far between, though Rafa Silva nearly punished a defensive mistake when he saw a blasted effort denied by Andre Onana after pouncing upon Federico Dimarco's loose header.

Francesco Acerbi also sent a fierce drive from range just over the crossbar as the game went into the interval goalless, with Inter managing just two touches in Benfica's box in the first half.

But the visitors would take the lead in the 51st minute with their first shot on target, Barella's delightful back-post header nestling in the bottom corner after Alessandro Bastoni's cross picked him out.

The hosts nearly levelled when Rafa saw a shot blocked before an almighty goalmouth scramble ended with Inter finally clearing.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan could, and perhaps should, have doubled his side's advantage after he was played in by Joaquin Correa, but his shot from a tight angle was well saved by Odisseas Vlachodimos.

Inter would add a second goal before the end, though, as Lukaku lashed home a penalty after Joao Mario handled Denzel Dumfries' cross to leave the Portuguese side up against it if they are to reach their first Champions League semi-final in 23 years.

Manchester City took a huge stride towards the Champions League semi-finals with a 3-0 win over Pep Guardiola's former club Bayern Munich in Tuesday's last-eight first leg.

An intense Etihad Stadium encounter pitted Guardiola against Bayern for the first time since leaving Germany, and he comfortably got the better of old foe Thomas Tuchel, whose Chelsea beat City in the 2021 final.

Rodri's spectacular first Champions League strike gave City the edge at half-time, before Bernardo Silva added the second as pressure ramped up on the Bayern goal heading into the final 20 minutes, and Erling Haaland's 45th goal of the season – an outright record for a Premier League player – soon followed.

Guardiola and City have let slip all manner of leads in this competition against weaker opposition than Bayern, but they were rampant by full-time and head into the return match with full command of the tie.

The breakthrough goal came after 27 minutes as Rodri evaded pressure from Jamal Musiala by chopping onto his left foot 25 yards from goal before curling high past Yann Sommer, and City went in pursuit of a swift second.

Both Dayot Upamecano and Sommer failed to deal with a cross from the City right, with the goalkeeper merely helping it into the path of Ilkay Gundogan but responding with an instinctive save.

Although Leroy Sane led a response as his shot wide before half-time was followed by three on target following the restart – the best of them drawing a low stop from Ederson – the mix-ups in the Bayern back line only increased in number as the match wore on.

Sommer saved from Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias in quick succession but failed to get enough on Silva's header after Upamecano had gifted the ball to Jack Grealish to set in motion the City attack.

Another stop from Julian Alvarez looked to have kept Bayern in the tie, yet Haaland got his goal from a John Stones knockdown to leave the Bundesliga giants an almighty task back in Germany.

Frank Lampard is excited for the "amazing challenge" he faces when Chelsea tackle Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Chelsea legend Lampard guides his team into Wednesday's first leg at Santiago Bernabeu less than a week after returning to Stamford Bridge as interim boss until the end of the season.

The former midfielder may well feel he has unfinished business with the Blues in European competition, having been sacked midway through the 2020-21 season – a campaign that saw the club go on to win the Champions League under successor Thomas Tuchel.

While taking on Madrid appears a daunting task for a coach who was out of the game just a week ago, Lampard is ready to lap up the opportunity.

"This is amazing. I've been fortunate to manage in the Champions League, and to be here as a manager, when a week ago I didn't know I'd be here, is a huge honour," he said at a press conference.

"It's an amazing challenge for me personally and for the club.

"I think we have to understand the strength of the Real Madrid team; we have to be disciplined with our game off the ball, understand the threats, the ways they like to score and how they control the game.

"We also have to show our own strengths in our game. We have to have belief and follow through with what the idea is under pressure."

Chelsea have struggled for consistency domestically this season, languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table, and Lampard was asked how and why his squad look to have performed better on the European stage.

"I understand the question because I've viewed it from the outside. The Premier League is also one of the greatest challenges in world football," he replied.

"I think in the Champions League it sometimes offer you some escapism, a different speed of game, they can all contribute to it.

"At this stage, you're playing team of the level of Real Madrid. The comparisons are pretty worthless."

Lampard will have Thiago Silva, Mason Mount and N'Golo Kante available for the trip to the Spanish capital, and he feels they, along with the rest of the squad, can respond to their critics.

"They're all fit. The three players are good and they're here," he said.

"It's normal in a season like this that character gets questioned. The only thing the players can do is prove it on the pitch.

"There's a lot we do behind the scenes, and my job is to convey to them the need to train at a level and to have a mentality at a level, and then they have to show it.

"I'm not questioning there is a lot of character, because I've seen the dressing room. Sometimes players can have a lack of confidence."

Luciano Spalletti promised Napoli can beat Milan without Victor Osimhen as he told his team to "enjoy every moment" of the club's maiden Champions League quarter-final.

The first leg at San Siro takes place on Wednesday, just 10 days after Napoli suffered an unexpected 4-0 trouncing at home against Milan in Serie A.

That result came almost out of the blue, with Napoli streaking away at the top of the league, where they now hold a 16-point lead over second-placed Lazio as a first Scudetto since 1990 looms.

Osimhen, their 25-goal striker, has not played for Napoli since before the recent international break due to an abductor muscle injury sustained on Nigeria duty.

He missed the Milan game in the league, from which Napoli bounced back with a 2-1 win over Lecce on Friday, and it remains to be seen whether Osimhen returns for the April 18 home leg against the Rossoneri.

"We have won very important games without Osimhen," Spalletti said. "I expect all my players will rely on their team-mates and their own qualities and abilities so that the most brilliant tactics come out."

Captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo agreed with coach Spalletti, saying: "We feel OK even if Osimhen isn't there tomorrow.

"He's a fundamental player, but we can't rely on him. We will have to face this battle with the players who are available. We will have to take any chances possible."

Napoli headed into this week as the competition's top scorers with 25 goals, with their average of 3.1 goals per game the fifth-best in a single campaign – after Bayern Munich in 2019-20 (3.9), Paris Saint-Germain in 2017-18 (3.4), Real Madrid in 2013-14 (3.2) and Liverpool in 2017-18 (3.2).

It is not only Osimhen who has been scoring for them in Europe either, with his haul of four goals in the Champions League matched by team-mates Piotr Zielinski, Giovanni Simeone and Giacomo Raspadori.

The last Italian team to have as many different players scoring four or more goals in a single edition of the Champions League were 2002-03 finalists Juventus (Del Piero, Nedved, Di Vaio and Trezeguet), so that may bode well.

"We need to have fun. We can't go to the pitch and be afraid," Spalletti said in a pre-match press conference.

"We need to take this chance, enjoy the game, enjoy every moment, even tonight. We're going to have dinner, and we need to enjoy dinner, and after dinner, we need to enjoy those hours before we go to sleep. They have to enjoy every single moment and this will be satisfying as well.

"This expression I use – Christmas Eve – for games like this is part of the idea a match has to be enjoyed in every single moment."

The Milan game from April 2 is one Spalletti says his players can forget about.

"Champions do not regret when they fail," he said. "They just recover, they just stand up again, and this team is made of champions.

"We are about to play a match that could represent a turning point in our future. We are aware of this fact, and we are ready for it."

Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell believes success can be just around the corner after securing a two-year contract extension at Stamford Bridge.

The 26-year-old England international's new terms tie him to the Blues until 2027, having initially joined in 2020 on a five-year deal from Leicester City.

Initially signed by Frank Lampard, Chilwell has transitioned through different eras at Stamford Bridge – working under Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, before coming full circle with Lampard's recent return to the club on an interim basis.

Although Chelsea have struggled this season, sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League, Chilwell is delighted to secure his future with the west London side.

He had been linked with Manchester City but is going nowhere, which suits him, and feels the future can be bright.

"I feel very settled at Chelsea and have really enjoyed my time on the pitch here, so I’m very pleased the club want me to be part of the project long-term, and am very happy to sign this extension to my contract," he told the club's website.

"We are working hard for success and I will do my best to bring more smiles to the faces of the fans who have made me feel so welcome."

Chilwell was part of a Champions League-winning side in his debut season at Chelsea and fought his way back from a serious knee injury to re-establish in the Blues ranks.

He has made 25 appearances across all competitions this season, 17 as a starter, and has contributed two goals and two assists.

Julian Brandt believes he can achieve "something big" with Borussia Dortmund after ignoring interest from elsewhere to sign a new three-year contract.

The Germany international has shone in his attacking midfield role for BVB this term, playing a huge role in a title challenge that could go to the wire.

Brandt, who turns 27 in May, signed his latest contract on Tuesday, quashing the prospect of him being able to leave on a free transfer at the end of next season.

Liverpool and Arsenal are among the teams who have been linked with Brandt in recent weeks, and that comes as little surprise considering his strong campaign.

Only three midfielders in the Bundesliga have created more chances this season that Brandt's 57, which puts him 30 ahead of his nearest midfield club colleague, Jude Bellingham (27).

Brandt has eight goals and four assists in the league, with his 12 goal involvements also setting the benchmark for Dortmund's midfielders, putting him two ahead of Marco Reus and four clear of Bellingham.

He has played 164 passes, including crosses, into the opposition box, far and away the most of any Dortmund player, with his threat from the flanks making him a valuable asset.

Considering he has played 931 passes in all, more than one in six of those on average have gone into the penalty area (18 per cent).

With uncertainty lingering over Bellingham's future, as clubs look closely at the England international, Dortmund made sure to tie up former Bayer Leverkusen star Brandt to new terms.

Brandt said: "Even after four years, I still have a lot of fun every single day being part of precisely this team, being on the pitch with these lads and playing football for this highly emotional club with its extraordinary fans.

"In honesty, the feeling of being in the right place at the right time has always been the most important point of my sporting life. And that won't change either. I'm looking forward to the coming years in black and yellow and I'm sure that we'll have the opportunity to celebrate something big together."

Dortmund announced the extension on their website, describing it as "a core element of the medium-term squad planning", with sporting director Sebastian Kehl saying Brandt has "undergone another enormous development in the last year, is significantly more focused in his play off the ball, regularly sets up goals and shines himself as a goalscorer".

Michael Salisbury has been dropped from refereeing duties after his failure to award a penalty while acting as the VAR for Tottenham's win over Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

Kaoru Mitoma was tripped by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg during the Seagulls' 2-1 loss at Spurs but no penalty was awarded by referee Stuart Attwell, and the VAR did not summon him to the pitchside monitor for another look.

Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer at the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), is said to have apologised to Brighton since.

Attwell has not been stood down and will be the VAR for Wolves' home match against Brentford on Saturday, before operating as the fourth official for the London derby between West Ham and Arsenal a day later.

However, Salisbury, the VAR official for Saturday's game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, will see no action this weekend.

Assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis, who is being investigated for an alleged elbow on Liverpool defender Andy Robertson during the Reds' 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield, is also not involved this weekend.

The PGMOL will not consider Hatzidakis for any matches until the investigation is completed.

Arsenal are "very disappointed" with the decision to push back their crucial Premier League clash with Chelsea at short notice due to policing concerns.

The league leaders had been due to host London rivals Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, April 29, but the game will instead be played three days later on Tuesday, May 2.

Both Arsenal and the Premier League expressed regret at the decision, which was taken after the Metropolitan Police revised its position on policing the match.

A statement on Arsenal's official website on Tuesday read: "After working to try to find a solution with the Met Police, we are very disappointed with the impact and disruption this fixture change will cause to our supporters, particularly after this match had been initially approved for a Saturday evening kick-off."

The Premier League added in a separate statement: "The initial scheduling of this match was approved at a Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meeting in February.

"However, the Metropolitan Police has now revised its position regarding the kick-off time and requested a further SAG meeting which determined the match had to be rescheduled.

"We regret the need to move this fixture at late notice and the impact this will have on supporters."

Arsenal's under-18 side are scheduled to face West Ham in the FA Youth Cup final in late April, while Arsenal Women take on Wolfsburg in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on May 1, with both games at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners travel to West Ham and host Southampton in their next two games, before heading to title rivals Manchester City – whom they lead by six points having played a game more – ahead of their rescheduled meeting with Chelsea.

France international Wissam Ben Yedder was sentenced to six months and one day in prison and fined €133,798 by a Spanish court on Tuesday for tax evasion.

The 32-year-old forward has had the prison sentence suspended, with the offence dating back to his time playing in Spain.

Ben Yedder spent three seasons at Sevilla, arriving from Toulouse in July 2016 and leaving to join Monaco in August 2019.

A ruling from the Provincial Court of Seville, dated March 9, was released and outlined how Ben Yedder failed to submit an income tax return on time and "consciously falsified" a self-assessment by not declaring interest he received as income in three accounts, also not declaring earnings from a sponsorship deal with Adidas.

The court said Ben Yedder paid €225,323.25 initially and later added a payment of €51,007.41 to cover for what was found to be the shortfall, plus interest, once it was discovered he should have paid €267,597.40.

The fine imposed on Ben Yedder, agreed by all parties, amounts to 50 per cent of the total described by the court as the "defrauded fee".

The prison element of the punishment has been suspended for two years, conditional on him not reoffending.

"In view of the imposed sentence of six months and one day in prison and the lack of a criminal record, together with the fact of having satisfied civil responsibilities, it is appropriate to agree to the suspension," the court stated.

Paris Saint-Germain defender Nordi Mukiele will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing an operation on his damaged hamstring.

The one-cap France international has featured in 25 of PSG's 42 games in all competitions since arriving from RB Leipzig last August, starting 14 of those.

However, the 25-year-old has not played since sustaining the injury in the second leg of PSG's Champions League last-16 tie with Bayern Munich last month.

The Ligue 1 leaders confirmed on their official website on Tuesday that Mukiele will not figure in the eight league games they have left this season. 

"Nordi Mukiele is suffering from a serious hamstring injury. To minimise the risk of recurrence, the Paris Saint-Germain medical staff opted for an operation," the statement read.

"The operation will be performed in Finland today and will keep him out of action until the end of the season."

PSG also said midfielder Renato Sanches will miss between three and four weeks with an adductor injury sustained in last weekend's win over Nice.

Christophe Galtier's side are six points clear of closest challengers Lens, who they host in their next match on Saturday.

Milan coach Stefano Pioli is embracing his team's history of fulfilling their dreams as they prepare to face Napoli in the Champions League quarter-finals as underdogs.

With Napoli running away with the Serie A title, sitting 16 points clear already, Milan are generally considered outsiders for their upcoming Champions League duel.

But Milan beat Napoli 4-0 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona as recently as April 2 in a major shock, and the Partenopei will once again be without talismanic striker Victor Osimhen.

Milan not being favourites is no issue for Pioli, however, as he pointed to their Scudetto success last season as being somewhat out of the ordinary.

Asked what he was expecting from Wednesday's contest at San Siro, Pioli told reporters: "I think we'll see balance.

"It's the first of two matches. It's impossible to repeat matches from in the league – we know we have to play a great game.

"We have to play a great game because the opponents require a great level of play. Napoli are the team with the best attack in the Champions League and who have won the most games after Bayern. They are a very strong team, they have great quality.

"We also need to be attentive. Napoli have great quality and know how to take advantage of every mistake.

"Serie A is another story. I think we have every chance to play and do well in the two games. With the power of our dreams we won the Scudetto last year, so dreaming is good for us."

The absence of Osimhen is a particularly significant boost for Milan, given Napoli had expected him to be fit again for the first leg after sustaining an abductor injury on international duty.

Osimhen has been a huge factor in Napoli's remarkable charge at the top of the Serie A table, with Luciano Spalletti's men closing in on a first Scudetto since 1990.

Osimhen has scored 25 times across all competitions, with none of those goals coming from the penalty spot – among players from the top five leagues, only Erling Haaland (38), Kylian Mbappe (28), Marcus Rashford (27) and Robert Lewandowski (26) have netted more non-penalty goals than the Nigerian.

Nevertheless, the defeat to Milan earlier this month was the only match Napoli have failed to win out of nine without Osimhen this term, and this was not lost on Pioli.

"We're talking about a great centre-forward, he's scored repeatedly both in the league and in the Champions League [but], up until the match against us, Napoli had always won without Osimhen," Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.

"We're talking about a great team that has all the qualities to be fearsome."

He added: "The preparation has always been the same. With Osimhen, Napoli are stronger in depth, without him a little less. We keep everything in consideration, but we go ahead with our own concepts."