Luka Doncic took criticism of his weight at the start of this NBA season to heart and has since been "unstoppable", according to Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

For the second season running, Doncic was the preseason MVP favourite; for the second season running, the Mavs superstar was accused of turning up for work out of shape.

Doncic himself acknowledged he "maybe" relaxed "too much" after leading Slovenia in a sensational deep run at the Tokyo Olympics.

The 22-year-old vowed to "trim down" and "do better" and has done exactly that – reportedly now at a similar weight to his rookie year.

The Mavs were 17-18 up until the end of December, with Doncic featuring in only 21 games and averaging 25.6 points, 8.5 assists, 8.0 rebounds and a plus/minus of -4.0.

In 2022, the team are 18-6, carried by their main man's 29.3 points, 9.4 assists and 10.3 rebounds per game, along with a plus/minus of 9.1. He has not missed a game since January 7.

This calendar year, Doncic ranks third for total points (674), second for total assists (217) and sixth for total rebounds (236) – a response, Cuban suggests, to early-season criticism.

"I think he was humbled a little bit," Cuban told The Ticket. "I think he didn't like being called out for his weight and other things, and it finally clicked that there's a level of discipline that's required.

"All athletes at his level go through it at some level, where things are just easy and you're always used to being the best and you're always used to getting all the accolades.

"Then when something doesn't go according to expected, it makes you reconsider.

"He knows what he needs to do, and it finally clicked that if he's going to be the best – and I know he wants to be the best – there's certain things he has to control.

"Once he got a handle on those things, it's just been 'Katie, bar the door'. He's just been unstoppable."

Aaron Rodgers insisted he has not made a decision on his future despite a cryptic Instagram post on Monday that fuelled speculation around a potential exit from the Green Bay Packers.

Rodgers had the NFL universe abuzz again when he posted a thank you message to coaches, team-mates and ex-fiancee Shailene Woodley for the "last beautiful year".

However, speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers quickly dismissed any notion that post was related to a potential decision regarding leaving the Packers or retiring from the sport altogether.

"There will be no news today. No decision on my future," the NFL MVP said.

"I just got out of a 12-day Panchakarma [a cleansing ritual]. It's a cleanse that originated in India. It's something I've done in the offseason. No decision.

"There's nothing cryptic about gratitude... I was going through some pictures from the last year and felt an intense amount of gratitude for the life that I have and the lessons I've learned."

Rodgers hinted his future may be linked to the Packers' ability to retain the services of his top receiver and soon to be unrestricted free agent Davante Adams.

Tuesday marked the first day on which teams could apply the franchise tag to a pending free agent, with Adams a potential candidate to receive the tag from Green Bay.

"There's this one specific guy who's like the best guy in the league at what he does, wears 17. You might've heard of him," Rodgers added while speaking about the tag.

Relations between Rodgers and the Packers certainly appear more amiable than they were when reports emerged before the start of the 2021 NFL Draft that he wished to part with Green Bay.

Speaking of a seemingly more harmonious relationship with the team, Rodgers said of his exit interviews after the Packers' playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers: "I would say the meetings were much different than they've been in the past, in a positive way, and that there were some real, honest conversations that I appreciated."

After reporting for training camp following a stand-off with the Packers, Rodgers' 2021 campaign was partly defined by controversy after a positive coronavirus test revealed previous misleading statements about his vaccination status, while his spread of misinformation regarding vaccines has unquestionably damaged his reputation.

On the field, he helped the Packers to an NFL-best 13-4 record in 2021, finishing the regular season with 37 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions, giving him the best touchdown to interception ratio in the NFL. Among quarterbacks with 200 passing attempts, only Justin Herbert (2.30) threw a lower percentage of pickable passes than Rodgers (2.36).

No quarterback delivered more throws that resulted in a first down than Rodgers, who did so on 40.1 per cent of his attempts, while he was second in passer rating on third down (112.2) behind Kyler Murray (118.5) among quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts in that situation.

That stellar level of performance saw him win the MVP award for a second successive year and the fourth time overall. However, his play in the regular season did not translate into the postseason, with the Packers going one and done as they suffered a 13-10 Divisional Round upset at the hands of the 49ers.

Since Rodgers led the Packers to glory in Super Bowl XLV at the end of the 2010 season, they have reached the Divisional Round of the playoffs eight times but have never returned to the Super Bowl. He has provided little clarity over whether he will be back for another run at it with the Packers, but Rodgers' latest comments point to a stay in Green Bay in 2022 being more likely than it appeared at the start of last season.

Lionel Messi has expressed his enjoyment at developing a partnership with Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain.

Messi departed Barcelona on a free transfer last August to move to the Parc des Princes, where he joined up with former Blaugrana star Neymar and France international Mbappe.

The Argentina international has managed just two goals in 15 Ligue 1 appearances for Mauricio Pochettino's side, who sit 13 points clear at the summit of the French top flight.

Despite a lean run of scoring form, Messi acknowledged how grateful he is to be playing with some of the world's best players, including talisman Mbappe.

"[Angel] di Maria and Ney[mar] I know them from before [at Barcelona and Argentina]," Messi said in an interview with PSG's media that was released on Tuesday.

"With Kylian it was the one I didn't know and little by little we get to know each other much more and within the field to try to relate better, to see how we feel comfortable with each other. 

"I was lucky to be with the best at Barcelona and today at PSG too, I'm happy and looking forward to continuing to do so."

Mbappe leads PSG's scoring charts this season, with 17 goals to his name across all competitions.

Since his debut for PSG in September 2017, only Robert Lewandowski (151), Messi (125), Ciro Immobile (118), Cristiano Ronaldo (116) and Mohamed Salah (110) have found the net on more occasions than Mbappe (103) across Europe's top-five leagues.

Meanwhile, from that same group only Lewandowski (80.55) can boast a better minutes-per-goal ratio than Mbappe's 99.99.

However, there is speculation the Frenchman may leave for Real Madrid when his contract expires at the end of the season.

But Mbappe showed no loyalties to Carlo Ancelotti's team just yet, with his impressive solo goal proving the difference in a 1-0 triumph over Madrid in the first leg of PSG's Champions League round-of-16 clash.

While Pochettino's side have to navigate a trip to the Spanish capital to secure their quarter-final berth, Messi believes PSG are equipped to win the competition.

"Winning the Champions League is difficult, it is a competition where the best are, any detail can leave you out," he added.

"So many great clubs and teams compete, we have a team to try to achieve it. We are very excited and we want to be able to do it but we have to go with peace of mind. 

"The best team does not always win and you have to be aware of all the details, the strong teams are the ones that achieve their goals."

Antonio Conte has confirmed Harry Kane will be fit to face Burnley on Wednesday despite suffering a minor knock against Manchester City on Saturday.

Kane starred at the Etihad Stadium, scoring a brace that included a 95th-minute winner in a dramatic 3-2 triumph over the Premier League leaders.

Victory in Manchester meant Spurs' last three top-flight wins have come courtesy of 90th-minute goals (1-0 v Watford, 3-2 v Leicester City, 3-2 v Man City), as Conte's side continue their top-four pursuit.

But there were suggestions that Kane's heroics came at a cost, with the forward reportedly nursing a back problem.

However, ahead of the trip to Burnley, Conte insisted his talisman will be available for selection at Turf Moor.

When asked on Tuesday if Kane was a doubt, the Spurs head coach responded: "No. He had a hit in his back, but he has to play! If he has one leg he has to play. 

"Harry knows very well the importance he has on the squad with his personality, with his experience. But he is good. 

"I am joking, I don't force a player if he is injured to play. I only say to tell you the importance of the player. He is good, he is ready."

Kane, who has won the Premier League's Golden Boot award on three occasions, has seven goals to his name after 22 top-flight appearances this season.

By his own high standards, those returns may be lower than expected, but Conte once again heaped praise on his striker, while also hailing the importance of Hugo Lloris.

"There is a sporting director in Italy that is my friend, Pantaleo Corvino, he says: 'You can make mistake about your wife but not about the striker'," Conte added.

"For me that is the best quote that I understand in football, no? You can make a mistake about your wife but not mistakes about your striker. 

"To build a team. We are talking about two good players, two important players for us [Lloris and Kane], also the players with more experience.

"I continue to say that to have a competitive team it's important also to match experienced players with young players because when you have players with experience, the young players learn a lot. 

"We are lucky because in our team we have these two players that for sure are top, top players."

Spurs are seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who are in the final Champions League qualification spot, but Conte's side do boast three games in hand.

They will look to cut that gap to four at Burnley, though the former Inter head boss is expecting a difficult task.

"My point of view maybe it's the worst period to play against them because in the last period they have had fantastic results and played a good game," he added.

"They drew with Manchester United, and away at Arsenal, and they beat Brighton 3-0.

"They lost only 1-0 against Liverpool, but the game was in the balance. For sure, for us they will be a really tough team, we have to know this. 

"It's never easy to play against Burnley and they have a good manager [Sean Dyche] that is showing in these years that his managing is very, very good and maybe he could deserve something more.

"I appreciate his job and what he's doing with Burnley. Remember one month ago many people said Burnley were relegated, but I'm sure they can save this season and I think Burnley are doing a fantastic job."

Manchester United have not faced Atletico Madrid in European competition since the 1991-92 Cup Winners' Cup last 16, a tie the Spanish side won 4-1 on aggregate as Luis Aragones got the better of Alex Ferguson.

That was a meeting of two teams on the up: United were a year away from their first of 13 league titles under Ferguson, while Atleti would go on to win consecutive Copas del Rey, with a LaLiga triumph coming in 1996. Twenty years on, Atleti and United meet again in the last 16 of the Champions League, a competition neither is expected to win but one that represents the only means of salvaging their respectively rotten seasons.

It's a difficult one to call. United have become more resolute and less porous under Ralf Rangnick, losing just once over 90 minutes since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in late November, but in their 15 games under their interim manager, they have not been tested by elite opposition. Atleti, champions last season, are 15 points off the pace set by Real Madrid in 2021-22 and, in the time Rangnick has been at Old Trafford, they have won six and lost eight of 15 matches in all competitions.

These are well-matched, dispirited teams, who occasionally thrill in attack but always unnerve in defence. Neither looks favourite to win, and neither can afford to lose.

It has, therefore, become a big-pressure situation for the goalkeepers – and that's where form starts to differ wildly.

This will be David de Gea's first competitive meeting with Atleti since he left for United in 2011. He probably didn't imagine he would win fewer league titles than his old club in the decade to follow, but that's another story.

De Gea can at least step onto the pitch at the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday knowing he can claim to be one of the best in the business again based on form – a claim that opposite number Jan Oblak certainly can't make.

We know United have been extremely vulnerable this season. In all competitions, they have faced 465 shots, the fifth-highest tally among teams in Europe's top five leagues; 168 of those attempts have been on target, the third-highest number a team has faced. What is particularly worrying is that 21 of their opponents' shots have come directly from United mistakes, the highest number on the continent behind Sevilla (23).

Looking at expected goals on target – a way of measuring not just the quality of a chance (xG) but the quality of the attempt itself – United's figure against stands at 51.1 in all competitions, the third-worst among Europe's top five leagues. And yet, they have conceded 44 goals – far more than pretenders to trophies should be letting in, but around seven fewer than the numbers suggest they should. Much of that is down to De Gea.

In the Premier League alone, De Gea has made 96 saves from 128 shots on target faced, giving him a save percentage of 73.44. No other keeper has made as many stops and only Leeds United's Illan Meslier has faced more attempts, yet Meslier has conceded 50 goals to De Gea's 34. Using that same xGOT model and subtracting goals conceded (excluding own goals), we can work out a value for how many goals a keeper has prevented through saves. For De Gea, that figure is 7.1, the best in the league.

If you include all competitions, De Gea has faced the most shots on target (157) among top-five-league teams apart from Leicester City's Kasper Schmeichel (158), again showing just how fragile United can be without the ball. Looking at that 'goals prevented' metric again, De Gea is at 7.86 – in other words, he's prevented roughly eight goals through the quality of his shot-stopping. Across the continent, only two keepers to play at least 15 times this season can do better.

Preventing goals and high save percentages have traditionally been where Oblak thrives. Since his Atleti debut in September 2014, he has the most clean sheets (167) in Europe's top five leagues and a save percentage of 76.5, the third-highest. According to the data, Oblak has prevented just over 51 goals in that time, at least four more than any other keeper and nearly 20 more than De Gea. It makes his form this season all the more troubling.

Oblak has faced 50 fewer shots on target this season than De Gea – implying Atleti's defence is still stronger than United's, even accounting for their dip in standards – yet he has conceded five goals more than the Spain international. Oblak has saved 61, or 57 per cent, of the shots he has faced this season, which is an alarming drop from his career average of 76.52 per cent in Atleti colours.

Using that same 'goals prevented' calculation, Oblak is at -7.05, meaning he has conceded at least seven goals more than should reasonably be expected. Among Europe's top leagues, only seven keepers come off worse this season, and only four by a significant degree.

There is of course more to a keeper's value than the number of times the ball goes in his net, but these numbers give us a good indication of which ones are performing well when it comes to rudimentary shot-stopping. A 15-goal swing between De Gea and Oblak this season tells you everything you need to know about their recent standards, and why Atleti will have more cause for concern than United in this hugely important knockout tie.

It remains unclear whether Aaron Rodgers has played his last snap as a Green Bay Packer or on a football field, and he is clearly happy to let the NFL universe continue to do the guessing.

The four-time MVP fuelled speculation over his future on Monday with a cryptic Instagram post thanking team-mates including Randall Cobb and David Bakhtiari, coaches and his ex-fiancee Shailene Woodley for the experiences of "the last beautiful year".

Rodgers, who won the MVP award for the second successive season in 2021, wrote: "Here's some... #MondayNightGratitude for some of the incredibly special people in my life, with some pictures from the last beautiful year.

"@shailenewoodley, thanks for letting me chase after you the first couple months after we met, and finally letting me catch up to you and be a part of your life.

"Thanks for always having my back, for the incredible kindness you show me and everyone you meet, and for showing me what unconditional love looks like, I love you and am grateful for you.

"To the men I got to share the QB room with everyday, Matt [LaFleur], Nathaniel [Hackett], Luke [Getsy], @jordan3love and @kurtbenkert, you guys made every day so much fun and I’m so thankful for the daily laughs and stress relief you brought me every week of the year. I love you guys.

"To the Friday Crew, @aiydacobb, @rcobb18, @frankieshebby, and @davidbakhtiari, I loved every moment we got to spend together this year. Your love and support was overwhelming, and I cherish the friendships I have with each of you.

"To my team-mates, past and current, you are the icing on the beautiful cake we call our job; football. The friendships that we have will transcend our collective time in this game and I am so thankful for the role that each of you have played in making my life that much better. I love you guys, and cherish the memories we've made.

"To everyone else, spread love and gratitude you beautiful people, and read a book once in a while too while you’re at it. Love and peace."

It was reported before the opening round of the 2021 NFL Draft that Rodgers wished to part with the Packers. The subsequent stand-off and Rodgers' absence from their offseason activities cast a shadow over the Packers' pre-training camp preparations for the season.

After reporting for camp, Rodgers' 2021 campaign was partly defined by controversy after a positive coronavirus test revealed previous misleading statements about his vaccination status, while his spread of misinformation regarding vaccines has unquestionably damaged his reputation.

On the field, he helped the Packers to an NFL-best 13-4 record in 2021, finishing the regular season with 37 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions, giving him the best touchdown to interception ratio in the NFL. Among quarterbacks with 200 passing attempts, only Justin Herbert (2.30) threw a lower percentage of interceptable passes than Rodgers (2.36).

No quarterback delivered more throws that resulted in a first down than Rodgers, who did so on 40.1 per cent of his attempts, while he was second in passer rating on third down (112.2) behind Kyler Murray (118.5) among quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts in that situation.

His stellar play in the regular season did not translate into the postseason, with the Packers going one and done as they suffered a 13-10 Divisional Round upset at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.

Since Rodgers led the Packers to glory in Super Bowl XLV at the end of the 2010 season, they have reached the Divisional Round of the playoffs eight times but have never returned to the Super Bowl.

Champions League holders Chelsea get their knockout campaign started on Tuesday as the defence of their crown enters an altogether more challenging stage.

Thomas Tuchel's men may feel they have dodged a bullet or two by getting this draw, with their next opponents Lille struggling to match the highs of their Ligue 1 title victory from last season in 2021-22.

Tuesday's other encounter sees Juventus travel to Villarreal, with Massimiliano Allegri looking to improve on the knockout exploits of Maurizio Sarri and Andrea Pirlo before him.

Here, Stats Perform delves into the Opta data to pick out the key statistical narratives and subplots ahead of Tuesday's games.

Chelsea v Lille

Much of the attention at Stamford Bridge will be on Romelu Lukaku, whether the Belgian plays or not.

The big-money signing's struggles this season have been well-publicised, but he hit a new low on Saturday as he touched the ball just seven times in the win over Crystal Palace – that is the fewest by any player to feature for 90 minutes in a single Premier League game since at least 2003-04.

On the other side of the contest is a striker aiming to emulate Lionel Messi. Jonathan David may not have scored a Ligue 1 goal since December but the talented Canadian impressed in the second half of the group stage.

He scored one goal in each of his last three appearances in the competitions, meaning if he scores on Tuesday he will be the second-youngest (22 years, 39 days) non-European to score in four successive Champions League games after Messi (21y, 155d in November 2008).

That is not to say Lille are a high-scoring side. Many will be wondering who let Les Dogues out of Group G, given their haul of seven makes them the lowest-scoring group winners since Leicester City and Atletico Madrid (seven each) in 2016-17. In fact, no team from that section scored more than eight.

The omens are, perhaps unsurprisingly, overwhelmingly in Chelsea's favour here. Only Manchester City (15) and Bayern Munich (14) have won more Champions League games than the holders since the start of last season, while Lille are appearing at this stage for just the second time ever.

Further to that, Tuchel boasts a fine record in Champions League knockout ties, having progressed from/won (including finals) eight of his previous 11 (73 per cent), a success rate bettered by only three managers (minimum 10 knockout ties): Vicente del Bosque (80 per cent - 8/10), Jupp Heynckes (86 per cent - 12/14) and Zinedine Zidane (88 per cent - 14/16).

Villarreal v Juventus

Sarri and then Pirlo were both tasked with establishing a new era at Juventus, but when Allegri returned after a two-year break in pre-season, he picked up the pieces of a side that had regressed significantly.

There remain plenty who feel Allegri never should have been re-hired, but this tie at least gives him an opportunity to point to a degree of progress – at least in the context of the Champions League.

After all, neither Sarri nor Pirlo got beyond the last 16. Allegri, on the other hand, was only eliminated at this stage once in five seasons, and that was to Pep Guardiola's excellent Bayern side.

His counterpart on Tuesday, Unai Emery, has something of a point to prove as well, but his has more to do with his own personal record.

While something of a specialist at Europa League level, having won the competition four times including last season, he has won only one of six knockout games in the Champions League.

Much of Emery's hope will be pinned on Arnaut Danjuma.

The Dutchman – who recently returned from two months out and scored a hat-trick at the weekend – had a hand in five goals in the group stage, which is already a joint-club record for the club in the competition.

By no means are the Yellow Submarine a one-man team, however. Young winger Yeremi Pino caught the eye in the group and is plotting to become only the fourth Spanish teenager to score in the knockout stages of the Champions League after Bojan, Cesc Fabregas and Raul.

Bayern Munich have announced that Thomas Muller has tested positive for COVID-19.

The veteran forward contracted the virus for the first time in February 2021 following the Club World Cup in Doha.

Muller has now returned a positive coronavirus test for a second occasion, with the reigning Bundesliga champions confirming he will serve another period of self-isolation.

That likely rules him out of the clash with Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday as Julian Nagelsmann's side look to extend their six-point advantage at the summit of the German top flight.

Muller may target a return for the meeting with Bayer Leverkusen on March 5, dependent on when he returns a negative test and comes back into training.

The Germany international's absence will serve as a blow for the Bavarian team, given he leads the assist charts this season across all competitions at Bayern (19).

Muller has 10 goals to his name - only Robert Lewandowski (39), Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry (both 12) have managed more - and has created a team-leading 89 chances, 20 more than any team-mate.

The 32-year-old has played the most games for his side this term as well (33), and his absence will frustrate Nagelsmann, who is still without Manuel Neuer after he required knee surgery.

The goalkeeper did, however, return to light training on Monday so could provide a boost for Bayern in the near future, with Alexander Nubel currently deputising in goal.

Thomas Tuchel freely admitted he is unsure about how to get more from Romelu Lukaku after the striker endured a particularly quiet 90 minutes against Crystal Palace at the weekend.

A last-gasp goal from Hakim Ziyech clinched Chelsea a 1-0 win at Selhurst Park, but much of the post-game focus was on Lukaku's impact – or lack of.

The Belgium international had just seven touches across the entire match, the fewest ever recorded in a single Premier League match for a player to feature for at least 90 minutes since Opta started collecting the data (2003-04).

Remarkably, just two of those were in the first half and one was from kick-off, and Tuchel suggested after the game that it did not say much about Chelsea "in general".

Chelsea now turn their attention to the Champions League and hosting Lille on Tuesday, but Lukaku's performance and general struggles at the club were once again at the fore.

Asked how he can get Lukaku more involved, Tuchel said: "What can I do? I don't know.

"We have to deal with it. The data is out there and the data speaks a certain language. He was not involved in our game, it's sometimes like this.

"It's, of course, not what we want or Romelu wants, but it's not the time to laugh about him and makes jokes about him."

It was put to Tuchel that the disruption caused by long-term injuries to wing-backs Ben Chilwell and Reece James, who were key during the early months of the season, could have played a part in Lukaku's lack of cohesion with the rest of the team after a promising start.

"Every style changes with long-term injuries of key players," he continued. "We played many games with a back three and wing-backs and two of the key wing-backs are Reece and Chilly [Chilwell], who got injured at their peak level. They had a huge impact on our game offensively and defensively.

"So of course, this changes but we are not the only team where these players have the huge impact and in our system the wing-backs are a crucial position.

"Still, we can also play and win games without any player, this is our job and what we want to do. This is what we try when we have injuries or COVID cases. It's on us and me to adapt and find solutions.

"There is a history of strikers struggling at Chelsea, so it may not be the easiest place in the world for strikers.

"In my opinion, Chelsea are a team considered a strong defensive team, a physical team, that has a certain attitude when in competitive football.

"We demand a lot of our strikers in terms of defending. We want to be physical, hard-working group that wants to play a physical game as well as a skilful game.

"We are on the subject and are well aware, but like always in football it's not just one reason to sort. It's a complex sport and we will continue to play with faith, with a team effort, and it's what we do."

Massimiliano Allegri remains optimistic about Juventus' chances of succeeding in the Coppa Italia and the Champions League.

The Bianconeri occupy the final Champions League qualification spot in Serie A, three points ahead of fifth-placed Atalanta, who have a game in hand.

Allegri's team struggled to find their feet at the start of the season, but they are now unbeaten across seven games in all competitions, including a 2-1 win over Sassuolo that booked their spot in the Coppa Italia semi-final - where they will meet Fiorentina across a two-legged tie.

While the 54-year-old has repeatedly quashed claims that Juve could mount a late charge for the Scudetto, he suggested his side fancy their chances in the other two competitions they are in.

"We play to win, both the Cup and the Champions League, then obviously it all depends on how things go," Allegri told reporters ahead of Tuesday's away first-leg clash with Villarreal in the Champions League last 16.

"How does our approach change with the new away goals rule? I don't know yet, in the meantime let's think about getting a result.

"Order, technique and patience: it is unlikely that the next round will be decided on Tuesday. The derby [a 1-1 draw with Torino] was a hard-fought game, Juve played a good game, but you always need to be calm and balanced in the analysis.

"At the beginning of the season against Torino, we would have lost. I'm happy with the team's approach, so I want to see them play well with and without the ball against Villarreal. We will have to be both good and lucky."

Juve's upturn in form has coincided with the January signing of Dusan Vlahovic, who moved from Fiorentina in a deal that could be worth up to €80million.

However, Juve will be without talisman Paulo Dybala – who leads the club scoring and assist charts this season (12 goals, six assists) – after the forward sustained a muscle injury against Torino.

In the Argentina international's absence, Allegri confirmed that new star Vlahovic will be supported by Alvaro Morata, who has scored in two of his last four appearances against Villarreal in all competitions (two goals).

"Alvaro Morata and Vlahovic play up top, then let's see for the rest," he continued. "I have some doubts in midfield.

"We must not give an excessive load of responsibility to Vlahovic - this is his [Champions League] debut, let's not forget that. I must also protect him as I have done with others. He is just 22 years old."

Allegri has progressed from four of his previous five round-of-16 ties in charge of Juventus in the Champions League, with his only elimination coming against Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in 2015-16.

Meanwhile, Villarreal head coach Unai Emery has only won one of his six games as a head coach in the knockout stages of the competition (D1 L4), losing each of the last three in a row, but Allegri reserved praise for his opposite number.

"It is not an easy tie - Villarreal have a good coach, they have technique, physicality and also they have come from a good period," he added. "On our part, we will have to bring maximum effort."

Manuel Neuer's eventual exit from Bayern Munich will be a "bigger problem" than Robert Lewandowski departing, according to former boss Felix Magath.

Neuer joined the Bavarian side from Schalke in 2011 and holds the record for the most clean sheets in the Bundesliga (209), having surpassed Oliver Kahn (196) in 2021.

The Germany international's contract is due to expire at the end of the next season, when he will be 37, leading to speculation over his future at Julian Nagelsmann's team.

The goalkeeper has been absent in recent weeks after undergoing knee surgery, coinciding with a downturn in Bayern form.

Nagelsmann's side were downed 4-2 by Bochum in their first game without their captain and were then held by Salzburg before ending a poor run of form with a 4-1 win over Greuther Furth last time out.

Neuer returned to light training on Monday and Magath, who completed consecutive doubles in charge of Bayern between in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, believes the 35-year-old is more important to the reigning Bundesliga champions than talisman Lewandowski.

"Bayern and the national team live strongly from Manuel Neuer," Magath said to German outlet Kicker, adding: "Marc-Andre ter Stegen can be very good, but he doesn't have Neuer's charisma. Manuel is a stroke of luck for German football."

When pushed for a comparison between Neuer and Lewandowski, Magath responded: "It will be a bigger problem for Bayern when Neuer is gone."

Neuer helped Bayern earn a 3-2 home win over RB Leipzig in his last outing, as he matched Oliver Kahn's all-time record of 310 Bundesliga wins by a player. He achieved the first 77 wins with Schalke.

Meanwhile, Lewandowski has again been in scintillating form this campaign, scoring 39 times across all competitions – 14 more than any other player across Europe's top-five leagues.

The Poland forward currently finds the net once every 71.2 minutes on average, with only Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland managing goals at a faster rate among those to have scored 15 or more in the same group.

While Neuer's return date remains unconfirmed, Lewandowski will hope to continue his prolific term as Bayern look to extend their six-point advantage at the Bundesliga summit when they face Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

David de Gea hinted he could spend the rest of his career at Manchester United.

De Gea joined United in 2011 from Atletico Madrid, who the Red Devils face in the last 16 of the Champions League, the first leg of which is at the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday.

During his time in England, De Gea progressed from a young prospect to one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

While his form over the previous few years appeared to dip, he has seemingly been back to his best in 2021-22.

According to Opta data, only Kepa Arrizabalaga has prevented more goals (10.5) than De Gea (7.9) across all competitions among goalkeepers at Premier League clubs.

Wednesday's clash will be De Gea's first match against Atletico since leaving them over a decade over, and the occasion offered him the chance to reflect on his affinity with both clubs.

"I like the fact I was born in Madrid, but at the end of the day, it's just a city," he told UEFA.

"Now I feel as if I'm from Manchester. I just feel like anyone else from Manchester. Where you are loved and welcomed is your home.

"I've been here for many years and, obviously, anything can happen in life, in the world of football, but honestly I don't see myself away from Manchester United.

"Of course, I'm going back home [for this tie], I'm going back to the club that gave me the opportunity to be who I am today. But this is just another match.

"Everyone wants to play well, we want to win, it is a Champions League match. Obviously, I wish Atletico all the best, but I don't know whether the fact we're playing them is a good or bad omen.

"Everyone is going there to win, especially me."

De Gea's United contract expires in June next year, though United have the option to extend it for a further 12 months.

His comments would seem to suggest he sees himself signing another contract that expires beyond that date, however.

De Gea will be one of Ralf Rangnick's first picks as United go to Madrid for the first leg, before hosting Atletico at Old Trafford on March 15.

Martin Odegaard has made such an impression at Arsenal that Mikel Arteta already sees him as captaincy material.

Arteta said Odegaard "has all the qualities" for the job as he considers who should take the armband that previously belonged to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

After falling out of favour, then moving to Barcelona, Aubameyang belongs to Arsenal's past, and manager Arteta has yet to appoint a new full-time skipper.

Kieran Tierney is another that Arteta could turn to, with former Gunners defender Martin Keown having highlighted the left-back as a suitable candidate.

At the age of 23, Odegaard is already captain of Norway, and Arteta believes such a role at club level would also suit the former Real Madrid player.

"He certainly has all the qualities to do that, absolutely," said Arteta. "Talking to his national team coach and how highly they speak of him.

"He walks through the corridor and everybody loves him. He is such a nice, humble guy and he leads with the way he is. It is very natural for him and that will come."

Odegaard moved from Madrid to Arsenal in January 2021, initially on loan, with the move made permanent in August.

"Martin was really happy to join us because he had a really good time, he felt valued, he enjoyed what we are doing," said Arteta. "He got a really good connection with the players and the supporters.

"He wanted to be part of the project. Since then, he is getting better and better, and I am not surprised. The way he lives his profession, the way he likes to play football and everything he does is to become better."

Saturday's 2-1 win over Brentford means Arsenal sit sixth in the Premier League, four points behind fourth-placed Manchester United but with three games in hand.

Odegaard has had six goals and six assists in 45 games across all competitions for Arsenal to date. He has had just two yellow cards, pointing to discipline being a strength.

Among Arsenal's midfielders, since his debut on January 30 last year, Odegaard is the top performer when it comes to chances created after carving out 75 (Bukayo Saka is next on 66).

Of those, 60 of the chances were created in open play (Saka next with 55), and Odegaard's 22 throughballs is also a high mark among Arsenal midfielders, with no one else reaching double figures (Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey, both 9).

"He wants it probably more than anyone else on that pitch, every single day," said Arteta. "He will be top, top."

Belinda Bencic made a painfully sharp exit from the Qatar Open as she was beaten 6-4 3-6 6-3 by rising star Clara Tauson.

The Olympic champion was the highest-profile casualty on day one, losing to a player making her main-draw debut in a WTA 1000 event.

Only the second Danish player to appear in Doha, after former world number one Caroline Wozniacki, the 19-year-old Tauson came from 4-2 down to take the opening set, before Bencic levelled up.

But Tauson was not to be denied. The world number 33 gained a crucial break in game four of the decider, before winning 12 of the last 13 points on her serve to set up a second-round clash with third seed Paula Badosa.

"It was a very tough match," said Tauson, who hit seven aces. "I know Belinda is playing very well, so I had to play my best today, and I did sometimes. 

"I have my confidence, but every match is really tough at this level, so I'm doing my best."

Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka survived a scare to scrape past Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 5-7 6-2 7-5.

The 12th seed, who is aiming to become the first player to lift this trophy three times, recovered from two breaks down in the decide before rescuing match point at 5-4 down and eventually scrambling over the line.

Amanda Anisimova, who defeated Bencic and Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open, built on her early-season momentum by seeing off Beatriz Haddad Maia 7-5 6-4.

Ninth seed Jessie Pegula – a quarter-finalist in the season's opening grand slam – beat doubles world number one Katerina Siniakova in straight sets, while former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin lost in three sets to fellow American Ann Li.

Simone Inzaghi was left "very angry" with Inter's approach in their 2-0 defeat against Sassuolo and warned his side to buck up their ideas if they want to retain the Serie A title.

Early goals from Giacomo Raspadori and Gianluca Scamacca made it a third straight league game without a win for the Nerazzurri, who also lost the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie to Liverpool in midweek.

Inter consequently failed to reach the summit of the table despite leaders Milan being held by Salernitana on Saturday, though only three points separate the top three in the table. Inter sit two points adrift of Milan, with Napoli in third.

Sassuolo have now clocked up away wins against both Milan sides and Juventus this term, with head coach Inzaghi left frustrated by his team's poor application.

"I am very angry with the approach, because we had three days since Wednesday's game. We talked about the fact Sassuolo beat Juve and Milan away, they play great football and we had to be wary," Inzaghi said.

"We tried to do everything in the second half, created so many chances and were unlucky, but the fact remains we should have had a different approach.

"Sassuolo had great technical quality, they were fresher physically and it showed.

"We will analyse the situation, we know there are 13 games to go, we are all up there and want to keep going forward.

"The fact is a team that wants to win the Scudetto cannot get the approach as wrong as we did today."

Lautaro Martinez drew a blank for a seventh straight game, while Opta data shows that since the resumption of the league after the mid-season break Inter have recorded 100 shots (36 on target) but managed only six goals.

They remain the top scorers in Serie A, though, and Inzaghi is sure his side will soon start finding the net with more regularity.

"I don't think there is anxiety, the great champions are accustomed to these games. I think there was a lack of sharpness, there was some fatigue, both physical and mental," Inzaghi added.

"My staff and I tried to focus the players this week, but we conceded two early goals that we usually don't allow.

"We remain the most prolific side in Serie A this season and will get back to scoring goals soon. When you are a striker and don't score, you just have to stay calm, the goal will come."

Matteo Darmian and Roberto Gagliardini were hauled off at half-time for Denzel Dumfries and Edin Dzeko, and Inzaghi would have liked to have made more alterations.

"I would have happily changed more than two at half-time," he said. "We lost some of our organisation, we tried to open it up again, but we have to analyse what went wrong today.

"There's another match in [five] days [against Genoa], we know that we play continually and need to be stronger than absences, bans, injuries, setbacks, everything.

"We're all in there and will see what happens at the end of the season."