AC Milan saw off 10-man Slavia Prague 4-2 at San Siro in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

After Slavia defender El Hadji Malick Diouf was shown a straight red card in the 26th minute, the Rossoneri made the most of their advantage with first-half goals from Olivier Giroud, Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

David Doudera had earlier given the Czech side hope with an fine strike to make it 1-1 and Ivan Schranz reduced the deficit midway through the second half before Christian Pulisic’s close-range effort late on gave Milan breathing space heading into the return leg.

Having dropped out of the Champions League, Stefano Pioli’s men came through the play-off round, beating Rennes 5-3 on aggregate, while Slavia had finished first in Group G ahead of Roma.

It had been a bright start by the home side, with right-back Alessandro Florenzi clipping a free-kick from the edge of the penalty area just over the crossbar.

Slavia Prague, though, created the clearest opening of the early exchanges when an angled ball picked out Diouf in the left side of the penalty area, but the defender completely missed his kick.

The Czech visitors continued to offer a threat on the counter attack, and in the 15th minute Doudera sliced his shot wide after breaking into the right side of the box.

Slavia Prague found themselves down to 10 men after just 26 minutes when Diouf was shown a straight red card for catching Pulisic on the ankle with his late sliding challenge.

Milan broke the deadlock in the 34th minute when Giroud headed in at the far post from Rafael Leao’s deflected curling cross out on the left.

Slavia, however, hit back straight away as Doudera fired a superb right-footed volley in off the post when the ball dropped to him at the edge of the penalty area following a corner.

Giroud saw his effort saved by Slavia keeper Jindrich Stanek, who then got down to palm away Matteo Gabbia’s header.

Milan’s pressure finally told just before the break when Reijnders drove in a low shot from 20 yards after a quick corner was pushed out to the left side of the penalty area.

It was 3-1 in first-half stoppage time when England midfielder Loftus-Cheek powered in a header from a corner.

Soon after the restart, Leao flashed a low drive across the face of goal and Slavia continued to sit deep looking to limit further damage.

The Czechs, though, reduced the deficit in the 65th minute when Schranz fired in an angled strike after Milan again failed to clear a free-kick.

Frustration started to creep in from the home crowd as the Rossoneri failed to break down Slavia’s resolute backline.

Milan eventually restored some breathing space with five minutes left when Leao’s angled chip across goal was touched over the line by Pulisic.

Roberto De Zerbi acknowledged Brighton’s 4-0 hammering at Roma was a reality check for his Europa League novices.

The Seagulls’ adventure in Europe turned into a nightmare at Stadio Olimpico after they conceded twice in each half to lose heavily in the club’s first ever European knockout tie.

First-half goals by Paulo Dybala and Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku put the visitors on the ropes, but worse was to follow with Gianluca Mancini and Bryan Cristante able to score in quick succession to essentially kill the last-16 tie ahead of next week’s second leg.

This defeat made it three in a row for injury-hit Brighton, who were without a number of key individuals, which has contributed towards their season derailing in recent weeks with poor Premier League form coupled with an FA Cup exit leaving the Europa League as the club’s main focus.

“We played our game. We gave our best. Maybe our best now is this performance,” De Zerbi admitted.

“I think Roma is much better in terms of experience to play this type of game and we suffer a lot. Too much I think. We are not used to playing this competition and today we paid everything.

“We paid (for) a squad not so long, we paid to play away in this stadium, we paid with too many injured players and for us, it is the first time so we have to improve.

“We have to progress and if we want to compete in this level, from the owner to the coach to the players we have to progress to reach one level higher.

“We are proud we reach this game. We know very well the situation. I know very well the situation.

“I spoke with the owner a lot of times before February on the transfer market and I told him the problems we are finding, but it is the first time Brighton plays this competition. Europa League final eight is a big level for us so we have to improve to progress.”

Roma broke the deadlock after 12 minutes when Leandro Paredes’ superb through ball found Dybala, who rounded Jason Steele and fired into the empty net with VAR subsequently awarding the goal.

Brighton did respond with Simon Adingra, who had an early cross deflected onto a post by Roma’s Evan Ndicka, able to pick out Danny Welbeck, but Mile Svilar denied the former England international’s header with his feet.

Welbeck would be thwarted again by Svilar before half-time, although by this point the hosts had extended their advantage.

A poor touch by Lewis Dunk from Paredes’ long ball allowed Lukaku the opportunity to dribble into the area where he slotted beyond Steele for his 18th goal of the campaign.

More Adingra magic created another opening early into the second period, but Welbeck scooped over and Roma hit Brighton with a double sucker-punch.

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First, a Stephan El Shaarawy cross was poked home by Mancini, who had looked marginally offside but VAR awarded the 64th-minute goal before four minutes later another El Shaarawy centre was headed home by Cristante to ensure De Zerbi endured a night to forget on his return to Italy.

He told TNT Sports: “Yes, we create a lot of chance and maybe the same in terms of numbers, but if you watch the game, you can understand Roma played with different power, with different speed and with different habits I think. Habits to play this game.

“We are not used to playing at this level and so we showed our problems, but I love this club, I love these players and I know we played 20 per cent of our potential.”

Meanwhile, Brighton supporters’ were alleged to have had objects thrown at them inside Stadio Olimpico.

“We are aware of the bottles, coins and lighters being thrown by home supporters into the away end. We have reported to UEFA and Italian police and requested immediate action be taken,” a Brighton statement read.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp praised Darwin Nunez’s attitude after the striker scored twice – including the 1,000th goal of the manager’s reign – in a comfortable 5-1 Europa League victory over Sparta Prague.

The Uruguay international took his tally for the season to 16 – just two behind Mohamed Salah who had a goal disallowed by VAR on his return from injury – with a performance which was a perfect warm-up for Sunday’s visit of Premier League title rivals Manchester City.

After an up-and-down first season following his potential club-record move from Benfica the 24-year-old has found more consistency this season and but for a touch more luck would have been pushing Salah as leading scorer.

“He had absolutely more than (an) OK first season but he had to adapt, that’s done, and he is settled in the middle of the team,” said Klopp after the last-16 first leg which has put them within touching distance of the quarter-finals of the only trophy he has not won in his career.

“Wonderful guy, wonderful boy. He loves to play for this team together with these boys and has quality coming out of his ears, to be honest.

“It’s like strikers are, they score and then they don’t score. Is he at his absolute peak in general? Not now for us. But can he develop? Yes. Is he a threat all the time? Yes.

“He has the most important attitude a striker needs to have; he missed chances but all strikers are doing that but he is not bothered by it and just keeps going.

“That’s why he now has a nice number of goals, games to come, opportunities to come.

“When he’s not scoring he for us is incredibly important as he is a constant threat and gives us spaces in areas and options.”

The only blemish on the night appeared to be an injury to centre-back Ibrahima Konate but Klopp played down the concerns over the defender and said his substitution minutes into the second half was precautionary.

“We don’t know (yet). Ibou said to me when he passed me in that moment ‘I thought if I do another sprint then it could be bad.’ So, he said he should be fine, but we don’t know,” added the manager.

Klopp was afforded the chance to rest a number of players – Virgil van Dijk started on the bench alongside Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai, a late goalscorer, but all got minutes after the break – while also easing back Salah with a gentle quarter-of-an-hour at the end.

He was also able to manage the minutes of some of his more over-worked players with utility man Joe Gomez coming off at half-time, Nunez after 51 minutes and the increasingly important Alexis Mac Allister, who opened the scoring with a sixth-minute penalty, with a quarter of the game to go after Luis Diaz had made the game safe with a fourth goal.

“Joey is fine. We took him off. He played a lot of games so that was more rotation, precaution. Now let’s see what (it) is with Ibou,” said Klopp.

Substitute Patrick Schick glanced home an injury-time equaliser to preserve Bayer Leverkusen’s remarkable unbeaten record and hand his side control of their Europa League last-16 tie against FC Qarabag.

The Bundesliga leaders looked like giving up their run of 34 matches unbeaten in all competitions when they went in 2-0 down at half-time in Baku, Juninho setting up the first and scoring the second with a silky piece of skill.

But Alonso, who had made eight changes to his starting XI, turned to his bench for inspiration and was rewarded as Florian Wirtz scored a delicate chip and Schick nodded in from close range in added-time.

It was a cruel finish for the Azerbaijani side, who lost twice to the same opponents in the group stages, but a further reminder of the resolve that Leverkusen have developed during a revelatory campaign.

Only Jonathan Tah, Robert Andrich and Alex Grimaldo survived the weekend win over Cologne and Qarabag took their chance to assert themselves in a lively start.

After forging three good chances in quick succession they deservedly took the lead in the 26th minute, Juninho robbing Tah on the press before cutting back across the box for Yassine Benzia. His powerful finish thudded into the roof of the net as the hosts turned up the heat.

The Germans were slow to respond, allowing Leandro Andrade a free header at the far post, and could have no complaints when they conceded again. This time it was brilliance from Juninho, who collected a beauty of a pass to spring the offside trap and race through one on one with Matej Kovar. With the deftest of touches he dragged the ball across the keeper, bouncing it over him with a kick off the pitch and leaving an open net to tap into.

Jeremie Frimpong, Granit Xhaka, Wirtz and Schick were all summoned for the rescue job and it was a much improved Leverkusen who hit back when Wirtz produced an inch-perfect lob in the 70th minute.

Kovar made a strong save from Juninho to keep the scoreline down and the ruthless visiting side hit their sucker punch just as time was running out, Schick planting Andrich’s cross into the bottom corner.

Leverkusen almost turned a draw into a win when Frimpong put a last-gasp header wide and will fancy themselves to finish the job on home soil.

Brighton’s European adventure turned into a nightmare after they were blown away by Roma to suffer a 4-0 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico.

Roberto De Zerbi had guided the Seagulls through to the Europa League last-16 with a four-match winning run in the competition, but first-half goals by Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku put the visitors on the ropes in Rome.

Worse was to follow after the break with Gianluca Mancini and Bryan Cristante able to score in quick succession to essentially kill the tie.

The Premier League outfit did have their chances with Danny Welbeck denied on several occasions, but injury-hit Brighton need a miracle to overturn a four-goal deficit in next week’s second leg.

De Zerbi and opposite number Daniele De Rossi exchanged a number of pleasantries on Wednesday with the Seagulls boss labelled a “genius”, but it was a different story out in the streets of the Italian capital with two Brighton fans stabbed the day before the match.

Both fortunately only suffered minor wounds ahead of the club’s first ever European knockout tie and a hostile atmosphere greeted the away players onto the pitch.

It was almost 1-0 inside three minutes when Leonardo Spinazzola was given too much time on the left and picked out Chelsea loanee Lukaku, whose header was brilliantly tipped over by Jason Steele.

Steele was at fault for Roma’s next opportunity after a wayward pass gifted possession to the hosts, although Lukaku could only drag his effort wide.

It had largely been one-way traffic but Brighton provided a reminder of their threat when Simon Adingra – one of six changes from Saturday’s 3-0 loss at Fulham – saw his cross deflected onto the post by Roma’s Evan Ndicka.

That chanced settled Brighton, who had just started to dictate possession when they were cut open for the opener after 12 minutes.

Leandro Paredes threaded a superb through ball from inside his own half, which Lewis Dunk was unable to intercept and Dybala rounded Steele before he fired into the empty net.

Dybala’s joy was initially cut short when the offside flag was raised but a VAR check deemed the Argentina attacker had been onside and the goal stood.

Brighton did respond well to going behind and more joy for Adingra down the left created a chance for Welbeck after 26 minutes, but Mile Svilar brilliantly saved with his feet.

Lukaku headed another opportunity off target soon after before Paul van Hecke deflected a Lorenzo Pellegrini shot wide as Roma retained their dominance and that turned into a second goal with 43 minutes on the clock.

Another Paredes ball forward caused Brighton problems and captain Dunk’s poor touch allowed Lukaku to race through and slot beyond Steele for his 18th goal of the season.

The visitors almost responded instantly after Adingra crossed in for Welbeck, but Svilar produced a flying save to thwart the header.

De Zerbi introduced Ansu Fati at half-time, but Roma should have made it 3-0 early into the second period only for Steele to deny Lukaku’s latest header.

The next goal felt crucial and more Adingra magic created another opening for Welbeck, who could only scoop over from inside the area.

It was a pivotal miss with Roma able to grab their third and fourth goals in quick succession to all but kill the tie.

Mancini poked home from Stephan El Shaarawy’s cross after 64 minutes and although the defender appeared marginally offside, a VAR check awarded the goal.

Four minutes later it was 4-0 as El Shaarawy again burst down the left and found Cristante, who headed home to ensure De Zerbi endured a night to forget on his return to Italy.

Darwin Nunez scored the 1,000th goal of Jurgen Klopp’s reign in Liverpool’s comfortable 5-1 Europa League win over Sparta Prague but it was not quite the perfect warm-up for Sunday’s title clash with Manchester City after another injury blow.

The Uruguay international finished the last-16 first-leg tie with another on the stroke of half-time but it was his first in the 25th minute which was massively important – and not just because of the landmark it brought up.

Liverpool had been under a sustained spell of pressure after Alexis Mac Allister, taking over penalty duties from Nunez after his failure against Chelsea in January, had put them ahead.

Perhaps spurred on by that snub Nunez – out of nowhere, as is often his inclination – cut in from the left to whip a brilliant 25-yard dipping shot over goalkeeper Peter Vindahl.

His second effectively came when Mac Allister, head and shoulders above everyone else in possession, played a superb ball over the top which his fellow South American lashed across Vindahl and inside the far post.

Luis Diaz scored the fourth and Klopp even had the luxury of giving much-needed minutes to midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai – who scored the fifth – and forward Mohamed Salah on his return to tune them up for the weekend, but the loss of centre-back Ibrahima Konate to injury is another unwanted headache.

The gulf in class in terms of finishing was evident as Sparta, unbeaten at home all season, squandered a number of chances which could have made this much trickier whereas Liverpool were clinical and had plenty in reserve.

When the two sides last met in 2011 Kenny Dalglish’s side played with a back five – which included such luminaries as Danny Wilson and Sotiros Kyrgiakos – with David Ngog leading the line.

The 2024 upgrade was quite considerable even though Klopp made three changes from the last-gasp win at Nottingham Forest with Jarell Quansah, Wataru Endo and Nunez coming in and put Salah on the bench after recovering from a muscle injury which had restricted him to one 46-minute substitute appearance since he suffered an injury at the Africa Cup of Nations mid-January.

It took them just six minutes to score as defender Asger Sorensen was a fraction late with his attempt to win the ball as Mac Allister charged out of midfield on the press.

With Salah absent, the Argentina international converted his ninth spot-kick in 10 attempts for English clubs, having previously scored eight for Brighton.

Sparta’s response was immediate and sustained with Lukas Haraslin placing his shot too close to Caoimhin Kelleher with only the keeper to beat but it still needed Joe Gomez to acrobatically clear off the line.

Konate blocked Angelo Preciado’s shot and then Kelleher tipped over when the Ecuadorian’s header was helped on – but just when the pressure was reaching a peak Liverpool broke the shackles and Nunez doubled their advantage in true maverick style.

However, Sparta’s bold approach in keeping three players high at all times succeeded in causing problems.

Jan Kuchta flicked over before Kelleher parried his shot into the path of Velijko Birmancevic six yards out but his finish was more suited to the circus pitched up across the road from the stadium as he bundled wide of an open goal after kicking the ball against his standing foot.

Cody Gakpo had two chances in quick succession to make the game safe but his shot on the turn was well saved by Vindahl and then he fired straight at the keeper from Diaz’s delightful through ball.

Conor Bradley’s first involvement after replacing Gomez at half-time in a pre-arranged swap was to divert Birmancevic’s cross into his own net seconds after the restart and the unmarked Haraslin was crowded out by Kelleher.

The chaotic start to the second half continued when Konate was injured and replaced by Virgil van Dijk, with Szoboszlai coming on for Nunez.

Diaz’s deflected 53rd-minute toepoke eventually put the game to bed before Salah had a goal ruled by VAR and Szoboszlai scored with the last kick of the game – however, Manchester City will not be so accommodating at Anfield.

Mohamed Salah will begin his build-up to Sunday’s clash with title rivals Manchester City with minutes in the Europa League against Sparta Prague after recovering from injury.

Klopp admits the Egypt international would not normally be in the squad after only returning to training on Tuesday but the current injury situation – there are at least nine first-team players absent – and the context of the season means he travelled with the squad.

And with the weekend’s Premier League encounter against City looming large, the 31-year-old – who has played just 46 minutes in one substitute appearance against Brentford since leaving the Africa Cup of Nations early with a hamstring injury on January 18 – will get a chance to shake off the rust.

“He is with us and has trained two days, he is full of energy, we have to see. But it is so good that he is back. It is really good and you can see he is happy,” said Klopp ahead of the last-16 first-leg tie.

“It’s an unusual situation being that long out and then came back against Brentford, played an incredible game and was then out again.

“Two days in team training: in a different situation players are not in the squad in this moment but now the situation make sense.

“We want to be careful, we have to be careful but we’re in the middle of a super-intense period of the season and we need everyone.

“So let’s see how long we can use him and these kinds of things. Yes, it’s just good news.”

Salah’s return to fitness has ignited a club-versus-country row as Egypt rejected Liverpool’s request to exempt their captain from an upcoming camp in Abu Dhabi for a friendly tournament where they will play New Zealand – Tunisia or Croatia await the winners – as they want to assess his fitness.

It has subsequently been reported the Egyptian FA, who reluctantly agreed to allow Salah to return to Merseyside for treatment after he sustained a hamstring injury midway through the Africa Nations Cup in January, have been unable to contact their star player.

Asked about his international call-up, Klopp added: “Let’s see how long he can play.

“Two games with Egypt is really not up to me – we are not really involved. It is discussed with other departments.”

Salah’s return will be carefully managed but Slavia Prague are possibly not the best opponents to be facing as Klopp recalls their coach Brian Priske’s physical approach in a game against them for Midtjylland.

The game was a Champions League dead rubber but it proved costly as Diogo Jota sustained a knee injury which sidelined him for three months.

“I remember right, we had some argument on the touchline about style of play as the opponent was pretty rough,” said Klopp.

“I saw the Galatasaray game (Sparta’s previous game in the play-off round) and that was not a friendly game as well.

“It is knockout stages, you go for everything and everyone involved in this competition does the same. We aren’t here for a friendly game.”

Priske admits he does not know which side Klopp will field but is not focusing on individuals.

“Liverpool are playing great this season and my boys will have their hands full,” he told a press conference.

“It is also difficult to predict who will start for them, considering the size and quality of their squad.

“However, we’re more interested in their style of play than specific personnel.”

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has travelled to the Czech Republic for the Europa League last-16 first leg against Sparta Prague after returning to training.

The Egypt international’s presence on the flight from Merseyside is particularly significant in the context of the week with Premier League title rivals Manchester City due at Anfield on Sunday.

Salah has played just 46 minutes since leaving the African Cup of Nations early with a hamstring injury on January 18.

Those came in one substitute appearance against Brentford in mid-February, following which the 31-year-old was sidelined after what manager Jurgen Klopp said was muscle fatigue.

Klopp has taken his strongest available squad to Prague, having been afforded the relative luxury of five days between matches, and that means the likes of Darwin Nunez and Wataru Endo, both substitutes for the weekend’s win at Nottingham Forest, are likely to start.

However, 18-year-old striker Jayden Danns, who scored twice in last week’s FA Cup win over Southampton, has not travelled due to a concussion issue after Saturday’s game.

Sparta coach Brian Priske admits he does not know which side Klopp will field but is not focusing on individuals.

“Liverpool are playing great this season and my boys will have their hands full,” he told a press conference.

“It is also difficult to predict who will start for them, considering the size and quality of their squad.

“However, we’re more interested in their style of play than specific personnel.”

AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli has called on his side to meet a pivotal stage of the season “head on”.

Milan host Czech side Slavia Prague on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

They go into the match on the back of a last-gasp 1-0 win at Lazio in Serie A, their first victory in four matches.

“We didn’t play at our best, technically, at the Olimpico, but we showed great character,” Pioli said at his pre-match press conference.

“The only game we let ourselves down in was against Monza, but over the last few months and in this recent period the team has kept up a certain level.

“The decisive part of the season is upon us and we’re ready to meet it head on.”

Milan dropped into the Europa League after finishing third in their Champions League group behind Borussia Dortmund and Paris St Germain.

“The Champions League is no longer part of our campaign after a few details got away from us,” Pioli added.

“Now, we must focus on just doing well in this competition. We must have the mindset that we can win the trophy.

“Firstly, we will need to be at out best to get through this round and take it one step at a time, albeit with awareness and enthusiasm.

“We have to make the most of home advantage; it is a key period of the season because it’s not easy for anyone to be competitive in Europe and in the league.

“Slavia lost only to Roma in the group stage. They are an intense, direct and energetic team. They play with three players up top – all close to each other – and like to threaten in behind; they have strong and physical forwards.

“It’s not the badge that goes out onto the pitch, but the players and they have reached the quarter-finals twice in recent years. We respect our opponents.”

French midfielder Yacine Adli knows Milan are among the favourites to lift the trophy in Dublin in May.

He said: “We know we’re coming up against a strong side. We’re playing the first leg in front of our fans and we’ll try to bring an intensity onto the pitch from the first minute.

“When AC Milan play in any competition, the aim is to always go and win it; we have a big opportunity. We are a top side and we want to prove it.”

Rangers face Benfica in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 clash in Lisbon on Thursday night.

The Ibrox side resume their European journey as leaders of the cinch Premiership, despite slipping to a 2-1 defeat at home to Motherwell at the weekend.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the challenge posed to Philippe Clement’s men by the Portuguese side.

Form

While Rangers suffered their first defeat of 2024 at Ibrox on Saturday, Benfica were handed a humiliating 5-0 thrashing by Porto at the Estadio do Dragao on Sunday, with the result opening up the Primeira Liga title race. Galeno scored twice in the first half before goals after the break from Wendell, Pepe and Danny Namaso earned the home side their joint-biggest league victory against Benfica, who played with 10 men for the last 30 minutes after Nicolas Otamendi was sent off for a second bookable offence. Having played a game less than their two main title rivals, Sporting are top of the league with 59 points, one above Benfica who are six ahead of Porto.

European pedigree

Benfica broke Real Madrid’s monopoly in the European Cup (now known as the Champions League) when they beat Barcelona 3-2 in the 1961 final in Switzerland. It was the first time in six years the trophy had left Spain and it remained in Portugal the following year when Benfica beat Real Madrid 5-3 in Amsterdam. However, The Eagles have been all out of luck since then. They lost the final in 1963, 1965, 1968, 1988 and 1990 and also reached three UEFA Cup/Europa League finals (1983, 2013 and 2014) before again coming up short. Rangers played Benfica in the group stages of the 2020/21 Europa League, drawing 2-2 at Ibrox and 3-3 in Lisbon.

Manager

German Roger Schmidt became head coach in May 2022. His first season saw the 56-year-old win the Primeira Liga title but that was not his first success in management. Schmidt won the league and cup double with Red Bull Salzburg in 2014, as well as cups with Chinese outfit Beijing Sinobo Guoan in 2018 and Dutch side PSV in 2022. He was also boss of Bayer Leverkusen between 2014 and 2017. It was widely reported that Benfica president Rui Costa was forced to back Schmidt after the German refused to apologise to fans for the 5-0 defeat to Porto – which followed a 2-1 loss to league leaders Sporting Lisbon – and there is no doubt he goes into the first leg against Rangers under pressure.

Players

Benfica have a squad packed with internationals, with Argentina World Cup winners Angel Di Maria and Otamendi arguably the two star names, albeit in the latter stages of their careers. Former Real Madrid, Paris St Germain and Manchester United forward Di Maria is 36, as is former Manchester City defender Otamendi. Anatoliy Trubin is the Ukraine national team’s goalkeeper and left-back Alvaro Carreras is on loan from Manchester United. Fredrik Aursnes is a Norway international, while midfielder Joao Mario and forward Rafa Silva play for Portugal. Turkey international Orkun Kokcu signed last summer from Feyenoord – where he was a team-mate of Rangers striker Cyril Dessers – while they also have Brazilian duo Arthur Cabral and David Neres.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah returned to training ahead of the Europa League last-16 first leg against Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic.

The Egypt international’s presence with the rest of the squad at the AXA training complex ahead of their flight out was more significant in the context of the week, with Premier League title rivals Manchester City due at Anfield on Sunday.

Salah has played just 46 minutes since leaving the African Cup of Nations early with a hamstring injury on January 18.

Those came in one substitute appearance against Brentford in mid-February, after which the 31-year-old was sidelined with what manager Jurgen Klopp said was muscle fatigue.

Plans to found a European Super League are "purely about money" and the breakaway competition would cause smaller clubs to disappear if it ever came into being.

That is the view of Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Serhiy Palkin, who believes the vast majority of European clubs are united in their support for UEFA.

The threat of a Super League has never fully gone away despite fierce fan and media opposition causing the competition's attempted 2021 launch to fail in spectacular fashion.

Real Madrid and Barcelona remain committed to the project, and in late 2022, A22 Sports Management was enlisted to oversee its revival, with a plan for a three-tier competition featuring promotion and relegation with no permanent members made public last year. 

Those plans were met with widespread criticism, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin saying the proposal was "even more closed" than the initial Super League format, given a tier-one founder would be guaranteed three years in the competition regardless of their results. 

Last December, the European Court of Justice ruled UEFA cannot stop breakaway competitions by threatening to sanction clubs, but Palkin feels there is no real desire for change.

"For me, it's difficult to discuss. When this news was issued about A22 winning in court, we had already issued our statement, we are supporting UEFA," he told Stats Perform.

"Almost 90 per cent of clubs did the same statement on their websites. We have a special group on WhatsApp, everybody supports UEFA. I don't understand this Super League. 

"I don't understand what kind of essence they have. I don't understand why we need to change something, when under the umbrella of UEFA, we have very well-structured competitions. 

"If you look from 10 years ago to today, they developed a lot of things in a good way and they are always raising the amount of money that we receive. 

"They are increasing the number of games, they are increasing the number of competitions with the Conference League.

"They involved a lot of clubs. It's not all clubs, but the number of clubs involved in European competitions is increasing significantly. 

"The most important thing for me is the involvement of clubs in European competitions and the financial support of these competitions. All the numbers are just increasing."

Palkin believes only the very richest clubs stand to benefit from the Super League, warning smaller sides might struggle to stay afloat if the plans ever come to fruition. 

"We don't have just 25 clubs in Europe. We need to pay attention to the whole of football. The most important thing is to spread football over the whole of Europe," he added. 

"Otherwise, don't go to stadiums, just switch on the TV and see the top, top clubs playing between each other, and that's it. Then they become much, much richer, and others disappear. 

"For them [smaller clubs], receiving these bonuses from UEFA is critical from a financial point of view. 

"I support football, the game itself, and we need to promote this idea. This Super League, it's not about the game, it's just about money. It's purely about money."

AC Milan held off a stirring comeback by Rennes to book their place in the Europa League last 16.

The Italian side looked to have the job done after last week’s 3-0 first-leg win at the San Siro, but the Ligue 1 outfit gave them a scare on home soil, with Benjamin Bourigeaud’s hat-trick sealing a 3-2 victory in the second leg.

Milan goals from Luka Jovic and Rafael Leao proved pivotal as they secured a 5-3 aggregate win to go into the hat for Friday’s draw.

Rennes knew they would have to make early inroads into their deficit if they were to have any chance of repairing the damage from a harrowing night in Milan last week.

And they enjoyed the dream start as they went ahead in the 10th minute.

Bourigeaud received the ball in the centre of the pitch, took a touch and then drilled a scorching low effort into the bottom corner.

Milan were able to weather the early storm and got a crucial leveller in the 21st minute to restore their three-goal advantage.

Tijjani Reijnders burst forward and teed up Theo Hernandez to send in an inviting cross which an unmarked Jovic powered home with his head.

The hosts came again and thought they had made it 2-1 soon after but Arnaud Kalimuendo’s effort hit Mike Maignan without the Milan goalkeeper knowing too much about it.

The French side did go back in front in the 54th minute when Bourigeaud got his second of the match, converting from the penalty spot after Martin Terrier had been fouled by Simon Kjaer.

But they were again pegged back four minutes later as Milan made it 2-2 thanks to a fine Leao strike, the Portugal international guiding into the corner after a fine solo run.

Bourigeaud claimed the matchball as Rennes took the lead for the third time in the match as he again emphatically scored from the penalty spot after VAR had spotted a foul by Jovic.

That left them with 22 minutes of normal time to try and muster two goals and, although they attacked with intent and bluster they could not forge any real chances.

AC Milan will be without Pierre Kalulu and Fikayo Tomori for the Europa League visit to Rennes.

The Rossoneri put one foot in the last 16 with a 3-0 win over the French side in last week’s first leg.

Both players are on the way back from long-term injuries but are not ready for Thursday’s match, though might make the weekend clash with Atalanta.

Boss Stefano Pioli said on Milan TV: “It’s clear that Kalulu and Tomori haven’t trained with us for a long time, so getting them back will be very important.

“They won’t be available for tomorrow night, if anything we’ll see for Sunday. It’s clear that we were happy to have some important players back in the group.”

Piolo stressed that the tie is not over, despite Milan’s dominance in the first leg.

“We approach it with great concentration, great desire to pass this round,” he said.

“It is clear that we took a good lead in the first game but it is equally true that we cannot consider it over.

“We are playing against a team that, despite changing five or six players, won in the league match.

“We know each other well, both us and them. That can be an advantage but we can also expect different things because they will try to come back.

“We are just focused on what we have to do to get through the round.

“Their verticality, their speed for sure and also their positions, in the first leg they tried to put us in trouble with different positions than we thought.

“We can also expect something different tomorrow night. It’s a fast team, it’s a quality team that absolutely will not raise the white flag easily.

“We will have to be good at reading the game with great attention, with great conviction, managing well and trying to hit the opponents.”

Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored twice as AC Milan took control of their Europa League play-off against Rennes with a 3-0 victory in the first leg at San Siro.

Stefano Pioli’s men finished third in their Champions League group, but continue to build momentum on the back of just one defeat in 13 games now through all competitions.

Former Chelsea midfielder Loftus-Cheek put Milan in front in the 32nd minute with a glancing header and nodded home another at the start of the second half before Rafael Leao swiftly fired in a third, leaving the Italian giants within touching distance of a place in the last 16.

The Rossoneri almost took an early lead when Leao’s close-range effort struck the crossbar before Theo Hernandez blazed over from the edge of the penalty area following a corner.

Loftus-Cheek then burst down the right and cut the ball back to Yunus Musah, who sent his shot wide.

After soaking up plenty of early pressure, Rennes went close in the 21st minute when captain Benjamin Bourigeaud’s long-range effort flew just off target.

Milan broke the deadlock just after the half-hour when England international midfielder Loftus-Cheek guided a cushioned header into the bottom corner from Alessandro Florenzi’s floated cross for his fourth goal in five appearances.

The hosts – currently third in Serie A, a point behind Juventus – continued to press as Olivier Giroud’s low drive from the edge of the area was clawed away by Rennes goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.

Rennes, who had been unbeaten in nine games, threatened on the counter when teenage winger Desire Doue drove forwards and drilled in a 20-yard effort, which was straight at Milan keeper Mike Maignan.

The French side fell further behind just two minutes into the second half when Loftus-Cheek nodded in from close range after Mandanda had palmed out a flicked header at the near post from Milan defender Simon Kjaer.

Before Rennes could look to regroup, Leao had fired in Milan’s third – his 50th goal for the club – after a neat exchange with Christian Pulisic down the right in the 53rd minute.

Rennes made a couple of changes to try to sharpen up the team and had a good spell of pressure heading into the final 20 minutes, with a low 22-yard drive from substitute Amine Gouiri testing Maignan.

Milan had a late chance to score a fourth when Pulisic broke down the left wing. The American’s shot was parried by Mandanda and then substitute Noah Okafor saw his follow-up hacked off the line by Rennes midfielder Azor Matusiwa.

Maignan saved again from Gouiri before Ludovic Blas fired over as Rennes were left with it all to do in next week’s second leg at Roazhon Park.