Be strong, boss – Cristiano Ronaldo sends message to ill Alex Ferguson

Prediction: Juventus to win and both teams to score

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Andrea Pirlo will be aiming to add to his UEFA Champions League triumphs claimed as a player as he takes charge of Juventus in the Round of 16 for the first time against Porto at the Estádio do Dragão.

The former midfielder lifted two titles during his playing career and now faces the first-leg against the two-time winners on Wednesday evening in Portugal.

FC Porto

Having last lifted the UEFA Champions League under Jose Mourinho in 2004, the Dragons are once again attempting to disturb the established order. The Portuguese giants head into the knockout rounds having finished second in Group C behind Pep Guardiola s Manchester City. They impressed throughout the group stages,…

Tired of your mates recycling the same old football trivia questions from years gone by?

Bring them bang up-to-date and get them guessing with our Opta-powered Premier League quiz.

All the answers are at the bottom of the page, so you can claim the high ground when it comes to statistical knowledge!

1. Fulham could become the third team to concede two or more goals in 10 consecutive Premier League games. Who are the only other sides to manage this?

Scott: When you’re in this position, every game is must-win. It’s a tough game every game is in this league. We’re looking forward to it but understand the predicament we’re in.

— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC)

2. Sergio Aguero has scored 96 league goals for Manchester…

Thomas Tuchel was full of praise for Kai Havertz after the Germany international s star turn in Monday s 2-0 win over Everton. 

Havertz was a big-money signing by the Premier League club prior to the start of the season, having impressed in the Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen in recent years. 

However, after a solid beginning to his career at Stamford Bridge, the 21-year-old has found it tough going in recent months, not aided by contracting coronavirus in November. 

Prior to the win over Everton at Stamford Bridge, Havertz had scored just once and created only two assists in 20 top-flight appearances. 

But he was instrumental as Chelsea consolidated their place in the top four.

It was Havertz s neat first-time effort from a low cross that…

Best odds: 19/20

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Manchester United travel to Austria to face LASK at the Linzer Stadion in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 encounter on Thursday evening. At the advice of the Austrian government, the hosts have decided for the game to be played behind closed doors due to the measures being implemented amid fears of the potential spread of the Coronavirus.

Having finished second in the Austrian Bundesliga last season, 12 points behind champions RB Salzburg, LASK started their European journey this term in the third round of the Champions League qualifications. They managed to get past Basel, but they were eliminated in the playoffs by Genk, which meant they had earned a place in the Europa League. They were placed in Group D, which the…

Barcelona are aiming for a record fifth successive Copa del Rey triumph on Saturday when they face Valencia, with the Catalans recent dominance in the competition seeing them reach the final sixth times in a row.

If Ernesto Valverde s men complete the feat, they will certainly have done it the hard way, as they have had to get past Real Madrid and Sevilla en route to the final and will now face a Valencia side who finished fourth in LaLiga.

The pressure is on, however. Barca disappointed supporters by failing to reach the Champions League final, despite beating Liverpool 3-0 in the semi-final first leg, and some are calling for Valverde to lose his job.

Winning only LaLiga when a treble looked extremely likely just a few weeks ago could potentially spell doom for…

Hansi Flick joked that Thiago Alcantara told him he was staying at Bayern Munich after winning the Champions League.

Thiago helped Bayern beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the final on Sunday to clinch a sixth European Cup/Champions League title.

The Spain international is contracted until 2021 but is widely expected to leave the club, linked heavily with a move to Premier League champions Liverpool.

Bayern head coach Flick joked the midfielder would stay, but said he simply wanted to thank Thiago.

No, [Thiago] told me he s staying. No, I m joking, he told a news conference.

No, quite simply I wanted to thank him. Just as I thanked all of the players.

Can t let go

— #UCLfinal (@ChampionsLeague)

I don t know, he doesn…

Sadio Mane has a hamstring injury but Liverpool do not yet know the extent of the problem, manager Jurgen Klopp said.

The Senegal star went off in the first half of the Premier League leaders 2-1 victory at Wolves on Thursday.

Mane pulled up when running for a Mohamed Salah pass and was replaced by Takumi Minamino 33 minutes in.

Klopp hopes the injury is not serious but will wait until further checks can be carried out on Friday.

Sadio, it s a real shame he had to go off, he told BBC Sport. Hopefully, it s not too bad, just a muscle tweak, but we will see tomorrow.

Klopp added in a news conference: He felt something in the hamstring. We don t know yet; we have to wait.

40 Liverpool are only the fifth team in English Football League hist…

Laurent Courtois retains the backing of CF Montreal president Gabriel Gervais despite a miserable run of form hampering their playoff hopes ahead of Saturday s clash with Charlotte FC.

Montreal sit 13th in the Eastern Conference standings, five points adrift of the wild-card spots with seven games of the regular season remaining.

They were trounced 4-1 at FC Cincinnati prior to the international break, having suffered a humiliating 5-0 home loss to Inter Miami just one week earlier.

Despite those results, Gervais remains convinced Courtois is the right man to oversee Montreal s push for the postseason.

The expectations are the same and we want to get to the playoffs. I m optimistic and I believe in it, but it s up to the coach and the players to find so…

We re lacking confidence in certain areas. We gained a bit of confidence in midweek but do they get too overconfident? he said via the Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE YouTube channel.

I saw Harry Maguire and a couple of his comments after the game saying maybe they were patting each other on the back too much. Get a hold of that team he s the captain.

I hope he s getting in there and getting round people and telling people listen, we aren t the finished article, we ve got loads to do, there is more from us to come, pull your socks up .

I don t know if that s going on. The captain of Man Utd. There s always been leaders in that changing room who would be going round and drilling people, either one-to-one or in front of the group. Pulling people aside, having litt…

And if that wasn t enough, I got the opportunity to play in the Premier League for Swansea City (and be part of their history by winning their first ever point in the Premier League).

Playing with and against the best players around me gave me the opportunity to keep developing myself and sign for Spurs and made me be able to be part of their history, and especially the (incredible) road to the Champions League final.

I am thankful to play for all these clubs and honoured that I was able to represent my country on international tournaments. A gold medal at the Under-21 European Championship, a silver medal during the World Cup 2010 and a bronze medal at the World Cup 2014… and I played in that last World Cup.

Vorm spent two spells at his most recent employe…