Luciano Spalletti confirmed Victor Osimhen will start Tuesday's Champions League clash with Milan after the fit-again Napoli star was denied by the woodwork on his return against Hellas Verona.
Osimhen was sidelined for around three weeks after sustaining a groin injury while on international duty with Nigeria last month, returning to Napoli's bench for Saturday's frustrating goalless draw.
Striker Osimhen was introduced for the final 20 minutes and went closest to breaking the deadlock, crashing a fierce volley against the crossbar as the Serie A leaders were held.
Despite failing to add to his league-high tally of 21 goals this season, no Napoli player bettered his five touches in the Verona area throughout the course of the game.
Spalletti hopes Osimhen's outing will help him enter the Milan game - with Napoli 1-0 down in the tie - in top form, saying the mere sight of the striker lifted the crowd at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
"He'll be a starter against Milan," Spalletti said of Osimhen.
"He has this structure where you can throw the ball into him, or in the space, and he holds it.
"He has many qualities. [Giacomo] Raspadori has almost all of them, but when we throw a long ball over his head, it becomes difficult for him.
"Osimhen is now a favourite of the fans, so when he enters he always gives a breath of enthusiasm to the whole team.
"Players like him are made of different stuff, they have too many solutions to be normal, they have so many characteristics."
Asked why Napoli failed to make the breakthrough, Spalletti said: "We found a team that closed in and took the space away from us. We need to know how to fill the empty spaces.
"Many difficulties came from Verona, a team used to wasting time, as they were also allowed to do tonight. I don't see the time we lost added anywhere."
While Napoli have won just one of their last four games across all competitions (D1 L2), they remain 14 points clear of second-placed Lazio and on course to win their first Scudetto since 1990.
Pep Guardiola acknowledged his substitutions made for a nervous finish after seeing his Manchester City side ease up in a 3-1 win over Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium.
City closed the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to three points as Erling Haaland struck twice in the first 25 minutes, after John Stones' fine volley had given the hosts an early lead.
With City cruising against their out-of-form opponents, Guardiola withdrew both goalscorers at the break, with Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Jack Grealish following after the interval.
Leicester then threatened an unlikely fightback after Kelechi Iheanacho tapped in for 3-1, with the Nigerian hitting the post late on and James Maddison missing a fine chance.
Asked if Leicester's late onslaught had caused any nerves, Guardiola told Sky Sports: "Of course we were worried.
"It was 3-1 from our mistake and they had the chances with Maddison and Kelechi, so the game was tricky in the last 15 minutes. The first 60 or 65 minutes was good.
"I'd like us to push ourselves better and avoid what happened after 3-0, so we do not suffer, but it happened because of the substitutions. From my experience, when you do that, this happens."
City have won nine successive games as they chase silverware on three fronts, and Guardiola says alterations were necessary in order to preserve his stars' fitness.
"We started really well, with incredible focus, but at the end when you make a lot of substitutions at the same time, you always drop a little bit," he said.
"If the guys from the second half started, it would be the same approach that we had in the beginning. It's just a fact that playing every three days, we have to make a lot of rotations.
"I made just two [changes] in the beginning. When the game was under control, I made the rest."
City turn their attentions to the Champions League on Wednesday, looking to defend a 3-0 first-leg lead when they visit Bayern Munich in an attempt to reach the semi-finals.
Asked by BBC Sport if Bayern had a chance of overturning City's advantage, Guardiola said: "Absolutely, we know that. We have to try our game and think we will win the game.
"We have to defend otherwise they have the rhythm. It's a real tough opponent. We go there to achieve something unique, to reach a semi-final.
"We have to play with the right mentality, be stable in the bad moments and go for it."
Edin Terzic called Borussia Dortmund's 3-3 draw with Stuttgart "brutally disappointing" as they missed the chance to move level with Bayern Munich at the Bundesliga summit.
The Black and Yellow looked on course to join Bayern at the top of the table when Gio Reyna struck in second-half injury time at Mercedes-Benz Arena.
But a 97th-minute equaliser from Silas Katompa Mvumpa instead saw them drop two crucial points in the title race against their 10-men hosts.
It is the latest capitulation of a topsy-turvy season for Dortmund, and Terzic did not hold back in his scathing assessment of their performance after the final whistle.
"We missed a huge chance as a team," he told Sky Sport Germany. "That is brutally disappointing.
"It is hard for me to find the words [to explain] why it happened.
"We thought that with the loss at home to Werder Bremen, we had already experienced the worst part of the season.
"But this tops it again. We were lucky in the early stages. If we are honest, we almost conceded four goals against a team that was outnumbered."
Dortmund held a man advantage for an hour of the game, after Stuttgart defender Konstantinos Mavropanos was dismissed for a second yellow card in the first half.
Their inability to capitalise on Bayern's own slip-up, after a home draw with Hoffenheim, leaves them trailing the Bavarian giants by two points in the Bundesliga title race with six games to play.
Dortmund next host Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
Thomas Tuchel described Bayern Munich's 1-1 Bundesliga draw with Hoffenheim on Saturday as a "big step backwards".
Benjamin Pavard had given the hosts an early lead at the Allianz Arena, yet Andrej Kramaric sealed a point for Hoffenheim with a wonderful free-kick in the 71st minute.
Despite the setback, Bayern still retain a two-point advantage at the Bundesliga summit after Borussia Dortmund could only draw 3-3 with 10-man Stuttgart.
The result follows the heavy defeat to Manchester City in their Champions League quarter-final first leg in midweek, and Tuchel was left frustrated at his side's inability to get fans back onside ahead of the second leg on Wednesday.
"We didn't have enough speed, too few changes of pace, and we made mistakes," he said.
"We didn't get any security in. We started to defend carelessly. The display today was not enough; it was a disappointment for me. We have a lot of room for improvement today.
"It's extremely amazing because I felt the energy in the training, but it wasn't there on the field.
"We have to process it first, but it's definitely a big step backwards. Today was the moment to inspire fire and confidence. We didn't succeed at all.
"It's going to be difficult on Wednesday anyway [in the second leg against City], it's not going to get any easier now.
"We missed an opportunity to put ourselves and the fans in the mood to believe in it at all."
Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich endured a frustrating game, losing possession a team-high 16 times, and was at a loss to explain why Bayern struggled so much.
"Today was an absolutely bad performance from us, we know that," he said.
"After a 3-0 defeat you would actually think that you want to show a reaction. Especially in the Bundesliga, where it's very tight and where we need every point.
"I can't explain why we put in such a performance on the pitch today. It's lack of concentration, recklessness, we're not really there. We played without energy and then you can't win either.
"We all know that we need a completely different performance against City. We know we can do it too, but we have to put it on the pitch."
Shahrukh Khan blasted Punjab Kings to a two-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants after a maiden Indian Premier League half-century for Sikandar Raza on Saturday.
KL Rahul (74 from 56 balls) struck his first fifty of the season and become the fastest player to 4,000 IPL runs as the Super Giants posted 159-8 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Raza (57 off 41) put the Kings on their way to victory, but a tense game was in the balance before Shahrukh (23 not out off 10) finished off the job with three balls to spare to make it three wins from five for his side and consign Lucknow to only a second loss.
Harpreet Brar removed Kyle Mayers (29) to end an opening stand of 53 with Rahul after Sam Curran, taking over as captain with Shikhar Dhawan out due to a shoulder injury, won the toss and opted to field.
The Super Giants were reduced to 111-4 in a 15th over from Kagiso Rabada in which Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran departed, but Rahul ticked along on a surface that was by no means the easiest to bat on.
Rahul was finally removed by Arshdeep Singh in the penultimate over before Curran (3-31) struck twice in the last to keep Lucknow below 160.
Debutant Yudhvir Singh (2-19) struck an early blow in the run chase by getting Atharva Taide caught by Avesh Khan at third man in his first Kings over and also cleaned up Prabhsimran Singh.
Matthew Short (34) and Harpreet Singh (22) got starts but failed to go on and Curran fell cheaply trying to launch Ravi Bishnoi over the rope, but Raza was able to hang around and keep his side on course to reach their target.
Lucknow were scenting the win when Raza fell to Bishnoi and Mark Wood struck twice to set up a tense finish, but Shahrukh hit his first ball for six and won it with a four off Bishnoi in the final over
Rahul breaks another record
Lucknow skipper Rahul came to the party by anchoring the innings, reaching the 4,000 IPL runs landmark in record time.
The opener got there in his 105 innings, pushing Chris Gayle (112 knocks) down to second on the list of the quickest batters to hit that tally.
He got to his half-century in 40 balls, hitting a six and eight fours before falling to Arshdeep.
Raza rises to the occasion
Zimbabwe all-rounder Raza turns 37 this month and he showed all of his experience to show why he was given a first IPL chance by the Kings.
He hit three sixes and another four boundaries to reach his 50 from 34 balls and looked like being there at the end until Bishnoi ended his excellent knock.
Erling Haaland matched Mohamed Salah's scoring record in a 38-game Premier League season as Manchester City swatted aside lowly Leicester City 3-1.
Free-scoring City had the game won by the 25th minute at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, with Haaland scoring twice after John Stones' stunning opener.
Subbed off at half-time, Haaland has now netted 32 league goals this season, matching Salah's haul from the 2017-18 campaign.
Sloppy defending allowed Kelechi Iheanacho to grab a consolation for Leicester in Dean Smith's first match in charge, with the former City striker hitting the post in stoppage time as the hosts rather staggered over the line to reduce Arsenal's lead to three points.
City enjoyed 93 per cent possession in the opening five minutes and were rewarded when Stones arched a brilliant left-footed strike into the right-hand corner.
Leicester's slim chances of snatching a much-needed shock victory were further dented when Wilfred Ndidi was deemed to have handled from Jack Grealish's cross.
Haaland slammed away the resulting penalty, and had his second 12 minutes later, brilliantly collecting in Kevin De Bruyne's throughball and lifting a cute finish over Daniel Iversen.
With an eye on the midweek trip to Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola took the chance to rest both of his goalscorers at half-time.
Rodri joined Stones and Haaland in earning a rest shortly after, with Kalvin Phillips handed a rare league appearance, although City's composure turned to complacency when Iheanacho tapped in after Harry Souttar's header was saved by Ederson.
James Maddison missed a golden chance to set up a grandstand finish when he failed to beat Ederson, before Iheanacho struck the woodwork between two hopeful penalty appeals, albeit Leicester's resurgence was too little, too late.
What does it mean? Almost too easy for City
Guardiola will not have been happy with his side’s display in the second half, albeit the stuttering nature of their performance can in large part be put down to the amount of changes made.
The first half was a different matter altogether. City purred, having eight shots, scoring with all three they got on target and registering 1.9 expected goals to Leicester's 0.22.
Leicester's new interim boss Smith, meanwhile, will target matches elsewhere as he looks to drag the Foxes out of danger, though his team had their chances to make a fight of it late on.
Another record tumbles
Haaland's goal tally for the season now stands at 47. The British single-season record stands at 63, scored by Everton legend Dixie Dean back in the 1920s, and you would not bet against the 22-year-old surpassing it.
His next top-flight goal will see him set a record for the most scored in a 38-game Premier League campaign, while he is only two short of the outright competition record, which is shared by Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole.
Ton up for De Bruyne
De Bruyne was the creator of Haaland's second goal, nipping in ahead of the lacklustre Ndidi to steal the ball in midfield before playing a perfect pass through to City's superstar striker.
It brought up De Bruyne's 100th Premier League assist for City, while it was the eighth time the Belgium international has teed up Haaland in the competition.
What's next?
City travel to Bavaria for that game against Bayern, while Leicester face Wolves next Saturday.
Corach Rambler won the 175th Grand National on Saturday after the race was delayed by a protest from animal welfare campaigners that resulted in 23 people being arrested.
The Aintree steeplechase is among the world's most famous races but also has many detractors, with concerns over the number of horses that suffer serious injuries or die from falls.
Two horses died at the Liverpool course in earlier races during this week's Grand National Festival. Two horses also died during the 2022 showpiece race.
Protests were expected this year, and they manifested in an attempt by a large number of activists to gain access to the course before the main event.
Police and security swiftly move to halt the progress of the protesters, and race was held up for less than 15 minutes.
Merseyside Police revealed that 23 arrests had been made, with more set to follow as the operation continues.
In a statement, the force said: "We are continuing to work with The Jockey Club and other partners to keep people safe during the Grand National Festival.
"We are aware of people who planned to protest at today's event. This has been factored into our plans. We respect the right to peaceful protest and expression of views, but criminal behaviour and disorder will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly."
After the protest drama, pre-race favourite Corach Rambler lived up to that billing by timing the finish to perfection as the earlier leader Mister Coffey faltered.
Corach Rambler finished ahead of Vanillier, with third place going to Gaillard Du Mesnil, after a number of horses fell during the race.
Winning jockey Derek Fox, celebrating his second Grand National triumph after a 2017 victory on One For Arthur, told ITV after the race the credit had to go to Corach Rambler.
"He is just a phenomenal horse. I can't believe it," Fox said.
"He normally gets his head up a wee bit, but today he travelled everywhere. He is the cleverest horse. He is so intelligent."
Napoli dropped rare points in their quest for the Serie A title as Luciano Spalletti's leaders were held to a disappointing goalless draw by Hellas Verona at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
With Spalletti managing his squad ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Milan, fit-again striker Victor Osimhen began on the bench alongside Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Napoli lacked inspiration in a low-key affair and went closest after the late introduction of their star duo, Osimhen rattling the crossbar with a terrific volley.
While Napoli's first Scudetto since 1990 appears a formality with their lead at the summit standing at 14 points, Spalletti will demand far better with their European dreams on the line next time out.
Napoli thought they had the lead when Matteo Politano's drive deflected in after 20 minutes, but the goal was ruled out due to the offside Mathias Olivera interfering with the play.
Alex Meret was forced to push a rasping long-range strike from Kevin Lasagna away as the break approached, with the depleted hosts struggling to create during a flat opening period.
Napoli skipper Giovanni Di Lorenzo nodded narrowly wide from Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa's cross 56 minutes in, before Giacomo Raspadori sent a prodded effort off-target.
Spalletti introduced Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen – the latter for his first club appearance in almost a month – as Napoli grew more desperate, but the relegation-threatened visitors continued to stand firm.
Osimhen almost enjoyed a dream return when he struck a fierce volley from the edge of the area with eight minutes left, but his strike crashed off the woodwork and away as Verona held on – even missing a glorious chance to snatch the win when Cyril Ngonge shot wide from a rapid break.
Frank Lampard was left “disappointed on every level” following Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Blues suffered their third successive loss under caretaker boss Lampard after the high-flying Seagulls came from behind to take the spoils at Stamford Bridge.
Danny Welbeck cancelled out Conor Gallagher’s deflected effort, before Julio Enciso's 30-yard thunderbolt moved Brighton to within four points of fifth-placed Tottenham.
The hosts, who remain 11th, were very much second best as they registered just eight shots to their opponents' 26, and Lampard did not hold back in the criticism of his players.
"I'm disappointed on every level," he said. “The better team won. They could have won by more. They played like a team. They've been together a long time.
"[We were] not good enough. All the basic parts of football - to fight, to run - we were short on. [It's] not a question of commitment as such.
"Some players physically couldn't be able to play Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday. Some of those changes were forced and some were opportunities. In a modern day squad, you have to be ready to come in.
"As a team, we were short today. Where can we get better quickly? For me, it's the football basics.”
Those must come to fruition on Tuesday, when Chelsea host Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
The Blues must overturn a 2-0 deficit against the reigning champions if they are to progress to the semi-finals, and Lampard has urged his players to produce a response for the supporters.
"There's no point being too down, but we have to understand why today went the way it did," he continued.
"In football, a story can change very quickly. Real Madrid in the Champions League is the pinnacle of football. There's things I'll say to the players that I'll keep in house.
"Chelsea fans will be coming on Tuesday to see a team give everything to turn it round, and that's what we have to do."
Arnaut Danjuma believes Tottenham must "come to terms" quickly with their dramatic 3-2 loss against Bournemouth as they chase a top-four finish.
Spurs were on the wrong side of a five-goal Premier League thriller on Saturday, after Dango Ouattara's 95th-minute strike sealed victory for the Cherries.
Danjuma had equalised at the end of normal time to seemingly rescue a point after Matias Vina and Dominic Solanke had cancelled out Son Heung-min's opener.
As a result, fifth-placed Spurs missed the chance to move level on points with Manchester United and third-placed Newcastle United, who suffered a 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa.
"We have to come to terms with it," he told BBC Match of the Day. "I think we did our best to pursue an extra goal. If you are Spurs, you should always try to go for the win.
"Inevitably, you leave some space for Bournemouth to counter-attack. It is a bit quiet [in the dressing room] but as quiet as it is, we are still excited about upcoming games.
"We saw Newcastle dropped points. The game has not been good for us, but we go back to the drawing board and work hard in training."
Danjuma, who is on loan at Spurs from Villarreal, previously spent two seasons with Bournemouth and was the club's player of the year during their 2020-21 Championship campaign.
Reflecting on finding the net against his former team, he acknowledged his mixed emotions, adding: "It is always a bit dubious scoring against your old club.
"I have nothing but love for Bournemouth. They treated me well and gave me a very good three years. Football is a business, though. I am at Spurs now, and I give my all for the club."
Spurs next play top-four rivals Newcastle a week on Sunday, before a subsequent clash against United in what is a decisive stretch for their Champions League ambitions.
Milan midfielder Tomasso Pobega bemoaned a missed opportunity in Serie A against Bologna.
Stefano Pioli's side fell behind with just 33 seconds played, with Pobega equalising five minutes before the break with a thunderous strike.
Despite dominating proceedings, Milan were unable to find a winner in the game and dropping points opens the door to rivals Inter and Atalanta in the hunt for a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.
Having been held to a draw, Milan could end the weekend outside of the top four and have testing fixtures to finish the season – including a trip to face Juventus on the final day.
While there has been plenty of attention on the two recent victories over Napoli, domestic form is a huge concern with Milan having just a solitary victory in their last six Serie A games.
Pobega is aware that Milan need to fare better in the coming weeks, though he is unsure as to why the side is struggling.
"We paid for the approach with the game, we made a mistake at the beginning," he told DAZN.
"It's too bad, we threw away points and it's not the first time. It hurts. We are preparing for the games as best we can, we have to start strong and score goals.
"We all train well, all strong, we wanted to make an impression today, and it's a shame. We needed to be more precise and incisive."
However, Pobega refuted the suggestion that Milan paid too much attention to Tuesday's second leg in the Champions League against Napoli.
"I don't think so, we were focused on this game. We gave so much today, we just have to look where we went wrong," he replied when asked if that was the case.
Dango Ouattara's dramatic late strike snatched a 3-2 win for Bournemouth over Tottenham in a Premier League thriller on Saturday.
Arnaut Danjuma looked to have salvaged a point for Spurs with an 89th-minute equaliser after goals from Matias Vina and Dominic Solanke put the Cherries in front following Son Heung-min's opener.
But Ouattara had the final say with a superbly composed finish in the fifth minute of stoppage time to hand Gary O'Neil's side three precious points in their battle to stay in the top flight.
Defeat is the latest setback for Spurs in their quest to qualify for the Champions League, with key clashes against rivals Newcastle United and Manchester United to come.
Julio Enciso hit a sensational winner as Brighton and Hove Albion boosted their European qualification hopes with a 2-1 victory at Chelsea in the Premier League.
Paraguayan teenager Enciso's 30-yard strike in the 69th minute completed a turnaround as the Seagulls claimed their first league win at Stamford Bridge and moved within four points of fifth-placed Tottenham.
The hosts had led through Conor Gallagher's wickedly deflected effort, but that was cancelled out by substitute Danny Welbeck before half-time.
Despite ending a three-game scoreless streak, Chelsea remain 11th in the table under caretaker boss Frank Lampard and are now without a win in six matches.
Brighton carried the greater threat early on. Alexis Mac Allister twice shot wide from close range, while Evan Ferguson's 20-yard effort rattled the crossbar.
After weathering the early storm, Chelsea broke through in the 13th minute following a sweeping move that saw Mykhailo Mudryk feed Gallagher, whose first-time shot looped in via Lewis Dunk.
The visitors threatened to level with Kepa Arrizabalaga producing smart reflex saves to thwart Ferguson and Kaoru Mitoma. But the equaliser eventually arrived three minutes before the break when Welbeck headed in a deep cross from Pascal Gross.
Chelsea almost regained their advantage in stoppage time, but the woodwork kept out Christian Pulisic's fierce header.
Brighton were the more positive of the two sides again after the break. They almost nudged ahead on the hour mark, with the persistent Enciso hitting the post before Welbeck sent the rebound over, while Mudryk called Robert Sanchez into action at the other end.
But the Seagulls edged their noses ahead in emphatic fashion with what proved to be the winning goal, Enciso unleashing a thunderbolt that left Kepa grasping at thin air.
Bayern Munich's eventful week took another turn on Saturday as they were held to a 1-1 Bundesliga draw at home by lowly Hoffenheim.
Thomas Tuchel's side suffered a 3-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Manchester City in midweek, with more headlines made after the match when Sadio Mane allegedly punched team-mate Leroy Sane in the dressing room, leading to a fine and suspension for the Senegal international.
There were no signs of disharmony in the early stages at the Allianz Arena, though, as Benjamin Pavard put Bayern ahead with a simple finish.
Yet Andrej Kramaric's 71st-minute free-kick restored parity and, with Pavard having a would-be-winner disallowed for offside, though Borussia Dortmund's failure to beat Stuttgart ensured the defending champions retained a two-point lead.
Bayern's early dominance was rewarded in the 17th minute when Pavard controlled Kingsley Coman's skewed shot and poked past Oliver Baumann from eight yards.
The hosts continued to look comfortable after that, yet the only chance of note they created before the interval was Serge Ganbry's powerful drive from outside the penalty area that fizzed past Baumann's right-hand post.
Coman tested Baumann from distance soon after the restart, while the Hoffenheim goalkeeper tipped Joao Cancelo's strike around the upright shortly after the hour mark.
Baumann's excellence set the stage for Kramaric to steal a point for the visitors, the Croatia international's 25-yard free-kick proving too precise for Yann Sommer to keep out.
Pavard thought he had restored Bayern's lead moments later, yet his back-post finish was ruled out, as Bayern's indifferent start to life under Tuchel continued.
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