Joe Tizzard’s Eldorado Allen will be one of just a handful of British horses flying the flag for the home side in the Randox Grand National at Aintree.

The grey has some solid form in staying chases to his name, winning the 2022 Denman Chase and finishing second in the Charlie Hall and the Betfair Chase during the same season before coming home fourth in the Coral Gold Cup earlier this term.

He reverted to hurdles for a sole outing in January and was last seen pulling up on heavy ground in the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival.

Tizzard is therefore hoping conditions will be quicker in Liverpool come the National as he believes the gelding has become more comfortable on a firmer surface throughout his career.

“He is (an intended runner), he’s had a couple of poor runs and as he’s got older he wants better ground,” the trainer said.

“I tweaked his wind after his hurdle run but if you go back to his Coral Gold Cup form where he was fourth, he ran a good race in that.

“He was staying on really well, he’s a horse that’s got a bit of class, he gets into a nice rhythm.

“I wouldn’t mind it drying out a bit, I don’t mind admitting I’d like a bit of decent soft ground for him.

“He’s got a chance of running a nice race, it’s no more than that and it’s a privilege to have a runner in these nice races.

“The horse has taken us to some special days out and there’s no reason why he couldn’t get into a nice rhythm and be bang there three out and get us all excited.”

Eldorado Allen has run at Aintree several times but never around the Grand National course, so Tizzard will take him to David Pipe’s yard at Nicholashayne to school over National-type obstacles.

“I’m preparing him as normal in his work but I will take him down to Pipe’s and give him a pop over the fences,” he said.

“I couldn’t live with myself if we didn’t do it and he went and tipped over at the first or something like that, you’d question yourself, so we’ll go down and we’ll jump eight or 10 National fences and that’ll be it.”

Tizzard’s runner is likely to be one of the smallest ever British contingent to line up in the race, but the trainer is not overly concerned by the situation and does not expect it to be permanent.

“That is where we are at the moment, I don’t like to ever get too negative about this sort of stuff,” he said.

“It wasn’t that long ago that were was barely an Irish runner but that is how it’s gone, there are two Irish trainers with a lot of entries but that happens every day in Ireland.

“It’s how it is at the moment but things will change, there’s no point in English people entering horses that they don’t think are good enough or the right type for the race.

“I’m sure if we had the horses then the English trainers would be running them, as simple as that, you’ve only got to look at our result from Cheltenham this year and see there are two are three horses that will be in the Grand National next year and that will increase the numbers.”

Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia will miss the rest of the season after suffering a setback in his recovery from a thigh injury.

The 20-year-old suffered the injury when making his Blues debut as a substitute against Crystal Palace in December.

Chelsea said in a statement on their website: “Midfielder Romeo Lavia is to unfortunately miss the remainder of our 2023-24 campaign following a setback in his recovery.

“Recent medical assessments have confirmed that Lavia, who sustained a significant thigh injury against Crystal Palace back in December, will not feature again this season.”

Lavia, who joined Chelsea from Southampton last summer for an initial £53million, has endured a difficult start to life at Stamford Bridge.

He missed the first half of the season due to an ankle injury.

Surrey are determined to give departing director of cricket Alec Stewart a successful send-off.

It was announced last week that Stewart would step down from his role at the end of 2024 after a decade in the post.

Stewart, 60, has overseen the development of several England internationals, alongside guiding Surrey to three County Championship titles, and a number of key figures in the team are eager to help him sign off with more silverware.

Red-ball captain Rory Burns said: “It can be an emotional driver if that is the way you are inclined.

“The way we try to operate, we look at what our process is and what we want to do day to day. It would be nice to send the gaffer out with another Championship win, but we’ve got a lot of hard work to do before that.”

England batter Ollie Pope missed the meeting at Kia Oval where Stewart, in typically modest fashion, told the group of his decision in a brief manner before he turned the focus on to trying to produce another successful campaign.

Former England wicketkeeper Stewart, who has helped care for his wife through her cancer battle since 2013, played a key role in Pope’s journey from Surrey academy graduate to vice-captain of the Test team.

“I sadly missed a meeting when he announced it to the boys, but I had a phone call with him straight after and, yeah, I felt gutted,” Pope admitted.

“I can’t imagine a club where you don’t see Stewie in every morning. I think he’s in at 6am every day on the rowing machine or on the treadmill or doing some weights, but that’s because he loves the club and loves being here.

“And he’s also ridiculous at his job as well. The way he sort of makes you feel like you’ve got a personal relationship, but he’s also got the job to give you your contracts or release you.

“I’ve got a great picture of him giving me my Surrey under-eight player-of-the-year award, which is one I’ll always have. He presented me with my England cap, again the video and the pics of that are seriously special.

“Every player in the club and every member of the coaching staff feels like they’ve just got so much to owe him because whether he sees the talent in you or sees the good person in you, he sort of brings it out.

“So he’s going to be a massive, massive loss for the club. It’s going to be sad when he leaves, but hopefully we can win a couple of trophies for him this year to give him a good send off.”

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Stewart brought Ben Foakes to the club from Essex in 2015.

Foakes added: “I was trying to think the other day if there is anyone that has done more for English cricket after their playing career and I couldn’t think of anyone.

“He is going to obviously be massively missed.

“It will be a huge blow for us, but he has earned his break and to switch off a bit.

“The amount he has given to the group and the club as a whole, it would be the icing on the cake and good to send him off with one (trophy).”

Gareth Southgate has plenty to mull over as he weighs up England’s options and issues ahead of selecting his European Championship squad.

The Euro 2020 runners-up will announce an expanded provisional group on May 21 and have until late on June 7 to submit their final 23-man squad to UEFA.

Following the final two friendlies before Southgate’s selection, the PA news agency takes a look at how the England boss likely sees his options.

GOALKEEPERS

On the plane: Jordan Pickford (Everton).

In the departure lounge: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace) and Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).

Hoping for a late ticket: Jack Butland (Rangers), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Nick Pope (Newcastle) and James Trafford (Burnley).

Pickford has been England’s number one for the last three major tournaments and that will continue in Germany. Ramsdale appeared his closest contender but is now clinging onto a squad spot having been usurped as Arsenal’s number one. Johnstone is the likely number three, especially with Pope injured.

DEFENDERS

On the plane: Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle) and Kyle Walker (Manchester City).

In the departure lounge: Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United).

Hoping for a late ticket: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Eric Dier (Bayern Munich, loan), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Reece James (Chelsea), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan).

Ignoring boarding calls: Ben White (Arsenal).

Maguire, Stones, Walker and Trippier have been to every major tournament under Southgate and are set to be on the plane once more, assuming they are fit.

Guehi missed March’s games with an issue of his own, but Southgate is confident his third-choice centre-back will be fit for the summer. Konsa and Dunk are pushing for the fourth spot. The latter impressed during his first England appearances this week, whereas Dunk’s stock dropped with a costly error in each friendly.

Branthwaite received his first call-up but did not feature, while Gomez and Colwill – who missed this camp through a toe complaint – would offer versatility to a 23-man squad.

James faces a race against time to be involved but left-back is a more pressing issue. Chilwell improved against Belgium after a poor performance against Brazil. Shaw is Southgate’s first choice but is a doubt for the Euros given he is not due to return to fitness until May.

White would likely be going to a third straight tournament had he not snubbed an England call-up this month.

MIDFIELDERS

On the plane: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), James Maddison (Tottenham) and Declan Rice (Arsenal).

In the departure lounge: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) and Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United).

Hoping for a late ticket: Mason Mount (Manchester United) and Kalvin Phillips (West Ham, loan).

Real Madrid star Bellingham and Arsenal man Rice are shoo-ins. Barring injuries and a woeful end to the season, vice-captain Henderson will join them whatever onlookers think of that. Gallagher appears to have also rubberstamped his spot along with Maddison.

Beyond that, though, there is a lot up in the air. Injury denied Southgate the chance to see Alexander-Arnold in midfield against high-level opposition in a month when 18-year-old Mainoo impressively staked his claim, earning the man of the match award on his first start against Belgium.

Phillips, overlooked for this squad after a disastrous start to life on loan at West Ham, is running out of time to earn a recall. Southgate says Mount is an outside bet.

FORWARDS

On the plane: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) and Bukayo Saka (Arsenal).

In the departure lounge: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle) Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Ivan Toney (Brentford) and Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

Hoping for a late ticket: Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea) and Callum Wilson (Newcastle)

In Kane, Saka and Foden, the England boss has three starters, never mind selections. It gets tougher after that due to the competition for spots.

Southgate warned at his squad unveiling that established Rashford and Grealish had a battle on their hands for a place at the Euros – a fight that increased after new boy Gordon impressed and Bowen put in his best performance yet against Belgium. Injury denied Palmer the chance to truly shine this month, but he is another knocking at the door. Chelsea team-mate Sterling looks set for a summer off.

Toney scored a penalty as he won his second cap on Tuesday and may have just edged ahead of Watkins in the race to be Kane’s back-up. Solanke is the next cab off the rank behind those two.

Liam Davies vowed to knock Dennis McCann out and “put him in his place” if the pair were to face off in the super-bantamweight division. 

Newly crowned IBO champion Davies celebrated a recent stoppage victory over Erik Robles Ayala in Birmingham.

The Telford fighter admitted he would be open to a possible bout after McCann called him out, following his points victory over Brad Strand for the British title earlier this month.

“I think it would be a great build-up wouldn’t it? And I think it would be an even better knockout for me on the night for sure,” Davies told the PA news agency. “I’ll put him in his place.

“I think that’s probably the biggest fight for me in Britain and the one which makes most sense.

“He just had a good win for the British title and so maybe he has some confidence now to take the fight. He’s called me out after (the fight) but I don’t know if it’s all for the cameras.”

McCann’s victory over Strand came after a clash of heads with Ionut Baluta last summer forced the bout to end in a technical draw.

Davies believes he is a step above the 23-year-old and that McCann’s manager Lee Eaton might be wary of booking a fight.

“These guys play the cameras well and say what everyone wants to hear but I think when it comes down to it, there’s proof that they don’t really want to take the fight so I don’t think it’ll happen,” he added.

“If they want to have a dance I’m here and just let me know where and when you want me there and I’ll see them all there.

“If I boxed McCann I’d beat him and I don’t think I’d get much credit for it.

“I want to be involved in big fights and I think he needs to fight and beat Baluta to prove he’s on my level in my eyes.

“Southpaws are perfect for me and they know this. Every single southpaw I’ve fought I’ve dropped and Mr Lee Eaton is going to keep him away from me.”

Davies has also eyed a showdown with WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO super-bantamweight king Naoya Inoue in the future.

He said: “I need a big name now and another step up which I’m ready for.

“Inoue is the biggest fight. I look at that fight and I know it will be a really hard fight and he’s the best but I’m trying to be the best and so I have to try and beat him, don’t I? 

“It’s a massive ask but if they rang for the fight I’ll take it 100 per cent with everything to gain and nothing to lose at all.”

Gareth Southgate will name his provisional squad for Euro 2024 on May 21 as he looks to lead England to glory in Germany.

While domestic football returns to the fore this weekend, Southgate has plenty to ponder after the March international break saw England lose to Brazil and secure a last-gasp 2-2 draw with Belgium.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the key considerations for Southgate before a ball is kicked in Germany.

Injury worries

Southgate was unable to call on a host of injured players for the Brazil and Belgium fixtures, while more were then forced to pull out during the camp. Captain and all-time leading goalscorer Harry Kane and reigning England player of the year Bukayo Saka were among them, but it was defensively where Southgate’s squad was hardest hit. The defence which ended the game against Belgium did not contain a single player who would arguably be in the side to face Serbia in England’s Euro 2024 opener, so Southgate will be closely monitoring the fitness of the likes of Luke Shaw, Kieran Trippier, Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker and John Stones.

Forward thinking

An ankle injury saw Kane miss the Brazil defeat before he returned to Bayern Munich for treatment. The England skipper will no doubt be the main man through the middle this summer, fitness permitting, but the job of supporting role is another which could go to the wire. Only Erling Haaland has scored more than the 16 Premier League goals notched by Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins so far this season, while Ivan Toney marked his first England start with a goal from the penalty spot against Belgium and those two seem to be battling it out for the back-up role across the remainder of the campaign.

The Mainoo man

All things being equal, there are not many places up for grabs in Southgate’s preferred starting XI. But the third member of a midfield trio which will no doubt include Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham is a spot that will be considered by Southgate and his coaching staff in the coming months. Manchester United teenager Kobbie Mainoo shone on his full debut against Belgium, while Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and James Maddison – to name but a few – will all have hopes of impressing Southgate sufficiently enough to earn the shirt.

High-profile absentees?

It would have seemed ludicrous last summer to suggest treble-winning Manchester City forward Jack Grealish could miss out on a place at the Euros. Fitness, form and a lack of minutes this season, however, could see the £100million man fall between the cracks of Southgate’s squad, especially with the fierce competition in the wide areas. The same could be said of Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, a long-time favourite of Southgate, but who played just 15 minutes across both March friendlies and is another whose inconsistencies at club level could cost him dear.

The future

Southgate’s own future has already been the subject of much speculation. His current deal with the Football Association runs until the end of the year and he has already been linked with the top job at Manchester United. Southgate, however, has stressed he will not speak to any interested parties until after Euro 2024 and branded the United reports “completely disrespectful” to Erik ten Hag. “I’ve got one job, basically, to try and deliver a European Championship,” he said.

Old friends were reunited in Dubai on Wednesday morning, with Frankie Dettori and John Gosden on track together at Meydan.

Dettori brought the curtain down on his British career at the conclusion of Champions Day at Ascot, but is now settled in California and enjoying winners at Santa Anita and beyond.

His association with Gosden goes back many years and of the great successes they have enjoyed, a particularly remarkable one has been Lord North. Now an eight-year-old, Lord North will on Saturday bid for a fourth victory in the Dubai Turf – and Dettori was in the saddle for a spin on the training track ahead of the big day.

Gosden watched on intently and was pleased with what he saw, both from his horse and his jockey.

“Frankie looks in very good form, he’s riding fitter and lighter than I’ve ever seen him,” he said.

Gosden and his son Thady have four runners on World Cup night, with Nashwa (Hollie Doyle) joining Lord North in the Turf, Trawlerman (Kieran Shoemark) going for the Gold Cup and Emily Upjohn (also Shoemark) in the Sheema Classic.

The absence of a certain Japanese superstar is a boost for all in the Sheema Classic, but Gosden knows that the requisite luck will be required for all his runners.

“We hope for luck in running, particularly in the Sheema Classic in which there’s no Equinox, which helps matters,” he said.

Jez Litten may have past and present ties to Hull KR’s biggest rivals but he insisted he would be at the “wrong club” if winning the Good Friday derby was not among his chief aims for the season.

Litten began his career with Hull FC as a teenager in 2017 but being behind the likes of Danny Houghton in the pecking order led to him crossing the divide, temporarily at first then permanently in 2020.

He retains a connection to his old club as younger cousin Davy is on the books of the Black and Whites, although the pair, as is customary in the week leading up to the Hull derby, are refraining from any form of communication with each other.

The elder Litten has bagged family bragging rights once already this year following the Robins’ 22-0 win in February’s season opener and hopes to make it a double when the teams collide at Craven Park.

“With me and Davy, it’s an understanding,” the hooker said. “It’s not like we speak on the Sunday night and then say ‘that’s it, I’ll see you next week’. It just happens, it’s not awkward or anything.

“I’ll see him after the game and we’ll have a good chat. The one who’s been beaten will get picked up by the other one, put an arm round their shoulder and that’s it, really.

“You always want to win a derby and if it’s not up there as the most (important win of the season), then you’re playing for the wrong club. I want to win them but I do want to beat everybody as well.”

Having been born in Hull and lived there all his life, Litten, who made his full England debut 11 months ago, admitted he was occasionally overawed by the clashes between KR and FC.

“You can never get over it fully because we live in Hull and (know) just how big the derby is,” the 26-year-old said.

“Something I really try to focus on when I play a derby, if I do my job right and the team do, hopefully we can get the win.”

Rovers recorded a statement 40-0 victory over Salford in the Challenge Cup last week and have been drawn in the quarter-finals to face Leigh, their conquerors in last year’s showpiece.

Hull have, by contrast, had an exacting past couple of weeks after shipping 50 points in heavy defeats by Leigh and Huddersfield – although Litten is taking nothing for granted.

“We don’t look over there too much,” Litten added. “It only takes one week for stuff to click and then you’re back to winning ways. They’ll be looking to do that this week and we’re expecting them to be at their best.”

It was a sentiment echoed by KR head coach Willie Peters, who expects Mikey Lewis to overcome his concussion protocols to feature, although England centre Oliver Gildart will miss out.

“I understand that with where we sit and they sit, naturally there’s got to be a favourite but we honestly don’t look into that,” Peters said.

“If you do then it’s instilling more pressure into the team and my job is to take it away from them.

“There’s enough expectation in a derby – they’ll have that as well but I’m not going to worry too much about what they do. Both teams are expected to win and that’s how we look at it.”

Gareth Southgate says he is facing a “complicated” Euro 2024 selection choice given England’s potential fitness and availability issues heading into the summer.

This is the first time since the 2018 World Cup that the 57-cap former defender is having to pick a 23-man squad for a major tournament after it was expanded to 26 following the coronavirus pandemic.

But Southgate could name even more than that at the provisional squad announcement on May 21 as the England boss will have injury concerns to deal with and the late arrival of key players.

The final squad is not due to be submitted to UEFA until June 8, but some may not even have joined up with the team by that point due to cup finals, denting numbers for the warm-up friendlies against Bosnia and Iceland.

Asked how many extra headaches returning to a 23-man squad will throw up given the issues he is juggling, Southgate said: “Yeah, it’s going to be complicated, because firstly the injury situations that we have.

“Some will be back playing at the weekend, some will be back playing in a couple of weeks, some will be really close to the end of the season.

“Then we’re going to have the European finals, the FA Cup final and the two friendlies that we’ve got ourselves.

“It’s inevitable we’re going to be naming a longer squad, which is what we did before the Euros here even though we were dealing with 26 then.

“We really don’t know (how many will be in the provisional squad) because there are so many questions on the injuries at the moment.

“But we’ve gained valuable information about so many players this this week.”

Absentee-hit England suffered their first defeat in 15 months in Saturday’s late 1-0 loss Brazil at Wembley, where Jude Bellingham scored an even later goal to salvage a 2-2 draw against Belgium three days later.

Southgate had to experiment far more than he expected during the friendly double-header due an unprecedented injury list that left him without a third of the 40-odd players on his long list against Brazil.

Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker and Sam Johnstone all withdrew from the squad over the course of the camp, with Jordan Henderson unable to feature in either match.

“I had a plan on Saturday night for Tuesday that got blown apart in 12 hours, so to have a plan for something in two and a half months’ time at the moment is faintly ridiculous.” Southgate said.

“We know some of the core parts of that, we know who’s been able to play at that level, who our very best players are.

“And the rest, we’ve got a lot clearer picture of what people are capable of from the two games that we’ve played.

“We’re just going to see how people are when they come back into form, whether they can do that fitness-wise with their clubs.”

Anthony Gordon, Ezri Konsa and Kobbie Mainoo all made their debuts over recent days, with Ivan Toney registering his first goal – from the penalty spot – against Belgium on his first international start.

The quartet boosted their chances of making the plane to Germany, with 18-year-old Mainoo’s stock arguably growing the highest.

The Manchester United talent staked his claim for a midfield spot with out-of-sorts Kalvin Phillips omitted, Trent Alexander-Arnold injured and Henderson unavailable.

Mainoo won his first cap off the bench against Brazil and, just four months after making his first Premier League start, was named player of the match for his display on his full England debut on Tuesday.

“He gives us a different profile of midfield player to anything else we’ve got,” Southgate said.

“He’s adapted and adjusted brilliantly. You can’t believe his age, really, that he’s just taking it all in his stride as he has.”

Asked if he was confident Mainoo could shut out the noise after such an impressive full debut, he said: “I think, firstly, he seems very mature, very calm. He knows he’s making his way.

“We’re absolutely delighted with what he’s done, first and foremost, and then there’s a lot of the season still to be played with his club.”

Seamus Coleman is confident former team-mate John O’Shea has made a case for himself in the race to succeed Stephen Kenny as Republic of Ireland manager.

The 35-year-old Everton defender returned to the international stage after a year’s absence when interim boss O’Shea selected him in his squad for the friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland and then started him as captain in both games.

Coleman made his Ireland debut alongside O’Shea against Wales in February 2011 and the pair played together for their country until the former Manchester United man retired from international football in June 2018.

Asked about the vacancy and the 42-year-old’s chances of filling it after Tuesday night’s 1-0 defeat by the Swiss, Coleman said: “I don’t want to sound like someone who’s played a couple of games for the manager and I am doing all I can to get him in, but being completely honest, the way he has conducted himself, how impressive he has been…

“My time will be up soon, but going forward for the future – so it’s not on a personal level – I think the way he’s carried himself, the work that he, [coaches] Paddy [McCarthy], Glenn [Whelan] have done behind the scenes has been really impressive, what he has done for his country, that respect he has from people instantly…

“I think he will be in the running. I have no idea, but why not be in the running for it? And I’d be delighted for him – but that’s above my pay grade.”

The search for Kenny’s replacement – he was relieved of his duties in November after a disappointing Euro 2024 qualifying campaign – has extended to four months, although the Football Association of Ireland’s director of football Marc Canham has indicated that an announcement, which has been delayed by “existing contractual obligations”, will come in early April.

With leading candidate Lee Carsley, the European Championship-winning England Under-21s boss, having ruled himself out of the running, speculation has been rife as to the identity of the successful candidate.

Greece manager Gus Poyet, whose side lost their Euro 2024 play-off final clash with Georgia on penalties on Tuesday evening, is out of contract at the weekend and is the current favourite with the bookmakers, although O’Shea’s temporary tenure has been well received.

Asked about the interregnum and its impact on the players, Coleman said: “As captain, I care about the players and all the rest of that, but that’s not my job to figure out who the manager’s going to be.

“I am a player, I have always been a player, I don’t stand out of my zone. I have never been one to speak about people above me or anything like that, it’s not my job.

“Whoever it is will give their all for it. I think there’s a case for John, the way he’s carried himself, what he has done for the country. He has coached for a period of time now, the lads all really enjoyed it.

“Whoever that will be, we will find out soon and as always, we will have massive pride in representing our country and give our all for whoever will be in charge.”

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane will make a return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to face his former club in August.

A friendly game between the German giants and Tottenham will take place as part of the Visit Malta Cup on Saturday, August 10.

The match marks a return to north London for Spurs’ all-time leading goal-scorer, who joined Bayern for £100million last summer.

Team-mate Eric Dier will also face his former club after the defender left for Bayern in January.

A statement on the Tottenham website read: “This mouth-watering curtain-raiser to the new season takes on extra significance, with the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, Harry Kane and long-serving defender Eric Dier having recently joined the Bundesliga champions.

“This will be a 12th meeting with Bayern in our history and only the fourth to have taken place on home soil.

“We memorably overcame the German giants on our way to UEFA Cup success 40 years ago.”

England captain Kane has been impressive in Germany this season, scoring 37 goals in 35 appearances across all competitions.

He leads the Bundesliga goalscoring charts with 31 so far for Bayern, who currently sit second, 10 points off league leaders Bayer Leverkusen in the table.

Last time Bayern and Tottenham met was in the 2019/20 Champions League group stage and Spurs were beaten 7-2 at home before Bayern won 3-1 in the reverse fixture.

Aaron Ramsey will consider whether to continue his international career following Wales’ failed bid to reach Euro 2024.

Skipper Ramsey remained on the bench for the entire 120 minutes on Tuesday as Wales’ attempt to qualify for this summer’s tournament in Germany ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat to Poland in Cardiff.

Ramsey has suffered an injury-hit season after returning to hometown club Cardiff – he has not started a game for six months due to knee and calf issues – and turns 34 at the end of this year.

The former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder has won 81 caps and is sixth on Wales’ all-time list of goalscorers with 21.

The start of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is 12 months away, and the PA news agency understands that Ramsey will contemplate his international future after Wales’ painful Euro exit.

“There have been no conversations like that,” Wales manager Rob Page said about Ramsey’s future straight after defeat to Poland.

“It’s been, what, an hour since we’ve ended the game.

“Aaron was a big part of this squad as well. It’s not just what he brings on the pitch, it’s off the pitch as well.

“We want to continue to add to the squad and at the right time we’ll start introducing the younger ones in.”

Ramsey signed a two-year deal at Cardiff last summer with an option to extend by a further 12 months, but has started only six games for the Bluebirds this term.