Roger Schmidt called on Benfica to "prove we belong here" as he targets a comeback in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Benfica face Inter at San Siro on Wednesday, trailing 2-0 from the first leg in Lisbon last week.
The Portuguese giants have already won away to Italian opposition in the Champions League this season, beating Juventus 2-1 during the group stage, though they were winless in six such games prior to that match (D1 L5).
Schmidt's team are also unbeaten in seven Champions League away matches; they have won their last two games on the road and will need to win three in a row for the first time since March 1990 if they are to progress to the final four.
Benfica have been one of the standout performers in this season's tournament, and Schmidt wants his side to prove their credentials.
"We need to score, which we've proved that we can do in important Champions League matches," he said at a press conference on Tuesday.
"We had our chances last week too but didn't make the most of them.
"We need motivation, sharp minds and leave all emotions off the pitch. It is time to prove we belong here, otherwise we'll be out of the Champions League.
"I've seen my team play at their best and there were big margins of improvement from the performance I saw last week.
"I believe in my team and anything is possible in football, even if we are not starting from 50-50 odds. It's not easy, but it is not impossible either."
Benfica's defeat last week was wedged between domestic losses to Porto and Chaves.
Schmidt added: "It is very strange to have lost three games in a row in all competitions, and unexpected.
"The players did fantastic things all season. Even if Inter won 2-0, the statistics show it was a fairly balanced match and we had our chances too.
"It's impossible to be too downbeat after a season like this."
Allen Robinson is on the move again, reportedly being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers from the Los Angeles Rams.
The 29-year-old wide receiver is travelling to Pittsburgh on Tuesday for a physical, according to reports, and the trade will be completed if he passes.
There is no word on what the Rams are getting in return.
Robinson requested a trade out of Los Angeles last month and a move to Pittsburgh would mark a third team in as many seasons for the former Pro Bowler.
Robinson signed a three-year, $46.5million contract with the Rams in March 2022, but he added little to the offense, finishing with 33 catches for 339 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games last season as Los Angeles endured a dismal defence of their Super Bowl title.
He spent the previous four years with the Chicago Bears after playing his first four professional seasons for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft.
A nine-year veteran, Robinson has three 1,000-yard receiving seasons – most recently with the Bears in 2020, when he had a career-high 102 receptions for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns.
In the two seasons since then, however, he’s caught just 71 passes for 749 yards and four TDs in 22 games.
His most receiving yards came during his Pro Bowl season of 2015, when his 1,400 receiving yards ranked sixth in the league.
Mumbai Indians claimed a third straight win in the Indian Premier League, beating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 14 runs.
Cameron Green's unbeaten 64 from 40 deliveries helped propel the Indians to 192-5 from their 20 overs on Tuesday, with Arjun Tendulkar's first IPL wicket then sealing victory.
Green came in after the loss of Rohit Sharma (28) in the fifth over, with Mumbai 41-1, and put on 46 for the next wicket with Ishan Kishan (38) before the second Indians opener was caught by Aiden Markram off Marco Jansen's bowling.
Jansen swiftly dismissed Suryakumar Yadav, too, but Green, with able support from Tilak Varma, put the Indians in control.
As Green clipped his way to a first IPL half-century, Varma plundered 37 from just 17 deliveries to up the run rate, with the Sunrisers set a daunting target.
Harry Brook's departure in the second over presented a stuttering start to Hyderabad's chase, with Rahul Tripathi following soon after.
Mayank Agarwal offered stubborn resistance but saw Aiden Markram, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen – who blasted 36 from 16 balls to give the Sunrisers hope – come and go before finally succumbing on 48.
Against the odds, Hyderabad had a slim chance heading into the final over, from which they required 20 to win, but Tendulkar – son of India legend Sachin – rounded out the win with a superb show of death bowling to have the Sunrisers out for 178 with one ball remaining.
Green does the business with bat and ball
Before Tendulkar stole the show, Green was Mumbai's star performer with the bat and stepped up with the ball, too.
The Australian finished with bowling figures of 1-29, taking the key wicket of Sunrisers captain Markram for 22.
Remember the name
Arjun Tendulkar has quite the legacy to live up to, but he made his mark in some style with a fantastically composed final over.
And his big moment came with the wicket of Bhuvneshwar Kumar to finish with figures of 1-18 in the most economical performance of all Mumbai bowlers.
"I just had to focus on what was in hand, the plan, and executing it, that's all," said Tendulkar. "Me and dad talk about cricket, discuss tactics."
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the third round of the Barcelona Open with a 6-3 6-1 straight sets rout of Nuno Borges.
The world number two thrilled his home crowd with a ruthless performance against his Portuguese opponent to reach the last 16, converting five break points along the way.
Alcaraz will be joined in the next round by third seed Casper Ruud, after the Norweigian overcame American Ben Shelton in a 6-2 7-6 (7-1) victory.
Roberto Bautista Agut will not join them, however, after he suffered a 6-2 6-2 loss to Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
At the BMW Open, Dominic Thiem set up a second-round clash with Marc-Andrea Husler after receiving a walkover against Constant Lestienne.
The 2020 US Open winner had been leading 6-3 when the match was abandoned at 0-0 in the second set, as fifth seed Sebastian Baez slipped to a 6-3 7-5 loss against home favourite Oscar Otte in Munich.
Constantine Hatzidakis will return to action on Saturday in the Championship after being cleared over his dramatic clash with Liverpool defender Andy Robertson.
The assistant referee was investigated by the Football Association over an incident during the Reds' Premier League game with Arsenal earlier this month.
Television footage appeared to show that Hatzidakis' elbow made contact with Robertson's chin at the end of the first half, for which the official has said he has apologised.
He will feature in the second tier for his return as an assistant referee in the Championship game between Preston North End and Blackburn Rovers at Deepdale.
Hatzidakis will then be back in the Premier League next Tuesday when he is on VAR duty for Leeds United against Leicester City at Elland Road.
Ilkay Gundogan promised Manchester City "will fight to the end" as they bid to match Manchester United's famous 1998-99 treble feat.
Captain Gundogan is in his seventh season at City and is chasing a fifth Premier League title, a second FA Cup and a first Champions League crown.
United great Gary Neville has described City as being "far too close for comfort" to matching the Red Devils' famous feat of 24 years ago.
This week sees City in Champions League and FA Cup action, with a 3-0 advantage to carry into their European quarter-final second leg at Bayern Munich on Wednesday ahead of a domestic semi-final against Sheffield United at Wembley on Saturday.
They are in hot pursuit of a faltering Arsenal in the Premier League and host the Gunners next week in that competition.
City have never won the Champions League and ending that wait is becoming an obsession, a remarkable situation considering they were relegated to the third tier of English football 25 years ago.
Huge investment since has made the dream possible, and Gundogan said: "Of course we want to win this trophy. It's our big dream to win the Champions League."
In an interview with German outlet T-Online, he added: "But we want to win all the trophies this year. It's going to be a really exciting end to this season, and we're going to fight for it to the end."
The midfielder, whose contract expires after this campaign, described it as the players' "responsibility to do everything we can to end the season strong so that we can all celebrate success in the end".
It was Gundogan who scored twice in the closing moments of last season as City came from 2-0 behind to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and win the Premier League title.
This term he has managed five goals and four assists, well down on his return from the past two campaigns (2021: 17 goals, four assists; 2022: 10 goals, seven assists), but he remains highly influential and City would like to keep him.
It remains to be seen whether Gundogan remains a City player when the Euro 2024 finals roll around next year, with Germany hosting.
The 32-year-old certainly hopes to still be in favour with his national team, saying it "would be a privilege" to feature.
Considering Germany have gone out in the group stage at the last two World Cups, and lost to England in the last 16 of the delayed Euro 2020 finals, they will have to markedly step it up if they are to be competitive in front of home crowds.
"We all know that we have to improve and deliver better performances and results – even before the tournament," Gundogan said.
Thomas Tuchel has called on Bayern Munich to ignite the "spark" required to give them hope of a stunning Champions League comeback against Manchester City.
Bayern were beaten 3-0 at City in their quarter-final first leg, leaving Tuchel's side a mountain to climb in Wednesday's return match.
City were imperious at the Etihad Stadium, dominating Bayern despite the visiting coach's claims his team had performed well.
There is understandable talk of the need for "a miracle" in the German media, with only four teams in Champions League history having overturned a three-goal deficit in a two-legged knockout tie.
But Tuchel knows Bayern will have to go out and grasp the game – and the attention of the Allianz Arena crowd – to have any chance.
"We can't conjure up a miracle. Therefore, of course, the approach is different," he said. "At 1-1, everyone believes. At 3-0, it's all about finding a realistic level.
"Our game on Saturday [a 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim] certainly didn't contribute to that.
"We believe in ourselves and in winning both halves. Anything is possible in football, so small moments are part of it. It's about finding faith and having faith.
"At the same time, believing does not mean dreaming. We are responsible for ensuring that the spark is ignited and that we take the crowd with us."
Tuchel acknowledged that "spark" was missing against Hoffenheim, making their task more difficult against a City team in top form on a 10-match winless run.
Describing "an absolute challenge", Tuchel said City have "been in top form for weeks" while Bayern are "missing a bit right now".
There is particular focus on two individuals following the events of the first leg.
Sadio Mane was suspended for the Hoffenheim game and fined following a confrontation with Leroy Sane in the Etihad Stadium dressing room, but he will be back in the squad, Tuchel said.
Meanwhile, Dayot Upamecano's form has been questioned after he endured a difficult first leg, making a costly error for the second goal as Erling Haaland teed up Bernardo Silva.
"I don't think the duel with Erling Haaland was problematic," Tuchel said of the centre-back. "It was that one decision and the risk he took. He knows he needs to improve.
"There is no point in pointing the finger at individuals. We have been brutally punished. But we stand by him, he's still young and has great potential."
Conor Benn confirmed he is in discussions with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) but claimed he cannot comment amid reports he has been provisionally suspended.
The boxer twice tested positive for the banned substance clomifene last year ahead of a scheduled bout with Chris Eubank Jr in October that was subsequently scrapped.
Benn's reinstatement to the WBC rankings in March appeared to pave the way for a return, but he remains without a licence from the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC).
Reports on Tuesday from Boxing News suggested he has been provisionally suspended since March 15, to which Benn responded on social media with defiance while acknowledging he could not say much else on the matter.
"I can't comment on anything to do with UKAD other than to say that I am in touch with them," he wrote on Twitter.
"Someone at the BBBoC or UKAD obviously wanted to create a headline, unlike the [Amir] Khan case where it was kept quiet for 14 months.
"But this is nothing new. I remain free to fight outside the UK. This isn't even about my innocence anymore, it's all politics. You can't keep a good man down."
Benn had been plotting a comeback bout abroad in Abu Dhabi later this year, with multiple options such as Eubank Jr and Manny Pacquiao apparently touted by his promoter Eddie Hearn.
However, any such bout would risk the British licences of all involved regardless of it taking place on foreign soil if Benn is suspended by UKAD.
West Indies pacer Kemar Roach took four wickets in the match to help Surrey defeat Hampshire by nine wickets at the Kennington Oval in London from April 13-16 for their first win of the 2023 County Championship Division One season.
In Hampshire’s first innings, Roach bowled 16 overs and took 2-63 as they were bowled out for 254 in 79.3 overs. Wicketkeeper batsmen Ben Brown led the way with the bat for Hampshire with 95 and Keith Barker made 58. 20-year-old medium pacer Tom Lawes also bowled 16 overs for Surrey, taking 4-58.
England Test batsmen Ollie Pope then made 91 and Australian Sean Abbott contributed 52 as Surrey made 270 off 85.5 overs in their first innings.
Pakistani pacer Mohammad Abbas starred for Hampshire with 6-64 off 27.5 overs while medium pacers Kyle Abbott and James Fuller took a pair of wickets, each.
Hampshire’s second innings almost mirrored their first, being bowled out for 258 in 88 overs this time.
Nick Gubbins made a patient 199-ball 84 and Ian Holland scored 46 as Australian Daniel Worrall took 5-40 off 17 overs. Roach bowled 18 overs and ended with 2-43.
Needing 243 to win, Surrey’s successful chase was led by a brilliant 122* from Pope, his 17th first class hundred, and 79* from Dominic Sibley.
In the end, Surrey needed 55.2 overs to reach 247-1.
Frank Lampard's temporary reign at Chelsea is a "risky gamble" but could well pay off for the beleaguered club, believes Rafael Benitez.
Former Blues head coach Lampard returned to his former post on a short-term basis on April 6 following Graham Potter's dismissal.
Yet with three losses from his first three games in charge, it has been far from a glowing reunion for the club's record goalscorer.
Benitez, who led Chelsea as interim boss himself for the bulk of the 2012-13 season, feels there is still time for Lampard to effect a turnaround.
"It was a surprise for everyone [re-appointing Lampard], but he has been there for many years and knows the players," Benitez told the Telegraph.
"It's a risky gamble that we will only be able to assess, as almost always, at the end. He has a great squad at his disposal, he knows the Premier League.
"He knows the players, the staff and the fans will give him more leeway than another manager because he was a great player there. He can give them more peace of mind in the short term."
Another of Benitez's former clubs, Real Madrid, stood in Chelsea's way on Tuesday, with the Blues looking to overturn a 2-0 deficit in their Champions League quarter-final.
Lampard was Benitez's captain for the 2013 Europa League final victory over Benfica, the lone honour of a season that saw the Spanish coach experience a thorny relationship with the club's fanbase.
The former Liverpool boss acknowledges his time on Merseyside likely coloured a negative impression of him among Chelsea fans, but he retains fond memories from his spell at Stamford Bridge, steering Chelsea to third place in the Premier League and semi-finals of the EFL Cup and FA Cup.
"It's not lost on anyone that [Roman] Abramovich's Chelsea were the strongest team in the Premier League when I arrived at Liverpool," Benitez said. "We competed with them and beat them in the Champions League several times, those games had a lot of tension, and it's not easy for a fan to forget the emotional part.
"Fortunately, we [at Chelsea] more than fulfilled our objectives of qualifying directly for the Champions League and, on top of that we also won the Europa League. I think everyone now sees it as a success."
If Chelsea were looking for encouragement ahead of the Madrid second leg, it was provided by recent history.
The Blues have progressed from five of their last seven Champions League ties when losing the first leg away from home, doing so in each of the last two when losing by two clear goals: against Napoli in 2011-12 and Paris Saint-Germain in 2013-14.
Damar Hamlin has been fully cleared to resume all football activities.
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane confirmed on Tuesday that safety Hamlin was working out at their facility after receiving clearance from three doctors.
Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest in the Bills' game with the Cincinnati Bengals in January, collapsing on the field in the first quarter of the Week 17 encounter.
He received CPR and automated external defibrillation on the field, with his heart successfully restarted.
Hamlin has subsequently made a remarkable recovery, and after saying on a visit to the White House to meet US president Joe Biden he planned to play football again, he has now been permitted to do so.
"They're all in agreement [the specialists]. It's not two to one or anything like that; they're all in lockstep of what this was and that he is cleared to resume full activities just like anyone else who was coming back from an injury or whatever, so he's fully cleared," Beane said at his pre-draft press conference.
"He’s here, and he’s in a great headspace to come back and make his return.
"Damar is preparing to play."
Novak Djokovic's right elbow is "not in an ideal condition" just over a month before the French Open gets under way.
The world number one wore strapping at the Monte Carlo Masters last week and suffered a shock 6-4 5-7 4-6 defeat to Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.
Djokovic, who had an elbow operation in 2018, will be back in action at the Srpska Open this week, facing Frenchman Luca Van Assche in the first round of the tournament in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As he steps up his preparations to try and win a record 23rd grand slam title at Roland Garros, the 35-year-old revealed he is being hampered by his elbow.
"The elbow is not in an ideal condition, but let's say it’s good enough. I hope it will be fully ready for the first match," he said.
Djokovic expressed his gratitude for the way he has been received in Banja Luka this week.
"The people welcome me wholeheartedly with a great reception and so much love and support," he said.
"So I'm super excited to be here because I think it's one of the best places for us Serbian tennis players and athletes in general to be able to perform where we have so much love and support from local people."
Djokovic has a 16-2 record this year, winning a title in Adelaide before matching Rafael Nadal's haul of major triumphs at the Australian Open.
Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago secured wins in their respective Concacaf Under-20 Women’s qualifying matches on Monday.
Guyana were one of the biggest winners of the day with a 10-0 hammering of Dominica at the Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Jalade Trim opened the scoring for Guyana in the fifth minute before Se-hanna Mars doubled their lead nine minutes later. Mars also converted in the 16th and 18th minutes to complete a swift hat trick before adding a fourth in the 31st minute.
Mars was at it again in the 37th minute to complete a five-goal first half to hole Guyana enter halftime with a commanding 6-0 lead. Their seventh came three minutes into the second half when Heike Clarke converted from a corner kick. The 66th minute saw Mars score her sixth and Guyana’s eighth of the day before the scoring was completed by Glendy Lewis (78’) and Jalade Trim (92’).
Guyana now has six points from two games to sit second in Group C behind hosts the Dominican Republic, who defeated Suriname 3-0 and have a two-goal advantage on goal difference. The two teams will do battle on Wednesday.
Trinidad & Tobago secured a 3-2 win over Guadeloupe at the Stadion Rignaal Jean Francisca in Curacao to get their second win in as many games in Group D.
The Trinidadians took the lead in the eighth minute through a J’eleisha Alexander penalty before Laetitia Echard equalized for Guadeloupe two minutes before halftime.
T&T retook the lead in the 51st minute when Alexander converted her second penalty of the game. Alexander completed her hat trick in the 61st minute to give Trinidad & Tobago a 3-1 lead. Sergyna Loubli scored the consolation goal for Guadeloupe in the 84th minute.
Trinidad & Tobago trail Group D leaders Puerto Rico be six goals on goal difference heading into their clash on Wednesday.
Ferrari have lost their appeal to the FIA over a time penalty handed to Carlos Sainz at the Australian Grand Prix.
Sainz was punished following a collision with Fernando Alonso during the race on April 2.
He was demoted from fourth to 12th place after making contact with Alonso's Aston Martin in a chaotic penultimate-lap standing restart.
There were another two crashes prior to a red flag being waved for a third time in Melbourne, where Red Bull's Max Verstappen triumphed.
Ferrari appealed the decision, but on Tuesday it was confirmed the Italian team had been unsuccessful.
"There is no significant and relevant new element that was unavailable to the parties seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned. The Petition is therefore dismissed," an FIA statement read after a hearing on Tuesday.
"We considered the fact that this collision took place at the first corner on the first lap of the restart, when, by convention, the stewards would typically take a more lenient view of incidents.
"However, we decided that notwithstanding that it was the equivalent of a first lap incident, we considered that there was sufficient gap for SAI to take steps to avoid the collision and failed to do so. We therefore imposed a five-second time penalty."
Ferrari said they were "naturally disappointed" with the decision, adding they felt "that we had provided sufficient significant new elements for the FIA to re-examine the decision especially in the context of the particular conditions and multiple incidents that occurred during the final restart."
Their statement concluded: "We are however respectful of the process and of the FIA decision. We are now looking forward to entering broader discussions with the FIA, Formula One, and all the teams, with the aim of further improving the policing of our sport, in order to ensure the highest level of fairness and consistency that our sport deserves.
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