UEFA is "primarily responsible" for the "near-miss" at last year's Champions League final, where "the parallels between Hillsborough 1989 and Paris 2022" were "palpable".

Those findings from an independent review, commissioned by UEFA, were released on Monday after investigating incidents at the Stade de France showpiece between Liverpool and Real Madrid on May 28.

The report cited a lack of "Plan B when things went wrong" and concluded UEFA and French authorities were wrong to blame thousands of Liverpool supporters with "fake tickets" for the concerning ongoings.

French police were criticised for their treatment of fans, which included using tear gas, while demanding UEFA takes responsibility for issues, along with the French Football Federation and policing authorities.

"The dangerous conditions on the concourse outside the turnstiles were compounded by the police deploying tear gas at disorderly groups of locals, as well as using pepper spray on supporters trying to gain entrance with valid tickets," the report said.

"It is remarkable that no one lost their life. All the stakeholders interviewed by the panel have agreed that this situation was a near-miss: a term used when an event almost turns into a mass fatality catastrophe.

"The late change of venue meant that the normal timetable for organisation had to be truncated, and planning for the event had to be adapted to the circumstances.

"Compromises could be made to many areas of the event, but safety and security were not among them. Whereas there could be no bidding process or development of a concept, full attention should have been paid to the formulation and agreement of venue and event risk assessments, and proper operational plans. That did not happen.

"Senior officials at the top of UEFA allowed this to happen, even though the shortcomings of its model were widely known at senior management level, as acknowledged to the panel."

Comparisons were drawn by Liverpool supporters between Paris 2022 and the fatal Hillsborough events in 1989 in which 97 supporters died, with the report concurring that UEFA risked a repeat last year.

It added: "The parallels between Hillsborough 1989 and Paris 2022 are palpable. The similarities include the fact that both events were preventable, and both were caused by the failures of those responsible for public safety. Neither was a 'black swan' event, or the result of a 'perfect storm'."

Allegations ticketless Liverpool fans caused the issues outside the ground were found to be "wrongly inflated and exaggerated".

"The panel draws the inference that they have been made [ticketless fans claims] primarily to deflect from responsibility for planning and operational failures," the report added.

"This is reprehensible and has involved UEFA, UEFA Events SA, FFF, the Prefecture de Police, Government Officials and French Ministers.

"Both events were foreseeable. In the judgment of the panel, the different outcomes were a matter of chance: in one nearly a hundred died, the other none, but through no merit of those in charge."

The review expressed concerns lessons have not been learned, with France set to host the Rugby World Cup later this year, and questioned Michel Cadot, the French government official responsible for major sporting events.

"Despite Mr Cadot's willingness to accept that mistakes had been made [at the final], the panel is concerned that there remains a misconception about what actually happened and complacency regarding what needs to change," the report continued.

"This is particularly acute given the proximity of the Rugby World Cup and Olympic and Paralympic Games and the importance of the Stade de France to both events."

The report also made 21 recommendations for improvements, including for safety and security to be at the forefront of planning and matches to be managed with a "facilitation and service" approach towards supporters rather than viewing them as a potential public order problem.

UEFA promised to announce a "special refund scheme for fans" and said it was "currently analysing the findings of the review and assessing them against its own analysis of the organisation of the event and facts that occurred around it" after the review was released.

The Los Angeles Lakers will be without LeBron James yet again when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.

James, 38, will make it three missed games in a row since breaking the all-time scoring record against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, officially listed out with an ankle injury.

It may be a case of the Lakers trying to give their star an extended rest leading into the All-Star break in the hope he will come out the other side refreshed and ready to attack the home stretch, having averaged over 30 points per game in the 30 games he has played since the beginning of December.

But unfortunately for Los Angeles, they are running out of wiggle room.

With a 26-31 record, the Lakers are 13th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference, and although they sit only four games behind the sixth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers, there are a host of competitive teams in the play-in race with the same goal.

The Lakers are 5-8 in the 13 games James has missed this season, including just two wins from their past eight attempts.

Making matters even more precarious is the fact that fellow star Anthony Davis is also listed as day-to-day, and there has been no confirmation that he will suit up either, although it is likely the Lakers would have ruled him out at the same time as James if they were going to do so.

It will be another chance for the Lakers' new additions to prove their worth, with D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt immediately impressing after arriving in the Russell Westbrook trade, while Malik Beasley could also prove himself to be a valuable shooter off the bench in a team lacking much of a threat from outside.

The Trail Blazers will also be undermanned as their top wing, Jerami Grant, has been ruled out with a concussion.

Antonio Conte urged Tottenham to find "stability" as his side search for a response to their Premier League hammering when they face Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Spurs overcame second-placed champions Manchester City in the English top flight but were stunned 4-1 by strugglers Leicester City a week later on Saturday.

Tottenham's next challenge sees them go to out-of-form Milan in the Champions League last 16 and Conte called on Spurs to recover at San Siro.

"I think we will get this answer tomorrow; it will be much easier finding the right answer tomorrow," Conte said at his pre-match press conference when asked why Spurs have struggled.

"Trying to forecast the future today is impossible. I think we are lacking that stability, which is always crucial. You need stability, you need consistency, you can't have these ups and downs.

"I am trying to work on this and focusing on not having ups and downs. England is not like Italy, the Premier League is not like Serie A, we have different cultures in these two leagues.

"In England, it is much more difficult to be focused and stay focused for every game. In Italy, it is easier.

"This stability is lacking this year. I always talk about it with my players. It is tough to keep concentration, it is challenging to stay focused all the time.

"We are working on that. Playing under pressure all the time is good for some players and bad for others. Sometimes players feel motivated other times feel so much under pressure that they can't perform.

"Maybe for a period they have a good performance, and then they collapse all of a sudden if they feel too much pressure."

Head coach Conte said his side are "working on" dealing with the increased pressure, though injuries are another crucial factor to Tottenham's success.

"We want to make our players more resilient but there are also external factors like injuries for very important players for us," Conte said after losing Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma and captain Hugo Lloris to injury.

"Those injuries influence the team, influence the growing evolution of the league.

"You can be prepared for everything, you can be a tactical man, good strategies, good line-ups, you can have high-quality players but then if those high-quality players get injured then you need to change things. Every manager wishes to have the best players available."

Milan ended a seven-game winless run across all competitions with a 1-0 league victory over Torino on Friday to somewhat ease the mounting pressure on coach Stefano Pioli.

However, an unfavourable result in Europe will only add to calls for the removal of Pioli, who ended Milan's 11-year wait for the Scudetto last season with triumph in Serie A.

Conte believes managing in England and Italy comes with many different challenges and pressures, given his home country consider football not only a sport but as "war".

"I sometimes think also in my previous experience with Chelsea, the pressure is different between Italy and England," he added. 

"In Italy, you speak about football from Monday and you finish on Sunday. You speak only football and then you have a lot of television that speaks football and puts a lot of pressure.

"You are born in this way and you grow in this way, with this pressure, and you are used to living with this type of situation.

"In England, I think that there is an atmosphere that brings to enjoy football without a lot of pressure, because football is a sport and in Italy sometimes football is not only a sport, it is a war between the teams and the fans."

Cody Gakpo scored his first goal for Liverpool and Mohamed Salah was on target as Everton were consigned to a 2-0 Merseyside derby defeat at Anfield.

The Reds' hopes of securing a top-four finish had been rocked by a run of four top-flight games without a win, but they got their first Premier League victory of 2023 on Monday.

Salah rounded off a blistering counter-attack 12 seconds after James Tarkowski had struck the post with his 18th goal of the season, having failed to find the back of the net in his previous five matches, late in the first half.

Gakpo got off the mark early in the second half as Liverpool moved up a spot to ninth and kept their neighbours in the relegation zone by consigning boss Sean Dyche to a first defeat, with substitute appearances for the fit-again Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino also providing boosts for Jurgen Klopp.

Netherlands forward Gakpo spurned a good chance to open the scoring when he headed wide from close range early in a frantic start.

Tarkowski came agonisingly close to scoring a second goal in as many games after his winner against Arsenal when he rose to meet Alex Iwobi's corner with a header that struck that post, and Liverpool were in front moments later.

Everton were badly caught out on the break as Darwin Nunez darted forward and picked out Salah, who tucked into an empty net with Jordan Pickford in no man's land nine minutes before the break.

The Toffees were once again caught on the break four minutes into the second half, when Conor Cody failed to deal with Trent Alexander-Arnold's dangerous cross and Gakpo got off the mark with a tap-in.

Nunez was denied by Pickford from tight angle and bent an effort just wide after being set up by Gakpo as Everton continued to be opened up all too easily.

Ellis Simms was withdrawn after being handed a start with Dominic Calvert-Lewin unfit, before Jota and Firmino were given great ovations when they came off the bench, and Tom Davies' glaring miss with a header from close range summed up Everton's day.

Inter dropped further ground on runaway Serie A leaders Napoli after a wasteful performance resulted in a goalless draw at Sampdoria on Monday.

Simone Inzaghi's side had won seven of nine games across all competitions in an impressive start to 2023, but drew a blank at Luigi Ferraris Stadium.

Dejan Stankovic's hosts offered little in attack throughout, with Inter's 13 first-half attempts in a one-sided contest going unrewarded before a similarly dominant second period.

The Nerazzurri were unable to find the required breakthrough, however, with the stalemate leaving Inter trailing Napoli by 15 points and leading the chasing pack for second by just three.

Emil Audero parried away a thumping Romelu Lukaku effort and Hakan Calhanoglu drilled narrowly wide as Inter dictated the opening proceedings.

Matteo Darmian blazed just over after Lautaro Martinez inexplicably failed to connect from close range, before Robin Gosens went close with a headed attempt as Inzaghi's visitors failed to capitalise on their first-half dominance.

Manolo Gabbiadini dragged a rare Sampdoria opportunity off target after the interval, albeit Inter continued to monopolise possession in search of an elusive opener.

Audero thwarted a stinging Calhanoglu effort before the Turkey international curled just the wrong side of the goalkeeper's left post.

The Sampdoria goalkeeper tipped over a long-range Francesco Acerbi drive before Martinez somehow failed to convert a last-minute scramble inside the area as Inter were unable to find a deserved late winner.

What does it mean? Rare draw halts Inter roll

Inter had won nine of their past 11 meetings with Sampdoria in Serie A, winning their past two 3-0, therefore a stalemate with the league's second-bottom side may come as a surprise.

The nature of the result marked a rare feat for Inter, too, with it just their second draw in their past 31 Italian top-flight games – stunting their run as they looked for an eighth win in 10 games across all competitions since the new year began.

Napoli are all but crowned Scudetto champions already, but with Porto on the horizon in the Champions League later in February, Inzaghi will appreciate Inter must improve going forward.

Nuytinck neutralises Inter attack

Bram Nuytinck was the star of the show for the Sampdoria backline, capably supported by goalkeeper and captain Audero behind him.

The Dutch 32-year-old defender showed all of his experience in a resolute performance, making the most tackles (four) and most clearances (nine) of any player on the pitch. 

Gabbiadini struggles

Gabbiadini has scored three Serie A goals in 2023, after having a hand in only four goals (two goals, two assists) in the whole of last year. 

But the Samp striker struggled in this game, failing to hit the target with two presentable chances to leave his tally at just one goal in 12 meetings with Inter in the competition.

What's next?

Inter are at home to Udinese on Saturday, when Sampdoria host Bologna.

Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann is "preparing for all scenarios" against Paris Saint-Germain, who will make a late decision on whether to field Kylian Mbappe.

France international Mbappe returned to training on the eve of Tuesday's Champions League last-16 first leg at the Parc des Princes.

The 24-year-old had initially been ruled out of the match after sustaining a hamstring injury against Montpellier on February 1 that was expected to sideline him for three weeks.

While Mbappe has been included in PSG's 22-man squad, Christophe Galtier said on Monday he will wait until the day of the game before making a decision on his involvement.

Lionel Messi is also not fully fit, having sat out Saturday's Ligue 1 defeat to Monaco, but Nagelsmann is preparing for the possibility of both players featuring.

"If they both play, then they'll be fit," Nagelsmann said at his pre-match press conference. "Messi in particular is a player who knows how to play when he hasn't trained a lot. 

"I don't know if Kylian Mbappe will play from the start. We will prepare for all scenarios. Both can hurt any team in the world. But we will be ready.

"Our job will be to be ready for Mbappe, too, no matter whether he plays. We are generally prepared for different scenarios, but the game will not depend on that alone.

"We mustn't make the mistake of only focusing on the superstars. But PSG are also concerned about how to stop our players as well."

Mbappe has scored 34 and assisted 23 in 50 Champions League appearances since his PSG debut in 2017 – no other players has managed 20 goals and 20 assists in that time.

PSG have struggled in the superstar forward's absence, having followed up a shock Coupe de France loss against Marseille with defeat to Monaco in the league.

Bayern have responded to a slow start to 2023 with three straight wins, meanwhile, but whether this season is deemed a success will come down to how they perform in Europe.

"I would like to progress. In knockout games, progressing is always important," Nagelsmann said. "You don't have many chances in the Champions League.

"All teams want to win the Champions League. It's one of my dreams to win the Champions League. It's an important game for Bayern and an important game for me. 

"Of course, a season is rated differently when you get far in the Champions League."

Bayern have won five of their previous 11 meetings with PSG, each of those coming in the Champions League, while the Ligue 1 giants have prevailed six times.

In a repeat of the 2019-20 Champions League final, which Bayern edged 1-0, Nagelsmann insists there is nothing to separate the reigning champions of Germany and France.

"It will be an even duel, a 50-50 game," the Bayern boss said. "It's not a do-or-die game at this point, but we'll try to put in a good away performance.

"The Champions League provides a completely different kind of motivation, so you don't have to make the players extra hot ahead of the game."

Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Bayern have the highest win percentage (86.5 per cent) and the most total victories (32) of any team in the Champions League. 

Indeed, despite playing 37 matches in the competition during that period, no team have lost fewer games than them (two).

Victoria Azarenka breezed into the second round of the Qatar Open with an emphatic straight-sets defeat of Ipek Oz on Monday.

Playing her first match since losing to Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, Azarenka dispatched outsider Oz 6-1 6-1.

Azarenka, a two-time champion in Doha, only needed an hour and seven minutes to book a meeting with Belinda Bencic or Viktoriya Tomova.

The Belarusian broke twice in the first set and four times in the second, failing to hold just the once in a commanding display.

Eighth seed Veronika Kudermetova battled her way past Barbora Krejcikova, winning 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-5).

Karolina Muchov secured an impressive 6-2 6-2 win over Martina Trevisan in the opening first-round match of the day.

Liverpool slammed "hugely disappointing" leaks into a report that is said to apportion the majority of blame on UEFA for issues at last year's Champions League final.

UEFA promised to investigate the ongoings after the kick-off between Liverpool and Real Madrid was twice delayed at the Stade de France showpiece in Paris on May 28.

European football's governing body initially blamed the delays on thousands of supporters using "fake tickets", with an investigation promised after French police used tear gas on some fans.

It was widely reported on Monday the independent review, commissioned by UEFA, will find faults with the competition's organisers and the lack of venue risk assessment by French authorities.

UEFA as event owner is said to be assigned "primary responsibility" and the report is set to say the police and French Football Federation "bear responsibility" because of their roles to ensure public safety.

But Liverpool bemoaned the high-profile report being leaked before an official announcement after months of investigation. 

"It's hugely disappointing that a report of such significance, such importance to football supporters' lives and future safety, should be leaked and published in this way," a club statement read.

"It's been over eight months of work by the independent panel and it is only right and proper to publish the contents of the report to our supporters appropriately.

"We will await to receive a copy of the report and digest it thoroughly before making any further comment."

Christophe Galtier will make a late call on whether to use Kylian Mbappe in Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League last-16 first leg against Bayern Munich.

The France forward returned to training ahead of schedule on Monday and has been included in PSG's 22-man squad for Tuesday's match at the Parc des Princes.

Mbappe had been ruled out of the match after sustaining a hamstring injury against Montpellier on February 1 that was expected to sideline him for three weeks.

While he came through his first training session back unscathed, Galtier will not risk the 24-year-old unless he feels ready to play a part.

"He's done everything possible to make himself available for this match," Galtier said during a press conference on the eve of the game. "He's trained the day before the match and felt good.

"We'll see tomorrow morning how he feels. The first person I'll listen to will be Kylian, then I'll make the wisest decision. He won't be on the bench to make up the numbers."

Mbappe trained alongside fellow superstar forwards Lionel Messi and Neymar, who are both expected to start against Bundesliga leaders Bayern.

"I'm surprised to see him back, yes. But we know Kylian's ability to recover faster than some," Galtier added.

"He trained as part of the team and was there for the whole session. His post-training feedback is very positive. But whether he'll be on the team sheet, I don't know."

Since making his PSG debut in 2017, Mbappe has recorded 57 goal contributions (34 goals and 23 assists) in 50 Champions League appearances.

During that timeframe, no other player has managed 20 goals and 20 assists in the competition.

Neymar, who was sat alongside Galtier at Monday's press conference, is hoping his team-mate will be able to join him and Messi in the frontline.

"He's an extremely important player, a great player," Neymar said. "When the three of us are together, we feel very strong. He told me he felt good. These are good signs."

PSG have struggled in Mbappe's short absence, having exited the Coupe de France against Marseille last week before losing 3-1 at Monaco in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

Galtier is already under pressure just seven months after taking over, with the Champions League now taking on even more importance for the former Lille and Nice boss.

With the stakes so high in the blockbuster tie played over two legs between the reigning champions of France and Germany, Galtier is confident his players will step up.

"There is always pressure when you are a PSG coach, even more so in the Champions League," he said. "I don't think about my future at all. I am determined.

"The team I field tomorrow will look different to the one against Monaco. In these major games, I know my players know how to raise their level of play and their standards."

PSG have defeated Bayern in six of their previous 11 meetings, each of those coming in the Champions League, with the Bavarian giants prevailing five times.

"It's 50-50," Galtier said when asked who are the favourites to advance. "It's the Champions League. My players are used to these big meetings.

"No side will go through at the end of the first match, but I know I now have a more complete squad than previously in the competition."

Neymar is concerned by leaks from the Paris Saint-Germain dressing room and says they must "walk together" ahead of a Champions League clash with Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

Leaders PSG suffered a 3-1 defeat to Monaco on Saturday after being dumped out of the Coupe de France by Marseille, increasing the pressure on head coach Christophe Galtier.

Neymar was reportedly involved in a heated exchanged with the Ligue 1 champions' sporting advisor Luis Campos and clashed with team-mates following the loss to Monaco, leading to talk the club are looking to sell the Brazil forward.

The former Barcelona man did not deny there were heated exchanges at the weekend, but believes such disagreements should not come to light. 

He said on the eve of the first leg of the round of 16 tie against Bayern: "It happened, a little discussion, we didn't agree. It happens to us every day, but I love them all, it's like with my girlfriend.

"Football is not just about love, not just friendship. There is respect but it helps to have discussions. We are not used to losing. When there are defeats, of course that disturbs us. It makes it part of the process to improve.

"For the locker room, sometimes lies comes out in the press and it goes around the world. It happened that rumours came out at key moments of the season.

"We have to find out what's going on. It's not normal for stories to come out in the press, it has to stay between us. We have to walk together. When there's news like that, we're angry. I guarantee you a lot of information is wrong, some is true."

Galtier is pleased that his players are prepared to say what they think but stressed they must listen to him.

He said: "When there is frustration, it has to come out. I have been leading this way for years. You have to listen to them, but they also have to listen to me.

"There is frustration that breeds anger. We talked, I listened to them, I hope they listened to me too."

Neymar is at a loss to explain why PSG have slipped up as they prepare to do battle with the Bundesliga leaders at Parc des Princes.

He added: "I don't have any explanations. I think that every club has moments of difficulty.

"As a team, we have to be united, focused. It's good that these difficulties are happening now. We are aware that there are flaws, but we want to improve and show the best version of PSG."

The 31-year-old is also prepared to take criticism of his performances on the chin.

"I feel very good, physically and mentally," he said. "Some games things are not going very well. There are also games where you want to do everything, but you can't.

"The criticisms are legitimate. Everyone has their opinion, their point of view. I respect that. I'm doing my best for the club and for the team. I will do it until the end of the season."

Patrick Mahomes has no concern about being ready for the start of the Kansas City Chiefs' preparations for the 2023 season after injuring his ankle in their Super Bowl LVII success.

Mahomes came up limping heavily after a second-quarter scramble in the Chiefs' remarkable 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.

The Chiefs were trailing 24-14 at that point, but Mahomes emerged from half-time with his ankle re-taped and led Kansas City on a vintage comeback.

Mahomes and his team-mates will have time to bask in an incredible triumph, but there is, as the saying goes, no offseason in the NFL, and the Chiefs will be turning the page to 2023 next month when the new league year starts, with free agency and the draft soon to be on the horizon.

OTAs will follow in May, but Mahomes is more worried about how the ankle injury will impact his play on the golf course than his readiness for offseason workouts.

"I'll for sure be ready for OTAs," Mahomes said at his Super Bowl MVP press conference in Phoenix on Monday.

"The one thing that might take a hit is my golf game."

The Chiefs were slight underdogs against the Eagles, having gone into the season with some predicting their potential dethronement in the AFC West.

Instead, the Chiefs won the division at a canter, and are unlikely to have many doubting them ahead of next season after this latest show of Mahomes magic.

Asked if the Chiefs "keep receipts" from doomsayers, Mahomes replied: "It's hard not to hear that stuff. You hear how not good we're going to be. I'm just going to go out there and prove it on the football field."

Paying tribute to his head coach, Mahomes added: "As long as Andy Reid's coaching us, we're always going to have a chance."

Luciano Spalletti says the late Diego Maradona is playing a big part in irrepressible Napoli's quest to end their long wait to win the Serie A title.

Napoli have not won the Scudetto since Maradona inspired them to be crowned champions back in 1990, but there appears to be no stopping them this season.

A 3-0 win over Cremonese on Sunday put the runaway leaders 16 points clear of Inter, who have a game in hand, and the Partenopei also remain in the hunt for Champions League glory.

Napoli have reeled off six Serie A wins in a row since suffering their only loss to Inter.

Head coach Spalletti, who is on course to win a first Serie A title at the age of 64, revealed they are trying to go about their business in the same manner as club legend Maradona, who died at the age of 60 in November 2020.

He said: "We have him there. In the locker room there's that statue of Maradona that many go to touch. I do too when we go out on the pitch because we want to bring him into the quality of our team.

"He was someone who won through his quality, through all those things that fans like. We want to try to resemble him as much as possible and we will always carry him with us for the teachings he has given us."

Spalletti also compared winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has scored 11 goals and provided 12 assists this season, to Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.

He said of the Georgia international: "He is truly someone who has sensitivity in dribbling, in stroking the ball, in making those tricks that are so difficult to defend against.

"Salah is one of those who has this quality in close quarters and in finishing so precisely. That he didn't feel the pressure, it can be seen that he is a calm boy. He will have a great future."

Stefano Pioli is relishing Tuesday's meeting with old foe Antonio Conte as Milan prepare to host Tottenham in their first outing in the Champions League knockout stages since 2014.

Milan finished second to Chelsea in Group E to progress to the last 16 for the first time since the 2013-14 season, when they were hammered 5-1 on aggregate by Atletico Madrid.

Conte's Tottenham stand between Milan and a spot in the last eight, with the former Juventus and Inter boss one of five Italian coaches still present in the competition.

Conte has won eight of his last nine games against Milan (L1) in a run dating back to 2013, and he joins Pioli, Inter's Simone Inzaghi, Napoli's Luciano Spalletti and Real Madrid's Champions League specialist Carlo Ancelotti on an impressive list of Italian bosses to escape the group stage.

Asked who was the strongest of those coaches at Monday's pre-match press conference, Pioli said: "Ancelotti is a symbol but so are Conte and Spalletti. 

"There are lots of good coaches, we have a good school and important characteristics. 

"Conte is a great coach and one of the few colleagues who called to congratulate me on the Scudetto last season.

"It will be a difficult challenge, inevitably it will be like this for a quarter-final place. A week ago they beat Manchester City. It will be a great game that we will have to play well."

Despite Milan's absence from the latter stages of the competition in recent years, only Real Madrid (14) can better the Rossoneri's tally of seven European Cup/Champions League titles.

Asked whether Milan's illustrious history in the competition could present a psychological barrier for Spurs, Pioli said: "I can't know what our opponents are experiencing, I know what we feel. 

"We are highly motivated and it's normal. We only think up to Tottenham. Winning the Champions League is a dream today but it's useless to think about it now."

With Milan 18 points adrift of Serie A leaders Napoli and suffering defeats in the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana last month, their Champions League tie against Spurs will go a long way to dictating whether their season is deemed a success.  

Speaking to Sky Sport ahead of his press conference, Pioli described the tie as the most crucial occasion of his career.

"They will be the two most important matches of my career, having never played in a Champions League round of 16. We have prepared ourselves in the best possible way," he said.

"Our aim is to play with more pace and intensity, you can't ignore that in these competitions. We have prepared ourselves to be up to it."