Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti is hopeful Victor Osimhen will be fit to face Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals, but the striker has "no chance" of playing at Lecce on Friday.

Osimhen sustained a thigh injury while representing Nigeria during last month's international break, causing him to miss last Sunday's Serie A meeting with Milan.

His absence was felt as Milan thrashed the champions-elect 4-0, but Napoli are positive regarding his prospects of featuring in the first leg of their European tie against the Rossoneri.

Before Wednesday's trip to San Siro, Napoli will look to get their title charge back on track at Lecce, where Spalletti will not have Osimhen available.

Asked about Osimhen's chances of facing Lecce, Spalletti said: "Tomorrow there is no chance. With the schedule, we said we must get to the following week. 

"There are many possibilities to see him against Milan, but we have to wait for the practical development of next week's work."

Osimhen's tally of 21 goals in Serie A this campaign is at least seven more than that of any other player, with Inter's Lautaro Martinez second in the scoring charts with 14.

The 24-year-old has hit 15 goals across all competitions since the turn of the year – a tally only bettered by Karim Benzema and Marcus Rashford (17 each) among players from the top five European leagues.

Despite Osimhen's absence, Spalletti expects Napoli to respond to last week's disappointment as they look to close in on a first Scudetto since the 1989-90 season.

"The week developed in the best possible way, I saw some great training sessions," Spalletti said. "It always amazes me, I've only had this a few times in my career.

"It's a very important match, we know how to face it. A performance is needed in these cases, after a defeat. 

"We still need five victories, 15 points, then everyone can say what they want."

Carlo Ancelotti believes Karim Benzema is capable of winning another Ballon d'Or after netting back-to-back hat-tricks for Real Madrid.

Benzema followed up his treble in last week's 6-0 LaLiga win over Real Valladolid with three more goals in Wednesday's 4-0 Copa del Rey semi-final second leg at Barcelona.

It marks the first time the former France international has scored successive hat-tricks in a Madrid career spanning 14 trophy-laden seasons.

Having won the Ballon d'Or for the first time in 2022 on the back of a superb year for Los Blancos, Ancelotti has backed Benzema to challenge for the individual accolade again.

"Why not?" Ancelotti said following his side's 4-1 aggregate victory against Barcelona. "He remains one of the best players in the world – and not just attacking players."

Benzema now has 25 goals in 31 appearances this season – a tally bettered by Robert Lewandowski (27), Marcus Rashford (28), Kylian Mbappe (31) and Erling Haaland (42).

That includes 19 goals in 19 games since the World Cup, while the 35-year-old's back-to-back hat-tricks have come straight on the back of the international break.

"The work he did during the international break helped him a lot," Ancelotti said of Benzema, who announced his latest retirement from France duty in December.

"He is in prime physical condition. With the qualities he has, he inevitably makes a difference for us."

Real Madrid will face Osasuna, who beat Athletic Bilbao, in the Copa del Rey final on May 6.

World Cup winners Argentina have returned to the top of the FIFA World Rankings for the first time in six years.

Lionel Scaloni's side – who captured their third world title with a thrilling final win against France in Qatar last year – won friendlies against Panama and Curacao in the March international break.

Captain Lionel Messi brought up two milestones in those fixtures, netting his 800th career goal in a 2-0 victory over Panama before reaching 100 international goals as he scored a hat-trick in a 7-0 rout of Curacao.

Argentina last topped the rankings in 2017, but the Albiceleste dropped as low as 12th the following year after an underwhelming campaign at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Argentina replace rivals Brazil at the summit after the Selecao suffered a surprise friendly loss to World Cup semi-finalists Morocco in March, a result which sees them drop to third.

France are second in the rankings after their Euro 2024 qualification wins over the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland, while the rest of the top 10 remains unchanged.

Erik ten Hag acknowledged Manchester United are too reliant on Marcus Rashford after the forward's latest goal guided the Red Devils to a 1-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday.

United ended a three-game run without a win – or a goal – in the Premier League as Rashford's close-range finish was enough to down the resolute Bees.

Rashford has scored 15 of United's 42 Premier League goals this season, while his total of 11 strikes since the World Cup is more than any other player in the competition.

Asked whether United have been over-reliant on Rashford this season, Ten Hag told BBC Sport: "Yes, it's the truth.

"But we know other players can score as well. Bruno [Fernandes] can score as well. We have many more players across the squad who can score."

Speaking to United's media channels, Ten Hag said of Rashford: "He played a very good game. I think he was very versatile. He came out of the frontline and we used him as the target, but he also went out wide. 

"You can talk almost every game about [him] and when he's not in the game like Sunday [against Newcastle United], it's not good for us. 

"We have to bring him into the game but also he has to take responsibility, and [so do] other players. 

"He has to be ready to get into those positions and therefore he needs energy, he needs focus, and he has to bring it every game. Today, a great finish again gives us the three points."

Rashford has now scored 10 winning goals in the Premier League this season, the most recorded by a United player in a single campaign since Wayne Rooney in 2009-10 (also 10).

The England forward has 28 goals across all competitions this term, a tally only bettered by Erling Haaland (42) and Kylian Mbappe (31) among players from Europe's top five leagues.

Chelsea's dismissal of Graham Potter and decision not to rush into an appointment has generated speculation about their next permanent manager.

The Blues are destined to miss out on the Premier League's top four this season, thus will not qualify for the Champions League via the league.

As a result, there appears a lack of urgency as they look to get back on the right direction after sacking both Potter and Thomas Tuchel this term under new owner Todd Boehly.

TOP STORY – BLUES MULL OVER ENRIQUE, NAGELSMANN AND CONTE

Fabrizio Romano reports Frank Lampard will take over as Chelsea's interim manager, but that ex-Spain boss Luis Enrique is 100 per cent interested in the permanent position.

Enrique has flown into London for talks on the role, while the Blues will also continue talks with ex-Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann who is the leading candidate.

The Independent claims the Blues are also considering a shock return for Antonio Conte after initial contact between intermediaries.

ROUND-UP

– Football Insider reports Manchester United are keen on Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse. United may take advantage of the Saints' possible relegation to bolster their midfield with the 28-year-old free-kick specialist. Aston Villa and Newcastle United are also interested in him.

– Liverpool are willing to cough up €40 million (£35m) for Atletico Madrid's Argentinian World Cup winner Rodrigo De Paul to bolster their midfield next term, reports Fichajes. Inter Live claims Tottenham are also interested in De Paul.

– Arsenal are pondering an off-season move for Lazio midfielder Sergei Milinkovic-Savic who will be a free agent in 2024, claims Gazzetta dello Sport. The reported fee would be around €40m.

– Luka Modric is disgruntled with his contract situation at Real Madrid, with his future not yet resolved with only a few months left on his deal, claims Goal.

– Fichajes claims West Ham, Leeds United and Nice are all circling for Real Madrid's Mariano who will be available on a free transfer at the end of this season.

– Leicester City have shortlisted Ralph Hasenhuttl, Jesse Marsch and Oscar Garcia for their vacant managerial role according to Fabrizio Romano. The Independent's Miguel Delaney claims the Foxes are also interested in experienced pair Martin O'Neill and Rafa Benitez.

Carlo Ancelotti felt Real Madrid played the "perfect match" after a 4-0 thumping of Barcelona at Camp Nou secured their place in the Copa del Rey final with a 4-1 aggregate win.

Madrid faced a daunting task heading to the home of their Clasico rivals, who hold a 12-point lead over Ancelotti's men at LaLiga's summit, facing a one-goal deficit after Eder Militao's own goal gave Barca a 1-0 first-leg victory at the Bernabeu.

But Vinicius Junior levelled the tie just before the break, before Karim Benzema fired in a second-half hat-trick to lead Madrid to a superb triumph and clinch their place in the final against Osasuna on May 6.

Ancelotti was delighted with his side's second-leg heroics, telling reporters at his post-match news conference: "It was a complete game. When you win 4-0 here, it is in every way.

"We played a great game. The first goal changed the dynamics, we found more space in the transitions.

"[It was] a bit hard at first, but in the second half we did very well. We did not panic when they pressed and we knew how to take advantage of the spaces in transitions.

"We played the perfect match."

This season, Benzema has failed to match the same vein of form that saw him win the Ballon d'Or in October, struggling with injuries and not enjoying the same scoring output.

But the striker has netted hat-tricks in back-to-back games since the international break, taking his goals tally for the season to 25 from 31 matches in all competitions.

Ancelotti believes the striker is somewhat back to his brilliant best, saying: "He has done a very good job in the [international] break, he has found optimum condition and his quality makes the difference, without a doubt.

"He has flicked the switch. He is still one of the best players in the world, without a doubt. If he's fit, he's one of the best.

"He can win another Ballon d'Or because he is one of the best forwards in the world."

Wednesday's Dutch Cup semi-final between Feyenoord and Ajax was halted for 30 minutes after Davy Klaassen was struck on the head by an object thrown from the stands.

Ajax midfielder Klaassen was celebrating near the corner flag at De Kuip early in the second half when what appeared to be a lighter caught him on the back of the head.

The Netherlands international was left bleeding and referee Allard Lindhout took the decision to take both sets of players off the field.

After a stoppage of half an hour, during which time Feyenoord assistant John de Wolf urged home fans to "use their common sense", play eventually resumed.

Klaassen attempted to continue but he went down holding his head soon after and was replaced by Brian Brobbey.

But the 30-year-old ultimately had the last laugh as his goal proved to be the winner as Ajax held on to win 2-1 and advance to the final, where PSV await on April 30.

"These are always crazy matches when you play here," Klaassen later told ESPN. "But we didn't expect this. It goes beyond all limits.

"I felt something pretty hard. At first I felt anger inside, and I got even angrier when their goalkeeper [Timon Wellenreuther] ran over and shouted that I had to get up.

"Then another player looked at my head and it turned out I was covered in blood. I wanted to get away from the sidelines.

"I then had a throbbing feeling in my head and had trouble focusing so had to come off."

Klaassen added that he is not sure yet whether he intends to press charges, with local police reporting that a 32-year-man had been arrested in connection with the incident.

Away fans have not attended 'De Klassieker' games since 2009 in an attempt to quell violence in the stands.

Xavi was disappointed by Barcelona's failure to win "moments" after they were romped by Clasico rivals Real Madrid 4-0 at the Camp Nou to fall to a 4-1 Copa del Rey semi-final aggregate defeat.

An Eder Militao own goal in the first leg at the Bernabeu meant Barca headed into Wednesday's return match on home turf with a one-goal advantage.

But a strong first half by Barca ended with a short period of play that would prove crucial, as Thibaut Courtois made a brilliant save to deny Robert Lewandowski before a sweeping counter-attack ended with Vinicius Junior levelling the tie.

Madrid then sealed their progression with a brilliant second half, as Karim Benzema's hat-trick put the 31-time winners out and set Carlo Ancelotti's men up to meet Osasuna in the final on May 6.

Xavi was left frustrated by his team's failure to match their first-half display, telling Movistar+: "It is a difficult night to digest. This is football.

"You have to compete better. We have competed well until 1-0. They are moments that we have to stop. We could have also stopped the 2-0 moment. In short, they are details that we have to control.

"In the first half we were very good, but that's what I said: football is about moments and we didn't take advantage of them.

"When football is so even, you have to take advantage of the moments. We didn't do it in the first half and they did in the second. They have been superior, no excuses."

Xavi credited Madrid for their excellent second-leg display, saying: "I already said yesterday that Madrid were favourites.

"We cannot argue that they are a great team. They are the LaLiga and Champions League champions and they do not forgive. 

"When you don't kill Madrid, they kill you."

Despite the elimination, Xavi's men hold a 12-point lead over Madrid at the top of LaLiga, and he is hoping his team can put this setback behind them to kick on and claim the title.

"We had a very bad second half, but we have to get up," he said. "Tomorrow we will get up with all the hope to beat Girona.

"It is a tough result, but we have to focus on the league."

Marcus Rashford is keen to see Manchester United back on form after returning to winning ways against Brentford.

The England international struck the only goal of the game to seal victory at Old Trafford on Wednesday, ending a run of three games without a win in the Premier League.

United's struggles in the league began after winning the EFL Cup, suffering a humiliating 7-0 reverse to Liverpool and losing to Newcastle United either side of a goalless draw against Southampton.

Erik ten Hag's side had better results in the cup competitions, advancing in both the FA Cup and Europa League, but the drop of form in the Premier League led to worry in the hunt for a top-four finish.

Now that one hurdle has been overcome, Rashford is keen to build momentum and finish the season on a high.

"We are in that period of the season where every game is important and every game counts so we are pleased to win and hopefully we can get back to where we were a few weeks ago," he told BBC Sport.

"The important thing is always to win the next game. Everyone is clear that we are not going to play our best every week but there is never a time to drop our standards and we have to keep trying to push each other every week.

"We were a bit more patient out of possession; we waited for the right conditions to press rather than pressing every ball. We were calm and kept communicating to try and stop the supplies to their forward men."

United's victory propels them back above Tottenham and into fourth, holding a three-point lead and having a game in hand over the north London side, with Rashford focused on securing Champions League football next season.

"That's the aim – we want to get as many points as we possibly can and we will try and win every game," he added. "We just have to keep playing well and give our best, keep recovering well and move on to the next fixture."

Nantes secured their place in the Coupe de France final for a second successive season after Ludovic Blas' sensational second-half strike secured a deserved 1-0 win against Lyon. 

The holders sit 14th in Ligue 1 but have enjoyed another inspired cup run, with Wednesday's upset of Lyon now gifting them the opportunity to win back-to-back crowns.

Jean-Charles Castelletto almost gave Nantes the perfect start but his first-minute effort was saved expertly by Anthony Lopes.

The home side thought they had gone ahead when Samuel Moutoussamy capitalised on a Lyon defensive mistake, but his effort was ruled out for offside after a VAR check. 

Antoine Kombouare's side would finally make their advantage pay in the second half, however, as Blas fired home a marvellous left-footed effort into the top corner to secure another famous win in front of a frenzied home crowd. 

The defending champions will now play either Toulouse or second-tier Annecy in the final on April 29.

Fiorentina have one foot in the Coppa Italia final after a dominant away performance saw them record a 2-0 win against ten-men Cremonese in the first leg of the semi-final. 

Arthur Cabral's header and Nicolas Gonzalez's penalty wrapped up a comfortable victory for La Viola, who are now unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions. 

Fiorentina were much the better team in the first half and took a deserved lead when Cabral rose highest to head home Cristiano Biraghi's cross in the 20th minute. 

Gonzalez should have doubled his side's lead before the break, but the winger saw his close-range header expertly saved by Mouhamadou Sarr's save.

Half-time substitute Cyriel Dessers forced a good save from Pietro Terracciano but Fiorentina found their second when Gonzalez slotted home from the spot after Cabral's effort was blocked by Emanuel Aiwu's hand, with the centre-back sent off after a VAR check. 

Vincenzo Italiano's side take their two-goal advantage into the second leg, with the fixture taking place on April 27 at the Artemio Franchi Stadium.

Real Madrid reached the Copa del Rey final for the first time since 2014 as a Karim Benzema hat-trick and a Vinicius Junior strike earned a 4-0 Clasico victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou and a 4-1 triumph on aggregate.

Eder Militao's own goal at the Bernabeu had Barca heading into Wednesday's second leg with a 1-0 advantage, but Vinicius' goal in first-half added time got Madrid back into the tie.

Carlo Ancelotti's men then took over after the break, Benzema putting them ahead with a sublime finish before coolly converting from the spot after Vinicius was felled.

The reigning Ballon d'Or winner clinched his hat-trick late on to dump the 31-time winners out and set Madrid up to meet Osasuna in the showpiece match on May 6.

Barca started brightly with Sergi Roberto and Raphinha seeing early efforts foiled, though alert defending was needed by Ronald Araujo at the other end to deny Vinicius.

Tempers were starting to fray in a typically high-charged encounter, Xavi booked for dissent before Gavi and Vinicius were cautioned for a fracas in midfield. The visitors remained focused, though, to level the tie just before half-time.

After Courtois made a superb stop to deny Robert Lewandowski, Madrid flew up the other end, and though Jules Kounde initially blocked Vinicius' shot, it crept over the line to make it 1-1 on aggregate.

Ancelotti's side took the lead shortly after the break, Luka Modric teeing up Benzema to expertly stroke into the bottom-left corner.

Madrid then landed a killer blow shortly after, Franck Kessie bringing Vinicius down in the box for a penalty before Benzema stepped up and ruthlessly slotted into the bottom-right corner.

Benzema sealed his hat-trick with 10 minutes to play, delicately dinking over Marc-Andre ter Stegen to send his team cruising into the final.

Manchester United returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over Brentford at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Marcus Rashford's first-half strike was enough to see off the Bees, ending a three-match winless streak for Erik ten Hag's side in the league since winning the Carabao Cup.

Brentford could not muster much of a response in the second half, United controlling the flow of the game throughout.

Though the scoreline was far from flattering, it sealed a vital three points for United that moves them back ahead of Tottenham and into fourth position.

The hosts dominated possession early on but were unable to test David Raya in the Brentford net, Scott McTominay firing an effort over the top of the crossbar before Antony cut inside onto his left and curled an effort wide.

United's breakthrough came after 27 minutes, Brentford not clearing their lines effectively from a corner and Antony clipping a ball back into the box where Marcel Sabitzer headed down for Rashford to duly smash home.

Brentford were almost gifted an equaliser shortly after the restart, David de Gea put under pressure by Ivan Toney and the keeper's clearance bouncing off the back of the England international and just wide of the post.

Ten Hag's side continued to be on the front foot, though struggling to truly test Raya's capabilities, but Sabitzer tested his reflexes with a low shot from the edge of the box after Rashford's lay-off.

Though United were not able to find more effectiveness in front of goal, any threat of a Brentford comeback was unfounded as United held firm to clinch three valuable points.

Wolves winger Daniel Podence has been charged by the Football Association (FA) for allegedly spitting at Nottingham Forest's Brennan Johnson in Saturday's 1-1 Premier League draw.

During a disagreement between the two sets of players towards the end of the second half, Podence and Johnson exchanged words at close proximity.

Although replays appeared to show Podence in the act of spitting, footage was unable to conclusively prove if the Portugal international actually spat, and therefore the VAR review did not lead to a red card.

Johnson was asked about the incident at full-time and, while he told Sky Sports he was not going to "allegate [Podence]", the Forest player also claimed he "felt like some sort of spit came towards my face".

The FA seemingly saw enough to deem Podence worthy of retrospective punishment on Wednesday.

A statement read: "Wolverhampton Wanderers' Daniel Podence has been charged after the forward allegedly spat at an opposing player during the 90th minute."

The FA also charged Forest for their players surrounding the referee in the first half, while both teams' assistant managers will answer charges of improper and/or violent conduct.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino condemned racist chants from Juventus fans towards Inter striker Romelu Lukaku during their Coppa Italia semi-final first leg.

Lukaku scored a penalty in stoppage time to earn visitors Inter a 1-1 draw in Turin on Tuesday, duly celebrating by holding a finger to his lips in front of Juve supporters as a response to abuse.

The celebration was deemed provocative and the Belgian was sent off for a second bookable offence, with the incident leading to a confrontation between the two sets of players.

Lukaku released a statement on Wednesday demanding action from Italian authorities, which has been widely supported by other big names in the football world.

Infantino labelled the chants "unacceptable" and called for those responsible to be punished.

Infantino said: "Football has no place for racism or any form of discrimination.

"It is simply unacceptable to see the racist abuse aimed by spectators at Inter forward Romelu Lukaku during the Coppa Italia match at Juventus in Turin.

"FIFA and I stand with Romelu Lukaku, just as we do with any other player, coach, match official, fan or participant in a football match who has suffered from racism or any other form of discrimination.

"Victims of those abuses must be supported, and the perpetrators duly punished by all authorities.

"I repeat the call made earlier this year for fans to stand up and silence the racists.

"Equally, in football, we need to ensure that strict sporting sanctions are applied to address such incidents and to serve as a deterrent."

In Lukaku's message earlier in the day, he was keen to highlight how such incidents are recurring rather than isolated.

"History repeats. [I've] been through it in 2019 and [now in] 2023 again," he said via Instagram.

"I hope the league really take actions for real this time because this beautiful game should be enjoyed by everyone.

"Thank you for the supportive messages. F*** racism."

His message has received support from the likes of Kylian Mbappe.

Mbappe wrote on Instagram: "2023 and still the same problems. But we are not going to let you get away with it."