Zac Ashworth scored for a second successive weekend to earn Bolton a 1-1 comeback draw against Skybet League One promotion rivals Barnsley.

But the Tykes will rue a series of missed chances before the West Brom loanee headed in a cross by substitute Aaron Collins after 64 minutes.

Bolton were beaten in last season’s third tier play-off semi-finals by the Oakwell outfit.

And they trailed after five minutes as Adam Phillips flicked on Barry Cotter’s long throw for Devante Cole’s 17th goal of the campaign.

Barnsley should have gone 2-0 up after 28 minutes as Josh Sheehan’s error gave Neill Collins’ side a four-on-two advantage but Phillips dragged his eventual shot wide.

Bolton continued to labour in the second half. They were indebted to keeper Nathan Baxter for three saves in quick succession from Cole, Phillips and John McAtee.

Boss Ian Evatt’s response saw Collins replace top scorer Dion Charles. And with his first touch the ex-Bristol Rovers star centred for Ashworth to rescue a point.

Collins almost won it for Wanderers but his deflected effort was tipped away by Liam Roberts.

St Johnstone opened up daylight over Ross County in the battle to avoid relegation from the cinch cinch Premiership after a 1-0 win in Dingwall.

The Staggies had looked bright, getting into the final third only to see a lack of quality when it mattered most cost them.

The same could not be said for St Johnstone, who had fewer chances but crucially made one of them count through Benjamin Kimpioka in the 35th minute to seal all three points.

Both sides missed good chances to break the deadlock in the early stages.

James Brown could not beat Dimitar Mitov on a couple of occasions, while Yan Dhanda blazed over for the hosts.

Anthony Gallacher did the same at the other end with arguably the chance of the game so far, finding himself through one-on-one with George Wickens only to lift the ball over both goalkeeper and crossbar.

St Johnstone took the lead in the 35th minute, though, as Kimpioka latched on to a long ball forward after Will Nightingale misjudged his interception.

The Swedish forward still had plenty of work to do, but he dropped a shoulder to cut inside Loick Ayina and on to his right foot before picking out the far corner.

County pushed for an equaliser after the restart, forcing a number of saves from Mitov.

Brown had another effort, nearly catching the keeper out at his near post, with Simon Murray volleying straight at Mitov from the edge of the box.

Ayina also got in on the act, taking aim from 25 yards out and forcing Mitov to tip the ball over his crossbar.

Try as they might, County could not find a breakthrough, with the final whistle going as St Johnstone kept the ball by the corner flag.

Victory for the visitors lifted them five points above second-bottom County in the table, albeit having played one game more.

The crucial run of fixtures the Dingwall outfit are on, having taken one point from matches against Livingston and St Johnstone, continues on Tuesday evening when they travel to Motherwell, who now sit in 10th place after being leapfrogged by St Johnstone.

Bristol Rovers atoned for a 1-0 home defeat by Exeter City in Sky Bet League One 11 days ago by winning by the same scoreline at St James Park thanks to Brandon Aguilera’s stunning debut goal.

Exeter started brightly and Vince Harper shot low at Jed Ward from an angle, but Rovers went in front when Aguilera, signed on loan from Nottingham Forest this week, smashed the ball into the top corner from 20 yards, although Exeter were aggrieved that the referee clearly got in the way and blocked off midfielder Reece Cole just prior to the goal.

Harper then struck the angle of post and bar with a tremendous curling effort for Exeter before goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo made a brilliant save to deny Chris Martin.

Jack Aitchison dragged a shot just wide of the near post at the start of the second half for Exeter, but the best chance came when Aitchison sent Sonny Cox through on goal, but his finish was poor and easily saved by Ward.

Exeter started to get on top with Cole forcing Ward into another good stop and then the midfielder saw a free-kick deflect off the wall before crashing back off the crossbar, but Rovers held on to take the points.

Roy Hodgson cut a forlorn figure as Crystal Palace slumped to a dispiriting 4-1 defeat at their fierce rivals Brighton in the Premier League.

Goals from Lewis Dunk, Jack Hinshelwood, Facundo Buonanotte and Joao Pedro once again left the future of the veteran Eagles boss under scrutiny.

Palace sacked their previous manager, Patrick Vieira, following a 1-0 defeat in this fixture last season so Hodgson, on a run of just four wins from 17 matches, could be on thin ice.

The 76-year-old is hamstrung by the absence of Eberechi Eze through injury while his other key man, Michael Olise, was only deemed fit enough for the bench.

Yet when Olise was sent on, at half-time, his side were already 3-0 down, and the winger lasted just eight minutes before pulling up again.

A late goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta could not mask the flaws in Hodgson’s ailing side, and the loss of captain Marc Guehi to a first-half knee injury just compounded a thoroughly rotten day for the Eagles.

If Brighton were suffering a hangover from their 4-0 midweek drubbing at Luton, they were over it in double quick time.

With their first attack and just two minutes in, Tariq Lamptey forced a corner down the left, Pascal Gross swung the ball in and Dunk gave Joachim Andersen a gentle shove as he rose above him to glance into the net.

Palace were perpetually living dangerously at the back and when a Pedro cross found Buonanotte, the shortest player on the pitch planted a header straight at Dean Henderson.

Their cause was not helped by the knee injury suffered by Guehi, who looked distraught when he limped off midway through the first half to be replaced by deadline-day signing Adam Wharton.

Guehi’s absence was keenly felt when 18-year-old Hinshelwood, not exactly the height of a basketball player himself, nipped in to head home a cross from Lamptey.

Just 86 seconds later it was three after debutant Wharton was dispossessed by Gross, who strolled forward before slipping in Buonanotte to score.

Dismayed Palace fans unfurled their anti-board banner, which first got an airing during the 5-0 hammering at Arsenal a fortnight ago.

It was easy to see where their frustrations lie. They had to wait until first-half stoppage time for their side’s first shot in anger, a long-range effort from Jefferson Lerma which was deflected wide.

When Olise, who was presumably not remotely fit, limped off, chants of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ emanated from the away end. The Brighton fans, never shy to revel in their rivals’ misfortune, responded with ‘Super Roy Hodgson’.

A brief, belated Palace flurry saw Mateta head home a cross from Andersen, but any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Pedro played a one-two with Danny Welbeck and slotted home to finish the Eagles off.

Harry Kane headed his 24th Bundesliga goal of the season as Bayern Munich came from behind to beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 at the Allianz Arena and stay two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Monchengladbach, who had held Leverkusen 0-0 a week earlier, grabbed the lead through Nico Elvedi’s 35th-minute finish before Aleksandar Pavlovic equalised just prior to the interval.

Kane then nodded home in the 70th minute as he became the fastest player to reach 24 Bundesliga goals, doing so in 20 games to surpass Erling Haaland’s mark of 25, and equalled Luca Toni for most goals in a maiden season with the club.

Matthijs de Ligt added a late header of his own as the two-point gap was retained between second-placed Bayern and Leverkusen, who won 2-0 at bottom side Darmstadt, ahead of the top two meeting at BayArena next Saturday.

Leroy Sane was to the fore as Thomas Tuchel’s champions looked to make an early breakthrough, cracking one shot against the bar and sending another wide.

Monchengladbach made an ambitious attempt in the 27th minute with Florian Neuhaus’ shot from the halfway line being caught by Manuel Neuer, before the goalkeeper’s opposite number Moritz Nicolas did well to tip a Kane free-kick over the bar.

Four minutes later the visitors were ahead as Neuer’s ball to Thomas Muller was intercepted by Elvedi, who played a one-two with Jordan and side-footed into the bottom corner of the net.

Bayern hit back in the final minute of normal time before the break when Pavlovic fired past Nicolas having been teed up by Muller, the 19-year-old midfielder registering his second Bayern goal a week on from his first in the 3-2 win at Augsburg.

Jamal Musiala found Nicolas’ side-netting early in the second half and Kane subsequently had a shot saved.

The England captain then made it 2-1 when Leon Goretzka delivered the ball into the box, Nicolas got a glove to the ball under pressure from Muller but could only send it bouncing to Kane and he headed in.

De Ligt extended the advantage in the 86th minute, meeting Sane’s free-kick with a powerful header beyond Nicolas.

And there was almost a fourth for Bayern on 89 minutes via another header, substitute Mathys Tel seeing his effort saved.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti brushed off suggestions this week could prove decisive in the LaLiga title race as his side prepare to host city rivals Atletico.

Ancelotti’s men head into the contest 10 points clear of their opponents and locked in a tight battle at the top of the table with next week’s opponents Girona.

A win on Sunday would ensure they go into that contest in top spot, regardless of how the Catalan side get on against Real Sociedad.

Ancelotti refused to put any kind of conclusive weight on the next seven days but did acknowledge the significance of the two upcoming home clashes.

He told a press conference: “(The week is) not decisive, but important. It’s very important to pick up points at this moment, before the Champions League.

“These are very important games and we’re going into them in the best possible way. We have to take advantage of these two games at home to get points.

“Given the value of the opponent and the importance of the match, it’s good for us to be back at the Bernabeu. It has always helped us and it will do so tomorrow. They are intense matches with a lot of pressure.”

Sunday’s meeting will mark the third Madrid derby in less than a month after Ancelotti’s men beat their rivals 5-3 in their semi-final en route to winning the Spanish Super Cup before Atletico gained revenge with a 4-2 triumph in the last 16 of the Copa Del Rey, with both ties settled in extra-time.

The Real boss is managing a number of injuries, with defenders Eder Militao and David Alaba and midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni all unavailable and Antonio Rudiger a doubt with a muscle strain.

On Rudiger, Ancelotti said: “He’s improved a lot in the last few days. I expect the same improvement between today and tomorrow.  He will be in the squad and I will decide tomorrow if he plays or not.

“The height of the team without (Rudiger and Tchouameni) drops and we have to make the right decision regarding set-pieces.”

Nevertheless, Ancelotti remained upbeat about those who remain available for selection and was not concerned that his club did not sign another centre-back in January.

He added: “We thought, after Alaba’s injury, that Tchouameni could do well as an an emergency measure in the centre-back position. Tomorrow is an absolute emergency, but only for one game. Besides, Militao will be back before the end of the season. He’s starting to look very good.

“(Eduardo) Camavinga can also play as a centre-back. He brings the ball out very quickly, he is quick and strong in tackles.

“I also have the options of (Ferland) Mendy and (Dani) Carvajal. All three options give me confidence and I think they can do very well tomorrow. The centre-back job is the easiest in football because you have to use your head more than your energy.”

Atletico go into the game on a five-game winning run in all competitions, kick-started by the cup win over Real, but, like his opposite number, boss Diego Simeone was reluctant to put too much weight on the outcome of the game.

“With so many days left, it is not good to think this way,” he told a press conference.

“It is an important game, they are first in LaLiga, they are strong at home, they are supported by their fans. We will have to be very good.”

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou felt goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario deserved more protection from referee Michael Oliver after Everton earned a last-gasp 2-2 draw.

The Italian, having endured a similar problem in their FA Cup exit to Manchester City last week, failed to deal with Dwight McNeil’s inswinging corner under his own crossbar which allowed Jack Harrison to equalise to initially make it 1-1.

And while the Spurs boss was reluctant to criticise the officials, he felt there could have been more intervention as Spurs missed the chance to move level on points with second-placed City.

“It just seems to be in general referees are reluctant to call these now and leave to VAR,” said Postecoglou on the first goal.

“At the moment any contact in the box referees seem reluctant to call.

“It is disappointing to concede any goal. There were about 30 set-pieces. It is stuff you have to deal with.

“It is obviously a difficult place to come and play and dominate and for the most part I thought we handled it OK.

“We started the game really well, lost a bit of our composure, the second half was OK and we created some good chances and probably needed a third to kill the game off.

“In the last 10 minutes it is almost inevitable you will be put under pressure here. We have to take it on the chin and move on.”

Everton manager Sean Dyche denied they had deliberately targeted Vicario.

“No, not necessarily. We want to be competitive on set-pieces all over the pitch. Delivery is massively important as is the intent and desire to score a goal,” he said.

“That is a large part of what we drill into the players. We do look a threat. There is no story there, it is just what we work on.

“Some weeks you give more time on (working on) the opposition but it is mostly what we work on.”

Jarrad Branthwaite’s first goal of the season deep into added time snatched a morale-boosting draw, with ex-Toffee Richarlison having scored twice for Spurs.

“Very pleased from top to bottom,” was Dyche’s assessment of the performance.

“The commitment is evident and some of the quality. They (Tottenham) started well and scored a very good goal from their point of view and then we went on the front foot and took the game on and played very well.

“At half-time I just said to the players ‘that is a very good half so we have to keep that going’. We kept our levels extremely high and deserved at least an equaliser, if not to take all three points.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers called on his players to focus on the football and ease the dissent among fans with results after a 1-1 draw at Aberdeen exacerbated the concerns of the Hoops support.

Celtic ran out to chants of “sack the board” from the visiting fans and a banner reading “Celtic board, on your heads be it”.

Supporters were unhappy with a transfer window that saw Nicolas Kuhn and on-loan Norwich forward Adam Idah arrive and the likes of David Turnbull and Mikey Johnston depart.

Kuhn netted Celtic’s equaliser in the 63rd minute, four minutes after coming off the bench, but many supporters believe the failure to further strengthen the squad has risked their cinch Premiership title defence and they resumed their chants of dissent after the game.

The name “Lawwell” was central to the noise, after the influence of chairman Peter Lawwell and the record of his son, head of recruitment Mark Lawwell, came under scrutiny in recent days.

Rodgers had called for unity ahead of the game and he said afterwards: “I can only concentrate with the players on what we do on the field.

“You always find that winning games and performing well can ease those situations, and that’s what we aim to do.

“Supporters pay their money, they have every right to say what they want to say.

“For us it’s the field, we can only control that. If we can do that, then we will be okay.”

Rodgers, who felt his side lacked aggression in the second half, agreed it was “very important” not to let the complaints become a distraction to his players.

Although the fans were chanting against the board before and after the game, they applauded the players and manager after the final whistle and supported throughout.

“Whatever goes on outside of the field, you have to be able to deal with that,” he added.

“At a club like Celtic, and the biggest clubs, there will always be that pressure there. I don’t need to add any more pressure to the players. They understand, playing here.

“My job is to give them the confidence to find the results we need to find. But there’s still so many games and a long, long way to go.”

Aberdeen did not manage a single effort at goal in the first half but Bojan Miovski netted on the counter-attack in the 50th minute and the Dons had several opportunities to win the game in a strong second-half showing.

Caretaker manager Peter Leven revealed his simple message to his players at half-time: “Relax.”

He added: “Celtic are a good team, they are going to pin you back but when we turned possession over, we just needed to make a few more passes.

“We knew Celtic were going to press the first five seconds. I just said ‘believe in yourselves, be a bit more braver on the ball’. And I think you could see that in the second half.

“We had a few chances in the second half. The boys ran well second half, pressed them, passed the ball a lot better. It was just about belief.”

Aberdeen players were incensed that referee Steven McLean did not send off Maik Nawrocki after the defender fouled Miovski while already on a yellow card but Leven did not make much of the incident.

“I never saw it again,” the first-team coach said. “The second yellow card never happened but it’s one of these things the referee has got to deal with.”

Oxford boss Des Buckingham felt frustrated as a late equaliser earned Reading a 1-1 draw at the Kassam Stadium.

Royals sub Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan’s strong run down the left 14 minutes from time opened up Oxford’s defence and Ciaron Brown turned the substitute’s cross into his own net.

Oxford had led the Thames Valley derby from the 32nd minute when striker Mark Harris bagged his 12th goal of the season, turning Cameron Brannagan’s pullback into the net from close range.

Buckingham said: “The last two results – two draws at home – are not the results we wanted. We wanted two wins.

“But we are going to get stronger. We had three players missing from midweek, two players making their debuts and we’ll have four players back next week.

“We’ve got 10 first-team players out, and players playing out of position – that’s not an excuse, just an explanation.

“The top teams tend to be those with settled teams but that’s been very difficult for us.

“In the first half I thought we deserved our lead. Mark Harris keeps finding himself in the areas to get goals – as we knew he would.

“But we didn’t control the game the way we wanted in the second half, and kind of played into their hands.

“It’s frustrating – Reading had just one shot on goal, that’s the same as Barnsley when they won here recently. That’s the way it’s gone in those two games.”

The lack of chances Oxford created will be a worry to Buckingham too.

Reading boss Ruben Selles hailed the impact of Ehibhatiomhan and the other subs as they helped force a draw in what was Reading’s first ever league visit to the Kassam Stadium.

Selles said: “The substitutes had an impact. Kelvin and the boys have been doing great.

“There was a moment where we were low in terms of intensity, aggression and forward playing, and we knew it’s a squad game and the players on the bench would make a difference.

“When they came on, they changed the dynamic of the game. We came here to get the three points, but the performance was there at moments in the game.

“I think a point is fair. I thought in the last five or 10 minutes we could even get a second goal.

“I’m happy with the performance but we came here to get the three points.

“We have been performing well away from home and we’ve been solid on our travels.”

The draw stretched the Royals’ recent run to just one defeat in 10 games, though they remain in the relegation places.

Nicolas Kuhn scored his first goal for Celtic but pre-match dissent from the visiting supporters at Pittodrie was amplified as a strong second-half performance from Aberdeen earned the hosts a point.

Celtic ran out to chants of “sack the board” and a banner which read “Celtic board, on your heads be it” as the fans expressed their displeasure over the club’s transfer window business.

Their team had a goal disallowed and hit the bar twice in a one-sided first half but Bojan Miovski gave Aberdeen the lead with their first effort at goal in the 50th minute and his 19th goal of the season.

German winger Kuhn levelled in the 64th minute in his second appearance for Celtic but the game remained in the balance and the 1-1 draw ended a run of six consecutive wins for the cinch Premiership leaders since they lost back-to-back games in December.

Aberdeen had first-team coach Peter Leven in charge following the sacking of manager Barry Robson and he handed a first start to the club’s sole January signing, on-loan Crystal Palace midfielder Killian Phillips.

Celtic had both of their new signings, German winger Kuhn and on-loan Norwich forward Adam Idah, on the bench as Maik Nawrocki replaced the injured Cameron Carter-Vickers.

The defender’s ball over the top earned Celtic their first real chance and Luis Palma was celebrating after converting the rebound from Liel Abada’s saved effort. The Honduran winger was clearly offside though, however it took the VAR team several minutes to disallow the goal.

Celtic continued to create a steady stream of first-half chances. Kelle Roos saved comfortably from Palma and Abada and the former missed a great opportunity after Alistair Johnston’s cross found him in space on the corner of the six-yard box. His shot hit the top of the bar and went over.

Paulo Bernardo lobbed a delicate effort over a crowded goalmouth and off the top of the bar as Celtic continued to dominate. They had 13 first-half shots at goal, but only three on target with Matt O’Riley and Alexandro Bernabei off target just before the break.

Aberdeen had barely managed to get the ball in the final third but they re-emerged from the interval with a new-found vigour and quickly turned defence into attack when a Celtic move up the left broke down.

Dante Polvara’s forward pass set Miovski up to run at Nawrocki and the striker shifted the ball inside before curling home from 18 yards.

The game was transformed. Aberdeen threatened from a series of set-pieces with Celtic blocking several shots and Phillips almost made himself an instant hero with an audacious 45-yard chip which had Joe Hart beaten but just drifted off target.

It was another recent signing that was soon celebrating though. Kuhn and Idah came on along with Anthony Ralston in the 59th minute and the winger soon made his mark as he cut in from the right, played a one-two and then got the ball back from Idah before shooting in off Nicky Devlin.

Both teams went all out to get ahead. O’Riley saw a deflected effort hit the outside of the post and Hart saved from Connor Barron after Nawrocki’s poor clearance.

The offside flag went up after good chances at either end and Graeme Shinnie looked all set to score only to hit Hart with his shot. Leighton Clarkson looked offside from Shinnie’s header before he got the ball back.

Miovski was definitely offside when he beat Hart to Clarkson’s low cross and knocked the ball into the net from close range.

Celtic finished strongly but Roos came off his line to foil O’Riley and substitute Stephen Welsh headed over with the last action of the game before the away supporters resumed chants against the board while applauding the players.

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite’s added-time header snatched a 2-2 draw against Tottenham to spoil two-goal Richarlison’s return to Goodison Park.

The visitors appeared on course to make it six wins in seven after quality strikes from the Brazil international, only for the Toffees’ 21-year-old centre-back, one of their players of the season, to pop up at the far post with his first goal of the campaign.

A point was as much a reward for Sean Dyche’s side’s determination as it was a punishment for Spurs not finishing off their opponents when they had the chance.

Richarlison chose not to celebrate his eighth and ninth goals in the last eight league matches in deference to fans who less than two years ago adored him for the part he played in their first escape against relegation.

But there were wild scenes in the fourth minute of additional time when Tottenham defender Cristian Romero could only flick on James Garner’s inswinging free-kick and Branthwaite ghosted in to nod past Guglielmo Vicario, who endured a difficult afternoon dealing with Everton’s set-pieces.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s struggles also continued as he thought he had ended a 17-game drought extending back to October by nodding in from close range for the Toffees’ first equaliser only for the goal to be credited to Jack Harrison just before the start of the second half.

There were no such doubts about Richarlison’s well-taken goals; the first after four minutes when he swept home a volley after Idrissa Gana Gueye – injuries meaning he went came straight back in the side following Senegal’s African Nations Cup exit – had allowed Destiny Udogie to run beyond him to collect Timo Werner’s pass.

But instead of pressing home their early advantage Spurs were pushed back, with Harrison’s embarrassment at missing from a couple of yards spared by an offside flag.

Everton’s best opportunities came from set-pieces, particularly with Dwight McNeil targeting Vicario with inswinging corners from the right.

It was one of those which eventually paid off as Vicario, under pressure from Garner, failed to deal with a corner under his own crossbar and James Tarkowski headed back across goal for Calvert-Lewin to nod in.

Or so he thought until intervention from the Premier League’s goal accreditation panel.

Blissfully unaware the Everton striker now had a spring in his step and only just failed to get on the end of a Harrison cross having been crowded out by centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van der Ven.

Everton were actually in the ascendency when Richarlison put Spurs ahead again; James Maddison and Werner combined down the left with the latter teeing up the Brazilian who, with Harrison slow to react, had time to curl a shot across and beyond Jordan Pickford.

Vicario’s legs blocked Ben Godfrey’s header and Vitalii Mykolenko’s volley was parried late in the half but Tottenham’s momentum continued after the break with Werner denied by Pickford in a one-on-one only to be flagged offside.

Pickford made a better save when it mattered to deny Richarlison his hat-trick and the visitors should have put the game beyond doubt.

That they did not should have seen Youssef Chermiti make them pay only for him to stab a shot straight at Vicario and, after fellow substitute Beto had two penalty claims turned down, up stepped Branthwaite to deliver the painful blow.

Everton are still without a league win since mid-December but the manner in which they secured a point should do wonders for morale. However, a trip to Manchester City now awaits.

Former Trinidad and Tobago winger Kevin Molino is set to make another important transition in his career, as he has parted ways with Major League Soccer (MLS) team Columbus Crew by mutual agreement.

Molino's departure from the club after three seasons, follows his retirement international duty in September last year.

Columbus Crew President and General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko, said after discussions with the 33-year-old Molino, both parties mutually agreed to terminate the midfielder’s contract.

Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi insists Sunday’s clash with Juventus will not be decisive in the Serie A title race.

Italy’s top two clubs do battle at the San Siro with only one point separating the sides and the winner guaranteed to finish the weekend at the summit.

It will be leaders Inter’s first match at home in a month after two away trips were sandwiched by Super Cup success in Saudi Arabia and they could take a big step towards a first title since 2021 with all three points.

“Tomorrow’s match is very important, but not decisive,” Inzaghi told a press conference.

“It will be very close, in the first leg (game) it was not an exciting match, but now we are playing at home in front of our fans and we will try to play a match in the best possible way.

“Juventus had a great journey, similar to ours, we are preparing as best we can .

“Both teams will have pressure, we must be happy to play this great match. There will be pressure as it should be, but we must be proud to play this challenge, we will have the push of the fans who we want to make happy.”

Inter have won 17 of their 21 Serie A matches and could open up a four-point gap at the top with a game in hand with victory over Juventus.

The first clash between the teams ended 1-1 back in November, but the hosts will be without former Juventus ace Juan Cuadrado due to injury.

Inzaghi added: “There has been a lot of talk about favourites, we are Inter and we know we have great responsibilities in every match.

“We have already played 30 very positive ones, in January we played five matches in 22 days, of which the last four were away from San Siro and we won a trophy.

“We have to look ahead though, we want to make this match ours. I wouldn’t make comparisons though, there are still four months to go and it’s not yet decisive.”

Inzaghi has won eight cups since becoming a manager, but not tasted Serie A success.

Opposite number Massimiliano Allegri has won six Scudettos, five of them during his first spell with Juventus.

However, Inzaghi, 47, played down suggestions the match will be decided by the two coaches, with Allegri winning nine of their 18 meetings.

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“I have great respect for Allegri. Fortunately we have won a lot with Juventus, even if we have also lost in recent years,” Inzaghi said.

“The challenge is not Inzaghi-Allegri, but Inter-Juventus. The protagonists are the players who go on the pitch to help their teams.

“Allegri has won a lot, he is a winning and expert coach. He is very practical, I like him a lot.

“I think I saw an excellent Juventus this year. They won 16 games out of 21. They were very good, to keep the Inter’s pace required a super team and they are proving to be one.”

Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City are coming up against an “exceptional player” in Ivan Toney as they travel to Brentford on Monday.

Toney, who scored twice when the Bees won at the Etihad Stadium last season, recently returned to action after serving an eight-month ban for breaching betting regulations.

The 27-year-old forward has struck in both appearances since completing his suspension and Guardiola is pleased to see such talent back on the field.

The City manager said: “He’s an exceptional player. Not just with the long balls, with keeping (the ball) and set-pieces, with the penalties as a guarantee.

“For many things they can link with him and he’s an extraordinary player.

“I’m so happy he is back and hopefully that period is forgotten in his life and for his family. Exceptional players always are more than welcome in the Premier League.”

Brentford beat champions City home and away in the Premier League last season.

The Toney-inspired first of those victories came in the final game before the World Cup break, as City endured an indifferent spell in the autumn.

The second, at the Gtech Community Stadium, was on the last day of the campaign as City, having already wrapped up the title, were preparing for the FA Cup and Champions League finals.

Nevertheless, Guardiola sees them as a serious threat as City look to maintain their recent momentum after eight successive wins.

He said: “We know in the past how difficult they have been. Even when we won it was always tight and we lost the two games we played last season.

“So we know the difficulty for the way they play, the standards that they have. They are clear and they believe it and they apply really well.

“It’s another game to face, a new challenge.”

City have a full-strength squad available with defender Manuel Akanji back in contention after a knee injury.

Erling Haaland could make his first start in two months after returning from a foot problem as a substitute against Burnley in midweek.