Paolo Maldini is prepared for a change of off-field leadership at Milan after it was reported the club's owners are in talks with potential buyers of the Serie A giants.

Technical director Maldini said it was important to keep a focus on on-field matters as Milan chase the Serie A title.

The club legend, who made a record 902 appearances for Milan as a player, spoke about the possibility of a takeover before Friday's league clash with Genoa.

Milan won that game 2-0 to move top of the table after city rivals Inter briefly went to the summit earlier in the day.

"I know little, but it is normal that in the future of Milan there may also be a sale," Maldini told DAZN. "I don't know when that moment will be.

"A few matchdays from the end [of the season], however, I think it is in everyone's interest to try and think about winning this championship. We also have the semi-final of the Coppa Italia to play."

It has been widely reported that Investcorp, founded in Bahrain, is in talks to buy the San Siro giants from American hedge fund Elliott Management, which is said to be seeking a price above $1billion.

The Financial Times reported Investcorp has secured an exclusivity period set to last for around two weeks.

Milan regained top spot in Serie A as they returned to winning ways in timely fashion with a 2-0 victory over struggling Genoa.

Inter's 3-1 win over Spezia earlier on Friday had sent the reigning champions to the top of the pile, but Milan responded in San Siro to restore their two-point lead.

Rafael Leao's early volley put Stefano Pioli's team ahead and a first win in three games was secured late on when Junior Messias struck.

Alexis Saelemaekers and Olivier Giroud passed up presentable opportunities, but 19th-placed Genoa were unable to make Milan pay for that profligacy as they slumped to a third straight defeat.

A late switch to Milan's line-up saw Pierre Kalulu shifted to right-back in the absence of Davide Calabria, and the defender produced a moment of real quality for Leao's 11th-minute opener.

Leao had not scored since the end of February but kept his cool to steer Kalulu's inch-perfect cross into the right-hand corner on the volley.

On the opposite flank to Leao, Saelemaekers struggled to get involved and his rustiness showed when he lashed over from Franck Kessie's cutback nine minutes before half-time.

Saelemaekers nearly had a free run at goal after pouncing on a defensive mistake early in the second half, only to slice wide.

The winger turned provider just prior to the hour, but Giroud could not keep an acrobatic attempt down.

Yet Milan's faltering attack finally crafted another opening in the 87th minute, with Messias hitting home at the second time of asking following Salvatore Sirigu's fine save, the goal standing despite a VAR check for handball.

Inter moved back to the summit of Serie A in the latest turn of an enthralling title race after they claimed a 3-1 win over Spezia.

The Nerazzurri threw down a gauntlet to rivals Milan as they deposed them at the top of the table thanks to goals from Marcelo Brozovic, Lautaro Martinez and Alexis Sanchez.

Simone Inzaghi's defending champions could well end the weekend back in second place, with their San Siro neighbours set to face Genoa later on Good Friday.

But victory at Stadio Alberto Picco at least means the Nerazzurri remain neck-and-neck, with a game in hand on the Rossoneri beyond this latest round ensuring destiny stays in their own hands.

In a game where opportunities were initially at a premium, it took almost 15 minutes for either side to register an attempt, with Denzel Dumfries heading wide.

But when Danilo D'Ambrosio headed down a looping cross near the edge of the box in the 31st minute, there was little stopping Brozovic's rasping drive into the top-left corner.

The visitors were not as clinically composed as they would have liked, however.

Nicolo Barella slid reaching for the ball past the hour to fumble a great chance for a second, while Dumfries blazed a subsequent low cross way over the crossbar.

But when Martinez flicked Ivan Perisic's cross beyond Ivan Provedel with just over a quarter-hour to play, Inter looked to be home and dry.

Giulio Maggiore fired home a response late on to set up a nervy final act, but the visitors restored the two-goal cushion in stoppage time, with Sanchez drilling a squared Martinez pass home.

Pep Guardiola likened Manchester City's rivalry with Liverpool to an NBA playoffs series as he challenged his players to slam dunk their way into the FA Cup final.

City have a second treble in their sights this term, having previously completed a clean sweep of the three English domestic trophies in the 2018-19 season.

They can capture the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League this time, but Liverpool are a team who might deny them on all fronts, making Saturday's Wembley semi-final a tantalising prospect.

Guardiola said he had no regrets about City's disappointing record in FA Cup semi-finals during his reign. They have won only one of four matches at the last-four stage in this competition under his command, beating Brighton and Hove Albion 1-0 on the way to the 2019 showpiece before crushing Watford 6-0 in the final.

Arsenal have beaten City twice at this stage during Guardiola's reign, and Chelsea surprisingly had their number last season in the semi-finals.

Ahead of his fifth such occasion, Guardiola said: "I would have loved from five semi-finals to reach five finals and win all five finals. This would have been my dream, but the word 'regret', I don't have it.

"I don't have any regrets for my players. When they're losing I am closer to them.

"We arrive now one month and a half to the end of the season, we are in the position of having two semi-finals in the big competitions.

"We are in the Premier League on top of the league, and we are in the semi-finals of the other two competitions.

"Come on, it's so great. We are so satisfied about what we have done so far, but it is not enough. So try one more time, one more time, one more game, one more game."

Saturday's clash will be the first FA Cup meeting between City and Liverpool since Gerard Houllier's Reds ran out 1-0 winners away from home against Kevin Keegan's men in 2003, with Danny Murphy netting the winner.

It follows just six days after the teams met in the Premier League, battling out a gripping 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium, and with both sides through to the Champions League semi-finals, there is a possible further meeting on the horizon in the final of that competition.

Guardiola was asked if he had ever known such a rivalry where two sides were so dominant across a host of competitions, prompting him to point to a rivalry between his Barcelona and Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid in the 2010-11 season.

As that campaign boiled to its peak, the Clasico foes played one another four times in 18 days, consisting of two legs of a Champions League semi-final, a Copa del Rey final, and a LaLiga game.

Barcelona took the Champions League honours and went on to beat Manchester United in the final, Madrid won the Copa del Rey, and the league game finished in stalemate, with Guardiola's team soon securing the title.

Just as then with Madrid, Guardiola is always wanting to learn more about the opposition.

"Of course, always you learn – every time you play against Liverpool you learn another thing," he said.

"It's like the playoffs in basketball. When you play in a short time many times. We played them one week ago and this is the second. With Madrid... it was like a real playoff."

Sevilla and Real Madrid were title rivals when they last met in LaLiga back in November.

Then, as is the case now, Madrid led the table, but Sevilla were just two points back in third having played the same number of games. Optimism was growing for a genuine title fight.

But the team the capital from behind to win 2-1 through a late Vinicius Junior goal and have since opened a significant gap to Sevilla.

Including the three earned at the Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid have collected 10 more points than Sevilla in the intervening period.

Now, as the sides prepare to face off again at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Carlo Ancelotti's men – fresh from reaching the Champions League semi-finals – look to be coasting towards a 35th championship.

Even victory for Sevilla would only close the deficit to nine points with six games to play – and such a result feels highly unlikely based on recent history.

One-sided recent rivalry

Perhaps discussion of a tussle at the top earlier in the season was premature given Madrid's dominance of this fixture in the past few seasons.

Defeat at the Bernabeu was Sevilla's fifth in six league matches against Madrid, with their other encounter in that run a draw.

Indeed, this is their worst winless run against Madrid since a sequence of 15 games between May 1993 and April 2003 – 13 of which were losses. That was Sevilla's longest such streak against Madrid in LaLiga history.

Away day success in Andalusia 

This miserable stretch for Sevilla has included consecutive home defeats to Madrid, who are now bidding to win three in a row away from home in this fixture for the first time since a run of four ended in November 1996.

Those past two Madrid victories have been by 1-0 scorelines, meaning they could become only the third team in LaLiga history to win three in a row at Sevilla without conceding after Barcelona in March 1961 (three matches) and Celta Vigo in November 2003 (four).

Madrid have enjoyed recent trips to Andalusia as a whole, winning on their past seven visits. This is their best ever such run in LaLiga.

Los Blancos have scored in 31 of their past 32 league matches in the region (W24 D2 L6) for 78 goals in total at a rate of 2.44 goals per game.

Can ex-flop Lop stop the rot?

The match in November was Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui's 100th in LaLiga, but it should have come as no surprise that it did not come to plan. His career rarely has when Lopetegui has become entwined with Madrid.

His Spain tenure was ended prematurely when he agreed to join Madrid as coach on the eve of the 2018 World Cup – a decision that panned out for nobody.

Lopetegui oversaw just six wins in 14 matches in all competitions before he was sacked after a 5-1 defeat to rivals Barcelona. His win rate of 42.9 per cent was the second-lowest among all Madrid coaches to oversee multiple games.

As evidenced by the result in November, things have scarcely improved for Lopetegui where Madrid are concerned since his dismissal.

He has overseen five of the six matches in Sevilla's winless run in this fixture, with the four defeats tied for his most against any team in LaLiga – along with Barca, of course.

On the other hand, opposite number Ancelotti has won six of his seven games against Sevilla as a coach, including two victories in finals, winning the UEFA Super Cup with Milan in 2007 and Madrid in 2014.

Benz at his best while Martial flounders

It was hoped the January signing of Anthony Martial would boost Sevilla's title hopes, yet his only goal in their colours so far came in the Europa League against Dinamo Zagreb.

There has been just a single assist in LaLiga, too, meaning Martial is still waiting for his 100th goal involvement in Europe's top five leagues two months on from his 99th – that tee-up for Rafa Mir against Elche.

This underwhelming form stands in stark contrast to that of compatriot Karim Benzema, who has 38 goals in 38 games in all competitions this season, with only Robert Lewandowski matching his 51 goal involvements among players in Europe's top five leagues.

Benzema has eight goals in 21 LaLiga games against Sevilla, although he has scored just once in 10 visits to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Only at Camp Nou (one goal in 13 games) has he played as many games while scoring so few goals.

Of all the seasons to improve that return, though, this is surely the one.

Kevin De Bruyne has had stitches in a lower-leg injury, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola revealed on the eve of the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool.

In-form playmaker De Bruyne and right-back Kyle Walker are doubtful for the Wembley game after both missed training on Friday.

Both De Bruyne and Walker hobbled out of City's 0-0 draw at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday. Walker has a twisted ankle.

Guardiola said De Bruyne's injury was not a muscular issue and mentioned the midfielder's calf and foot when asked about the problem.

To lose him or Walker – or even both senior men – for such a major occasion would be a blow to City.

"We will see tomorrow. Apparently, it will be so close after what happened on Wednesday, but we will see," Guardiola said.

City are chasing a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles that has only been achieved once before, by Manchester United 23 years ago.

Walker's injury was described by Guardiola as "a big twist, but it's getting better".

"We will see in the next hours, the next days. In football these kinds of things happen. We will adapt, adjust and go from here," Guardiola said. "Kevin had stitches after he had contact – it's not a muscular injury."

City, who have been preparing for the Liverpool game at Millwall's training ground in south London, are feeling the strain at this stage of the season.

They have travelled from Madrid to London, rather than preparing in Manchester and then making another long journey, with Guardiola pointing to the demands of broadcasters as the reason his team must play such an important game less than 72 hours since their last huge assignment in Spain.

"We have to adapt," Guardiola added.

He said City could "dream to be in better conditions, but it's not going to happen", given the tight turnaround.

De Bruyne scored in last Sunday's 2-2 Premier League draw with Liverpool, who were also in Champions League action on Wednesday, reaching the semi-finals at Benfica's expense.

"We're going to perform well. Like I said to the players, I don't want any excuse," Guardiola said.

"It is what it is and for that we have to go there tomorrow in Wembley Stadium and try to do our game."

Robert Lewandowski's attitude towards his work at Bayern Munich gives the impression he is staying at the club, coach Julian Nagelsmann believes.

Lewandowski is the leading scorer among players in Europe's top five leagues for a third consecutive season, netting 47 goals in all competitions in 2021-22 after 48 in 2020-21 and 55 2019-20.

He is the only player in Europe to have scored at least 40 goals in each of the past seven seasons.

But the 33-year-old's contract has only a year to run, and he has been linked with a move away from Bayern – most prominently to Barcelona.

Bayern have insisted Lewandowski will not be sold, yet he will be able to leave on a free transfer in 2023 if a new contract is not agreed, denying the Bundesliga giants a huge fee.

However, Nagelsmann does not think Lewandowski intends to quit the German champions based on the conversations the pair have had.

"Of course I would like to keep him, he is an important goalscorer," Nagelsmann said ahead of Sunday's game at Arminia Bielefeld. "He has a contract. There are conversations.

"I never got the impression that he wants to leave. We talk a lot about tactics, and he participates a lot. That implies for me that he wants to stay.

"But it's also quite normal to think about your future, especially when you've been with the club for so long."

Nagelsmann was speaking on Friday, three days after a Champions League draw with Villarreal that saw Bayern eliminated from the competition at the quarter-final stage.

Their failure to reach the quarter-finals in consecutive seasons will have financial implications, but Nagelsmann hopes Bayern will keep investing in order to return to Europe's top table.

"It's always a vicious circle," he said. "The squad changes, you lose regular players; on the other hand, the income is missing because you don't get that far.

"Of course, we don't have the money we would have made from the semi-finals.

"You have to decide: do you take a risk, how much do you invest? If you do not take risks, the probability of reaching a semi-final is lower, then again the money is missing. It's always a balancing act."

Now, though, the focus has to be on clinching the Bundesliga title – that is Nagelsmann's message as Bayern aim to move on from the Villarreal game, where Lucas Hernandez and Kingsley Coman sustained muscle injuries that make them doubts against Arminia.

"There's a bit of dreariness. We won't have the opportunity to play such games again until a year from now," he said. "We have a year to think about it.

"But we now have a mission: ideally win the next two games to become champions. You have to turn that dreariness into vigour."

There is the potential for yet another Lewandowski record, too, needing only a single goal to become the outright away scorer in a Bundesliga season; he has 17 on the road so far this term, tied with Jupp Heynckes in 1973-74 and Timo Werner in 2019-20.

Lewandowski's only previous away game against Arminia in October 2020 saw him score twice and assist another in a 4-1 Bayern win.

Massimiliano Allegri has told Juventus they require at least 10 points from their remaining six games to clinch a Champions League place as Dusan Vlahovic targets a landmark goal.

If Vlahovic scores against Bologna on Saturday, the former Fiorentina striker will reach 50 goals in his Serie A career at the age of 22 years and 78 days old.

In Italian top-flight history, only one foreign player has reached 50 at a younger age, with Alexandre Pato doing so with Milan at 21 years and 220 days.

That gives context to Serbian Vlahovic's performance to date, with five of his goals having come in his first nine league games for Juventus.

Juventus sit just six points behind league leaders Milan, having last had a shorter gap to top spot after matchday two, but a defeat to Inter two weeks ago has probably ended their title hopes.

This is why Allegri is focusing on making sure of a fourth-place finish. A five-point cushion over fifth-placed Roma suggests Juventus should achieve that objective, but Allegri is demanding sharp focus.

There have been disappointments in his reign to date, including a Champions League last-16 exit to Villarreal and a Supercoppa Italiana loss to Inter, so there will be no early celebrations from Juventus.

"Bologna drew at San Siro against Milan and won the last match [2-0 against Sampdoria]. We have to be careful," Allegri said, "there are six games left between now and the end of the championship.

"We still need 10 points to get into the Champions League. I am satisfied with how the team have grown and how we are working. We have started a path, even if I am sorry about how we came out of the Champions League and how we lost the Supercoppa Italiana.

"The team have been doing well for several months now, but we have reached the crucial moment of the season and we must reach the minimum goal, which is fourth place, by.trying to score as many points as possible."

Juventus have a Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against Fiorentina coming up on Wednesday, with Allegri's side holding a 1-0 lead.

"We will think about the Coppa Italia from the day after tomorrow," Allegri said.

However, that game is already somewhat in his thoughts, with Allegri saying he will choose either Leonardo Bonucci or Giorgio Chiellini in central defence against Bologna, but will not pick both, given the importance of the Fiorentina game.

Vlahovic is a confirmed starter, and Allegri said: "I hope he can become the top scorer in the league."

Heading into the weekend, Vlahovic has 22 goals for the season, two fewer than top scorer Ciro Immobile of Lazio.

Juventus have won each of their last 11 Serie A games against Bologna, scoring 26 goals in this run, and at home they have put together eight successive league wins against Saturday's opponents.

Julian Nagelsmann revealed he regularly receives death threats in the aftermath of Bayern Munich matches and his mother is also targeted.

Bayern were eliminated from the Champions League in midweek after a 1-1 draw at home to Villarreal resulted in a 2-1 aggregate quarter-final defeat.

It means Die Roten can only win one major trophy in Nagelsmann's first season as head coach, though a nine-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga with five games to go means that trophy looks reasonably secure.

Nagelsmann said receiving threats is not out of the ordinary as he opened up on the abuse when previewing Bayern's weekend fixture with Arminia Bielefeld.

"I get them after every game, regardless of whether we win or lose. I only ever see the first line and then delete them all at once," he said.

"They even shoot at my own mother, who doesn't play football at all. That's a little wild.

"There are more death threats when we play a back three. How do I deal with it? I don't give a f***. I cannot understand. As soon as you turn off the TV, people forget their decency. But that's all useless. They think they're right, that's the bizarre thing.

"I don't think the club is increasing security. You also move as a private person. I don't want to provoke anyone now."

Club legend and former CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge spoke about how uncertainty over the contracts of several big-name players may have proved a distracting factor in Bayern's European demise.

Nagelsmann says it is easier to accept criticism from such quarters.

"I am aware that you have to put up with criticism from all sides. That's normal, part of it. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge's criticism is manageable for me. I can handle that," he added.

"Maybe not quite as good with the 450 death threats on Instagram. But I don't read them all, of course that's a bit irrelevant.

"Of course, if you are eliminated in two out of three competitions, a coach will also be criticised. But I can take it and keep working."

Nagelsmann also stated he had held constructive talks with Bayern's hierarchy following the Villarreal setback.

"We sat together for two hours on Wednesday and talked about the game. I picked out the most important things again, but again our game was good. We lost it in the first leg," he said.

"I had a long phone call with [chief executive] Oliver Kahn yesterday, also about the squad and my ideas. He wants to have a picture of what the coach is thinking. The exchange has been very good so far. 

"We are very good at planning, but implementation is not that easy. The squad planning changes every day, you imagine something. Two days later it looks very different. That's where the fast pace of business comes into play."

Barcelona are awaiting scan results on star midfielder Pedri after he sustained a hamstring injury against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.

The Blaugrana prospect was replaced by Frenkie de Jong at half-time against the Bundesliga side, who progressed to the Europa League semi-final with a dramatic 4-3 aggregate victory.

Pedri was struggling with a problem in his left thigh, and Barca coach Xavi acknowledged he was worried by the injury, adding: "It's very bad news."

Further scans on Friday were undertaken to determine the extent of the issue for Pedri, who was sidelined for an extended period earlier this year with another hamstring problem.

The news of the injury to the midfielder will further compound the disappointment of Barca's exit from the Europa League.

Pedri has played only 12 matches in LaLiga this season, starting 10. Barca have won eight of those 10, compared to nine victories in 20 without the teenager.

The midfielder scored in his most recent LaLiga appearance, a 3-2 win over Levante on Sunday, his third goal in five matches at the time. He had scored only three times in his prior 46 appearances.

Xavi will have to make do without Pedri when his side host Cadiz on Monday as they look to cut LaLiga leaders Real Madrid's 12-point lead.

Juventus have agreed a one-year contract extension with Juan Cuadrado.

The versatile Cuadrado initially joined Juve on a season-long loan from Chelsea in 2015, before returning the following campaign on a three-year loan from Stamford Bridge.

Juve then signed the Colombia international on a permanent deal after a contractual clause in the loan agreement was met when the Bianconeri lifted the 2016-17 Serie A title.

However, uncertainty has surrounded the future of Cuadrado at Juve – who have confirmed Paulo Dybala will depart at the end of the season when his contract expires – with his deal set to run out in June 2022.

But the 33-year-old has committed to another year in Turin, with Massimiliano Allegri's side confirming the agreement on Friday.

"Indissoluble. An adjective that describes something that cannot be brought to an end, cannot be undone or broken," a statement from Juve read.

"The relationship that binds Juventus to Cuadrado and Juan to the black and white jersey is all in this word. Something strong, which goes beyond the field of play, goes beyond the surface.

"A bond that continues until 2023. Juan is unique, irreplaceable. And it's great we're staying together, Panita!"

Cuadrado has amassed 262 appearances for Juve, scoring 24 times and providing 53 assists during his time in Turin.

Last season, he recorded 10 assists in Serie A and 17 across all competitions, impressive form that the evergreen winger-turned-full-back has continued into the 2021-22 campaign.

Cuadrado has only three assists in the league for Allegri's team this season, but no Juve player has created more chances (52) or played more games (30) or minutes (2,254).

He has also taken the captain's armband in the absence of experienced campaign Giorgio Chiellini for Juve, who are fourth in the league, six points behind leaders Milan.

Allegri will be hoping Cuadrado can continue his productive season when Juve host Bologna on Saturday as they look to extend their five-point lead over fifth-placed Roma.

Thomas Tuchel has revealed he explained to Conor Gallagher in person why Chelsea could not allow the on-loan Crystal Palace midfielder to play in their FA Cup semi-final.

Chelsea meet Palace in the last four of the competition at Wembley on Sunday, but breakout star Gallagher will be merely a spectator.

The England international belongs to Chelsea but is yet to make a senior appearance for the club, instead establishing himself as a top Premier League midfielder for Palace this season.

Gallagher has scored eight goals and provided five assists in all competitions in 2021-22, including two assists in four FA Cup matches prior to the semis.

That sort of form shows why Chelsea could not accommodate Palace's request to allow him to play this weekend. The Blues have won both matches against Palace in his absence this season, extending a winning run in the fixture to nine games.

"I had the chance to speak to Conor and I could also see his frustration," Tuchel said ahead of the match. "We met some weeks ago, after the international break, by coincidence in a restaurant.

"We had a chat, and the subject came up. I apologised, because I know how competitive he is, and I like him a lot. I know his character very well, and it was a pleasure to have him here in pre-season.

"This is the way it is. We play to win the game. The rules were clear when we made the loan.

"I can totally understand Patrick Vieira and the disappointment of Conor, but these were the rules when we made the loan, and we don't want to suffer from our rules."

Chelsea must still take on an England international brought through their academy, however, with Marc Guehi a permanent Palace signing last year.

Guehi, like Gallagher, has impressed at Palace, while Tino Livramento has been one of Southampton's star performers this season, but Tuchel explained their sales could not be reassessed with hindsight.

"It's a decision we took together. We are happy about these decisions," he said. "We cannot go back and reflect, because at the point where we took the decision it was the right thing to do, given the circumstances.

"It's very individual decisions. For Tino Livramento, for example, we had a plan and we preferred a loan, but he saw his future to go, and the situation was then better to agree to the sale.

"For Marc, it is a fantastic development. It's very hard or maybe even impossible to say if we had kept him he would be better or worse or the same. Maybe he needed exactly that, maybe he needed a change of environment, maybe he needed a different club, maybe he needed a bigger role, more minutes to develop your full potential.

"It just tells you over and over again that if you trust younger players and if you have a role for them, they can on a very regular level match your expectations or even over-perform.

"It's nice to see there are so many Chelsea players out there in every league. We are very well aware of it, and it's also nice to play against them and see them develop."

Chelsea still have academy graduates in their first team, with Mason Mount leading the way in terms of goal involvements (25 – 11 goals, 14 assists) this term.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (31), Reece James (30), Callum Hudson-Odoi (28) and Trevoh Chalobah (26) have each made more than 25 appearances for the Blues in 2021-22.

"We will always use as many academy players as possible," Tuchel said.

"Like I said many times before, it makes the club very special and makes every team in the world very special if you have the mix between world-class players, between big personalities from abroad, from outside the club, with the academy boys.

"I think it's very important also with the academy boys to match the level, to realise the level of commitment, of professionalism of players who come from other clubs, who bring the best of their cultures.

"It's very, very important for our youngsters to accept that mix and accept that challenge. Then it can be very special. This is what makes teams special, that there are players from the academy."

Sean Dyche has been sacked by Burnley after almost 10 years in charge at Turf Moor.

The shock announcement comes with Burnley mired in relegation trouble, sitting 18th in the Premier League and four points adrift of Everton with eight matches to play.

Burnley have just one win from their past seven matches, losing five times in that run, and the Clarets' board have opted to make a change for a crucial run-in.

"Firstly, we would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Sean and his staff for their achievements at the club over the last decade," Burnley chairman Alan Pace said via a club statement.

"During his time at Turf Moor, Sean has been a credit both on and off the pitch, respected by players, staff, supporters, and the wider football community.

"However, results this season have been disappointing and, while this was an incredibly difficult decision, with eight crucial games of the campaign remaining, we feel a change is needed to give the squad the best possible chance of retaining its Premier League status.

"The process of replacing Sean has begun and further announcements will be made to supporters in due course."

Dyche was appointed as Eddie Howe's successor at Turf Moor back in October 2012 and led them to promotion in the following campaign.

Though they were relegated after just one season, Dyche oversaw a successful return to the top flight and Burnley have remained in the Premier League for five straight seasons.

In that time, he has overseen two top-half finishes and led Burnley into Europe for the first time in 51 years.

Dyche was the longest-reigning manager in the Premier League but now becomes the 10th different manager to lose his job in the top tier this season.

A 2-0 defeat at rock-bottom Norwich City last weekend has ultimately proven the final straw for Dyche at Burnley, who next face West Ham on Sunday.

Games against Southampton, Wolves, Watford, Aston Villa and Tottenham are then on the horizon as the Clarets attempt to claw their way out of danger.

Burnley announced assistant manager Ian Woan, first-team coach Steve Stone and goalkeeping coach Billy Mercer have also parted company with the club.

Sean Dyche has been sacked by Burnley after almost 10 years in charge at Turf Moor.

The shock announcement comes with Burnley mired in relegation trouble, sitting 18th in the Premier League and four points adrift of Everton with eight matches to play.

Burnley have just one win from their past seven matches, losing five times in that run, and the Clarets' board have opted to make a change for a crucial run-in.

"Firstly, we would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Sean and his staff for their achievements at the club over the last decade," Burnley chairman Alan Pace said via a club statement.

"During his time at Turf Moor, Sean has been a credit both on and off the pitch, respected by players, staff, supporters, and the wider football community.

"However, results this season have been disappointing and, while this was an incredibly difficult decision, with eight crucial games of the campaign remaining, we feel a change is needed to give the squad the best possible chance of retaining its Premier League status.

"The process of replacing Sean has begun and further announcements will be made to supporters in due course."

Jose Mourinho criticised Roma for needing four attempts to defeat Bodo/Glimt after the Serie A side progressed to the Europa Conference League semi-finals on Thursday.

Roma failed to defeat Bodo/Glimt in two meetings in the group stage, including a 6-1 thrashing in Norway, before falling to a 2-1 defeat in the first leg of their last-eight meeting.

The latter clash was marred by an altercation between Bodo/Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen and Roma goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos, with the former accusing the latter of an alleged assault in the tunnel.

The pair were suspended for the return leg in Italy, where a hat-trick from Nicolo Zaniolo and a strike from Tammy Abraham saw Roma cruise to a 4-0 win and 5-2 aggregate triumph.

Roma will next face Leicester City for a place in the final, but coach Mourinho was far from pleased with his side for taking four matches to claim their maiden victory against the Norwegian team.

"Even after the 2-1 first leg I was confident," he told Sky Sport Italia. "The plan was to focus only on the pitch. 

"It is unacceptable we only managed to beat this side at the fourth attempt, but it was the most important. It was 2-1 for them, it ended 5-2 for us.

"There was no doubt today. I told my team at half-time that it wasn't about humiliating the opposition, winning 6-1 the way they did in Norway, it's just about reaching the semi-final.

"Some fatigue set in later on but the team deserved it, we are now 12 games into the Conference League and it's tough playing on Thursdays and the weekend, but we are here waving the Italian flag in Europe."

Mourinho also claimed Roma "play a lot better than what people say" before he hit out at the Italian media for their coverage of Zaniolo, who returned with a treble after being dropped against Salernitana.

"Zaniolo sells, so people talk about him when he plays, doesn't play, is injured, on the bench," he added. "It would be better for him and for all of Italian football to just leave him alone.

"We managed to hide the fact he would start today, people thought he'd be on the bench, but I knew he could attack the space.

"We are very happy, he will no doubt be on the front page for only positive reasons tomorrow."

Roma will be hoping Zaniolo can deliver again when they visit Napoli on Monday in Serie A as they hunt for a place in Italy's top four, sitting five points behind fourth-placed Juventus with six games left to play.