The Burnley striker said his side targeted the Leicester star in their recent Premier League meeting and his national side will deploy similar tactics

Czech Republic striker Matej Vydra has said England’s defence – and in particular Harry Maguire – can be exploited ahead of the two nations squaring off in Euro 2020 qualifiers. 

The Czech Republic will visit Wembley Stadium on Friday, as both teams kick-off qualifying for next summer’s tournament. 

Vydra is hoping his national team can take advantage of Maguire in the same way that his club side did on Saturday. 

Maguire was sent off in a Premier League match at Burnley after only five minutes at Turf Moor, though Leicester still managed to win the game 2-1. 

Vydra has admitted that the 26-year-old was intentionally targeted, and added that while England’s attack is top notch, the Three Lions defence is another story. 

“[Harry] Kane is top, [Marcus] Rashford as well, [Raheem] Sterling is in a great form. The attack is very strong,” Vydra said.

“Defence, I don’t say it’s not strong as well, but it’s not as strong as the attack.

“For example, Maguire. We talked about him at Burnley before we played against Leicester. In some moments it seems he doesn’t know what’s happening behind him, that’s why he got a red card after five minutes in the match against Burnley.”

England will not be at full strength in the back on Friday, with John Stones and Trent Alexander-Arnold both missing through injury. 

Vydra’s Burnley team-mate James Tarkowski could be in line for minutes in defence, with goalkeeper Tom Heaton another Clarets player in the England squad. 

Vydra is hoping to seal a famous result at Wembley in order to secure bragging rights over his club team-mates.

“We talked about the game and I hope we’ll get a good result. If so, I can taunt them for a long time!”

The 34-year-old guided his side to the last eight of the Champions League this week and his representative says there is much more to come

Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest footballer of all time and will make history at Juventus, says the Portugal superstar’s agent Jorge Mendes.

Ronaldo, 34, is enjoying a fine debut season in Serie A since joining Juve from Real Madrid last summer. The Portuguese attacker has scored 19 times in the Italian top-flight, with a further four goals coming in the Champions League. 

Ronaldo, who won four of his five Champions League titles with Real Madrid, ensured his side remain in contention for this year’s European crown with a star performance in Turin on Tuesday.

While Madrid suffered a shock last-16 exit at the hands of Ajax, the Juve striker hit a sublime hat-trick to overturn a first-leg deficit and knock out Atletico Madrid 3-2 on aggregate.

He therefore drew level with old rival Lionel Messi on a record eight Champions League hat-tricks, but Mendes is in no doubt who is better.

“He is the best player in the history of the game and he proved it against Atletico Madrid,” Mendes said to Gazzetta dello Sport of his client.

“He is an alien, he made the difference in England and Spain and the same is happening in Italy.

“Without him, Real Madrid wouldn’t have won that much, he was the leading light and he is the best player in the history of Real Madrid.

“I am sure he will make the difference in Italy as well. He will make history at Juventus.

“Cristiano is epic, incredible, divine.”

Juventus will find out their quarter-final opponents when the Champions League draw is made on Friday. The remaining teams in the competition are Ajax, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Porto and Tottenham.

The Portuguese superstar has become the subject of a disciplinary investigation from UEFA following his actions during a meeting with Atletico Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo has been charged by UEFA with improper conduct, with Juventus now waiting to discover whether the Portuguese will be sanctioned over his ‘cojones’ celebration against Atletico Madrid.

The 34-year-old forward has become the subject of a disciplinary investigation by European football’s governing body.

That is because he is considered to have acted out of line during a Champions League last-16 encounter in Turin.

Ronaldo netted a stunning hat-trick against Atletico to overturn a two-goal first leg deficit and fire Juve into the quarter-finals.

They are due to face Ajax at that stage, with the Eredivisie outfit having stunned Real Madrid – the winners from the last three seasons – to prolong their continental adventure.

It now remains to be seen whether Ronaldo will play a leading role for Juve in a last-eight clash with Dutch opposition.

UEFA have taken a dim view on his reaction to helping the Bianconeri past Atletico.

Having starred in a remarkable turnaround for the Serie A title holders, Ronaldo mimicked the crotch-grabbing celebration which saw Rojiblancos boss Diego Simeone generate headlines during an initial meeting between two heavyweight outfits.

The Argentine avoided a ban for his antics but was handed a fine.

Ronaldo is now waiting to discover what, if any, action will be taken against him.

 A statement released by UEFA confirming the charge of improper conduct against Ronaldo read: “Following a disciplinary investigation conducted by a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector, in accordance with the Article 55 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR), disciplinary proceedings have been opened following the UEFA Champions League round of 16 match between Juventus Football Club and Club Atlético de Madrid, played on 12 March in Italy.

“The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body will deal with this case at its next meeting on 21 March 2019.”

Juventus are not expecting drastic measures to be taken by UEFA, with the Italian giants confident that Ronaldo will remain at their disposal for a two-legged meeting with Ajax.

Coach Massimiliano Allegro has said: “Absolutely not. I think everyone celebrated their own way on the field and in the stands. I saw nothing strange, just a celebration. There won’t be a ban.”

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The coach congratulated Jurgen Klopp’s men after the Reds sealed their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League

Bayern Munich head coach Niko Kovac said his side were deservedly eliminated by Liverpool in the Champions League last 16.

It was a night to forget for Bayern at Allianz Arena, where the Bundesliga champions suffered a 3-1 second-leg defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday.

Following last month’s scoreless stalemate on Merseyside, Bayern were no match for Liverpool – who condemned the German giants to their earliest European exit since 2010-11.

Speaking afterwards, Kovac told Sky: “We had a strong opponent and we have to congratulate Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.

“They were better in these two matches and we deserved to lose. The opponent attacked us very high and left no spaces, that made it difficult for us.

“On top of that it was not our best day. Liverpool are a top team in Europe and they showed us our limits.”

He continued: “You saw after the second goal how much quality they have. 

“We still have two titles to fight for. We’re top in the Bundesliga and we’re still in the cup. Our goal is to win both of these competitions.”

Bayern conceded first at home, with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer caught out on the edge of the penalty area as Sadio Mane put Liverpool ahead in the 26th minute.

A Joel Matip own goal 13 minutes later restored parity for Bayern, however, the hosts were swept aside in the second half as Virgil van Dijk and Mane led Liverpool into the quarter-finals.

Asked about his involvement in the opening goal, Neuer said: “I wanted to stand right ahead of Mane, but his first touch was superb. If he does not control it perfectly, I am there [to take the ball]. Then he makes a great move.

“If I stay on the line he can run at me one on one. I can see why people think I did not look to good. Still, Mane did it really well.”

Meanwhile, Bayern defender Mats Hummels credited Reds boss Klopp as the architect of the German giants’ downfall.

“I know Jurgen Klopp and he is very good at eliminating the opponents’ strengths and he showed that again today,” he said.

“The 1-2 took away our belief. After that Liverpool was the better team. Still this was not a great game of football.”

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The Parisians allowed a two-goal lead to slip in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, with fans continuing to voice displeasure

Paris Saint-Germain striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has admitted that the club’s Champions League defeat to Manchester United remains at the forefront of their minds, though he has called on fans to stick with the Ligue 1 champions.

Having beaten the Red Devils 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Old Trafford, PSG succumbed to a 3-1 defeat at Parc des Princes to crash out of Europe at the first knockout hurdle.

It marked the third time in successive seasons that the Parisians have been knocked out of the competition before the quarter-finals despite spending big on the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Their performance in defeat to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side was widely panned, with the club’s ultras reportedly writing a letter claiming the club was “the laughing stock of Europe” and “full of mercenaries”.

Choupo-Moting, though, wished to make it clear that one of the world’s most expensive squads are still hurting from the loss despite what outsiders may think of them.

“The only thing we can do is keep playing and give everything for this club, both for us and for the fans,” he told reporters after scoring in PSG’s 4-0 win over Dijon on Tuesday. 

“Winning 4-0 was a good reaction, although we cannot erase what happened. It’s still very, very bad. It’s normal that it’s still in our heads.

“The atmosphere was not good, because we are always very disappointed. It is very difficult to find the right words to explain what happened.

“It shows on the face of each player. It’s hard, but we have to keep going.”

On the reaction of supporters, he added: “They must know that we need them. They will think that these are just words, because we cannot erase what happened. Even I do not have the words to explain the defeat against Manchester United.

“It hurts even more because, before this match, everything was good, we had a very good season. We have a good team, with a good atmosphere and great fans. It’s very painful that a single match provides this feeling.”

PSG’s European exit has seen some suggest that both Neymar and Mbappe could be on their way out of the club during the summer window, with Real Madrid heavily linked with both players.

Blancos president Florentino Perez even suggested that he could look to sign the duo following the reappointment of Zinedine Zidane as Madrid manager, but Choupo-Moting does not even want to consider the two most expensive players of all time departing the French capital.

“Frankly, I do not even think about that. I think they will stay at home, but I have something else in my head: the match against Marseille.”

PSG meet their old rivals Marseille in Le Classique on Sunday as they look to take another step towards sealing the Ligue 1 title.

Thomas Tuchel’s side are currently 17 points clear of second-placed Lille with a game in hand and still have 11 league matches to play.

The Dutch midfielder believes that the Reds put down a marker at the Allianz Arena on what was another memorable night for English football

Georginio Wijnaldum believes that Liverpool took “a really big step” in knocking Bayern Munich out of the Champions League, while offering English football another welcome shot in the arm.

The Reds completed a clean sweep for the Premier League contingent in Europe’s elite club competition on Wednesday when claiming a 3-1 aggregate success.

Having held Bayern to a goalless draw at Anfield in the first leg of their last-16 showdown, an impressive victory at the Allianz Arena carried Jurgen Klopp’s side into the quarter-finals.

They will be joined at that stage by domestic rivals Manchester United, Tottenham and Manchester City.

Wijnaldum believes continental dominance highlights the strength of the club game in England, while he also feels that Liverpool have put down a marker in their ongoing bid for major honours.

The Netherlands international midfielder told Sky Sports after helping to down Bayern: “It’s a really big night, not only for Liverpool but I think for England.

“All of the teams have gone through to the next round, and for us of course it was really good because we managed to win an away game at Bayern Munich – which is quite difficult.

“I feel like we’ve taken a really big step, because a lot of people said after the first match that it was not a good result to play a 0-0, but we had a good feeling about it because we didn’t concede a goal.

“We know the way we’re playing, we can always create chances so we were quite confident we would create chances here and score goals. That says something about the team itself.

“A lot of teams struggle here to get a result, but we still did it. We have a lot of confidence but we also work hard to bring things together in a good way.”

Sadio Mane once again proved to be the hero for Liverpool in Munich.

The Senegalese forward, who has 10 goals in his last 10 games for the Reds, bagged a brace in Germany to fire his side through.

Virgil van Dijk was also on target, ensuring that an own goal from Joel Matip mattered little in the grand scheme of things.

Klopp’s side, and the rest of the Premier League hopefuls, will discover their quarter-final opponents on Friday when the draw is made in Nyon.

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The retired defender believes the Catalan’s determination to win the Champions League with City could see him remain for years to come

Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has said he cannot see Pep Guardiola leaving the club in the foreseeable future.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich head coach has been linked with a move to Juventus next summer amid reports that City could face a transfer ban for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations.

While Guardiola himself denied these rumours, Lescott has stated he also believes they have no merit and hinted he thinks the manager may not leave the club until they have won the Champions League.

“I don’t believe Pep Guardiola will move on until he has dominated Europe with Manchester City,” Lescott told Sporting Bet.

“You could say it’s unfinished business as he bids to take their football to a global level. Pep has created so much success at Manchester City in such a short space of time and I believe there’s more success to come.

“Everyone associated with the club wants Guardiola at Manchester City and there would be a lot of disappointed fans, staff and players if he left. I don’t expect Guardiola to look to move anywhere until his contract is up in two years, at least,” he added.

The City boss has previously won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011 respectively, but in three years at Bayern he failed to win the competition.

Guardiola has also faced frustration in the Champions League with City and after being eliminated in the last-16 stage in 2017, failed to progress past the quarter-finals last season, when they lost to Liverpool over two legs.

This year, after navigating past Schalke in the previous round, City face Tottenham in the last eight and will be hoping to win the tournament for the first time.

Lescott believes his former side have the quality to win the Champions League, but might struggle with the lack of European experience in the squad.

“I think Man Utd have potentially cleared the way for Man City to win the Champions League when they knocked PSG out of the tournament,” said Lescott. 

“I believe PSG were the biggest threat to Man City’s potential success in the Champions League this season.

“Man City could still slip up in the latter stages of the tournament through lack of experience within the squad because not many of the Man City players have as much experience within the Champions League semi-finals. It would be a shame as they are definitely ready to win the Champions League.”

Should City win the competition, it might be as part of an historic treble, which the reigning Premier League champions could claim in 2018-19.

City have already wrapped up the Carabao Cup and will return to the summit of the Premier League should they win their game in hand over Liverpool. Guardiola’s men also face Brighton in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

The 27-year-old was knocked out in Saturday’s victory over Georgia

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Brain injury charity Headway has demanded action from UEFA after Switzerland defender Fabian Schar was allowed to play on having suffered a concussion.

The Newcastle United star was knocked unconscious as he clashed heads with Jemal Tabidze early in Saturday’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Georgia in Tbilisi.

Despite requiring treatment for an extended period, during which time Jano Ananidze reportedly prevented Schar from swallowing his tongue, the defender was permitted to continue playing.

Schar had a key role in both goals in a 2-0 win, but Headway is furious that an “incredibly dangerous” risk was taken with the player’s wellbeing.

Charity chief Peter McCabe said: “What is it going to take to make football take concussion seriously?

“How many more players will have their careers and, more importantly, their lives and long-term health put at risk by the sport’s inability to follow its own protocols?

“Put simply, the decision to allow Fabian Schar to return to the field of play after suffering a clear concussion was not only incredibly dangerous, but also a clear dereliction of duty.

“The player’s comments after the match are also deeply disturbing and again show the lack of awareness and understanding among players.  

“UEFA must immediately launch an investigation into the incident and explain why their protocols were not followed.”

Upon seeing footage of the incident, Schar told Blick after the match: “It looks awful. I can’t remember anything. I was out for a few seconds.

“My skull is still humming and I’ve got neck ache and a bruise on my forehead, but it was worth it.”

Following the incident, Schar has been withdrawn from the Switzerland squad as they prepare to host Denmark on Tuesday.

It remains to be confirmed if Schar will be available for Newcastle’s next game against Arsenal in the Premier League on April 1 as the Magpies continue their relegation battle.

Rafa Benitez’s side sit in a reasonably comfortable position, seven points above the bottom three after winning three of their last four matches, but are yet to secure safety with seven games remaining. 

The Juventus forward’s status is now up in the air ahead of a Champions League clash with Ajax

Cristiano Ronaldo suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury in Monday’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Serbia, causing concerns for Juventus as a Champions League clash with Ajax looms.

The forward lined up for Portugal in Monday’s qualifying clash, but was forced out of the match in the 31st minute due to the injury.

At the time, Portugal were losing 1-0 to Serbia thanks to a Dusan Tadic finish from the penalty spot. However, shortly after Ronaldo’s removal, Portugal were able to tie the match through a goal from Danilo Pereira.

Ronaldo was instrumental in guiding Juventus past Atletico Madrid and into the Champions League quarter-finals, as the former Real Madrid star fired home a hat-trick to help the Italian side overcome a 2-0 first leg deficit.

Now, his status for that quarter-final, a clash with Ajax, is up in the air depending on the severity of his injury.

Juventus are set to take on Ajax on April 10 in the first leg in Amsterdam before returning to Turin for the second leg six days later.

Ajax sealed their spot in the quarter-final round by stunning Ronaldo’s former club, Real Madrid, battering the Spanish giants 4-1 in the second leg at the Bernebeu to advance in the competition.

Before facing off with Ajax, Juventus do face a trio of Serie A matches at the conclusion of the international break.

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The Serie A leaders will return on Saturday against Empoli before facing Cagliari three days later. Juve will then take on AC Milan on April 6 ahead of the trip to the Netherlands.

In league play, though, Juve have all but wrapped up the title, having established a 15-point lead on second-place Napoli and a 22-point lead on third-place Inter Milan.

Ronaldo has been pivotal to that Serie A lead, having scored 19 goals in 26 league appearances since joining the club from Real Madrid this past summer.

He’s scored a further four goals in Champions League play as he looks to guide Juve on a tournament run having won the last three titles during his time in Madrid.

Ronaldo also started and played all 90 minutes on Portugal’s Euro 2020 qualifying opener, a scoreless draw with Ukraine. 

Jill Ellis has set her team up in a 4-3-3 for most of the past two years, but she does have options to change her side around

After the U.S. women’s national team shockingly failed to medal at the 2016 Olympics, the team went through a period of reconstruction. 

Head coach Jill Ellis brought in a host of new faces and tinkered with several different formations as she searched for a winning formula. 

Naturally, there were some ups and downs. After a 1-0 defeat to Australia in July 2017, the USWNT had lost three home games already in the calendar year. It was clear a change was needed.

The following game, Ellis lined her team out in a 4-3-3 formation against Brazil. The U.S. won 4-3, and then proceeded to go a year and a half without losing again.

Heading into the 2019 World Cup, it’s safe to say the 4-3-3 will be the team’s preferred setup, but Ellis has options if she wants to change things around.

Here are four looks we could see from the USWNT. 

If the World Cup started tomorrow, this is the lineup that Ellis would likely select. The team’s 4-3-3 formation allows it to relentlessly attack opponents – though there are still questions about its sturdiness at the back against top-tier opposition. 

Ellis prefers her fullbacks to get involved in the attack, meaning Crystal Dunn and Kelley O’Hara are the top options in a back line that features Becky Sauerbrunn and Abby Dahlkemper at center back. With a three-player midfield, much of the team’s width comes from Dunn and O’Hara. 

Lindsey Horan is the centerpiece of that three-player midfield, with the freedom to roam ahead of holding midfielder Julie Ertz. For now, Rose Lavelle gets the nod as the most attacking member of that midfield trio. 

Up top, Alex Morgan is the team’s undisputed target forward option, with Megan Rapinoe and Tobin Heath also near-locks to start in the attacking winger positions on either side of Morgan. 

Sam Mewis was indispensable for the USWNT in 2017, but last year saw her influence on the team wane as she started just two matches. This year started out like 2018 for Mewis, but things could be moving more in her favor now. 

With Horan out, Mewis played a starring role in the USWNT’s final SheBelieves Cup match against Brazil. The 26-year-old’s strong two-way play brought more balance to the team’s midfield and led to suggestions that she could retain her starting spot even when Horan returns to the fold. 

Pairing Horan and Mewis ahead of Ertz in the midfield would add more steel to the side and allow Horan to focus more on attacking than she would with Lavelle ahead of her.

In the team’s first-choice lineup above, Lavelle is a pure No.10 and with the full-backs getting forward often, it leaves the USWNT vulnerable to counterattacks. Against some of the top sides in the world, a lineup featuring Mewis instead of Lavelle would make plenty of sense.

During the SheBelieves Cup, Ellis experimented with dropping Ertz back from her holding midfield role to a spot between the center backs, giving the U.S. a de-facto 5-2-3 look.

Strangely, Ellis opted for this look at times when Lavelle and Mallory Pugh were alongside Ertz in central midfield. With Lavelle and Pugh alone, the U.S. did not have nearly enough strength and ball retention in the middle of the park.

If, however, Ellis played stronger defensive players like Mewis and Horan in midfield, Ertz’s ability to drop deep into possession could be effective against opponents when they press. This setup would still leave Horan and Mewis with an awful lot of work to do in the middle of the field, but they would be much more likely to succeed than Pugh and Lavelle were. 

The USWNT has not gone with a two-forward setup much recently, but Jessica McDonald’s emergence as a viable contributor in recent months could change that calculus. 

McDonald has served mostly as a backup to Morgan, but the pair have shared the field briefly during last year’s friendly against Scotland and January’s friendly against Spain. 

Having McDonald and Morgan serving as dual forwards would likely be more of a late-game option, but it could be an effective misdirection with opponents planning to face a USWNT side that has used a single-forward setup for some time. 

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