Cristiano Ronaldo insists there is nothing to fear after suffering a hamstring injury in Portugal's 1-1 draw against Serbia on Monday, adding that he is "not worried" about it going forward. Portugal hosted Serbia in Lisbon for Monday's Euro 2020 qualifier, having drawn their opener in a scoreless effort against Ukraine. But the day was marred by an early Ronaldo injury as the Juventus star pulled up with an apparent hamstring issue in the first half. He was removed in the 30th minute of the match, but Ronaldo himself insists that the issue is a minor one that doesn't have him concerned heading into some vital matches with Juventus. "I'm not worried, because I know perfectly my body," Ronaldo said following Monday's draw. "It happens, it's football. Who's out there risks it. I'm calm, because I know I'm going to be back well in one or two weeks with no problem." Ronaldo's assessment will be received as good news by Juventus, who are set to face Ajax in the Champions League semi-finals. Juventus will go toe-to-toe with the Eredivisie side on April 10 in the first leg of that semi-final clash in Amsterdam before returning to Turin for the second leg six days later. If Ronaldo can recover in that "one or two" week timespan, it would have him back in time for those clashes after previously leading Juve to that round with a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Round of 16 battle. Before facing off with Ajax, Juventus do face a trio of Serie A matches at the conclusion of the international break, having already amassed a 15-point lead on second-place Napoli. Juventus are set to return to action on Saturday against Empoli before facing off with Cagliari three days later. Focus will then turn towards AC Milan on April 6 ahead of the trip to the Netherlands for the Champions League semi-final first leg. With the Ronaldo injury, Portugal ended up settling for a 1-1 result on Monday, with Dusan Tadic's early opener cancelled out by Danilo Pereira's 40th-minute equaliser.

Andrea Pirlo claims Inter play better with Lautaro Martinez in the side, while suggesting Mauro Icardi's position at San Siro has been weakened by his continued absence. Icardi has not played for the Nerazzurri since he was stripped of the captaincy in February amid a contract wrangle between the club and his wife and agent Wanda Nara. But Martinez has seized the opportunity to establish himself as a key man in place of his compatriot, starting Inter's last five Serie A matches and taking his goals tally to six for the league season. And Pirlo, who played for Inter before enjoying a storied career with AC Milan and Juventus, does not believe Icardi is helping his situation by remaining unavailable for selection. "Inter keep playing and those who do not play are losing value," Pirlo told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Inter have another attacker.  "How will Icardi return after being out for so long? "Lautaro is more complete and makes the team play better, whereas Icardi is more of a goalscorer. But they can play together." Pirlo added that Nara had also negatively impacted Icardi's standing in Milan by allowing the saga to play out in public. "The representatives go to the office, they talk, they solve things in there," he said. "There would have been less mess if everything had been less public, less on social media." Icardi has scored just nine goals in Serie A this term, having netted 29 in the 2017-18 campaign.

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. 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. 

Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus have been tipped to “physically destroy” Ajax in the Champions League, with Andrea Pirlo admiring the motivation of star turns in Turin. The Bianconeri acquired a five-time winner of the competition last summer in the hope of bringing their barren run in Europe to a close . The Portuguese superstar has carried them into the quarter-finals, with his stunning hat-trick in the second leg of a last-16 showdown with Atletico Madrid helping to keep their dreams alive. Dutch opponents are next in Juve’s sights , with Ajax having claimed the notable scalp of title holders Real Madrid to prolong their own continental adventure. An exciting and youthful, Eredivisie outfit will present another stern examination of Juve’s Champions League credentials, but Pirlo believes Ronaldo and Co will prove too strong. The former star told Gazzetta dello Sport : “Juventus' target is Europe now. They have changed their mentality. “Ronaldo decided to change his life at 33. It means he had great motivations and he settled in well very quickly. “In a season, there is always a turnaround, a perfect game that changes the season. “I think Juve can physically destroy Ajax, it was a good draw. “Ajax beat Real Madrid but Real were as unorganised as ever and that's rare. It won't happen with Juve. “Juventus can win the Champions League provided that they won't repeat what they did in Madrid.” Juve suffered a quarter-final defeat to a Ronaldo-inspired Real Madrid side in 2017-18. The previous year, the man now on their books dashed their dreams in the final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. They now have the chance to right those wrongs and claim a first European triumph since 1996. Ronaldo will be expected to lead that charge, with the Champions League’s all-time leading goalscorer having recorded another four efforts in the competition this season as he seeks to lift the famous trophy in a fourth successive campaign.

Juventus’ project with Cristiano Ronaldo is “going perfectly”, says Alessandro Del Piero, with both sides of the stunning agreement expected to get the Champions League success they crave. The Portuguese superstar was taken to Turin in the summer of 2018 after nine record-breaking seasons at Real Madrid. His capture, even at the age of 33, was considered to be a major coup for Juve and Serie A. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has not disappointed in new surroundings, netting 24 goals in 36 appearances. His haul has included a remarkable hat-trick in a meeting with old adversaries Atletico Madrid, which carried the Bianconeri through to the quarter-finals in Europe’s elite club competition. Del Piero told Marca of Ronaldo’s exploits: “That's what Juventus bought him for. “He is a champion who has won this title and who knows what it's like to play these difficult matches, with good football and by scoring goals. “He is focused on the objective. Juventus signed him for this and the plan is going perfectly so far.” Quizzed on whether it would be a failure if Massimiliano Allegri’s side missed out on the Champions League crown this season, Del Piero added: “Failure is a really big word. I wouldn't use it. “The project is about winning the Champions League with Ronaldo and he signed for four years. If you can win it in the first year then even better.” An iconic figure from Juve’s past believes that continental glory will be delivered and that Ronaldo made the right choice in heading for Italy after calling time on a memorable spell in Spain. Asked if he was surprised that such a move was made, the former Italy international said: “Yes, a little, but not too much. “Ronaldo could pick whatever team he wanted to go to in the world and it was a good piece of business that he picked Juventus.” Ronaldo has not had things all his own way since linking up with Juventus, but Del Piero claims that is to be expected and that any criticism is merely a result of the standards set by one of the finest talents to have ever played the game. He added: “When you have a player who scores a goal per game on average and then has a match when he doesn't score then something's missing. It can happen. “There isn't a rule that says you have to score all the goals. For me, it's part of the game and you should leave it because you'll score again in a game or two.” Ronaldo is currently away on international duty, having returned to the Portugal fold for the first time since the 2018 World Cup, but will be back in domestic action on Saturday when Juve play host to Empoli.