Turin – Gianluigi Buffon on Thursday apologised for his referee rant after Juventus’s Champions League quarter-final exit against Real Madrid last month.

The 40-year-old has been charged by UEFA over his comments about referee Michael Oliver, who awarded the Spaniards a late penalty and dismissed the Juve captain.

Cristiano Ronaldo slotted home the penalty to give Real a 4-3 aggregate victory after the Serie A champions had staged a remarkable comeback to wipe out a 3-0 first-leg deficit at the Santiago Bernabeu.

A fuming Buffon had raged that Englishman Oliver had a “rubbish bin for a heart” and should “sit in the stands with your wife, your kids, having your drink and eating your crisps”.

European football’s governing body said the case will be dealt with on May 31.

“After that match, I went beyond the limits with the things I said about the referee and I apologise for that,” said Buffon.

“I am extremely sorry about that, as over 23 years of Champions League career, I was never sent off or suspended, so I feel that I behaved fairly and in a sporting manner with everyone.

“If I saw the referee again, I would give him a hug and say that he should have taken more time with that decision in such an important game for us and for me,” said Buffon.

“With the feelings, emotions and disappointment of the situation, I behaved in a way that was not usual for me.

“The referee gave me a red card — which I still don’t understand — and you (the press) rather than focusing on my comments, should look at behaviour from the official that was not really consistent.

“A few days later I was sorry to have offended the referee, because at the end of the day he is a human being who does a very difficult job.”

Liverpool’s midfield could be set for a boost 10 days before a Champions League final clash with continental behemoth Real Madrid.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp addressed a series of squad concerns on Wednesday, and confirmed that both James Milner and Emre Can had returned to first-team training.

“James is in the group and will be back in training later – I think on Saturday or so we will see, or maybe Friday,” Klopp told the club’s official website. Milner had missed Sunday’s Premier League finale victory over Brighton as a precautionary measure after picking up a muscle issue.

Related: Ronaldo, Carvajal back in Real Madrid training

While Milner’s inclusion in the Champions League squad is a near certainty, Can hasn’t played since a mid-March match against Watford. The German international was subbed off with a back concern against the Hornets and a protracted recovery threatened the remainder of the 24-year-old’s campaign.

“Emre is here, that’s good – having him in the group is always good, a fantastic boy. We will see what we can do with him, there’s still a little bit of work to do, but good to have him here,” Klopp added.

With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s season and World Cup done courtesy of a serious knee injury sustained in the semi-final first leg against Roma, Liverpool’s slender midfield cannot afford another absentee. In the return fixture against the Italians, Klopp opted for a three-man midfield that featured Milner, Jordan Henderson, and Georginio Wijnaldum.

Real Madrid’s chances of capturing a third Champions League crown on the bounce have been given a massive boost 10 days ahead of the final against Liverpool.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Dani Carvajal both returned to first-team training on Tuesday, ensuring Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane will have a full squad for the continental finale, barring additional injuries.

(Photo courtesy: Real Madrid)

Ronaldo, the Champions League’s leading scorer, missed out on Real’s last two La Liga outings versus Sevilla and Celta Vigo with an ankle concern sustained in the El Clasico draw with Barcelona.

While Ronaldo’s participation in the May 26 final was hardly in doubt, Carvajal’s return from a hamstring complaint was in question after the 26-year-old right-back missed the last five matches, including the second leg of the semi-final against Bayern Munich. Without the Spaniard at full-back, attacker Lucas Vazquez struggled to deputise for his countryman.

Another Bundesliga representative has secured a spot in Europe’s top club competition, as Schalke’s 2-1 win over Augsburg will see the Gelsenkirchen side compete in next season’s Champions League alongside runaway leader Bayern Munich.

Schalke has been absent from the tournament since the 2014-15 campaign, when it was eliminated by Real Madrid in the round of 16.

The return to Champions League football caps an impressive bounce-back season in manager Domenico Tedesco’s first year in charge; Die Konigsblauen finished 10th in last season’s Bundesliga, 39 points adrift of Bayern at the top of the table.

Fans will need to wait until the final matchday next weekend to find out which clubs will join Schalke and Bayern in Europe. The league’s top four sides qualify directly to the Champions League, while the clubs in fifth and sixth will head to the Europa League, with the latter needing a qualification round. The seventh-placed side could clinch a Europa League qualifier, however, if Bayern Munich wins the DFB-Pokal final against Eintracht Frankfurt on May 19.

Bundesliga’s race for Europe:

Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim both missed their chances Saturday to clinch a Champions League spot with losses to Mainz and Stuttgart, respectively.