Gian Piero Gasperini has fired back at Cesc Fabregas following the post-match handshake controversy that emerged after Como’s 2-1 victory over Roma, delivering a blunt and unambiguous response to the Como head coach’s public comments.

Speaking to ANSA, via the Corriere dello Sport, Gasperini showed little interest in diplomatic language.

“Como are a strong team, but I do not respect their behaviour, on the pitch or on the touchline,” he said plainly.

The exchange follows Fabregas’ pointed but measured comments to Sky Sport after the final whistle, in which the Como coach expressed disappointment at Gasperini’s failure to shake his hand, describing it as a matter of basic sporting respect.

You can read Fabregas’ full reaction here.

Gasperini furious with Como behaviour ‘on the pitch & the touchline’

Gasperini’s response suggests the ill-feeling runs considerably deeper than a missed handshake.

His reference to behaviour “on the pitch and on the touchline” implies broader grievances with Como’s conduct throughout the match, likely connected to the Wesley’s second yellow card that prompted his furious post-match reaction about simulation.

With Roma still harbouring Europa League ambitions and facing Bologna in the second leg on Thursday, Gasperini will be eager to channel his frustration into a result at the Olimpico.

But the war of words with Fabregas has added an extra layer of intrigue to what is already a fascinating final stretch of the season for both clubs.

Cesc Fabregas was riding a wave of emotion after Como’s victory over Roma, describing the performance as “epic” while taking a pointed but measured swipe at Gian Piero Gasperini for failing to shake his hand at the final whistle.

The Como head coach was effusive in his praise for his players, who he felt demonstrated exactly the identity and character he has been building since taking charge.

“It was a beautiful match and I enjoyed every moment of it,” he said, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.

“You could say the victory was epic, but it cost a lot. It was a very intense game and yet from the first minute we always sought our own game. That gives enormous credit to this squad.”

Fabregas was equally clear about what underpins Como’s remarkable season. “When you build a squad you implement an idea, you study your players carefully, their character, their identity. Learning to handle the result and the game in a certain way is a question of solidity, courage and trust. That takes months to develop, not weeks. Games like this show it is becoming natural, not forced.”

But it was his comments on Gasperini that will generate the most headlines.

Como 2-1 Roma – Fabregas slams lack of Gasperini respect

The Roma coach notably failed to seek out Fabregas for the customary post-match handshake, and the Spaniard did not shy away from addressing it directly.

“In two years I do not think there has been a single occasion where I have not gone to shake a colleague’s hand, whether I have lost, been sent off, been angry or been happy,” he said. “I think it is a question of respect. When the match ends you go and shake hands, even if you have been beaten in circumstances you feel were unjust. When he left without doing so, it saddened me a little, but then I thought it was nothing.”

He added that he had moved towards the tunnel believing Gasperini was heading that way, and was careful not to escalate the situation further.

“I can only speak about my own experience, I simply went to say hello.”

With nine league games remaining plus the Coppa Italia, Fabregas was keen to keep feet firmly on the ground despite Como sitting fourth. “We must maintain humility, naturalness and keep working. We go step by step.”

Gian Piero Gasperini cut a frustrated figure after Roma’s defeat at Como, directing his anger at the decision to send off Wesley for a second yellow card and lamenting what he described as a growing problem with simulation in the modern game.

The Roma head coach was in no mood to hold back when speaking to DAZN, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.

“I have already seen the Wesley incident, today it is pointless to comment on this trend in football, especially regarding dives,” he said.

“It was unfortunately a decisive episode, just like the one for their equaliser. We defended the cutbacks well but in that moment we were not good enough. Some of it is down to us, and it is not a great moment, but these are glaring episodes that are hard to ignore.”

Gasperini shakes off defeat to focus on Europa League

Gasperini also acknowledged that the absence of Donyell Malen significantly reduces Roma’s attacking threat, though he was keen to frame it as a broader team issue rather than an individual dependency.

The Dutchman scored from the spot to give Roma the lead but was replaced with twenty five minutes left.

“We do rely on him, understandably, given how many goals we score,” he said. “He creates clear, clean chances every match, that means the team is working well and building correctly.”

His tactical assessment of the match itself was candid.

Roma had the tools to turn the game around after the break, he argued, but Como’s half-time changes, introducing key players before Wesley’s dismissal altered the contest, proved decisive.

With Thursday’s Europa League second leg against Bologna now looming large, Gasperini acknowledged there is little time to dwell.

“The players are young and some have experience, they must recover their energy quickly. The suspensions disrupt our continuity, but Thursday is an important match and we must be ready.”

Milan director Igli Tare brushes off Moise Kean talk, is confident Luka Modric will extend his contract, and warns ‘the season is full of surprises’ as a win against Lazio would reopen the Scudetto race.

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.

There have been reports over the last few days that Milan will target Fiorentina striker Moise Kean for the future of their attack, reuniting with ex-Juventus coach Max Allegri.

“It’s pointless talking about this now, that won’t be discussed for a few months,” replied Tare when pressed on Kean by DAZN Italia.

“It is fundamental that we win the game tonight not just for the table, but also to give a sense of consistency following the derby, so there will be plenty of time to talk about the rest.”

Tare and Milan ready to put pressure on Inter

The Rossoneri have a huge opportunity to blow the Scudetto race wide open, as after last week’s Derby della Madonnina victory, they also watched leaders Inter held 1-1 by Atalanta yesterday.

It means a win here would close the gap at the top to just five points with nine rounds left to play.

“Honestly, we have to focus on ourselves and try to win. It is a big gap still, but a win here would close the gap, and we need to take it one step at a time, because the season is full of surprises,” smiled Tare.

Milan lost here in December for the Coppa Italia quarter-final, beaten by a Mattia Zaccagni header on the Nuno Tavares corner.

As a former Lazio player and director, Tare knows the atmosphere well at the Stadio Olimpico, and saw that the local ultras suspended their boycott, so are present in the stands tonight.

“We talked about it during the week, we’d prefer to play in a full stadium, because this is the joy of football. Lazio are going through a difficult transition period, but they remain a team that can beat anyone on the right day.

“We are aware of all that and want to win tonight.”

Adrien Rabiot is suspended, with Matteo Gabbia, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Santiago Gimenez injured, so Ardon Jashari step into midfield with Luka Modric.

The Croatian has found a second wind for his career in the Rossoneri jersey, so will he extend his contract to 2027?

“One thing for sure is that Luka loves Milan, and Milan love Luka. As we said at the start of the season, we have an option to extend, but the decision is up to him. He’ll be given the time and space he needs to decide, but he really enjoys playing for us,” concluded Tare.

Maurizio Sarri says the return of Lazio supporters after their boycott is ‘decisive’ and explains his midfield changes against Milan. ‘We’ve got to make do.’

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.

The big news for the Biancocelesti is that the ultras have suspended their protest against President Claudio Lotito, so they are back in the stands of the Stadio Olimpico after several weeks of leaving the arena desolately empty.

“The fans are decisive for us and having them back is wonderful. These are things people from the outside cannot understand fully,” Sarri told DAZN Italia.

Sarri has to rearrange Lazio squad

Lazio ended their negative streak by beating Sassuolo 2-1 last week, but Danilo Cataldi picked up an injury, joining Alessio Romagnoli, Ivan Provedel, Toma Basic, Nicolò Rovella and Samuel Gigot on the treatment table.

Rather than Rade Belahyane in midfield, Sarri prefers to move defender Gil Patric into that position instead.

“We are without Rovella, Cataldi, Basic, and sold Vecino, so we’ve got to make do. Patric is good at passing, he can give us something there, and did well in the second half of the last game.

“We’ve got to be very careful not to lose the ball cheaply, as Milan can be lethal in these situations, so we mustn’t be wasteful, and have to be alert with preventative marking,” concluded the coach.

The Aquile knocked Milan out of the Coppa Italia quarter-final on December 4, with a late header from Mattia Zaccagni on the Nuno Tavares corner.

Como came back from a goal down to defeat 10-man Roma at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia this evening, with a 2-1 victory seeing the hosts leapfrog Juventus into fourth place in Serie A.

Football Italia’s Man of the Match was Como attacking midfielder Martin Baturina, for his impressive work rate, chance creation and brightness on the ball.

Como 2-1 Roma – Player Ratings

Como: Butez 6; Ramon 6.5, Diego Carlos 7, Kempf 6 (Douvikas 7); Smolcic 6.5, Sergi Roberto 5 (Diao 7), Da Cunha 7, Valle 6.5; Caqueret 5.5 (Perrone 6), Baturina 7.5; Nico Paz 5.5 (Rodriguez N/A)

Best Como player: Martin Baturina – Despite not finding the back of the net himself, the Croatian created six chances, more than anyone else on the pitch, and was a constant menace – especially when the visitors went down to 10 men.

Lowest Como rating: Sergi Roberto – Playing in midfield once again, the Spaniard had a rough day today before being replaced by Diao as Fabregas switched his strategy up at half-time. Really struggled to have any impact on the game in his 45 minutes on the pitch.

Coach: Cesc Fabregas 7.5 – Helped in part by Wesley’s red card, the coach masterminded an impressive comeback, with Douvikas being subbed on to score and Diao coming on to greatly improve the team’s danger going forward.

Roma: Svilar 6; Ghilardi 5.5, Mancini 6, Hermoso 5 (Ziolkowski 6); Celik 6 (Tsimikas 5.5), Cristante 5.5, Kone 5.5, Wesley 5.5; Pellegrini 6.5 (Pisilli 6), El Shaarawy 6.5 (Rensch 5.5); Malen 6.5 (Vaz 6)

Best Roma player: Stephan El Shaarawy – Impressive performance tonight from the 33-year-old, who continued to prove he is not getting lazier with age. A hard working performance from the Italian, who won the penalty early on to give Roma the lead.

Lowest Roma rating: Kostas Tsimikas/Wesley – Not entirely sure who was worse. Wesley was perhaps unlucky to pick up two yellow cards but ultimately it was his fault the team lost. Tsimikas, meanwhile, was brought on for an injured Zeki Celik with twenty minutes left and put in another disastrous cameo.

Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini 5.5 – His substitutes offered very little when he needed them most. The coach was let down by Wesley’s sending off but his side were being outplayed, even in the first half with the teams at eleven apiece.

Como fought back from a Donyell Malen penalty to beat 10-man Roma after Wesley’s controversial red card, leaping into that fourth Champions League spot.

This was an unexpected duel for Champions League qualification, as both teams were locked together in fourth place, albeit overtaken when Juventus beat Udinese last night. The hosts were coming off three consecutive victories, missing Jayden Addai with Maxi Perrone not fully fit, but surprised with a three-man defence. The Giallorossi still missed Matias Soulé, Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson, with Evan Ndicka suspended. Manu Koné returned after skipping Thursday’s 1-1 Europa League draw with Bologna, while Mario Hermoso got his first start since February 2 and Stephan El Shaarawy since January 6.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Como got into a tangle playing out from the back and El Shaarawy pounced on the loose ball, brought down by Diego Carlos for an early penalty, converted hard and low into the near bottom corner by Donyell Malen.

Nico Paz responded by testing Mile Svilar from a tricky angle, as did Alex Valle on the half-volley, while Wesley made a series of decisive blocks, including one to prevent a Sergi Roberto tap-in.

Jacobo Ramon only managed to get his thigh to the Maxence Caqueret cross and flicked it inches wide of the far post from six yards.

Como had a big chance just before half-time when Caqueret drew out Svilar and pulled it back generously for Nico Paz, only for the Argentine to fire over the bar.

Cesc Fabregas made a double attacking change at the restart and they paid off, because Tasos Douvikas sprung the offside trap on a Valle through ball and surprised Svilar at the base of the near post, squirming the finish under the goalkeeper’s body.

There were chances at both ends, first Svilar flapping a loose ball away from Nico Paz mid-volley, then Malen’s counter-attack denied by a desperate block.

It went from bad to worse for Roma, because they went down to 10 men when Wesley was very harshly shown a second yellow card for a challenge on Assane Diao. There seemed to be barely any contact, with Devyne Rensch more likely to have contributed to his fall, but the VAR protocol meant they could not intervene.

Da Cunha nutmegged Robinio Vaz for a curler inches wide of the far top corner from outside the box, then Martin Baturina turned over first-time from a similar position on the Douvikas lay-off.

Svilar flew to palm a Diao strike out from under the bar, then got down to parry the Ivan Smolcic low drive, but could do nothing as Diego Carlos pounced on the rebound from six yards. It was an ideal birthday gift, his first Serie A goal.

Da Cunha nearly added a third when he cut inside from the right and smashed a left-foot finish onto the crossbar.

Como 2-1 Roma

Malen pen 7 (R), Douvikas 59 (C), Diego Carlos 79 (C)

Sent off: Wesley 64 (R)

15-03-2026 17:00

MatchDay 29

Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia

Como

Roma

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

7'

Donyell Malen

2nd half

		48'		Wesley
Anastasios Douvikas (Assist: Álex Valle)		59'
Maxence Caqueret		63'
		64'		Wesley
Diego Carlos		73'
		77'		Daniele Ghilardi
Diego Carlos		79'

Match statistic

66

Possession %

34

22

Total shots

3

7

Shots on target

1

7

Shots off target

1

8

Blocked shots

1

7

Corners

1

0

Offsides

1

16

Fouls

18

Como

Roma

Starting lineups

1

Jean Butez

Goalkeeper

3

Álex Valle

Defender

34

Diego Carlos

Defender

28

Ivan Smolcic

Defender

14

Jacobo Ramón

Defender

2

Marc Oliver Kempf

Defender

46'

20

Martin Baturina

Midfielder

6

Maxence Caqueret

Midfielder

67'

10

Nico Paz

Midfielder

77'

8

Sergi Roberto

Midfielder

46'

33

Lucas Da Cunha

Attacker

87'

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

22

Mario Hermoso

Defender

70'

43

Wesley

Defender

19

Zeki Celik

Defender

70'

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

7

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Midfielder

67'

17

Manu Koné

Midfielder

14

Donyell Malen

Attacker

67'

92

Stephan El Shaarawy

Attacker

56'

Substitutes

5

Edoardo Goldaniga

Defender

31

Mërgim Vojvoda

Defender

7

Álvaro Morata

Attacker

22

Mauro Vigorito

Goalkeeper

44

Nikola Cavlina

Goalkeeper

18

Alberto Moreno

Defender

19

Nicolas Kühn

Attacker

21

Noel Törnqvist

Goalkeeper

Adrian Lahdo

Midfielder

11

Anastasios Douvikas

Attacker

46'

38

Assane Diao

Attacker

46'

23

Máximo Perrone

Midfielder

67'

17

Jesús Rodriguez

Attacker

77'

77

Ignace Van Der Brempt

Defender

87'

3

Angeliño

Defender

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

8

Neil El Aynaoui

Midfielder

97

Bryan Zaragoza

Attacker

70

Giorgio De Marzi

Goalkeeper

20

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

56'

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

67'

78

Robinio Vaz

Attacker

67'

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

70'

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

70'

The 2026 Finalissima between Argentina and Spain has been cancelled, with the Argentine Football Association confirming that a proposed alternative venue in Italy was rejected by UEFA following the original host city of Doha becoming untenable due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

AFA president Claudio Tapia explained that Argentina had pushed for the match to be moved to Italy and played on 31 March, but UEFA deemed the rescheduling unfeasible.

“We could have played it in Italy, but UEFA did not accept the proposal to change the date,” Tapia said, via FCInterNews.

“We always maintained that the match should be played on neutral ground and the proposal of Madrid did not respect that principle. The Italy option was presented, but we had requested a postponement to 31 March. UEFA considered the move unworkable and the match was cancelled.”

The proposed alternate location was Milan’s San Siro, which would’ve marked a special homecoming for Inter Captain Lautaro Martinez.

Inter relief as no pressure for Lautaro to star in Finalissima after UEFA snub San Siro

The decision therefore has a notable knock-on effect for Inter, aside from San Siro being rejected as a possible location.

Captain Lautaro Martinez had been pushing to accelerate his recovery from injury with the Finalissima in mind, but with that incentive now removed, Inter can take a more measured approach to his rehabilitation without the pressure of an international fixture looming.

According to Sky Sport, the club are relieved to have more breathing room and are unwilling to take any risks with their captain ahead of the season’s crucial final weeks.

Whether Lautaro will be fit for Inter’s trip to Fiorentina remains to be seen, with further assessment expected in the coming days.

Milan can close the gap at the top of the table to just five points with a victory here, so Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic lead the way against Lazio’s Daniel Maldini and Mattia Zaccagni.

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.

The Rossoneri blew the Scudetto race open last week with their victory in the Derby della Madonnina, but as Inter were held to a 1-1 draw by Atalanta yesterday, it gives them an even bigger opportunity to close within five points of the leaders.

Max Allegri is forced into a change, as Adrien Rabiot is suspended, with Matteo Gabbia, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Santiago Gimenez are still injured.

Modric is therefore joined in midfield by Ardon Jashari, while Pervis Estupinan keeps his spot ahead of Davide Bartesaghi.

Leao and Pulisic lead the attack, with Alexis Saelemaekers out wide.

Lazio have received two big pieces of good news in the last week, as they ended their negative streak by beating Sassuolo 2-1, and the ultras suspended their boycott.

That means the crowd returns to the stands with chants, flags and fireworks, having protested President Claudio Lotito over the last few weeks.

However, there is also bad news for Maurizio Sarri, as Danilo Cataldi joins Alessio Romagnoli, Ivan Provedel, Toma Basic, Nicolò Rovella and Samuel Gigot on the treatment table.

Gil Patric is moved into a new midfield role behind Zaccagni, Gustav Isaksen and former Milan youth team player Maldini.

Lazio vs. Milan line-ups

Lazio: Motta; Marusic, Gila, Provstgaard, Nuno Tavares; Dele-Bashiru, Patric, Taylor; Isaksen, Maldini, Zaccagni

Milan: Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Jashari, Estupinan; Leao, Pulisic

15-03-2026 19:45

MatchDay 29

Stadio Olimpico

Lazio

Milan

Live

1 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Gustav Isaksen (Assist: Adam Marusic)

26'

2nd half

55'

Pervis Estupiñán

Lazio

Milan

Starting lineups

40

Edoardo Motta

Goalkeeper

77

Adam Marusic

Defender

34

Mario Gila

Defender

17

Nuno Tavares

Defender

25

Oliver Provstgaard

Defender

4

Patric

Defender

27

Daniel Maldini

Midfielder

7

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru

Midfielder

24

Kenneth Taylor

Midfielder

18

Gustav Isaksen

Attacker

10

Mattia Zaccagni

Attacker

16

Mike Maignan

Goalkeeper

23

Fikayo Tomori

Defender

57'

5

Koni De Winter

Defender

2

Pervis Estupiñán

Defender

57'

31

Strahinja Pavlovic

Defender

56

Alexis Saelemaekers

Midfielder

30

Ardon Jashari

Midfielder

14

Luka Modric

Midfielder

19

Youssouf Fofana

Midfielder

11

Christian Pulisic

Attacker

10

Rafael Leão

Attacker

Substitutes

9

Pedro

Attacker

29

Manuel Lazzari

Defender

23

Elseid Hysaj

Defender

55

Alessio Furlanetto

Goalkeeper

3

Luca Pellegrini

Defender

22

Matteo Cancellieri

Attacker

19

Boulaye Dia

Attacker

21

Reda Belahyane

Midfielder

20

Petar Ratkov

Attacker

14

Tijjani Noslin

Attacker

28

Adrian Przyborek

Attacker

99

Giacomo Giacomone

1

Pietro Terracciano

Goalkeeper

4

Samuele Ricci

Midfielder

18

Christopher Nkunku

Attacker

9

Niclas Füllkrug

Attacker

37

Matteo Pittarella

Goalkeeper

27

David Odogu

Defender

33

Davide Bartesaghi

Defender

57'

24

Zachary Athekame

Defender

57'

Ciro Immobile has revealed that AC Milan made a serious attempt to sign him during his peak years at Lazio, with the Italian striker admitting it was no easy decision to turn them down, even if his heart ultimately made the choice for him.

The former Lazio captain, who joined Paris FC on a free transfer in January after spending the first half of the season with Bologna, spoke exclusively to MilanNews.it ahead of tonight’s Lazio-Milan clash at the Stadio Olimpico.

“It is true, there was interest, even when Gattuso was the manager,” Immobile confirmed.

“But that was a strong Lazio side, at the same level as Milan at the time. It was a decision made with the heart, because it is difficult to say no to a club of that importance. Would I have liked it? Well, who wouldn’t?” he laughed. “But at that moment I was happy at Lazio.”

Lazio vs Milan – Immobile: ‘Lazio can cause problems for anyone’

On tonight’s fixture, Immobile was enthusiastic, predicting a lively atmosphere with supporters returning to the Olimpico in full voice.

“I know how much the fans love the club, I will watch it very willingly if I can,” he said. “Lazio can cause problems for anyone, especially with the crowd behind them. They are well organised and well coached.”

Asked about his fondest memories of facing Milan, Immobile singled out two figures who left a lasting impression. “Donnarumma and Ibrahimovic, in terms of personality and making themselves felt on the pitch, it was those two.”

Tonight’s match kicks off at 19:45 GMT (20:45 local time) and you can follow all the action, as it happens, on our Live Blog.

Bologna claimed a narrow but vital 1-0 victory over Sassuolo in the Emilian derby, with Thijs Dallinga’s early goal securing all three points, but the celebrations were tempered significantly by a series of injury concerns that threaten to undermine their preparations for Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final second leg against Roma.

The most alarming moment came late in the match when goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski went down in clear distress after an aerial challenge outside his box.

With Vincenzo Italiano having already used all his substitutions, Skorupski was forced to play on despite what appeared to be a muscular problem, reportedly affecting his left hamstring, according to CalcioMercato.

Bologna keeper Skorupski injured in win over Sassuolo

He completed the match but was visibly emotional at the final whistle, breaking down in tears beneath the away end, scenes that did little to ease growing anxiety about his availability for Thursday’s decisive clash.

Should Skorupski be ruled out, Italiano will be forced to turn to either Ravaglia or young backup Pessina for one of the biggest matches in the club’s recent history.

Neither represents a straightforward replacement for a goalkeeper of Skorupski’s experience and quality at this level.

Moro and De Silvestri also picked up injuries during the contest, adding further selection headaches for a coaching staff already working with a depleted squad, although the latter is absent from the Europa League squad anyway.

Bologna head into the second leg level at 1-1 on aggregate, giving them every reason to believe they can progress, but the medical room will be every bit as important as the tactics board between now and Thursday evening.

Former Roma defender Ashley Cole has officially been appointed as the new coach of Serie B side Cesena, his first major management role.

It had been reported last night that Cole was already on Italian soil to discuss the deal with the club owners, and today he made it official.

His contract runs to June 30, with an option to renew if certain conditions are met.

Cesena sacked Michele Mignani after two seasons in the job following a 2-2 draw with Frosinone, which left them in eighth place in Italy’s second division.

Cole has new Calcio adventure

The 45-year-old had some experience in Italian football as a player for Roma from 2014 to 2016, when he went on to the LA Galaxy and ended his playing career at Derby in 2019.

Before that, Cole had made his mark as a full-back for Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Chelsea.

Cole has worked at the Chelsea youth academy, plus as an assistant manager to the likes of Lee Carsley, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and more.

Above all, he worked with Carsley, and is currently the assistant to the England Under-21 team coach.

His staff at Cesena consists of assistant Jack Mesure, fitness coach Giorgio D’Urbano, Paolo Stringara, Nicola Capellini and goalkeeping coach Federico Agliardi.

Roma director Ricky Massara admits today’s battle with Como ‘will weigh heavily’ on the race for a Champions League spot, but ‘the season is long regardless.’

It kicks off at the Stadio Sinigaglia at 17.00 GMT (18.00 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.

The pressure is on the Giallorossi in this showdown for fourth place, especially after Juventus won 2-1 away to Udinese last night, temporarily leapfrogging both teams onto 53 points.

On top of that, they also have to prepare for Thursday’s Europa League Round of 16 tie with Bologna, having drawn the first leg 1-1 at the Stadio Dall’Ara.

Roma have sights set on top four

“Undoubtedly, it is a very important game for the way the table looks right now, so it’s obvious that the points here will weigh heavily on the final standings,” Massara told Sky Sport Italia.

“At the same time, there are still another nine rounds after this, and the season is long regardless.”

The Giallorossi have been trying for several years to get into the Champions League and last term missed out on the final day, so how much would achieving that aim transform their transfer plans?

“The financial impact of Champions League qualification is important for all clubs, and Roma are no exception. Having said that, Roma will always commit to a transfer strategy that fits with its ambitions, which it can do thanks to strong club owners,” insisted the director.

Evan Ndicka is suspended, with Matias Soulé, Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson injured, so Mario Hermoso gets his first start since February 2.

Manu Koné is also back after missing the Europa League match with a muscular twinge and Stephan El Shaarawy hadn’t started since January 13.

“Donyell Malen combines well with various different players, which helps with the squad rotation around him. We do have a lot of injuries concentrated in the attack, but the return of El Shaarawy is very important, and we expect him to give his contribution today.”

Cesc Fabregas keeps Roma guessing on his Como tactics and explains why Nico Paz is not really a ‘False 9’ in this battle for Champions League spots.

It kicks off at the Stadio Sinigaglia at 17.00 GMT (18.00 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.

The importance of this fixture cannot be underestimated, as both teams are locked together on 51 points, temporarily leapfrogged by Juventus on 53 thanks to last night’s victory away to Udinese.

Champions League qualification is at stake, a remarkable achievement for a Como side who were in Serie B two years ago.

Fabregas keeps Como tactics vague

Maximo Perrone is not 100 per cent fit after a knock, with Jayden Addai out for the rest of the season following a laceration of the Achilles tendon.

“Perrone is in the squad, he says he’s fine, he trained a little with the team yesterday, he is ready to come on if we need him, but it’s important to start those who are at 100 per cent,” Fabregas told Sky Sport Italia.

Surprisingly, Como are using a three-man defence from the start today, with Nico Paz seemingly as the False 9, but again the coach doesn’t want to be tied down to definitions.

“You think it’s a three-man defence? You’ll see… I think Nico Paz is a striker, he just has different characteristics. Osimhen attacks the space, Messi drops back more, Hojlund protests the ball, so every striker is different and has their own characteristics. We’ll see if it goes the way we want it to.”

Along with fighting for the top four in Serie A, Como are also in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, having held Inter to a 0-0 draw in the first leg.

Since making his debut in the top flight a year and a half ago, Fabregas has put together 100 points. Did he expect this?

“I didn’t expect this, but the life of a coach is to be taken one day at a time, so we cannot think about what happens a year from now. We have our vision of where we can get to in four or five years, but we must try to grow on a par with the club, staff, players, directors, with patience, humility and hard work,” concluded Fabregas.

Referee decisions in a 1-1 draw against Atalanta on Saturday infuriated Inter, but Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport notes that the Nerazzurri looked ‘drained and fearful’ against La Dea.

Despite a 1-1 home draw against Atalanta on Saturday, Inter remain at the top of the Serie A standings with an eight-point lead over second-placed Milan.

Inter ‘drained and fearful’ against Atalanta

The Rossoneri have a game in hand, to be played against Lazio tonight, and a win would allow Massimiliano Allegri’s men to move five points below their city rivals with nine games remaining.

Besides the debatable refereeing decisions, Gazzetta dello Sport’s front page summed up Inter’s mood and shape against Atalanta in two words: “drained and fearful.”

Journalist Arianna Ravelli added: “It is clear that refereeing incidents end up affecting not only the match and the standings, but also the evaluations of Chivu’s team.

“What can be said is that an unattractive Inter had nevertheless gained an advantage that should have allowed them to face adversity, real or perceived, without harm. The way the team plays on the field must reflect that of a side that has earned the top spot and believes it deserves it. Simply managing the game is not enough.

“The truth is that Inter should have killed off a game that had a sluggish start and developed with overall lacklustre brilliance. What was missing was the ruthlessness and more courage. The contribution from the substitutes was also lacking: the changes definitely benefited Palladino more than Chivu.”

Former Milan coach Fabio Capello also argued that Chivu looked “a bit confused” and admitted that the decision to replace Pio Esposito in the second half was unconvincing.

Perhaps the next three league fixtures are the toughest remaining for Inter this season, as the Nerazzurri will first travel to Fiorentina, then host Roma, and then visit Como.

On the other hand, after tonight’s game against Lazio, Milan will face Torino at home, Napoli away and Udinese at home.

Como push for Champions League qualification with Nico Paz and Martin Baturina plus a three-man defence, as Roma rely on Donyell Malen and returning Manu Koné.

It kicks off at the Stadio Sinigaglia at 17.00 GMT (18.00 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.

This is a huge clash for fourth place, as the two teams are locked together on 51 points, and both were leapfrogged by Juventus on 53 following last night’s victory away to Udinese.

Cesc Fabregas has truly turned Como into a force of Italian football and they’ve won their last three on the bounce, as well as playing the Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter.

The season is over for Jayden Addai with a torn Achilles tendon, while Maxi Perrone is struggling after a knock.

Fabregas again goes for the False 9 with Nico Paz taking that role, supported by Maxence Caqueret and Baturina, as Sergi Roberto steps into midfield.

The big surprise is Fabregas starting a three-man defence, which he very rarely does.

Roma are stretched thin after Thursday’s 1-1 Europa League draw with Bologna, especially as Evan Ndicka is suspended in defence.

The biggest problems are in attack, with Matias Soulé, Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson still out injured.

At least Wesley returns from his ban, but the Giallorossi are without a victory in three competitive games and lost 2-1 to Genoa last week.

Koné is back in action after a muscular issue, while Mario Hermoso is given his first start since February 2.

Malen has made a remarkable impact since arriving from Aston Villa in January, scoring six goals in nine official games, and today he is supported by Lorenzo Pellegrini and Stephan El Shaarawy.

Como vs. Roma line-ups

Como: Butez; Diego Carlos, Ramon, Kempf; Smolcic, Sergi Roberto, Da Cunha, Valle; Baturina, Caqueret; Nico Paz

Roma: Svilar; Hermoso, Mancini, Ghilardi; Celik, Koné, Cristante, Wesley; Pellegrini; El Shaarawy, Malen

15-03-2026 17:00

MatchDay 29

Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia

Como

Roma

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

7'

Donyell Malen

2nd half

		48'		Wesley
Anastasios Douvikas (Assist: Álex Valle)		59'
Maxence Caqueret		63'
		64'		Wesley
Diego Carlos		73'
		77'		Daniele Ghilardi
Diego Carlos		79'

Match statistic

66

Possession %

34

22

Total shots

3

7

Shots on target

1

7

Shots off target

1

8

Blocked shots

1

7

Corners

1

0

Offsides

1

16

Fouls

18

Como

Roma

Starting lineups

1

Jean Butez

Goalkeeper

3

Álex Valle

Defender

34

Diego Carlos

Defender

28

Ivan Smolcic

Defender

14

Jacobo Ramón

Defender

2

Marc Oliver Kempf

Defender

46'

20

Martin Baturina

Midfielder

6

Maxence Caqueret

Midfielder

67'

10

Nico Paz

Midfielder

77'

8

Sergi Roberto

Midfielder

46'

33

Lucas Da Cunha

Attacker

87'

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

22

Mario Hermoso

Defender

70'

43

Wesley

Defender

19

Zeki Celik

Defender

70'

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

7

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Midfielder

67'

17

Manu Koné

Midfielder

14

Donyell Malen

Attacker

67'

92

Stephan El Shaarawy

Attacker

56'

Substitutes

5

Edoardo Goldaniga

Defender

31

Mërgim Vojvoda

Defender

7

Álvaro Morata

Attacker

22

Mauro Vigorito

Goalkeeper

44

Nikola Cavlina

Goalkeeper

18

Alberto Moreno

Defender

19

Nicolas Kühn

Attacker

21

Noel Törnqvist

Goalkeeper

Adrian Lahdo

Midfielder

11

Anastasios Douvikas

Attacker

46'

38

Assane Diao

Attacker

46'

23

Máximo Perrone

Midfielder

67'

17

Jesús Rodriguez

Attacker

77'

77

Ignace Van Der Brempt

Defender

87'

3

Angeliño

Defender

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

8

Neil El Aynaoui

Midfielder

97

Bryan Zaragoza

Attacker

70

Giorgio De Marzi

Goalkeeper

20

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

56'

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

67'

78

Robinio Vaz

Attacker

67'

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

70'

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

70'

Thijs Dallinga decided the local derby and ensured Bologna consolidate eighth place, dooming Sassuolo to a second consecutive defeat.

This was not only a local Emilia-Romagna Derby, but also a head-to-head for European ambitions, as only one point separated eighth from ninth. Andrea Pinamonti returned from suspension for the hosts, who missed Alieu Fadera, Daniel Boloca, Fali Cande and Edoardo Pieragnolo after a run of three straight wins was ended by defeat to Lazio. Bologna also lost in Serie A last week and had Lewis Ferguson banned, but otherwise a full squad following Thursday’s 1-1 Europa League draw with Roma.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It was the ideal start for Bologna, as within six minutes a Jens Odgaard shot was charged down and ricocheted into the path of Thijs Dallinga, who gathered with his back to goal and scored on the turn from just inside the area.

Sassuolo nearly equalised moments later, as Lukasz Skorupski flew to palm the Pinamonti effort away following a Jhon Lucumi slip.

Niccolò Cambiaghi drilled wide, but Lorenzo De Silvestri pulled up clutching his hamstring and limped off after just 29 minutes.

Nikola Moro’s free kick was just off target and Riccardo Orsolini only glanced his head to an Odgaard cross, then fired over from an improbable angle.

Odgaard tested Arijanet Muric after the restart, while Cristian Volpato forced a save after good work from Armand Laurienté.

Martin Vitik risked an own goal with a decisive interception to prevent M’Bala Nzola tapping in the Domenico Berardi roll across, while twice Laurienté went for goal when he had better options for the assist.

Orsolini also stung Muric’s gloves at the near post after a stepover, but Bologna lost Lukasz Skorupski to a suspected flexor strain at the 88^th minute, after completing all their substitutions. After several minutes of stoppages and a very heavy strapping on his left thigh, he managed to finish the game.

Sassuolo 0-1 Bologna

Dallinga 6 (B)

15-03-2026 14:00

MatchDay 29

Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore

Sassuolo

Bologna

0 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		6'		Thijs Dallinga
		24'		Thijs Dallinga

2nd half

M’Bala Nzola		77'
		90+6'		Nadir Zortea

Match statistic

54

Possession %

46

9

Total shots

16

4

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

8

1

Blocked shots

5

7

Corners

4

1

Offsides

2

16

Fouls

11

Sassuolo

Bologna

Starting lineups

49

Arijanet Muric

Goalkeeper

21

Jay Idzes

Defender

6

Sebastian Walukiewicz

Defender

80

Tarik Muharemovic

Defender

23

Ulisses Garcia

Defender

75'

90

Ismaël Koné

Midfielder

75'

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

18

Nemanja Matic

Midfielder

59'

99

Andrea Pinamonti

Attacker

59'

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

10

Domenico Berardi

Attacker

87'

1

Lukasz Skorupski

Goalkeeper

26

Jhon Lucumí

Defender

33

Juan Miranda

Defender

29

Lorenzo De Silvestri

Defender

29'

41

Martin Vitik

Defender

6

Nikola Moro

Midfielder

64'

23

Simon Sohm

Midfielder

83'

21

Jens Odgaard

Attacker

83'

28

Nicolò Cambiaghi

Attacker

7

Riccardo Orsolini

Attacker

24

Thijs Dallinga

Attacker

64'

Substitutes

19

Filippo Romagna

Defender

12

Giacomo Satalino

Goalkeeper

16

Gioele Zacchi

Goalkeeper

25

Woyo Coulibaly

Defender

13

Stefano Turati

Goalkeeper

24

Luca Moro

Attacker

44

Edoardo Iannoni

Midfielder

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

66

Pedro Felipe

Defender

7

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

59'

8

M’Bala Nzola

Attacker

59'

3

Josh Doig

Defender

75'

40

Aster Vranckx

Midfielder

75'

50

Darryl Bakola

Midfielder

87'

22

Charalampos Lykogiannis

Defender

16

Nicolò Casale

Defender

13

Federico Ravaglia

Goalkeeper

17

João Mário

Defender

30

Benja Domínguez

Attacker

14

Torbjørn Heggem

Defender

25

Massimo Pessina

Goalkeeper

11

Jonathan Rowe

Midfielder

5

Eivind Helland

Defender

20

Nadir Zortea

Defender

29'

8

Remo Freuler

Midfielder

64'

9

Santiago Castro

Attacker

64'

4

Tommaso Pobega

Midfielder

83'

10

Federico Bernardeschi

Attacker

83'

Despite being down to 10 men from the 37^th minute, Pisa still managed only their second victory of the season, beating Cagliari 3-1 with captain Antonio Caracciolo’s brace.

The hosts were left rock bottom despite the arrival of new coach Oscar Hiljemark, with Simone Scuffet, Juan Cuadrado, Lorran, Daniel Denoon and Isak Vural not fully fit. Sebastiano Esposito was suspended for the Sardinians, with Riyad Idrissi, Gennaro Borrelli, Andrea Belotti and Mattia Felici injured, but Gennaro Gaetano, Alessandro Deiola and Yerry Mina were available again.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

The referee initially seemed to point to the edge of the area, but changed it to the spot when Arturo Calabresi was brought down by an Ibrahim Sulemana sliding tackle. The contact seemed to be on the line, so Stefano Moreo converted for his first Serie A home goal of the season.

Cagliari had the opportunity to equalise moments later with an Adam Obert diving header, but it thumped the crossbar from 10 yards.

Pisa lost Marius Marin to a knee injury and Matteo Tramoni’s strike was charged down, but above all they went down to 10 men when the referee spotted Rafiu Durosinmi kicking out at Yerry Mina in an off the ball situation. It was hardly the first time that Mina’s method of frustrating strikers has paid off.

Nicolas got down to fingertip an Obert daisy-cutter round the far post, but it was so nearly 2-0 for Pisa on the stroke of half-time.

More knocked back the cross at the far post for Matlhe Hojholt to tap in from point-blank range, but was denied by a stunning Elia Caprile reaction save.

Instead, 10-man Pisa doubled their lead when Michael Folorunsho flicked on a Simone Canestrelli throw-in, accidentally providing the assist for Antonio Caracciolo to fire in on the half-volley at the near post.

Cagliari seemed to crumble, as Obert’s decisive block prevented Samuele Angori completing the give and go in the box, but Pisa added a third on the resulting Mehdi Leris corner with Caracciolo unmarked to prod in from point-blank range with his knee.

Semih Kilicsoy forced a flying Nicolas save from distance, but Cagliari did finally get back into it when Alberto Dossena’s header forward bounced, and Leonardo Pavoletti acrobatically turned in on the volley after shoving Raul Albiol aside.

Dossena also nodded Obert’s corner just wide of the back stick, but Cagliari went down to 10 men too when Obert received his second yellow card for bringing down Leris.

Caprile kept the scoreline down late on with another tricky save on Moreo’s header.

Pisa 3-1 Cagliari

Moreo pen 9 (P), Caracciolo 52, 54 (P), Pavoletti 67 (C)

Sent off: Durosinmi 37 (P), Obert 81 (C)

15-03-2026 14:00

MatchDay 29

Arena Garibaldi – Stadio Romeo Anconetani

Pisa

Cagliari

3 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

Stefano Moreo		9'
Rafiu Durosinmi		37'

2nd half

		47'		Zé Pedro
Antonio Caracciolo		52'
Antonio Caracciolo (Assist: Raúl Albiol)		54'
		59'		Adam Obert
Michel Aebischer		61'
		67'		Leonardo Pavoletti (Assist: Alberto Dossena)
		78'		Alberto Dossena
		81'		Adam Obert

Match statistic

28

Possession %

72

10

Total shots

14

6

Shots on target

4

2

Shots off target

6

2

Blocked shots

4

1

Corners

5

1

Offsides

1

14

Fouls

16

Pisa

Cagliari

Starting lineups

12

Nicolas

Goalkeeper

4

Antonio Caracciolo

Defender

33

Arturo Calabresi

Defender

46'

3

Samuele Angori

Defender

5

Simone Canestrelli

Defender

6

Marius Marin

Midfielder

16'

10

Matteo Tramoni

Midfielder

72'

20

Michel Aebischer

Midfielder

7

Mehdi Léris

Attacker

90'

17

Rafiu Durosinmi

Attacker

32

Stefano Moreo

Attacker

1

Elia Caprile

Goalkeeper

33

Adam Obert

Defender

22

Alberto Dossena

Defender

2

Marco Palestra

Defender

26

Yerry Mina

Defender

46'

32

Zé Pedro

Defender

76'

10

Gianluca Gaetano

Midfielder

64'

90

Michael Folorunsho

Midfielder

8

Michel Adopo

Midfielder

46'

25

Ibrahim Sulemana

Midfielder

9

Semih Kılıçsoy

Attacker

64'

Substitutes

1

Adrian Šemper

Goalkeeper

36

Gabriele Piccinini

Attacker

19

Samuel Iling-Junior

Attacker

26

Francesco Coppola

Defender

9

Henrik Meister

Attacker

35

Felipe Loyola

Defender

2

Rosen Bozhinov

Defender

81

Filip Stojilkovic

Attacker

31

Matteo Luppichini

Goalkeeper

8

Malthe Höjholt

Midfielder

16'

39

Raúl Albiol

Defender

46'

14

Ebenezer Akinsanmiro

Midfielder

72'

15

Idrissa Touré

Midfielder

90'

14

Alessandro Deiola

Midfielder

24

Giuseppe Ciocci

Goalkeeper

12

Alen Sherri

Goalkeeper

15

Juan Rodríguez

Defender

27

Joseph Liteta

Midfielder

38

Ivan Sulev

Midfielder

18

Othniel Raterink

Midfielder

31

Paul Mendy

Attacker

40

Roberto Malfitano

Midfielder

30

Leonardo Pavoletti

Attacker

46'

28

Gabriele Zappa

Defender

46'

4

Luca Mazzitelli

Midfielder

64'

37

Yael Trepy

Attacker

64'

20

Agustín Albarracín

Midfielder

76'

(Sponsored)

The Evolution of Football Fan Culture

The World Cup has evolved beyond a mere sporting event; it’s now a global phenomenon. The culture surrounding football fans has shifted dramatically, fueled by digital innovation and commercial interests.

Fans today express their passion through a wide range of merchandise, from scarves and hats to fully custom supporter gear, and show their allegiance to the tournament. Social media has also played a major role in transforming fan culture. Supporters now share their matchday experiences online, display their collections, and connect with fellow fans across the world.

Why Custom Fan Merchandise Is Becoming Essential for Major Tournaments

Major sporting events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup have significantly increased the demand for collectable and personalised fan merchandise.

Today’s fans want more than standard souvenirs. They are increasingly looking for items that reflect their personal style and demonstrate a deeper connection to their favourite teams.

When football fans wear the same T-shirts or hats while watching a game, it makes them feel like they are part of a group. From local fan gatherings to global social media communities, these personalised items have become an integral part of the modern football fan merchandise culture.

Popular Types of Custom Football Fan Merchandise

Enamel Pins for Matchday Memories

Football fans consider Enamel Pins to be their most essential collectable item. Football-themed enamel pins can be exchanged, displayed, or worn during matches to help fans commemorate specific events, tournaments, or victories. The pins can be designed using any combination of a player’s name, host cities, match dates, and a team’s name. Custom enamel pins, with their compact dimensions, unique design possibilities, and ease of transport, have become a must-have for any football enthusiast’s collection.

Custom Keychains and Custom Medals for Collectors

For fans who cherish collectables, custom keychains and medals provide more than just utility. They carry a sentimental weight.

Keychains, for instance, are a daily way to display your allegiance. Custom medals can be engraved with achievements, anniversaries, or special events, making them especially collectable.

Unlike usual souvenirs, these personalised items are crafted with exquisite artistry. From vibrant enamel finishes to intricate engravings, they transcend the commercial realm of ordinary goods, becoming a part of a football fan’s life story.

PVC Patches for Team Identity

Custom patches are also a common type of football merchandise. Custom PVC Patches offer fans a durable and visually striking way to express their loyalty. Design elements can include team logos, football patterns, or witty football puns. 

Fans usually adorn these patches on jackets, backpacks, scarves, and hats, transforming everyday accessories into wearable symbols of team honour. Furthermore, optional 3D craftsmanship, with its layered structure, allows PVC patches to display vibrant textures and colours, highlighting team crests or event logos.

Personalised Apparel and Accessories

One of the most recognisable types of football fan merchandise is personalised team apparel. Items such as t-shirts, hats, scarves, and wristbands can be customised to have the fan’s name, jersey number, or original slogans.

Design inspiration can range from meaningful football graphic designs and national team jersey colour schemes to numbers. These custom items can be worn at matches, fan festivals, and when viewing on big screens with other fans, creating a collective identity among thousands of fans around the world.

Custom Luggage Tags for Travelling Fans

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will bring fans together from all over the world. Beyond the usual fan merchandise, fans can also use Custom Luggage Tags as identification and luggage tracking during their travels.

Custom Luggage Tags can be designed with World Cup elements, participating country flags, or football-themed patterns. Fans can also personalise them by adding their nicknames or team colours, making it easy to identify their luggage while travelling.

Custom Lanyards for Everyday and Event Use

Custom lanyards, printed with soccer patterns and national team colours, combine practicality and team spirit. Fans can wear personalised lanyards to matches or parties, conveniently carrying tickets, water bottles, or keys while proudly displaying their support.

Custom Stickers for Creative Expression

Custom stickers allow fans to personalise their belongings. Design elements can include football cartoon characters, cute soccer patterns, or stylised event graphics. 

Fans can stick them on laptops, phone cases, or suitcases, keeping the World Cup atmosphere with them. Custom stickers are a convenient and fun collectable.

Innovation in Custom Fan Merchandise Production

From Traditional Manufacturing to AI Design

The transition from conventional manufacturing methods to AI design represents the current state of manufacturing processes.

Traditional merchandise production used methods that took excessive time to produce. Today, digital design capabilities and AI design tools enable designers to develop custom products throughout the complete product development process.

How GSJJ Supports Custom Fan Merchandise Production with 3D Modelling

Companies such as GSJJ are helping brands and fans turn creative ideas into real products through advanced manufacturing and digital design tools.

Through 3D Modelling, designers can visualise merchandise before production, making it easier to refine colours, textures, and structural details. Each of these processes ensures that custom pins, PVC patches, custom keychains, and custom luggage tags will not only look great but also meet fans’ expectations.

Conclusion

Custom fan merchandise will continue to evolve alongside fan expectations and technology. The upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup will offer fans new ways to celebrate their passion for football. From collectable pins to personalised travel accessories, custom fan merchandise allows fans to transform unforgettable matchday moments into lasting memories.

There are growing reports on Tottenham’s interest in Roberto De Zerbi, but the Italian tactician will wait until the summer before taking a new role.

Former Sassuolo and Brighton coach De Zerbi could return to the Premier League in the summer as the Italian is reported to be among the primary names for the Tottenham job.

De Zerbi ‘one of the leading names on Tottenham’s shortlist’ for 2026-27

Ben Jacobs reports on X social media that “De Zerbi is currently inclined to wait until summer before taking a new role, knowing multiple clubs are interested. Italian is one of the leading names on Spurs’ shortlist along with Mauricio Pochettino.” 

The transfer expert adds that Tottenham are expected to part ways with Igor Tudor this month as the North Londoners are “actively assessing both caretaker options and whether a permanent appointment could be brought forward.”

De Zerbi left Marseille by mutual consent in February, and previous reports linked the Italian with the Manchester United job as well.

De Zerbi, 46, already coached Brighton in the Premier League. He was appointed in October 2022 and left the club at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

The Italian tactician won 38 of 89 games at Brighton, losing 31 and drawing 20.

During his first season at Brighton, De Zerbi led the team to their first-ever qualification for the UEFA Europa League.

De Zerbi coached Palermo, Benevento and Sassuolo in Serie A, winning 47 of 155 games in Italy’s top flight.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, referee chiefs believe it was legitimate to allow play to continue in the build-up to Atalanta’s equaliser against Inter, but the table leaders should have been awarded a penalty for a foul on Davide Frattesi.

Referee chiefs have given their verdicts on the controversial incidents that infuriated Inter in their 1-1 draw against Atalanta on Saturday.

Referee incidents that upset Inter in 1-1 draw vs. Atalanta

The table leaders protested for La Dea’s equaliser as they felt Kamaldeen Sulemana had pushed Denzel Dumfries in the build-up. Inter were even more upset a few minutes later when Giorgio Scalvini challenged Frattesi inside the box, making contact with the Italian midfielder.

Referee Gianluca Manganiello waved play on on both occasions, infuriating the Nerazzurri, who didn’t even speak to the media after the match.

According to Gazzetta, referee chiefs feel the match official was right to let the play flow in the build-up to Atalanta’s goal scored by Nikola Krstovic. Still, Manganiello should have awarded a penalty to Inter for Scalvini’s foul.

Manganiello should have correctly assessed the penalty incident, so he’s considered more responsible than the VAR official.

However, the AIA executives were also not pleased that VAR remained silent and did not advise the match referee to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.

Manganiello is not expected to referee any Serie A game next week as part of the routine rotation. He’ll return to action after the international break, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll take charge of a Serie A or Serie B match.

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Vitinha and Leo Ostigard’s goals gave Genoa a crucial 2-0 win away at Verona, and while Daniele De Rossi’s side nears survival, the Gialloblu seem destined for relegation to Serie B.

De Rossi’s Genoa secured a massive 2-0 win at the Stadio Bentegodi in Verona on Sunday, climbing to 13th in Serie A with 33 points, nine above the relegation zone.

Verona, on the other hand, remain in 19th with just 18 points.

The first half at the Bentegodi was quite dull, with Verona midfielder Jean Akpa Akpro producing the only decent goal-scoring opportunity for the home side when his cross from the right hit the crossbar.

Caleb Ekuban had the best chance for the visitors, backed by over 2,000 fans travelling from Genoa, but Lorenzo Montipò easily blocked the striker’s weak shot.

The first half ended with Verona producing just 0.7 Expected Goals against Genoa’s 0.14.

De Rossi’s second-half substitutions made the difference, as Vitinha replaced Ekuban and scored with his first touch.

The Portuguese striker saw Montipò off his line and unleashed a powerful shot from 32 yards. It was strong, but straight down the middle, and the Verona goalkeeper was poorly positioned to stop it.

Ostigard sealed the match a few minutes later, powering in a decisive header from a Martin free kick delivered from the left.

The only real Hellas response came through a Tomas Suslov free kick that sailed over the crossbar.

For the Grifone, it marked their first away victory in three months, while Verona’s winless run at home stretches on since the beginning of December.

Verona 0-2 Genoa

Vitinha 61 (G), Ostigard 87 (G)

15-03-2026 11:30

MatchDay 29

Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi

VER

GEN

0 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

Daniel Oyegoke		6'
Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro		31'

2nd half

		61'		Vitinha
		81'		Vitinha
		86'		Leo Östigard (Assist: Aarón Martín)

Match statistic

42

Possession %

58

8

Total shots

11

1

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

3

3

Blocked shots

5

4

Corners

2

3

Offsides

1

22

Fouls

9

VER

GEN

Starting lineups

1

Lorenzo Montipò

Goalkeeper

5

Andrias Edmundsson

Defender

2

Daniel Oyegoke

Defender

46'

3

Martin Frese

Defender

80'

6

Nicolás Valentini

Defender

15

Victor Nelsson

Defender

21

Abdou Harroui

Midfielder

65'

11

Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro

Midfielder

63

Roberto Gagliardini

Midfielder

16

Gift Orban

Attacker

86'

18

Kieron Bowie

Attacker

16

Justin Bijlow

Goalkeeper

27

Alessandro Marcandalli

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

5

Leo Östigard

Defender

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

59'

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

71'

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

59'

10

Junior Messias

Attacker

78'

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

79'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

Substitutes

34

Simone Perilli

Goalkeeper

14

Pol Lirola

Defender

36

Cheikh Niasse

Attacker

94

Giacomo Toniolo

Goalkeeper

73

Moatasem Al-Musrati

Midfielder

70

Fallou Cham

Defender

71

Davide De Battisti

Defender

41

Isaac

Attacker

7

Rafik Belghali

Defender

46'

10

Tomas Suslov

Attacker

65'

9

Amin Sarr

Attacker

80'

25

Daniel Mosquera

Attacker

86'

8

Tommaso Baldanzi

Midfielder

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

70

Maxwel Cornet

Attacker

75

Gaël Lafont

Midfielder

13

Nils Zätterström

Defender

34

Sebastian Otoa

Defender

9

Vitinha

Attacker

59'

15

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Defender

59'

4

Amorim

Midfielder

71'

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

78'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

79'

Italian talent Luca Reggiani, 18, became the youngest Italian goalscorer in the Bundesliga as he found the net in a 2-0 win over Augsburg on Saturday.

Italian defender Reggiani scored his first Bundesliga goal for Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

The 18-year-old played the full 90 minutes and bagged his first goal for the German side with a header from a corner kick routine in the second half.

As reported by Opta, Reggiani has become the youngest Italian player to score in one of the top five European leagues, excluding Serie A, since Pietro Pellegri in 2018. Reggiani has also become the youngest Italian to score a goal in the Bundesliga.

“It’s crazy. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the ball going in. I can’t say how the feeling was because it was really amazing to score my first goal,” said at full time.

“It’s all happening so fast. Last month, I made my debut, then the Champions League, and now my first goal. I’m very happy with what is happening. I thank the club and everyone.”

A product of the Castelvetro Calcio and Sassuolo academies, Reggiani joined the Borussia Dortmund youth sector from the Neroverdi in 2014.

The promising defender made his debut with the Italy U19 squad this past January.

Lucca Reggiani marcou seu primeiro gol pelo Borussia Dortmund… e foi à loucura na comemoração.#NoCentroDoJogo pic.twitter.com/QfwfhO7ZtG

— SportyNet (@SportyNetBrasil) March 14, 2026

Juventus midfielder Khephren Thuram says he felt ‘attacked’ when Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. was allegedly racially abused during a Champions League match against Benfica: ‘It could have been me.’

Juventus star Thuram spoke out firmly against racism in an interview with Canal+, addressing how he felt witnessing Vinicius Jr. allegedly subjected to racist abuse during a Champions League match against Benfica in February.

“It’s difficult as a black boy. In 2026, you can still be attacked because of the colour of your skin,” the Juventus midfielder said via L’Equipe.

Vinicius and other Real Madrid players accused Gianluca Prestianni of making racist remarks towards the Brazilian, but the Benfica talent denied the claims.

Besides this latest incident, sadly, Vinicius has frequently been the target of racist abuse in Spain and across Europe.

“Vinicius was attacked, and it’s as if I were the one being attacked. It could have been me. And all of this just because I’m black? I don’t have the answer to stop this. I don’t have the answer to stop it in stadiums,” Thuram continued,

“Leaving the pitch might be a solution, but I want to play football. It’s my job, and I enjoy what I do.

“There should be stronger actions for those who behave like that. Why should I be the one to leave the field? He should be the one leaving the stadium. We have to stop this nonsense and start taking things seriously.”

Thuram’s father, Lilian, a former Juventus and Parma defender and a 1998 France World Cup winner, is a well-known anti-racism activist, founder of the Lilian Thuram Foundation, which focuses on education to combat racism.

His sons, Marcus and Khephren, play in Serie A for Inter and Juventus, respectively.

Juventus midfielder Khephren Thuram has scored three goals and provided four assists in 37 appearances across all competitions this season.

His contract at the Allianz Stadium runs out in June 2029.

Inter midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is expected to miss the next Serie A match against Fiorentina due to a muscle injury, according to reports in Italy.

Inter midfielder Mkhitaryan suffered a muscle injury during a 1-1 draw against Atalanta on Saturday.

Italian sources, including Calciomercato.com, claim that the Armenian will undergo medical tests in the coming days to learn the extent of his injury.

The ex-Arsenal and Manchester United midfielder is expected to miss the next Serie A match against Fiorentina on March 22, but the Nerazzurri hope Hakan Çalhanoğlu will return to action in Florence.

Mkhitaryan played 45 minutes in Inter’s match against Atalanta, replacing Petar Sucic at half-time.

Mkhitaryan’s contract with Inter expires at the end of the season, and according to Italian sources, the Nerazzurri are considering offering him a one-year extension.

Mkhitaryan, 37, has scored two goals and provided three assists in 30 appearances across all competitions this season.

Inter remain the Serie A table leaders with an eight-point advantage over second-placed Milan, who have a game in hand.

Lecce winger Lameck Banda has been discharged from the hospital after undergoing tests that ‘returned negative results,’ the Serie A club said.

Banda collapsed in the final minutes of Lecce’s away game at Napoli on Saturday after sustaining a knock in the chest.

The 25-year-old was struggling to breathe and received immediate medical attention on the field.

Banda never appeared to lose consciousness, but he was taken to a hospital in Naples for further tests.

The 25-year-old spent the night at the hospital and was discharged on Sunday morning.

“Lameck Banda was discharged this morning from Cardarelli Hospital after a series of tests that returned negative results,” Lecce said in a statement.

A Zambia international, Banda has scored three goals and provided three assists in 23 Serie A appearances this season.

Lecce suffered a 2-1 away defeat at Napoli on Saturday, but remain three points above the relegation zone.

Their next league game is against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday, March 22, and it remains to be seen whether Banda will be eligible to play.

Fabio Capello admits that Inter coach Cristian Chivu is ‘a bit confused’, but the race for the Serie A title remains in the Nerazzurri’s hands.

Inter were held to a 1-1 home draw by Atalanta at San Siro on Saturday, but the Serie A leaders were upset by referee decisions in the second half.

Ex-Milan, Juventus and Roma coach Capello, however, examined the Nerazzurri’s performance in an interview with Gazzetta, suggesting that the result was not determined solely by referees’ decisions.

“I was at San Siro and saw a team that wasn’t very sharp physically,” said the legendary Italian coach.

“Inter also had chances to kill off the game when they were 1-0 up, but Atalanta also wasted the opportunity to equalise as well, before eventually scoring with Krstovic. My impression is that Chivu is a bit confused.

“The substitutions didn’t convince me,” Capello continued.

“Why take off Esposito, who allowed the team not to get pinned back and forced Atalanta not to push up too much? After that, Atalanta began to take control of the field.

Inter remain the Serie A table leaders with an eight-point lead over second-placed Milan, but the Rossoneri have a game in hand, to be played away at Lazio tonight.

The Rossoneri boss Massimiliano Allegri will look to Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao in attack.

“The Portuguese seems to have lost his best qualities, namely, his acceleration and his ability in one-on-one situations,” Capello noted.

“Maybe he’s not fully fit yet, but I didn’t like him much in the derby, and when he had chances to strike, he was unusually slow and got bothered right when he was about to shoot.

If Milan beat Lazio, they’ll move five points below their city rivals with nine games remaining.

“Dreaming and hoping are always allowed, but everything would still depend on Inter, which would have to make mistakes in at least two or three more matches,” argued Capello.

“At the same time, Milan would need to keep winning, starting tonight in Rome.

“The draw between Inter and Atalanta will have brought some cheer to Milanello, but the away match in Rome is definitely not something to take lightly. Sometimes, when you are fired up and want to do too much, you overdo it, and it ends badly.”

Inter play their next Serie A match away at Fiorentina before facing Roma and Como. After their game against Lazio, Milan will play Torino at home, Napoli away and Udinese at home.

Scotland striker Kieron Bowie starts for Verona in a crucial home game against Lorenzo Colombo’s Genoa.

It kicks off at 12:30 CET (11:30 GMT) at the Stadio Bentegodi.

Over 2,000 Genoa fans have travelled to Verona following last week’s 2-1 win over Roma at Marassi.

The Rossoblu sit 14th in the standings, six points above the drop zone, while Verona sit 19th, seven points below safety.

Scottish striker Bowie, who scored his first Serie A goal in a 2-1 victory against Bologna, joins Gift Orban in attack for Verona.

Genoa coach Daniele De Rossi starts Colombo and Caleb Ekuban in attack, while English right-back Norton-Cuffy begins on the bench, still not fully fit after an injury.

Verona vs. Genoa – official line-ups

Verona (3-5-2): Montipò; Nelsson, Edmundsson, Valentini; Oyegoke, Akpa Akpro, Gagliardini, Harroui, Frese; Bowie, Orban.

Verona bench: Perilli, Toniolo, Belghali, Sarr, Suslov, Lirola, Mosquera, Niasse, Isaac, Fallou, De Battisti, Al Musrati.

Genoa (3-5-2): Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Ellertsson, Malinovskyi, Frendrup, Messias, Sabelli; Colombo, Ekuban.

Genoa bench: Leali, Sommariva, Martin, Amorin, Baldanzi, Vitinha, Zatterstrom, Norton-Cuffy, Ekhator, Otoa, Cornet, Lafont.

Verona vs. Genoa – live updates

15-03-2026 11:30

MatchDay 29

Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi

Verona

Genoa

0 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

Daniel Oyegoke		6'
Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro		31'

2nd half

		61'		Vitinha
		81'		Vitinha
		86'		Leo Östigard (Assist: Aarón Martín)

Match statistic

42

Possession %

58

8

Total shots

11

1

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

3

3

Blocked shots

5

4

Corners

2

3

Offsides

1

22

Fouls

9

Verona

Genoa

Starting lineups

1

Lorenzo Montipò

Goalkeeper

5

Andrias Edmundsson

Defender

2

Daniel Oyegoke

Defender

46'

3

Martin Frese

Defender

80'

6

Nicolás Valentini

Defender

15

Victor Nelsson

Defender

21

Abdou Harroui

Midfielder

65'

11

Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro

Midfielder

63

Roberto Gagliardini

Midfielder

16

Gift Orban

Attacker

86'

18

Kieron Bowie

Attacker

16

Justin Bijlow

Goalkeeper

27

Alessandro Marcandalli

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

5

Leo Östigard

Defender

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

59'

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

71'

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

59'

10

Junior Messias

Attacker

78'

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

79'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

Substitutes

34

Simone Perilli

Goalkeeper

14

Pol Lirola

Defender

36

Cheikh Niasse

Attacker

94

Giacomo Toniolo

Goalkeeper

73

Moatasem Al-Musrati

Midfielder

70

Fallou Cham

Defender

71

Davide De Battisti

Defender

41

Isaac

Attacker

7

Rafik Belghali

Defender

46'

10

Tomas Suslov

Attacker

65'

9

Amin Sarr

Attacker

80'

25

Daniel Mosquera

Attacker

86'

8

Tommaso Baldanzi

Midfielder

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

70

Maxwel Cornet

Attacker

75

Gaël Lafont

Midfielder

13

Nils Zätterström

Defender

34

Sebastian Otoa

Defender

9

Vitinha

Attacker

59'

15

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Defender

59'

4

Amorim

Midfielder

71'

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

78'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

79'

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter President Beppe Marotta and director Piero Ausilio politely confronted the referee after a 1-1 draw against Atalanta on Saturday, but the club fear recent calls are linked to the Alessandro Bastoni controversy against Juventus.

Refereeing decisions in a 1-1 home draw against Atalanta infuriated Inter, who didn’t send coach Cristian Chivu or any of their players to speak to the media after the match.

The Serie A table leaders protested for a potential foul in the build-up to Atalanta’s equaliser in the second half and felt they deserved a penalty kick a few minutes later for a mistimed Giorgio Scalvini challenge on Davide Frattesi.

According to Gazzetta, Marotta and Ausilio politely confronted referee Gianluca Manganiello inside the dressing room at full-time.

The pink paper adds that Andrea Demarco, federal coordinator for relations between referees and clubs and Andrea Gervasoni, the delegate responsible for assessing the refereeing performance, were also present.

Inter already complained about a potential penalty kick they were denied in the final minutes of last week’s 1-0 loss to Milan.

According to Gazzetta and Sport Mediaset, Inter feel a ‘climate of hostility’ which the club attribute to the Bastoni case against Juventus.

Back in February, the Italian defender caused a red card for Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu by going too easily on a challenge from the Frenchman, and also celebrated when his opponent was sent off.

Bastoni received a hostile welcome in the following away games at Lecce and Como and in the derby against Milan, during which he also suffered an injury.

Inter remain at the top of the Serie A table with an eight-point lead over second-placed Milan, but the Rossoneri have a game in hand, to be played tonight against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Italy star Riccardo Calafiori contributed to Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday night and celebrated on social media with a three-word message.

Arsenal secured a massive 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday, moving nine points above Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table with a game in hand.

Calafiori contributed to the Gunners’ vital victory with a fantastic clearance in the first half, and the North Londoners went on to win the game with late goals from Viktor Gyokeres and 16-year-old Max Dowman.

Calafiori’s acrobatic block from this angle is insane pic.twitter.com/bdYd6ebU8h

— Meech (@MeechSomto) March 15, 2026

To celebrate the win, Calafiori posted an Instagram showing him in a celebratory mood, accompanied by a simple caption: ‘No words needed.’

Calafiori is one of the Italian players with a guaranteed spot in the Azzurri squad for next week’s World Cup play-offs.

Como will look to Anastasios Douvikas and Nico Paz in a big home game against Donyell Malen’s Roma today.

It kicks off at 18:00 CET (170:00 GMT) at the Stadio Sinigaglia in Como.

Azzurri and Giallorossi are level on 51 points, just two below fourth-placed Juventus, who already played on Saturday night, beating Udinese 1-0 away.

It goes without saying that it’s a crucial fixture for both Roma and Como, who are battling for a Champions League spot.

Como are without Jayden Addai, while Roberto Perrone is not fully fit. According to Sky Sport, however, the ex-Manchester City talent will still start in central midfield.

Roma, on the other hand, are short of options in attack with Artem Dovbyk, Evan Ferguson, Paulo Dybala and Matias Soulé injured. Furthermore, centre-backEvan Ndicka is suspended.

According to Gazzetta, Jan Ziółkowski is favourite over Daniele Ghilardi, while Gazzetta claims that the Italian will start in a back-three alongside Gianluca Mancini and Mario Hermoso.

Roma played away at Bologna on Thursday in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16 and will play the decider at the Olimpico against the Rossoblu next week.

Como vs. Roma – where to watch on TV

The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 2 and DAZN in the UK and Ireland and Paramount+ in the USA. Football Italia will provide live updates via a live blog.

Como vs. Roma – probable line-ups

Como (4-2-3-1): Butez; Smolcic, Ramon, Kempf, Valle; Perrone, Da Cunha; Vojvoda, Paz, Baturina; Caqueret.

Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ziolkowski, Hermoso; Celik, Koné, Pisilli, Wesley; Pellegrini, Cristante; Malen. 

Lazio are short of options in central midfield, while Milan are without the suspended Adrien Rabiot, but Massimiliano Allegri will rely on Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic in attack for a key away game at the Olimpico in Rome tonight.

It kicks off at 20:45 CET (19:45 GMT).

Samuel Gigot, Nicolò Rovella, Ivan Provedel, Danilo Cataldi and Toma Basic are unavailable for the Biancocelesti and even Alessio Romagnoli is not expected to be called up due to an injury.

According to several media, including Sky Sport Italia, centre-back Patric will play as a central midfielder, joining Kenneth Taylor and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.

Milan have travelled to Rome without the injured Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Matteo Gabbia, while Adrien Rabiot is serving a one-game ban.

Pervis Estupinan is favourite over Davide Bartesaghi after scoring the winning goal in last week’s derby against Inter.

Milan sit second in the Serie A table, but a win in today’s match would allow them to move five points below leaders Inter, who were held to a 1-1 stalemate by Atalanta at San Siro on Saturday.

Lazio vs. Milan – where to watch on TV

The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 and DAZN in the UK and Ireland and on Paramount+ in the USA. Football Italia will provide live updates via a liveblog.

Lazio vs. Milan – probable line-ups

Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Jashari, Estupiñán; Leão, Pulisic.

Lazio (4-3-3): Motta; Marusic, Gila, Provstgaard, Tavares; Dele-Bashiru, Patric, Taylor; Isaksen, Maldini, Zaccagni.

La Gazzetta dello Sport

Enraged Inter 

They pulled the brake against Dea too, referee on target

Pio not enough, Atalanta level the score. Media blackout against Manganiello: protests for Krstovic’s goal and penalty request on Frattesi. Chivu sent off, club furious, but the team is drained and fearful.

Milan, chance for -5

Devil at Lazio’s home (20.45). Capello: ‘It will be tough, but Chivu is confused.’

Juve: Yildiz-Boga, they are fourth

The Turkishman is magic. The winger is decisive in Udine. Today Como-Roma

Napoli run, Conte: ‘I’d like to stay here…’

Corriere dello Sport

Inter, two damages

Manganiellata

Chivu protests Manganiello: sent off. Milan assault, they go -5 today.

From Dea’s 1-1 to a denied penalty

Media blackout ordered by the club. Sulemana unbalances Dumfries in the build-up to Krstovic’s goal. Protest for the contact between Scalvini and Frattesi. Max challenges Laizo (20.45).

Napoli reaction, extra-luxury Politano

Siebert deceives Difra: Matteo, the protagonist. Assist for Hojlund and the goal. McTominay and CDK deserve applause

Juventus are fourth: Boga’s mark

Yildiz enchants again, creating the Ivorian’s third consecutive goal. Lucio’s overtake: +2 on Fabregas and Gasp

Cesc and Gasp to the tie-break

Fabregas comes from 3 consecutive wins: Gian Piero is looking for the 8th away win. Douvikas-Malen, what a challenge.

Cesena surprise: Ashley Cole on the bench.

Tuttosport

Inter, waste and fury. Milan believe now

Thuram fails the 2-0 after Pio’s goal. Then a crazy finale: protests for Krstovic’s equaliser, followed by the most debated incident. The club remain silent. Tonight Allegri can move to -5 at Lazio’s home: ‘If they drop points…’

Strong and beautiful

Yildiz creates, Boga hits: Juve dominate and return in a Champions League spot

Total superiority, spectacular moments and chances after chances created by Kenan’s class. The January reinforcement scores his third consecutive goal. Conceiçao’s second goal is ruled out for an irrelevant Koopmeiners offside. Today’s Como-Roma can confirm the Bianconeri in the fourth place. Spalletti: ‘This time, we were perfect.’

D’Aversa, an extra delay

Another Napoli with the big ones, Banda scare.

Juventus ground out a crucial 1-0 victory at Udinese to move into fourth place in Serie A, with Jeremie Boga’s winning goal, his third in consecutive matches, proving the difference in a hard-fought contest that tested the Bianconeri’s resolve throughout.

Boga was the toast of the travelling support and spoke to Sky Sport afterwards with the relaxed confidence of a man in the form of his life.

Asked whether he had ever scored in three consecutive games before, the former Sassuolo and Nice winger laughed off the question.

“I don’t know, I don’t think so,” he said with a grin, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.

Udinese 0-1 Juventus – Boga credits Spalletti & Yildiz for good form

He credited Luciano Spalletti’s hands-on approach in training for his recent run of form. “He always speaks to me and asks me to improve. I work hard and my teammates have welcomed me brilliantly, I want to give 100% every match.”

Boga also reflected on a career that has not always followed a smooth trajectory.

“I had problems with consistency, but at Atalanta and Nice I learned a lot and grew as a player. Now I am happy to be here at Juventus and I hope to continue like this.”

His admiration for strike partner Kenan Yildiz was equally heartfelt.

“For me it is wonderful to play with someone of his quality. He is a player I watch and learn from, people like him make me love football.”

Yildiz, meanwhile, was characteristically humble despite reaching the remarkable milestone of ten goals and ten assists for the season. “It is good, but everything is for the team,” the Turkish forward said.

“I have not set myself personal targets other than to keep doing more for the squad, the rest takes care of itself.” He did acknowledge, however, that his development this season has been significant.

“I think I have grown a lot mentally. I am happy with the path I am on, and I believe I can do even more.”

Three points that matter enormously, and two players who are finding their best form at exactly the right time for the Bianconeri’s Champions League aims.

Luciano Spalletti was ‘surprised’ by Jeremie Boga’s new role for Juventus against Udinese and insists Andrea Cambiaso needs to ‘wander all over the pitch’ to be effective.

The Bianconeri were coming off a 4-0 win over Pisa and knew that they could take advantage of the fixture list to close the gap on fourth place.

It was a tough slog at the Bluenergy Stadium, but Boga proved decisive with his third goal in as many Serie A games, this time turning in the Kenan Yildiz assist.

Francisco Conceicao had also put the ball in the net, though it was disallowed because Teun Koopmeiners was offside and interfering with play.

Spalletti impressed with Juventus approach

“The team did really well, maintaining that level of determination to close the game as soon as possible. We had also scored a second, but that’s fine, because we were up against a very strong opponent,” Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia.

Kenan Yildiz initially started as a False 9, but as usual he seemed to enjoy himself far more when moved over to the left flank and Boga was more central.

“I had never put Boga there, I always played him on the left, but he surprised me with the way he moved as a striker today,” confessed the coach.

“Yildiz I’ve said before doesn’t entirely enjoy being a centre-forward because he doesn’t yet have the art of dealing with a defender who is constantly on his tail. Starting from there I think creates problems for him.”

Kosta Runjaic confessed that Udinese struggled with the long balls from Manuel Locatelli over the top, which is where the goal came from.

“The lads did well to put those balls over the top, because if you let Udinese defend inside their own half, you’re not getting through that blockade,” noted Spalletti.

“So rather than allow them to be comfortable in those physical situations, we preferred to put them on the back foot by forcing them to run back.”

Andrea Cambiaso is another player whose versatility can be both a benefit and a problem for Juventus, as he often struggles to find the right position, but the coach insists this only has positives.

“If he doesn’t wander around all over the pitch, then I won’t pick him,” replied Spalletti to criticism from the Sky Sport Italia studio.

“These aren’t spaces, they are half-spaces, and you need players who can find them and drag others out of position. Being able to find those spaces where they open up is a quality that benefits the team.”

This was also the second consecutive clean sheet for the Bianconeri, so what improved in their defending?

“When we see more of the ball, then we defend better. Possession isn’t just a superficial exercise, it is used to create chances, and that doesn’t mean taking unnecessary risks. You consolidate the dominance of the game, and then choose the moments when should take those risks. We were perfect in that today, not allowing Udinese many counter-attacks that we had to chase back,” replied Spalletti.

“This reflects the mentality, as tonight we played with the mentality of a strong team.”

This result means Juventus leapfrog Roma and Como into fourth place for one night, and could well stay there, depending on the result of tomorrow’s showdown between those two teams.

Riccardo Calafiori and Gianluigi Donnarumma were the two Italians in action in today’s Premier League action, with both playing a vital role in the ongoing title race.

Sandro Tonali missed Newcastle United’s 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, after he was taken ill in the run-up to the game.

Calafiori shines for Arsenal as Gunners close in on Premier League

Calafiori started at left-back for Arsenal today as they hosted Everton at the Emirates Stadium, after Ecuadorian Piero Hincapie was given a rest by head coach Mikel Arteta.

In the 17th minute, Everton fashioned a good chance to break the deadlock but Calafiori made a fantastic block to deny the Toffees the lead in London.

Arsenal went on to win the game 2-0, opening up their gap at the head of the league table.

Later in the day, Manchester City travelled to the capital to face relegation battlers West Ham. Gianluigi Donnarumma started in goal for Pep Guardiola’s team, but conceded the Irons’ only shot in the entire match.

So as Calafiori works hard to keep Arsenal’s advantage, Donnarumma had a quiet night – with one painful sting in the tail.

Kosta Runjaic admits Udinese ‘were not able to compete on the same level’ with a practically full-strength Juventus. ‘They have world class players like Kenan Yildiz and Jeremie Boga.’

The Friulani suffered a 1-0 home defeat this evening, as Boga turned in the assist from Kenan Yildiz to beat Maduka Okoye, the goalkeeper having made several big saves.

Francisco Conceicao had also managed to find the net, but it was disallowed because Teun Koopmeiners was considered to be interfering with play in an offside position.

Runjaic acknowledges Udinese limits

“Juventus played better, that is clear, we expected to have less possession, but were missing a little bit of quality at times. We also had chances, soccer is not just about playing better, but taking the chances,” Runjaic told Sky Sport Italia.

“Ekkelenkamp had a good situation, Zaniolo was in a good position when there Atta should’ve had a cut-back ball, and other choices were made.

“Juventus are a strong team, they have world class wide players like Yildiz and Conceicao, so right now we are not able to compete on the same level.”

Udinese are now in mid-table, so for the remaining nine games of the season, will he motivate them aiming for Europe or just to improve on last season’s tally?

“I don’t need to push the team,” shrugged Runjaic.

Udinese seemed to struggle with long balls down the left in particular, where players like Yildiz and Boga managed to control and attack the near post.

“Juventus are a very versatile team, they are able to play short combinations, but also dangerous with deep balls from Locatelli, and one of those we didn’t defend well enough, so they scored the goal. It is not easy to protect a fantastic deep ball like that, they have players who are running deep and can receive with one touch.

“It’s not easy to find the balance, we did better in the second half, but that is just one of many elements.”

Yildiz moved over to his preferred left side, that added to the sense that Udinese’s defence was struggling, but Runjaic points out his choices were also limited.

“It’s nothing new, Yildiz played many times as a winger, so it was just a matter of time. We were completely aware about this, but were also missing players like Zanoli, Bertola and Solet. It is not an excuse, but we were unable to perform with a full squad.

“On the other hand, Juve put all their quality out without any big injuries at the moment, so if it wasn’t Yildiz, then Conceicao would do something. We don’t need to look for micro-details, it’s not about this.”

Juventus battled to a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Udinese on Saturday evening, with a first half goal from Jeremie Boga all that separated the two sides.

Football Italia’s Man of the Match was Boga, for his vital goal that continues his good start to life in Bianconeri.

Udinese 0-1 Juventus – Player Ratings

Udinese: Okoye 6.5; Ehizibue 6, Kabasele 5.5, Kristensen 6; Zarraga 5 (Mlacic N/A), Ekkelenkamp 5.5 (Miller 6), Karlstrom 5.5 (Piotrowski N/A), Atta 5.5, Kamara 6 (Arizala 6); Zaniolo 5, Davis 6

Best Udinese player: Maduka Okoye – Made six saves tonight to keep his team in the game and cannot be faulted too much for Boba’s goal. Looked very competent and prevented the scoreline from being a lot worse.

Lowest Udinese rating: Nicolo Zaniolo – Uncharacteristically poor compared to his typical performances for Udinese this season, struggling to have much involvement at all beyond a yellow card.

Coach: Kosta Runjaic 6 – Would have preferred, obviously, to come away with a result but will not be too disheartened with his team’s performance against a side with much more financial pull than themselves.

Juventus: Perin 6; Kalulu 6, Bremer 6.5, Kelly 6, Cambiaso 6; Locatelli 6.5, Thuram 6 (Koopmeiners 6); Conceicao 6.5 (Miretti N/A), McKennie 6, Boga 7 (Gatti N/A); Yildiz 7

Best Juventus player: Jeremie Boga – Once again finding the back of the net, bringing him two goals off Jonathan David’s Serie A tally for the season, the Ivorian is proving to be an excellent winter addition. Created a number of good chances for his teammates too.

Lowest Juventus rating: Khephren Thuram – Had a difficult first half before having to come off early in the second period due to a knock. Was not involved a whole lot when he was on the pitch but he wasn’t atrocious.

Coach: Luciano Spalletti 6.5 – Will be happy with his team’s performance, and less so with the scoreline. Spalletti’s tactics overwhelmed the opposition but poor finishing of chances meant the match was a lot closer than the Italian coach may have liked.

Jeremie Boga scored for the third Serie A match in a row to give Juventus a precious 1-0 victory away to Udinese, but a Francisco Conceicao goal was disallowed.

The Bianconeri ended their crisis with a 4-0 win over Pisa, but with Dusan Vlahovic and Emil Holm still out, dropped Jonathan David to bring in Jeremie Boga as support for False 9 Kenan Yildiz. The Friulani were also back on track, beating Fiorentina 3-0 and holding Atalanta 2-2, not coincidentally once Keinan Davis returned from injury. Arthur Atta and Oumar Solet were available again, though Adam Buksa, Nicolò Bertola, Jordan Zemura and Alessandro Zanoli missed out.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Boga got down the left to force a tricky save out of Maduka Okoye at the near post, then Francisco Conceicao scuffed the finish on the resulting short corner and had another attempt charged down by Thomas Kristensen.

Arthur Atta tested Mattia Perin at the near post, as did Boga at the other end with Okoye, but it was only a warning.

Juventus took the lead when another long ball allowed Kenan Yildiz to spring the offside trap down the left, holding off Oier Zarraga to roll across for a Boga tap-in from six yards. It was his third goal in as many games.

It was wide open before half-time, as Atta fired over from close range after a loose ball fell into his path, then Boga again tested Okoye after running onto a Francisco Conceicao through ball.

On the resulting corner, Andrea Cambiaso forced a big reaction save out of Okoye at the back stick.

Juve lost Khephren Thuram to injury and Udinese wasted an astonishing chance to equalise, as Keinan Davis rolled across from the left only for Jurgen Ekkelenkamp to stumble, unable to tap in from six yards.

Okoye flew to palm away the Manuel Locatelli curler, while Teun Koopmeiners couldn’t keep his header down from six yards on the Boga cross.

Yildiz tested Okoye at the near post, then his strike was on target until deflected wide by Kingsley Ehizibue.

Juventus thought they had doubled their lead on 70 minutes when Kenan Yildiz twisted and turned, threaded through for Francisco Conceicao, who took one touch before sweeping into the far bottom corner from 12 yards. However, Koopmeiners was offside and got out of the way to let the ball through, so the goal was disallowed following a VAR review.

Yildiz completed a give and go with substitute Fabio Miretti, the Italian seeing his finish parried from close range by Okoye.

Udinese 0-1 Juventus

Boga 38 (J)

14-03-2026 19:45

MatchDay 29

Friuli Stadium (Dacia Arena)

Udinese

Juventus

0 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

Nicolò Zaniolo		32'
		38'		Jeremie Boga (Assist: Kenan Yıldız)

2nd half

Branimir Mlacic		88'
Christian Kabasele		90+2'
		90'		Lloyd Kelly

Match statistic

44

Possession %

56

10

Total shots

22

2

Shots on target

8

7

Shots off target

9

1

Blocked shots

5

2

Corners

6

Offsides

3

12

Fouls

14

Udinese

Juventus

Starting lineups

40

Maduka Okoye

Goalkeeper

27

Christian Kabasele

Defender

11

Hassane Kamara

Defender

67'

19

Kingsley Ehizibue

Defender

31

Thomas Kristensen

Defender

14

Arthur Atta

Midfielder

84'

8

Jesper Karlström

Midfielder

76'

32

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp

Midfielder

67'

10

Nicolò Zaniolo

Midfielder

6

Oier Zarraga

Midfielder

76'

9

Keinan Davis

Attacker

1

Mattia Perin

Goalkeeper

27

Andrea Cambiaso

Defender

90'

3

Bremer

Defender

6

Lloyd Kelly

Defender

15

Pierre Kalulu

Defender

19

Khéphren Thuram

Midfielder

49'

5

Manuel Locatelli

Midfielder

22

Weston McKennie

Midfielder

7

Francisco Conceição

Attacker

79'

13

Jeremie Boga

Attacker

79'

10

Kenan Yıldız

Attacker

90'

Substitutes

93

Daniele Padelli

Goalkeeper

28

Oumar Solet

Defender

90

Răzvan Sava

Goalkeeper

15

Vakoun Bayo

Attacker

29

Abdoulaye Camara

Midfielder

38

Lennon Miller

Midfielder

67'

20

Juan Arizala

Defender

67'

24

Jakub Piotrowski

Midfielder

76'

22

Branimir Mlacic

Defender

76'

7

Idrissa Gueye

Attacker

84'

23

Carlo Pinsoglio

Goalkeeper

16

Michele Di Gregorio

Goalkeeper

14

Arkadiusz Milik

Attacker

20

Loïs Openda

Attacker

11

Edon Zhegrova

Attacker

32

Juan Cabal

Defender

17

Vasilije Adžić

Midfielder

8

Teun Koopmeiners

Midfielder

49'

21

Fabio Miretti

Midfielder

79'

4

Federico Gatti

Defender

79'

18

Filip Kostic

Midfielder

90'

30

Jonathan David

Attacker

90'

Maurizio Sarri held his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s home clash with Milan, and the Lazio head coach was in candid and thoughtful mood, touching on tactical concerns, injury news, and even offering a wry observation about what he might envy in his opposite number Massimiliano Allegri.

The return of supporters to the Stadio Olimpico after a period of reduced attendance was a clear source of motivation for Sarri, who rarely hides his affection for the Lazio faithful.

“Both myself and the players are all happy to play in front of our people and a full stadium,” he said, with quotes via LaLazioSiamoNoi.

“It is a strong motivation for us.”

He also revealed he intends to visit the Curva Nord before the match, something he typically avoids out of respect for his players, after supporters extended a personal invitation.

“The fact that they want to greet me means a lot. I think tomorrow I will go.”

Lazio coach Sarri anticipates Milan threat

On the tactical challenge posed by Milan, Sarri was typically precise in his assessment.

“Milan have well-defined characteristics, they hurt you even when they don’t seem in control of the game. Great technical and physical quality, devastating acceleration. We cannot give them open space.”

He then delivered a counterintuitive but sharp observation that will resonate with anyone who has watched Lazio struggle in transition.

“When you play Milan, the most dangerous moment is when we have the ball.”

Set pieces have become a structural problem for Lazio, and Sarri was honest about why. “Without Vecino and Guendouzi, dead balls are now a real issue,” he said. “Having to change formation also means changing the positioning of players at set pieces, none of that makes things easier.”

In terms of injured players, Alessio Romagnoli remains a doubt and will be assessed on Sunday morning, while Patric and Taylor have both been trialled in training as Sarri looks to finalise his options.

Asked what he might envy about Allegri, the Lazio coach allowed himself a smile. “Allegri manages the club with the highest revenue in Italy, they can afford important players. You envy some things, but that is part of the game. What does he envy about me? Ask him,” he laughed.

On his own future, Sarri was measured. He acknowledged that several players are out of contract at the end of the season and that another transitional summer may be coming. “I have a contract. If the club is not happy or if I am not happy, we will speak. But today there is no discussion.”

The sense, reading between the lines, is of a coach who remains committed but is watching closely to see how the club intends to rebuild.

Napoli dug deep to claim a hard-fought comeback victory over Lecce, and the mood in the dressing room afterwards was one of relief mixed with genuine satisfaction, particularly for Matteo Politano, who finally ended a long personal drought with a goal and an assist in the same game.

“I am so happy, I finally scored that blessed goal that had been escaping me for ages,” Politano told DAZN, via IlNapolista.

“A fantastic, perfect day. We won a difficult game and Conte told us at half-time to stay calm, that one goal would put things right. He knew our strength.”

The experienced winger was equally keen to credit the returning players for changing the game, pointing to the broader squad depth as a key factor in Napoli’s continued push for Champions League football.

Napoli 2-1 Lecce – Hojlund ‘happy’ to find shooting boots

Rasmus Højlund was another man in fine fettle after rediscovering his scoring touch.

“I am happy to have found my goal again and to help the team,” the Danish striker said.

“Players like McTominay, De Bruyne and Politano stimulate us a lot, the squad needs players like them.” He also singled out Politano specifically, noting that the winger has assists running through his veins.

Captain for the evening Alex Meret was more measured in his assessment, offering an honest appraisal of a first half that left plenty to be desired.

“We did not play well in the first half, too many misplaced passes and we gave away dangerous counter-attacks,” he said.

“In the second half we were more aggressive and the goal gave us the momentum we needed.”

Wearing the armband was a source of enormous pride for the goalkeeper, who also spoke of his ambitions to be part of Italy’s World Cup squad. He did flag one area of concern, however, aerial balls and set-pieces.

“The matches are decided there now. We need to be more focused and concede fewer goals.”

Brazilian forward Alisson Santos rounded off the reaction with a neat insight into his goalscoring philosophy.

“I always try to finish at the near post, I believe it puts the goalkeeper in more difficulty,” he said simply. “The most important thing is that Napoli won.”

Antonio Conte warns Napoli that he will be ruthless for the ‘common good, which is Champions League qualification,’ and reveals what he saw with Lameck Banda’s collapse.

It was the worst possible start to the game at the Stadio Maradona when Lecce took the lead in the third minute, as Jamil Siebert was allowed a free header on a corner.

The Partenopei struggled to get back into it, but were transformed at half-time when introducing Kevin De Bruyne and Scott McTominay off the bench.

They equalised within 60 seconds thanks to Rasmus Hojlund meeting a Matteo Politano pull-back, then Politano ended his 43-match drought to turn it around completely for a third consecutive victory.

Conte keeps eye on big picture for Napoli

“I am not someone who tends to pay attention to statistics, but I can only be satisfied when hearing I have such a good record,” Conte told DAZN Italia when informed he has an average of 2.21 points per game in Serie A.

Although De Bruyne had made his comeback last week against Torino, this was his first appearance at the Stadio Maradona since he suffered that serious thigh tear on October 25, converting a penalty against Inter.

With everyone available again, how could this change the Napoli line-up?

“These are all hypotheticals, because we are talking about players who have been out for four or five months, so we cannot expect them to immediately be in good shape,” replied Conte.

“We started out using Elmas against Torino with Gilmour, then in the second half I brought on Anguissa and pushed Elmas further forward. Today we started with Anguissa and Gilmour, then Elmas as a Number 10.

“As we were losing the match, I changed again. These are great players, but we must give them time to regain the match tempo.

“It’s true that the lads need to regain confidence, but the most important thing is the common good, which is what is good for Napoli.

“I made choices today and made changes at half-time. Everyone wants to play, but we’ve got to be smart and they must trust what I see and feel.

“The most important thing is that we qualify for the Champions League.”

There was also tension in the final minutes when Lecce player Lameck Banda collapsed near to Conte on the touchline, so the coach alerted the medical staff to get him treatment.

According to the latest reports, Banda received a knock to the chest moments earlier and was struggling to breathe, but did not appear to lose consciousness.

“I was right there preparing the wall for a free kick and I saw him looking a bit shaky, he started to go down, then he had his hand on his chest, which really frightened me,” revealed Conte.

“I rushed onto the field and called for help, I hope he is doing well and has a quick recovery. Banda is a good lad, he’s expecting a baby too, so I wish him and his family well.”

Luciano Spalletti tells Juventus that the trip to Udinese is ‘about stepping up to the next level, like in video games’ and wants to learn from Bayern Munich’s ‘encyclopaedia of football.’

It kicks off at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s three Serie A games on the Liveblog.

The Bianconeri had been going through a crisis, which included crashing out of the Champions League and Coppa Italia, but got back on track by thrashing Pisa 4-0.

Jeremie Boga impressed off the bench in the game, so he gets his first start here in place of Jonathan David, moving Kenan Yildiz to a False 9 role.

Spalletti outlines Juventus changes

“It is going to be a very important game for our season, as it is the kind of match where we are stepping up to the next level, like in video games,” Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia.

“My players therefore need to defend all they have built and gone through this term, and do it against a tough opponent.”

Dusan Vlahovic returned to training this week for the first time since his serious tendon injury in November 2025, but is not in the squad yet, missing out along with Emil Holm.

“Udinese are not the team we faced earlier this season in Serie A and the Coppa Italia, they have found their identity. They are also very physical, so we need to make our quality count and the first touch is going to be decisive, as that is what allows you to take control of the ball and rob their physicality of that power,” added Spalletti.

The Juventus coach gained inspiration from watching the Champions League, where Bayern Munich beat Atalanta 6-1 on Tuesday.

“This is why I chose three upfront who have great quality on the ball and can take men on. In modern football, everyone has to find their position on the field with balance and continual changing of role, but doing it in a dynamic and fluid manner.

“Just look at Bayern Munich the other day against Atalanta, they showed us a whole encyclopaedia of movement and positioning in football.

“It’s about realising where the gaps are and not letting Davis gather a long ball to sprint into space.”

Juve hope that with Roma and Como going head-to-head tomorrow for fourth place, it can let them back into that tussle for Champions League qualification.

“What becomes fundamental is that players realise a match can change in a second, and we can dictate what happens in that second. It’s always up to us,” concluded Spalletti.

Lecce player Lameck Banda collapsed during the final minutes of the 2-1 defeat to Napoli, but reports from the club are reassuring on his condition.

The wide forward was in the starting XI for the Salentini at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, a game his team had been leading through Jamil Siebert before Rasmus Hojlund and Matteo Politano turned it around.

Banda collapse worrying for Lecce and Napoli

In the final minutes of the Serie A fixture, Napoli coach Antonio Conte spotted that Banda was struggling to breathe, as he was in the vicinity of the touchline, and immediately alerted the Lecce medical staff.

A hushed silence fell over the crowd as medics ran on to provide assistance, then after a few minutes he was stretchered off and taken to a nearby ambulance on the side of the pitch for tests.

According to DAZN Italia, Banda sustained a knock to the chest around 40 seconds before he collapsed, so was badly winded and struggling to breathe.

He never appeared to lose consciousness, and initial reports from the touchline are reassuring on his condition.

Matteo Politano ended his goal drought after 43 games, as Napoli fought back to beat Lecce 2-1 on the return of Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne to the Stadio Maradona.

The Partenopei regained their confidence with back-to-back 2-1 wins over Verona and Torino. A significant boost was Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa’s first start since November, although Antonio Vergara and Juan Jesus joined Stanislav Lobotka, David Neres, Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Amir Rrahmani on the treatment table. Scott McTominay returned to the bench after a month out. Lecce clambered out of the bottom four with a victory over Cremonese, and had Omri Gandelman back after a knee problem, but missed Medon Berisha, Francesco Camarda and Kialonda Gaspar.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It was a very aggressive start from the visitors, who took the lead on their second Antonino Gallo corner of the game, as Jamil Siebert was allowed a free header from six yards at the back post after just two minutes and 20 seconds.

They very nearly conceded an identical second, as this time Tiago Gabriel nodded a Gallo corner over from five yards after the Lameck Banda shot had been deflected off target.

Billy Gilmour prodded inches wide from 12 yards on an Alisson Santos pull-back, while Gallo was decisive to intercept an Alisson cross for Matteo Politano and Rasmus Hojlund couldn’t quite get on the end of a cross from six yards.

Alex Meret got down to parry a Nikola Stulic strike at the base of the near post, while Politano’s screamer only hit the side-netting.

Antonio Conte pulled out the big guns for the restart, introducing McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne, and it paid off within 60 seconds.

Gilmour’s inspired pass sent Politano down the right, he pulled back from the by-line and Hojlund was ready to tap in from six yards.

Tiago Gabriel failed to make the most of slack marking on a free kick moments later, as Walid Cheddira only hit the side-netting against his parent club and Alisson Santos sent through by De Bruyne forced a desperate Wladimiro Falcone save with an outstretched leg.

Napoli turned the game around completely when De Bruyne’s corner was flicked on to the back post for the precise Politano volley. It was his first goal in almost a full calendar year, ending a drought of 43 competitive games.

De Bruyne also sent Alisson Santos through to drill inches wide of the near post, while Siebert did just enough to stop Hojlund getting a shot away from a dangerous position.

There was a hushed silence in the Stadio Maradona when Lameck Banda was struggling to breathe after being winded, but he was stretchered off after a few minutes for treatment. Lecce had completed their substitutions, so played stoppages with only 10 men.

Napoli 2-1 Lecce

Siebert 3 (L), Hojlund 46 (N), Politano 67 (N)

14-03-2026 17:00

MatchDay 29

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

Napoli

Lecce

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		3'		Jamil Siebert (Assist: Antonino Gallo)
		19'		Jamil Siebert

2nd half

Rasmus Højlund (Assist: Matteo Politano)		46'
Matteo Politano		67'

Match statistic

70

Possession %

30

12

Total shots

12

4

Shots on target

2

6

Shots off target

6

2

Blocked shots

4

7

Corners

7

11

Fouls

7

Napoli

Lecce

Starting lineups

1

Alex Meret

Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno

Defender

37

Leonardo Spinazzola

Defender

72'

17

Mathías Olivera

Defender

31

Sam Beukema

Defender

99

Frank Anguissa

Midfielder

46'

6

Billy Gilmour

Midfielder

20

Eljif Elmas

Midfielder

46'

27

Alisson Santos

Attacker

85'

21

Matteo Politano

Attacker

72'

19

Rasmus Højlund

Attacker

30

Wladimiro Falcone

Goalkeeper

25

Antonino Gallo

Defender

79'

17

Danilo Veiga

Defender

5

Jamil Siebert

Defender

44

Tiago Gabriel

Defender

29

Lassana Coulibaly

Midfielder

46'

79

Oumar Ngom

Midfielder

85'

20

Ylber Ramadani

Midfielder

19

Lameck Banda

Attacker

9

Nikola Stulic

Attacker

59'

50

Santiago Pierotti

Attacker

79'

Substitutes

5

Juan Jesus

Defender

14

Nikita Contini

Goalkeeper

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić

Goalkeeper

9

Romelu Lukaku

Attacker

23

Giovane Nascimento

Attacker

11

Kevin De Bruyne

Midfielder

46'

8

Scott McTominay

Midfielder

46'

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi

Defender

72'

3

Miguel Gutiérrez

Defender

72'

23

Giovane

Attacker

85'

23

Riccardo Sottil

Attacker

14

Thórir Jóhann Helgason

Midfielder

32

Jasper Samooja

Goalkeeper

1

Christian Früchtl

Goalkeeper

36

Filip Marchwinski

Midfielder

18

Gaby Jean

Defender

13

Matías Pérez

Defender

6

Álex Sala

Midfielder

16

Omri Gandelman

Midfielder

46'

99

Walid Cheddira

Attacker

59'

11

Konan N’Dri

Attacker

79'

3

Corrie Ndaba

Defender

79'

8

Sadik Fofana

Defender

85'