Reports in Italy claim that Roma are plotting a move to reunite Gian Piero Gasperini with his former Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who has struggled to live up to expectations following his €60m transfer to Juventus in 2024. 

Could Roma and Juventus strike a deal for Koopmeiners?

Koopmeiners is approaching the end of his second season in Turin following his 2024 transfer from Atalanta to Juventus, which came at a total cost of €60.7m with bonuses and add-ons included. 

A standout for Atalanta and a key player on their way to the Europa League title in 2023-24, Koopmeiners has failed to live up to expectations thus far in Turin and is not currently a guaranteed starter under Luciano Spalletti, despite being the most expensive Serie A arrival of the last six years. 

The Dutchman has only started in 15 of Juventus’s 25 Serie A matches so far this term and is yet to find the back of the net in the league. For comparison, he finished his final season with Atalanta with 12 goals and five assists to his name in the league in 2023-24. 

Koopmeiners is expected to be given an opportunity to start in midfield when Juventus take on Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday afternoon, in the absence of suspended captain Manuel Locatelli. 

According to Sunday’s reports, this could be an opportunity for Koopmeiners to put himself in the shop window ahead of the summer transfer window, as reports from Calciomercato.com and Tuttosport claim that Roma are plotting a potential move for the Bianconeri midfielder. 

Sunday’s reports claim that Galatasaray are also among the interested parties in Koopmeiners. 

Roma are, of course, under the leadership of Gasperini, who oversaw the best version of Koopmeiners during their three years together at Atalanta. 

According to Calciomercato, Juventus are prepared to entertain offers for Koopmeiners during the summer transfer window, but only those that are in excess of €30m, given that they spent almost somewhere around the €60m mark two years ago. 

Koopmeiners is currently under contract until the summer of 2029 with Juventus, having signed a five-year deal back in the summer of 2024.

Strahinja Pavlovic was the star of the show for Milan as they recorded a late, late 2-0 victory away against Cremosnee in Serie A on Sunday afternoon. Here are the player ratings after a tightly-contested affair at the Stadio Giovanni Zini. 

Goals from Pavlovic in the 90th minute and a second from Rafael Leao in the fourth minute of stoppage time helped Milan on their way to an important 2-0 victory, which puts them back within 10 points of league leaders Inter ahead of the Derby della Madonnina next weekend. 

You can see how the action from Cremonese 0-2 Milan unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Cremonese 0-2 Milan: Player ratings! 

Cremonese: Audero 7; Folino 6.5, Luperto 6, Bianchetti 6 (Terracciano 6); Zerbin 5.5 (Barbieri 6), Thorsby 6.5, Vandeputte 6 (Grassi n/a), Maleh 6, Pezzella 6; Bonazzoli 6, Vardy 5 (Djuric 6). 

Best Cremonese player: Emil Audero 7 – A particularly impressive first-half performance with huge saves to deny both Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic one-on-one. Cremonese could have found themselves two down before the interval had it not been for those stops. Six saves in total for the Cremo keeper. 

Coach: Davide Nicola 6.5 – Despite the Leao and Pulisic chances, Nicola will have been largely pleased with what he saw from his side before the final few moments. This was a fairly evenly contested affair, which is encouraging for a team ranked 17th up against the team that currently sits in second. There will be obvious disappointment with the way in which Cremonese lost the game: From a set-piece in the 90th minute which led to their unravelling again a few minutes later. 

Milan: Maignan 6; Tomori 6 (Athekame 6), De Winter 6.5, Pavlovic 7, Saelemaekers 5.5 (Fullkrug 6), Fofana 6.5 (Ricci 6), Modric 6.5, Rabiot 6, Bartesaghi 6; Leao 6, Pulisic 5 (Nkunku 6.5). 

Best Milan player: Strahinja Pavlovic 7 – A solid defensive shift from the Serbian, who completed 100% of his three attempted tackles – Only Giuseppe Pezzella (four) completed more. He also made two clearances and one interception before scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute to hand Milan all three points. Pavlovic is now up to three goals for the season in Serie A: His highest ever seasonal goal tally. 

Coach: Massimiliano Allegri 6 – This is a season where Milan continue to grind out results, and given their troubles last campaign, a second place finish and a spot in the Champions League would be a solid return for Allegri in his first season back in charge. The reality of watching Milan as they grind out these results is not always the prettiest scenario, which was again the case against Cremonese. Still, a solid three points and one step closer to that final goal that Allegri keeps referring to. 

Milan star Rafael Leao says that he and his teammates recorded a massively important victory away against Cremonese in Serie A on Sunday afternoon, and has given a brief preview ahead of the Derby della Madonnina against rivals Inter next weekend: ‘Win or die’. 

Leao and Strahinja Pavlovic struck at the very end of the game at the Stadio Giovanni Zini on Sunday afternoon: The first goal coming in the 90th minute and the second in the fourth minute of injury time. 

You can see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog. 

Leao looks ahead to Milan vs. Inter: ‘The Derby is always a personal thing’

Leao is now up to 10 goals across all competitions in 2025-26. His goal against Cremonese was his ninth in Serie A, which makes him Milan’s leading goalscorer in the league, overtaking Christian Pulisic on eight. 

Speaking during his post-match interview, Leao insisted that he is less focused on individual goals and more concerned with his side’s qualification for the Champions League. 

“We have our primary goal, which is to return to the Champions League. We’re having a great season and this was a very important match,” Leao said after full-time. 

Up next on the schedule for the Rossoneri is the Derby della Madonnina against runaway league leaders, Inter, whom Milan beat during the reverse fixture earlier this season. 

“We have to finish well and it will be another big game against Inter, not just decisive in terms of points, because the derby is always a personal thing,” said Leao. 

“We have great respect for Inter because they are a great team, but we will play well and try to get a result. 

“The derby is a great game to play, you can feel it even outside of Milan. Everyone wants to play in these sorts of matches, to win or die.” 

Massimiliano Allegri credited his players for an ‘important’ 2-0 victory away against Cremonese in Serie A on Sunday afternoon, but says that all focus is already on the upcoming Derby d’Italia against rivals Inter next weekend now. 

Milan left it late to seal a victory away against Cremonese in Serie A on Sunday afternoon: Strahinja Pavlovic breaking the deadlock in the 90th minute before a result-sealing winner from Rafael Leao in the fourth minute of injury time. 

You can see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog. 

Allegri reacts to Cremonese 0-2 Milan: ‘Have to stay alert’

Cremonese beat Milan in the reverse fixture on the opening weekend of the 2025-26 season and they remain one of only two sides to have beaten the Rossoneri in the league so far this season. 

It looked as if Davide Nicola’s side were going to claim four points from their two meetings with Milan until the final moments at the Stadio Giovanni Zini on Sunday. Speaking during his post-match interview, Allegri praised his side for the way they stayed switched on until the very end. 

“Cremonese are a difficult team to play against,” Allegri said. “They kept a very high tempo in the first half and we had difficulty managing the ball. Estupinan came on and did very well, that’s proof I have an extraordinary group. 

“Winning today was important, more than anything, to make up for the defeat against Parma, to get closer to our final goal and to help us prepare for the derby.” 

Allegri was asked why he only tends to avoid starting with three attacking players on the pitch, but often brings a third striker on when Milan are in need of a goal. 

“Right now, it’s a solution for us in-game,” he said. “We had a moment with three attacking players at one specific moment in this game. Fullkrug is working on his condition, like Leao who has grown a lot. 

“We could play with the double pivot in midfield or with three strikers, but at this point of the season, I’m not particularly interested in formations. The teams behind us continue scoring points and we have to take things one step at a time knowing that we’ve still got a long road ahead of us.” 

Next up for the Rossoneri is the Derby della Madonnina against city rivals and runaway league leaders, Inter. 

“You have to stay alert in those moments. They were good on the counter attack. Now we have a week to prepare for a wonderful match,” said Allegri.

Roma have confirmed that they will be without Matias Soule and Mario Hermoso for Sunday’s Serie A crunch match against Juventus, but Paulo Dybala is with the squad and could feature against the Old Lady. 

Roma and Juventus will go head-to-head in a game that has been described as a ‘play-off’ for a spot in Serie A’s Champions League positions. 

Roma currently find themselves in fourth place in the Serie A table with 50 points after 26 matches, while Juventus sit four points shy of them in sixth place, having been overtaken by Como on Saturday night. 

You can follow the action from all of Sunday’s Serie A matches on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Soule is still struggling with a pubalgia issue, which ruled him out of last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Cremonese and will also keep him sidelined for the Juventus test on Sunday. Hermoso is still nursing an impact injury to his foot, which has made him miss the last three league fixtures. 

Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson are also ruled out, but Donyell Malen would have been expected to start at centre-forward regardless.

Dybala has also missed the last four Serie A matches with a knee injury, but has trained with his teammates in the days leading up to the Juventus match and has been included in Gasperini’s matchday squad. He remains unlikely to start, but could feature as a second-half substitute. 

Stephan El Shaarawy has also returned to the squad after missing out on the last six league matches with an achilles issue.

Kick-off is due at 19.45 GMT.

Confirmed Roma squad for Juventus

Goalkeepers: Svilar, Gollini, De Marzi, Zelezny. 

Defenders: Rensch, Aneglino, Ndicka, Tsimikas, Celik, Mancini, Ziolkowski, Wesley, Ghilardi. 

Midfielders: Cristante, Pellegrini, El Aynaoui, Kone, Pisilli. 

Forwards: Malen, Venturino, Dybala, Arena, Vaz, El Shaarawy, Zaragoza

Former Inter and Italy star Beppe Bergomi believes that Federico Dimarco is among the best players in the world in his position and has identified ‘the thing that stands out the most’ about the Nerazzurri wing-back during his magnificent 2025-26 campaign. 

Dimarco is now up to a staggering 21 goal involvements from 25 appearances in Serie A from left wing-back. He added his sixth league goal of the season to his tally during Saturday’s 2-0 win over Genoa in San Siro. 

Dimarco also has 15 assists to his name in the league and is only one away from matching the all-time Serie A record for assists in a single season. 

There have been some suggestions that the Italy international could win the league’s MVP award at the end of the 2025-26 season.  

Bergomi on Dimarco: ‘He is one of the greatest in the world’

Speaking in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Bergomi had nothing but positive things to say about the Nerazzurri wing-back. 

“He’s having an extraordinary season this year, but he’s always done well over the last four years. He’s been great for the national team, he’s scored a lot of goals. He’s already shown great qualities before. 

“The thing that stands out the most this year is that he plays lots of games for the full 90 minutes. In recent years he struggled with that, so in my opinion, Cristian Chivu’s management has been very good.” 

Bergomi went on to give a specific example of Chivu’s man-management skills: “In the Coppa Italia against Torino, he didn’t even call him up, he left him at home. Why? It makes you understand the status that the lad has reached. The coach considers him one of the most important players and so rests him for certain games. 

“Cristian maybe takes a few more risks. He lets some youngsters play, like Cocchi who made his debut in the Coppa Italia. So this allows Federico to catch his breath, and when Federico takes a breather, he tends to do well and finds himself in top condition. Then he becomes decisive in games, through goals, assists, free-kicks and corners – He takes them in an incredible way. 

“What I also notice is that when you’re doing better physically, you defend even better as well. You can perform better in both phases.” 

Dimarco had previously complained about the fact that he rarely lasted the full 90 minutes when playing under former Nerazzurri head coach Simone Inzaghi, claiming that it was ‘difficult to grow’. 

“They seemed tired last year,” Bergomi commented. “They had to play a lot of games at the highest level. I don’t know if there was a problem between the coach and player. The important thing in these situations is to maintain a certain type of level throughout the season, which isn’t easy. 

“But from what I notice, he’s doing fine physically and mentally. I see him looking great, cal, and he has kept that wonderful boot of his.” 

Bergomi was asked whether he feels Inzaghi did as best as he could when managing Dimarco. 

He replied: “I have nothing against Inzaghi’s management. Simone made him blossom, ,he helped him have some incredible seasons. 

“This year, the nice thing is that he plays full games regularly. It might be a difference in preparation, it might be that he has an extra physical trainer to work individually. It might also be the case that, mentally speaking, that month off he had was useful for him to restart.”

Bergomi went on to explain what he thinks is Dimarco’s best quality on the pitch: “The fact that he increases the quality in both a four-man and a three-man defence, but he is undoubtedly best as a wing-back.” 

Bergomi also had his say on where he thinks Dimarco ranks among the best players in the world in his position. 

“I’ve always had my own particular conception on what the strongest in the world is. The fact is that it depends so much on historical moments. For me, the greatness of a player is shown in their continuity. Why do we talk about Messi or Ronaldo? Because they have been at the absolute top for 20 years. 

“Dimarco’s value will therefore only be judged at the end of his career. Today, we can say that in terms of his ability, the way that he crosses, the way he shoots on goal and the amount of assists he provides, he is one of the greatest in the world.” 

Luciano Spalletti has confirmed a streamlined squad of 21 players to take on Roma away in Serie A on Sunday evening in a game that has been dubbed a ‘play-off’ for a place in the Champions League positions. 

Just four points separate the two sides ahead of kick-off. Roma currently occupy sixth place with 50 points from 26 matches so far in 2025-26, while Juventus now find themselves in sixth on 46 points from 26 matches. 

The Bianconeri have only picked up one point from their last three matches in Serie A and find themselves in need of a win against Roma if they are to keep their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League alive. A loss will mean Roma going seven points clear of the Old Lady in fourth place. 

Spalletti will be without his captain, Maneul Locatelli, through suspension at the Stadio Olimpico, which means that Teun Koopmeiners is expected to start alongside Khephren Thuram in the middle of the park. 

Gleison Bremer has been included in the squad despite missing out on the last two matches. 

Dusan Vlahovic, Emil Holm and Arkadiusz Milik remain unavailable through injury. 

Confirmed Juventus squad for Roma 

Goalkeepers: Perin; Di Gregorio, Pinsoglio. 

Defenders: Bremer, Gatti, Kelly, Kalulu, Cambiaso, Cabal. 

Midfielders: Koopmeiners, Boga, Adzic, Kostic, Thuram, Miretti, McKennie. 

Forwards: Conceicao, Yildiz, Zhegrova, Openda, David.

I convocati da mister Spalletti per la sfida in trasferta di questa sera #RomaJuve

Powered by @WhiteBit pic.twitter.com/HQCiEeKzKn

— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) March 1, 2026

Former Italy national team head coach Roberto Mancini has commented on the developing situation in the Middle East after he heard explosions from his current home in Qatar: ‘There has been a massive deployment of forces here in the Gulf. We were afraid that something would happen’. 

Former Italy head coach Mancini reports from Qatar: ‘An alarm started ringing, shortly afterwards, the explosions began’

Mancini is currently housebound in Doha, Qatar, where he is the head coach of Qatar Stars League side Al Sadd. 

The former Italy, Inter and Manchester City head coach has told Tg1 that he received an emergency alert notification on his phone while he was in Church, telling him to return home and remain there until further notice.

“An alarm on my phone started ringing, the message was written in Arabic, there were five or six of them. Shortly afterwards, the explosions began” Mancini told Tg1 from his home in Doha. 

“We were at mass, the alerts came in when we were in church,” Mancini explained. “They said to go home immediately and to stay there.” 

Mancini is 61 years old, but still has his parents at the forefront of his thoughts in these difficult circumstances: “My mother called me, she was worried. I told her to stay calm, at least for now.

“There has been a massive deployment of forces here in the Gulf. We were afraid that something would happen. We hoped that diplomacy would dissolve the tensions. Now let’s hope for the best.” 

Tra gli italiani che vivono con preoccupazione l’evolversi della situazione, c’è anche l’ex CT della Nazionale, Roberto #Mancini. La sua testimonianza da #Doha.#Tg1 Alessandra Barone pic.twitter.com/ybEiZstbqz

— Tg1 (@Tg1Rai) February 28, 2026

Legendary former referee Pierluigi Collina has had his say on a number of upcoming VAR and refereeing changes that are expected to come into effect in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America: ‘The goal is to eliminate timewasting as much as possible’. 

Collina explains upcoming VAR and refereeing changes

Collina is a member of the UEFA Referees Committee and is Chair of the FIFA Referees Committee. He was in attendance for the annual general meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Wales on Saturday. 

The IFAB is responsible for overseeing and determining the laws of the game. Its members met in Wales on Saturday to discuss and decide upon a number of changes, including new measures to combat timewasting and allowing VAR to intervene on second yellow card decisions instead of just for straight red card incidents. 

“The goal is to eliminate, or to eliminate as much as possible, timewasting that hinders the spectacle of the game,” Collina told La Gazzetta dello Sport about the upcoming changes that were decided upon on Saturday. 

“Last year we introduced the ‘eight second rule’ for goalkeepers, which has been a great success. There have been very few cases where a corner has been granted. The deterrent has worked.

“Considering the amount of time that is lost through so many goal-kicks and free-kicks, we thought we needed to find a solution.” 

Another rule that will be introduced at the FIFA World Cup is a 10-second limit for players to leave the field after a substitution has been called. If players fail to leave the pitch within the allocated 10 seconds, the replacement substitute will not be permitted to enter until the next stoppage in play, or until one minute of action has passed. 

“We already did something, making substitutes leave the pitch from the nearest point. The time limit is a more effective deterrent than the yellow card, which is sometimes seen as some sort of ‘deal’,” Collina said. ”The results in recent years in MLS show that this measure works,” he added. 

Importantly, VAR will now be able to intervene on second yellow card decisions, which had not previously been the case. 

Just two weeks ago in Serie A, Pierre Kalulu was incorrectly sent off for a second bookable offence in one of the biggest matches of the season, the Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus, but the referee Federico La Penna was unable to refer the incident for review. This will no longer be the case as it was not a straight red card incident. 

Some might argue that it should always have been the case that VAR is able to intervene on second yellow card offences and not just for straight red card incidents. 

“When we decided on the VAR trial in 2016, the technology was very different,” Collina explained. “The protocol was written from scratch and took inspiration from other sports, such as rugby, and video officials had no prior experience. Today, the situation is very different. 

“We’ve been discussing it for a few years and unfortunately until now, some had not considered it to be a priority, which is a shame.” 

VAR will now also be able to review corner kick decisions, which had not previously been the case. 

“A corner is a resumption of play that always takes a certain amount of time,” Collina said. “Usually you have to wait until the centre-backs go up and the kicker often has to cross the length of the pitch. In that time, it could be the case that by simply looking at an image, you realise the decision was wrong. 

“Does it make sense to let the corner go and hope that a goal isn’t scored? It’s much better to correct the initial decision and postpone it.”

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) have decided to change the rules on VAR intervention for second yellow card offences, just two weeks after the controversial sending off of Pierre Kalulu during the Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus in Serie A. 

No more ‘Kalulu incidents’: VAR rules on second yellow cards to change

Football’s lawmakers have voted in favour of changing or adapting a number of rules at its annual general meeting in Wales on Saturday. 

Among the most prominent of the rule changes is that VAR will soon be able to intervene for second yellow card offences, which will spare players who have been incorrectly been sent off for a second bookable offence. 

This exact scenario occurred during Inter’s 3-2 victory over rivals Juventus in Serie A in February, when Bianconeri defender Kalulu was incorrectly dismissed for a second bookable offence for a supposed foul on Alessandro Bastoni, who had clearly dived in an attempt to get his opponent sent off. 

VAR was unable to intervene as this was not a straight red card offence, and Juventus, who had been level at 1-1 in the derby at the time, went on to lose 3-2 despite being on top in the period leading up to Kalulu’s sending off. 

The IFAB, which oversees the laws of the game, has decided to change the rules so that referees will be able to review second yellow card offences, which they had not previously been permitted to do. 

It is expected that this rule will be implemented during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

According to Sky Sports, the IFAB has also extended VAR powers to check corner kicks and have taken new measures to prevent time wasting.

Inter head coach Cristian Chivu hit back at the ‘narrative’ that he feels has been cast on his side by the media in Italy after Saturday evening’s 2-0 win over Genoa in Serie A: ‘Nothing to do with reality’. 

Inter bounced back following their Champions League elimination at the hands of Bodo/Glimt earlier this week with a 2-0 win over Genoa in Serie A, which puts them 13 points clear of second-placed Milan ahead of their game against Cremonese on Sunday afternoon. 

The Nerazzurri are the clear favourites to walk away with the Serie A title at the end of the 2025-26 season, which would be their third Scudetto in six seasons if they were to finish the current campaign at the top of the table. For Chivu, it would be his first league title in his first full season as a head coach. 

Chivu fires back after Inter criticism

Chivu was keen to remind reporters of Inter’s recent successes during his post-match press conference following Saturday’s win over Genoa, in spite of the fact that his side were eliminated in the Champions League play-off round at the hands of Norwegian minnows Bodo/Glimt earlier this week. 

During an earlier TV interview, Chivu had claimed that for some, ‘whatever you do is never enough’ at Inter. When asked to explain what he meant during his post-match press conference, Chivu said: “This is a narrative that has nothing to do with reality.” (via fcinternews.it)

“Credit is not given despite the things that this team has done over the last four or five years. Nothing ever goes well, we’re used to it, but we move forwards. We want to be competitive in every way.” 

Since the beginning of the 2020-21 season, Inter have won the Scudetto twice, are on course to win it for the third time, have won the Coppa Italia twice, the Supercoppa Italiana twice and have reached two Champions League finals.

Paulo Dybala and Gleison Bremer look set to make their returns to action as Roma host Juventus in a massive clash in the race for the Serie A top four on Sunday evening. 

Four points separate the two sides ahead of kick-off, but sixth-placed Juventus find themselves needing a win to keep up with the fourth-placed Roma and to keep their hopes of landing a spot in next season’s Champions League alive. 

Roma claimed a 3-0 victory over Cremonese last time out in Serie A and are also unbeaten across their last eight matches across all competitions and their last eight in the league as well. 

It has been a tougher few weeks for Juventus, who have not won any of their last three matches in Serie A, including costly defeats against Como and rivals Inter over the last two weekends. The Bianconeri were also eliminated from the Champions League earlier this week after a 7-5 aggregate defeat against Galatasaray. 

Paulo Dybala has trained with his teammates ahead of kick-off but remains unlikely to start for Roma. Matias Soule will not take part due to an ongoing pubalgia issue, but the in-form Donyell Malen is still expected to lead the Giallorossi attack. 

Mario Hermoso is also injured in defence, which means that Daniele Ghilardi is expected to keep his place in the back three alongside Gianluca Mancini and Evan Ndicka. 

Juventus are expected to stick with a back four on Sunday evening, and pre-match reports suggest that Gleison Bremer will be fit enough to start. 

Captain Manuel Locatelli is suspended, which means that Teun Koopmeiners is set to partner Khephren Thuram in the middle of the Bianconeri midfield. Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao are the likely candidates to support Jonathan David in attack. 

Kick-off is due at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

Roma vs. Juventus: Probable line-ups 

Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Ghilardi, Mancini, Ndicka; Celik, Kone, Cristante, Wesley; Pisilli, Pellegrini; Malen. 

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Perin; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso; Thuram, Koopmeiners; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz; David. 

Where to watch Roma vs. Juventus 

Tonight’s match will be available to watch in the UK live on TNT Sports 2 and through DAZN. Supporters in the USA are able to tune in via Paramount+. 

Join us for all the pre-match build-up, in-game coverage and post-match reactions on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Massimiliano Allegri is expected to stick with an attacking line-up of Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic when Milan take on Cremonese at the Stadio Giovanni Zini in Serie A on Sunday afternoon. 

This game will begin in the early kick-off slot at 11.30 GMT (12.30 CET). 

Hosts Cremonese are without a win in 12 Serie A matches ahead of kick-off against Milan and fell to a 3-0 defeat away against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico last weekend. 

Despite a strong start to the season following their promotion from Serie B, Davide Nicola’s side currently find themselves in 17th place in the league table, level on points with Lecce in the relegation zone. 

Cremonese are one of only two teams to have beaten Milan in Serie A so far this season, though. That victory came in the opening weekend of the 2025-26 season in San Siro, and the Rossoneri have since slipped to their second league defeat of the season at home against Parma last weekend. 

Leao and Pulisic started against Parma and are expected to keep their places in the Rossoneri attack despite their lack of goals last weekend. 

Youssouf Fofana is expected to return to the midfield in place of the injured Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He is expected to be joined by Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot. 

Matteo Gabbia is not quite ready to make his return to the starting line-up, so Fikayo Tomori, Koni De Winter and Strahinja Pavlovic are the three expected to start at the back. Alexis Saelemaekers is also likely to go again at right wing-back despite being a booking away from suspension. 

Cremonese vs. Milan: Probable line-ups 

Cremonese (3-5-2): Audero; Bianchetti, Luperto, Folino; Zerbin, Thorsby, Bondo, Maleh, Pezzella; Vardy, Bonazzoli.

Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Leao, Pulisic.

Where to watch Cremonese vs. Milan

Today’s game will be available to watch live in the UK exclusively on DAZN. Supporters in the USA are able to tune in via Paramount+. 

Join us for all the pre-match build-up, in-game coverage and post-match reactions on the Football Italia Liveblog.

La Gazzetta dello Sport

Dimarco’s golden foot

Genoa beaten, Inter reinforce their lead 

+13 

Eighth victory in a row. Magic from the wing-hack: ‘It wasn’t easy to restart after the ko against Bodo. Calha seals the 2-0. 

Milan on the attack ahead of the Derby 

Market: A step away from Andre, operation of 17 million 

Juve risk more 

The Champions League fight against Roma is as hot as a play-off 

Lukaku goal and tears 

Romelu decides it in Verona: ‘I was dead’ 

Napoli wins in the final minute, Como hat-trick, overtaken Spalletti

VAR changes 

Will intervene on corners and double yellow cards. Collina: ‘Football is most fair like this’

Corriere dello Sport 

Supermancino 

Inter leave a gap 

Scudetto in their grasp: Genoa beaten (2-0) Leao and Pulisic in Cremona at 11.30 

Dimarco out of this world, Chivu pushes Milan down to -13

Federico’s fantastic season continues, scoring his sixth goal: Assists up to 14. Calha from the penalty spot closes the account. The Derby on Sunday 

Lucio under siege 

Roma-Juve (19.45): Play-off for a spot in the Champions League 

Gasperini could leap up to +7 on Spalletti, now sixth and overtaken by Como (3-1 against Lecce). Pellegrini behind Malen. Dybala out. The Bianconeri have only picked up one point in their last three games. Kalulu cold on Bastoni: ‘I haven’t heard from him since that incident’ 

Lukaku, Napoli emotions 

Big Rom comes on and settles it in the 96th minute: Conte wins 2-1 in Verona 

Hojlund immediately unlocks it, Akpa-Akpro finds the 1-1. The Belgian in tears after the death of his father: Scored for the first time in 281 days 

Change: No Kalulu case ever again 

The rules change 

Double yellow: IFAB changes the VAR protocol, beginning at the World Cup. Collina: ‘The Inter-Juve nightmare could have been avoided in 10 seconds’ 

Udinese and Viola in the symbol of Astori

Eight years on from his death 

United by Davide in Friuli tomorrow. A campaign for the prevention of cardiac arrests has been organised: Free check-ups 

Tuttosport 

Capital sentence 

Roma-Juve at 19.45, Champions League decider 

After disappointments and controversies, the Bianconeri are called upon to lift their heads and not lose out on fourth place, increasingly at risk. Finances, transfer window and future ambitions to be played for tomorrow as well. Gasperini could have been in Spalletti’s position. And now he’s returning to Koopneiners: ‘He’s strong, it’s not true that my former players go on to play badly’. Kalulu endorses Lucio’s contract extension and snubs Bastoni: ‘No, I haven’t heard from him, but it’s not like we were talking much in the first place’. 

Supporters hard-nosed, D’Aversa too

Toro-Lazio at 17.00 in a stadium that is still half-empty 

FantaDimarco, Inter go +13 

2-0 against Genoa after the Euro-shock 

Sensational goal from the wing-back, then the penalty from Calhanoglu for the eighth league victory in a row. Also celebrating in San Siro is multi-medalist Fontana. The derby on Sunday: Milan against Cremonese today to make up some of the ground 

Como is beautiful! Lukaku in the 96th, goal and tears 

Cesc flying, Napoli shuhdders 

Reports in Italy claim that two sides in Serie A are interested in a potential deal for Manchester United and former Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro once his Old Trafford tenure comes to an end. 

Reports Casemiro of interest to two top Serie A clubs

Casemiro, who turned 34 earlier this week, is into the final few months of his contract with Manchester United and the club have already confirmed that the five-time Champions League winner will depart at the end of the 2025-26 campaign. 

The 82-time Brazil international is expected to have plenty of offers come the end of the season, and according to Friday’s reports, he could have offers from Serie A on his desk as well. 

According to reports from Calciomercato.com, both Milan and Juventus could be poised to make an offer for Casemiro in the summer. 

Friday’s report claims that Milan will be interested with or without Luka Modric, who has an option to extend his one-year contract in San Siro by a further 12 months. Modric and Casemiro lined up together 259 times for Real Madrid. 

It has also been suggested that Juventus could be interested in a move for the veteran midfielder this summer. Calciomercato claims that Juventus will focus on quality rather than quantity in the summer transfer window, but Casemiro is a player with undoubted and invaluable experience at the top of the European game. 

The issue for the Serie A sides in question is Casemiro’s potential salary demands given that he currently earns a reported net salary of €18m per season in the final year of his Manchester United contract. 

He would need to take a pay cut in order to facilitate a move to either Milan or Juventus, with suggestions that both clubs would be more likely to offer a two-year deal with wages in the region of €5m-€6m per year. 

Aside from the Serie A interest, Casemiro is also expected to have offers from Brazil and from the Saudi Pro League.

The Champions League, Europa League and Conference League knock-out draws are complete, and now, the times and dates for each of the upcoming round of 16 ties have been confirmed as well. Here are the key dates for Atalanta, Roma, Bologna and Fiorentina fans to mark down in their diaries. 

The Champions League, Europa League and Conference League draws took place at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday, following the completion of the play-off rounds earlier this week. 

You can see how the draw unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Atalanta are the only Italian team left standing in the Champions League after Napoli’s league phase elimination and the exits of both Inter and Juventus in the play-offs earlier this week. La Dea will go up against Borussia Dortmund over two legs of the round of 16. 

Two Italian teams remain in the Europa League in Roma and Bologna, but they have been drawn against each other in the round of 16, meaning there is a guarantee of an Italian side in the quarter-finals, but only one. 

Fiorentina, meanwhile, have a tough task ahead of them in the Conference League round of 16, where they will go up against Raków Częstochowa, who finished the league phase in second place, in the round of 16.

Key Atalanta dates 

Round of 16 first leg: Tuesday March 10, 2026 @ 20.00 GMT (at home against Bayern Munich)

Round of 16 second leg: Wednesday March 18 @ 20.00 GMT (away against Bayern Munich)

Quarter-final first legs: Tuesday April 7 and Wednesday April 8 

Quarter-final second legs: Tuesday April 14 and Wednesday April 15 

Semi-final first legs: Tuesday April 28 and Wednesday April 29 

Semi-final second legs: Tuesday May 5 and Wednesday May 6

Final: Saturday May 30. 

Key Roma and Bologna dates 

Round of 16 first leg: Thursday March 12 @ 17.45 GMT (at the Dall’Ara)

Round of 16 second leg: Thursday March 19 @ 20.00 GMT (at the Stadio Olimpico)

Quarter-final first legs: Thursday April 9

Quarter-final second legs: Thursday April 16

Semi-final first legs: Thursday April 30 

Semi-final second legs: Thursday May 7 

Final: Wednesday May 20. 

Key Fiorentina dates 

Round of 16 first leg: Thursday March 12 @ 20.00 GMT (at home at the Stadio Franchi)

Round of 16 second leg: Thursday March 19 @ 17.45 GMT (away at the Miejski Stadion Piłkarski Raków)

Quarter-final first legs: Thursday April 9

Quarter-final second legs: Thursday April 16

Semi-final first legs: Thursday April 30 

Semi-final second legs: Thursday May 7 

Final: Wednesday May 27.

The Champions League knock-out round draw is now complete and Atalanta, the only Italian team left standing, have learned that they will have to take on Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in the round of 16. Here is everything that La Dea should know about their Bavarian opposition. 

Atalanta vs. Bayern: Everything you need to know

Champions League form 

Bayern Munich were the second strongest team in the competition during the league phase. Their tally of seven wins and one defeat was only bettered by Arsenal, who recorded a 100% win record across eight matches in the first portion of the 2025-26 competition. 

The aforementioned Arsenal are the only side to have beat Bayern so far in the Champions League this season. Vincent Kompany’s side have picked up victories against Chelsea, Pafos, Club Brugge, PSG, Sporting CP, Union Saint-Gilloise and PSV Eindhoven so far this season. 

Bayern also scored the second-most goals of any team across the league phase with 22 (level with Barcelona). Again, only Arsenal went better than the Bavarians with 23 goals from eight league phase matches. 

Key players

England national team captain Harry Kane is the brightest star in this current Bayern side. The former Tottenham man already has a staggering 43 goals and five assists from 36 matches across all competitions including eight goals in eight games in the Champions League. 

Bayern also boast world class attacking talents in Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala, who are expected to line up on the wing and in the no.10 role respectively when they face Atalanta in the round of 16. Vice-captain Joshua Kimmich will also run the midfield from his ‘Sechser’ role. 

Head to head record

This will be the first time that Atalanta and Bayern have met in a competitive fixture.

Atalanta boast an impressive record against German opposition over since the 2023-24 campaign. They have played five matches against Bundesliga opposition over the last three seasons and have won four of them: Against VfB Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, and against Bayer Leverksuen in the final of the Europa League in 2024.

Over the same period, Bayern have only met two Italian opponents: Inter and Lazio. Surprisingly, Bayern have only won one of their last four encounters against Serie A opposition, which came against Lazio in the Champions League round of 16 in 2024. They also lost once against the Biancocelesti and drew one and lost one against Inter in last season’s Champions League quarter-final.

When will Atalanta and Bayern play each other?  

Round of 16 first leg: Tuesday March 10, 2026 @ 20.00 GMT (at the New Balance Arena)

Round of 16 second leg: Wednesday March 18 @ 20.00 GMT (at the Allianz Arena)

Quarter-final first legs: Tuesday April 7 and Wednesday April 8 

Quarter-final second legs: Tuesday April 14 and Wednesday April 15 

Semi-final first legs: Tuesday April 28 and Wednesday April 29 

Semi-final second legs: Tuesday May 5 and Wednesday May 6

Potential line-ups

Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Hien, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Bernasconi; Pasalic, Samardzic; Krstovic/Scamacca. 

Bayern (4-2-3-1): Urbig; Stanisic, Upamecano, Tah, Davies; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Musiala, Diaz; Kane. 

Juventus are preparing to take on Roma in one of their biggest games of the season in Serie A, but head coach Luciano Spalletti will not speak to the media during the pre-match press conferences. Here is who will stand in for the Bianconeri head coach. 

Why Spalletti will not attend press conference ahead of Juventus vs. Roma 

This is not the first time this season that Spalletti has decided against attending a pre-match press conference in Serie A. The Bianconeri head coach also sent captain Manuel Locatelli to address the media ahead of the Derby d’Italia against Inter earlier this month. 

In that instance, Spalletti decided against speaking to the media for two main reasons: One is to allow himself to fully focus on preparations for the match ahead, and another is because of the fact that he already held a customary pre-match press conference in the Champions League earlier that same week. 

The same two reasons are true heading into the Roma match this weekend. 

Instead of Locatelli, this time it will be over to defender Pierre Kalulu to talk to reporters at the pre-Roma press conference according to Friday’s reports from Corriere dello Sport. 

Reports in Italy claim that Inter are keen on two Liverpool stars and that they could be poised to make moves for both during the summer transfer window ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. 

CdS: Inter keen on Liverpool’s Jones and Leoni 

According to reports from Corriere dello Sport and Calciomercato.com, Inter could return to the negotiating table for Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones during the summer transfer window. There had been reports linking the Nerazzurri with a move for the Englishman at the end of the most recent January transfer window as well. 

Those reports claimed that Inter were keen to add Jones to their ranks in the event that Davide Frattesi left the club in the final days of the transfer window, but neither transfer materialised in the end. 

Inter may have to restructure their midfield department during the summer transfer window, though. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is out of contract and could potentially retire at the end of the season. Hakan Calhanoglu is still a priority target for his boyhood club Galatasaray, and there have even been recent suggestions that Nicolo Barella could be approaching the end of his Inter days. 

With several key midfielders potentially on their way out, Inter could potentially return to the negotiating table for Jones in the summer according to Friday’s reports. There had been talks of a potential loan deal with a €40m option to buy at the end of January. 

Unless he signs a new contract before the end of the season, Jones will be into the final year of his Liverpool deal in the summer as well. 

Friday’s reports add that Inter are also interested in a potential deal for former Parma defender Giovanni Leoni as well. 

The teenager joined Parma in a €35m deal from Parma during the summer transfer window, but suffered a cruel cruciate ligament (ACL) tear on his first start for the Reds, which means that he has only featured for 81 minutes so far this season. 

According to Corriere dello Sport, Liverpool could be minded to send Leoni out on loan in 2026-27 in order to provide him with regular, competitive first-team action, and if that were the case, Inter would reportedly be keen to offer him a temporary home in Serie A. 

The Conference League knock-out round draw is now complete and Fiorentina have discovered that they will go up against Raków Częstochowa over two legs of the round of 16 in March. 

The draws for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League knock-out took place at the UEFA Headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday. 

You can see how the draws unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Fiorentina learn Conference League round of 16 opponents

Fiorentina finished the Conference League league phase in 15th place with three wins and three losses to their name after six matches. 

That was enough to secure a spot in the play-off round, where they narrowly got past Jagiellonia on a 5-4 aggregate scoreline. Their second leg in Tuscany was taken to extra-time on Thursday night, despite the fact that the Viola were 3-0 up after the first leg. 

Fiorentina have since learned that they will go up against another Polish opponent in Raków Częstochowa in the round of 16. Rakow finished the league phase in second place and were one of only three sides in the Conference League to go unbeaten over their first six matches, with four wins and two draws to their name so far in this season’s competition. 

The winner of this tie will go on to face either Crystal Palace or AEK Larnaca in the quarter-final. The winner of that quarter-final will go on to play either Lech Poznan, Shakhtar Donetsk, AZ Alkmaar or Sparta Prague. 

Bologna sporting director Marco Di Vaio admits that he would have ‘preferred to avoid’ an all-Italian draw in the Europa League round of 16, especially against Roma, whom he claims are ‘one of the best sides in Italy’. 

Roma and Bologna have been drawn against each other in the Europa League round of 16 following the knock-out stage draw, which took place at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday.

You can see how the draw unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Di Vaio reacts to Bologna vs. Roma draw 

Roma and Bologna are the only two Italian sides competing in the Europa League in 2025-26, and now, only one will qualify for the quarter-finals in April. 

Reporters in Switzerland were excited by the prospect of an all-Italian round of 16 draw, which is already being billed as an exciting tie for the neutral, but Di Vaio insists that he would have preferred to face a non-Italian side in the next round. 

“Roma are a great team, but we’ll lose a bit of European ‘flavour’,” Di Vaio told Sky Sport Italia after the draw. 

“As a player, I played in an (all-Italian) final with Juventus. We would have preferred to avoid it for a lot of reasons, including the emotional aspect. We’ll prepare well. It would have been a great challenge against Freiburg as well. We’ll see what happens.” 

Di Vaio believes that Roma are one of the strongest sides in Italy, but he also believes that Bologna are in a good place to face the challenge after overcoming a troubling run of form over the new-year period. 

“We’re recovering after a tough period, especially in terms of results. We care a lot about the Europa League, we know it can bring us a big boost. Up until now, we’ve had a very good tournament, the last games against Brann were played really well. 

“Now we have to face one of the best sides in Italy, who have a lot of enthusiasm and have found that striker they were missing. Having said that, we know that we are a difficult team to face, too.” 

The draw for the 2025-26 Europa League knock-out round is now complete and Roma and Bologna have learned that they will come up against each other in the round of 16. Here are the full results of Friday’s draw. 

The Europa League knock-out round draw took place at the UEFA Headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday, March 27, following the completion of the play-off round on Thursday evening. 

You can see how the draw unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

All-Italian Europa League draw: Roma to face Bologna

Roma finished the Europa League league phase in eighth place, which was enough to secure an automatic spot in the round of 16, while Bologna finished 10th and have since beaten Brann 2-0 over two legs of the play-off round in order to qualify for the final 16. 

Thursday’s draw resulted in an all-Italian tie in the round of 16, with Roma being drawn out of the hat to face Bologna over two legs in March. These matches will be played on March 12 and March 19. The exact times will be confirmed later on Friday evening. Here is the knock-out schedule in full: 

Round of 16: March 12 and March 19

Quarter-finals: April 9 and April 16 

Semi-finals: April 30 and May 7 

Final: May 20. 

Roma and Bologna have only faced each other once in Serie A so far this season, and not since the opening round of the 2025-26 season. That match resulted in a 1-0 victory for the Giallorossi at the Stadio Olimpico. 

The two teams are also due to play each other again at the Dall’Ara in Serie A on April 26.

The Champions League knockout round draw is now complete and Atalanta have learned that they will be taking on Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in the round of 16, but when will these fixtures be played? 

The draw for the Champions League knock-out rounds took place in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday morning following the conclusion of the play-off rounds, which ended earlier this week. 

You can see how the draw unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

2025-26 Champions League knock-out round: Key dates

Atalanta are the only Italian side left standing in the Champions League in 2025-26 after beating Borussia Dortmund 4-3 over two legs of the play-off round. Napoli were eliminated at the end of the league phase, while Inter fell to a 5-2 aggregate defeat against Bodo/Glimt and Juventus were eliminated after a 7-5 aggregate defeat, both in the play-off round. 

Atalanta will now go on to face Bayern Munich in the round of 16. The exact dates and times of the round of 16 fixtures will be made available later on Friday evening, but for now, the scheduled dates are as follows: 

Round of 16: March 10/11 first legs, March 17/18 second legs

Quarter-finals: April 7/8  first legs, April 15/15 second legs

Semi-finals: April 28/29 first legs, may 5/6 second legs 

Final: May 30. 

The schedule for the round of 16 matches will be confirmed later on Friday (February 27), the quarter-final schedule will be confirmed on March 19 and the semi-final schedule will be locked in on April 16.