Cesc Fabregas feels Como ‘deserved victory’ in the 0-0 Coppa Italia semi-final after Inter ‘changed’ to neutralise their strengths. ‘I cannot lie, the dream is to challenge for more.’

Both coaches made some surprising choices for this first leg stalemate, as while the Nerazzurri had just one centre-forward at a time, the Lariani opted to have a False 9 in the form of Nico Paz for most of the match.

The hosts had the best chances with Mergim Vojvoda and particularly an Alex Valle miss from five yards, while Matteo Darmian clipped the upright from a tight angle for Inter.

Fabregas thought Como deserved victory

“The result is what it is. Overall, I feel that perhaps we deserved to score a goal, or at least got closer to scoring one,” Fabregas told Sport Mediaset.

“It was a chess match, very tactical, where against the most dominant team in Serie A, we played the game we wanted to. We were solid, had two or three very good chances, with Alex Valle where it seemed harder to miss than to score, but these things happen.

“Inter have dominated Italian football in the last five years, but they had only one shot on goal today. It leaves a slightly bitter taste in our mouths, because we feel like we could’ve at least won this 1-0.”

Considering some recent criticism, also in the wake of Como’s 4-0 defeat to Inter at San Siro in Serie A in December, does this performance give Fabregas a sense of payback?

“No, payback is for losers. There are people who wait three or six months for you to slip up, they leap up from their beds and can’t wait to attack you. However, intelligent people, those who are hungry and eager to learn, we are humble and open to listening to people’s opinions.

“There are 12 games to go this season, hopefully 13, but we’ve got to keep pushing. Now we’ve again got a game on Saturday afternoon, whereas Inter are scheduled for Sunday evening, so we hope to get some rest in.”

The game ended goalless, so it will all be decided at San Siro in the second leg of this Coppa Italia semi-final.

A firm date has not been set, but it will be April 21 or 22.

“I don’t know if Inter are favourites now, I just know we are Como and they are Inter. There is certainly a different mentality between the clubs and teams right now, at least for the moment. We keep trying to raise the bar,” noted Fabregas.

“We are playing in a Coppa Italia semi-final, so if you had told a Como fan or even me that when we were in Serie B two years ago, I doubt anyone would’ve believed you. There is a long way to go before the second leg, we have a lot of Serie A games to play first, and we have to focus on those.

“I think the real question is for Cristian Chivu, because Inter came here and played differently to how they usually do. They dominate in Serie A, press hard, don’t leave you any spaces, and I think my players put in a great performance today.”

It was put to Fabregas that the project at Como was not dissimilar to the epic Sampdoria of the early 1990s, which won the Scudetto and reached the European Cup Final with a strong investor.

“These are strong words for the future. This is the idea we thought of from Day One, when we started this project, this dream two years ago. It was a team coming from Serie B, we made important changes in January, and after a year we saw great improvement.

“We can continue like this with our feet on the ground. I cannot lie that the dream is to continue growing, and maybe when we are better-prepared, to challenge for something more.

“We must also never forget where we came from, as it is only two years of this project, and we are slowly raising the bar. We’ll see where we end up one day,” concluded Fabregas.

Matteo Darmian confirms Inter ‘showed respect to Como’ with their tactical changes in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg. ‘These ties are played over 180 minutes.’

It was a very evenly-balanced match at the Stadio Sinigaglia on the shores of Lake Como, as the two coaches seemed to cancel each other out with tactical tweaks.

The hosts opted for Nico Paz as a False 9, while the Nerazzurri unusually also had only a single centre-forward, moving Andy Diouf into a more advanced support role.

The best chance for Inter fell to Darmian, whose cross-shot clipped the outside of the near post at the dawn of the second half.

Darmian content with Inter stalemate

“We knew Como’s strengths, the way they hold the ball and can play out from the press, but we had the right attitude,” Darmian told Sport Mediaset.

“We might’ve preferred to bring home a victory, but we have a very important game coming up on Sunday, and then we’ll prepare for the second leg when it comes.”

The Coppa Italia semi-final will go to the second leg at San Siro, which is going to be scheduled for April 21 or 22, to see who goes on to face either Lazio or Atalanta in the Final.

Before that, Inter have the Serie A showdown with rivals Milan on Sunday, in the Derby della Madonnina.

“The important thing was keeping a clean sheet today, we try to do our best both attacking and defending every week. It was good to not concede ahead of the second leg,” added Darmian.

“We showed respect to Como, we knew that these ties are played over 180 minutes, and it was important to leave here with a positive result. When you wear the Inter jersey, your responsibility is to always go for a win, but we didn’t manage it today, and have to look at the big picture.”

Como’s last victory over Inter was 1-0 in December 1985, managing two draws in the next 15 meetings, and they were beaten 4-0 at San Siro when these sides met most recently in December 2025.

Como had the best chances with Mergim Vojvoda and Alex Valle, while Inter’s Matteo Darmian clipped the upright, but the Coppa Italia semi-final will be decided in the second leg at San Siro.

The Stadio Sinigaglia was packed out for their first Coppa Italia semi-final in 40 years, with Cesc Fabregas’ side fifth in Serie A too. Nico Paz returned to the starting XI, but Marc-Oliver Kempf and Jayden Addai were injured, with Assane Diao and Edoardo Goldaniga only fit for the bench.

The Nerazzurri had to reshuffle with Lautaro Martinez, Ange-Yoan Bonny and Marcus Thuram all not fully fit, so Andy Diouf was moved to a more advanced role, along with other squad rotation. Como’s last victory over Inter was 1-0 in December 1985, managing two draws in the next 14 meetings, including a 4-0 defeat at San Siro in December 2025.

The second leg of this semi-final, the only stage of the tournament to be played home and away, will be on April 21 or 22.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Mergim Vojvoda pounced on a Yann Bisseck error to burst into the box, denied by a desperate Carlos Augusto block from eight yards, then moments later was offside when forcing a big Josep Martinez save.

Nico Paz juggled the ball with his back to goal, but Alessandro Bastoni wouldn’t let him turn, then got a shot away from outside the area for a very tricky Martinez push round the far post.

Vojvoda threatened again when sending Francesco Acerbi to ground with a shimmy, drilling the finish across the face of goal and just wide.

Straight after the restart, Inter had their first genuine chance when Darmian’s cross-shot from the tightest of angles clipped the near post.

Moments later, Como wasted the most incredible scoring opportunity when Ivan Smolcic rolled across from the right only for Alex Valle to somehow prod wide from five yards.

Thuram came off the bench and had a shot charged down by Diego Carlos, but neither team managed to find a breakthrough.

It will all be decided at San Siro next month, to see who will face either Lazio or Atalanta in the Final.

Como 0-0 Inter

03-03-2026 20:00

1/2 Final

Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia

Como

Inter

0 - 0

Como

Inter

Starting lineups

1

Jean Butez

Goalkeeper

3

Álex Valle

Defender

79'

34

Diego Carlos

Defender

28

Ivan Smolcic

Defender

14

Jacobo Ramón

Defender

31

Mërgim Vojvoda

Defender

79'

6

Maxence Caqueret

Midfielder

86'

23

Máximo Perrone

Midfielder

10

Nico Paz

Midfielder

86'

8

Sergi Roberto

Midfielder

70'

33

Lucas Da Cunha

Attacker

13

Josep Martínez

Goalkeeper

95

Alessandro Bastoni

Defender

15

Francesco Acerbi

Defender

36

Matteo Darmian

Defender

58'

8

Petar Sucic

Defender

31

Yann Bisseck

Defender

30

Carlos Augusto

Midfielder

16

Davide Frattesi

Midfielder

85'

20

Hakan Calhanoglu

Midfielder

58'

17

Andy Diouf

Attacker

68'

94

Pio Esposito

Attacker

58'

Substitutes

5

Edoardo Goldaniga

Defender

7

Álvaro Morata

Attacker

22

Mauro Vigorito

Goalkeeper

44

Nikola Cavlina

Goalkeeper

19

Nicolas Kühn

Attacker

17

Jesús Rodriguez

Attacker

21

Noel Törnqvist

Goalkeeper

Adrian Lahdo

Midfielder

38

Assane Diao

Attacker

70'

77

Ignace Van Der Brempt

Defender

79'

18

Alberto Moreno

Defender

79'

20

Martin Baturina

Midfielder

86'

11

Anastasios Douvikas

Attacker

86'

32

Federico Dimarco

Defender

23

Nicolò Barella

Midfielder

6

Stefan de Vrij

Defender

25

Manuel Akanji

Defender

1

Yann Sommer

Goalkeeper

12

Raffaele Di Gennaro

Goalkeeper

53

Matteo Lavelli

Attacker

7

Piotr Zielinski

Midfielder

58'

2

Denzel Dumfries

Midfielder

58'

9

Marcus Thuram

Attacker

58'

11

Luis Henrique

Attacker

68'

22

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Midfielder

85'

Milan will be without defender Matteo Gabbia for circa a month after his injury proved to be more serious, as he had surgery today in London.

The centre-back had pulled up during the warm-up of their defeat to Parma at San Siro.

It was believed to be an inflammation of the hip area, and Max Allegri said only three days ago that he would be back “as soon as possible.”

Milan lose Gabbia for at least four weeks

However, multiple sources this evening including Sky Sport Italia and MilanNews claim that the player underwent a specialist consultation in London.

That recommended a surgical option to resolve the sports hernia, performed by Professor Ernest Schilders at the Mayo Clinic in London.

Gabbia is expected to fly back to Italy tomorrow, as the surgery was a complete success, and begin the rehabilitation process.

His fully recovery is expected to require around a month on the sidelines.

That also means he will not be available for Italy’s World Cup play-off later this month either.

Galatasaray have been fined €40,000 and the club cannot have fans at their next Champions League away fixture as punishment for fan trouble against Juventus.

The fine and ban were both confirmed by a statement on the official Galatasaray website.

These incidents occurred in the second leg of the Champions League play-off, which was at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin on February 25.

Why Galatasaray fans banned after Juventus Stadium incidents

Local sources report circa 50 had tried to enter the stadium without a valid ticket, breaking down a barrier and damaging the buses that ferried them from the city centre to the arena.

Another incident saw fans throw a firework into the Curva Nord section, injuring a man and his daughter, who needed hospital treatment.

The fan responsible was identified and charged as he left the stadium at the final whistle.

Supporters clashed with local police before the match, which saw Juventus wipe out a 5-2 first leg deficit to force extra time even down to 10 men.

They eventually capitulated with a 3-2 victory on the night in extra time, going out 7-5 on aggregate.

Galatasaray therefore cannot have their supporters present for the away leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool.

Serie A refereeing designator Gianluca Rocchi finds some of the IFAB announcements about changes to the VAR protocol ‘irritating’ and warns this will lead to ‘greater use of technology.’

The AIA (Italian Referees Association) chief has been under fire of late from several different clubs who were infuriated by the lack of consistency in some decisions taken by referees and VAR.

They were also frustrated by a situation where VAR was banned from interfering in a clear and obvious error, specifically the Pierre Kalulu second yellow card for Juventus after Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni simulated much stronger contact than there was in reality.

VAR still adapting to the modern game

This is one of the moments that prompted the IFAB to change the protocol, starting from the 2026 World Cup this summer, so VAR can intervene on a second bookable offence.

“The change is a little irritating really, if we consider what happened recently and what might’ve happened if we had this rule change a couple of weeks ago,” shrugged Rocchi on DAZN’s Open VAR programme.

“A second yellow card can determine a game and if it is a mistake, then you must be able to fix that. At the same time, I also want to point out we didn’t have incidents in Roma-Juventus because the players focused on playing football, and therefore made life easier for the referee.”

The changes to the protocol also affect potentially revoking corner kicks if they are given incorrectly, while the idea of coaches being able to appeal decisions with a VAR review is going to be experimented.

Rocchi warns this all means a change to the role that VAR has in modern football.

“Our objective is to use technology as little as possible. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to use it, but it should only be used when necessary. The concept of ‘clear and obvious error’ was created so that VAR would have a minimal impact on the game. Some say we are using it too much now, others that we need to use it more.

“When VAR was introduced eight years ago, the game has advanced since then, and so should the protocol. You can’t tell people now ‘the decision is wrong, but VAR cannot intervene,’ because while they might’ve accepted it eight years ago, I fully understand they won’t now.

“If you look at the changes that are being introduced, it will mean greater use of technology. If the protocol bans you intervening, I understand fans asking well what is VAR for then?”

Refereeing designator Gianluca Rocchi uses two Parma goals to explain the Serie A approach to impeding the goalkeeper. ‘I don’t want to see situations in other leagues with five players in the six-yard box.’

Every week, the most recent Serie A refereeing incidents are analysed in-depth with footage from the VAR booth as well as audio of their conversations with the officials on the pitch, during a regular programme called Open VAR.

This time, the under-fire designator Rocchi was the guest representing the AIA (Italian Referees Association) for yet more controversy in Week 27.

They included Milan complaints when Parma’s goal was allowed against them the week before, but a similar challenge on the goalkeeper was not penalised when Parma played Cagliari this weekend.

Rocchi rejects Premier League refereeing model

“I reiterate that the goal in Milan-Parma was valid, but I didn’t like the way it was communicated at all,” explained Rocchi.

“With Parma-Cagliari, however, referee Massimi explains the situation to the players before the corner. As long as players are standing still, we have nothing in the rules that forces us to intervene.

“In other leagues, we see up to five players just standing still inside the six-yard box. On the other hand, we should also protect the goalkeeper and allow him freedom of movement. There are some movements that impede the goalkeeper, in which case we can intervene.

“The referee did very well, because he spotted the contact between Valenti and Caprile, and awarded a foul in favour of Cagliari,” insisted Rocchi.

The reference to other leagues was primarily the Premier League, where Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has in particular struggled at Tottenham Hotspur dealing with the kind of set play crowding of the box that has traditionally not been allowed in Serie A.

That tactic is now creeping into Italian football too, and the referees are forced to explain what constitutes a foul on the goalkeeper.

“I don’t want to see situations that I see in other leagues, which would be critical situations for us,” continued Rocchi.

“I am speaking purely for Italian football here, and in my view, we cannot allow that a goalkeeper is not given the freedom to play. That does not take away from the fact that in the rulebook there’s nothing that says a player can’t stand there in the six-yard box. We will be very careful from now on evaluating these moves.”

Inter President Beppe Marotta hopes the Coppa Italia semi-final with Como can bring silverware, rules out Arsenal for Francesco Pio Esposito and hails ‘talent’ Nico Paz.

It kicks off at the Stadio Sinigaglia at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

This is the only stage of the competition played home and away, with the second leg planned for April 21 or 22, although a firm date has not been set.

Marotta looks to Inter present and future

The Nerazzurri are flying high at the top of the Serie A table with a 10-point gap, but crashed out of the Champions League after losing both home and away to Bodo/Glimt.

“We turned the page in the Champions League, naturally with regret, but we see it as a valuable learning experience,” Marotta told Sport Mediaset.

“Challenging in various different competitions means there are dangers, you can’t win them all. So that left us with bitter disappointment, but we keep going.”

When Inter met Como in Serie A back in December, they ran out 4-0 winners at San Siro, but this is a different competition.

This is an intriguing clash for the transfer market too, as Inter have been linked with a bid for Como starlet Nico Paz.

“Nico Paz is certainly an interesting talent who has a great career ahead of him, but he is owned by Real Madrid, they have a buy-back option with Como. I doubt Real Madrid will let him slip through their fingers, and we’ll hear a lot about him in the years to come.”

There were also reports that Arsenal had made enquiries after Inter centre-forward Pio Esposito, who has flourished this season at age 20.

“Arsenal did not ask for Pio Esposito, but also Inter are not a selling club, we don’t make player trading our main activity. Pio Esposito is a product of our youth academy and we treasure him,” replied Marotta.

“Of course, anything can happen in future, but that would only be very far into the future.”

With the Derby della Madonnina against Milan coming up on Sunday evening, there is some squad rotation, resting Marcus Thuram who is not at 100 per cent, with Lautaro Martinez and Ange-Yoan Bonny already out of action.

“It won’t be decisive, there are still many games to go, many dangers, many points still up for grabs. It is important to give consistency, but you can’t just drop points against the big clubs, as the small ones have their dangers too,” concluded the President.

Como director of sport Carlalberto Ludi insists they ‘believe we can win every game’ going into the Coppa Italia semi-final with Inter, and is reassuring on the return of Nico Paz.

It kicks off at the Stadio Sinigaglia at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

This is the only stage of the competition played home and away, with the second leg planned for April 21 or 22, although a firm date has not been set.

Como have Coppa Italia ambition

“We believe that we can win every game, not that we want to be presumptuous, but that is what we believe,” director of sport Carlalberto Ludi told Sport Mediaset.

“This is our mentality. We won’t manage it every single game, obviously, but this has to be the approach from the club, the coach and the players, so we want to keep that going.”

There is some confusion over precisely how Como are setting out today, because there is no recognised centre-forward on the pitch, so either Nico Paz or Maxence Caqueret can play the False 9 role.

Martin Baturina is only fit for the bench, but Nico Paz returns after he was dropped against Lecce at the weekend, reportedly because he turned up late to a team meal.

“Everything is fine, Nico Paz is our little star, our reference point, our talent, so there’s no problem. He comes back stronger than ever.”

Como beat Juventus recently and held Milan to a draw, eliminating Napoli in the Coppa Italia quarter-final on penalties, but were crushed 4-0 by Inter in Serie A back in December 2025.

Inter are forced to reshuffle in attack with Andy Diouf and Francesco Pio Esposito, while Como bring back Nico Paz with Maxence Caqueret in the Coppa Italia semi-final.

It kicks off at the Stadio Sinigaglia at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

This is the only stage of the competition played home and away, with the second leg planned for April 21 or 22, although a firm date has not been set.

Cesc Fabregas has taken Como from Serie B to challenging for a Champions League spot this season, as well as this their first Coppa Italia semi-final for 40 years.

They eliminated Napoli on penalties in the quarter-final, and are coming off back-to-back wins against Juventus and Lecce to put them fifth in Serie A.

Marc-Oliver Kempf scored at the weekend, but is out with a hip injury, joining Jayden Addai in the stands.

Martin Baturina returns for a spot on the bench, with Edoardo Goldaniga and Assane Diao also recovering from injuries.

The big news is Nico Paz back in the starting XI after he was reportedly dropped against Lecce for turning up late to a team meal.

Diego Carlos steps into defence, but it remains to be seen if Nico Paz or Maxence Caqueret are acting as False 9, with both Lucas Da Cunha and Maxi Perrone potentially in a more advanced role too.

Inter are flying high at the top of the Serie A table, but crashed out of the Champions League to Bodo/Glimt, losing both home and away.

They are also down to the bare bones in attack, as after Lautaro Martinez and Ange-Yoan Bonny injuries, Marcus Thuram is struggling too.

It means Pio Esposito is the only available striker, with Diouf moved into a more advanced role, although it’s entirely possible he can share that position with Davide Frattesi at different times of the match.

There is squad rotation for Matteo Darmian, Carlos Augusto, Francesco Acerbi and goalkeeper Josep Martinez.

Not counting the Champions League, Inter have won 12 of their last 13 games between Serie A and the Coppa Italia, drawing 2-2 with Napoli.

They also beat Como 4-0 the last time these sides met at San Siro on December 6.

The Lariani have not won this Lombardy Derby since a 1-0 home result in December 1985, managing two draws in 14 competitive meetings.

Como vs. Inter official line-ups

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

Como bench: Tornqvist, Vigorito, Cavlina, Goldaniga, Morata, Douvikas, Lahdo, Rodriguez, Moreno, Kuhn, Baturina, Diao, Van der Brempt

Inter: J Martinez; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Frattesi Sucic, Calhanoglu, Carlos Augusto; Diouf; Esposito

Inter bench: Sommer, Di Gennaro, Dumfries, De Vrij, Zielinski, Thuram, Luis Henrique, Mkhitaryan, Barella, Akanji, Dimarco, Lavelli

Ref: Di Bello

03-03-2026 20:00

1/2 Final

Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia

Como

Inter

0 - 0

Como

Inter

Starting lineups

1

Jean Butez

Goalkeeper

3

Álex Valle

Defender

79'

34

Diego Carlos

Defender

28

Ivan Smolcic

Defender

14

Jacobo Ramón

Defender

31

Mërgim Vojvoda

Defender

79'

6

Maxence Caqueret

Midfielder

86'

23

Máximo Perrone

Midfielder

10

Nico Paz

Midfielder

86'

8

Sergi Roberto

Midfielder

70'

33

Lucas Da Cunha

Attacker

13

Josep Martínez

Goalkeeper

95

Alessandro Bastoni

Defender

15

Francesco Acerbi

Defender

36

Matteo Darmian

Defender

58'

8

Petar Sucic

Defender

31

Yann Bisseck

Defender

30

Carlos Augusto

Midfielder

16

Davide Frattesi

Midfielder

85'

20

Hakan Calhanoglu

Midfielder

58'

17

Andy Diouf

Attacker

68'

94

Pio Esposito

Attacker

58'

Substitutes

5

Edoardo Goldaniga

Defender

7

Álvaro Morata

Attacker

22

Mauro Vigorito

Goalkeeper

44

Nikola Cavlina

Goalkeeper

19

Nicolas Kühn

Attacker

17

Jesús Rodriguez

Attacker

21

Noel Törnqvist

Goalkeeper

Adrian Lahdo

Midfielder

38

Assane Diao

Attacker

70'

77

Ignace Van Der Brempt

Defender

79'

18

Alberto Moreno

Defender

79'

20

Martin Baturina

Midfielder

86'

11

Anastasios Douvikas

Attacker

86'

32

Federico Dimarco

Defender

23

Nicolò Barella

Midfielder

6

Stefan de Vrij

Defender

25

Manuel Akanji

Defender

1

Yann Sommer

Goalkeeper

12

Raffaele Di Gennaro

Goalkeeper

53

Matteo Lavelli

Attacker

7

Piotr Zielinski

Midfielder

58'

2

Denzel Dumfries

Midfielder

58'

9

Marcus Thuram

Attacker

58'

11

Luis Henrique

Attacker

68'

22

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Midfielder

85'

Raffaele Palladino insists Atalanta see the Coppa Italia semi-final with Lazio as both a chance ‘to lift a trophy, but also guaranteeing access to a European competition.’

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

The second leg date has not yet been set, but will be April 21 or 22 in Bergamo.

By a curious twist of fate, these teams met in Serie A at the Stadio Olimpico on February 14, with Atalanta emerging 2-0 winners thanks to an Ederson penalty and Nicola Zalewski strike.

Palladino and Atalanta want the Coppa Italia

“We are facing a Lazio side that we know well,” Palladino told Sport Mediaset.

“We only recently played against them in Serie A, we know they will be fired up and still bitter about that, so obviously they are highly-motivated to beat us this time.”

The semi-final is the only stage of the Coppa Italia to be played over two legs, home and away, as all the others are one-off matches.

“It is important to see it over the two legs, even if there is a large gap between the games,” continued the coach.

“This is a competition that we really care about in particular, because Atalanta reached the Coppa Italia Final three times in the last seven years, so we want to make it four and perhaps beyond that.

“This is our dream, the primary objective is for this club to lift a trophy, and I think this is also a way of guaranteeing access to a European competition for next season.

“It is a truly very, very important match, we believe in ourselves, and have the right attitude going in.”

Atalanta are currently pushing for a top four finish, but it is an increasingly tight battle including Roma, Juventus and Como.

Former Italy star Mario Balotelli is having to reconsider his career path, as he cannot currently fly back to Dubai to play for Al-Ittifaq, so is training with Chievo Verona.

The 35-year-old had been a free agent when his contract with Genoa was allowed to expire, and decided to continue his career in the Middle East when signing for Al-Ittifaq on January 13.

It has been fraught with problems, as he reported receiving racist abuse during a friendly match, which are the only games he has been able to play, as the UAE league is currently on a break.

No Dubai return possible for Balotelli

Balotelli had reportedly been visiting his brother Enock in Italy last week, so was not in Dubai when it got dragged into the spreading unrest in the Middle East.

Now all flights to Dubai are suspended due to security concerns, so he is stuck in Italy.

According to L’Arena newspaper, Balotelli turned up this morning to train with Chievo Verona.

This is because the former Serie A club, which went bankrupt recently and had to start again from the amateur divisions, is also owned by the same patron as Al-Ittifaq.

He is now training with the squad, which includes former Juventus man Douglas Costa and ex-Milan player Alberto Paloschi, to stay in shape.

Balotelli could even be asked to participate in a friendly match on Saturday, but he cannot yet play for Chievo in competitive Serie D games without an official transfer.

Just as Napoli’s treatment room starts to empty out, they have a new problem to deal with, as Stanislav Lobotka was hurt in training today.

The Partenopei have been struggling with a massive injury crisis throughout the entire campaign, at times with an entire XI out of action.

Kevin De Bruyne resumed training yesterday, four months after sustaining a serious hamstring tear, and could be on the bench against Torino on Friday.

Lobotka setback in Napoli training

However, Lobotka picked up a muscular problem during today’s session and Sky Sport Italia report he is a major doubt to feature in the early Serie A Week 28 fixture.

It is a relapse for the Slovak midfielder, who has already been out with injury for quite a few games this term.

The good news is that Scott McTominay and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa ought to be available again, although probably not from the start.

David Neres, Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Amir Rrahmani are certainly going to be out of action for this round.

Paolo Vanoli hit out at Fiorentina after their 3-0 defeat to Udinese, warning it ‘felt like a continuation’ of their Conference League play-off with Jagiellonia.

The Viola had been on a strong run of form, but lost twice in the space of a few days, even if on Thursday they still scraped into the Conference League Round of 16 past Jagiellonia in extra time, despite fumbling a 3-0 first leg advantage.

That match already showed signs of trouble, which were confirmed in Udine with a 3-0 defeat.

Vanoli sees old Fiorentina problems return

“Udinese are a very physical team, so if we are always late to the knockdowns, we are making life easier for them,” Vanoli told DAZN Italia.

“It felt like a continuation of the game in the Conference League, the mentality was all wrong again. The players need to take a good, hard look at themselves, because it takes a long time to build something up, and a mere moment to destroy it.”

Daniele Rugani was thrown straight into the starting XI for his Fiorentina debut and it was disastrous, because he slipped for the Christian Kabasele free header, gave away the Keinan Davis penalty, and was shrugged off by Adam Buksa for the third goal.

“I knew Rugani would struggle to last 90 minutes after so long out of action, but he did well to get to the end. He can’t find form or fitness if he doesn’t play. I am convinced he will give a strong contribution in the coming weeks,” noted Vanoli.

Instead, the coach turned his ire towards other Fiorentina players and the overall attitude of the squad.

“We never ran into the spaces, we passed the ball around too slowly, and this is not good enough.

“The statistics showed we didn’t have a single shot on target, plus we suffered defending on set plays and showed a lack of concentration.

“We will get nowhere without determination, and clearly in that sense we have not progressed, because we must increase our desire to not concede goals.”

There was also an additional injury concern, as Vanoli confirmed Moise Kean asked to be substituted after a knock to the tibia.

This is the first Fiorentina defeat in Serie A since their 2-1 loss at Napoli on January 31, and it leaves them level on 24 points with Cremonese and Lecce.

The only teams behind them in the table are Pisa and Verona, joint rock bottom on 15 points, so it looks as if there is one more relegation spot still to be assigned.

“The table is tightening up, games are coming along where the mentality is going to make the difference.”

Pisa and Verona look doomed to relegation from Serie A, but it’s wide open for the third slot, as Fiorentina, Cremonese, Lecce and Genoa are crammed into a three-point radius.

The Week 27 fixtures were completed this evening and the results have a big knock-on effect for the fight to avoid relegation.

Serie A has three spots going down out of 20, and it will take a miracle now for Pisa and Hellas Verona to avoid the slide into Serie B.

They are stuck together on just 15 points out of 27 rounds, already nine adrift of the others in this race.

Torino’s win over Lazio might’ve done enough to keep them out of the running, leaving only Genoa on 27 points, then Fiorentina, Cremonese and Lecce all crammed together on 24.

The Viola had broken clear in recent weeks, but are now back in the quagmire, out of the bottom three purely on goal difference.

If two teams are tied at the end of the season for relegation, then they will face off in a specially arranged play-off.

If three or more sides have the same points, then a mini-table is drawn up of their head-to-head results, with the bottom two going into the play-off.

Serie A Table

Kevin De Bruyne was all smiles as he had his first training session with Napoli teammates today, four months after the devastating injury.

The former Manchester City midfielder has not played since suffering a serious hamstring tear while converting a penalty against Inter on October 25, 2025.

It was so damaging that surgery was required, and De Bruyne spent most of that recovery time in his native Belgium.

De Bruyne back for Napoli

He flew back to Italy last week with his family, and today was the first time he had returned to first-team training with his teammates, after 128 days away.

The 34-year-old thoroughly enjoyed the experience and shared his joy with the fans, posting pictures of his smile during the session on social media.

 

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Napoli fans responded with numerous comments celebrating his return, as the Belgian had scored four goals with two assists in 11 competitive games before that injury.

It is also possible that he will be on the bench for this Friday’s Serie A match against Torino.

Udinese ended their negative streak with a badly-needed 3-0 victory sealed by Christian Kabasele, Keinan Davis and Adam Buksa, as Daniele Rugani had a disastrous Fiorentina debut.

The Viola had been transformed in recent weeks with three consecutive victories in all competition, but threw away a 3-0 first leg advantage in the Conference League play-off with Jagiellonia on Thursday, only scraping through in extra time. Dodo was suspended here, but Rolando Mandragora returned from his ban. Manor Solomon, Luca Lezzerini and Robin Gosens sustained injuries against Jagiellonia, so Daniele Rugani made his debut. Udinese were collapsing after three straight defeats, missing Arthur Atta, Oumar Solet and Alessandro Zanoli, but Keinan Davis returned after a month out.

There was a musical performance before kick-off, as this week is eight years since the death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori, in a hotel in Udine in March 2018. Free cardiac checks are also organised in the stadium this month.

See how the game unfolded on the Liveblog.

It took just 10 minutes to open the scoring, as Nicolò Zaniolo whipped a corner into the six-yard box and Christian Kabasele was allowed a free header, because Rugani had slipped.

Mandragora smashed a free kick over the bar, then blasted over from just inside the area, while Albert Gudmundsson hit a fresh-air volley on the dinked Niccolò Fagioli pass over the top.

Davis combined with Zaniolo and cut inside to shoot hard and low from 13 yards, forcing David De Gea to parry with his legs.

After the restart, Jack Harrison’s cross only grazed the head of Moise Kean at the back stick, and De Gea again denied Davis after a run from the centre-circle.

Another strong Davis run from his own half concluded with the Zaniolo effort deflected wide off Fabiano Parisi, and the striker was wrestled to the ground by Rugani as he tried to get on the end of an inspired Jordan Zemura pass. It was an inevitable penalty, which Davis converted himself.

Bertola ran back for a brave block on Kean, spraining his ankle in the process, and Cher Ndour’s header whistled wide on the resulting corner.

Rugani completed his truly disastrous debut by allowing Adam Buksa to shrug off his attempt at a challenge when running onto the Lennon Miller knockdown, curling a left-foot finish into the far corner.

Udinese 3-0 Fiorentina

Kabasele 10 (U), Davis pen 64 (U), Buksa 94 (U)

02-03-2026 19:45

MatchDay 27

Friuli Stadium (Dacia Arena)

Udinese

Fiorentina

3 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Christian Kabasele (Assist: Nicolò Zaniolo)		10'
		28'		Marin Pongracic
Kingsley Ehizibue		32'
		32'		Fabiano Parisi

2nd half

		61'		Daniele Rugani
Keinan Davis		63'
		80'		Luca Ranieri
Adam Buksa (Assist: Lennon Miller)		90+4'

Match statistic

35

Possession %

65

10

Total shots

10

7

Shots on target

1

Shots off target

6

2

Blocked shots

4

5

Corners

2

16

Fouls

12

Udinese

Fiorentina

Starting lineups

40

Maduka Okoye

Goalkeeper

27

Christian Kabasele

Defender

33

Jordan Zemura

Defender

73'

19

Kingsley Ehizibue

Defender

13

Nicolò Bertola

Defender

73'

31

Thomas Kristensen

Defender

24

Jakub Piotrowski

Midfielder

73'

8

Jesper Karlström

Midfielder

32

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp

Midfielder

10

Nicolò Zaniolo

Midfielder

87'

9

Keinan Davis

Attacker

68'

43

David de Gea

Goalkeeper

3

Daniele Rugani

Defender

65

Fabiano Parisi

Defender

6

Luca Ranieri

Defender

5

Marin Pongracic

Defender

46'

4

Marco Brescianini

Midfielder

46'

44

Nicolò Fagioli

Midfielder

87'

8

Rolando Mandragora

Midfielder

71'

10

Albert Gudmundsson

Attacker

17

Jack Harrison

Attacker

20

Moise Kean

Attacker

71'

Substitutes

93

Daniele Padelli

Goalkeeper

90

Răzvan Sava

Goalkeeper

1

Alessandro Nunziante

Goalkeeper

15

Vakoun Bayo

Attacker

29

Abdoulaye Camara

Midfielder

7

Idrissa Gueye

Attacker

20

Juan Arizala

Defender

18

Adam Buksa

Attacker

68'

11

Hassane Kamara

Defender

73'

6

Oier Zarraga

Midfielder

73'

22

Branimir Mlacic

Defender

73'

38

Lennon Miller

Midfielder

87'

21

Robin Gosens

Midfielder

53

Oliver Christensen

Goalkeeper

29

Niccolò Fortini

Midfielder

60

Eddy Kouadio

Defender

50

Pietro Leonardelli

Goalkeeper

62

Luis Balbo

Defender

27

Cher Ndour

Midfielder

46'

15

Pietro Comuzzo

Defender

46'

91

Roberto Piccoli

Attacker

71'

80

Giovanni Fabbian

Midfielder

71'

22

Jacopo Fazzini

Midfielder

87'

Vincenzo Italiano denies reports Jens Odgaard had been ‘forgotten’ at Bologna after a sensational strike to give them a fifth consecutive victory against Pisa.

The Rossoblu had been in disastrous form to begin 2026, but seem to have really turned a corner of late, as this 1-0 result at the Cetilar Arena this evening was their fifth win on the bounce in all competition.

“Our first half was excellent, and Santiago Castro had two big chances where we could’ve scored,” said Italiano in his press conference.

“After the break, there was some inevitable fatigue, but we also know that everyone has been made to suffer for results here. We’ve got a long way to go, but we hold on to this win, the third in a row in Serie A, and want to continue along this path.”

Bologna were in action on Thursday in the Europa League play-off, where they eliminated SK Brann to set up a Round of 16 showdown with fellow Italians Roma.

Bologna finding their form at last

“With such an intense fixture list, we need everyone in the squad to give their contribution,” continued Italiano.

“Riccardo Orsolini had a good impact off the bench, I liked his attitude. Federico Bernardeschi and Niccolò Cambiaghi both know they can be more effective, but it went alright today.”

There had been reports in recent months that Odgaard was no longer first choice for Italiano, putting his future at Bologna in doubt, but the coach shrugs off these suggestions.

“Odgaard proved once again how decisive he can be in that position. He knows that when he is called upon, he has to give his contribution. I certainly haven’t forgotten about him, we just needed to rest him a little.

“We’re going to have to do the same with Castro soon, I am worried with the amount he is playing, he might get hurt.”

Bologna were forced into two changes today, the first when Martin Vitik was left dazed after charging down a powerful shot with his face.

“Vitik and Joao Mario both had bruises to their knees,” insisted Italiano.

Milan could be forced to appeal to FIFA after Corinthians reportedly tried to block the €17m purchase of 19-year-old midfielder André.

The story emerged in ESPN Brasil over the weekend, suggesting the clubs were very close to a full agreement for July 1.

It would be worth at least €12m plus bonuses, although most reports have the figures at closer to €15m plus €2m in add-ons.

Andre eager for Milan move

However, Brazilian sources continue to warn that Corinthians President Osmar Stabile is stalling and does not seem prepared to sign off on the deal.

Coach Dorival Junior is also publicly against the move, feeling that the price is too low for this talent.

If this drags on, then La Gazzetta dello Sport warn Milan and the player, full name André Luiz Santos Dias, could be forced to appeal to FIFA for a way through.

They maintain the paperwork has already been drawn up by Corinthians lawyers, so if it is to be abandoned, they want some form of compensation.

Dusan Vlahovic met with Juventus directors today and there are multiple reports both sides opened the door to agreeing a new contract.

The striker is only tied to the Turin club until June 30 and can already begin negotiations with other teams in Italy and abroad, where he could go as a free agent from July.

Vlahovic and Juventus want to continue together

However, the Serbian already resisted the attempts to sell him last summer, as he remains determined to stay on with the Bianconeri.

His future was put on the backburner following a serious injury and he is on his way back, also having a crucial meeting today with the Juve hierarchy.

According to multiple sources including Sky Sport Italia, Sportitalia and La Gazzetta dello Sport, it was a very positive encounter, with both Vlahovic and Juventus expressing their desire to get a new contract agreed.

It would require a significant pay cut from the deal that he had before, which was worth around €12m per season, but this was still progress.

Vlahovic, 26, has scored six goals and provided two assists in 17 appearances across all competitions this season.

A moment of magic from Jens Odgaard gave Bologna all three points, but Pisa were frustrated by Lukasz Skorupski and a goal-line clearance.

The arrival of new Pisa coach Oscar Hiljemark has not steadied the ship with a draw and two defeats, even if they were at least tight results. Daniel Denoon and Simone Scuffet were still out of action. The Rossoblu seemingly ended their crisis run, celebrating back-to-back Serie A victories and setting up a Europa League Round of 16 clash with Roma. Juan Miranda, Charalampos Lykogiannis and Torbjorn Heggem missed the trip.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Martin Vitik charged down a powerful Marius Marin screamer with his face in the opening minutes, and although he tried to continue, it left him dazed and was eventually substituted after 21 minutes.

Mehdi Leris just failed to get on the end of a Stefano Moreo cross at the back post, but Santiago Castro should’ve done better when blasting over after shrugging off Antonio Caracciolo to go clear on goal.

Castro had another massive opportunity when sent through by an inspired Nikola Moro slide-rule pass, but his angled drive beat Nicolas only to bounce off the inside of the far post.

After the restart, Lukasz Skorupski had to make two big saves in quick succession. First he was at full stretch to palm a dangerous cross away as Leris was sliding in unmarked at the back post to tap in, then on the resulting corner he pushed a Moreo free header out from under the bar.

Castro saw his strike deflected onto the side-netting by Francesco Coppola, but Skorupski needed another extraordinary save, getting down to push the Gabriele Piccinini angled drive inches wide of the far post after a well-worked team move.

When Skorupski was finally beaten by a looping Filip Stojilkovic header, he was rescued by the Nadir Zortea goal-line clearance.

Instead, the deadlock was broken by a moment of magic in the final minute of normal time. Jens Odgaard gathered with his back to goal outside the area and turned to smash an unstoppable strike into the near top corner.

Pisa 0-1 Bologna

Odgaard 90 (B)

02-03-2026 17:30

MatchDay 27

Arena Garibaldi – Stadio Romeo Anconetani

Pisa

Bologna

0 - 1

Player statistic

2nd half

		53'		Remo Freuler
		82'		Jhon Lucumí
		90'		Jens Odgaard (Assist: Remo Freuler)

Match statistic

40

Possession %

60

6

Total shots

8

3

Shots on target

1

0

Shots off target

5

3

Blocked shots

2

7

Corners

4

5

Offsides

2

15

Fouls

11

Pisa

Bologna

Starting lineups

12

Nicolas

Goalkeeper

4

Antonio Caracciolo

Defender

90'

33

Arturo Calabresi

Defender

70'

26

Francesco Coppola

Defender

3

Samuele Angori

Defender

63'

8

Malthe Höjholt

Midfielder

70'

6

Marius Marin

Midfielder

20

Michel Aebischer

Midfielder

7

Mehdi Léris

Attacker

17

Rafiu Durosinmi

Attacker

64'

32

Stefano Moreo

Attacker

1

Lukasz Skorupski

Goalkeeper

26

Jhon Lucumí

Defender

17

João Mário

Defender

74'

41

Martin Vitik

Defender

21'

20

Nadir Zortea

Defender

6

Nikola Moro

Midfielder

8

Remo Freuler

Midfielder

23

Simon Sohm

Midfielder

64'

10

Federico Bernardeschi

Attacker

64'

28

Nicolò Cambiaghi

Attacker

74'

9

Santiago Castro

Attacker

Substitutes

1

Adrian Šemper

Goalkeeper

10

Matteo Tramoni

Midfielder

15

Idrissa Touré

Midfielder

39

Raúl Albiol

Defender

23

Calvin Stengs

Attacker

14

Ebenezer Akinsanmiro

Midfielder

9

Henrik Meister

Attacker

35

Felipe Loyola

Defender

2

Rosen Bozhinov

Defender

31

Matteo Luppichini

Goalkeeper

11

Juan Cuadrado

Midfielder

63'

81

Filip Stojilkovic

Attacker

64'

5

Simone Canestrelli

Defender

70'

36

Gabriele Piccinini

Attacker

70'

19

Samuel Iling-Junior

Attacker

90'

4

Tommaso Pobega

Midfielder

13

Federico Ravaglia

Goalkeeper

19

Lewis Ferguson

Midfielder

24

Thijs Dallinga

Attacker

30

Benja Domínguez

Attacker

25

Massimo Pessina

Goalkeeper

5

Eivind Helland

Defender

16

Nicolò Casale

Defender

21'

7

Riccardo Orsolini

Attacker

64'

21

Jens Odgaard

Attacker

64'

29

Lorenzo De Silvestri

Defender

74'

11

Jonathan Rowe

Midfielder

74'

Cesc Fabregas calls on Como fans to make their stadium ‘a little Bombonera’ for tomorrow’s historic Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter.

It kicks off at the Stadio Sinigaglia on Tuesday at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

The semi-final is the only stage of the competition that is played over two legs, and the second will be at San Siro in April.

This is an historic moment for the club, who eliminated Napoli, Fiorentina and Sassuolo on their way to their first semi-final in 40 years.

Fabregas expects amazing Como atmosphere

“It is a big moment of the season, but we must give this game the importance that it deserves,” Fabregas told Como TV.

The Spaniard took inspiration from Boca Juniors and their iconic stadium in Buenos Aires.

“The stadium has to be like a little Bombonera tomorrow. We hope to have a good game. We’ve got to take it one game at a time, as this is a long season for us, and we’ll see how many we manage to win from here to the end.”

Inter are the favourites, sitting 10 points clear at the top of the Serie A table, but were eliminated from the Champions League in back-to-back defeats with Bodo/Glimt.

“Inter are the strongest team in the league, they have been for years really, and have great players,” continued Fabregas.

“We will try to put in a great performance, knowing their strengths, and their few weaknesses. We’ll try to hurt them.”

When these teams met in Serie A, Como suffered a 4-0 defeat at San Siro, the sixth consecutive loss against them in all competition.

After links with Juventus, now Inter are also reportedly considering a swoop for Liverpool and Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

It is no secret that the Nerazzurri are seeking a new goalkeeper, as Yann Sommer is 37 years old and his contract only runs to June 30.

Inter see Alisson Becker return to Serie A

The first choice would be current Tottenham shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicario, but there is another intriguing option from the Premier League.

According to the Repubblica newspaper, Inter are also looking at Alisson’s situation, considering he speaks fluent Italian and has a history in Serie A with Roma.

The 33-year-old joined Liverpool in 2018 for a massive fee of €72.5m, just two years after Roma had paid €8m to buy him from Internacional.

His current contract at Anfield only runs to June 2027, so a return to Serie A is entirely possible this summer.

Juventus were already mentioned for the Brazil international, though Inter can fit the bill too.

Alisson would be considerably cheaper than Vicario, whose asking price at Spurs is in the region of €25m.

Como will face Inter in the Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday, so Cesc Fabregas is trying to gain inspiration from their Champions League victors Bodo/Glimt.

The first leg of the semi-final kicks off at the Stadio Sinigaglia on Tuesday at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

Inter are the hot favourites, as they sit 10 points clear at the top of the Serie A table, winning 13 of their last 14 games in the league.

Fabregas wants Como to follow Bodo/Glimt model

However, the Nerazzurri were beaten home and away by Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League play-offs, for a final 5-2 aggregate result, with an approach that impressed Como boss Fabregas.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, it prompted the coach to study the Norwegians carefully, including inviting their staff to lunch last week.

Fabregas wanted to meet with their nutritionists and fitness staff, picking their brains on the details of how they get their players in shape.

Both Como and Bodo/Glimt already use an app to help their players log everything they eat during their time off, helping the staff to keep up with nutrition.

Over the last few days, it is reported Fabregas also asked Como to install a big screen at their training ground, so he can show the players their movements in real time using a drone hovering over the pitch.

It is not an entirely new idea, as it was already adopted by Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain, who also crushed Inter 5-0 in the Champions League Final last season.

Following more decisive goals and playing in various different positions, Weston McKennie has signed a new contract with Juventus to June 2030, practically doubling his salary.

Multiple sources are confident his salary will be boosted from the current €2.5m per season net to €4m plus performance-related bonuses.

His previous contract was set to expire on June 30, but McKennie never considered any other options, eager to pen a new deal to 2030.

McKennie built a career at Juventus

The USMNT star came to Turin from Schalke 04 in 2020 and seemed to be on the verge of an exit numerous times during his Bianconeri career.

That included an unsuccessful loan spell at Leeds United, but he always managed to convince the club and coach to give him another chance.

His versatility has been the key to that, as this season alone McKennie has played as a midfielder, a left-back, a support striker, and a False 9.

He scored eight goals and seven assists this term under Igor Tudor and then Luciano Spalletti, one of the most consistent Juventus players in a difficult campaign.

Weston has a message for you pic.twitter.com/zGVaPBA8ZM

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) March 2, 2026

There is reassuring news for Milan, as Davide Bartesaghi’s injury is less serious than previously thought, while Santiago Gimenez is also back for the derby with Inter.

The Rossoneri are the only team keeping up the pace with runaway Serie A leaders Inter, and the two rivals go head-to-head this Sunday in the Derby della Madonnina.

It is possible that Max Allegri will be able to prepare for it with a full squad at his disposal, because the treatment room is emptying out.

Milan injury news is reassuring

Bartesaghi limped off clutching the back of his right thigh during the final minutes of Milan’s win away to Cremonese, an injury he sustained while winning the decisive corner.

According to multiple sources including Sky Sport Italia, today’s tests showed there is no lesion to the flexor in the right thigh.

That means Bartesaghi should be back in full training towards the end of the week, so could in theory even start against Inter on Sunday night.

More positive news also came from Gimenez, the striker who has been out of action since the end of October with an ankle injury that eventually required surgery.

The recovery process has been slower than expected, but a check-up today with his surgeon confirmed the Mexico international has fully healed, and can resume training with the rest of the squad.

Federico Gatti and Mattia Perin are proud of another Juventus fightback, holding Roma to a 3-3 draw. ‘Nobody can say we lack character.’

It was clear this result could decide the Champions League qualification, so with this much at stake, it was full of quality and drama.

The Giallorossi had taken a 3-1 lead with Wesley’s curler, Evan Ndicka and the Donyell Malen lob, after a temporary Francisco Conceicao volley.

However, two very similar goals with flick-ons to the back post saw Jeremie Boga and Gatti get Juventus back on level terms in a 3-3 thriller.

Juventus don’t know when they are beaten

“I was worried that I would be offside, but it really was a very important goal and it keeps us hanging in there,” Gatti told DAZN Italia.

“There are 11 games to go and we are still in the race. A defeat here would’ve seen Roma go seven points clear, and it really would’ve been difficult then.

“It’s not just Roma, though, because Atalanta and Como are in the running too. We’ve got to improve a few things, but we’ve got our character to build on.”

Roma now slip down to fourth place and Juventus to sixth, as they are leapfrogged by Como in fifth, but the fight for the top four looks as if it will go down to the wire.

It is remarkably the second fightback in a few days for the Old Lady, who wiped out a 5-2 first leg deficit to Galatasaray in the Champions League play-off, despite being down to 10 men.

They won 3-2 on the night in extra time, eventually exiting the competition.

“We are certainly proving that we’ve got heart, soul and character,” added goalkeeper Perin.

“If we manage to convert more of our chances when we’re on top, then we wouldn’t need all these comebacks. People can criticise anything about us, but nobody can say we lack character.”

Luciano Spalletti has reasons to be happy and unhappy with the 3-3 draw at Roma, but above all Juventus believe in Champions League qualification. ‘I live for fourth place.’

The Bianconeri proved on Wednesday they refuse to give in, cancelling out the 5-2 first leg deficit to force Galatasaray to extra time in the Champions League play-off, despite being down to 10 men.

They showed immense character tonight too, as they were 3-1 down until the 78^th minute, when Jeremie Boga and Federico Gatti completed the comeback for a 3-3 thriller at the Stadio Olimpico.

Spalletti sees good and bad for Juventus

“If we are talking about the reaction, then yes I am happy, but if we look at the first season, then I am not very happy,” Spalletti told DAZN Italia.

“We have to make an objective evaluation here. We go out of the Champions League in that manner after playing 120 minutes and getting a situation back on track that had become a mountain to climb.

“However, we were also too sluggish on the second and third goals. The players believed, they fought back, but we put ourselves in that situation too.”

It is worth noting that the two comeback goals were both scored by substitutes, and the free kick at the end was put in by another sub in Edon Zhegrova.

Did Spalletti believe he could turn this around with his changes off the bench?

“When you are 66 years old like me, you too will realise that you always believe, and that is what you must pass on to the players,” replied the coach.

“There are these flurries of enthusiasm created by moments of quality. Boga has intuition and can create situations out of nothing, so do Kenan Yildiz and Zhegrova. We must always have faith, in sport and in life.”

Although their recent results have been poor, the attitude and determination shown by Juventus inevitably must boost their confidence.

“In the last five games, we were down to 10 men in three of them, and that tires you out even more,” added Spalletti.

“You can try to find the right words to fuel their belief, but at this moment the fans helped too, and when they are behind us, the shirt weighs a little less on their shoulders.”

Defeat here would’ve been disastrous for their ambitions of a top four spot, as although it sees them slide back to sixth place, they are still within four points of Roma in fourth.

The battle for the Champions League qualification looks as if it will go down to the wire this season yet again.

“Of course I believe in this, I live for fourth place,” smiled Spalletti.

“Give it form and I live for that position. We had a moment where too much weighed on us, and we were not too fortunate either, but this team has grown a great deal in many different aspects.

“I believe we will have a splendid final portion of the season.”

Gian Piero Gasperini reveals his bitter regret after Roma fumbled a 3-1 lead to draw 3-3 with Juventus. ‘Our season is full of these situations in the final minutes.’

The Giallorossi have struggled to win the ‘big’ games in Serie A this season, but thought that curse had been broken when leading 3-1 through Wesley, Evan Ndicka and Donyell Malen.

However, they conceded twice in the final 12 minutes plus stoppages, both from crosses knocked on to the back post, as Jeremie Boga and Federico Gatti allowed Juventus to snatch a point.

Gasperini sees where it went wrong for Roma

“The first goal was on a free kick too, we were too passive again,” Gasperini smiled bitterly on DAZN Italia.

“We were in the right positions, but our season is full of these situations in the final minutes, where teams like Juve, Milan, Inter and Napoli manage to get games back on track in the final minutes or even stoppages.

“They throw players forward who are good in the air and on set plays, they picked up a lot of points in these situations. They deserve congratulations for that, but we also could’ve done better, as our defending was too static, when we should’ve been aggressive.”

Yet again, Roma play very well against the top teams, but never quite manage to get a result over the line, despite scoring three goals this time.

“Defending a little deeper is not a bad thing when you have a player like Malen, as that is how he scored the third goal. We should’ve been more physical, so taking Cristante off robbed us of our best player in the air.

“The two goals were very similar, long balls pumped into the box and flicked on to the back post, where we were too passive. That is what we must reproach ourselves for, but not seeking anything else.”

The free kick given away by Neil El Aynaoui on Pierre Kalulu for the equaliser was also avoidable, as Roma have conceded nine of their 19 goals from dead-ball situations this season.

“That’s true, but don’t forget we scored on a corner too. The problem is that a set play was the only way Juve were going to be dangerous, as even when we defended a little deeper, they rarely created chances.”

This result means Roma slide back down to fourth place, now two points behind Napoli, and Como climb into fifth with only a three-point gap from the Giallorossi.

With Inter so far out in front, the fight for those Champions League qualifying spots looks as if it will go down to the wire.

“Obviously, a win here would’ve put us seven points clear of Juventus and represented a big step forward, but we are still up there,” added Gasperini.

“We are in the race, we put in an extraordinary performance, and this result should not knock us down.”

Francisco Conceicao feels ‘if any team deserved to win, then it was’ Juventus after their last-gasp 3-3 equaliser against Roma. ‘I need to score more goals to reach the next level.’

It was a dramatic evening at the Stadio Olimpico, as the Giallorossi had surged into a 3-1 lead with spectacular goals from Wesley, Evan Ndicka and Donyell Malen.

However, after the Francisco Conceicao volley into the top corner, Juve completed the comeback in stoppages with substitutes Jeremie Boga and Federico Gatti for the 3-3 thriller.

Conceicao hit the goal of the game

“It was a good goal, but I am much happier with what we did after going 3-1 down, as it was much more difficult then. The team worked really hard, and I feel if any team deserved to win it, then it was us, as we had some really clear chances,” Conceicao told DAZN Italia.

It was only the Portuguese talent’s fourth goal of the season in 32 competitive games, and he hadn’t found the net since the last meeting with Roma in December.

WHAT A STRIKE FRANCISCO CONCEIÇÃO

Juventus are back in the game, and it's a screamer from the Portuguese winger

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/9lad6dTQWZ

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 1, 2026

“My brothers sent me the video of the goal as soon as I got into the changing room, they said well done,” revealed Conceicao.

“I like to take risks, I give it a go, as I had some opportunities to score goals before this that I didn’t take, but fortunately today the goal helped the team. That is the most important thing.

“In order to reach the next level, I certainly need to score more goals. I am the first to acknowledge that, I am working hard on it in training, I know that playing for Juve, you need to be more effective in front of goal. I am the first to be upset when I don’t score.”

Luciano Spalletti has also been working with Conceicao on how he can influence the game even when the ball isn’t at his feet.

“I have to be the first defender, start the press, go into challenges. Spalletti asks me to play for the team, tells me my quality will emerge eventually if I do that.”

This result means Roma slip down to fourth place and Juventus to sixth, leapfrogged by Como, but the fight for Champions League qualification has tightened up yet again.

There are now only eight points separating five teams from third to seventh, as Napoli, Roma, Como, Juventus and Atalanta are in the thick of battle.

Roma had been in control at 3-1 with spectacular Wesley and Donyell Malen goals, only to let Juventus catch them at 3-3 in stoppages for a thrilling comeback.

This was a pure showdown for the top four, as the Giallorossi welcomed back Paulo Dybala and Stephan El Shaarawy, but were still missing Matias Soulé, Mario Hermoso, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson. Juve were in crisis after one draw in five competitive games, then on Wednesday beat Galatasaray 3-2 in extra time, only to be eliminated from the Champions League 7-5 on aggregate. Manuel Locatelli sat out a ban, with Dusan Vlahovic, Emil Holm and Arek Milik out, but Pierre Kalulu and Bremer returned.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

There was a double chance in the third minute, as Niccolò Pisilli intercepted a wayward pass out from the back and forced a tricky Mattia Perin save, then Lorenzo Pellegrini fired the rebound over.

Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao fired over from promising positions, but Perin showed brave goalkeeping when parrying a Donyell Malen effort from point-blank range with his face on the Gianluca Mancini knock-down.

Bryan Cristante charged down a Conceicao curler after good work from Yildiz, while Weston McKennie’s glancing header was inches wide of the far post on a Kalulu cross.

Roma took the lead when Pisilli won a tackle in midfield and threaded through for Wesley, who cut inside to bend a fantastic right-foot finish into the far top corner from the edge of the area, as Perin could only graze his fingertips to it.

What a strike from Wesley Franca He cuts inside and curls beautifully into the far corner to give Roma the lead over Juventus!

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/m5q2jbcf2T

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 1, 2026

David fired over from the edge of the area, but within moments of the restart it was 1-1 with another sensational strike. A Teun Koopmeiners free kick was cleared to the edge of the box, where Bremer laid it off for Francisco Conceicao’s ferocious left-foot half-volley into the far top corner.

WHAT A STRIKE FRANCISCO CONCEIÇÃO

Juventus are back in the game, and it's a screamer from the Portuguese winger

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/9lad6dTQWZ

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 1, 2026

Yildiz drilled wide, but Roma restored their advantage when a Lorenzo Pellegrini corner was taken short, the captain’s cross went over Mancini, but found Evan Ndicka to volley in from six yards. It was the second Serie A game in a row on target for the defender.

The Giallorossi added another when Malen sprung the offside trap on the Manu Kone through ball and dinked the finish over the on-rushing Perin with the outside of the right boot.

Donyell Malen is on fire

Another Serie A goal for the on-loan Aston Villa forward gives Roma a 3-1 lead over Juventus!

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/S2HOtseICn

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 1, 2026

Svilar was right behind a deflected Koopmeiners strike, but it still wasn’t over, as the Edon Zhegrova cross from the right was flicked on for Jeremie Boga to volley at the back post.

Boga’s cross was deflected just over by Ndicka, but Juventus completed the epic comeback from 3-1 down to 3-3 in stoppages. McKennie nodded on the free kick, which grazed Ndicka’s arm, landing kindly for substitute Federico Gatti to fire in from close range.

Roma 3-3 Juventus

Wesley 39 (R), Conceicao 47 (J), Ndicka 53 (R), Malen 65 (R), Boga 78 (J), Gatti 93 (J)

01-03-2026 19:45

MatchDay 27

Stadio Olimpico

Roma

Juventus

3 - 3

Player statistic

1st half

Wesley		27'
Wesley (Assist: Niccolò Pisilli)		39'

2nd half

		47'		Francisco Conceição (Assist: Bremer)
Evan Ndicka (Assist: Lorenzo Pellegrini)		54'
Donyell Malen (Assist: Manu Koné)		65'
		78'		Jeremie Boga
		90+3'		Federico Gatti

Match statistic

46

Possession %

54

11

Total shots

13

5

Shots on target

5

4

Shots off target

6

2

Blocked shots

2

4

Corners

1

2

Offsides

7

Fouls

12

Roma

Juventus

Starting lineups

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

74'

5

Evan Ndicka

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

43

Wesley

Defender

19

Zeki Celik

Defender

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

74'

7

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Midfielder

90'

17

Manu Koné

Midfielder

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

14

Donyell Malen

Attacker

1

Mattia Perin

Goalkeeper

27

Andrea Cambiaso

Defender

89'

3

Bremer

Defender

88'

6

Lloyd Kelly

Defender

15

Pierre Kalulu

Defender

19

Khéphren Thuram

Midfielder

72'

8

Teun Koopmeiners

Midfielder

22

Weston McKennie

Midfielder

7

Francisco Conceição

Attacker

72'

30

Jonathan David

Attacker

62'

10

Kenan Yıldız

Attacker

Substitutes

92

Stephan El Shaarawy

Attacker

21

Paulo Dybala

Attacker

3

Angeliño

Defender

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

70

Giorgio De Marzi

Goalkeeper

20

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

91

Radoslaw Zelezny

Goalkeeper

68

Antonio Arena

Attacker

78

Robinio Vaz

Attacker

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

74'

8

Neil El Aynaoui

Midfielder

74'

97

Bryan Zaragoza

Attacker

90'

23

Carlo Pinsoglio

Goalkeeper

16

Michele Di Gregorio

Goalkeeper

18

Filip Kostic

Midfielder

32

Juan Cabal

Defender

17

Vasilije Adžić

Midfielder

13

Jeremie Boga

Attacker

62'

21

Fabio Miretti

Midfielder

72'

11

Edon Zhegrova

Attacker

72'

4

Federico Gatti

Defender

88'

20

Loïs Openda

Attacker

89'

Watch as Francisco Conceicao hits a scorching finish on the volley into the far top corner, allowing Juventus to cancel out Roma’s opener.

You can follow all the action as it happens from tonight’s big Serie A match on the Liveblog.

#RomaJuve 1-1 pic.twitter.com/uM45G9usFx

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) March 1, 2026

This is a showdown for a top four slot and the importance of the fixture has been reflected in the sheer quality of the goals.

Wesley had already curled a sensational effort into the far top corner to give Roma the lead, but Francisco Conceicao responded with sheer power from a similar position after the restart.

Conceicao turns on the style for Juventus

WHAT A STRIKE FRANCISCO CONCEIÇÃO

Juventus are back in the game, and it's a screamer from the Portuguese winger

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/9lad6dTQWZ

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 1, 2026

A Teun Koopmeiners free kick was cleared to the edge of the box, where Gleison Bremer laid it off for the Portuguese winger, who let it bounce and smashed the strike with his left foot.

The 23-year-old is not known for his prowess in finding the net, as this was only his fourth goal of the season in 32 competitive matches.

Bizarrely, the last goal was also against Roma, during a 2-1 win in Turin on December 20.

CHICO CONCEIÇÃO. THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS

With the sweetest strike, Juventus are level pic.twitter.com/vfk90qUwSg

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 1, 2026

Juventus director Giorgio Chiellini warns it will be ‘a fight to the last minute to see who gets into the Champions League’ as they face Roma, but Luciano Spalletti’s future is guaranteed.

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 were mixed feelings after Wednesday’s Champions League exit to Galatasaray, as although they ultimately capitulated in extra time 7-5 on aggregate, they had managed to wipe out the 5-2 first leg deficit when down to 10 men.

Chiellini has faith in Juventus

“Roma are a strong team with a great coach, so of course we expected them to challenge for fourth place to the end,” Chiellini told DAZN Italia.

“This is an important game, we need to recover some points we dropped recently, but it will be a fight to the last minute of the last game to see who gets into the Champions League.”

The fact remains, Juventus are now out of the Champions League and the Coppa Italia, while this is a head-to-head for their hope of climbing back into the top four of Serie A.

Before the ‘win’ over Galatasaray, the Bianconeri had lost four and drawn one in all competition.

“It won’t be over tomorrow regardless, but clearly it is an important fixture. Apart from the setback with Como, the only game in the last three months that was a really bad performance, the team has looked solid and with more belief in its abilities.

“I don’t know if we will win, but I do expect to see a mature and confident performance, which we saw on Wednesday.”

Inevitably, Chiellini was again asked if there are any plans to sign coach Spalletti to a long-term contract, seeing as his Juventus deal only runs to June 30.

“Unfortunately in a way we’ll have a lot more time during the week from now on to sit down with Luciano and talk, but for I don’t see anyone else on the Juventus bench for next season. Let’s just do everything at the right time, there’s no rush,” assured Chiellini.

Manuel Locatelli is suspended tonight, with Dusan Vlahovic, Emil Holm and Arek Milik out, but Pierre Kalulu and Gleison Bremer return.

There are a few question marks over what system Juve are using, as so much depends on the versatility of Weston McKennie.

Mattia Perin is also confirmed in goal after recent Michele Di Gregorio howlers.

Roma director Ricky Massara assures they will ‘not be lacking an aggressive, attacking approach’ to Juventus, even if there are some tactical tweaks this evening.

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.

Paulo Dybala has recovered for a spot on the bench against his old club, but Matias Soulé, Mario Hermoso, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson are still out of action.

Somewhat surprisingly, Zeki Celik drops into the back three and Niccolò Pisilli seems to be in a more advanced role, bringing in Devyne Rensch on the right.

Roma reshuffle the pack for Juventus clash

“The coach prepared the game this way, but I don’t think the attitude of the team will change. It has a very aggressive, attacking approach in every match, and those elements certainly won’t be lacking this evening,” Massara told DAZN Italia.

Roma have struggled in the big games so far under Gian Piero Gasperini, tending to drop precious points against the stronger opponents.

This is a showdown for the Champions League places, as the Giallorossi are only four points clear of Juve going into this match.

“It’s true that we never lacked performances, even when the results weren’t the maximum, but we have always had very positive games. It’s a wonderful atmosphere this evening and we’re very pleased,” assured Massara.

Bryan Cristante and Gianluca Mancini’s agents are in the stands, while there are also contract talks for Dybala, Celik and Stephan El Shaarawy extensions.

“We are in contact with all the agents of the players, but there are no particular developments right now. We are concentrated on the final weeks of the season, aware we can count on great professionals who have always shown commitment to the club.

“Cristante and Mancini’s contracts expire in 2027, so we are talking, and we’ll inform you when there is news.”

Roberto D’Aversa made the ideal debut on the Torino bench, securing a 2-0 victory over troubled Lazio with Giovanni Simeone and Duvan Zapata goals.

The Granata sacked ex-Lazio boss Marco Baroni this week after scraping one win and one draw in eight Serie A rounds. Emirhan Ilkhan was suspended after his red card against Genoa, with Che Adams not fully fit and Zanos Savva injured. The Aquile had one win in six rounds, but were preparing for Wednesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final against Atalanta. Daniel Maldini, Pedro, Elseid Hysaj, Toma Basic, Nicolò Rovella, Samuel Gigot and Mario Gila missed the trip.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Despite the dismissal of Baroni, Toro fans continued their protest against President Urbano Cairo, so there were very few people in the stands.

The Granata opened the scoring when Duvan Zapata’s shot took a deflection off Alessio Romagnoli to loop up, turning into an accidental assist for Giovanni Simeone to pounce at the back post, flicking it past the on-rushing Ivan Provedel. Oliver Provstgaard tried a desperate goal-line clearance, but couldn’t do it in time. Cholito really does have a remarkable record against Lazio, as this was his 10^th goal past them.

Simeone nearly got a second moments later, Provedel getting down quickly to palm the daisy-cutter round the post.

The Biancocelesti replied when Mattia Zaccagni pulled back from the by-line for Reda Belahyane, whose finish from 14 yards surprised Alberto Paleari, but was cleared practically off the line by Saul Coco.

Lazio made two changes for the restart, but it was Torino who doubled their lead when Rafa Obrador stood up a cross from the left for Duvan Zapata to overpower Provstgaard with a header from six yards.

Tijjani Noslin tested Alberto Paleari from distance with a curler, while Valentino Lazaro’s volley was charged down by Pellegrini, and Torino failed to score from a corner when three players all had free headers from six yards, colliding with each other.

Nuno Tavares sprinted down the left and pulled back from the by-line for a Noslin tap-in, but Enzo Ebosse made a decisive block at the near post.

Paleari was called into a big save at the 87^th minute, flying to palm an Alessio Romagnoli header out from the bar from point-blank range on the corner.

Torino 2-0 Lazio

Simeone 21 (T), Zapata 53 (T)

01-03-2026 17:00

MatchDay 27

Olympic Grande Torino Stadium

Torino

Lazio

2 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Giovanni Simeone		21'
Gvidas Gineitis		45+1'

2nd half

Duván Zapata (Assist: Rafa Obrador)		53'
Nikola Vlasic		79'
Adrien Tameze		90+1'
Sandro Kulenovic		90+2'
		90+4'		Nuno Tavares

Match statistic

45

Possession %

55

13

Total shots

12

5

Shots on target

3

3

Shots off target

4

5

Blocked shots

5

6

Corners

9

Offsides

2

13

Fouls

5

Torino

Lazio

Starting lineups

1

Alberto Paleari

Goalkeeper

44

Ardian Ismajli

Defender

77

Enzo Ebosse

Defender

33

Rafa Obrador

Defender

72'

23

Saúl Coco

Defender

20

Valentino Lazaro

Defender

66

Gvidas Gineitis

Midfielder

68'

98

Matteo Prati

Midfielder

85'

10

Nikola Vlasic

Midfielder

91

Duván Zapata

Attacker

73'

18

Giovanni Simeone

Attacker

84'

94

Ivan Provedel

Goalkeeper

77

Adam Marusic

Defender

13

Alessio Romagnoli

Defender

3

Luca Pellegrini

Defender

65'

25

Oliver Provstgaard

Defender

32

Danilo Cataldi

Midfielder

24

Kenneth Taylor

Midfielder

21

Reda Belahyane

Midfielder

46'

22

Matteo Cancellieri

Attacker

65'

10

Mattia Zaccagni

Attacker

81'

20

Petar Ratkov

Attacker

46'

Substitutes

34

Cristiano Biraghi

Defender

81

Franco Israel

Goalkeeper

13

Guillermo Maripán

Defender

14

Tino Anjorin

Midfielder

19

Ché Adams

Attacker

16

Marcus Pedersen

Defender

35

Luca Marianucci

Defender

92

Alieu Njie

Attacker

99

Lapo Siviero

Goalkeeper

8

Ivan Ilić

Midfielder

68'

25

Niels Nkounkou

Defender

72'

22

Cesare Casadei

Midfielder

73'

17

Sandro Kulenovic

Attacker

84'

61

Adrien Tameze

Midfielder

85'

4

Patric

Defender

29

Manuel Lazzari

Defender

55

Alessio Furlanetto

Goalkeeper

Edoardo Motta

Goalkeeper

71

Valerio Farcomeni

Midfielder

99

Adrian Przyborek

Attacker

14

Tijjani Noslin

Attacker

46'

7

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru

Midfielder

46'

17

Nuno Tavares

Defender

65'

18

Gustav Isaksen

Attacker

65'

19

Boulaye Dia

Attacker

81'

Donyell Malen and Lorenzo Pellegrini lead the Roma attack in this showdown for the top four, as Juventus hope Jonathan David and Kenan Yildiz can end the crisis.

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.

This is a pure head-to-head for Champions League places, as Juve slipped down the standings and are four points behind the Giallorossi.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have been on fine form lately with seven points in the last three rounds, despite missing Paulo Dybala, Matias Soulé, Mario Hermoso, Artem Dovbyk, Evan Ferguson and Stephan El Shaarawy.

There is some good news from the treatment room, as ex-Juve hero Dybala is back on the bench along with El Shaarawy, but Soulé and Hermoso have not recovered.

January signings Malen and Zaragoza have made a strong impact, but Zaragoza is benched in favour of Niccolo’ Pisilli in a more advanced role with Lorenzo Pellegrini.

Zeki Celik also drops into the back three, so Devyne Rensch fills the gap on the wing.

Juventus have had a disastrous run of results, managing one draw in five competitive games before Wednesday’s epic Champions League play-off with Galatasaray.

It was a remarkable performance after Lloyd Kelly’s red card, wiping out the 5-2 first leg deficit only to capitulate in extra time, eliminated even though winning 3-2 on the night.

There are more problems to contend with, as Manuel Locatelli is suspended, though Pierre Kalulu returns from his ban and Gleison Bremer has shaken off a knock.

This leaves only Dusan Vlahovic, Emil Holm and Arek Milik still out injured.

Luciano Spalletti is not fondly remembered at the Stadio Olimpico due to his troubles with Roma legend Francesco Totti.

He uses Francisco Conceicao and Kenan Yildiz behind striker David in what might be a 3-4-2-1 formation, or a 4-2-3-1 depending on Weston McKennie’s role.

Andrea Cambiaso and Juan Cabal were suspended in the Champions League, but return here.

Roma vs. Juventus line-ups

Roma: Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka; Rensch, Cristante, Koné, Wesley; Pisilli, Pellegrini; Malen

Juventus: Perin; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly; Cambiaso, Thuram, Koopmeiners; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz; David

01-03-2026 19:45

MatchDay 27

Stadio Olimpico

Roma

Juventus

3 - 3

Player statistic

1st half

Wesley		27'
Wesley (Assist: Niccolò Pisilli)		39'

2nd half

		47'		Francisco Conceição (Assist: Bremer)
Evan Ndicka (Assist: Lorenzo Pellegrini)		54'
Donyell Malen (Assist: Manu Koné)		65'
		78'		Jeremie Boga
		90+3'		Federico Gatti

Match statistic

46

Possession %

54

11

Total shots

13

5

Shots on target

5

4

Shots off target

6

2

Blocked shots

2

4

Corners

1

2

Offsides

7

Fouls

12

Roma

Juventus

Starting lineups

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

74'

5

Evan Ndicka

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

43

Wesley

Defender

19

Zeki Celik

Defender

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

74'

7

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Midfielder

90'

17

Manu Koné

Midfielder

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

14

Donyell Malen

Attacker

1

Mattia Perin

Goalkeeper

27

Andrea Cambiaso

Defender

89'

3

Bremer

Defender

88'

6

Lloyd Kelly

Defender

15

Pierre Kalulu

Defender

19

Khéphren Thuram

Midfielder

72'

8

Teun Koopmeiners

Midfielder

22

Weston McKennie

Midfielder

7

Francisco Conceição

Attacker

72'

30

Jonathan David

Attacker

62'

10

Kenan Yıldız

Attacker

Substitutes

92

Stephan El Shaarawy

Attacker

21

Paulo Dybala

Attacker

3

Angeliño

Defender

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

70

Giorgio De Marzi

Goalkeeper

20

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

91

Radoslaw Zelezny

Goalkeeper

68

Antonio Arena

Attacker

78

Robinio Vaz

Attacker

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

74'

8

Neil El Aynaoui

Midfielder

74'

97

Bryan Zaragoza

Attacker

90'

23

Carlo Pinsoglio

Goalkeeper

16

Michele Di Gregorio

Goalkeeper

18

Filip Kostic

Midfielder

32

Juan Cabal

Defender

17

Vasilije Adžić

Midfielder

13

Jeremie Boga

Attacker

62'

21

Fabio Miretti

Midfielder

72'

11

Edon Zhegrova

Attacker

72'

4

Federico Gatti

Defender

88'

20

Loïs Openda

Attacker

89'

Lorenzo Insigne came full circle today, as after more than 5,000 days he started as Pescara captain and scored for their victory over Palermo in Serie B.

The 34-year-old former Italy, Napoli and Toronto FC star made his name on loan at Pescara in Serie B during the 2011-12 campaign.

Zdenek Zeman was the coach, and his teammates for the Delfini were Ciro Immobile and Marco Verratti, all of them going on to stellar careers.

Pescara homecoming for Insigne

The striker returned to Pescara as a free agent in January after his contract with Toronto FC expired and today had his first start for the club in nearly 14 years, wearing the captain’s armband.

It became an even more special occasion, because Insigne also scored in their 2-1 comeback victory over Palermo.

His last goal for the club had also been at the Stadio Adriatico in May 2012, a gap of 5,041 days.

Sombrero, tunnel e gol
Il ritorno da titolare di 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙖 è una gioia per gli occhi #Insigne #SerieBKT #DAZN pic.twitter.com/YIZscqJYRa

— DAZN Italia (@DAZN_IT) March 1, 2026

Despite this result, Pescara remain rock bottom of the Serie B table with four wins, nine draws and 14 defeats.

Insigne ©apitano del Pescara è la cosa più romantica che vedremo oggi #Insigne #SerieBKT #DAZN pic.twitter.com/F4T0l0ievL

— DAZN Italia (@DAZN_IT) March 1, 2026