Football Italia’s transfer expert Alfredo Pedullà examines referee controversies from Torino-Cremonese and Parma-Lazio and criticises the reported proposal to reschedule a big game from Round 30 by just 45 minutes.

Pedullà’s latest video for Football Italia on YouTube touches on several issues in Serie A, including referee controversies in Torino-Cremonese and Parma-Lazio.

Cremonese were not given a penalty kick despite a clear Simeone handball, a kind of incident that previously led to opposite decisions from the referee and VAR.

“They need to explain how this works, because it can’t go on like this,” Pedullà said.

“VAR unplagged itself and decided not to intervene; that’s not a penalty! So they need to guide us on all the other situations that, in the same circumstances, should not be penalties either.”

The Italian pundit also praised Cremonese coach Davide Nicola for the sportsmanship shown in post-match interviews.

Pedullà also criticised the latest proposal, which appeared in the Italian media, to potentially postpone a big game of Round 30 by just 45 minutes in order to give Gennaro Gattuso more rested players for the World Cup play-off in March.

DAN referee pundit Luca Marelli claims that Christian Pulisic’s goal for Milan against Sassuolo shouldn’t have been disallowed, but the Neroverdi deserved a penalty kick for a Strahinja Pavlović foul.

Milan’s 2-2 home draw against Sassuolo saw referee Valerio Crezzini in the spotlight as he navigated several tricky incidents, with his decisions coming under criticism from the Italian media.

USMNT international Pulisic had a goal disallowed in the second half, with Milan already leading 2-1.

Referee controversies in Milan vs. Sassuolo

The American put the ball inside an empty net after Arijanet Muric palmed away a Pavlovic header from point-blank range. The referee, however, had spotted a Ruben Loftus-Cheek push in the build-up right behind Pavlovic.

“It’s a field assessment because there was contact. Loftus-Cheek placed his hands, but I don’t see any push,” said DAZN’s referee pundit Luca Marelli (via Calciomercato.com).

“Crezzini barely blew the whistle. This contact is below threshold; there isn’t a real push. This goal shouldn’t have been disallowed.”

Marelli spotted another mistake from the Milan-Sassuolo referee, claiming that the visitors should have been awarded a penalty kick for a Pavlović foul in the dying minutes, with the result set to 2-2.

“Pavlovic didn’t touch the ball, but with his right leg, he hit Cheddira’s left leg. VAR were too hasty. It was a penalty, and VAR should have intervened,” Marelli said.

Milan remain the Serie A table leaders with 32 points, but they will be overtaken by Napoli if the Partenopei beat Udinese away today.

Davide Bartesaghi is Football Italia’s MOTM in Milan’s 2-2 draw against Sassuolo, but Andrea Pinamonti was impressive for the Neroverdi, providing two assists.

Milan 2-2 Sassuolo: Player Ratings

Milan: Maignan 6.5; Tomori 5, Gabbia 5 (60′ De Winter 5), Pavlovic 5.5; Saelemaekers 6.5 (90′ Athekame N/A), Loftus-Cheek 6.5, Modric 5.5, Rabiot 6, Bartesaghi 8 (90′ Estupinan N/A); Pulisic 5.5 (73′ Ricci 5.5), Nkunku 6. Coach: Allegri 5.5.

Best Milan player: Bartesaghi 8 – First two goals in Serie A. A day he’ll not forget, but it wasn’t enough to secure all three points.

Lowest Milan rating: Tomori 5 – Lost track of Laurienté when the Frenchman scored the equaliser, and even later on, when he could have scored the third one for Sassuolo. Gabbia and De Winter were also equally disappointing.

Milan coach: Allegri 5.5 – Milan once again dropped points against a newly promoted side at San Siro. The Rossoneri boss didn’t have many options in attack, which is why Pulisic’s substitution will make people talk in the coming days.

Sassuolo: Muric 6.5; Walukiewicz 5.5, Idzes 5.5, Muharemovic 6, Candé 5.5 (60′ Doig 6.5); Thorstvedt 6, Matic 6.5, Koné 7.5; Volpato 6 (86′ Moro N/A), Pinamonti 7.5 (86′ Cheddira), Fadera 5.5 (60′ Laurienté 7.5). Coach: Grosso (suspended) 7.

Best Sassuolo player: Pinamonti 7.5 – Two fantastic assists to inspire Sassuolo’s big draw at San Siro. He now has four goals and three assists in 15 Serie A matches this term. Still looking for consistency, but also underrated. Koné was also brilliant today, besides his goal.

Lowest Sassuolo rating: Fadera 5.5 – He helped the team defensively, but took a big risk in the first half when he lost possession just outside the box.

Sassuolo coach: Grosso 7 – Just one loss in the last five games. The game plan was excellent, including leaving Laurienté on the bench to hurt Milan in the second part of the match. Sassuolo have 21 points, practically safe already, and it’s not even Christmas. Oh, and don’t forget they were without Berardi today.

Massimiliano Allegri insists he would have replaced Christian Pulisic even if Milan didn’t play in the Supercoppa next week, but feels it was ‘too easy’ for Sassuolo to score goals in a 2-2 draw.

Milan were held to a 2-2 draw by newly promoted side Sassuolo at San Siro on Sunday.

The Rossoneri already dropped points against Cremonese and Pisa, two other teams coming from Serie B, earlier this season.

Davide Bartesaghi scored his first two goals in Serie A, but Ismael Koné and Armand Laurienté helped a brave Sassuolo return home with one point in their pocket.

“I think we played a good game, we attacked well, and Sassuolo are always dangerous because they have quality in attack, so if you don’t recover the ball immediately, you are forced to track back for 90 minutes,” Allegri told DAZN.

“We played a good game, but in the end, we even risked losing it. Now we focus on the Supercoppa.

“The lads played a good game, regardless of the players’ characteristics. For now, we are still the table leaders, and our target is to qualify for the Champions League,” the Italian tactician continued.

“We know there’s a lot of work to do, and obviously, we must start conceding fewer goals. I can’t absolutely blame the lads today.”

Milan will face Napoli in Saudi Arabia in the Supercoppa Italia semifinal next Thursday.

Allegri replaced Pulisic in the second half and said he would have done the same even if Milan didn’t play the Partenopei next week.

“I would have done it anyway. Christian had joined us in Turin after a fever and then trained. He played well for 72 minutes, but at that moment, we needed one more midfielder. Loftus-Cheek held firm up front, but we had to defend better, especially for the second goal. We had to follow Laurienté, and it was too easy for them to score.”

Christopher Nkunku provided the assist for Bartesaghi’s second goal.

Allegri explains Pulisic’s substitution

“Today he played a good game, as in Turin. He was decisive for the second goal; he had a chance in the final minutes,” argued Allegri.

“He was very good. We know the team’s quality, we know we can’t win every game, and we must give consistency to the results. Today, we could have lost the match, but we took home a draw. Today it seems that we’ve thrown two points away, but in the end, it will prove to be useful.”

Matteo Gabbia was subbed off with a suspected knee injury in the second half.

“Let’s see. Hopefully it’s nothing serious. We’ll see tomorrow, but De Winter and Odogu will be ready to play,” concluded Allegri.

Napoli director Giovanni Manna insists they must remain ‘positive’ during an injury crisis after Champions League setbacks, but demands ‘more determination’ from Lorenzo Lucca.

It kicks off at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine at 14.00 GMT.

See how all today’s five Serie A games unfold on the Liveblog.

The Partenopei are flying high in Serie A at the top of the table alongside AC Milan, but the lack of options for squad rotation are starting to take their toll.

They looked exhausted in the midweek Champions League defeat to Benfica, which left them scrambling just to secure a place in the play-offs.

Napoli running out of steam

“Quite simply, we are playing with the same figures repeatedly, because there are few alternatives, it becomes difficult to rotate,” Manna told DAZN Italia.

“We proved that we were superior over our opponents with a series of head-to-head wins, it can happen that you feel fatigued and if you are not at 100 per cent in the Champions League, you will struggle.

“There are many matches, we hope to get as many players back as possible. It is a tough game today, a very physical one, so we must be positive.”

The injury list just keeps growing, as Juan Jesus has joined Billy Gilmour, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne, Alex Meret and Romelu Lukaku on the treatment table.

At least Stanislav Lobotka and Miguel Gutierrez are back for a spot on the bench, while the only change to the starting XI is Leonardo Spinazzola.

Is there a reason why Napoli give their best in Serie A and yet are struggling so badly in the Champions League?

“If I analyse the Champions League games, the only one we got really badly wrong was in Eindhoven,” insisted Manna of that 6-1 loss.

“We were down to 10 men with Manchester City for over an hour, we deserved more against Eintracht, we beat Qarabag and Sporting. Our energy levels were depleted against Benfica, but we still created scoring opportunities.

“I remain very positive, I feel the work that the coach and players are doing is clear for all to see. Now we’ve got to keep focused and try to bring home the points.”

Despite the injury crisis, ex-Udinese striker Lorenzo Lucca can barely get on the pitch, as Rasmus Hojlund is the first choice centre-forward.

There have also been reports that Napoli could try to sign Udinese midfielder Arthur Atta, although he is out of action today.

“I am hardly the first to notice Atta’s talent and everyone knows he’s destined for a great career,” replied the Napoli director when pushed on this player.

“Aside from the transfer gossip, he is a player beyond our range right now. Udinese always had a great scouting network to find talented young players with big prospects.

“As for Lucca, he needs to speed up the process of settling in and show more determination on the field. We are convinced he has the right characteristics to play for Napoli, but he must understand this is a different club to Udinese, he needs to show determination every single day in training and on the pitch.”

Milan talent Davide Bartesaghi scored his first two goals in Serie A, but Sassuolo bravely picked up a point thanks to goals from Ismael Koné and Armand Laurienté in a 2-2 draw.

Milan were held to a 2-2 draw by Sassuolo at San Siro on Sunday.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog. 

The visitors were without their star Domenico Berardi, and Laurienté started on the bench in a defensive 4-3-3 set-up.

The Neroverdi still took the lead with Ismael Koné after winning the ball high up the pitch from a Milan defensive throw-in. Andrea Pinamonti laid it off for the Ivory Coast international who ran into the space to beat Matteo Gabbia with his first touch and Mike Maignan with the outside of his foot.

Adrien Rabiot had a big chance to level the score when he stole the ball from Alieu Fadera at the edge of Sassuolo’s box, but saw Arijanet Muric spread himself brilliantly to deny the equaliser.

It was just a matter of time for Milan anyway, as Bartesaghi scored his first Serie A goal at minute 33 when he headed towards the far post to meet a Ruben Loftus-Cheek driven pass from the right, finding the net at the far post with a left-footed finish.

The Italian left-back doubled Milan’s lead just one minute into the second half. This time around, Christopher Nkunku saw his late run on the left delivering a perfect through ball for Bartesaghi’s finish at the near post.

After scoring his first senior goal in the first half, 19-year-old Davide Bartesaghi gets a brace just a minute into the second half

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

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 14, 2025

Matteo Gabbia worringly twisted his knee and was forced to be subbed off around the hour mark.

Sassuolo’s Kristian Thorstvedt had a massive chance to level the score, but was denied by Maignan from point-blank range, and Milan had two goals disallowed.

Pulisic found the net from a corner kick routine, but the referee spotted a foul from Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the build-up. A few minutes later, Adrien Rabiot steered a Loftus-Cheek header into the net, but he was offside.

Sassuolo made attacking substitutions by introducing Armand Laurienté and Josh Doig, and forced the Rossoneri to defend inside their own box.

Laurienté made it 2-2 with an identical move to the first goal, Pinamonti laying it off and the scorer bursting in to finish at the far post.

The Frenchman had two more big chances to win the game for Sassuolo, but first, he didn’t find the net from an excellent position inside the box and then he hit the post from distance.

Milan 2-2 Sassuolo

I Kone 13 (S), Bartesaghi 34, 47 (M), Lauriente 77 (S)

14-12-2025 11:30

MatchDay 15

San Siro Stadium (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)

Milan

Sassuolo

2 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		13'		Ismaël Koné (Assist: Andrea Pinamonti)
Ruben Loftus-Cheek		23'
		23'		Alieu Fadera
Davide Bartesaghi (Assist: Ruben Loftus-Cheek)		34'

2nd half

Davide Bartesaghi (Assist: Christopher Nkunku)		47'
		59'		Tarik Muharemovic
		66'		Kristian Thorstvedt
		77'		Armand Lauriente (Assist: Andrea Pinamonti)

Match statistic

59

Possession %

41

13

Total shots

8

5

Shots on target

3

5

Shots off target

2

3

Blocked shots

3

7

Corners

3

2

Offsides

1

12

Fouls

12

Milan

Sassuolo

Starting lineups

16

Mike Maignan

Goalkeeper

33

Davide Bartesaghi

Defender

90'

23

Fikayo Tomori

Defender

46

Matteo Gabbia

Defender

60'

31

Strahinja Pavlovic

Defender

12

Adrien Rabiot

Midfielder

56

Alexis Saelemaekers

Midfielder

90'

14

Luka Modric

Midfielder

8

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Midfielder

11

Christian Pulisic

Attacker

73'

18

Christopher Nkunku

Attacker

49

Arijanet Muric

Goalkeeper

5

Fali Candé

Defender

60'

21

Jay Idzes

Defender

6

Sebastian Walukiewicz

Defender

80

Tarik Muharemovic

Defender

20

Alieu Fadera

Midfielder

59'

7

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

87'

90

Ismaël Koné

Midfielder

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

18

Nemanja Matic

Midfielder

99

Andrea Pinamonti

Attacker

87'

Substitutes

1

Pietro Terracciano

Goalkeeper

30

Ardon Jashari

Midfielder

37

Matteo Pittarella

Goalkeeper

27

David Odogu

Defender

5

Koni De Winter

Defender

60'

4

Samuele Ricci

Midfielder

73'

2

Pervis Estupiñán

Defender

90'

24

Zachary Athekame

Defender

90'

12

Giacomo Satalino

Goalkeeper

16

Gioele Zacchi

Goalkeeper

25

Woyo Coulibaly

Defender

44

Edoardo Iannoni

Midfielder

77

Nicholas Pierini

Attacker

26

Cas Odenthal

Defender

40

Aster Vranckx

Midfielder

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

59'

3

Josh Doig

Defender

60'

24

Luca Moro

Attacker

87'

9

Walid Cheddira

Attacker

87'

Gian Piero Gasperini confirms Roma will have Evan Ndicka and potentially Paulo Dybala starting against Como on Monday. ‘We have all the ingredients to do well.’

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday at 19.45 GMT.

The Giallorossi are badly in need of a boost in Serie A after back-to-back defeats against Napoli and Cagliari, both with 1-0 results.

Gasperini forced into some changes

Zeki Celik was sent off in Sardinia and is therefore suspended, which makes holding on to Ndicka for a little longer before Africa Cup of Nations duty all the more important.

“Ndicka is there tomorrow, for the rest we’ll see in the next games. Morocco appealed to FIFA for Neil El Aynaoui, so we await their response,” explained Gasperini in his press conference.

“Those teams who played on Saturday and Sunday could use their players, but seeing as we are scheduled for Monday, we could have a problem, despite the fact it is the same round of fixtures.”

Como are coming off a 4-0 defeat to Inter, yet before that had been flying high in the table and pushing for European places.

“It will certainly be a tense match, as Como are no longer a surprise, both for the investment made and the quality in the squad. They are very pleasant to watch, so tomorrow will be a game between two teams who want the maximum result,” continued Gasperini.

“Cesc Fabregas has given Como a precise identity that aims for results via good football, with attacking wingers who can also cut inside.”

Roma had perhaps a much better start to the campaign than many expected, but have since run into problems, especially with the lack of goals.

Evan Ferguson netted twice in Thursday’s Europa League win away to Celtic, but his Serie A performances remain shaky.

“The start was better than even the rosiest predictions, as I came here with the hope to do well and the belief this was the right atmosphere to do my work.

“We must be ambitious and not arrogant, keep solid and united. We have all the right ingredients to mix together and do well, with the club, the fans, the possibility of building a new stadium and boosting investment.

“As for Ferguson, he needs to be a player who is of use to Roma, that is the most important thing. He was the other day and that is what counts, Roma first and foremost, above everyone and everything.”

Dybala has been used as a False 9 on several occasions, but he continues to struggle with a history of injury problems.

“We’ll see tomorrow if he is there from the start, as he had a positive moment, but today’s football does not all for you to be anything less than 100 per cent. I have no doubts about Paulo when he is in good shape.

“When he has been healthy, he always played whole games, including several in a row.”

His fitness record is believed to be one of the main reasons why Roma are in no rush to renew his contract, while Lorenzo Pellegrini is also in the final seven months of his deal.

“With regards to contract renewals, it is purely an economic issue,” assured Gasperini.

“Therefore, I cannot get involved in that.”

Check the official line-ups from this afternoon’s Serie A games, as Napoli have limited options against Nicolò Zaniolo’s Udinese, while Fiorentina vs. Verona is a huge relegation dogfight.

These two fixtures both kick off at 14.00 GMT.

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

Serie A Week 15 games

Udinese vs. Napoli team news

Napoli need a victory to ensure they stay top of the Serie A table, but after looking exhausted in the midweek Champions League defeat to Benfica, Antonio Conte has few alternatives for squad rotation.

Juan Jesus joins Billy Gilmour, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne, Alex Meret and Romelu Lukaku on the treatment table.

Udinese lost Jordan Zemura with a muscular lesion, with Arthur Atta and Hassane Kamara already out of action following a surprise 2-1 home defeat to Genoa.

Udinese: Okoye; Kabasele, Kristensen, Solet; Zanoli, Ekkelenkamp, Karlstrom, Piotrowski, Bertola; Zaniolo, Davis

Napoli: Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Di Lorenzo, Elmas, McTominay, Spinazzola; Neres, Lang; Hojlund

14-12-2025 14:00

MatchDay 15

Friuli Stadium (Dacia Arena)

Udinese

Napoli

Live

0 - 0

Udinese

Napoli

Starting lineups

40

Maduka Okoye

Goalkeeper

Alessandro Zanoli

Defender

27

Christian Kabasele

Defender

13

Nicolò Bertola

Defender

28

Oumar Solet

Defender

31

Thomas Kristensen

Defender

24

Jakub Piotrowski

Midfielder

8

Jesper Karlström

Midfielder

32

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp

Midfielder

Nicolò Zaniolo

Midfielder

9

Keinan Davis

Attacker

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić

Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno

Defender

13

Amir Rrahmani

Defender

22

Giovanni Di Lorenzo

Defender

37

Leonardo Spinazzola

Defender

31

Sam Beukema

Defender

61'

20

Eljif Elmas

Midfielder

8

Scott McTominay

Midfielder

7

David Neres

Attacker

70

Noa Lang

Attacker

61'

19

Rasmus Højlund

Attacker

Substitutes

93

Daniele Padelli

Goalkeeper

17

Iker Bravo

Attacker

90

Răzvan Sava

Goalkeeper

18

Adam Buksa

Attacker

4

Sandi Lovric

Midfielder

19

Kingsley Ehizibue

Defender

1

Alessandro Nunziante

Goalkeeper

6

Oier Zarraga

Midfielder

2

Saba Goglichidze

Defender

16

Matteo Palma

Defender

77

Rui Modesto

Midfielder

38

Lennon Miller

Midfielder

29

Abdoulaye Camara

Midfielder

Idrissa Gueye

Attacker

14

Nikita Contini

Goalkeeper

26

Antonio Vergara

Midfielder

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi

Defender

27

Lorenzo Lucca

Attacker

3

Miguel Gutiérrez

Defender

69

Giuseppe Ambrosino

Attacker

17

Mathías Olivera

Defender

35

Luca Marianucci

Defender

25

Mathias Ferrante

Goalkeeper

68

Stanislav Lobotka

Midfielder

61'

21

Matteo Politano

Attacker

61'

Fiorentina vs. Verona team news

The bottom two face off in a potentially decisive match for relegation, as while Hellas earned their first victory of the campaign last week against Atalanta, Fiorentina are still without a single Serie A success.

Marin Pongracic returns from suspension, with Robin Gosens, Jacopo Fazzini, Abdelhamid Sabiri and Tariq Lamptey still out.

At least their mood was boosted by Thursday’s Conference League win over Dynamo Kyiv.

Verona get Roberto Gagliardini back from his ban, but Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro, Domagoj Bradaric and Tomas Suslov miss out.

Fiorentina: De Gea; Pongracic, Comuzzo, Ranieri; Dodò, Mandragora, Fagioli, Sohm, Parisi; Gudmundsson, Kean

Verona: Montipò; Unai Nunez, Nelsson, Bella-Kotchap; Belghali, Niasse, Al-Musrati, Bernede, Frese; Giovane, Mosquera

14-12-2025 14:00

MatchDay 15

Artemio Franchi Stadium

Fiorentina

Verona

Live

0 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		25'		Cheikh Niasse
		32'		Martin Frese
Albert Gudmundsson		36'
		39'		Moatasem Al-Musrati
		42'		Gift Orban (Assist: Moatasem Al-Musrati)

Fiorentina

Verona

Starting lineups

43

David de Gea

Goalkeeper

2

Dodô

Defender

65

Fabiano Parisi

Defender

6

Luca Ranieri

Defender

5

Marin Pongracic

Defender

15

Pietro Comuzzo

Defender

44

Nicolò Fagioli

Midfielder

8

Rolando Mandragora

Midfielder

7

Simon Sohm

Midfielder

10

Albert Gudmundsson

Attacker

20

Moise Kean

Attacker

1

Lorenzo Montipò

Goalkeeper

37

Armel Bella-Kotchap

Defender

3

Martin Frese

Defender

7

Rafik Belghali

Defender

5

Unai Núñez

Defender

15

Victor Nelsson

Defender

24

Antoine Bernede

Midfielder

73

Moatasem Al-Musrati

Midfielder

36

Cheikh Niasse

Attacker

46'

25

Daniel Mosquera

Attacker

17

Giovane

Attacker

35'

Substitutes

91

Roberto Piccoli

Attacker

18

Pablo Marí

Defender

26

Mattia Viti

Defender

14

Hans Nicolussi Caviglia

Midfielder

9

Edin Dzeko

Attacker

1

Luca Lezzerini

Goalkeeper

Christian Kouamé

Attacker

30

Tommaso Martinelli

Goalkeeper

27

Cher Ndour

Midfielder

29

Niccolò Fortini

Midfielder

24

Amir Richardson

Midfielder

60

Eddy Kouadio

Defender

21

Abdou Harroui

Midfielder

20

Grigoris Kastanos

Midfielder

34

Simone Perilli

Goalkeeper

8

Suat Serdar

Midfielder

23

Enzo Ebosse

Defender

94

Giacomo Toniolo

Goalkeeper

72

Junior Ajayi

Attacker

9

Amin Sarr

Attacker

2

Daniel Oyegoke

Defender

Nicolás Valentini

Defender

19

Tobias Slotsager

Defender

4

Yellu Santiago

Midfielder

70

Fallou Cham

Defender

16

Gift Orban

Attacker

35'

63

Roberto Gagliardini

Midfielder

46'

Milan director Igli Tare keeps the door open for Mike Maignan’s contract extension and trusts Christopher Nkunku and Santiago Gimenez, but refuses to rule out the signing of a new centre-forward in January.

Milan host Sassuolo at San Siro on Sunday. You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s five Serie A games on the Liveblog.

Milan vs. Sassuolo – Tare’s pre-match quotes

“We’ve started with a fantastic group. Every day we work together, we realise it’s one of the best groups we’ve ever worked with,” Tare told DAZN before kick-off.

“They have determination and desire, and you can see it with results on the pitch. We know there’s work to do and we need consistency, but we are happy for now.”

With the January transfer window just around the corner, Tare was inevitably asked to provide updates on Milan’s negotiations, starting with the future of Maignan.

Tare on Maignan’s contract extension

The goalkeeper’s contract runs out in June and according to reports in Italy, he’s asked for a new €8m-a-year contract.

“We’ve never discussed the figures, I’ve never heard these numbers, but it’s easy to talk about Mike because he’s a fantastic lad, he’s a leader and a man of the group,” Tare replied.

“We are happy with him, he likes to stay at Milan and Milan want to extend. Today we have a game we want to win, then we’ll have time to discuss the matter.”

Former Chelsea striker Nkunku starts alongside Christian Pulisic in attack today, while Rafael Leao and Gimenez are injured.

Will Milan look for a new centre-forward in the winter transfer window?

“It’s hard to find players who can make a difference in the January window, but we’ll keep our eyes open to see if there’s something that can improve the situation of the team,” Tare said.

“If there’s a chance, we’ll take it, but the team is improving. Nkunku sent important messages in the second half against Torino. Today it’s a big chance for him to show the real Nkunku we all expect.

“As for Gimenez, he has this physical problem; we are waiting for him, but he’s also an important player for this team.”

Milan are the joint-Serie A table leaders alongside Napoli with 31 points. The Partenopei will play later today, away at Udinese.

Multiple sources confirm Juventus’ interest in Davide Frattesi, but Inter will likely ask for Khephren Thuram when, and if, negotiations begin.

Tuttosport newspaper reported earlier this week that Frattesi’s agent Beppe Riso had resumed talks with Juventus as the Inter midfielder seeks more playing time in the second part of the season.

Frattesi seeks Inter exit

The best Italy goal-scorer during the Luciano Spalletti era, Frattesi, will be glad to reunite with the ex-Azzurri boss, but negotiations between the two clubs might not be so easy.

Inter expert Pasquale Guarro and Gazzetta, in fact, claim that the Nerazzurri will likely ask for Khephren Thuram if Juventus knock on their door for Frattesi.

Inter eager to reunite the Thuram brothers

The move would allow the Nerazzurri to reunite the two Thuram brothers at San Siro, as Marcus has been playing for Inter since 2023.

According to Guarro, Khephren Thuram was already an Inter target last summer, alongside Roma’s Manu Kone and Atalanta’s Ederson.

The Nerazzurri ended up signing 22-year-old Andy Diouf last summer, but the Frenchman has only collected 150 minutes of football on the pitch this season.

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Christian Pulisic and Christopher Nkunku lead the Milan attack against Sassuolo, who reply with Alieu Fadera and Andrea Pinamonti.

It kicks off at 12:30 CET (11:30 GMT) at the Stadio Meazza in San Siro, Milan.

Milan vs. Sassuolo and Serie A Week 15 live on Football Italia

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

Gimenez, Fofana, Leao are unavailable for the Rossoneri, but while the Mexican’s return date remains unclear, Leao and Fofana will be available for the Supercoppa Italiana Final Four next week.

Sassuolo have travelled to San Siro without the injured Romagna, Skjellerup, Pieragnolo, Turati, Berardi and Boloca and their coach Fabio Grosso, a 2006 Italy World Cup winner, is serving a one-game ban.

Pulisic and Nkunku will start up front for Milan. Ruben Loftus-Cheek gets the nod in the middle of the park, pushing Samuele Ricci to the bench.

Cristian Volpato replaces the injured Berardi for Sassuolo.

Milan vs. Sassuolo – official line-ups

Milan (3-5-2) Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlović; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Modrić, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Nkunku, Pulisic.

Milan bench: Pittarella, Terracciano; Athekame, De Winter, Estupiñan, Odogu; Jashari, Ricci.

Sassuolo (4-3-3): Murić; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Muhamerović, Candé; Thorstvedt, Matić, Koné; Volpato, Pinamonti, Fadera.

Sassuolo bench: Satalino, Zacchi; Coulibaly, Doig, Odenthal; Iannoni, Lipani, Vranckx; Cheddira, Laurientié, Moro, Pierini.

Kenan Yildiz will lead the Juventus attack in a tricky match at Bologna this evening.

It kicks off at 20:45 CET (19:45 GMT) at a sold-out Stadio Dall’Ara in Bologna.

The Rossoblu and Juventus compete for a spot in the top four, and the home side has three points more than the Old Lady in the Serie A standings.

Bologna will be involved in the Supercoppa Italiana next week, so their coach, Vincenzo Italiano, could slightly rotate his squad.

As reported by Sky Sport and other Italian media, Jhon Lucumì will return to the starting XI, joining Torbjorn Heggem in central defence and Lewis Ferguson is also expected to feature in the Rossoblu line-up after starting on the bench against Celta Vigo earlier this week, as he was not fully fit.

Thijs Dallinga and Santiago Castro compete for a starting spot in attack.

Juventus will make no changes in defence as Gleison Bremer is available, but still not fit to start. Jonathan David is expected to start again up front with Yildiz and Francisco Conceiçao playing as attacking midfielders.

Bologna vs. Juventus – where to watch on TV

The match will be televised on TNT Sports 1 and DAZN in the UK and Ireland and on Paramount+ in the USA. Football Italia will cover today’s Serie A action with a liveblog.

Bologna vs. Juventus – probable line-ups

Bologna (4-2-3-1): Ravaglia; Holm, Heggem, Lucumí, Miranda; Ferguson, Moro; Orsolini, Odgaard, Cambiaghi; Castro.

Juventus (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Kelly, Koopmeiners; McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso; Conceição, Yildiz; David.

Francesco Pio Esposito is expected to partner with Lautaro Martinez in the Inter attack in an away game at Genoa.

It kicks off at 18:00 CET (17:00 GMT) at the Stadio Ferraris in Genoa.

Inter must cope without Denzel Dumfries, Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi, Hakan Calhanoglu and third-choice goalkeeper Raffaele Di Gennaro.

Maxwel Cornet, Benjamin Siegrist and Leo Ostigard are unavailable for the home side.

Acerbi’s injury means Yann Bisseck will join regular starters Manuel Akanji and Alessandro Bastoni in central defence.

Luis Henrique is expected to start as a right midfielder to replace Dumfries. Petar Sucic competes with Henrikh Mkhitaryan for a spot in central midfield, while Carlos Augusto is favourite over Federico Dimarco, according to Sky Sport Italia and Gazzetta.

Italian media claim that Marcus Thuram will start on the bench, making room for Pio Esposito and Lautaro Martinez in attack.

Genoa vs. Inter – where to watch on TV

The match is available on DAZN in the UK and Ireland and on Paramount+ in the USA. Football Italia will cover today’s Serie A action with a liveblog.

Genoa vs. Inter – probable line-ups

Genoa (3-5-2): Leali; Marcandalli, Otoa, Vasquez; Norton-Cuffy, Thorsby, Frendrup, Malinovskyi, Martin; Vitinha, Colombo.

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Luis Henrique, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Carlos Augusto; Lautaro Martinez, Pio Esposito.

Antonio Conte will make little changes to his Napoli XI as they visit Udinese in Serie A Week 15.

It kicks off at 15:00 CET (14:00 GMT) at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine.

The Partenopei are still without several key players, Romelu Lukaku, Alex Meret, Kevin De Bruyne, Frank Zambo Anguissa and Billy Gilmour, but Stanislav Lobotka is back in the squad and is expected to start on the bench.

Napoli will face Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana semifinal next week, but Conte still can’t rotate much, so he’ll make just one change to the XI that lost 2-0 away at Benfica in the Champions League earlier this week.

According to several sources, including Corriere dello Sport, Leonardo Spinazzola is expected to start as a left midfielder in a 3-4-3 system, while David Neres and Noa Lang remain favourites to start up front alongside Rasmus Hojlund, leaving Matteo Politano on the bench.

Udinese are without Hassane Kamara, Arthur Atta and Jordan Zemura, but Nicolò Zaniolo is fit to start and will lead their attack today.

Udinese vs. Napoli – where to watch on TV

The match is available on DAZN in the UK and Ireland and on Paramount+ in the USA. Football Italia will cover today’s Serie A action with a liveblog.

Udinese vs. Napoli – probable line-ups

Udinese (3-5-2): Okoye; Solet, Kabasele, Bertola; Zanoli, Ekkelenkamp, Karlstrom, Piotrowski, Ehizibue; Davis, Zaniolo

Napoli (3-4-3): Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Di Lorenzo, Elmas, McTominay, Spinazzola; Neres, Lang; Hojlund

Christopher Nkunku and Christian Pulisic will lead the Milan attack today in a Serie A match against Andrea Pinamonti’s Sassuolo.

It kicks off at 12:30 CET (11:30 GMT) at the Stadio Meazza in Milan.

It’s a big day of football in Serie A with all the top sides taking to the pitch. After today’s lunch-time game at San Siro, Inter will visit Genoa (15:00 CET), Napoli will play away at Udinese (18:00 CET) and Bologna will host Juventus (20:45 CET).

Milan are still without Santiago Gimenez, Youssouf Fofana and Rafael Leao, while the Neroverdi must cope without their star Domenico Berardi.

Massimiliano Allegri will field the best possible Milan XI despite next week’s Supercoppa semifinal against Napoli.

Nkunku and Pulisic will start up front, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek is favourite over Samuele Ricci in central midfield.

Cristian Volpato will replace Berardi on the right flank for Sassuolo, with Pinamonti and Armand Laurienté completing the Neroverdi’s attack.

Milan vs. Sassuolo – where to watch on TV

The match will be televised on TNT Sports 1 and DAZN in the UK and Ireland and on Paramount+ in the USA. Football Italia will cover today’s Serie A action with a liveblog.

Milan vs. Sassuolo – probable line-ups

Milan (3-5-2) Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Rabiot, Modric, Ricci, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Nkunku.

Sassuolo (4-3-3) Muric; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Muharemovic, Doig; Thorstvedt, Matic, Koné; Volpato, Pinamonti, Laurienté.

La Gazzetta dello Sport

We play for the top spot

Sunday with the big sides: Napoli and Milan to remain at the top

Traps for the leaders: Allegri with Nkunku-Pulisic, Conte relies on Neres

Offer rejected

Elkann to Tether: ‘Juve are not for sale.’

‘History and value of the club are not for sale.’ The value is too low. Spalletti in Bologna (20.45), he must win to climb.

Inter idea, the two Thurams

Chivu at Genoa’s home, thinking of Pio and Lautaro

Golden Vlasic

Toro restart with a win. Cairo: ‘Fundamental victory.’

Lazio win down to ten men

Incredible: two players sent off, then Noslin scores.

Corriere dello Sport

Who gets it wrong goes down

Hot Sunday in the race for the title

Milan begin at lunchtime, then Napoli, Inter and Juve: 360 minutes waiting for the Supercoppa

Pulisic and Nkunku up front. Max: ‘Napoli and Inter still favourites.’

Conte chases the 11th win, Lobotka returns and goes to the bench. There’s Spinazzola.

Chivu hits back: ‘They said we were finished.’ Zielinski and Bisseck in.

Space for Dallinga. David with Yildiz. Lucio: ‘I told DeLa to get Italiano.’

‘History is not for sale.’

Elkann holds Juventus tight: ‘It’s a love lasting one century.’

Exor’s CEO says no to Tether’s offer: ‘Juventus have been my family’s club for 102 years. We’ll continue to support the team and look to a winning future.’

Lazio feat: victory down to nine men.

Tuttosport

Petrachi, happy debut as a director: Toro return to winning ways with Cremonese

Vlasic saves Baroni

Gobbo pride

Elkann strongly confirms he won’t sell Juve, Spalletti demands a performance in line with history

Exor’s CEO has rejected the offer from Tether. John: ‘Our values are not for sale.’ The coach: ‘I’m happy to feel his passion, now it’s up to us to honour the past and work to build the same or a better future.’ David towards the confirmation. Cautious with Bremer, but…

Frattesi for Thuram: Inter try the coup

Trap for Chivu in Genoa today after the defeat with Liverpool: ‘They said we were finished, but we’re still here. Too many labels, I don’t like it.’

Milan-Napoli: head-to-head with Ryiad on the horizon.

Allegri defends the leadership against Sassuolo without Leao. Conte still in emergency in Udine. On Thursday, the Supercoppa semifinal.

Nine-man Lazio beat Parma! Dea climb back with Scamacca

Juventus fans might’ve forgotten that he still plays for them, but Arkadiusz Milik today returned to training with the full squad for the first time in 550 days.

The striker arrived from Olympique Marseille on loan in 2022 and then made the move permanent for a total €8m in the summer of 2023.

He made 75 competitive appearances in the Juventus jersey, scoring 17 goals and providing two assists.

The most recent of those games was the 2-0 Serie A victory over Monza on May 25, 2024.

Juventus rediscover Milik after 18 months

Milik sustained a knee ligament injury in June 2024 and has not set foot on the pitch since, as his recovery had repeated setbacks.

The 31-year-old Poland international might finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, because today he took part in a training session with his teammates for the first time in well over a year.

It wasn’t a full session, he was only partly in the exercises with the other players, but it was already a huge achievement after 550 days of being separated from the group.

Raffaele Palladino feels the last two Atalanta victories over Chelsea and Cagliari showed ‘the right spirit’ and reveals Gianluca Scamacca almost didn’t play tonight.

It has been an ideal few days for La Dea, who beat Chelsea 2-1 in the Champions League, then held out under pressure to secure an identical result in Serie A against Cagliari.

Scamacca is finally finding his fitness after almost a year out dealing with a knee ligament injury, as he has now scored four goals in his last three competitive matches, including tonight’s double.

“It was certainly a difficult match against a good Cagliari side, who have players with pace that can hit us on the counter,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.

“We played a great first half, creating many chances and not running any risks. We took the lead and the only regret is that we didn’t take our other opportunities to double our lead, because if you leave these games open, then anything can happen.”

Atalanta finding their feet under Palladino

It felt for a while as if there might be another stalemate when Gianluca Gaetano equalised, but Scamacca completed his brace just six minutes later.

“In the second half, we started to lose intensity and stamina, I think due to the many games we’ve played in the last 20 days. The thing I liked most of all is that when we conceded the equaliser at the 81^st minute, we could’ve collapsed mentally, but instead we kept pushing to win it, that tells me the spirit is there in this group.”

He also revealed something unexpected about his star striker’s performance tonight.

“Scamacca had a fever, he grit his teeth and wanted to be there to help the team. I told him when I was a player, my best performances were when I was running a temperature, and he smiled. He gave his all for us.”

Since taking over from sacked Ivan Juric, this will be the first time Palladino has had a whole week to prepare for a match against Genoa.

“Winning helps you to win,” noted the coach. “We had four home wins in front of our fans in all competition, so creating that enthusiasm in Bergamo is fundamental.”

This was the final match for Ademola Lookman and Odilon Kossounou of 2025, as they will be off on international duty for the Africa Cup of Nations.

There were also concerns during the second half when Berat Djimsiti pulled up clutching the back of his right thigh with an adductor issue.

“Obviously, we are losing two important players, it’s a pity we also lost Djimsiti today and we’ll have to see what the tests say. I will have to find different solutions, but having a week to prepare is a huge bonus,” continued the coach.

“I really haven’t had much time to work with these players on the training field when there’s a game every three days and travel too, all you have time for is recovery. Now we can concentrate on training and proposing new tactical ideas.”

While Atalanta have excelled in the Champions League and are currently in the top eight, this was only their second Serie A victory in the last 11 rounds.

“I need to drill the mentality into these lads that when times are difficult, we need to push even harder, believe even more in our capabilities, and I saw that both against Chelsea and tonight. Not everyone can go behind at home to Chelsea and turn it around, not everyone can concede a late equaliser when exhausted and push on to win it anyway.

“I congratulated the players for their efforts this evening.”

Gianluca Scamacca is rediscovering his form with Atalanta just in time to play for Italy in the World Cup play-offs, while Charles De Ketelaere calls him ‘a real centre-forward.’

The centre-forward has not been the same since the serious knee ligament injury he sustained in pre-season 2024, but after setbacks in the recovery process, he seems to finally be back to his best.

He bagged both in Atalanta’s 2-1 victory over Cagliari at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo this evening, around a temporary Gianluca Gaetano equaliser.

The first was an improvisation, redirecting Davide Zappacosta’s wayward effort with a back-heel flick, while with the second he reacted quickly to a volley gone wrong.

Scamacca and De Ketelaere respected Cagliari

“We expected it to be difficult, we should’ve scored more goals in the first half, Cagliari are tough and equalised, but we managed to bring it home,” Scamacca told Sky Sport Italia.

“We always try to give our all, but when there are so many games close together, we can lack sharpness sometimes. We’re on the right track, though.”

Rediscovering his form could also be boon to the Italy squad going into the crucial 2026 World Cup play-offs in March.

“Absolutely, but I am totally concentrated on Atalanta, because we have many objectives.”

Scamacca now has five Serie A goals and one in the Champions League this season, netting four goals in his last three competitive appearances.

However, Atalanta will now be without both Ademola Lookman and Odilon Kossounou, who are heading off to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations.

“Those who play will be ready and give their best,” assured Scamacca.

While Atalanta are flying high in the Champions League, this was only their fourth Serie A win in 15 rounds, along with seven draws and four defeats.

“We needed points to climb the table, and fortunately we got the result. It is better to play badly and get three points than the other way around,” noted De Ketelaere on Sky Sport Italia.

“We must be humble, take it one game at a time and keep going. You can see Scamacca is a real centre-forward, as the first goal he was in the right place, on the second he reacted well.”

Gianluca Scamacca struck twice around a temporary Gianluca Gaetano equaliser, as Atalanta squeezed to victory over Cagliari to complete an ideal week.

La Dea were fresh from a Champions League victory over Chelsea, yet had just one Serie A win in the last 10 rounds, so needed to catch up. Raoul Bellanova joined Kamaldeen Sulemana and Mitchel Bakker on the treatment table, with Isak Hien suffering from flu symptoms. The Sardinians missed Yerry Mina, Mattia Felici, Ze Pedro and Andrea Belotti, but Adam Obert returned after victory over Roma.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Charles De Ketelaere sent Ademola Lookman into the box, with the first shot parried by on-rushing Elia Caprile, then fired the rebound onto the side-netting.

Atalanta broke through soon after, as Lookman got down the left and pulled back for Davide Zappacosta, whose wayward strike was redirected from six yards by Scamacca’s back-heel flick.

Lorenzo Bernasconi got back to stop his former Atalanta Under-23 side teammate Marco Palestra going clear on goal, then Lookman’s effort was charged down for a corner.

Scamacca fired straight at Caprile on a smart De Ketelaere through ball, then the goalkeeper got down for a great one-handed save from close range on Lookman, with De Ketelaere’s follow-up deflected onto the roof of the net.

Cagliari had a huge opportunity to equalise on the stroke of half-time, Gennaro Borrelli’s header flashing inches wide on Michael Folorunsho’s cross.

Berat Djimsiti pulled up clutching the back of his right thigh and had to be replaced, as Atalanta began to visibly run out of steam following their midweek European exertions.

The visitors took advantage and equalised with an excellent team move. Folorunsho found Gianluca Gaetano, who completed a quick give and go with Sebastiano Esposito to burst into the box and bent the finish past an on-rushing Marco Carnesecchi with the inside of the right boot.

Scamacca restored Atalanta’s lead when his volley from a Lazar Samardzic volley didn’t come off, but it landed kindly and he was quickest to react on the loose ball, prodding it through Caprile’s legs from six yards.

Nicola Zalewski forced two tricky saves from Caprile in the same move, one at the near post, then a curler from the edge of the area.

Zito Luvumbo had the ball in the net for Cagliari during stoppages, but only after Folorunsho had wandered offside when flicking on the assist to the back post.

Atalanta 2-1 Cagliari

Scamacca 11, 81 (A), Gaetano 75 (C)

13-12-2025 19:45

MatchDay 15

Gewiss Stadium (Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia)

Atalanta

Cagliari

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

Gianluca Scamacca (Assist: Davide Zappacosta)		11'
Lorenzo Bernasconi		33'

2nd half

		57'		Juan Rodríguez
		75'		Gianluca Gaetano (Assist: Sebastiano Esposito)
		76'		Gianluca Gaetano
Gianluca Scamacca		81'

Match statistic

58

Possession %

42

17

Total shots

8

8

Shots on target

1

5

Shots off target

5

4

Blocked shots

2

5

Corners

4

Offsides

4

13

Fouls

15

Atalanta

Cagliari

Starting lineups

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

55'

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

79'

47

Lorenzo Bernasconi

Defender

66'

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

79'

23

Sead Kolasinac

Defender

13

Éderson

Midfielder

66'

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

11

Ademola Lookman

Attacker

17

Charles De Ketelaere

Attacker

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

1

Elia Caprile

Goalkeeper

33

Adam Obert

Defender

28

Gabriele Zappa

Defender

58'

Juan Rodríguez

Defender

66'

2

Marco Palestra

Defender

6

Sebastiano Luperto

Defender

87'

14

Alessandro Deiola

Midfielder

90

Michael Folorunsho

Midfielder

8

Michel Adopo

Midfielder

87'

29

Gennaro Borrelli

Attacker

58'

94

Sebastiano Esposito

Attacker

Substitutes

70

Daniel Maldini

Midfielder

31

Francesco Rossi

Goalkeeper

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

42

Giorgio Scalvini

Defender

44

Marco Brescianini

Midfielder

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

69

Honest Ahanor

Defender

55'

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

66'

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

66'

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

79'

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

79'

20

Marko Rog

Midfielder

31

Boris Radunović

Goalkeeper

4

Luca Mazzitelli

Midfielder

18

Alessandro Di Pardo

Defender

24

Giuseppe Ciocci

Goalkeeper

9

Semih Kılıçsoy

Attacker

23

Nicola Pintus

Defender

27

Joseph Liteta

Midfielder

10

Gianluca Gaetano

Midfielder

58'

16

Matteo Prati

Midfielder

58'

3

Riyad Idrissi

Defender

66'

30

Leonardo Pavoletti

Attacker

87'

77

Zito Luvumbo

Attacker

87'

Maurizio Sarri joked Lazio might just ‘start with 10 men’ next time after beating Parma with two players sent off. ‘We won with 8 against 10 once…’

The Aquile had a very poor away record, so things weren’t looking good for them when Mattia Zaccagni was shown a straight red card for his mistimed lunge on Nahuel Estevez just before half-time.

It got even worse at the 77^th minute when Toma Basic was also sent off, this time for elbowing Estevez in the ribs during an off the ball incident.

However, Lazio grabbed the victory when down to nine men against 11 at the Stadio Tardini when Tijjani Noslin robbed a defender, dribbled around the goalkeeper and deposited into an empty net.

Sarri impressed with Lazio attitude

“This win can give us enthusiasm, but I think the lads had already begun to believe more from the end of September,” Sarri told DAZN.

“We were two men down today, but if we look at the game overall, the victory is fully deserved. The team is improving both in terms of mentality and the performances on the field.

“I said that I was enjoying myself with this squad and I stand by that. Have I ever won 9 against 11? Actually I was coaching during Entella-Figline when we won with 8 against 10…”

Lazio have received three red cards in the last two games, as Mario Gila was sent off in the 1-1 draw with Bologna.

“We were down to 10 men against Bologna last week and didn’t lose our organisation then either. I saw the same thing today, even if with two players sent off it’s more complicated,” continued Sarri.

“I introduced players off the bench who were suited to these situations. For example, Oliver Provstgaard gave us a big hand.”

The double red card means both Zaccagni and Basic will be suspended for the next Serie A match against Cremonese, but at least Mario Gila will be back, as he sat out a ban today.

Gil Patric also got his first start in nine months and impressed in defence.

“Unfortunately, we’re getting used to these situations. If we’ve got 11 players available, then we’ll start them, otherwise we’ll just start with 10 and save time,” laughed Sarri.

There are some question marks over both the straight red cards, as while Zaccagni’s challenge was very clumsy, he didn’t make full contact on the Nahuel Estevez shin.

“I don’t think he really gets him at all, as he connects with the ankle and not the studs. It feels a bit much. I realise it doesn’t give a good impression seen at full speed, but the red seems harsh.”

Lorenzo Lucca returns ‘home’ to face his old club Udinese, but even though he’s not going to get much playing time at Napoli, he is not on the transfer market yet.

The centre-forward first made his mark with the Friulani and will visit his former teammates wearing the Napoli jersey.

He’ll be on the bench, because the hierarchy is rock solid now and Rasmus Hojlund has taken over the role, leaving the Italian with only a handful of minutes per match.

Lucca depends on other players

All this is awaiting Romelu Lukaku, who as Antonio Conte pointed out recently, is not back yet and it’s not clear when he’s likely to be at 100 per cent.

Until that time comes, Lucca is going nowhere, because Napoli need someone to rely on in a campaign full of injury uncertainty.

They will discuss it over the next few weeks, and if the Belgian should be available for selection, then Lucca could start to look around for a different solution until June.

There’s no point talking about it right now, but at least Lorenzo will be back on familiar territory and perhaps find something to smile about during a disappointing season.

Atalanta director Luca Percassi acknowledges the win over Chelsea was their third greatest European night, but now they must ‘battle for every point’ against Cagliari.

It kicks off at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo at 19.45 GMT.

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

The Bergamo boys are wearing their Christmas Match kit, which will then be auctioned off to raise funds for charity, as it has been for 15 years now.

It arrives just days after their Champions League 2-1 comeback victory over Chelsea, which propelled them into the top eight with a view of going straight into the Round of 16.

However, in Serie A they are still playing catch-up and won only one of their last 10 games.

Percassi marks European milestone for Atalanta

“It is going to be a very difficult match against a team that showed last week how dangerous it can be, they are well set out with good players, so it certainly will be tough,” Percassi told Sky Sport Italia.

The panel put it to the director that the victory over Chelsea was the third best night for the club in Europe, after the Europa League Final triumph and their 3-0 Champions League win away to Liverpool.

“I fully agree! It was a magical night.”

Nonetheless, Percassi shrugs off suggestions La Dea are doing anything other than battling for every point domestically, let alone taking European qualification for granted.

“It would be a terrible error for Atalanta to give less than 100 per cent in Serie A, as our objective as always is to secure safety as soon as possible, then build from there.”

Lazio managed to grab a rare away victory with Tijjani Noslin’s late goal against Parma despite being down to nine men, with Mattia Zaccagni and Toma Basic sent off.

The Biancocelesti were slipping down the table after one point from two rounds, albeit very tough fixtures against Milan and Bologna. Gustav Isaksen joined Samuel Gigot and Nicolò Rovella on the injury list, with Mario Gila suspended. Parma missed Abdoulaye Ndiaye, Alessandro Circati, Zion Suzuki and Matija Frigan. There was a special patch on their shirts for the upcoming 112^th anniversary of the club’s foundation.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Matteo Cancellieri stung goalkeeper Edoardo Corvi’s gloves at the near post in the opening minutes, but at the other end Adrian Bernabé tested Ivan Provedel from the edge of the area.

Taty Castellanos was a yard out ready to nod in the Adam Marusic knockdown from a free kick when Nahuel Estevez cleared it practically off the line.

Toma Basic’s free kick was just over the bar, then his strike on a Mattia Zaccagni assist forced a desperate save out of Corvi.

The game changed just before half-time when Mattia Zaccagni went lunging into a late and high challenge in midfield on Estevez and the referee opted for a straight red card.

Enrico Delprato went off injured, but Mateo Pellegrino again tested Provedel straight after the restart, while Adrian Bernabe blasted over under pressure from Luca Pellegrini.

Lazio received a second red card for violent conduct when Basic was spotted by the referee elbowing Estevez in the ribs during an off the ball incident, reducing them to nine men.

Incredibly, the Aquile still took the lead even though they were two men down. Noslin caught Lautaro Valenti napping on the edge of the area, then kept his cool to dribble around Corvi and fire into the empty net as a Parma player tried to get back on the line.

Provedel performed a fantastic one-handed reaction save moments later, readjusting to deal with the deflection and palm the Estevez screamer out from under the bar. On the resulting corner, Pellegrino’s acrobatic attempt flashed wide.

Parma 0-1 Lazio

Noslin 82 (L)

Sent off: Zaccagni 42 (L), Basic 77 (L)

13-12-2025 17:00

MatchDay 15

Parma Store (Stadio Ennio Tardini)

Parma

Lazio

0 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

42'

Mattia Zaccagni

2nd half

Emanuele Valeri		51'
		62'		Matteo Cancellieri
Nahuel Estévez		77'
		77'		Toma Basic
		82'		Tijjani Noslin (Assist: Danilo Cataldi)

Match statistic

47

Possession %

53

19

Total shots

15

5

Shots on target

5

9

Shots off target

6

5

Blocked shots

4

4

Corners

4

2

Offsides

0

14

Fouls

8

Parma

Lazio

Starting lineups

40

Edoardo Corvi

Goalkeeper

14

Emanuele Valeri

Defender

15

Enrico Delprato

Defender

46'

5

Lautaro Valenti

Defender

27

Sascha Britschgi

Defender

10

Adrián Bernabé

Midfielder

21

Gaetano Oristanio

Midfielder

70'

16

Mandela Keita

Midfielder

86'

8

Nahuel Estévez

Midfielder

7

Adrian Benedyczak

Attacker

76'

9

Mateo Pellegrino

Attacker

94

Ivan Provedel

Goalkeeper

77

Adam Marusic

Defender

13

Alessio Romagnoli

Defender

3

Luca Pellegrini

Defender

4

Patric

Defender

70'

32

Danilo Cataldi

Midfielder

88'

8

Mattéo Guendouzi

Midfielder

26

Toma Basic

Midfielder

22

Matteo Cancellieri

Attacker

70'

10

Mattia Zaccagni

Attacker

11

Taty Castellanos

Attacker

70'

Substitutes

23

Hernani

Midfielder

66

Filippo Rinaldi

Goalkeeper

22

Oliver Sörensen

Midfielder

18

Mathias Løvik

Midfielder

11

Pontus Almqvist

Attacker

19

Tjas Begic

Attacker

63

Nicolas Trabucchi

Defender

25

Benja Cremaschi

Midfielder

24

Christian Ordoñez

Midfielder

13

Vicente Guaita

Goalkeeper

37

Mariano Troilo

Defender

46'

17

Jacob Ondrejka

Attacker

70'

32

Patrick Cutrone

Attacker

76'

30

Milan Djuric

Attacker

86'

9

Pedro

Attacker

29

Manuel Lazzari

Defender

55

Alessio Furlanetto

Goalkeeper

17

Nuno Tavares

Defender

19

Boulaye Dia

Attacker

21

Reda Belahyane

Midfielder

35

Christos Mandas

Goalkeeper

14

Tijjani Noslin

Attacker

70'

7

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru

Midfielder

70'

25

Oliver Provstgaard

Defender

70'

5

Matías Vecino

Midfielder

88'

Atalanta are fresh from a Champions League win over Chelsea, so Ademola Lookman, Charles De Ketelaere and Gianluca Scamacca face Marco Palestra’s Cagliari.

It kicks off at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo at 19.45 GMT.

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

This has been a remarkable few days for Atalanta, who shrugged off a Serie A defeat to Verona by completing a comeback to beat Chelsea 2-1 in the Champions League.

That result put them in the top eight and they could even go straight into the Round of 16 if they keep up this kind of European form.

However, they’re still playing catch-up domestically after the dismal Ivan Juric era, and under Raffaele Palladino have lost to Napoli and Verona around a 2-0 win over Fiorentina.

Remarkably, that was their only victory in the last 10 Serie A rounds.

Raoul Bellanova limped off during the Chelsea game and is ruled out for circa a month, along with Kamaldeen Sulemana and Mitchel Bakker.

Isak Hien is also out of action after coming down with flu symptoms.

De Ketelaere, Scamacca and Lookman are starting to really gel as a front three, so there are no changes there.

Squad rotation is in defence, as midweek Sead Kolasinac had his first start since knee surgery in April, but he starts again.

Cagliari had been on a negative run of four draws in the last nine rounds, but ended it with a shock 1-0 victory over 10-man Roma.

Colombia international veteran Yerry Mina is still out of action, along with Mattia Felici, Ze Pedro and Andrea Belotti, but Adam Obert returns to the squad.

Gennaro Borrelli, Sebastiano Esposito and Michael Folorunsho lead the attack, but the player being watched most carefully is Palestra.

That is partly for his many impressive performances down the right flank in recent weeks, but above all because he is on loan from Atalanta.

The 20-year-old was a star of their youth academy and has been given this opportunity to prove himself in Serie A.

Atalanta vs. Cagliari official line-ups

Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Djimsiti, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Bernasconi; De Ketelaere, Scamacca, Lookman

Cagliari: Caprile; Zappa, Luperto, J Rodriguez, Obert; Adopo, Deiola; Palestra, S Esposito, Folorunsho; Borrelli

13-12-2025 19:45

MatchDay 15

Gewiss Stadium (Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia)

Atalanta

Cagliari

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

Gianluca Scamacca (Assist: Davide Zappacosta)		11'
Lorenzo Bernasconi		33'

2nd half

		57'		Juan Rodríguez
		75'		Gianluca Gaetano (Assist: Sebastiano Esposito)
		76'		Gianluca Gaetano
Gianluca Scamacca		81'

Match statistic

58

Possession %

42

17

Total shots

8

8

Shots on target

1

5

Shots off target

5

4

Blocked shots

2

5

Corners

4

Offsides

4

13

Fouls

15

Atalanta

Cagliari

Starting lineups

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

55'

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

79'

47

Lorenzo Bernasconi

Defender

66'

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

79'

23

Sead Kolasinac

Defender

13

Éderson

Midfielder

66'

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

11

Ademola Lookman

Attacker

17

Charles De Ketelaere

Attacker

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

1

Elia Caprile

Goalkeeper

33

Adam Obert

Defender

28

Gabriele Zappa

Defender

58'

Juan Rodríguez

Defender

66'

2

Marco Palestra

Defender

6

Sebastiano Luperto

Defender

87'

14

Alessandro Deiola

Midfielder

90

Michael Folorunsho

Midfielder

8

Michel Adopo

Midfielder

87'

29

Gennaro Borrelli

Attacker

58'

94

Sebastiano Esposito

Attacker

Substitutes

70

Daniel Maldini

Midfielder

31

Francesco Rossi

Goalkeeper

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

42

Giorgio Scalvini

Defender

44

Marco Brescianini

Midfielder

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

69

Honest Ahanor

Defender

55'

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

66'

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

66'

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

79'

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

79'

20

Marko Rog

Midfielder

31

Boris Radunović

Goalkeeper

4

Luca Mazzitelli

Midfielder

18

Alessandro Di Pardo

Defender

24

Giuseppe Ciocci

Goalkeeper

9

Semih Kılıçsoy

Attacker

23

Nicola Pintus

Defender

27

Joseph Liteta

Midfielder

10

Gianluca Gaetano

Midfielder

58'

16

Matteo Prati

Midfielder

58'

3

Riyad Idrissi

Defender

66'

30

Leonardo Pavoletti

Attacker

87'

77

Zito Luvumbo

Attacker

87'

The Supercoppa Italiana Final Four is coming up next week, so check the location, kick-off times, and the prizes at stake for Napoli, Inter, AC Milan and Bologna.

The format of the tournament remains the same after last season, so rather than be a traditional clash between the winners of the Scudetto and the reigning Coppa Italia holders, it is expanded to four teams.

All the matches take place at the Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Supercoppa Italiana 2025 schedule

The trophy holders therefore face the runners-up of the other competition, then the winning teams take on each other for the Final.

That means Napoli face AC Milan in one semi-final on Thursday December 18, kicking off at 20.00 GMT.

Bologna then play against Inter in the other semi-final on Friday December 19, also at 20.00 GMT.

The winners of these two matches then go head-to-head on Monday December 22, again at 20.00 GMT.

There is no extra time, so if two teams are level after 90 minutes, they go straight to a penalty shoot-out.

According to Calcio e Finanza, the total prize pot for the tournament is €22.5m, with the winners getting €9.5m plus a further €1.5m to play a friendly against the team that takes the Saudi Super Cup.

The two losing semi-finalists should get €2.4m each, while the beaten Finalist can expect €6.7m.

AC Milan won it last season, beating Inter 3-2 in the Final.

Minister for Sport Andrea Abodi warns that the Lega Serie A must clamp down on insults between players after the Mario Hermoso and Michael Folorunsho controversy.

The Minister spoke to reporters at a political event and was asked several questions on the current Calcio landscape.

Although he did not specifically name anyone, it was evident he was talking about last week’s ugly clash between Cagliari midfielder Folorunsho and Roma defender Hermoso.

Abodi wants action against unacceptable insults

“If a coach does not think he must also be an educator, then something really isn’t adding up,” said Abodi.

“It also doesn’t add up when a professional on the field makes a violent and unacceptable insult towards the mother of an opponent. When that happens, it cannot just end with a pat on the back.

“Aside from simple politeness, that is anti-sporting behaviour, it is against the rules of the sport. And we have seen too often that people hide behind the interpretation of the rules.

“The behaviour of professionals must be exemplary.”

Hermoso and Folorunsho were spotted having an intense argument at one point during Cagliari’s 1-0 win over Roma last week.

Hermoso later complained that Folorunsho had taken ‘trash talk’ too far and made comments about the player’s mother, but there has been no disciplinary action taken.

This is because although there is very clear video footage of what was said, including ‘your mother is a w***e and she needs to die,’ video evidence can only be used by the Disciplinary Committee for certain incidents.

That does include blasphemy, which is the worst type of swearing in Italian football, but not vile insults like this.

“I am not being a spoilsport here, but I do believe that considering the media visibility that players have, this carries with it a sense of responsibility,” continued Minister for Sport Abodi.

“There also has to be a disciplinary mechanism that can take action and make people realise this is not ok, because if they are allowed to insult like this, then they feel authorised to continue doing it.

“Insults we see in Serie A then will prompt even worse insults in the third division or the under-15 teams. Every gesture can be read as educational or damaging.”

Cesc Fabregas reveals he had an ‘unpleasant’ conversation with the coach of Senegal, prepares to face Roma, and is glad the Australian match with AC Milan seems to be off.

The Lariani are in action on Monday at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome at 19.45 GMT.

Nonetheless, the coach had his press conference this afternoon and is getting ready for another tough test after their 4-0 defeat to Inter.

“I am very curious to see how the team reacts to three consecutive away games, as it is a new experience for me too,” said Fabregas.

“At times we analyse things too much, and that is all my fault, I raise my hand in front of the players, the loss to Inter was my defeat because of the way I prepared against a top team.

“I saw their defeat to Liverpool and I think we did many things better than they did, but we are a work in progress. If I want Jacobo Ramon to become like Konate or Van Dijk, who made such a big difference defensively, then he needs to learn from these experiences.”

Fabregas ready to take risks with Como

Despite that setback, Como are still flying high in the Serie A table and are ahead of Juventus.

“In the last 25 games, we lost only three, two of them against Inter and the other Bologna,” continued Fabregas.

“This is a competitive team, it doesn’t give up, it wants to play with its own identity.”

Fabregas is also not shy about standing up for his club, even if his power is ultimately not enough to really shift things.

This is revealed in the way he discussed losing Assane Diao to international duty with Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations next month.

“He is called up and I spoke to him after the game with Inter. I spoke to the coach of Senegal, it was an unpleasant conversation. They have all the power here. Diao will go, if that’s the way they want to deal with it. He’s leaving on Tuesday.”

When it comes to power, the clubs had been pushing to reschedule the Serie A game against AC Milan in Australia, but new problems make that unlikely.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen – fortunately!” replied Fabregas.

There are also concerns for Alvaro Morata due to injury, so he won’t be risked, and Tasos Douvikas should step in upfront.

Maxi Perrone is suspended in midfield and Sergi Roberto nowhere near fully fit either.

Gian Piero Gasperini has influenced so many coaches in Italian football over the years, including a relatively late arrival to Serie A like Fabregas.

“I know Gasperini is a special coach with remarkable methodology that he created, something very different within Italian football. Many coaches, Spanish an English, call me to ask why he does this or that.

“You have to say, wow, this is Gasperini. He created this vision for many years, a clear identity, and helps young players to grow, so for this I have enormous respect.”

Fabregas has also tried to create his own identity at Como, which is why he does not regret the aggressive approach against Inter, even if they lost 4-0.

“I hear Max Allegri at Milan saying they want to finish in the top four, but want to do it their way. I say the same, we want to get there with our own identity. I could’ve been more defensive against Inter, but for the way I see football, it wouldn’t have helped our growth process. We go to the Stadio Olimpico with our ideas.

“I saw the statistics of the Liverpool game, and Inter ran a lot more against us than with Liverpool. I want to create an identity here, which means going to San Siro and playing our game. You can call me arrogant for that, but I prefer this to just going to defend and hope for the best.”

Niclas Füllkrug has not made the right Premier League impact, so West Ham United and his agents are trying to find him a new club in January, offering him to AC Milan and Roma.

However, the Serie A sides have not seemed particularly interested in taking up these proposals, as he has scored zero goals for the Hammers this season and is struggling to deal with the shift from the Bundesliga.

Even being in dire need of a striker, Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini still has his heart set on Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee.

Füllkrug has been a flop for West Ham

We will see if things change, but in the meantime there are more pros than cons on the idea of bringing Füllkrug to Italian football.

The first issue is his age, as he will celebrate his 33^rd birthday in February and West Ham paid €27m to sign him from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2024.

Moving to another new league he is unaccustomed to in January would be risky, so the most likely destination is a return to Germany mid-season.

Luciano Spalletti says Juventus will no longer go into a training retreat before games and confirms he has suggested ‘everyone’ to hire Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano, ‘not just to President Aurelio De Laurentiis.’

Spalletti’s Juventus will visit Bologna at the Stadio Dall’Ara on Sunday, meeting a direct rival in the race for the top four.

Bologna, in fact, are three points above the Old Lady, who ranks 7th in the Serie A table.

Spalletti previewed tomorrow’s match at a press conference, starting with team news.

Bologna-Juventus: Spalletti’s press conference

“Daniele Rugani can already be deployed. As for Bremer, because of his previous injury, he still needs time, and we must be cautious even if he’s available and wants to be there,” Spalletti told reporters via Ilbianconero.com.

Asked whether he’ll have more time next week to test a four-man defence in training, Spalletti replied: “I’m still surprised when I hear about systems in the field. In today’s football, it has changed a little. You don’t win by occupying positions, but spaces, deciding where you want to bring the game. We are going towards one-on-one across the pitch, and we have to adapt. It’s true that I want to use a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, trying to do something different, but it’s just the starting point because the game forces you to use other systems during the match.”

Francisco Conceiçao made a substitute appearance in Wednesday’s Champions League win over Pafos, contributing to a 2-0 win, but Spalletti expects a further step forward from the Portuguese.

“His development lies in becoming more decisive. He needs to increase the chances of scoring and be more determined in the attacking phase,” said the Juventus boss.

“He has this lethal outburst of pace that puts you in real trouble when he accelerates. Let’s also add some defensive phases, some duels, but I’ve seen great willingness to track back and help out, so we’re on the right path.”

The Juventus tactician was full of praise for Bologna and their coach, Italiano, confirming he had suggested Napoli hire the Bologna boss in 2023.

Spalletti on Italiano

“There are certainly things you can learn from Italiano. For me, he’s one of the best young coaches we have, and I’ve told everyone to get Italiano, not just President De Laurentiis.

“Credit goes to the coach and those who built the team. They have great quality and know exactly where they want to go,” continued Spalletti.

“They fear nothing and force you into a huge number of duels; they don’t care about how much space they leave behind. We have to break down these fences, not go man against man, but beyond the man. If we are not ready for this, it will be a complicated evening for us to talk about.

“Personality is a fundamental aspect of football. In the past, it only belonged to those who dared a risky play; today, is about accepting a full-pitch battle, pushing the opponents into the spaces you want, beyond the technical gesture,” Spalletti added.

“One single play might be enough to get a passing grade [from the media], but to play like a champion, you have to be in the heart of the team for 90 minutes and close to the ball.

“No one will convince me not to expect great things from these lads; no one will convince me that they aren’t good. A coach has to be obsessed with the idea of improving the team.”

Last but not least, Spalletti said the team would no longer go into a training retreat before matches, which means they won’t travel to Bologna until tomorrow morning.

“A training retreat isn’t a place, but a mental condition,” concluded Spalletti.

“We won’t do it anymore because, as far as I’m concerned, it’s an extra burden. If you are dealing with a group of players with the right mental condition, like those at Juventus, you don’t go into a training retreat. Whoever plays for Juventus is always in this mindset, so we’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

• More from the press conference – Spalletti reacts to Elkann claims after offer to buy Juventus: ‘It’s up to us’

Torino celebrated their first win in over two months by seeing off Cremonese thanks to the Nikola Vlasic strike, but there were penalty appeals in stoppages.

The Granata were in crisis after three consecutive defeats, hovering just above the drop zone and without a win in six rounds, and sacking director of sport Davide Vagnati. Giovanni Simeone, Ardian Ismajli and Adrien Tameze were back in the squad, leaving only long-term absentees Perr Schuurs and Zanos Savva. Cremonese were buzzing after back-to-back wins over Bologna and Lecce, sending them into the top 10. Jeremy Sarmiento, Francesco Folino, Alberto Grassi, Mikayil Faye and Michele Collocolo missed the trip, then Matteo Bianchetti pulled out in the warm-up with a nosebleed.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Federico Ceccherini’s header from a corner was well smothered, but Emil Audero needed a great save getting down one-handed to keep out the powerful Che Adams angled drive.

Toro opened the scoring when Duvan Zapata controlled a cross from the left with his back to goal and turned, but in trying to intercept, Federico Baschirotto just knocked it down for Nikola Vlasic to smash in from 10 yards.

Cremonese responded immediately, Alberto Paleari forced into a tricky save on Federico Bonazzoli’s acrobatic chest and bicycle-kick. Moments later, Jamie Vardy drew out the goalkeeper, but couldn’t keep it in play after springing the offside trap.

Toro continued to create the best chances after the restart, Adams stinging Audero’s gloves, while at the other end Ceccherini’s strike was straight at Paleari.

Romano Floriani Mussolini got back for a decisive block on the Marcus Pedersen counter-attack, but Cremonese wasted a golden opportunity to equalise on 80 minutes.

Vardy sprung the offside trap down the left and rolled across only for Faris Moumbagna to fire over as he came sliding in at the back post.

Adams could also have sealed it for Torino, cutting inside Federico Baschirotto to bend a right-foot finish inches past the far post.

Simeone stung Audero’s gloves from a tricky angle too, but there was controversy deep into stoppages when Simeone controlled the Alessio Zerbin free kick with his shoulder and it ricocheted onto the arm. VAR had a silent check, but ultimately decided not to suggest an On-Field Review for a Cremonese penalty.

Torino 1-0 Cremonese

Vlasic 27 (T)

13-12-2025 14:00

MatchDay 15

Olympic Grande Torino Stadium

Torino

Cremonese

1 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Nikola Vlasic (Assist: Duván Zapata)		27'
		36'		Tommaso Barbieri

2nd half

Marcus Pedersen		90+9'
		90+3'		Martín Payero

Match statistic

46

Possession %

54

18

Total shots

10

6

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

4

8

Blocked shots

3

6

Corners

6

Offsides

1

20

Fouls

13

Torino

Cremonese

Starting lineups

1

Alberto Paleari

Goalkeeper

44

Ardian Ismajli

Defender

13

Guillermo Maripán

Defender

16

Marcus Pedersen

Defender

23

Saúl Coco

Defender

20

Valentino Lazaro

Defender

90'

66

Gvidas Gineitis

Midfielder

64'

32

Kristjan Asllani

Midfielder

90'

10

Nikola Vlasic

Midfielder

19

Ché Adams

Attacker

83'

91

Duván Zapata

Attacker

64'

1

Emil Audero

Goalkeeper

6

Federico Baschirotto

Defender

3

Giuseppe Pezzella

Defender

63'

15

Matteo Bianchetti

Defender

4

Tommaso Barbieri

Defender

63'

24

Filippo Terracciano

Midfielder

27

Jari Vandeputte

Midfielder

77'

32

Martín Payero

Midfielder

38

Warren Bondo

Midfielder

51'

90

Federico Bonazzoli

Attacker

77'

10

Jamie Vardy

Attacker

Substitutes

81

Franco Israel

Goalkeeper

61

Adrien Tameze

Midfielder

8

Ivan Ilić

Midfielder

14

Tino Anjorin

Midfielder

7

Zakaria Aboukhlal

Midfielder

5

Adam Masina

Defender

21

Ali Dembélé

Defender

71

Mihai Popa

Goalkeeper

25

Niels Nkounkou

Defender

92

Alieu Njie

Attacker

18

Giovanni Simeone

Attacker

64'

22

Cesare Casadei

Midfielder

64'

26

Cyril Ngonge

Attacker

83'

34

Cristiano Biraghi

Defender

90'

6

Emirhan Ilkhan

Midfielder

90'

69

Lapo Nava

Goalkeeper

16

Marco Silvestri

Goalkeeper

23

Federico Ceccherini

Defender

11

Dennis Johnsen

Attacker

8

Mattia Valoti

Midfielder

48

Dachi Lordkipanidze

Midfielder

7

Alessio Zerbin

Attacker

51'

99

Antonio Sanabria

Attacker

63'

22

Romano Floriani Mussolini

Defender

63'

20

Franco Vázquez

Midfielder

77'

14

Faris Moumbagna

Attacker

77'

Luciano Spalletti is ‘happy’ to ‘feel the strength’ of John Elkann but pushes the team to ‘give substance’ to the owner’s ‘passion.’

• More from Spalletti’s press conference – Spalletti confirms permanent Juventus changen and Italiano suggestion

Juventus are preparing to visit Bologna at the Stadio Dall’Ara tomorrow, but the eve of the game has been shaken by the news that minority shareholders Tether have made an offer to buy a majority stake from Exor.

Spalletti’s response to Elkann’s message

Minutes before Spalletti’s pre-match press conference, Elkann released a statement through the Juventus website insisting that the club was not for sale: “We’ll continue to support our team and look to the future to build a winning Juve,” said the club owner.

“Even though I arrived only recently, it makes me happy to feel the strength and passion that John Elkann and family have for this club,” Spalletti said (via Ilbianconero.com).

“It is clear that it is up to us to give substance and concreteness to this passion, honouring the last and building a future on the same level, or even a better one, as John Elkann himself told us when he came to visit us.”

Spalletti and Elkann met on Friday

The Italian tactician revealed he had spoken to Elkann on Friday: “Yes, and I saw him too, a few hours ago, just yesterday,” he said.

“Sometimes, he sends me his thoughts, and I’m glad about it. In this case, he mentioned the future as well and clearly, as I said when I arrived, the objective is to always aim for the top when you are part of this kind of club.”

Tether’s offer to buy Juventus is worth €1.1 billion, but according to several sources, the club’s actual value is closer to €2 billion.

Regardless of the club’s worth and Tether’s offer, however, Elkann and his family are unwilling to sell the club, as the Juventus owner clarified.

Juventus currently sit 7th in the Serie A table with 23 points, three below their next rivals, Bologna.

• Read more – ‘Make Juventus great again’ – What’s behind the €1.1bn offer to buy the club

Juventus chief John Elkann explains ‘our history and values are not for sale’ after parent company Exor rejected a takeover bid from Tether.

While Tether are already minority shareholders, yesterday they announced a €1.1 billion offer to take over all the remaining shares held by the Agnelli family holding company Exor.

This was rejected outright and now Exor President Elkann, an heir to the Agnelli family fortune, released a video where he explained their reasoning.

Wearing a Juventus hoodie, he outlined their refusal for the present and the future.

Elkann makes it clear Juventus not for sale

“Juve have been part of my family for 102 years, in the real sense of the word, because over the course of a century, we’ve seen four generations make it bigger, stronger, protected it during difficult moments and celebrated in the many happy times.

“That is not all. Juve are part of a much, much bigger family. The Bianconeri family. It is made up of millions of fans in Italy and around the world, who love Juve the way they love those closest to them.

“It is precisely thinking about this passion, this history of love that unites us for over a century, that as a family we continue to support our team and look to the future to build a winning Juve.

“Our Juventus, our history, our values, are not for sale.”

While there had been reports in recent years that Exor were frustrated at the amount of money going into stabilising Juve coffers, especially in the wake of the accounting scandal over inflated transfer fees, they never really seemed amenable to the idea of selling the club.

Tether were only founded in 2014 and are a cryptocurrency company, who currently have an 11.52 per cent stake in Juventus and one member on the board of directors, Francesco Garino.

Denzel Dumfries hasn’t played a competitive match since November 9 and is not expected to return to action before January 2026, but next week he’ll have a specialist visit abroad, reports Gazzetta.

Inter defender Dumfries is not expected to play again in 2025 and will have a specialist visit abroad next week to receive a clear diagnosis.

Dumfries’ injury explained

The Netherlands international was subbed off after 56 minutes during Inter’s home game against Lazio on November 9 and has not returned to action since.

Dumfries had suffered a suspected sprain in his left ankle, and even if he joined his national team during the break last month, he was not involved in matches against Poland and Lithuania.

The right-back returned to Italy for treatment, and it was believed that he would have recovered for the derby against Milan on November 23, but that wasn’t the case.

Dumfires to miss Supercoppa Italiana Final Four

Gazzetta reports that Dumfries has been training in the gym and has tried to increase the workload, but the pain is still there.

Even MRI scans and other tests have not highlighted any particular damage to the injured ankle, so Inter have decided to change their approach, arranging consultations with several orthopaedic specialists focusing on ankle problems.

Next week, he’s expected to fly abroad for a specialist visit, but Dumfries is highly unlikely to return to action before January 2026, missing next week’s Supercoppa Final Four.

Milan striker Santiago Gimenez continues to train separately, even if, according to Gazzetta, the Rossoneri doctors believe the Mexico international has fully recovered from an ankle injury.

Milan striker Gimenez has missed one and a half months of action due to an ankle injury that even prevented him from playing with the Mexico national team in November.

Gimenez continues to train separately

The former Feyenoord star continues training separately at Milanello even if, according to Gazzetta, the club’s medical staff believe the striker has clinically recovered from his ankle issue.

The pink paper explains that, technically, there isn’t a diagnosis for the Mexican striker and that Milan have never released an official statement regarding his injury.

Even Massimiliano Allegri hasn’t entirely clarified Gimenez’s issue as the Italian tactician keeps telling the media that he hopes the 24-year-old will return to action “soon.” Today’s press conference made no exception.

According to the report, the striker’s perception of pain and mental discomfort also play a role in his slow return to action.

Gimenez’s return date still unclear

As of today, his return date remains unclear as the striker could even miss next week’s Supercoppa Italiana Final Four in Saudi Arabia.

Milan are looking for a new striker in the January window, but Gimenez is not considering leaving the club as his agent recently confirmed.

Massimiliano Allegri feels Christian Pulisic still has room for improvement but the American star has proved to be ‘diabolical’ in front of the goal.

Allegri praised Pulisic during today’s press conference on the eve of a Serie A match against Sassuolo.

Pulisic inspired Milan’s 3-2 win over Torino on Monday and is the joint Serie A top-goalscorer alongside Inter’s Lautaro Martinez with seven goals.

Allegri comments on Pulisic

“He still has room for improvement. In his private life, he’s very reserved, but he transforms on the pitch. He’s diabolical when he’s in front of the goal. He still needs to find his best condition,” Allegri said via Milan News.

Gazzetta dello Sport reported earlier this week that Pulisic needed just ten shots on target to score seven league goals this term.

Pulisic has covered any role in the Milan attack during his stay at the club. Could he be deployed as an attacking midfielder in the future?

“I don’t know if in the future he’ll have to play deeper. I’ll just say that we have to try to get Gimenez back, hopefully,” Allegri replied.

Allegri needs ‘more options’ in attack

“Above all, to have four forwards to choose from, especially because we’ll have many matches in January. Getting Athekame, Fofana and Leao back already gives us more options on the pitch; that’s why recovering Gimenez is important.”

During his press conference, Allegri confirmed that Fofana and Leao would miss tomorrow’s match but will be available for the Supercoppa semifinal against Napoli next week.

The Coppa Italia Final Four will be staged in Riyadh next week, involving Milan, Napoli, Inter and Bologna.

Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri says his players must ‘respect’ Sassuolo and feels Christopher Nkunku should ‘smile more.’

• Read more – Pulisic ‘diabolical’ in front of the goal, says Milan coach Allegri

Allegri’s Milan host Sassuolo at San Siro on Sunday. The Rossoneri are the Serie A table leaders, level on 31 points with Napoli.

Milan-Sassuolo: Allegri’s pre-match press conference

Allegri previewed tomorrow’s game at a pre-match press conference, primarily providing injury updates: “Leao won’t be available tomorrow, but will recover for the Supercopppa. Fofana has recovered, but I’ll leave him at home because he hasn’t trained at all. Athekame has been called up, Gimenez is working, and we hope to have him back as soon as possible,” Allegri said via Milan News.

“Sassuolo can make you struggle at any time, so we must have great respect and order in the defensive phase. If we wander around the pitch, they will cause trouble for you, and the game will become more complicated. Tomorrow we need a serious performance under every aspect; technically, physically and mentally.”

Christopher Nkunku started against Torino, but hasn’t yet scored in ten Serie A appearances.

“He must be more serene, because we all wanted him here,” Allegri said.

“His teammates and the club trust him. I told him he has to smile more. If he does so, things will improve. He’s an important player with technical skills, and I’m convinced he’ll do excellent things.

“He has worked a lot. In Turin, we scored the third goal because he attacked the near post well, freeing he space for Pulisic. He has extraordinary technical qualities and can score goals.”

Allegri has been repeating that Milan’s main objective is to qualify for the Champions League, while Inter and Napoli are the favourites for the Serie A title.

“If I’m not wrong, they finished first and second last season, so normally they are the favourites,” he said.

“We’ve changed many players, and we’ve welcomed excellent players. We are at Milan, so we must have the ambition and the desire to give our best, knowing that we must return to the Champions League. Tomorrow, we need to make a further step forward. We are table leaders, but we still need many to reach our main target, which is to qualify for the Champions League.”

Is it an advantage for Milan not to be involved in any European competition?

“I’d be happy if I could play one game every three days and in the Champions League, because we work for this,” insisted Allegri.

“There are all these rumours about the advantages or disadvantages. I believe the advantage is to have a strong team with strong players, a strong club and an environment that can support physically, mentally and technically a game every three days; otherwise, you can’t be in a top team. I like to play in the Champions League, and we are working for this. I don’t think that playing one game every three days leads to worse preparation, but it’s possible.”

Santiago Gimenez is still injured and hasn’t yet scored in Serie A. Does it mean Milan will look for a new centre-forward in January?

“I must find solutions internally in a group of players who are offering it to me,” insisted Allegri.

“The club will keep an eye on the market, but we must focus on tomorrow’s game. Once we’ve done it, we’ll focus on the Supercoppa.”

Is Ardon Jashari ready to replace Luka Modric if the Croat needs to rest ahead of next week’s Supercoppa?

“Jashari has really improved. Tomorrow’s game is the closest one, so I’ll base my assessments on tomorrow’s match,” noted Allegri.

“After tomorrow’s game, we’ll see the dead ones, the ones who are alive and those who are wounded.”

Milan have won all their big games this season, but dropped points against teams in the bottom half of the table. Fikayo Tomori has had drops in focus, but Allegri refused to blame the Englishman.

“It’s not about Tomori. We all have it as a team. We conceded two goals against Torino, Pisa, Parma and Cremonese,” he said.

“There are situations we must improve; we can’t be two goals down after 12 minutes. It happens sometimes, but we must try to avoid it.

“This is a team that never complains about the work and what we ask them. They have a clear target, they want to seize the opportunity to stay at Milan and leave something important recorded in Milan’s history,” concluded the coach.

“We must remain focused without listening to what is being said. The target is to be in the top four on May 25 because, I repeat, Milan must play in the Champions League next season.”

Cristian Chivu insists Inter are ‘having a great season, despite what people say,’ as they prepare to face a revitalised Genoa under his old Roma teammate Daniele De Rossi. ‘The reality is different to the narrative.’

It kicks off on Sunday at 17.00 GMT at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, also known as Marassi.

Hakan Calhanoglu limped off midweek against Liverpool and “has not resumed training yet,” while Francesco Acerbi, Denzel Dumfries, Matteo Darmian, Tomas Palacios and Raffaele Di Gennaro are also out of action.

De Rossi has seen the Grifone surge up the standings since taking over from sacked Patrick Vieira and is hoping to keep that confidence going against an Inter side fresh from Champions League defeat to Liverpool.

Chivu stands up for his Inter record

“We need to be perfect, especially in terms of attitude against a team that found so much enthusiasm under a new coach,” said Chivu in his press conference.

“It has never been easy for Inter in this fixture, so we need to give it our all. I had four marvellous years at Roma, De Rossi was a captain without the armband, as Francesco Totti was still there at the time. I always admired his intelligence, he is a genuine guy who is very loyal.”

The defeat to Liverpool arrived in extremely controversial circumstances, with a penalty so soft that it made headlines around Europe.

How will Inter react to this feeling of profound injustice?

“With the same calm that marked my approach since the start of the season,” responded Chivu.

“We are aware that we’ve got to give our best every day, along with a little added focus, responsibility, passion and enjoyment.

“Despite what people say, in my view we are having a great season. It’s true, there are ups and downs, we’d like to remove the downs, but we are confident in our work.

“We are trying to learn from mistakes, but must not lose the confidence that we are having a great season. Excluding the Club World Cup, we have had 21 games where at most we got two halves wrong, but never a whole match.

“This squad wants to dominate and the reality on the field is different to the narrative that people want to paint about us.”

Inter have lost practically all the ‘big’ games against strong opponents, despite often creating more opportunities and having the majority of possession.

“We started the season under a magnifying glass, people said we were failures and we were finished, but we are still up there and that is not to be taken for granted considering what was said over the summer.

“Of course we have margin for improvement, but we never wanted to lose our identity, our hunger, our desire to be dominant in Serie A and Europe. We are on the right track, and that is the most important thing.

“Some might say that we ought to be more negative and defensive, going for the draw, but I don’t want us to lose our identity.”

The best performance of Chivu’s Inter was only last week, demolishing Como 4-0 at San Siro, but the coach disagrees.

“In terms of effort, we actually did more against Liverpool. Of course, with all due respect for Como, Liverpool can afford to spend €150m for one player, so it’s a very different level.

“However, in terms of overall performance, we were not inferior to Liverpool, so I will keep and build on the good things I saw there.

“We have to talk about the reality. I’ve been at Inter in one way or another for 20 years, so expectations are different to reality,” added Chivu.

“I do not evaluate the growth process based on one victory or one defeat. I don’t like labels, and too many of them are placed on Inter.”

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Former Inter star Gianluca Pagliuca believes Guglielmo Vicario is a ‘very good goalkeeper’ but is not ‘top-class’ while Gigio Donnarumma is the best in the world.

La Gazzetta dello Sport has reported that Tottenham keeper Vicario is open to joining Inter next summer as the Nerazzurri will be looking for a replacement for Yann Sommer in 2026-27.

“It would be a good idea, with full respect for Sommer,” Pagliuca, a former Inter goalkeeper, told Gazzetta via Fcinter1098.it

‘Vicario not a top-class goalkeeper’

“Yann is a reliable goalkeeper and has experience. I don’t know what Inter want to do, but the fact that he’s been questioned over two mistakes seems a bit excessive to me.”

As for Vicario, the former Italy international seems to have clear ideas: “He’s a very good goalkeeper, the second choice for our national team. He has experience in Italy and also in the Premier League,” Pagliuca said.

“However, I don’t see him as a top-class player yet. He has experience because he’s been between the posts for a long time; he’s 29, but he doesn’t give me the feeling of being a top player.”

Pagliuca, Italy’s starting goalkeeper in the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, also praised Inter’s second-choice goalkeeper Josep Martinez: “I really like him,” he said.

Pagliuca ranks the top three goalkeepers in the world

Lastly, he ranked the top-three goalkeepers in the world: “In an overall ranking of No.1s, I’d put Gigio [Donnarumma] first, then Courtois and then Dibu Martinez, who, I don’t know whether will remain in Birmingham.”

Pagliuca played for Sampdoria, Inter, Bologna and Ascoli in Serie A, collecting 592 appearances in Italy’s top flight.

The former goalkeeper won the Scudetto in 1990-91 with Sampdoria and the 1997-98 UEFA Cup, now Europa League, with Inter.

He retired after spending the last season of his career at Ascoli in 2006-07.

La Gazzetta dello Sport notes that Tether’s offer to buy Juventus is below the actual club’s value which is ‘realistically’ between €1.8 and 2 billion.

• Read more – ‘Make Juventus great again’ – What’s behind the €1.1bn offer to buy the club

Crypto giants Tether, a minority Juventus shareholder, announced an €1.1 billion offer to acquire a majority stake in the club on Friday, but the Agnelli family replied through a spokesperson that the club is not for sale.

Juventus’ financial issues in recent years

Gazzetta examines the Bianconeri’s financial situation, describing the Serie A giants as a ‘sleeping giant’ with considerable assets, including a club-owned stadium and training centres worth €450m, but also a poor financial situation with losses of nearly one billion in the last eight years that forced club owners to make cash injections for over €900m.

When Andrea Agnelli became the club’s President in May 2010, Juventus’ stock market capitalisation was €162m, and it peaked to €1.5 billion in 2019, driven by the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo a year earlier. Currently, Juventus are valued at €915m on the Milan stock exchange.

Football Benchmark’s latest report gives Juventus a value of €1.651 billion; according to Forbes, the club’s worth is slightly higher at €1.9 billion. Realistically, according to Gazzetta, the range lies between €1.8 billion and €2 billion.

With their statement, however, Tether assigned to Juventus an equity value of €1.1 billion. Considering the financial debt of around €300m, the enterprise value would be €1.4 billion, according to the crypto giants, below market estimates.

Don’t forget that, back in 2022, Elliott sold Milan, who didn’t have a club-owned stadium, to RedBird for €1.2 billion, while more recently, Atletico Madrid’s majority stake was acquired by Apollo with an enterprise value of €2.5 billion.

Four Juventus four capital increases in recent years

Even if Juventus have solid assets, they’ve been falling short financially in recent years, accumulating €999m in losses between 2014-15 and 2024-25. Juventus have not been profitable for the past eight seasons, requiring four capital increases.

The last one worth €98 was completed just a few weeks ago, when Exor and Tether subscribed their stakes, 65.4% and 11.5% respectively, for a total of €77m, while the remainder came from institutional investors.

However, there have been positive signals in recent months as, last season, the deficit was cut to €58m compared to €199m from the previous financial year.

The updated business plan targets break-even by the end of the 2026-27 campaign, but that will largely depend on results on the pitch, with access to the big Champions League prize money, and the increase of the players’ worth.

Marco Palestra is shining for Cagliari, but Atalanta still have control of the 20-year-old who was on Roma and Juventus’ agenda last summer.

Palestra has recently been linked with several Serie A heavyweights, a natural, if somewhat belated, recognition of the outstanding form shown by the 2005-born right-back.

Explosive, tireless and devastating down the flank, Palestra looks unstoppable, and tonight, he’ll experience a very special match as he’ll return home for Atalanta-Cagliari.

Palestra returns to Bergamo

The promising defender will face the club that still own his registration rights, Atalanta.

Last summer, La Dea sent the 20-year-old to Cagliari on a dry loan deal. The Sardinians were looking for a replacement for Nadir Zortea, who had joined Bologna, and beat competition from Parma.

Roma and Juventus’ interest in Palestra

Palestra is a player that Gian Piero Gasperini mentioned when he was appointed as the new Roma coach last summer, but then the Giallorossi focused on Brazilian right-back Wesley.

Even Juventus made an offer to sign Palestra last summer, as we reported on July 22. The Bianconeri were prepared to offer money and Filip Kostic, but Atalanta stood firm and opted to send Palestra on loan to Cagliari, keeping control of the player.

Football Italia transfer expert Alfredo Pedullà provides the latest transfer updates on Serie A-linked Mauro Icardi, Joshua Zirkzee, Kobbie Mainoo and Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca.

Milan will be looking for a new striker in the January transfer window, and Pedullà argued in his latest YouTube video for Football Italia that the Rossoneri should sign another striker next month, regardless of Santiago Gimenez and Christopher Nkunku, who have failed to match expectations this season.

Other media have linked Mauro Icardi, a former Inter captain, with a move to Milan. Pedullà says that the Argentine, whose Galatasaray contract expires in June 2026, was not offered to Milan through official sources, but perhaps other intermediaries held informal talks with the Rossoneri.

Icardi has offers from four countries

Icardi has important offers from Mexico, Brazil, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Icardi isn’t yet 36, but he wants to wait. The request is a €10m salary.

As for Zirkzee, the Dutchman is a priority target for Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini, but Manchester United must sign another striker because Zirkzee has had more playing time recently, and the Red Devils are only open to selling the player for an appropriate transfer formula, which means not a loan with an option to buy.

Mainoo’s situation is different because he’s younger than Zirkzee and is not getting much playing time at Old Trafford. The English midfielder is Napoli’s priority target in midfield for the January window.

Last but not least, the Partenopei won’t give away Lucca in the January window; they might allow him to leave on loan, but it will also depend on Romelu Lukaku’s fitness once he returns to action.

Tuttosport newspaper reports that Juventus are ready to make a new offer to extend Kenan Yildiz’s contract as the striker’s father, Engin, has landed in Turin.

Juventus are expected to continue talks over Yidiz’s contract extension in the coming days, according to Tuttosport.

The Turin-based paper claims that members of the Yildiz family have landed in Italy, and not just to spend holidays together.

Juventus set to resume Yildiz contract talks

The striker’s father Engin, in fact, is expected to meet with club directors for contract negotiations, helped by a well-known intermediary, Jorge Mendes.

Yildiz’s contract expires in June 2029, but the Bianconeri’s No.10 has now become a key player in the team, and his €1.5m salary does not reflect his status at the Allianz Stadium.

Yildiz’s salary request to Juventus

According to the report, Yildiz’s salary request is €6m per season, a sum that Juventus are eager to match, possibly including easily achievable bonuses.

Yildiz, 20, has grabbed six goals and six assists in 20 appearances across all competitions this season.

According to Il Corriere dello Sport, Milan are among the clubs interested in Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus who will be looking for more playing time in the second part of the season.

Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus is the latest striker linked with a move to Milan in the January transfer window.

The Rossoneri will be looking for a new centre-forward next month, and Italian media have already mentioned several targets for the Rossoneri, including Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee, West Ham’s Niclas Füllkrug and Sassuolo’s Andrea Pinamonti.

Gabriel Jesus linked with Milan move

According to Corriere dello Sport, Milan’s owners are unwilling to make a big investment in a new striker in the January window, but possible departures of Santiago Gimenez and Ruben Loftus-Cheek would help the Rossoneri finance the purchase of a new man in attack.

Gimenez’s transfer stance

Football Italia, however, understands that Gimenez is not considering leaving the club in the winter transfer window, at least for now.

If the situation were to change, Gabriel Jesus would be one of the Milan targets, according to Corriere dello Sport.

The 28-year-old has recently returned from an injury and wants to play consistently in the second part of the campaign, something he might not be given at Arsenal, given Mikel Arteta’s options in attack.

According to the report, Gabriel Jesus wants to have a chance to return to the Brazil national team for the 2026 World Cup, so he’ll be looking for more playing time next month.

The 28-year-old would earn just above €3m from January until the end of the season. The Brazilian’s contract at the Emirates Stadium runs out in June 2027.

The Agnelli family is unwilling to sell Juventus despite a €1.1 billion offer from minority shareholders Tether, so we take a closer look at the blockchain-enabled platform and its CEO, Paolo Ardoino.

Tether announced an offer to buy a majority stake in Juventus from Exor on Friday night, but received a firm reply from the Bianconeri owners: “Negotiations are not underway regarding the sale of a stake in Juventus,” a spokesperson for the Agnelli family told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

How do Tether make money?

Founded in 2014, the Tether cryptocurrency has grown massively over the last few years and its CEO, Paolo Ardoino, is a life-long Juventus supporter. Tether already holds an 11,52% stake in Juventus and is represented in the Juventus board of directors by Francesco Garino.

As reported by Gazzetta, the main difference between Tether and other popular cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, is its lower volatility.

 

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Un post condiviso da Tether Operations Limited (@_tether_)

Tether’s value is pegged to the US dollar, and its users appreciate it for its stability rather than the hope of profiting from market speculations.

Gazzetta explains that Tether has ‘built its success on its effectiveness in supporting international transactions without the involvement and costs of various intermediaries, such as banks.’

The company is headquartered in El Salvador and reported profits exceeding €13 billion in 2024. Tether’s core focus lies in cryptocurrencies, blockchains and technological innovation, including artificial intelligence.

As previously mentioned, its CEO, Paolo Ardoino, is a life-long Juventus supporter who has become increasingly popular among Bianconeri supporters on social media, especially X, thanks to his motto ‘Make Juventus great again.’

https://t.co/rQLpUYieMP

— Paolo Ardoino (@paoloardoino) December 12, 2025

Gazzetta notes that the relationship between Tether and Exor has never been particularly solid. At times, Ardoino’s social media activity aimed to look for a collaboration with Exor, but other times, the Tether CEO has criticised the club and the team.

Exor unwilling to sell Juventus

The abrupt public bid is unlikely to strengthen relations between the two sides, particularly given that Exor had already indicated, before Tether’s proposal, that it had no intention of selling the club in response to rumours of a potential offer from a Saudi investor.

This past November, Juventus owner John Elkann said: “We remain fully committed to Juventus and are proud to be its controlling shareholder for over a century. We are and have always been open to constructive ideas from all stakeholders who share our ambition and passion for the club.”

Check out the probable line-ups and latest team news for Saturday’s three Serie A matches: Torino vs. Cremonese, Parma vs. Lazio and Atalanta vs. Cagliari.

Serie A Round 15 started on Friday with Lecce’s 1-0 win over Pisa at the Stadio Via Del Mare.

Today, Saturday, December 13, there are three more matches: Torino vs. Cremonese at 15:00 CET (14:00 GMT), Parma vs. Lazio at 18:00 CET and Atalanta vs. Cagliari at 20:45 CET.

Torino vs. Cremonese

Torino (3-5-2): Israel; Ismajli, Maripan, Coco; Pedersen, Casadei, Asllani, Vlasic, Lazaro; Simeone, Adams.

Unavailable: Schuurs

Cremonese (3-5-2): Audero; Terracciano, Baschirotto, Bianchetti; Barbieri, Payero, Bondo, Vandeputte, Pezzella; Bonazzoli, Vardy.

Unavailable: Collocolo, Faye, Grassi, Sarmiento, Folino

Watch on TV: Paramount+ in the USA

Parma vs. Lazio

Parma (3-4-2-1): Corvi; Delprato, Troilo, Valenti; Britschgi, Bernabé, Keita, Valeri; Benedyczak, Ondrejka; Pellegrino.

Unavailable: Frigan, Circati, Suzuki, Ndiaye

Lazio (4-3-3): Provedel; Marusic, Patric, Romagnoli, Lu. Pellegrini; Guendouzi, Cataldi, Basic; Cancellieri, Castellanos, Zaccagni.

Unavailable: Rovella, Gigot, Isaksen, Gila (suspended)

Watch on TV: DAZN in the UK and Ireland, Paramount+ in the USA

Atalanta vs. Cagliari

Atalanta (3-4-2-1):  Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Djimsiti; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Zalewski; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Scamacca.

Unavailable: Sulemana, Bellanova, Bakker

Cagliari (3-5-2): Caprile; Zappa, Luperto, Rodriguez; Palestra, Adopo, Deiola, Folorunsho, Obert: Esposito, Borrelli.

Unavailable: Belotti, Ze Pedro, Felici, Mina

Watch on TV: DAZN in the UK and Ireland, Paramount+ in the USA

Serie A table

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario wants to join Inter next summer, but the Nerazzurri don’t want to pay more than €20m to sign the Italy international.

Italian goalkeeper Vicario is eager to join Inter next summer, according to the latest report of Gazzetta dello Sport.

Vicario wants Inter move

The pink paper had reported in November that Vicario wanted to leave Spurs at the end of the season and that the Nerazzurri were interested in securing his services.

Vicario is grateful to Tottenham but wants to return to Serie A in the summer, so the Nerazzurri will have to negotiate with Spurs, as the goalkeeper’s contract runs out in June 2028.

Vicario a long-time Inter target

According to the report, however, Inter are unwilling to invest more than €20m to sign the former Empoli and Cagliari goalkeeper who was already a Nerazzurri target in 2023, before the 29-year-old completed a permanent move to North London.

Vicario has kept nine clean sheets in 22 Tottenham appearances this season.

He’s Italy second-choice keeper behind Gigio Donnarumma and has five international appearances to his name.

La Gazzetta dello Sport

Offer for Juve

The crypto giants value the club at €1.1 billion. Exor: ‘It’s not for sale’

From Tether 725m for 65,4% of the club.

Vicario wants Inter

The Tottenham goalkeeper is getting closer. Dumfries’ warning.

Corriere dello Sport

Transfer market special

Gabriel Jesus, the bomb

The Arsenal centre-forward is back from an injury and can leave in January

Milan loom? Mainoo is open to Napoli. Lucca between Italy and abroad

Juve, Motta was better

Last season, they were closer to the top spot and had more points

The results in the opening 14 games have worsened with Tudor and Spalletti: fewer goals scored (18 to 22) and more vulnerable defence (14 to eight). Tether: ‘One billion ready for the club.’ Exor: ‘Not for sale.’

Lazio, Sarri looking for the tris: Cancellieri in the trident

De Rossi and Chivu, so many jokes

Tuttosport

Baroni, breakthrough or trouble

Under the eyes of the new director, the coach must send a strong signal after three consecutive losses. Lecce’s win over Pisa made the Granata slip to the 17th spot. Fans will protest against Cairo before the game.

One billion for Juve, Elkann says no

Tether’s offer will be rejected

The crypto company that has an 11,5% stake in the club aims for a majority stake. ‘Offer made with humility and a sense of belonging for the club and the fans.’ But Exor says no. Besides Ardoino’s move, there’s no confirmation regarding the desire to sell Juve. Yildiz’s family in Turin to negotiate the renewal. According to CIES, Kenan will be worth 140m in June.

‘De Rossi and Chivu two shy with success.’

Milan, Juve and Inter: ticket prices cap for the visitors

A spokesperson for the Agnelli family has confirmed that negotiations over a potential takeover of Juventus are ‘not underway’ following a €1.1 billion takeover offer from minority shareholders, Tether. 

On Friday evening, Tether officially announced that they had lodged an offer to purchase Exor’s majority stake in Juventus. Exor is the holding company owned by the Agnelli family, which has been in control of the football club since 1923. 

Tether, who currently own a minority stake of just over 10%, have offered a price of €2.66 per share, which equates to around €1.1 billion for Exor’s 65.4% stake in the club. 

Tether has announced that it intends to make a public offer for the remaining shares at the same price.

What Agnelli family says about Tether’s Juventus takeover proposal 

“Negotiations are not underway regarding the sale of a stake in Juventus,” a spokesperson for the Agnelli family told La Gazzetta dello Sport. The spokesperson also referred to Tether’s takeover proposal as ‘press rumours’. 

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, a lifelong Juventus supporter, insists that the takeover attempt is sincere. 

“Today, Tether has sent an official proposal to Exor to purchase their entire stake in Juventus,” he wrote in a tweet on X on Friday. 

“From the beginning, our goal has always been to support the team and bring it back to the glory that it deserves. As part of our commitment, if this transaction goes through successfully, Tether will invest €1 billion into the club.” 

Lecce have taken a big step clear of the Serie A relegation places after an important 1-0 victory at home against Pisa in an early six-pointed on Friday evening: Nikola Stlic finally claiming his first goal since joining the Salentini from Charleroi over the summer.

Lecce made three alterations to their starting line-up following last week’s 2-0 loss against Cremonese, bringing in Francesco Camarda at centre-forward, Riccardo Sottil on the wing and Corrie Ndaba at left-back. The hosts were without the suspended M’Bala Nzola and replaced him with Stefano Moreo. Ebenezer Akinsanmiro, Isak Vural and Mehdi Leris were also called back into the starting XI. 

Click here to read more about how the team’s lined up.

Eusebio Di Francesco’s game plan didn’t get off to the best of starts when Medon Berisha hit the deck immediately after playing a pass out to the right wing seven minutes in. He was carried off on a stretcher and Mohamed Kaba was called in to replace him after just 10 minutes. 

It was Lecce with the larger share of the attacks in the first half: Santiago Pierotti with the best opportunity after a cut-back from Riccardo Sottil on the byline. 

The hosts also troubled Pisa from set-pieces in the first half. There were two close efforts from the same corner half an hour in, before Tiago Gabriel managed to head off target from just a few yards out before the interval. 

In the end, it was Eusebio Di Francesco’s second-half substitutes that made the difference. Lameck Banda, on for Pierotti, carried the ball down the left flank and almost to the byline before cutting back for Stulic to tap home: His first Serie A goal on his 14th outing.

Lecce 1-0 Pisa 

Stulic 72’

12-12-2025 19:45

MatchDay 15

Stadio Ettore Giardiniero - Via del Mare

Lecce

Pisa

1 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

33'

Arturo Calabresi

2nd half

Nikola Stulic (Assist: Lameck Banda)		72'
Tete Morente		85'
Kialonda Gaspar		90'

Match statistic

52

Possession %

48

21

Total shots

4

3

Shots on target

0

11

Shots off target

2

7

Blocked shots

2

12

Corners

1

1

Offsides

3

16

Fouls

7

Lecce

Pisa

Starting lineups

30

Wladimiro Falcone

Goalkeeper

3

Corrie Ndaba

Defender

74'

17

Danilo Veiga

Defender

4

Kialonda Gaspar

Defender

44

Tiago Gabriel

Defender

29

Lassana Coulibaly

Midfielder

10

Medon Berisha

Midfielder

11'

20

Ylber Ramadani

Midfielder

22

Francesco Camarda

Attacker

67'

23

Riccardo Sottil

Attacker

74'

50

Santiago Pierotti

Attacker

66'

1

Adrian Šemper

Goalkeeper

4

Antonio Caracciolo

Defender

81'

33

Arturo Calabresi

Defender

46'

5

Simone Canestrelli

Defender

14

Ebenezer Akinsanmiro

Midfielder

59'

15

Idrissa Touré

Midfielder

21

Isak Vural

Midfielder

20

Michel Aebischer

Midfielder

9

Henrik Meister

Attacker

7

Mehdi Léris

Attacker

75'

32

Stefano Moreo

Attacker

59'

Substitutes

93

Youssef Maleh

Midfielder

14

Thórir Jóhann Helgason

Midfielder

32

Jasper Samooja

Goalkeeper

11

Konan N’Dri

Attacker

13

Matías Pérez

Defender

21

Christ-Owen Kouassi

Defender

28

Olaf Gorter

Midfielder

5

Jamil Siebert

Defender

6

Álex Sala

Midfielder

95

Daniele Bleve

Goalkeeper

77

Mohamed Kaba

Midfielder

11'

19

Lameck Banda

Attacker

66'

9

Nikola Stulic

Attacker

67'

25

Antonino Gallo

Defender

74'

7

Tete Morente

Attacker

74'

22

Simone Scuffet

Goalkeeper

12

Nicolas

Goalkeeper

6

Marius Marin

Midfielder

36

Gabriele Piccinini

Attacker

19

Tomás Esteves

Defender

94

Giovanni Bonfanti

Defender

26

Francesco Coppola

Defender

47

Mateus Lusuardi

Defender

8

Malthe Höjholt

Midfielder

44

Daniel Denoon

Defender

39

Raúl Albiol

Defender

46'

3

Samuele Angori

Defender

59'

10

Matteo Tramoni

Midfielder

59'

99

Lorran

Midfielder

75'

16

Louis Buffon

Attacker

81'

Tether, minority shareholders of Juventus, have announced that they have submitted an offer to purchase Exor’s majority stake in the club and that they intend to purchase the remaining shares to assume full ownership. 

Tether announce plans to purchase Juventus in full

Tether, a cryptocurrency stablecoin, initially purchased a minority stake in Juventus in February 2025. CEO Paolo Ardoino is a life-long Bianconeri supporter. 

Tether increased their stake in the club in April, and it was reported at the time that they currently possess 10.12% of the club’s shares and 6.18% of the club’s voting rights. 

Tether has announced on Friday evening that they have tabled a ‘binding all-cash proposal’ to purchase Exor’s shares in the club. Exor is the holding company owned and controlled by the Agnelli family, who have owned Juventus since 1923. 

Currently, Exor holds 65.4% of the shares in Juventus. According to reports from Calcio e Finanza, Tether has offered a price of €2.66 per share, which equates to a total of around €1.1 billion.

Tether has announced that it intends to make a public offer for the remaining shares at the same price. 

What Tether said about Juventus proposal

“Tether has submitted a binding all cash proposal to Exor to acquire its entire stake in Juventus Football Club,” a statement on Friday evening read. 

“Subject to regulatory approvals, Tether intends to make a public offer for the remaining shares at the same price, fully funded with its own capital and supported by a long term commitment to the club.

“This proposal reflects a belief in Juventus as more than a football club. For generations, Juventus has stood for discipline, ambition, and the quiet strength of those who rebuild and move forward, season after season. It is a club that has shaped Italian sporting identity and earned the loyalty of supporters around the world.”

“For me, Juventus has always been part of my life,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “I grew up with this team. As a boy, I learned what commitment, resilience, and responsibility meant by watching Juve face success and adversity with dignity. Those lessons stayed with me long after the final whistle.

“Our interest in Juventus comes from deep admiration and respect. Juventus is a symbol of Italian excellence with a truly global presence, built over generations through hard work, ambition, and the unwavering loyalty of its supporters. These values mirror how we have built Tether, with patience, independence, and a focus on long term resilience.

“Tether is in a position of strong financial health and intends to support Juventus with stable capital and a long horizon. Our goal is to contribute positively to the club’s future, to support sporting performance at the highest level.

“This proposal is made with humility and a deep sense of responsibility toward the club, its supporters, and its legacy. We believe Juventus’ story is still being written, and that its next chapters can be defined by strength, continuity, and ambition.”

Tether’s statement continued: “The proposal contemplates the acquisition of Exor’s shareholding, representing 65.4 percent of Juventus’ issued share capital. Completion of the transaction would be subject to Exor’s acceptance, the execution of definitive documentation, and receipt of required regulatory approvals. Following completion, Tether intends to proceed with a public tender offer for the remaining shares at the same price per share.

“In the event that the transaction completes, Tether is prepared to invest 1 billion Euros in the support and development of the Club. 

“Tether operates with a long term investment philosophy supported by a strong balance sheet and a focus on building resilient, globally relevant institutions. Further updates will be provided in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.”

Reports in Italy claim that Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is considering the possibility of a move away from San Siro during the January transfer window to boost his chances of being selected in Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad. 

Could Loftus-Cheek leave Milan in January?

The former Chelsea midfielder has been a valuable role player under Massimiliano Allegri this season, featuring in a number of different roles including a brief stint in the attacking line of a 3-5-2 in the absence of Rafael Leao earlier this season. 

But, despite being called up to the England national team squad in October, Loftus-Cheek has struggled for opportunities as a starter in Milan following the signings of Luka Modric, Adrien Rabiot and Samuele Ricci over the summer. 

The Englishman started all of Milan’s first three league matches of the season, but has only started one of their 11 league games since then. 

With Milan not involved in European competition this season, and having also been knocked out of the Coppa Italia, Serie A is currently Loftus-Cheek’s only chance of minutes in the Milan line-up. 

Now, according to reports from Calciomercato.com, Loftus-Cheek is considering the possibility of leaving Milan in January in order to increase his game time ahead of the World Cup in the summer. 

There have been suggestions that Napoli could be poised to offer a temporary solution, given that they are in the midst of a midfield injury crisis with Kevin De Bruyne, Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Billy Gilmour all currently unavailable. 

There had been reports over the summer that Lazio were also interested, but it remains to be seen whether they will make an approach during the winter window. 

Calciomercato claims that there have also been enquiries from a number of unspecified Premier League clubs, and that there could also be potential opportunities for Loftus-Cheek in the Bundesliga. 

Francesco Camarda starts up front for Lecce against Alberto Gilardino’s Pisa in an early relegation six-pointer in Serie A on Friday evening. 

It is a matter of 17th vs.18th this evening, and with just three points separating the sides, level on goal difference, goals scored and goals against, the loser of tonight’s match will spend the next week in the relegation zone. Pisa will remain in the bottom three if tonight’s game ends level. 

Two of Lecce’s league wins this season have come in their last five matches, against Fiorentina and Torino, while Pisa have only won once in Serie A so far this season: A 1-0 victory at home against Cremonese on November 7. 

Lecce were beaten by Cremonese last time out in the league, and have made three alterations to their starting line-up from that game. Milan loanee Camarda starts at centre-forward in place of Nikola Stulic, with Riccardo Sottil called in to replace Lameck Banda on the wing. Corrie Ndaba starts over Antonino Gallo at left-back. 

Pisa are without M’Bala Nzola for three matches after his completely unnecessary sending off against Parma last weekend. He is part of four changes made by Gilardino. Stefano Moreo starts at centre-forward, while Ebenezer Akinsanmiro, Isak Vural and Mehdi Leris come in to start in the midfield. 

Kick-off is due at 19.45 GMT. 

Lecce vs. Pisa: Confirmed line-ups

Lecce (4-3-3): Falcone; Ndaba, Gaspar, Gabriel, Veiga; Coulibaly, Ramadani, Berisha; Pierotti, Camarda, Sottil. 

Pisa (3-5-2): Semper; Calabresi, Caracciolo, Canestrelli; Touré, Akinsanmiro, Aebischer, Vural, Leris; Moreo, Meister

12-12-2025 19:45

MatchDay 15

Stadio Ettore Giardiniero - Via del Mare

Lecce

Pisa

1 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

33'

Arturo Calabresi

2nd half

Nikola Stulic (Assist: Lameck Banda)		72'
Tete Morente		85'
Kialonda Gaspar		90'

Match statistic

52

Possession %

48

21

Total shots

4

3

Shots on target

0

11

Shots off target

2

7

Blocked shots

2

12

Corners

1

1

Offsides

3

16

Fouls

7