Inter star Denzel Dumfries has broken his silence after undergoing ankle surgery in London. ‘It’s been a tough month with a lot of emotions, but I’m glad the worst is behind me.’

The Dutchman has been out of action since picking up the left ankle issue during the 2-0 Serie A victory over Lazio on November 9.

His recovery took longer than expected, and with so little genuine progress, it was decided that he would go under the knife to stabilise the ankle.

Dumfries posts from hospital bed

Dumfries posted a picture on Instagram of himself in his hospital bed at the Fortius Clinic in London, where he had the operation earlier today.

“Surgery went well. It’s been a tough month with a lot of emotions, but I’m glad the worst is behind me. Now full focus on recovery and I’ll do my best to be back on the pitch as soon as possible!”

 

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Although the official Inter statement does not specify how long he will be out for, Sky Sport Italia are reporting they expect him to be on the sidelines for at least two to three months.

With that in mind, the Nerazzurri are likely to seek a replacement on the January transfer market.

Meanwhile, the multiple reports were confirmed and are now official, Dumfries has changed his agent and is now represented by the Epic Sports Agency run by Ali Barat.

He has left Jorge Mendes, and with a release clause set at €25m valid outside Italy until July 15, it is very likely that he is preparing for a new experience in the Premier League.

 

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Former referee Andrea De Marco analysed the controversial Serie A decisions made during Parma-Lazio, Bologna-Juventus, Udinese-Napoli and Torino-Cremonese.

He was representing the Italian Referees’ Association (AIA) in the weekly DAZN Italia programme Open VAR, where the footage and audio from conversations between the officials are analysed.

You can read about his comments regarding the incidents during AC Milan 2-2 Sassuolo here.

Serie A referees got most of it right

De Marco was pushed on the Mattia Zaccagni straight red card for a sliding tackle on Nahuel Estevez during Lazio’s 1-0 win away to Parma, a decision that some refereeing pundits had called “excessive.”

Not for the first time, the official line was different to the one presented by the television pundits.

“In these situations, there is maximum severity when punishing tackles like this that are serious foul play,” assured De Marco.

“We see there is everything required for this to be a red card, the referee is very well placed, and he was quick to make the correct decision.

“The criteria for a red in this case are the speed of the lunge, the high leg, and the danger posed to the opposition player. It’s true he doesn’t get him full on, but this type of challenge will be clamped down on with the maximum severity throughout the season.”

If that was correct, then some other decisions this weekend did not meet with the approval of the AIA.

Specifically, Cremonese were furious late on when Torino striker Giovanni Simeone’s handling offence was not spotted by VAR.

“In this case, the VAR and AVAR focused too much on the green zone of the arm when the ball first makes contact, which also touches his chest,” explained De Marco.

“Their review was a little superficial, because they didn’t pay attention to the second touch with his arm. If there was one, then it was punishable, because it was not knocking it onto his own arm, it was a clear deflection, so that should’ve been a penalty.”

However, De Marco sided with the officials on two other contentious Serie A Week 15 situations.

“Karlstrom’s foul on Lobotka is clear, so Ghersini is right to suggest the review, which leads to referee Sozza disallowing the Udinese goal against Napoli.

“When Lucumi had a hand on David’s back in Bologna-Juventus, the intensity was not enough to warrant a penalty, so the correct decision was made. We raised the bar for giving penalties for a push and this falls well below it.”

Gian Piero Gasperini has a wish list for the Roma attack and it’s in a clear order, with Joshua Zirkzee first, Yuri Alberto second, and Giacomo Raspadori only third.

The Giallorossi know they need to secure some reinforcements over the January transfer window and their recent results show the need for a reliable centre-forward, even if it is an atypical one.

Gasperini will be heavily involved in the selection process and Zirkzee is at the top of his list.

The Manchester United outcast is considered to be a centre-forward, with Raspadori as a support striker who can also play in a wider role.

Why Zirkzee is the hot favourite for Roma

The former Napoli player had been appreciated by Gasperini when still in charge of Atalanta, although that was to play off centre.

So the coach would gladly bring both in, but if that is not possible, then his pick would be Zirkzee.

Now it is up to director Frederic Massara to push Manchester United into getting a deal done quickly, not waiting until mid or late January.

It is also true that Gasperini would like Yuri Alberto, but he is seen as an alternative to Zirkzee, while Beto is mentioned largely because both Everton and Roma have the same owners.

This isn’t a priority, and would only be pursued if Artem Dovbyk were to move on.

It is confirmed that Gasp also likes Giovane of Hellas Verona, who is on the wish list of Inter and Napoli already.

Raspadori is seeking a new club, seeing as he never got much playing time with Atletico Madrid, so it’d be ideal for Roma if Tommaso Baldanzi (liked by Verona) or Stephan El Shaarawy were to make way.

Jack knows that Maurizio Sarri is an admirer and would gladly take him to Lazio as a centre-forward, but a lot depends on Taty Castellanos.

Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma was named in the FIFA Best Men’s XI 2025, with his former PSG teammate Ousmane Dembele getting the overall prize.

Inevitably, Paris Saint-Germain dominated this evening’s awards in Doha, as they won the Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France and French Supercup last season.

Donnarumma was a key figure in that squad, so despite being sold to Manchester City in the summer, he was recognised with the Best Men’s Goalkeeper award and as part of the Best Men’s XI.

Donnarumma featured in FIFA Best awards

His former teammate Dembele was as expected given the FIFA Best Men’s Player award for 2025, following on from his Ballon d’Or success.

PSG coach Luis Enrique was also crowned the Best Men’s Coach for 2025, although Italian Enzo Maresca of Chelsea was in the list of seven nominees.

Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the Best Women’s Player award for the third year in a row.

FIFA Best Men’s XI 2025

Gianluigi Donnarumma

Achraf Hakimi

William Pacho

Virgil van Dijk

Nuno Mendes

Cole Palmer

Jude Bellingham

Vitinha

Pedri

Lamine Yamal

Ousmane Dembele

We talked about Rafik Belghali a couple of weeks ago and can now confirm top Italian clubs set their sights on the Verona right-back, including Juventus, Inter and Roma.

The Algerian with a Belgian passport has been a major protagonist with Verona so far this season and is helping their climb up the table with back-to-back wins.

This operation cost €1.5m plus bonuses at the time from Mechelen, and now his value on the transfer market has increased by at least a factor of 10.

If we were to suggest around €15m for his price-tag, we wouldn’t be far off the reality of the situation.

Belghali wanted by Inter, Juventus and Roma

Now we can confirm that all the big Italian clubs appreciate Belghali and are keeping a close eye on his progress.

Juve really like him, Inter had asked for information even before the Denzel Dumfries injury and consequent surgery.

Roma appreciate the player too, despite already having Wesley on that flank, and have spoken to Verona about both Giovane and Tommaso Baldanzi.

Hellas hope to keep Belghali to the end of the season, seeing as they need all the help they can get to avoid relegation, but that depends on what offers come in.

Former referee Andrea De Marco analyses the various controversial incidents in AC Milan 2-2 Sassuolo, giving the official verdict on where the officials went right and wrong in that game.

De Marco was the official attending this week’s edition of DAZN Italia show Open VAR, where the footage and audio of the conversations between Video Assistant Referees and the man with the whistle are aired.

A Week 15 match that hit a lot of headlines was Milan’s 2-2 draw with Sassuolo.

Milan 2-2 Sassuolo controversial situations

There were penalty appeals from Sassuolo for Strahinja Pavlovic’s coming together with Walid Cheddira.

“In this case, the referee did very well to evaluate the situation in the moment,” said De Marco, representing the Italian Referees’ Association.

“Prontera and Maresca in the VAR room also did well, because as you can see from the camera overhead, Pavlovic continues his run, while Cheddira doesn’t control the ball, instead pushing his leg out to run into his opponent.”

Notably, this is not what DAZN Italia’s own refereeing pundit Luca Marelli said when analysing the exact same incident.

Another incident that created more issues was the referee blowing the whistle too early when he thought Ruben Loftus-Cheek had pushed Fali Cande, meaning that when Christian Pulisic put the ball in the net, it was disallowed.

“In this case, the referee blows for a foul, the Milan player does put his hands on the Sassuolo player’s back, but the intensity of the push has to be evaluated,” explained De Marco.

“VAR cannot intervene, but considering the parameters we are setting for fouls this year, this cannot be considered a foul, and the goal should’ve been allowed to stand.”

If the referee has already blown the whistle, then the action has stopped and VAR cannot intervene.

The Serie A Disciplinary Commission has inflicted a two-match ban on Lazio midfielder Toma Basic, while Teun Koopmeiners, Mattia Zaccagni and Torbjorn Heggem are among those suspended for one.

The verdicts were handed down following a fiery set of Week 15 fixtures, which concluded last night.

The most contentious game was certainly Lazio’s victory away to Parma, which saw them get all three points even after going down to nine men.

Serie A bans after Week 15 games

Basic was sent off for elbowing Nahuel Estevez in the ribs during an off the ball incident, and has therefore been given a two-match ban for violent conduct.

His Lazio teammate Zaccagni was also shown a straight red card during that match, but his mistimed sliding tackle on Estevez only warranted a one-game suspension.

Bologna defender Heggem saw red for stopping a clear goal-scoring opportunity against Juventus and he too received a one-match Serie A ban.

The players who accumulated enough yellow cards to activate an automatic one-match ban are Koopmeiners (Juventus), Rafik Belghali (Verona), Martin Frese (Verona), Kialonda Gaspar (Lecce), Martin Payero (Cremonese) and Kristjan Thorstvedt (Sassuolo).

Genoa have been fined €12,000 for their fans throwing fireworks onto the pitch, forcing the referee to halt play temporarily against Inter.

Como coach Cesc Fabregas and Verona tactician Paolo Zanetti must sit out a touchline ban.

Inter announced that Denzel Dumfries has undergone surgery for his ankle injury, so is expected to be out for two to three months.

The Netherlands international had been struggling for a while with the ankle problem, that was taking longer than expected to heal.

He underwent a specialist consultation and opted to go under the knife.

Dumfries not expected back until February or March 2026

A statement from Inter confirms Dumfries had surgery to stabilise the left ankle at the Fortius Clinic in London today.

He will follow a rehabilitation programme over the coming weeks, but Sky Sport Italia and others are already suggesting this means at least two to three months out of action.

Inter are therefore likely to go back onto the transfer market in January to find a suitable replacement, as so far they have been using Luis Henrique or moving Carlos Augusto over to the right flank.

It also raises more question marks about the future of Dumfries, who recently changed agents, suggesting he is pushing for a summer exit towards the Premier League.

The player has a release clause in his contract believed to be set at €25m, albeit only valid for a brief period of the summer.

Juventus have launched a new line of clothing in honour of legend Alessandro Del Piero, with current Number 10 Kenan Yildiz roped into the campaign referencing Renaissance art.

The icon is depicted as several works of art in a gallery, so he sits down and asks what a young man thinks about the paintings.

“Not bad,” is the response from Kenan Yildiz, who so adored the Italian that he copied his tongue out goal celebration.

That gesture is also replicated in some of the shirt designs as part of the ADP Collection, launched today by Juventus and Adidas.

Not bad pic.twitter.com/sdkHME1LXN

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 16, 2025

Del Piero a true legend in the Juventus jersey

He spent 19 years at the club, scoring a total 290 goals in 705 appearances between 1993 and 2012.

The centrepiece of the collection is the pre-match jersey, which has symbols of Renaissance art around his signature celebration.

There are also items of apparel and accessories with Del Piero’s signature and personal logo.

Witness the art of football.
Once a prodigy. Always a legend. pic.twitter.com/D4tBIiPWRS

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 16, 2025

Jorginho has not hidden the fact that he would like another go in the Italy national team, but admits ‘there’s not a lot to say other than I’m feeling good and working hard’. 

The former Napoli, Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder has not featured for the Azzurri since the massively disappointing EURO 2024 campaign, and then failed to work his way back into Luciano Spalletti’s plans. In September 2024, it looked like his international career was over. 

Things didn’t go much better for Jorginho at club level in 2024-25, as he saw his opportunities in the Arsenal first-team limited to just 15 outings in the Premier League. 

He was allowed to leave the North London outfit over the summer, and has since joined Flamengo in his native Brazil. 

“It’s a happy moment. It’s a nice choice that I made (joining Flamengo), there’s a lot of games, a lot of tournaments to think about, but I’m really happy about it. We need to continue pushing,” the former Italy international told Sky Sport Italia. 

Jorginho also spoke about his beloved Napoli, for whom he made 133 Serie A appearances across a four-year spell. 

“Napoli are always strong, I always watch with a lot of affection because it’s a club that gave me a lot, a team that gave me a lot and with supporters who gave me a lot,” he said. 

“I have a lot of love for the city, I always follow them and they will continue to fight until the end, they’ve won it recently, they play well, I wish them luck, I’ll always support them.” 

Could Jorginho still play for Italy?

Jorginho was asked, given that he never officially announced his retirement from national team duty, whether he is still interested in a call-up to the Italy squad. 

He replied: “I’m working harder and harder so I can always be ready to play. I always want whatever is best for the national team, there’s not a lot to say other than I’m feeling good and working hard.”

Milan are preparing to jet off to Saudi Arabia for the Supercoppa Italiana, which kicks off later this week, and with a few injury headaches, Massimiliano Allegri has decided to call in five youth team players including Maximilian Ibrahimovic. 

Ibrahimovic and four other Milan youngsters included in Supercoppa Italiana squad

Napoli and Milan will face off against each other in the first Supercoppa Italiana semi-final on Thursday evening. That will be followed by Bologna vs. Inter on Friday night, and then the final on Monday night. All three matches will be played in Riyadh. 

Milan and Napoli are both scheduled to fly over to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Rossoneri were scheduled to fly out from Malpensa airport at around 15.00 GMT. 

Santiago Gimenez is not on the flight as he continues to be troubled by ankle issues. Mattia Gabbia is also not in the squad at the moment, although there is reportedly still hope that he could join the team in Saudi Arabia in a few days’ time. 

Allegri has also taken the opportunity to include a handful of younger players in his squad for the Supercoppa. 

 

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Among them is 19-year-old Ibrahimovic, son of the legendary Zlatan, who is currently working as an advisor to Milan owners RedBird. Joining the young Ibrahimovic are his Milan Futuro teammates Matteo Dutu, 20, and 17-year-old Valeri Vladimirov.

18-year-old Emanuele Sala, a central midfielder, has been called up from the Primavera squad, as has 17-year-old winger Emanuele Borsani. 

Italy national team captain Gianluigi Donnarumma has officially been handed The Best Men’s Goalkeeper at FIFA’s The Best awards on Tuesday. 

Donnarumma wins FIFA’s The Best Goalkeeper award

This is the first time that Donnarumma has won the goalkeeping prize at FIFA’s The Best awards, having finished second behind Chelsea’s Champions League-winning Edouard Mendy in 2021. This award adds to the Yachine Award that Donnarumma won at the Ballon d’Or ceremony earlier this year. 

He has seen off competition from Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez, Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer, Arsenal’s David Raya, Inter’s Yann Sommer and Barcelona’s Wojciech Szczesny to win the award. 

Donnarumma’s highlight of the last calendar year came while he was still with Paris Saint-Germain, when they thumped Inter 5-0 in the Champions League final at the end of May. He has since joined Manchester City, who are in second place, two points off Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.

The former Milan stopper becomes the second Italian to have won the FIFA Best Goalkeeper prize, which has been running since 2017, following Gianluigi Buffon’s triumph in the inaugural year. 

Italy and Brazil are the only two nations to have two different goalkeepers win the prize (Buffon and Donnarumma, and Ederson and Alisson). 

Gianluigi Donnarumma is crowned #TheBest FIFA Men's Goalkeeper 2025!

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 16, 2025

Reports in Italy claim that Juventus wing-back Joao Mario could potentially be allowed to leave the club during the January transfer window and that Premier League outfit Crystal Palace are among the interested parties. 

Could Crystal Palace move for Juventus’s Joao Mario?

The Portuguese, who joined the Bianconeri from Porto at a cost of just over €12m last January, has struggled for opportunities under both Igor Tudor and Luciano Spalletti this term. 

He started in two of Juve’s first five Serie A matches of the season, but first-team chances have been even harder to come by since Spalletti took charge at the end of October. Joao Mario has been named as an unused substitute for Juve’s last five Serie A matches, and their last four in the Champions League. 

All told, Joao Mario has played for just 11 minutes since Spalletti took over. 

Spalletti is not short on options at wing-back either, with Weston McKennie, Andrea Cambiaso and Pierre Kalulu all capable of covering on the right flank. He also has Juan Cabal and Filip Kostic on the left. 

For that reason, Juventus could be talked into letting the former Sporting. According to reports from Tuttosport and Calciomercato.com, the player’s agents will speak with the club in the coming days to take stock of the situation. 

Tuesday’s report also claims that Crystal Palace are interested in the 25-year-old. Juventus would reportedly be willing to let Joao Mario go on a permanent basis in January as long as they recoup the fee that they invested last year.

There have been no offers from South London yet, but there has been an initial enquiry according to Tuesday’s report.

Fabio Cannavaro agrees with the growing portion of Serie A supporters who feel that there are not enough opportunities for young, homegrown players in Italy, and has explained what he would do to change the situation. 

The 2006 World Cup winning captain gave an in-depth interview to Tuttosport on Tuesday, in which he discussed his prospects with Uzbekistan at the World Cup, his recent candidacy for the Italy national team job, and the current state of affairs in Serie A. 

• Read more: Cannavaro reveals how close he was to becoming Italy CT

Cannavaro: ‘Not enough Italians, even fewer young players’

Cannavaro believes that the fundamental flaw of the Italy national team is the lack of playing time for homegrown players, and especially young Italian players in the top flight. 

He also feels that Italian football is centred too much around its tactics and not around the technical ability of the players. 

When asked by Tuttosport if he still has an opportunity to watch Serie A football in his job as head coach of Uzbekistan, Cannavaro said: “No, no, I watch it even more, it helps you understand lots of different things.

And so, what has he learned from watching Serie A football recently? 

“There’s a difficult tactic they use in Italy, they play man-for-man all over the pitch. They all seem to be sons of Gasperini now, a coach I also appreciate a lot and learn a lot from.” 

And the flaws of the Italian game? 

“Not many Italians are used, and even fewer young players. All this is reflected in the national team and the coaches who have to make the call-ups. 

“For 20 years before we won the World Cup in 2006, we had players being called up who would make you say ‘wow’. 20 years later, we’ve got a team that makes you say: ‘Oh mamma mia’.” 

Cannavaro was then asked if he thinks that Italy needs a full-scale football ‘revolution’, to which he replied: “Yes, because we’re focussing too much on tactics.

“Young players coming into football are like houses being built, the foundations should be built on technique, not tactics. Until I turned 20, coaches used to just tell me to follow my opponent, even when he went to the bathroom. This Gasperini method helps young players become better.”

Cesc Fabregas is far from the most popular man in Senegal at the moment following the injury sustained by Assane Diao during Monday evening’s Serie A clash between Roma and Como, which puts the 20-year-old at risk of missing the Africa Cup of Nations. 

Fabregas abuse after Diao injury in Roma 1-0 Como

Como were beaten 1-0 by Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday night: Wesley Franca with the only goal of the game. 

On top of losing what was effectively a six-pointer in the race for Champions League football, Como have also had to deal with the loss of Diao, who pulled up and then limped off after 37 minutes at the Stadio Olimpico. 

The Senegal talent had missed several months of action earlier this year due to a fractured metatarsal, and had only recently returned from a hamstring injury that ruled him out for two league matches in November. 

However, he has now picked up another muscular injury, which makes his participation at the Africa Cup of Nations into major doubt. 

Now, Fabregas is the target of insults from Senegal fans on social media after his decision to deploy Diao as a starter against Roma, just a few days before the Africa Cup of Nations is due to get underway. 

The Spaniard has been labelled an ‘imbecile’ by some supporters, while others have used more extreme language, and others have made degrading comments about his wife under his most recent post on Instagram in the hours since Como’s 1-0 defeat against Roma.

 

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Fabio Cannavaro has explained how close he was to becoming the successor to Luciano Spalletti as head coach of the Italy national team, and has revealed which other nation he came close to taking over before taking on his current role with Uzbekistan. 

The 2006 World Cup winner, who was appointed as head coach of Uzbekistan in October,  has given an in-depth interview with Tuttosport, in which he discussed his career prospects and his ambitions for the summer. 

Cannavaro was among the names linked with the Italy national team job after the dismissal of Luciano Spalletti in June. In the end, the job went to his former national team colleague Gennaro Gattuso, who will guide the Azzurri into the World Cup play-offs in March. 

Cannavaro on Italy, Poland and Uzbekistan jobs: ‘I got tired of waiting’

Cannavaro told Tuttosport that he did have conversations regarding the Italy national team job, but that he never truly felt like a genuine candidate. 

“I’ll be honest. I spoke with Buffon, but I wasn’t really in contention,” Cannavaro said. “I had a great past as a footballer, but maybe they saw me as a poster boy more than anything. I won’t give up on coaching, I will continue. I agree with Gattuso’s choices, he’s someone who studies a lot.” 

Cannavaro also revealed that he had an opportunity to become the head coach of Poland shortly after the Italy post came up, a job which he ultimately turned down. 

“Yes, I was one step away and then said no. I didn’t feel like it, and that was a mistake, the biggest since I came back from China. I might have said no because I was waiting for Italy. That was my idea, but nothing came of it and then I got tired of waiting.” 

Still, in his role as head coach of Uzbekistan, Cannavaro is guaranteed a place at the World Cup, while Gattuso and Italy are not. 

“I’ll be back 20 years after that victory in Germany,” he said. “It was a great feeling being in the meeting with all the coaches who will be there in America.” 

And what was it like meeting his players for the first time in Uzbekistan? 

“They were all in awe when they first met me. I understood them and put them at ease to break the ice. I know why they qualified. They’re a tough national side and the Uzbeks are determined people. 

“I don’t have much time and have to find solutions quickly. I’ve watched a lot of matches, I’ve toured the country. Now the league is over and we’re going to follow the other championships where Uzbek players are involved . I call them every week, especially Shomurodov who speaks pretty good Italian. He’s in Turkey with Basaksehir now.” 

Uzbekistan will face Colombia, Portugal and possibly DR Congo in the World Cup group stage. 

When suggested that this is ‘not a walk in the park’, Cannavaro replied: “No, I wouldn’t say so, but we will be prepared when we get to those games. We’ll play against Colombia first, my friend Asprilla has already called and given me some suggestions.” 

Tuesday’s reports claim that Milan are still ‘dreaming’ of a move for Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee in the January transfer window, despite the path being clear for them to pick up Niclas Fullkrug from West Ham. 

Where Milan stand in pursuit of Fullkrug and Zirkzee

The Rossoneri are aiming to add to their attacking department in January. Massimiliano Allegri typically deploys a 3-5-2 system in San Siro, and despite the fact that Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao and Christopher Nkunku have all played up front at various stages this season, the injured Santiago Gimenez is Milan’s only natural, senior centre-forward. 

For that reason, Milan have been exploring their options ahead of the January transfer window, and according to recent reports, have an agreement in principle over a potential loan deal for Fullkrug. 

The Germany international is expected to be made available for a straight loan deal until the end of the season, which suits Milan, and his wages are not an issue for the Rossoneri either. 

However, his injury record and lack of goals during his West Ham spell is an obvious risk. The 32-year-old has not scored since a 2-2 Premier League draw with AFC Bournemouth on April 5. 

Fullkrug has also had several spells on the treatment table during his time in East London: An achilles issue that caused him to miss 16 games in 2024, a thigh injury in January 2025 which saw him miss another 12 games and then a muscular injury in October which has caused him to miss another month and a half. 

With these doubts in the back of Milan’s mind, the club have reportedly kept their interest in former Bologna forward Zirkzee according to updates from La Gazzetta dello Sport. 

Milan have reportedly been in contact with the Manchester United forward’s agents in recent weeks. Tuesday’s report claims that he is open to the idea of leaving Old Trafford, but that negotiations with Manchester United are not expected to be straightforward. 

La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that United will seek a loan deal with an obligation to buy for a fee in the region of €35m if they are to sanction Zirkzee’s departure in January. Milan are also not the only interested party, with Roma also among the clubs thought to be following the Dutchman. 

The January transfer window is fast approaching, but reports in Italy claim that Juventus are already looking ahead to the summer, when they could make a move for RB Leipzig midfielder Xaver Schlager. 

Reports Juventus interested in Schlager on free transfer

According to reports from Gianluca Di Marzio, Schlager is of interest to the Bianconeri given that his contract is set to expire in June and could be tempted away from the Bundesliga. 

The 28-year-old has 134 Bundesliga appearances to his name, but is not currently a guaranteed starter under Ole Werner at RedBull Arena. 

A central midfielder, also capable of playing in a more advanced role, Schlager would be comfortable covering in both a three-man or two-man midfield at Juventus. 

The Austria international suffered a cruciate ligament injury in May of 2024, which kept him sidelined for most of the 2024-25 campaign. Before then, he was a guaranteed starter for Die Roten Bullen, making 29 Bundesliga appearances and eight in the Champions League in 2023-24. 

Romelu Lukaku is back in training with Napoli and could be poised to make his return to competitive action in the Supercoppa Italiana in Saudi Arabia later this week according to reports on Tuesday morning. 

Lukaku set for Napoli return in Supercoppa Italiana

The Belgium international has missed 124 days of action after picking up a high-grade tear in his thigh during a pre-season friendly against Olympiacos on August 14. 

The injury to Lukaku, which occurred just a week before the start of the Serie A campaign, fast-tracked the signing of Rasmus Hojlund from Manchester United after it became clear that Antonio Conte would be without his first-choice centre-forward for several months. 

Conte could soon have Lukaku, Hojlund and Lorenzo Lucca to chose from, though, as the Belgian has returned to training as of Monday morning and is set to be included in Napoli’s squad for the Supercoppa Italiana in Saudi Arabia later this week. 

According to updates from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Lukaku and the Napoli squad will fly over to Riyadh on Tuesday afternoon, although it remains to be seen how long he will be able to play for after missing 22 matches across Serie A, the Champions League and the Coppa Italia. 

La Gazzetta dello Sport

Super re-match 

The Inter pact 

Barella and Lautaro have given the Nerazzurri squad a boost after taking the lead in Serie A

First semi-final in Riyadh on Thursday

Milan: The no.9 puzzle 

Leao is a big doubt, heading towards Nkunku-Pulisic. Gimenez could have an operation 

Napoli, Lobotka changes you 

The regista returns as a starter and Conte also brings Lukaku to Arabia

There’s also Roma for the Scudetto 

Como beaten at the Olimpico 

A goal from Wesley (1-0) Gasp beats Fabregas and goes fourth -3 from the top 

Juve

Tough but sincere Spalletti effect (and dreaming of Hojbjerg)

Corriere dello Sport 

The Christmas of Rom 

Lukaku in Arabia

Napoli, Big Rom returns for mission Supercoppa 

Training with the group as of yesterday and flying to Riyadh today: First call-up since the injury on August 14

Re-embraces Conte: He’s the special card for the semi-final against Milan on Thursday. Cannavaro: ‘How could you criticise Antonio?’

Fiorentina, judgement day 

Commisso on the phone from the States 

Rocco wants to restructure the technical department: A new director will decide Vanoli’s future. Here’s the plan to avoid relegation to Serie B

Saele signs until 2031, Now Fullkrug 

Milan in action 

Dumfries operation: 2 months out 

Inter think about Norton-Cuffy

Bologna, a shot in defence 

From Leysen to Disasi

Tuttosport

‘Spalletti sends Juve crazy, you can dream’

Interview with Cannavaro 

The CT of Uzbekistan will hold a workshop at the training ground where Maradona practiced. ‘Luciano, like Gasp, is someone you can always learn from. With him, you can start to believe in a Scudetto. Yildiz as a 10? He has a lot of quality, but he strikes me as more of a winger. Inter are the strongest, but when Napoli are at full strength though …’

Toro: Vlasic runs until 2028 

The Croatian is leading the team and is one of Cairo’s favourites

The new contract will be made official in 2026. Five goals and two assists in his last six games with Croatia and Torino: Tactical changes decisive. Three at the back, even without Coco and Masina: Here’s how. Israel is becoming a talking-point

Wesley goal: Gasperini, message to Luciano 

1-0 against Como 

Roma win a high-stakes match and secure fourth place. The battle with Juve on Saturday

From Palestra to Zaniolo: Gattuso’s christmas 

World Cup play-offs: New resources 

100 days until the semi-final against Northern Ireland. The league is providing different alternatives at full-back and in attack. Eyes also on Bartesaghi and Bernardeschi

Fiorentina, ahead with Vanoli until Udinese at least

Viola crisis

Inter are the new Serie A leaders, but the top four are crammed within a three-point radius in the tight Scudetto race, while Fiorentina are increasingly isolated at rock bottom.

The Week 15 fixtures have been completed with Roma beating Como 1-0 this evening to consolidate fourth place.

It put them within three points of new headliners Inter, two of AC Milan, and one shy of Napoli.

Serie A table tightening up at the top

This is the last time for a while that we’ll have an accurate view of the Serie A standings, because the Week 16 fixtures are staggered so that Napoli, Inter, AC Milan and Bologna can participate in the Supercoppa Italiana in Riyadh.

It’s an opportunity for the likes of Roma, Juventus, Como and Lazio to put some pressure on the leading pack.

At the foot of the Serie A table, it’s a very different scenario, as Fiorentina have slipped four points behind everyone else, and are the only team left without a single victory.

Verona’s 2-1 win in Florence saw them leapfrog Pisa, but they remain in the drop zone, so Fiorentina are now a massive eight points adrift of safety represented by Parma, Genoa and Cagliari all on 14.

Sassuolo’s 2-2 draw at Milan and Udinese beating Napoli 1-0 confirms their status as the surprise outfits of the campaign, with newly-promoted Cremonese just one point behind them.

Serie A Table

Gian Piero Gasperini feels the 1-0 victory over Como was Roma’s ‘best home performance of the season’ and assures he wouldn’t ‘settle for fourth place, but I’d be very happy with it.’

The Giallorossi were feeling the pressure after back-to-back 1-0 defeats in Serie A to Napoli and Cagliari, even though they got back on track in the Europa League with Thursday’s 3-0 win over Celtic.

It was a tough test against Cesc Fabregas’ Como and the only goal of the game was scored by Wesley Franca, firing through Alex Valle’s legs on the Matias Soulé lay-off.

With that in mind, Fabregas praised “great talent” Soulé in his post-match comments.

Gasperini impressed with Roma showing

“Undoubtedly, Soulé had a great performance, but this evening I’d struggle to find someone who didn’t,” Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia.

“It was a good performance from both teams, otherwise you don’t get this kind of intensity, this battle with each trying to win using their characteristics. If you leave Como space on the counter, they can hurt you with their pace.

“I think it was the best game we’ve had at home so far this season, so I’m glad the fans were able to enjoy this match.”

Roma have now taken the lead on nine occasions in Serie A this season and gone on to win all of them, whereas all their defeats have been by 1-0 scorelines.

They have the strongest defensive record in the league, conceding only eight times in 15 rounds.

“We’ve been solid since the start and even when we lose, they tend to be very tight matches. This is our characteristic and our strength,” noted Gasperini.

“Having said that, in recent weeks we’ve started to create a lot more opportunities too, and tonight we had significantly more than Como. We were much more dangerous and the win could’ve been by a bigger scoreline.

“We’re still lacking something in the finish and the final ball, but the team created a lot and played with quality.”

This result means that Roma consolidated fourth place, but closed to within a point of Napoli, two of AC Milan and three of new leaders Inter.

Would Gasperini be happy now to take fourth place come the end of the season?

“I never settle early,” he laughed, “but I would be very happy with that! More than the final position, I want to focus on us putting in this kind of performance. We have incredible fans, we can sense something extra when we get a deserved victory. There is an extra enthusiasm and it is contagious, so we needed that on home turf.

“This has to be the main objective, then the results come after that.”

Can Roma challenge for the Scudetto this season or are there other teams far better equipped to go for the title?

“It’s an understandable viewpoint, but these lads give their heart and soul. In theory there are stronger players in other teams, but do they have the same spirit, the same work ethic and participation?” responded Gasperini.

“At this moment, we are a good team. We’re working to get better, I saw in the head-to-head clashes, including tonight, that it’s never easy for anyone against us. We hope to continue with this spirit.”

Cesc Fabregas praises Roma talent Matias Soulé, but reveals Assane Diao’s injury and hits out at ‘not right and unfair’ Senegal coach Pape Thiaw.

The game was decided by a Wesley Franca angled drive that slipped through Alex Valle’s legs, but it turned into a battle between two very similar teams.

“I saw a really physical side, the kind of characteristics we are lacking, so either you get the ball on the ground and play, or you struggle,” Fabregas told Sky Sport Italia.

“I am proud that the team was competitive to the end, maybe we deserved a goal, but Roma deserve congratulations for playing with physicality. They have an excellent player in Matias Soulé, who I believe will be a huge player in future, so we should enjoy seeing him in Italy. I think he’s a player of a very high level, and he made the difference today.”

Without injured Alvaro Morata, Sergi Roberto, Alberto Dossena and Edoardo Goldaniga, plus suspended Maxi Perrone, Fabregas initially opted to use Nico Paz as a False 9.

“Nico Paz had fever for three days and didn’t train, so we rather forced him to play, as we didn’t have many options today,” revealed the Como coach.

Fabregas will not complain about referee

They struggled to create chances, and were then forced to bring on Tasos Douvikas after 37 minutes when Assane Diao went off injured.

“These are matches where either you run straight at them, as we did with Assane in the first half, then Posch in the second, or they block you off. It’s about who wins the most individual duels, and today Roma won more, especially in midfield.

“Serie A has the least amount of time with the ball rolling, but that’s because it is so physical, with so many individual duels all over the pitch. The referee wanted to let play run a bit more today, quite rightly, so this is something we can improve on.”

With regards to the referee letting play run, he did not stop when Jayden Addai was down injured in the build-up to the Roma goal.

Usually this would lead to furious arguing, but Como accepted the decision and did not protest. Did he expect Roma to put it out of play?

“He hurt himself, it’s difficult for a player. You have to be extremely honest to put the ball out in that situation, I think 99 per cent of players wouldn’t put it out, so it’s only fair to carry on. The football world has changed with VAR, so we have to keep going and then wait and see, we can’t hang around,” noted Fabregas.

“It was just bad luck, nothing malicious.”

Diao pulled up clutching his thigh after a sprint on goal and limped off after 37 minutes, which puts him at huge risk of missing the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.

The Como boss had already confessed that he had an ‘unpleasant’ conversation with the coach of Senegal last week, so this could get a lot worse with Pape Thiaw.

“Diao hurt his flexor during that strong run on goal. It’s really difficult to be honest in these post-match comments, because we get attacked either way, but I will try,” noted Fabregas.

“I am a huge fan of international teams, I am really glad when my players are called for international duty, it’s a big thing for a player. I just asked for a little common sense for them not to call him, because this is a player who barely featured for eight months as he keeps getting hurt and can find no consistency.

“He probably shouldn’t have played today either, but I picked him because he’s leaving tomorrow and I won’t have him for five weeks, so we pay his wages, at least let him play for us a bit.”

What made it an unpleasant conversation with the coach of Senegal?

“It’s that he said if Diao doesn’t come with us, he won’t go to the World Cup. That’s not fair, it plays on the fears of the player, he is 20 years old and has a whole career ahead of him. I don’t agree with this, it was not fair and not right,” concluded Fabregas.

Gianluca Mancini explains what happened with Jacobo Ramon and Cesc Fabregas in that tense ending to Roma’s win over Como. ‘I had a lot more respect for older players.’

The Giallorossi were in need of a boost after back-to-back Serie A defeats to Napoli and Cagliari, both by 1-0 scorelines.

They managed to win this time by the same result, as Wesley Franca fired his angled drive between the legs of Alex Valle to secure the victory.

Mancini in thick of Roma-Como action

“I think we were first to every ball, we absolutely dominated the first half, and it’s really rare to see Como with so little possession,” Mancini told Sky Sport Italia.

“We weren’t able to make that domination count, but in the second half we kept up the tempo, scored with Wesley and had a few risks, but over the course of the full 90 minutes, it was absolutely a deserved win.”

There was tension in the final moments of the match, as Mancini seemed to shoulder barge Jacobo Ramon in an off the ball incident, then the two started arguing.

After the final whistle, the problems continued, and the Italian was in an intense conversation with Como coach Fabregas as they tried to explain their respective positions.

“There was a collision with Ramon, it was normal, but he got back up and grabbed me by the neck,” explained Mancini.

“When I was 20 years old like him, I had a lot more respect for older players, otherwise I would’ve got a slap in the tunnel. I told Ramon to calm down, but he kept going. Adrenaline can fuel this sort of thing, but it’s all in the past now.

“With the coach, we cleared the air, and that’s all.”

This result means that Roma consolidate fourth place, but above all they close to within three points of new Serie A leaders Inter.

They are just one behind Napoli and two adrift of AC Milan, making for a very tight Scudetto race.

“This is what the coach asks for, this kind of intensity, I’m very happy with the goal, but above all for the performance and victory,” Wesley told Sky Sport Italia.

It is already the third Serie A goal of the season for the right-back, who was not exactly prolific throughout his career.

“I am really pleased with the goals. Director Massara asked me how many goals I scored for Flamengo, I said four, he joked I needed to double that with Roma. I hope to manage it. I came here to help the team, hopefully with goals too.”

Wesley Franca got the only goal to set Roma back on track in Serie A and inflict the second consecutive defeat on Como, who lost Assane Diao to a new injury.

The Giallorossi were coming off back-to-back Serie A defeats that saw them slide down the standings, but won on Thursday in the Europa League away to Celtic, with Evan Ferguson scoring twice. With Paulo Dybala not fully fit, Artem Dovbyk injured, Zeki Celik suspended, and Neil El Aynaoui on AFCON duty, Ferguson was again upfront. Como made changes after their 4-0 loss to Inter, as Alvaro Morata, Sergi Roberto, Alberto Dossena and Edoardo Goldaniga were injured, with Maxi Perrone suspended. Assane Diao and Evan Ndicka had permission to delay their AFCON departure, but Nico Paz was surprisingly moved into a False 9 role.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Lorenzo Pellegrini’s free kick was knocked down by Mario Hermoso for a mad scramble, then Wesley wasted from a promising position by ballooning over the bar.

Matias Soulé saw his strike charged down by Marc-Oliver Kempf, but there were chances at both ends in one move. Pellegrini’s acrobatic attempt on a corner found Ndicka for an effort charged down by Jacobo Ramon, so Diao sprinted away on the counter-attack, shrugged off two, until Devyne Rensch got back in time for the decisive block.

Diao pulled up just as he was finishing that run and limped off a few minutes later with a muscular injury, putting him in doubt for the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.

Martin Baturina made a crucial block to deflect Ferguson’s finish over the bar at the end of a well-worked team move, then moments later Ferguson prodded a Wesley assist straight at Jean Butez.

Como threatened in first half stoppages when a free kick was flicked on by Kempf for Tasos Douvikas, forcing Mile Svilar to rush off his line and palm it away from close range.

Straight after the restart, Soulé nodded onto the upright and Bryan Cristante fired in the rebound, but none of it mattered because Pellegrini was offside on the initial cross.

Como threatened too, as Svilar had to scramble across to claw the deflected Douvikas shot away from Baturina at the back post. On the resulting corner, Nico Paz saw his volley charged down, and the Lucas Da Cunha follow-up was deflected wide.

Roma broke the deadlock when Como had Addai down hurt near the corner flag after diving into a tackle, as the move continued with a cross that Soulé laid off for Wesley, his daisy-cutter going through Alex Valle’s legs into the far bottom corner.

Ferguson’s angled drive flashed wide, while Jesus Rodriguez swung a dangerous ball across the face of goal that no Como teammates could connect with.

Ndicka made a decisive sliding block from six yards on Stefan Posch, while Posch also hit the side-netting after an Ignace van der Brempt strong run. Leon Bailey forced a fingertip save from Butez at the near post in added time.

There was tension at the final whistle with a row between Gianluca Mancini, who shoulder barged Jacobo Ramon off the field, and the Como players. It continues with an intense conversation between Mancini and Cesc Fabregas.

Roma 1-0 Como

Wesley 60 (R)

15-12-2025 19:45

MatchDay 15

Stadio Olimpico

Roma

Como

1 - 0

Player statistic

2nd half

		55'		Jayden Addai
Gianluca Mancini		58'
		59'		Nico Paz
Wesley (Assist: Matìas Soulé)		60'
Stephan El Shaarawy		88'
Wesley		89'
		90+6'		Jacobo Ramón

Match statistic

53

Possession %

47

14

Total shots

13

4

Shots on target

1

4

Shots off target

5

6

Blocked shots

7

6

Corners

3

6

Offsides

3

16

Fouls

8

Roma

Como

Starting lineups

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

5

Evan Ndicka

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

22

Mario Hermoso

Defender

43

Wesley

Defender

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

7

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Midfielder

73'

17

Manu Koné

Midfielder

11

Evan Ferguson

Attacker

18

Matìas Soulé

Attacker

82'

1

Jean Butez

Goalkeeper

3

Álex Valle

Defender

28

Ivan Smolcic

Defender

79'

14

Jacobo Ramón

Defender

2

Marc Oliver Kempf

Defender

20

Martin Baturina

Midfielder

79'

6

Maxence Caqueret

Midfielder

65'

10

Nico Paz

Midfielder

38

Assane Diao

Attacker

37'

42

Jayden Addai

Attacker

65'

33

Lucas Da Cunha

Attacker

Substitutes

35

Tommaso Baldanzi

Midfielder

21

Paulo Dybala

Attacker

3

Angeliño

Defender

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

32

Devis Vásquez

Goalkeeper

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

69

Muhammed Bah

Midfielder

92

Stephan El Shaarawy

Attacker

73'

31

Leon Bailey

Attacker

82'

99

Alberto Cerri

Attacker

31

Mërgim Vojvoda

Defender

22

Mauro Vigorito

Goalkeeper

44

Nikola Cavlina

Goalkeeper

34

Diego Carlos

Defender

18

Alberto Moreno

Defender

55

Andrea Le Borgne

Midfielder

11

Anastasios Douvikas

Attacker

37'

27

Stefan Posch

Defender

65'

17

Jesús Rodriguez

Attacker

65'

77

Ignace Van Der Brempt

Defender

79'

19

Nicolas Kühn

Attacker

79'

Como coach Cesc Fabregas said he had an ‘unpleasant’ conversation with Senegal about using Assane Diao against Roma, so that could get nastier after the striker limped off injured, putting him at risk for AFCON.

See how the game unfolds on the Liveblog.

This is the final fixture of Serie A Week 15, so in theory the players going to the Africa Cup of Nations should be available for their club football.

However, as it was scheduled for the Monday evening, it falls beyond the limit where FIFA can force them to release these stars to international duty.

Diao doesn’t last long for Como

Roma were given permission by the Ivory Coast to field Evan Ndicka, but not Morocco to use Neil El Aynaoui this evening.

Como boss Fabregas confirmed over the weekend he had an “unpleasant” conversation with the coach of Senegal when trying to ensure that Diao would be available for this match.

The rapport is unlikely to get any better considering Diao limped off just 37 minutes into the game with a muscular injury.

He had been sprinting from his own half on the counter-attack when he pulled up, so depending on test results, has to be a major doubt to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Senegal begin their Africa Cup of Nations campaign against Botswana on December 23.

AC Milan need a striker straight away, regardless of Santiago Gimenez’s potential surgery, and Niclas Fullkrug can fill the gap while they wait for real target Dusan Vlahovic in July.

On Saturday, we had confirmed that Fullkrug was proposed to the Rossoneri, as he was pushing to leave West Ham United, and we noted the pros and cons of this operation.

The cons were that his recent performances have been below par, the pros that it’s a cheap loan deal because the striker who proved himself in the Bundesliga is eager to show what he can do.

AC Milan need a striker now and in future

The situation could evolve, because this way Milan could postpone their search for the real new centre-forward until the summer.

Vlahovic is currently out injured, but as the rumours from Spain confirm, their interest in him never really died out.

We had already said in September that Milan would continue to keep a close eye on his situation at Juventus, although any suggestion of a January swoop has to be postponed, seeing as he will be out injured until at least March.

That doesn’t mean they’re not still working on it, hoping the great rapport between Max Allegri and Vlahovic can swing his decision, as they battle to beat the competition to this free agent.

Cesc Fabregas explains his unusual tactical changes with a new Nico Paz role for Como against Roma, but jokes he could ‘defend for the whole game today.’

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 19.45 GMT.

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

Fabregas said after the 4-0 defeat to Inter that he would not change his approach, even if it was risky, but he has made some big adjustments this evening.

Some were forced, as Maxi Perrone is suspended, with Alvaro Morata, Sergi Roberto, Alberto Dossena and Edoardo Goldaniga injured.

Tasos Douvikas was expected to start upfront, but instead Nico Paz seems to be a False 9.

Fabregas outlines different Como vision

“Not much changes, it depends on the game, as Roma are aggressive and go man for man,” Fabregas told Sky Sport Italia.

“We played that way last season against Gasperini’s Atalanta, it went well. We need solutions, because Alvaro Morata is out for two months, Diao is heading to the Africa Cup of Nations tomorrow, so we will have only three players for four roles and must find options for the future.”

A victory here would put Como level on points with Roma in joint fourth place, and before the defeat to Inter, they had been unbeaten in 11 Serie A rounds.

These are the teams with the most aggressive press in Serie A so far this season, and the highest average possession statistics.

“We might change and defend for the whole game today,” joked Fabregas.

“We’ll see what we prepared. We are up against a great team, a great coach, and we must do very well to win here.”

Roma director Ricky Massara insists it is ‘premature’ to talk about Evan Ferguson’s future at the club and shrugs off questions about Joshua Zirkzee talks with Manchester United.

The game with Como kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 19.45 GMT.

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

The Giallorossi need a boost after back-to-back Serie A defeats to Napoli and Cagliari, as a win here would see them close the gap on the leading group.

However, Como are just three points behind them, so a loss would allow Cesc Fabregas to catch them in joint fourth place.

Surprisingly, the Lariani appear to be using Nico Paz as a False 9 with Alvaro Morata out injured.

Massara on Roma strategy for 2026

“It is not just Nico Paz, they have a lot of talent upfront and it is a dangerous game, as they already showed their quality and entertaining style of football,” Massara told Sky Sport Italia.

Ferguson gets the nod upfront after scoring two goals in Thursday’s 3-0 Europa League victory over Celtic in Glasgow, so does this change Roma’s idea about buying him outright from Brighton and Hove Albion for the €38m clause?

“It is very premature to talk about this. We are happy that Evan is doing well, he is getting back to the levels that we knew. He was stalled by a few fitness issues, so he needs consistency, he did very well on Thursday and we hope he’ll repeat that performance this evening.”

There were also rumours that Roma were ready to send Ferguson back to Brighton midway through the loan spell in January.

“As I said, we are satisfied with what he is starting to do, and all this speculation certainly didn’t come from us. It is opportune to focus on the current games.”

Massara was asked about the recent trips to London, which it was assumed were for negotiations with Manchester United and striker Zirkzee.

“We have three games yet to play, so it’s premature to talk about the January transfer market too. The trips to Britain were for the important games against Rangers and Celtic,” insisted Massara.

Former coach Claudio Ranieri has become a director this season, so how does it feel talking strategy with Ranieri and Gian Piero Gasperini?

“It’s fantastic, because when we sit around the table, there are circa 2,000 matches behind them. They are two wonderful characters who achieved magnificent things in their career and are continuing to do so, I realise that I am in a privileged position.”

Evan Ferguson and Matias Soulé lead the way for Roma, who lost a battle with Morocco for Neil El Aynaoui, as they go head-to-head with Nico Paz in a new False 9 role for Como.

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 19.45 GMT.

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

This is the concluding fixture in Serie A Week 15 and could have important ramifications on the top spots.

A victory would allow Roma to close up on the leading pack, but a defeat would see them caught in joint fourth place by Como.

The Giallorossi are in dire need of a boost after back-to-back Serie A defeats to Napoli and Cagliari, although they did get back on track in the Europa League on Thursday with their 3-0 win away to Celtic.

Ferguson scored twice in that match and wants to ride the wave of enthusiasm, especially as Paulo Dybala is only ready for the bench.

Zeki Celik was sent off in Sardinia and is therefore suspended, with Artem Dovbyk injured and Angelino back on the bench after two months out with pneumonia.

Evan Ndicka was given permission to delay his departure for the Africa Cup of Nations, but Morocco refused to let El Aynaoui stay in the squad.

Como are coming off a thumping 4-0 defeat to Inter, but had been unbeaten in 11 Serie A rounds before that.

They have a similar problem with AFCON duty, but were given permission to keep hold of Assane Diao until tomorrow, while Maxi Perrone is suspended.

Alvaro Morata, Sergi Roberto, Alberto Dossena and Edoardo Goldaniga are also out of action.

Tasos Douvikas was expected to lead the attack, with support from Jayden Addai, Nico Paz and Diao.

Instead, it looks as if Nico Paz will be moved into a False 9 role, with Martin Baturina stepping in behind him, although Diao could also be the centre-forward.

Roma vs. Como line-ups

Roma: Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Wesley, Koné, Cristante, Rensch; Soulé, Pellegrini; Ferguson

Como: Butez; Smolcic, Kempf, Ramon, Valle; Da Cunha, Caqueret; Addai, Baturina, Diao; Nico Paz

15-12-2025 19:45

MatchDay 15

Stadio Olimpico

Roma

Como

1 - 0

Player statistic

2nd half

		55'		Jayden Addai
Gianluca Mancini		58'
		59'		Nico Paz
Wesley (Assist: Matìas Soulé)		60'
Stephan El Shaarawy		88'
Wesley		89'
		90+6'		Jacobo Ramón

Match statistic

53

Possession %

47

14

Total shots

13

4

Shots on target

1

4

Shots off target

5

6

Blocked shots

7

6

Corners

3

6

Offsides

3

16

Fouls

8

Roma

Como

Starting lineups

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

5

Evan Ndicka

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

22

Mario Hermoso

Defender

43

Wesley

Defender

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

7

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Midfielder

73'

17

Manu Koné

Midfielder

11

Evan Ferguson

Attacker

18

Matìas Soulé

Attacker

82'

1

Jean Butez

Goalkeeper

3

Álex Valle

Defender

28

Ivan Smolcic

Defender

79'

14

Jacobo Ramón

Defender

2

Marc Oliver Kempf

Defender

20

Martin Baturina

Midfielder

79'

6

Maxence Caqueret

Midfielder

65'

10

Nico Paz

Midfielder

38

Assane Diao

Attacker

37'

42

Jayden Addai

Attacker

65'

33

Lucas Da Cunha

Attacker

Substitutes

35

Tommaso Baldanzi

Midfielder

21

Paulo Dybala

Attacker

3

Angeliño

Defender

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

32

Devis Vásquez

Goalkeeper

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

69

Muhammed Bah

Midfielder

92

Stephan El Shaarawy

Attacker

73'

31

Leon Bailey

Attacker

82'

99

Alberto Cerri

Attacker

31

Mërgim Vojvoda

Defender

22

Mauro Vigorito

Goalkeeper

44

Nikola Cavlina

Goalkeeper

34

Diego Carlos

Defender

18

Alberto Moreno

Defender

55

Andrea Le Borgne

Midfielder

11

Anastasios Douvikas

Attacker

37'

27

Stefan Posch

Defender

65'

17

Jesús Rodriguez

Attacker

65'

77

Ignace Van Der Brempt

Defender

79'

19

Nicolas Kühn

Attacker

79'

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Inter are top of the Serie A table alone for the first time since April 2025, a remarkable achievement considering they have lost four games already.

The Nerazzurri took advantage of the slip-ups elsewhere this weekend to surge into the leadership of the league, as Napoli lost 1-0 away to Udinese and AC Milan were held to a 2-2 home draw by Sassuolo.

With their 2-1 success at Genoa, it was enough to leapfrog them into first place with a one-point advantage over their city rivals.

Inter on top for the first time

The last time Inter were alone on top of the Serie A table was mid-April 2025, when after the Week 32 fixtures they had 71 points to Napoli’s 68.

The Scudetto race took a twist in Week 33 on April 20 when Inter lost 1-0 at Bologna, while Napoli won 1-0 at Monza to catch them.

Inter followed that with a home defeat to Roma, but Napoli stalled with a 2-2 draw against Genoa, closing the gap to one point at the end of Week 36.

That is how it remained for the final two games, Napoli taking the title.

Looking at the statistics, it is unusual for Inter to be top this season when they lost four of the opening 12 rounds.

They are flying high because Cristian Chivu’s side have the most wins with 11 and zero draws.

In comparison, Milan won only nine, drew five and lost the opening game against Cremonese.

Napoli won 10, more than the Rossoneri, but only had one stalemate and four defeats.

Serie A Table

Reports in Italy claim that Milan have an agreement in principle with Germany international Niclas Fullkrug heading into the January transfer window, but still have to strike a deal with West Ham United before a transfer can go ahead. 

Report Fullkrug agrees to Milan move, West Ham talks pending

Recent reports suggest that Milan are, again, looking for a new centre-forward in January. 

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Santiago Gimenez, who joined the Rossoneri from Feyenoord last winter. Massimiliano Allegri, who has deployed a 3-5-2 since taking over in San Siro, only has Christopher Nkunku, Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic, all of whom have had various injury and fitness struggles this season, as his other options up front. 

It has been suggested over the last few weeks that Milan are keen on a potential opportunity to pick up Fullkrug from West Ham. The Rossoneri are keen to add another natural centre-forward to their ranks, and the German is reportedly keen to move away from East London after a miserable time of it over the last 18 months. 

Now, according to reports from Calciomercato.com, Rossoneri sporting director Igli Tare has been in contact with Fullkrug’s agents, and there have been no issues in terms of salary. Milan are willing to cover the €1.5m that Fullkrug is set to earn between January and the end of the 2025-26 season. 

Monday’s report claims that Fullkrug has told his representatives to hold off on any other offers to prioritise a move to Milan. 

Milan are reportedly seeking a straight loan deal until the end of the 2025-26 season, although they still need to come to an agreement with West Ham over the terms of a deal for the German.

Santiago Gimenez is still no closer to his AC Milan comeback six weeks after an ankle injury, and there are reports he could require surgery.

The Mexico international has not played since limping off during the Serie A match away to Atalanta on October 28.

His ankle had already flared up over the summer during international duty for the Gold Cup, and weeks go by without much significant progress from conservative treatment.

No sign of recovery for Gimenez

Gimenez has flown back to the Netherlands, where he had already worked with Feyenoord, for a specialist consultation.

According to MilanNews.it, there is the distinct possibility that he could go under the knife to resolve this problem once and for all.

With the 2026 World Cup coming up next summer, co-hosted by Mexico, the USA and Canada, he has to take that into consideration as well as his faltering club career at San Siro.

Meanwhile, Gimenez will not be part of the Milan squad travelling to Riyadh tomorrow for the Supercoppa Italiana, where they face Napoli on Thursday in the semi-final.

Matteo Gabbia will also be left behind after a knee issue, even if there are no significant lesions.

Rafael Leao and Youssouf Fofana are expected to travel and should at least be on the bench.

Fiorentina have not yet made any decisions regarding the future of head coach Paolo Vanoli despite the various different rumours that have been circulating following Sunday’s 2-1 loss against Hellas Verona. 

Fiorentina have not made final Vanoli or Giuntoli decisions

It is only natural that after such a poor start and under increasing pressure that changes around the club might be made. The situation is one that could still develop, but as things stand, no major changes are expected before Thursday’s Conference League match against Lausanne. 

There have been rumours on Monday that former Napoli and Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli could be poised to come in and help Fiorentina. 

However, despite some reports hinting that a deal for Giuntoli could be close, Football Italia can confirm that there have been no direct contacts with the former Bianconeri director as yet. 

In terms of  anew sporting director, we are still some way away from there being any sort of breakthrough.

The referees have been assigned for the upcoming Supercoppa Italiana semi-finals, as Napoli face AC Milan on Thursday and Inter play Bologna on Friday.

The winners of those two clashes will go on to play each other in the Final of the EA Sports FC Supercup on Monday evening.

All these fixtures kick off at 19.00 GMT at the Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh.

It is the Final Four format for the Supercoppa Italiana, so the holders of the Serie A title and Coppa Italia play against the runners-up in the other tournament.

A winner is decided after 90 minutes, or they go straight to a penalty shoot-out.

Supercoppa Italiana referees appointed

Napoli vs. AC Milan on Thursday night will be officiated by Luca Zufferli, with Gianluca Aureliano as his VAR.

Imperiale and Rossi are the assistants, with Pezzuto as the fourth official.

The other semi-final between Bologna and Inter on Friday goes to referee Daniele Chiffi, who is supported in the VAR booth by Fabio Maresca.

Rossi and Fontemurato hold the flags on the touchline, with Dionisi as the fourth official.

Davide Calabria is continuing his career at Panathinaikos, but feels bitter over how his experience at AC Milan ended. ‘Honestly, I no longer wanted to have to deal with certain people.’

The 29-year-old had spent his entire football life in the Rossoneri jersey, coming up through their youth academy, climbing to the senior squad and even becoming captain.

However, just days after a very public clash with then-coach Sergio Conceicao in January 2025, he was loaned to Bologna for the final six months of his contract.

“Everything has a beginning and an end in life, so it was going to happen sooner or later,” Calabria told Rivista Undici.

“I had hoped it would be later, but I am super proud to have been at Milan for so many years. Not many can say that, especially coming through the youth academy, becoming captain and winning trophies.

“My teammates changed, so did the coaches, directors and club owners, but I remained. I have no regrets about that, I am proud of my experience there. As a child who supported Milan, I never dreamed that I could one day become captain.

“I entered into a Milan squad that was not what the club had been accustomed to, and I left a team that was challenging for the Scudetto and other silverware.”

How Calabria rapport with AC Milan broke down

The turning point was without doubt that public row with Conceicao, which happened on the pitch after the final whistle of their 3-2 comeback victory over Parma.

The pair got into a heated argument and had to be separated by other players, it was to be his final match for the club.

“It ended the way it ended. There were things that hurt everyone really, during a season that was bad due to certain factors,” explained Calabria.

“I think I lost more than anyone from that situation, perhaps I loved Milan too much and struggled to just shrug some things off. Those months were tough, until the bitterness burst out and the decision was made to go our separate ways.

“It had become difficult to handle, we needed to do something. It was not at all my intention to leave Milan. You all know what happened, even if nobody will say it out loud.”

Sergio Conceicao was already their second coach of the campaign after Paulo Fonseca was sacked in December 2024, just months after Stefano Pioli’s dismissal.

“After so many years, it saddened me to leave over some unpleasant incidents,” added Calabria.

“I think those moments rather ruined my image a little, not that I even did anything particularly wrong… I was the captain, I cared too much, and many people would come and let their frustrations out with me. By talking and having respect, you improve, but perhaps that turned against me during that period.

“In any case, I prefer to live and die by my own ideas than with someone else’s. I had to accept it, and honestly I no longer wanted to have to deal with certain people. There were few other options, I could’ve been frozen out of the squad, or I had to leave.”

Calabria joined Bologna on loan and he revealed an anecdote from Rossoblu director Gigi Sartori.

“I was told that Sartori joked with my ex-agent: ‘If he should ever argue with the coach, be known that we are here and ready.’ Well, two days later, you all saw what happened, unfortunately…

“It was really embarrassing and unpleasant, I honestly couldn’t explain it. The situation was quite delicate.”

Milan also gave Calabria very little time to give a proper farewell to what had been his home for decades.

“It all happened so fast, it was quite surreal. I would leave Milanello and never set foot in it again. I really struggled to accept that after so many years, thinking I might never see these people again, that the workers and my teammates were asking me not to go. To the fans, who I consider the best in the world. Never wearing the shirt of the club I love so much again.

“It was all such a tough blow to deal with. When I got the news I had to leave, I had one last tour of the training ground and cried a lot, people were incredulous that it was really happening. I gathered my things and left, after 12 years. It hurt, but I had to accept it so I could move on.”

Calabria got his revenge, as later that season he’d be in the Bologna team that beat Conceicao’s AC Milan to win the Coppa Italia.

At the end of his contract, he joined Panathinaikos as a free agent, but remains a staunch supporter of the Rossoneri.

“This Milan side can challenge for the Scudetto, they finally have someone in Max Allegri who can create and protect a united group, set the solid defensive foundations. Allegri is a winner, he has experience, and having only one game per week certainly helps too. I’d have liked to be coached by him, aside from anything else, his communication style really makes me laugh.”

Manchester United face a difficult test as they take on Unai Emery’s in-form Aston Villa side away from home in what should be an unmissable Premier League clash.

BUY ASTON VILLA VS. MANCHESTER UNITED TICKETS

Villa have been one of the most in-form teams in the country in recent weeks, and it will be intriguing to see if they can keep that run going against a Man Utd side who’ve also shown some signs of improvement.

The busy festive period of fixtures is always great entertainment so we’re sure to see plenty of interest from fans in getting tickets to this big game.

Here’s our preview and ticket buying guide for Villa vs United…

How Aston Villa could line up vs Manchester United

Villa have been able to rotate a bit and still maintain their strong form across all competitions, but in a big game in the Premier League, we suspect Emery probably has a decent idea of his strongest XI.

See below for our predicted Villa line-up for this game…

Aston Villa predicted line-up: Martinez; Cash, Maatsen, Konsa, Torres; Onana, Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn; Rogers, Watkins.

BUY ASTON VILLA VS. MANCHESTER UNITED TICKETS

How Manchester United could line up vs Aston Villa

United have one or two injury concerns, most notably Benjamin Sesko, while it’s not yet entirely clear if Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt could make it back for the trip to Villa Park.

Assuming the worst, we’ll probably see Ruben Amorim lining up with something like the below…

Man United predicted line-up: Lammens; Mazraoui, Yoro, Shaw; Dalot, Diallo, Casemiro, Fernandes; Mbeumo, Mount, Cunha.

How to buy Aston Villa tickets

Aston Villa fans looking for tickets will probably be checking the club’s official page here, but we’d actually recommend an alternative that could give you a better chance of making it to this one.

Follow our link here to get access to an easy-to-use and affordable service that has the advantage of not dealing with the club directly, meaning no extra cost or hassle of signing up to become a season ticket holder or club membership.

How to buy Manchester United tickets

Likewise, you can try your luck with Man United’s official ticketing page here, though we would again just warn you that you’ll likely be up against a lot of demand for this game, and will find yourself behind season ticket holders and club members in the queue.

A better bet could be to use our service here, which also offers you a 150% money-back guarantee if, for whatever reason, you’re not satisfied.

BUY ASTON VILLA VS. MANCHESTER UNITED TICKETS

Aston Villa vs Manchester United head-to-head record

United have a really strong record against Villa down the years, winning this fixture a remarkable 107 times in total.

That’s more than double Villa’s success against the Red Devils, with the Midlands outfit coming out on top on just 51 occasions, while there have been 42 draws.

Even during this difficult period for United, they’ve been strong in this fixture in recent times, winning five and drawing one of the last six, and losing only twice since 2009.

Can United get another victory this time, or will in-form Villa continue their run? Give us your predictions in the comments!

Roma have lost their appeal to use Neil El Aynaoui in tonight’s Serie A match against Como, as Morocco refused permission, but Evan Ndicka and Assane Diao will play.

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 19.45 GMT.

This is the final match of Serie A Week 15 and in theory the players who have been called up for Africa Cup of Nations duty should be available to their clubs until the conclusion of the round.

However, as this game is scheduled for a Monday evening, it technically falls outside the parameters and their nations can withdraw them.

El Aynaoui out of Roma squad, Ndicka stays in

Roma asked permission to both Morocco for El Aynaoui and the Ivory Coast for Ndicka.

While the defender was allowed to remain because the first Ivory Coast match against Mozambique isn’t until December 24, Morocco won their appeal to FIFA to call in El Aynaoui as they open up the tournament against Comoros on December 21.

It means the midfielder won’t be in the squad for Roma tonight.

Como had a similar issue, with Cesc Fabregas describing an “unpleasant” conversation with the coach of Senegal, but they do have Assane Diao in their squad tonight.

Senegal begin their Africa Cup of Nations campaign against Botswana on December 23.

Alexis Saelemaekers has put pen to paper on a new and improved contract with Milan, which will tie him to the club until the summer of 2031. 

Saelemaekers doubles wages on new Milan contract

Saelemaekers’s new deal is a five-year contract, which will take effect from July 1, 2026. He will continue on his current terms until the end of the 2025-26 campaign. 

The Belgian had been due to be out of contract in the summer of 2027, which meant that he would have been entering the final 12 months of his deal this summer had a new extension not been agreed. 

According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Saelemaekers will more than double his wages on his new contract as he currently earns a reported €1.2m per season and will soon see that figure rise to €3m per season. 

“AC Milan are delighted to announce that Alexis Saelemaekers has renewed his contract with the Club until 30 June 2031, with effect from 1 July 2026,” a statement from the club read.

“Since joining the Rossoneri in January 2020, Alexis has grown each season, standing out for his professionalism, selflessness, and strong sense of belonging, embodying the Club’s values on and off the pitch.

“After 159 appearances and 12 goals in the Rossonero shirt, and playing his part in the 2021/22 Scudetto triumph, AC Milan and Alexis Saelemaekers will continue their journey together, driven by the ambition to reach new milestones and write further chapters in Rossonero history.”

Saelemaekers has been a mainstay in the Milan line-up since the appointment of Massimiliano Allegri this summer. He has started in all 15 league matches so far this term, and has only come off before the 90th minute on four occasions. 

Despite his current status as a specialist right wing-back, Saelemaekers also covered in Milan’s front two when required during the early stages of the season.

Normally a big game that you’d expect to have consequences nearer the very top of the Premier League table, Tottenham vs Liverpool is looking like being more of a mid-table affair this season.

BUY TOTTENHAM VS. LIVERPOOL TICKETS

Both sides have endured disappointing starts to the 2025/26 campaign, and that could make this tie all the more interesting as they look for a result that could launch them up the table due to how close it’s looking between fourth and 13th place right now.

Spurs have home advantage but have suffered some really bad results at their stadium so far this season, while Liverpool are arguably starting to look a little more like themselves again, even if they’re still not hitting the heights many would have expected after their title triumph last term.

Fans won’t want to miss this unpredictable fixture between two teams who, more often than not, produce a spectacle for the neutrals to enjoy.

Tottenham predicted line up to take on Liverpool

Thomas Frank has rotated a lot this season, so it can be tricky to predict precisely what kind of Tottenham line up we’re going to see.

If everyone’s fit by the time this fixture comes around, Frank will surely go full strength to try to claim a big three points, so perhaps a line up that looks something like this…

Tottenham predicted line-up: Vicario; Porro, Spence, Romero, Van de Ven; Bentancur, Palhinha, Simons, Odobert, Kudus; Richarlison.

BUY TOTTENHAM VS. LIVERPOOL TICKETS

Liverpool’s predicted line-up to take on Tottenham

The big debate in recent weeks has been about Mohamed Salah and if he should still be in the Liverpool team after his outburst about Arne Slot.

This situation is one that could change quickly, so by the time this game comes around it will either be resolved, or Salah will just be a step closer to leaving.

In recent matches, though, we’re perhaps starting to see that LFC look a slightly more balanced side without Salah now, so our hunch is that he’ll probably remain out of the team for this one.

Liverpool predicted line-up: Alisson; Bradley, Kerkez, Van Dijk, Konate; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones, Szoboszlai; Isak, Ekitike.

BUY TOTTENHAM VS. LIVERPOOL TICKETS

How to buy Tottenham tickets

The official Tottenham tickets page can be found by clicking the link here, but we thought we’d also make you aware of another good option you can make use of.

Follow our link here to get access to a quick, easy-to-use and reliable ticketing hub that allows you to get to the games you care about most, without the extra hassle and cost of dealing with club membership fees.

How to buy Liverpool tickets

Most Liverpool fans will likely be aware of the club’s official ticketing page here, but it won’t necessarily give you the best chance of making it to this game.

Instead, make sure you beat the season ticket holders and club members to this one by using our reliable page here, which provides you with a 150% money-back guarantee if, for any reason, you’re not happy.

Tottenham vs Liverpool head-to-head record

This always feels like one of the Premier League’s most entertaining fixtures, and it will certainly be one that Liverpool have mostly enjoyed down the years.

The Reds have won 93 times and lost only 50 games against Tottenham, with a further 44 ending in a draw.

In more recent times, it’s also been a happy fixture for Liverpool, with Spurs winning just twice in their last 17 meetings in all competitions, which includes the 2019 Champions League final.

Spurs did win one of their games last season, though, a 1-0 victory in the league in January, but they were thumped 5-1 in the return fixture at Anfield.

Who will come out on top this time? Drop us your score predictions in the comments!

Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane are the only four players to have been directly involved in more than 10 goals in each of the last seven seasons in Europe’s top five leagues, reports Opta.

Inter captain Lautaro Martinez inspired the Nerazzurri’s 2-1 win over Genoa on Sunday providing one goal and one assist at Marassi.

The Argentine is currently the Serie A top-goal scorer with eight goals, one more than Milan star Christian Pulisic.

Stats from Opta on X social media confirm that Lautaro has been one of the most decisive strikers in Europe over the last few years.

Lautaro Martinez matches Mbappé, Haaland and Kane

“Lautaro Martínez is only one of the four players to have been directly involved in more than 10 goals (8G-3A this season) in each of the last seven Big-5 European Leagues’ seasons, along with Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane. Unstoppable,” Opta reported.

Unstoppable Lautaro Martinez

Lautaro has netted 165 goals in 355 Inter games since joining the Nerazzurri in the summer of 2018.

A 2022 World Cup winner with Argentina, ‘El Toro’ was the Serie A’s Capocannoniere in 2023-24 with 24 goals, contributing to Inter’s 20th Scudetto in their history.

He was also the top-goal scorer in the Copa America with Argentina in 2024.

Khephren Thuram is the present and future of Juventus, and has recently received the backing of Giorgio Chiellini, so here is the reasoning behind the recent rumours involving the Frenchman and a possible Bianconeri move for Inter’s Davide Frattesi. 

Where Juventus stand with Thuram and Frattesi

In recent weeks, there had been far-fetched suggestions that Juventus were considering the possibility of a swap deal with Inter that would see Thuram and Frattesi move in opposite directions. Similarly, Milan and Napoli have also been linked with deals involving Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Lorenzo Lucca swapping sides. Both rumours are baseless. 

Focussing on Juventus specifically, Chiellini has recently stressed Thuram’s importance to Luciano Spalletti: “I won’t talk about Frattesi, as that’s a lack of respect towards Inter. What I can say without doubt is that Thuram will remain a Juventus player. He has done really well in the year and a half he’s been with us and we have no intention of letting him go,” he said before kick-off against Bologna on Sunday. 

Thuram has shown that he is capable of being a Juventus player and that he still has plenty of potential to fulfill. He hasn’t had the most impressive of performances in recent weeks, but there’s no doubt that Juventus intend to stick with him for the time being. 

As for Frattesi, Juventus’s interest is a separate matter. Inter are adamant that they will not let the Italy international leave for anything less than €35m, which is less than the fee that had been cited to interested clubs over the summer. 

If Frattesi wants to leave Inter, it is down to his agent to find him the move, which he has failed to do for the last three transfer windows now.

Napoli have been dealing with several injuries in recent weeks, and many of their stars, including Scott McTominay, have played 100% of the available minutes in the last month.

Napoli suffered their second consecutive defeat across all competitions on Sunday, seeing Udinese secure a 1-0 win at the Bluenergy Stadium.

Earlier last week, Napoli had lost 2-0 away against José Mourinho’s Benfica in the Champions League.

Napoli struggling away from home

Napoli are still unbeaten in home Serie A games with six wins and one draw, but have fallen short away from the Maradona with four losses in the league and three – from three outings – in the Champions League.

“They have a stadium that pushes; playing at home for them it’s a big advantage,” former Lazio goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani told Sky Sport Italia.

“In the first half against Udinese, they did some good things and created some situations. The tragic thing was the start of the second half. That was when Udinese took command.

“This season, Napoli have struggled to face all the teams with the same determination. This is a team that, to be efficient, must play with their intensity; if they drop it, they can suffer against anyone.”

Coach Antonio Conte has had limited chances to rotate in recent weeks, especially in central midfield, where Kevin De Bruyne, Billy Gilmour, Zambo Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka have all suffered injuries.

The latter returned to action against Udinese yesterday after two weeks, while the others will be forced to the sidelines for longer.

“Napoli are a team that doesn’t have the strength to play constantly in the opposing half and dominate proceedings through ball possession,” argued Inter legend Beppe Bergomi.

Napoli stars overused

“The coach is good at fixing problems and finding solutions. They are better than last season because they have a deeper team with important players. But they have an alibi, which is a lot of injuries and reduced options in certain roles.”

Conte’s reduced options have forced the Italian tactician to overuse many of his stars. Sky showed that Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Scott McTominay and goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic have played every minute since Conte switched to a three-man defence against Atalanta on November 22. That makes it six full games in less than one month, with the only exception being a Coppa Italia match against Cagliari.

Amir Rrahmani, David Neres, Rasmus Hojlund and Alessandro Buongiorno have played over 90% of the available minutes in the same time, Same Beukema and Noa Lang more than 80%.

Even Matteo Politano, a regular starter at the end of the season, has struggled with playing time, despite being fully fit, playing just 27.9% of the available minutes since November 22.

Monday’s reports claim that Milan have an agreement in place to extend the contract of versatile wing-back Alexis Saelemaekers until the summer of 2030. 

Gazzetta: Saelemaekers set to renew Milan contract until 2030

According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan and Saelemaekers have an agreement in place over a new contract that will run until 2030, which comes with an increase in wages from around €1.2m per season to roughly €3m per year. 

The topic of a contract extension for the Belgian has been on the cards for several months, but Monday’s report suggests that an official announcement could now arrive within the next few days. 

Saelemaekers’s current contract is due to expire in the summer of 2027, which means that he would be entering the final year of his deal once the current campaign draws to a close. 

The 26-year-old originally joined the Rossoneri in the winter of 2020, and though he would go on to make 111 Serie A appearances across his first three-and-a-half seasons in San Siro, he would later be allowed to join Bologna on loan for the 2023-24 campaign. 

It looked as though his time with Milan might be over when he was sent out on a second consecutive season-long loan deal to Roma in 2024-25, but after seven league goals from 22 appearances, his numbers convinced Massimiliano Allegri to give him another go in the Milan first-team. 

Saelemaekers has gone from strength to strength since then, and has become one of the most dependable performers for the Rossoneri this term. He has started in all 15 of this season’s league fixtures, and has only come off before full-time on four occasions. Now a regular at right wing-back, he has also filled in in the attackiing line on occasion this term.

Football Italia transfer expert examines Juventus’ deserved victory against Bologna on Sunday, highlighting that the Bianconeri are finally starting to flourish under Luciano Spalletti.

The Bianconeri secured a 1-0 win at the Stadio Dall’Ara last night, boosting their hopes of finishing in the top four, which is now just one point away.

Pedullà examined the Old Lady’s victory in his latest YouTube video for Football Italia.

“You can witness a blossom even in December, the blossoming of football and a team that is still trying to internalise a new theorem,” Pedullà said.

Juventus are now just one point below fourth-placed Roma, but the Giallorossi have a game in hand and will be the Bianconeri’s next opponent in Serie A on December 20.

Watch the full video below:

Things have gone from bad to worse for Fiorentina in 2025-26, and with no wins to their name in Serie A after 15 attempts, the finger has been pointed in numerous directions over the last few weeks. This time it’s the turn of goalkeeper David De Gea, whose errors have cost the Viola up to eight points so far this season. 

De Gea under fire for Fiorentina blunders

Fiorentina are already staring at the threat of relegation from Serie A after 15 matches, with just six points to their name so far in the league. They have won none of their 15 league fixtures and have lost nine, the most recent coming in a 2-1 defeat at home against Hellas Verona, also in the relegation zone, on Sunday. 

De Gea came under fire after the Verona loss for his positioning error that led to the first goal. Gift Orban looked as though he was going to challenge the Spaniard one-on-one, but was instead able to wrap a bending finish around the goalkeeper from outside the area with the space that De Gea had left open.

De Gea was also criticised for letting in a relatively weak header deep into second-half stoppage time during a 1-1 draw with Cagliari on the opening weekend of the 2025-26 season. 

The former Manchester United stopper also made a hash of an attempted claim in his own area in a 2-2 draw against Genoa at the beginning of November, although in fairness to him, had also kept out a penalty earlier on in that game. 

Additionally, the Spaniard also let in goals against Sassuolo and Milan that he would usually be expected to keep out. There were also subtle slip-ups against Como and Juventus, and as a result of these errors, Fiorentina have directly dropped eight points in the Serie A standings according to Firenzeviola.it. 

Juventus saw their value on the stock market surge on Monday morning as a result of Tether’s €1.1bn offer to take over the club from the Agnelli family. 

On Friday evening, Tether announced that they had officially submitted an offer worth around €1.1bn to purchase the 65.4% of the club shares that are currently owned by Exor, the holding company owned and operated by the Agnelli family. 

Tether, who already own just over 10% of Juventus themselves, also announced that they intended to make a public offer to purchase the remaining shares in the club at the same price, which would give them full and exclusive control. 

The Agnelli family, however, have maintained since Friday evening that Juve is not for sale. “Our Juventus, our history, our values, are not for sale,” said John Elkann in a publicly released video on Saturday. 

Juventus increase in value after Tether offer

As a result of the takeover offer, Juventus’s value on the stock market skyrocketed on Monday morning. When the market closed on Friday evening, prior to Tether’s announcement, a single share in the club was worth €2.34, compared to €2.47 on Monday morning. That is an increase of 12.7%.

Tether’s offer was to purchase the remaining Juventus shares at a price of €2.66 per share, which equated to a total cost of around €1.1bn. That was a premium of 20.47% compared to the stocks’ official value before the weekend.  

Juventus supporters at the Stadio Dall’Ara last night paid tribute to an emotional Federico Bernardeschi after the Old Lady’s 1-0 win over Bologna.

Juventus supporters showed respect to their former winger Bernardeschi after an away 1-0 win against Bologna on Sunday.

Bernardeschi reunites with Juventus fans

It was the first time Bernardeschi met with his former fans as he had left the Bianconeri in 2022 for Toronto FC, returning to Italy from Canada last summer.

Videos circulating on X social media show the Italian winger going under the Bianconeri’s Curva at the Dall’Ara to thank the Juventus fans for their chants.

Juventus fans’ tribute to Bernardeschi

“One of us,” the Bianconeri ultras sang while Bernardeschi thanked them and collected some Bianconeri scarves thrown from the stands.

Bernardeschi spent five seasons at Juventus, scoring 12 goals in 183 games.

#Bernardeschi

pic.twitter.com/EbfZ4vO4p0

— BianconeriZone (ESP) (@BianconeriZonEs) December 14, 2025

Giancarlo Marocchi and Beppe Bergomi highlight John Elkann’s ‘sense of belonging’ as Exor rejected an offer for a majority stake in Juventus.

Juventus minority shareholders Tether have seen a €1.1 billion bid rejected by Exor, a decision confirmed by club owner John Elkann in a passionate message released over the weekend.

Sky Sport Italia pundits Marocchi and Bergomi suggested Elkann, cousin of ex-Juventus President Andrea Agnelli, made the right decision, highlighting the strong sense of belonging he conveyed with his statement.

“I’ve spent a few years there, and there was the feeling of being part of the Agnelli family,” Marocchi, a former Juventus midfielder, said live on TV on Sunday.

“This pushed you to make sure the only thing that mattered was the victory. You looked at the past, and it was full of victories. In the present, you had to do the same.”

Inter and Italy legend Bergomi added: “I highlight this important sense of belonging, which the fans, the players and the staff feel. It’s the Juventus tradition.”

Agnelli family tradition at Juventus

The Agnelli family has owned Juventus for over 100 years, while Tether have an 11,52% stake in the club and is represented on the board of directors by Francesco Garino.

Juventus secured a 1-0 win over Bologna on Sunday night, moving just one point below the top four.

Luciano Spalletti was appointed in October to replace Igor Tudor and has collected five wins in the last six matches.

Juventus’ next game is against Roma at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday, December 20.

Multiple sources in Italy claim that Milan defender Matteo Gabbia has suffered a ‘hyperextension trauma of the left knee’, but the Rossoneri are relieved that exams have ruled out ‘capsuloligamentous and meniscal injuries.’

Milan defender Gabbia underwent medical checks on Monday morning after being forced to be substituted with a suspected knee injury during a 2-2 draw against Sassuolo on Sunday.

Gabbia injured during Milan-Sassuolo

Sky Sport and Milan News report that Gabbia has avoided a serious injury involving the meniscus or the knee ligaments, having been diagnosed with a hyperextension trauma of the left knee.

When will Gabbia return to action?

According to Sky Sport, the Italian centre-back will likely miss this week’s Supercoppa Italiana semifinal against Napoli, which will be played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, December 18.

Milan hope their defender will recover in time for a Serie A match against Verona on December 28 or even the potential Supercoppa Final on December 22.

The player has already begun his rehabilitation program in Milanello.

Former Juventus winger Massimo Mauro insists the Bianconeri still lack a centre-forward and won’t be favourites when Roma visit them in Turin next week.

Juventus secured a massive 1-0 win over Bologna on Sunday, moving just one point below fourth-placed Roma, who have a game in hand and will host Como this evening.

Juventus and Roma will meet at the Allianz Stadium in Turin next week, and Mauro, a former Juventus player, believes the Old Lady won’t be the team to beat.

“They certainly won’t be the favourites, but we’ll see what happens on the pitch,” the ex-winger told Gazzetta.

“That’s the real issue, not cryptocurrencies. I was at the stadium for Juventus-Pafos, and it highlighted the squad’s issue with depth. Not only defensive absences, but also difficulty in finding a replacement for Yildiz, Conceiçao, McKennie and Locatelli. Thank goodness, David scored; otherwise, he would have had to flee Turin. It had been such a hard game for him.”

The January transfer window is just around the corner, but Mauro doesn’t expect big moves to Turin.

“I wouldn’t know where to turn because they didn’t sell good players. I wouldn’t have signed Openda for that kind of money,” he said.

“I would have said there were no players worthy of Juventus. There’s also a lack of important Italian players, something Juve have always had. Without them, you can’t rebuild because Juventus have always had an Italian dressing room leader.”

Ideally, however, the Bianconeri would still need a centre-forward, particularly after Dusan Vlahovic’s injury.

‘Juventus need a Napoli-style Osimhen’

“They need a Napoli-style Osimhen, a driving force who could carry the attack on his own and whom Luciano Spalletti turned into a true leader. Juve are full of solid, above-average players, but they need someone who makes a difference,” he said.

“I would invest in attack where the situation is incredible. If Yildiz plays badly, it’s a tragedy. If he plays well, there’s a chance to create something dangerous, but Yildiz is not a 20-goal striker, unless he becomes Del Piero or plays as a central forward or support striker. Out wide, at best, he can become like Kvaratskhelia.”

Spalletti has won five of the last six matches and Mauro feels he’s one of the best coaches Juventus could hire.

“He’s the best, along with Conte and Gasperini. An elite coach,” concluded the former winger.

“He can’t be the problem. He has to build the team of the future while hoping to finish in the top four, but he doesn’t have a magic wand.”

Spalletti was hired in October and his contract at the Allianz Stadium runs out in June 2026.

Safe to say Scamacca has settled in well under the new Atalanta coach, Palladino, as the Italian striker has been scoring consistently over the last month.

As reported by Gazzetta, Scamacca has gone from scoring one goal every 292 minutes under the previous Atalanta coach Ivan Juric to one every 97 minutes under the new boss.

Scamacca shines under Palladino

Scamacca had been dealing with fitness issues during Juric’s tenure, which also prevented him from featuring with the Italy national team, but he only netted once in seven games with the Croatian in charge.

With Palladino, he’s already grabbed five goals and one assist in seven appearances. He scored one goal against Napoli and Verona and two against Cagliari in Serie A, plus one against Chelsea in the Champions League.

The assist he provided in a 4-0 Coppa Italia win against Genoa means Scamacca has contributed to at least one goal in every game he’s played under Palladino except those against Eintracht and Fiorentina, which Atalanta still won.

Italy watching Scamacca

Furthermore, Scamacca has had more shots and touches inside the opposing box under Palladino than under Juric and, overall, he seems much more involved in the play.

Scamacca’s form will surely come as good news for Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso, who watched Scamacca in action at the New Balance Arena two weeks ago before dispatching his assistant Leonardo Bonucci to watch Atalanta-Chelsea.

Scamacca has only scored one goal in 22 appearances with the Italy national team, making two substitute appearances under Gattuso.

With Mike Maignan’s contract expiring in June 2026, Gazzetta warns that Milan could end up losing the Frenchman on a free transfer, as it happened with Gigio Donnarumma in 2021, but the Rossoneri still hope the story will end differently this time.

Milan will continue talks to extend Maignan’s contract in the next few days, but January is just around the corner, which means the French goalkeeper can start negotiations with any other club in just a few days and complete a free transfer at the end of the season.

Milan faced the same situation a few years ago, when lengthy talks to extend with Donnarumma led nowhere, so the Rossoneri signed Maignan from Lille before Gigio’s free move to PSG.

Maignan’s contract extension a priority for Milan

It is no secret that Maignan attracted interest from Chelsea last summer, and according to Gazzetta, the Milan star still has many admirers in the Premier League.

Milan are aware that every suitor of Maignan, especially from England, will outbid them in contract negotiations with the 30-year-old, but the Serie A giants still hope to secure an agreement in the coming weeks.

Maignan’s contract extension is a priority for Milan, and even coach Massimiliano Allegri is trying to persuade the Frenchman to sign a new deal, Football Italia understands.

What Tare said about Maignan

Igli Tare said on Sunday that the club would soon resume negotiations with the Frenchman, who was “happy” to stay at San Siro. Tare, however, denied that Maignan has demanded 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,” said the Milan sporting director.

“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.”

Multiple sources in Italy claim that Fiorentina are considering sacking their coach, Paolo Vanoli, after barely a month from his appointment, as the Tuscans are still winless in Serie A and have lost four matches from seven under the 53-year-old.

Several Italian sources, including Gazzetta and Corriere dello Sport, claim that Fiorentina coach Vanoli is on the brink and could be sacked just one month after replacing Stefano Pioli at the Stadio Franchi.

Fiorentina could sack Vanoli after latest loss

Fiorentina sit at the bottom of the table and lost at home against 19th-placed Verona on Sunday, prompting the club to impose a media blackout and send the team into an ‘indefinite’ training retreat.

The Tuscans have only collected six points in 15 Serie A matches and are the only winless team in the league.

Fiorentina hired Vanoli on November 7 to replace Pioli, but the appointment of the ex-Torino and Venezia coach clearly hasn’t produced the desired results.

Fiorentina collected draws against Genoa and Juventus under Violi and lost to Sassuolo, Atalanta and Verona. They lost at home against AEK Athens in the Conference League, but at least managed to beat Dynamo Kyiv.

Fiorentina tension skyrockets

According to Corriere dello Sport, ex-Fiorentina coach Giuseppe Iachini has emerged as one of the early options to replace Vanoli, but the club are currently making their assessments.

Tension in town is so high that Gazzetta reports that the team was taken to the training centre Viola Park on black tinted vans rather than on the team bus after the game yesterday.

Fiorentina fans protested inside and outside the stadium, blaming the players and club directors Alessandro Ferrari and Roberto Goretti, who are currently at the Viola training ground where the team has to prepare for the upcoming Conference League match against Lausanne.

Argentine talents Matias Soulé and Nico Paz will face off in a big match between Roma and Como at the Stadio Olimpico this evening.

It kicks off at 20:45 CET (19:45 GMT), and it’s the final match of Serie A Round 15.

Just three points separate the two teams in the table, with Roma in fourth and Como in seventh.

The Giallorossi are without the injured Artem Dovbyk and Neil El Aynaoui and the suspended Zeki Celik, so Devyne Rensch is expected to start as a right midfielder with Wesley on the opposite flank.

Soulé and Lorenzo Pellegrini will provide support to Roma’s centre-forward, and according to Tuttosport and Gazzetta, Evan Ferguson is favourite over Paulo Dybala for a starting spot up front.

Como are without the suspended Maximo Perrone and the injured Alberto Dossena, Sergi Roberto, Edoardo Goldaniga and Alvaro Morata.

Anastasios Douvikas is expected to lead the Azzurri’s attack, while Jayden Addai and Assane Diao compete for a starting spot as right winger.

Roma vs. Como – where to watch on TV

The match will be available on DAZN in the UK and Ireland and on Paramount+ in the USA. Football Italia will provide live commentary via a live blog.

Roma vs. Como – probable line-ups

Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Rensch, Cristante, Koné, Wesley; Soulé, Pellegrini; Ferguson.

Como (4-2-3-1): Butez; Smolcic, Ramon, Carlos, Valle; Da Cunha, Caqueret; Diao, Paz, Rodriguez; Douvikas.

La Gazzetta dello Sport

Fiorentina, Serie B hell. Vanoli might leave too

Inter lead

Overtake at the top: Nerazzurri are the leaders alone

Bisseck and Lautaro decide it. Chivu’s pride: ‘Now we want the Supercoppa.’

Juve coup

Golden Cabal. Victory in Bologna with an eye to the Champions League

Little devil

Milan and the nightmare of newly promoted teams, luckily, there’s Bartesaghi

Ahi Napoli

Udinese dominate. Conte: ‘No excuses, we’re struggling.’

Soulé and Nico Paz play for the World Cup too.

Corriere dello Sport

Lauturbo

Chivu’s sprint

Goal and assist: The Toro overtakes Conte and Max, Supercoppa on Thursday.

Inter take the lead. Milan’s draw, Napoli’s stop

Cristian celebrates: 2-1 win at Marassi. Bisseck breaks the deadlock. Laurienté shocks Allegri. Sassuolo’s comeback (2-2). Conte falls in Udine (1-0). Ekkelenkamp scores.

Roma jump: the big chance

Gasp can return in the Scudetto zone: ‘I’ll end my career here, ambition needed to improve.’ Ndicka plays, Wesley returns.

Viola sink: endless training retreat

Shadows on Vanoli: hypothesis Iachini. The Franchi protests: survival is eight points away. Orban’s brace decisive.

Spalletti’s breakthrough

The Bianconeri win again away after 43 days. Cabal scores. Lucio: ‘The best win since I’m here.’ Zortea hits the crossbar on 0-0. Heggem sent off. Supercoppa: on Friday, Italiano against Inter.

Tuttosport

Milan stumble against Sassuolo, Napoli fall in Udine: Chivu’s overtake

Inter put them back in line

On the pitch after the rivals, the Nerazzurri don’t waste their chance: Bisseck and Lautaro sign the blitz in Genoa. The Rossoneri don’t digest the newly promoted sides. Bartesaghi’s brace: 2-2. Palpitation in San Siro after the draw with Pisa and the defeat against Cremonese. Zaniolo sends Conte’s team into a tilt, punished by a super Ekkelenkamp goal. From Thursday, the Supercoppa in Riyadh.

Juve to Cabal

Convincing and heavy win in Bologna: 1-0.

A defender’s header rewards a high-level performance. Rossoblu (who end up with ten men) are overtaken, and a Champions League spot is one point below. Spalletti (five wins in the last six games): ‘It can be a breakthrough.’

Cholito, the leader: ‘Such a good Toro!’

Image of a bomber and a very Granata family: ‘I couldn’t wait to return to action.’ But Baroni’s troubles are not over.

Viola sink, endless training retreat

Juan Cabal explains his goal celebration after giving Juventus victory against Bologna, while Lloyd Kelly admits they ‘had to play our best football’ tonight.

The Bianconeri needed a boost after last week’s 1-0 defeat to Napoli, and knew this was a crucial head-to-head for European places, as they were two points behind Bologna.

It was substitute Cabal who proved decisive with a free header on the Kenan Yildiz short corner routine, followed five minutes later by Torbjorn Heggem seeing red for bringing down Lois Openda.

Cabal and Kelly evaluate Juventus win

“I swapped shirts with Bernardeschi, who played for Juve, so I wanted his shirt. He was at Juventus, I saw him play a lot, and wanted to bring home the shirt as well as the three points. The team gave their all today,” Cabal told DAZN Italia after the final whistle.

He seemed to celebrate by kissing his wrist, so what was the meaning behind that gesture?

“I kissed the tattoo with my son’s name, I got it done recently, and he brought me good luck.”

Cabal has struggled for regular playing time so far this season and Luciano Spalletti wants more consistency from the wing-back.

“The coach wants a lot from me, because he knows I have much to give this team and I work really hard all week.”

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Bologna 0-1 Juventus

Former Newcastle United defender Kelly also spoke to DAZN Italia after the success at the Stadio Dall’Ara.

“It is a very important win, we know it’s a difficult game. We had to play our best football to be able to come away with a win today,” Kelly told DAZN Italia.

Gleison Bremer made his comeback as a substitute this evening, his first appearance since facing Atalanta on September 27, but Teun Koopmeiners was booked and will be suspended next week against Roma.

“It’s nice to have Bremer back, we know he’s an important player for Juventus, and I’m sure he’s happy to be back with the team too.”

Vincenzo Italiano insists the defeat to Juventus ‘does not diminish’ Bologna and their campaign, as they couldn’t recover from the double whammy of goal and red card.

The Rossoblu have really hit problems in Serie A during recent weeks, as this was their second consecutive home defeat after the 3-1 to Cremonese, and they have just one point from the last three rounds.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Bologna 0-1 Juventus

It was a free header from Juan Cabal on a short corner that proved decisive, followed five minutes later by the red card for Torbjorn Heggem as he brought down Lois Openda.

Italiano recognises Bologna strengths and weaknesses

“We were up against a strong opponent that found itself ready in the big moments, with the physicality of Thuram, the experience of Locatelli, the dynamism of Cambiaso and McKennie,” Italiano told DAZN Italia.

“In my view we were in the thick of the game, we created chances and lost it on a set play. We then made life complicated for ourselves with the red card, but we were right in it up until then.”

There were some defensive weaknesses on show, not just on the corner for the goal, but also struggling with long balls over the top.

“We should’ve been a bit quicker to isolate Cambiaghi and Orsolini on the wings, but when you are too slow to create those overlaps, McKennie and Cambiaso get back to make it a five-man defence.

“As for the long ball, we can struggle at times, but Heggem got the ball stuck under his feet and wasn’t aggressive enough to clear, so he ended up running into the player. We made too many mistakes overall, a few too many touches and passes,” continued Italiano.

“It can happen when you’ve had this many games, we arrived home on Friday at 5am and had only one training session to prepare. That’s not an alibi, because we had that other times and won, but just being in the game for so long I think was good.

“All those who played on Thursday were struggling, because it was raining so hard in Vigo and the pitch was very heavy, so I had to rotate and preferred to start those who were at 100 per cent.”

Bologna did manage to give their Europa League prospects a significant boost on Thursday with a 2-1 victory away to Celta Vigo, but despite squad rotation this evening, they seemed to lack sharpness.

“We perhaps weren’t as precise as usual, but Juve deserve credit for making us struggle and run hard tonight. Perhaps with these three big games one after another, some fatigue set in, but this result does not diminish the team at all,” added Italiano.

“We’re disappointed to have lost this evening, but we lost against a Juventus side who will challenge for the top spots this season and our journey continues. We are in the Supercoppa Italiana next week and we must be proud of that.”

Now Italiano will travel to Saudi Arabia for the Supercoppa Italiana, where they take on Inter in the semi-final, as they are the Coppa Italia holders and will therefore face the runners-up of the Scudetto.

The other semi-final is between Napoli and AC Milan, with the two winners going head-to-head on December 22.

Luciano Spalletti insists the victory over Bologna was ‘the most important’ of his Juventus career so far, but notes where Juan Cabal, Lois Openda and Jonathan David can improve.

The Bianconeri knew the importance of this fixture, as they were two points behind Bologna in the Serie A table, so it was a head-to-head for European places.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Bologna 0-1 Juventus

Was this the most important victory of Spalletti’s time at the club so far?

“Absolutely, because we were facing a team that has an identity, quality and enthusiasm, they were built well and even down to 10 men made it difficult for us,” Spalletti told DAZN Italia.

“Having won here means even more for my players, and they must be congratulated this evening. They did really well.”

Spalletti saw Juventus progress

Both sides had chances in the first half, but the game changed in the space of five minutes when first substitute Cabal nodded in a Kenan Yildiz cross on a corner, then Torbjorn Heggem saw red for bringing down Openda.

“I had seen things done well in training, and told the directors that I saw the players energetic and reacting well in training. We needed a performance that could give them confidence, and I hope after this we can continue to improve,” continued Spalletti.

“Aside from the goal, the overall performance needs to be evaluated in football. Juventus were in the heart of the game for 90 minutes tonight, battled for every ball, went beyond these individual duels that Bologna force you into, and this bodes well for the future.

“Cabal must learn to keep some of his emotions in check. He is like a pedigree horse with his strength and ability to sprint repeatedly, he has talent with back-heel flicks, but talent is also repeating the 100 metre runs 20 times. He doesn’t mind being in one-on-one situations, is good in the air, but in the games he played so far he wasn’t precise enough for his talent, so I had to be hard on him.”

Openda was another substitute who made an impact tonight, as he fought hard and got Heggem sent off, but also missed some sitters.

“I liked his performance. Openda is a different player to Jonathan David, who frankly seems more like a second striker to me than a centre-forward, as he combines with teammates. Openda has more power, and probably against teams like Bologna feels more at ease, because he can run at them with sheer pace when those spaces open up,” concluded Spalletti.

This result means Juventus climb above Bologna into fifth place awaiting Como’s trip to Roma tomorrow, while they also steadied the Champions League ship with a midweek 2-0 win over Pafos.

Gleison Bremer made his comeback after two months out, but Teun Koopmeiners was booked and will therefore be suspended next week against Roma.

Juventus have Juan Cabal to thank after picking up a vital three points in a 1-0 victory away against Bologna in Serie A on Sunday evening. 

Check out the player ratings below! 

The Colombian scored the only goal of the game from a set-piece, which has sent Juventus above Bologna by one point in the Serie A standings. The Bianconeri sit in fifth place as things stand, one point behind Roma who will host Como at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday night. 

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

Bologna 0-1 Juventus: Player ratings! 

Bologna: Ravaglia 6; Zortea 6 (De Silvestri 5.5), Heggem 4, Lucumi 6 (Bernardeschi n/a), Miranda 6; Moro 6 (Holm 6), Pobega 6; Orsolini 6.5, Ferguson 6 (Sulemana 5.5), Cambiaghi 5.5; Dallinga 5.5 (Castro 5.5).

Best Bologna player: Orsolini 6.5 – To little surprise, Bologna’s most threatening outlet on the night. He had more shots and shots on target than any other player in the game, and was a handful for Koopmeiners until the Dutchman came off. 

Coach: Vincenzo Italiano 6 – Statistically, it was a fairly evenly-fought contest at the Dall-Ara. The hosts had 51% of the possession, had one shot fewer than their opponents, but had one more on target. Had it not been for a momentary switch-off from a set-piece, Bologna had done more than enough to earn a draw, which would have suited them better than Juventus.

Juventus: Di Gregorio 6.5; Kalulu 6, Kelly 6.5, Koopmeiners 6 (Bremer 6); McKennie 6, Thuram 6, Locatelli 6, Cambiaso 5.5 (Cabal 7); Conceicao 6.5 (Miretti n/a), Yildiz 7, David 6 (Openda 6.5).

Best Juventus player: Cabal 7 – Two goals in six Serie A appearances for the Colombian now. Immediate impact off the bench on Sunday evening, evading his marker to claim a free header in the middle of the Bologna penalty area. That was a big confidence boost to begin his evening. 

Coach: Luciano Spalletti 6.5 – That was a big six-pointer in the race for Champions League football, and the perfect way to bounce back after a disappointing 2-1 defeat against Napoli last time out in Serie A. Had Juventus been a touch more clinical, that would have been a slightly more flattering scoreline. Still, managed the game well after going ahead, even if their life was made easier with Heggem’s sending off. 

Juan Cabal came off the bench to snatch all three points for Juventus against 10 men, continuing the dire Bologna record in this fixture, and leapfrogging them into fifth place.

This was a direct battle for position, as the Rossoblu were two points ahead in the table. Juve lost last week to Napoli, but boosted their Champions League chances in a midweek win over Pafos. Daniele Rugani and Gleison Bremer were back on the bench, but Dusan Vlahovic, Federico Gatti, Arek Milik and Carlo Pinsiglio were still out. Bologna’s Serie A form stalled with defeat to Cremonese and a draw against 10-man Lazio, but on Thursday they won 2-1 away to Celta Vigo in the Europa League. Nicolò Casale joined Martin Vitik, Remo Freuler and Lukasz Skorupski on the treatment table.

Incredibly, Juve were unbeaten at the Dall’Ara since November 1998 and hadn’t lost to Bologna at all since a 2-0 result in February 2011.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

There was an early double Michele Di Gregorio save, first on Tommaso Pobega’s acrobatic flick from a free kick, then the Riccardo Orsolini follow-up at the back post.

Orsolini’s trademark curler was smothered and Teun Koopmeiners was booked so will be suspended next week against Roma, but David overhit the through ball to Kenan Yildiz after pouncing on a Lewis Ferguson error.

Weston McKennie only grazed his head to the Andrea Cambiaso cross, while David had penalty appeals waved away for going down too easily under a Jhon Lucumi nudge.

Juventus had the ball in the net on 36 minutes when David flicked on a long ball for McKennie, who won the ricochet off on-rushing Ravaglia and generously rolled across for the Canadian to deposit into an empty net. However, McKennie was offside on the initial flick.

Juve kept coming close, but not close enough, as Ravaglia rushed out when Kenan Yildiz found Conceicao with a smart pass, then Lucumi made the crucial interception as Khephren Thuram tried to set up the Portuguese talent.

Yet Bologna had a huge chance on the stroke of half-time, as Orsolini’s inspired disguised pass released Nadir Zortea to thump his finish against the underside of the bar from a tight angle with Di Gregorio just getting his fingertips to it.

Bologna had rather hopeful penalty appeals, but Manuel Locatelli’s hands were clamped behind his back when blocking the Cambiaghi cross.

Juventus finally found a breakthrough when Kenan Yildiz saw his control and strike deflected inches over by Heggem. The resulting corner was taken short for a Kenan Yildiz cross that found substitute Juan Cabal for a totally free header from six yards.

The situation went from bad to worse for the hosts, as soon after Heggem got caught out by a long Di Gregorio ball and bundled Lois Openda over outside the area for a straight red card.

There was more good news for Juventus, as Gleison Bremer made his comeback for the final 15 minutes, the first appearance since the meniscus injury on September 27.

Conceicao had penalty appeals rejected after running into Lucumi’s arm, infuriating the defender, while Federico Bernardeschi’s effort failed to trouble Di Gregorio.

Ravaglia kept the scoreline down with a great one-handed save on Openda’s daisy-cutter from 12 yards on the Cabal lay-off, then Openda fired another promising opportunity over in stoppages.

It is the second consecutive Serie A home defeat for Bologna after the 3-1 with Cremonese.

Bologna 0-1 Juventus

Cabal 64 (J)

Sent off: Heggem 69 (B)

14-12-2025 19:45

MatchDay 15

Renato Dall'Ara Stadium

Bologna

Juventus

0 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		19'		Teun Koopmeiners
Juan Miranda		24'

2nd half

		64'		Juan Cabal (Assist: Kenan Yıldız)
Torbjørn Heggem		69'
Ibrahim Sulemana		90'
Lorenzo De Silvestri		90+4'

Match statistic

51

Possession %

49

12

Total shots

13

4

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

5

4

Blocked shots

5

3

Corners

4

0

Offsides

2

10

Fouls

11

Bologna

Juventus

Starting lineups

13

Federico Ravaglia

Goalkeeper

26

Jhon Lucumí

Defender

81'

33

Juan Miranda

Defender

20

Nadir Zortea

Defender

73'

14

Torbjørn Heggem

Defender

19

Lewis Ferguson

Midfielder

66'

6

Nikola Moro

Midfielder

73'

4

Tommaso Pobega

Midfielder

28

Nicolò Cambiaghi

Attacker

7

Riccardo Orsolini

Attacker

24

Thijs Dallinga

Attacker

66'

16

Michele Di Gregorio

Goalkeeper

27

Andrea Cambiaso

Defender

61'

6

Lloyd Kelly

Defender

15

Pierre Kalulu

Defender

19

Khéphren Thuram

Midfielder

5

Manuel Locatelli

Midfielder

8

Teun Koopmeiners

Midfielder

76'

22

Weston McKennie

Midfielder

7

Francisco Conceição

Attacker

88'

30

Jonathan David

Attacker

61'

10

Kenan Yıldız

Attacker

Substitutes

17

Ciro Immobile

Attacker

22

Charalampos Lykogiannis

Defender

21

Jens Odgaard

Attacker

80

Giovanni Fabbian

Midfielder

30

Benja Domínguez

Attacker

25

Massimo Pessina

Goalkeeper

11

Jonathan Rowe

Midfielder

82

Matteo Franceschelli

Goalkeeper

75

Petar Markovic

Defender

77

Ibrahim Sulemana

Midfielder

66'

9

Santiago Castro

Attacker

66'

29

Lorenzo De Silvestri

Defender

73'

2

Emil Holm

Defender

73'

10

Federico Bernardeschi

Attacker

81'

24

Daniele Rugani

Defender

1

Mattia Perin

Goalkeeper

18

Filip Kostic

Midfielder

25

João Mário

Defender

11

Edon Zhegrova

Attacker

42

Simone Scaglia

Goalkeeper

40

Jonas Rouhi

Defender

17

Vasilije Adžić

Midfielder

20

Loïs Openda

Attacker

61'

32

Juan Cabal

Defender

61'

3

Bremer

Defender

76'

21

Fabio Miretti

Midfielder

88'

Gleison Bremer has marked his return from injury after a spell of 78 days on the sideline, but Luciano Spalletti will now have to do without another one of his centre-back options when the Bianconeri take on Roma in a huge Serie A clash next weekend. 

Bremer started four of Juve’s first five Serie A matches of the season, but has since missed nine league matches in a row, 15 across all competitions, after suffering a meniscus injury in September.

He had not featured for Juventus since Juventus’s 1-1 draw with Atalanta on September 27, but, 78 days later, has come on as a second-half substitute during Juventus’s Serie A match against Bologna. 

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

One in, one out for Juventus

While Bremer is now back, Teun Koopmeiners, who has regularly filled in at centre-back since Spalletti came in, will not be available to face Roma in Serie A next week. He picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Bologna and will now have to serve a one-match ban. 

Federico Gatti is also out injured, which leaves Lloyd Kelly, Pierre Kalulu, Bremer and Daniele Rugani, who has only recently returned to training himself as his natural centre-back options for Roma on Saturday. 

Italy international Guglielmo Vicario has come under fire after his performance during Tottenham’s 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon: “Typical Vicario, always blaming someone else,” says Sky Sports’s Jamie Carragher. 

It has been a few weeks to forget for Tottenham, who have slipped to 11th place in the league table and are currently six points outside the Champions League spots. 

The latest disappointment came at the hands of Nottingham Forest; 16th in the Premier League after their 3-0 victory at the City Ground on Sunday. 

Vicario under fire after 3-0 Tottenham loss 

Vicario’s performances have been under particularly intense scrutiny over the last few weeks after his howler in a 2-1 loss against Fulham at the end of November. 

Things went from bad to worse for him against Forest on Sunday. It was his risky pass to midfielder Archie Gray that led to Ibrahim Sangare pinching the ball and Callum Hudson-Odoi finishing from close range that sent Tottenham 1-0 down on Sunday. 

A moment to forget for Archie Gray and Vicario

Ibrahim Sangaré brilliantly dispossesses him and plays it to Callum Hudson-Odoi to tap in and give Forest the lead! pic.twitter.com/N5JQVIgnVc

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2025

Tottenham then conceded another freak goal, again from Hudson-Odoi, who didn’t make any attempts to hide the fact that he had meant to cross rather than shoot from the left touchline.

Callum Hudson-Odoi crosses the ball in but it goes over Vicario and straight in! pic.twitter.com/hxJp4mY9T6

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2025

“Typical Vicario, he’s always blaming someone else. Every time I see him when a goal goes in, he’s throwing his arms at someone else. Just kick it out of play,” said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher while reviewing the stopper’s recent performances. 

"Typical Vicario, he's always blaming someone else" @Carra23 not impressed with Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario pic.twitter.com/30X8ynUxS8

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2025

Head coach Thomas Frank has come out in defence of his goalkeeper, arguing that there was no correlation between the goals that Vicario conceded against Nottingham Forest and Fulham over the last few weeks: “Two different situations, you can’t even compare them. Simply because the ball was out on the side in one situation, and the other was in the middle of the pitch,” he explained in frustration. 

When asked if Vicario’s decision making should be called into question, Frank said: “I think Archie (Gray) did very well, this is a clear one. You see that every week: Premier League, Serie A, LaLiga, all over the world: In, bounce out with the first touch. Unfortunately we took a touch and then we lost the ball.” 

Some supporters have not looked as kindly on Vicario’s recent performances, though. 

“Inter Milan, pls prepare your January Vicario bid,” one fan wrote on X. 

• Read more: Fulham howler, Tottenham support and Inter links: What’s going on with Vicario?
• Read more: Report Vicario wants Inter move

“He’s a great shot stopper, but frightens me when he’s on the ball,” another added. 

“Happily sell Vicario tomorrow, but Gray was clearly asking for the ball,” wrote another Spurs supporter. 

Lautaro Martinez insists that he and his Inter teammates have their sights set on the Serie A title in 2025-26 and took an opportunity to address his colleagues at the end of their 2-1 victory away against Genoa on Sunday: ‘We’re the ones who put in the work’. 

Inter currently sit alone at the top of the Serie A standings thanks to a 2-1 win away against Genoa on Sunday evening. Goals from Yann Bisseck and Lautaro were enough for the Nerazzurri to hold onto, despite Vitinha pulling one back for Genoa midway through the second half. 

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

Lautaro addresses Inter teammates after Genoa victory

Napoli’s 1-0 loss against Udinese and Milan’s 2-2 draw with Sassuolo earlier on Sunday means that Inter will spend the next week on their own at the top of the Serie A table. There had been four teams separated by just one point at the top of the table a few weeks ago. 

“It means a lot, we’re back at the top because we’ve worked hard, we’ve had to sacrifice ourselves and regardless of what people say about us, we are focussed on ourselves, working hard, improving, hoping to bring joy to these supporters,” Lautaro told DAZN after full-time on Sunday (via fcinternews.it). 

“Everyone’s been talking about Inter for a few years because we’ve been doing well. It’s normal for there to be criticism and compliments. 

“We’re a team that is aware of our strengths, we always try to make sure that Inter is at the top. It seems repetitive, but that’s what we do. The message in the dressing room is clear, we want to do it.” 

Lautaro was asked what the message he wants to send is, and instead of addressing the supporters, the Nerazzurri skipper took an opportunity to rally his teammates instead. 

“It’s a message to ourselves. As I always say, we’re the ones who put in the work and we’re the ones who try to bring Inter back to where it belongs, so it’s to the team that I speak.”

Cristian Chivu is pleased to see his Inter team back at the top of the Serie A standings after claiming that his side had been written off in the early stages of the 2025-26 season, and has explained why he made certain changes during Sunday’s 2-1 victory away against Genoa. 

The Nerazzurri currently sit alone at the top of the Serie A standings thanks to goals from Yann Bisseck and Lautaro Martinez in an eventual 2-1 victory over Genoa on Sunday evening. 

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

Chivu after Genoa 1-2 Inter: ‘I’ll take the three points’

Speaking to DAZN after full-time, Chivu said that he would rather talk about the game itself rather than the impact that it has had on the Serie A table. 

“I like to talk about the game and what I saw on the pitch,” he began. “It was a difficult game tonight, in this atmosphere and against a team that has been strong since De Rossi came in. I’ll take the three points, which are the most important thing.” 

Chivu explained why he decided to make certain changes before and during Sunday’s 2-1 win over Genoa. 

“The changes were made according to energy and form. Originally, at 2-0, Bonny was supposed to come on, but then I opted for Thuram because I needed more speed. I took Zielinski off and moved Akanji up because we needed two midfielders with a strong structure.” 

Chivu was then asked if he feels his Inter side have been underrated at times this season. 

He replied: “A few months ago, they had us finishing eighth or tenth because we looked finished. We’re working hard to show our value. 

“For me, we need a bit of consistency in everything, but we’re aware of what we have to do and how we have to do it. Sometimes you succeed, sometimes you don’t.” 

Up next on the schedule is a trip to Saudi Arabia to take on Bologna in the semi-final of the Supercoppa Italiana. The winner of that tie will go on to face either Napoli or Milan a few days later. 

“An important game lies ahead of us in Riyadh. We’re not looking at anything else,” Chivu said.

Bologna director Marco Di Vaio feels they can ‘have our say’ against Juventus and hopes he’ll finally shrug off a shocking Serie A statistic tonight.

It kicks off at the Stadio Dall’Ara at 19.45 GMT.

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

This is a face-off for European places, because the Rossoblu are currently two points above the Old Lady in the table and would like to take advantage of a general slowdown in the top spots this weekend.

“We have for over two years been doing very well, so the lads and all of us know that we can have our say,” Di Vaio told DAZN Italia.

“Every game is different, Juve have great players, but we are well aware that we’re competitive and can play our game too.”

Bologna history against Juventus is astonishing

An extraordinary statistic is that Bologna have not beaten Juventus in all competition since February 2011, a 2-0 result in Turin decided by a Di Vaio brace.

They haven’t defeated Juve at the Stadio Dall’Ara since a 3-0 result in November 1998.

“I was just telling my daughter in the car on the way here that I am so tired of being told that I was the last Bologna player to score a winner against Juventus,” confessed Di Vaio.

“I look forward to someone else taking my place in that statistic, because it’s been too long. We had great results in recent years beating just about all the big clubs, but not Juventus yet.”

The team slowed down in Serie A recently, with a defeat to Cremonese and draw against 10-man Lazio, but boosted morale with Thursday’s comeback victory away to Celta Vigo in the Europa League.

Federico Bernardeschi scored twice in Spain and he represents a different kind of player to the young and promising prospects that Bologna had focused on before.

“Last season we were in the Champions League and realised we were lacking something in terms of experience at that level, so we approached both Federico and Ciro Immobile too, making the most of their situations to bring them here.

“Having players who starred and won at the highest level was something we had been lacking, as that influences the others,” explained Di Vaio.

Inter once again have Lautaro Martinez to thank for a 2-1 victory away against Genoa in Serie A on Sunday evening, a result which has sent the Nerazzurri to the top of the league table. 

Check out the player ratings below! 

A surprise goal from centre-back Yann Bisseck and a second from captain Lautaro 10 minutes before the end of the first half were enough for Inter to cling onto despite Vitinha pulling one back for Genoa midway through the second half. 

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

Genoa 1-2 Inter: Player ratings!

Genoa: Leali 6; Marcandalli 6, Otoa 6, Vasquez 5.5; Norton-Cuffy 6, Frendrup 5, Malinovskyi 5, Ellertsson 6, Martin 6; Vitinha 6.5, Colombo 5.5.

Best Genoa player: Vitinha 6.5 – Provided the moment of quality that gave the Genoa supporters a brief moment of joy and the belief that they might get something more out of the game in the second half. He had so much work to do to create that goal for himself as well. 

Coach: Daniele De Rossi 6 – It was always going to be a difficult test against Inter, but Genoa weren’t really up to the task aside from their decent opening spell. Another tricky test against Atalanta now awaits them. 

Inter: Sommer 6; Bisseck 7, Akanji 6, Bastoni 6; L.Henrique 6, Barella 6, Zielinski 6.5, Sucic 6.5, C.Augusto 6; L.Martinez 7.5, Esposito 6. 

Best Inter player: Lautaro Martinez 7.5 – A goal, an assist and four shots on target from the Nerazzurri talisman this afternoon. His seventh in Serie A so far this season, the most in the division, and 11 goals including his four in the Champions League. Realistically, the game should have been out of reach for Genoa after his strike went in for 2-0 after 38 minutes. 

Coach: Cristian Chivu 7.5 – It’s been a relentless schedule for the Nerazzurri in recent weeks, and on a weekend where others have tripped up, Chivu got his selections right on Sunday, and is now sitting alone at the top of the Serie A table as a result. Arguably Inter’s most important victory of the season thus far.

Juventus director Giorgio Chiellini reassures the Agnelli family and the club are ‘one and the same,’ while Khephren Thuram and Kenan Yildiz are going nowhere.

The trip to Bologna kicks off at the Stadio Dall’Ara at 19.45 GMT.

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

The Bianconeri went into the weekend in seventh place and sitting two points behind Bologna, so this is a crucial head-to-head for European spots.

Chiellini speaks out on Juventus headline issues

There have been reports that Juventus could swap Khephren Thuram with Inter midfielder Davide Frattesi in the January transfer market.

“I won’t talk about Frattesi, as that’s a lack of respect towards Inter. What I can say without doubt is that Thuram will remain a Juventus player. He has done really well in the year and a half he’s been with us and we have no intention of letting him go,” Chiellini told DAZN Italia.

The big news this week was that cryptocurrency firm Tether, who are already minority shareholders, launched a shock takeover bid to purchase all the remaining shares from the Agnelli family holding company Exor.

It was rejected immediately, with President John Elkann stating the club’s values were ‘not for sale.’

“They were important words, strong words, but for those who know the atmosphere, they were not surprising. When we think of the Agnelli family, we think of Juventus, and vice versa. They are one and the same. That’s how it has always been and that’s how it will be in future,” added Chiellini.

“So there’s nothing more to say other than we will build Juve back to the strength they had in the past and will again in the future. There are values at Juventus that get passed from generation to generation, but we also look to the future.

“It has unfortunately been five years since we last won the Scudetto, we feel the responsibility of that, but it takes nothing away from our confidence going into the future. Above all, the owners and Juventus are a single insoluble entity.”

If the club had been sold, would Chiellini still have been dealing with negotiations for the new Kenan Yildiz contract?

“I haven’t the foggiest idea, but that’s not an issue I will need to think about! Kenan is an important player, he has a long contract, it’s not a situation that gets sorted out in a week. The important thing is that we both want to carry on together, his contract doesn’t expire in six months, so there’s no rush, but we want to improve the contract so it is suited to his status.”

Juve got back on track in the Champions League midweek with a 2-0 victory over Pafos, a much-needed result after last week’s Serie A loss to Napoli.

Inter surged to the top of the Serie A table thanks to Yann Bisseck and Lautaro Martinez, inflicting the first defeat on the Genoa bench for Daniele De Rossi.

The Nerazzurri were shaken by a controversial Champions League defeat to Liverpool, especially as Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi joined Denzel Dumfries, Matteo Darmian, Tomas Palacios and Raffaele Di Gennaro on the treatment table. The Grifone were revitalised since Patrick Vieira’s dismissal, Daniele De Rossi overseeing two draws and two consecutive victories against Verona and Udinese. Leo Ostigard, Junior Messias, Hugo Cuenca, Maxwel Cornet and Benjamin Siegrist missed out, but Morten Frendrup returned.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

As Milan were held 2-2 by Sassuolo and Napoli lost 1-0 to Udinese, Inter knew a win here would leapfrog them to the top of the Serie A table. There was trouble an hour before kick-off when Genoa and Inter fans clashed outside the stadium, setting cars on fire and prompting police to deploy tear gas.

The hosts had a big early chance when Lorenzo Colombo got down the left and his pull-back was just beyond Vitinha sliding in from six yards.

Instead, Inter opened the scoring when Lautaro Martinez kept it in play at the by-line and found Yann Bisseck, as while Nicola Leali was expecting a cross, he was wrong-footed on a low drive drilled into the near bottom corner.

Carlos Augusto nodded wide and Lautaro Martinez tested Leali from the edge of the area, while Francesco Pio Esposito forced a save from the on-rushing goalkeeper when holding off Sebastian Otoa to reach a Nicolò Barella pass.

Inter doubled their lead when Barella’s cross-field pass sent Carlos Augusto down the left, he laid it off for Lautaro Martinez, who used his strength to turn Alessandro Marcandalli and smash the angled drive into the far bottom corner with the inside of the left boot.

Lautaro Martinez also fired straight at Leali after the restart and Bisseck nodded a corner wide, but Genoa got back into the game with a moment of real skill from Vitinha.

The former Olympique Marseille striker gathered from Aaron Martin down the left, flicked it on with his heel to get away from two Inter defenders, cut inside to dribble around Yann Sommer and deposit into an empty net.

Albert Gronbaek’s free kick was easy for Sommer, but far tougher for Leali to parry Marcus Thuram’s header on a corner at the near post.

Sommer was tested more in stoppages, smothering the Caleb Ekuban glancing header on Jeff Ekhator’s cross.

Genoa 1-2 Inter

Bisseck 6 (I), Lautaro Martinez 38 (I), Vitinha 68 (G)

14-12-2025 17:00

MatchDay 15

Stadio Luigi Ferraris

Genoa

Inter

1 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		6'		Yann Bisseck (Assist: Lautaro Martínez)
		38'		Lautaro Martínez

2nd half

		54'		Manuel Akanji
Vitinha (Assist: Aarón Martín)		68'
		73'		Nicolò Barella
		78'		Yann Bisseck
Jeff Ekhator		90+2'

Match statistic

36

Possession %

64

5

Total shots

18

3

Shots on target

8

2

Shots off target

2

0

Blocked shots

8

1

Corners

6

0

Offsides

1

10

Fouls

20

Genoa

Inter

Starting lineups

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

27

Alessandro Marcandalli

Defender

15

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

34

Sebastian Otoa

Defender

89'

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

78'

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

58'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

89'

9

Vitinha

Attacker

78'

1

Yann Sommer

Goalkeeper

95

Alessandro Bastoni

Defender

25

Manuel Akanji

Defender

8

Petar Sucic

Defender

74'

31

Yann Bisseck

Defender

30

Carlos Augusto

Midfielder

23

Nicolò Barella

Midfielder

7

Piotr Zielinski

Midfielder

90'

94

Pio Esposito

Attacker

74'

10

Lautaro Martínez

Attacker

84'

11

Luis Henrique

Attacker

Substitutes

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

2

Morten Thorsby

Midfielder

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

8

Nicolae Stanciu

Midfielder

14

Jean Onana

Midfielder

73

Patrizio Masini

Midfielder

40

Seydou Fini

Attacker

76

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

35

Ernestas Lysionok

Goalkeeper

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

58'

11

Albert Grønbaek

Midfielder

78'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

78'

70

Maxwel Cornet

Attacker

89'

23

Valentín Carboni

Midfielder

89'

16

Davide Frattesi

Midfielder

32

Federico Dimarco

Defender

14

Ange-Yoan Bonny

Defender

13

Josep Martínez

Goalkeeper

60

Alain Taho

Goalkeeper

43

Matteo Cocchi

Defender

50

Simone Cinquegrano

Defender

22

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Midfielder

74'

9

Marcus Thuram

Attacker

74'

17

Andy Diouf

Attacker

84'

6

Stefan de Vrij

Defender

90'

Fiorentina have taken action after Sunday’s disappointing 2-1 loss at home against Hellas Verona in Serie A, which marked their 15th league match without a win. 

La Viola remain rooted to the bottom of the table after a Gift Orban brace condemned them to their ninth league defeat of the season. 

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

How Fiorentina responded to 2-1 Verona defeat

Fiorentina are stuck in 20th place in the Serie A table. They have drawn six and lost nine so far in the league this season. This is only the third time ever that they have gone 15 matches without a win in one season, the previous instances occurring in the 1970-71 and 1937-38 seasons. 

In response to their loss on Sunday afternoon, no Fiorentina coaches, players nor officials spoke to the media. 

According to reports from Sky Sport Italia, the Fiorentina management have decided to send the squad for an ‘indefinite’ training camp ahead of their Conference League match against Lausanne on Thursday. 

It remains to be seen what Sunday’s loss means for the future of head coach Paolo Vanoli, who was only appointed to replace Stefano Pioli at the beginning of November, but has not overseen any improvement in form since then. Violanews.com suggests that the picture will be clearer on Monday. 

Francisco Conceicao joins Kenan Yildiz and Jonathan David upfront for Juventus in a showdown for position with Riccardo Orsolini’s high-flying Bologna.

It kicks off at the Stadio Dall’Ara at 19.45 GMT.

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

Going into this weekend, Bologna are two points ahead of Juve in the table, so it is a big clash for Champions League places.

Both teams are also coming off midweek European victories that boosted their confidence.

Juve really needed it after their Serie A defeat to Napoli, which left them languishing in seventh.

Daniele Rugani and Gleison Bremer returned to the bench in their 2-0 win over Pafos, but Dusan Vlahovic, Federico Gatti, Arek Milik and Carlo Pinsoglio are still out.

David scored in Europe and is again chosen to lead the attack with support from Kenan Yildiz and Conceicao.

Bologna stalled their Serie A progress in recent weeks with defeat to Cremonese and a 1-1 draw against 10-man Lazio.

Nicolò Casale limped off with a thigh strain in that game, joining Martin Vitik, Lukasz Skorupski and Remo Freuler on the absentee list.

Thijs Dallinga gets the nod upfront rather than Santiago Castro after Thursday’s 2-1 comeback Europa League success away to Celta Vigo.

Orsolini, Lewis Ferguson in a more advanced role and Nicolò Cambiaghi are in support.

Bologna vs. Juventus line-ups

Bologna: Ravaglia; Zortea, Heggem, Lucumí, Miranda; Pobega, Moro; Orsolini, Ferguson, Cambiaghi; Dallinga

Juventus: Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Kelly, Koopmeiners; McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso; Conceiçao, Yildiz; David

14-12-2025 19:45

MatchDay 15

Renato Dall'Ara Stadium

Bologna

Juventus

0 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		19'		Teun Koopmeiners
Juan Miranda		24'

2nd half

		64'		Juan Cabal (Assist: Kenan Yıldız)
Torbjørn Heggem		69'
Ibrahim Sulemana		90'
Lorenzo De Silvestri		90+4'

Match statistic

51

Possession %

49

12

Total shots

13

4

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

5

4

Blocked shots

5

3

Corners

4

0

Offsides

2

10

Fouls

11

Bologna

Juventus

Starting lineups

13

Federico Ravaglia

Goalkeeper

26

Jhon Lucumí

Defender

81'

33

Juan Miranda

Defender

20

Nadir Zortea

Defender

73'

14

Torbjørn Heggem

Defender

19

Lewis Ferguson

Midfielder

66'

6

Nikola Moro

Midfielder

73'

4

Tommaso Pobega

Midfielder

28

Nicolò Cambiaghi

Attacker

7

Riccardo Orsolini

Attacker

24

Thijs Dallinga

Attacker

66'

16

Michele Di Gregorio

Goalkeeper

27

Andrea Cambiaso

Defender

61'

6

Lloyd Kelly

Defender

15

Pierre Kalulu

Defender

19

Khéphren Thuram

Midfielder

5

Manuel Locatelli

Midfielder

8

Teun Koopmeiners

Midfielder

76'

22

Weston McKennie

Midfielder

7

Francisco Conceição

Attacker

88'

30

Jonathan David

Attacker

61'

10

Kenan Yıldız

Attacker

Substitutes

17

Ciro Immobile

Attacker

22

Charalampos Lykogiannis

Defender

21

Jens Odgaard

Attacker

80

Giovanni Fabbian

Midfielder

30

Benja Domínguez

Attacker

25

Massimo Pessina

Goalkeeper

11

Jonathan Rowe

Midfielder

82

Matteo Franceschelli

Goalkeeper

75

Petar Markovic

Defender

77

Ibrahim Sulemana

Midfielder

66'

9

Santiago Castro

Attacker

66'

29

Lorenzo De Silvestri

Defender

73'

2

Emil Holm

Defender

73'

10

Federico Bernardeschi

Attacker

81'

24

Daniele Rugani

Defender

1

Mattia Perin

Goalkeeper

18

Filip Kostic

Midfielder

25

João Mário

Defender

11

Edon Zhegrova

Attacker

42

Simone Scaglia

Goalkeeper

40

Jonas Rouhi

Defender

17

Vasilije Adžić

Midfielder

20

Loïs Openda

Attacker

61'

32

Juan Cabal

Defender

61'

3

Bremer

Defender

76'

21

Fabio Miretti

Midfielder

88'

Antonio Conte admits that his players were ‘too worried, too fearful’ and that they have to improve on their record on the road after slipping to their seventh away defeat of the season in a 1-0 Serie A loss against Udinese on Sunday afternoon. 

A lone goal from Udinese’s Jurgen Ekkelenkamp was enough to defeat the reigning Serie A champions, who are now sat in third place and could be two points off the lead of the table by the end of Sunday evening. 

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

Conte: Udinese loss, Napoli injuries and improving away form

Napoli have had a tough time of it with injuries over the last few weeks, with Kevin De Bruyne, Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Billy Gilmour, Romelu Lukaku, Juan Jesus and Alex Meret all having spent time on the treatment table over the last few weeks, and months in some cases.

Aside from swapping Leonardo Spinazzola for Mathias Olivera on Sunday, Conte has named the same starting XI for three games in a row, within the space of seven days. 

“We didn’t concede any shots on goal in the first half, we could have made better of the chances we had. We struggled at the beginning of the second half, and you could tell there was a bit of fear from there on,” Conte told DAZN while reviewing his side’s performance against Udinese. 

“Two disallowed goals and a crossbar at the start of the second half,” he continued. “We were too worried and too fearful, we needed to work hard. We have to play well, even in the difficult moments. We have to manage situations and we definitely have to improve.

“We have to be better at managing these moments, we have to tackle them with experience. We can’t lose courage or become overwhelmed. If you play like that, you run the risk of conceding, and we conceded. 

“I have nothing negative to say about the guys who are giving their all in this emergency. We have to be better at managing games and bringing out more character away from home. On a psychological level, we try to work on it and find the right way. We can grow, we have great guys here.” 

Conte was asked if he is worried about injuries derailing his side’s season. 

He replied: “I sounded the alarm even after we were winning. There’s not much to say. 

“At the beginning of the season, when you’re playing in a lot of competitions, you worry about building a squad that is up to scratch. (What can you do) when the squad is weakened because of external factors? 

“This year won’t be easy for us. The important thing is to be united and compact, facing challenges while sticking together. The whole club needs to stand together, this year won’t be easy. We want to work and fight. We’ve lost seven away games, we have to improve that a bit.”

There were some ugly scenes outside Marassi this evening ahead of Genoa vs. Inter, when two sets of fans threw objects at each other, attacked police, and cars were set on fire.

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

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

According to Sky Sport Italia and Sportitalia, there were clashes outside the stadium over an hour before kick-off.

What happened before Genoa vs. Inter

A group of Genoa ultras threw objects including fireworks at some Nerazzurri fans who were preparing to enter the away end of the stadium.

𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬: 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚 𝐝𝐢 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐚-𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫

Lancio di petardi e fumogeni dei genoani verso i tifosi nerazzurri

@tancredipalmeri #genoa #inter #sportitalia pic.twitter.com/eZFXBik8OW

— Sportitalia (@tvdellosport) December 14, 2025

They responded by attempting to break down the barrier separating them, so police were forced to intervene and the situation degenerated.

At least one car was set on fire, while some fans were seen dealing with the effects of tear gas deployed by the authorities.

Continuano gli scontri prima di Genoa-Inter: macchine in fiamme all’esterno del Ferraris

@tancredipalmeri #GenoaInter #Sportitalia pic.twitter.com/YZqjcdlwhc

— Sportitalia (@tvdellosport) December 14, 2025

Once calm was restored, a car, several motorbikes and some bins were left burned to a crisp.

Scontri al Ferraris prima di Genoa-Inter: le immagini dei clamorosi danni

1 camioncino, 1 motorino, 1 macchina e 7 cassonetti dati a fuoco

@tancredipalmeri #GenoaInter #Sportitalia pic.twitter.com/DVfCDfcClL

— Sportitalia (@tvdellosport) December 14, 2025

Davide Bartesaghi scored the first goals of his Milan career in a 2-2 Serie A draw against Sassuolo in Serie A on Sunday afternoon, and in doing so, became the youngest Rossoneri defender to net a brace since Paolo Maldini in 1988: ‘It’s a dream’, he said. 

Milan, overall, will be disappointed by their 2-2 draw at home against Sassuolo on Sunday evening, which has left them at risk of being leapfrogged into first place by Inter, but it was certainly a memorable occasion for Bartesaghi, who netted the first and second goals of his senior career. 

You can see how the action from all of Sunday’s Serie A matches unfolds on the Football Italia liveblog.

Bartesaghi on first Milan goals: ‘Goosebumps, but I’m sorry we didn’t win’

With his goals in the 34th and 47th minutes against Sassuolo, Bartesaghi became the youngest defender to score a brace for Milan since Maldini in 1988. Maldini was 19 years and 247 days old at the time, and Bartesaghi is 19 years and 350 days old on the day of his Sassolo double. 

“I’m very happy, it’s a dream come true for me to play and score in these colours,” Bartesaghi told Milan TV after full-time on Sunday. 

“It gives me goosebumps, but I’m also sorry that the team wasn’t able to win, that’s a shame.” 

He continued: “I want to dedicate the goals to (Bernardo) Corradi, who has always believed in me, and also to the whole staff and team. I also want to say thanks to my two best friends who came here to the stadium today. I’m very happy.” 

Liverpool fans were impressed by Federico Chiesa’s selflessness with his attempted assist for Mohamed Salah at the end of their 2-0 Premier League victory over Brighton on Saturday afternoon: ‘We need to see more of him’. 

After a relatively slow start to life on Merseyside in 2024-25, Chiesa is becoming somewhat of a cult hero at Anfield in 2025-26. Despite his limited opportunities in the first team, the former Juventus winger has impressed with his brief appearances off the bench, and is winning over Liverpool supporters with his passion, determination and selflessness. 

Chiesa currently has two goals and one assist to his name from 11 appearances in the Premier League this season, all of which have come off the bench. 

He came close to adding another assist to that tally during injury time at the end of Liverpool’s 2-0 win against Brighton on Saturday afternoon. 

At full sprint in the opposition half, Chiesa latched on to a long ball over the top on the edge of the opposition area and had the space and time in front of him to line up a shot towards the bottom corner of the net. Instead, he looked up and squared to Salah. 

Liverpool fans react to Chiesa’s selflessness

Plenty of Liverpool supporters feel that Chiesa was intentionally trying to get a goal for Salah specifically after a difficult week off the pitch. The Egyptian was dropped for Liverpool’s recent Champions League victory over Inter and had started on the bench against Brighton after his recent outburst and accusations against the club. 

“Moments like this matter. Chiesa could’ve easily shot, but chooses Mo instead. Respect,” wrote The Anfield Buzz on X reacting to the Italian’s attempted assist on Saturday.

One supporter wrote: “Chiesa can do this on both flanks and has some incredible pace in him even after all those injuries and an ACL. With Mo going to AFCON, we need to see more of him.” 

Another added: “Chiesa has played only 15 minutes and really doesn’t deserve to be benched. Now that Salah has gone to play in the AFCON, Federico Chiesa DESERVES to start. He looks very sharp.” 

“Two chances to go alone, which was the better option, but instead opted to pass to Isak and Mo Salah cause he knows they can do with it more. Unselfish, team player. Honestly one of the best signings we’ve had in recent years,” another wrote.

Cristian Chivu is impressed with how Daniele De Rossi transformed Genoa and warns Inter they need ‘quality and intensity’ after surprise results already today.

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

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

There was some crowd trouble outside the stadium before kick-off, with clashes between sets of supporters and police.

Meanwhile, Inter know a victory could leapfrog them to the top of the table, because AC Milan were held to a 2-2 draw by Sassuolo today, while Napoli lost 1-0 away to Udinese.

Chivu concerned about Inter distraction

“We have to focus on ourselves, be ready to play what will not be an easy game, because Genoa are in a great period of form, are on home turf and feeling the energy of enthusiasm,” Chivu told Sky Sport Italia.

Genoa have been revitalised under new coach De Rossi since he replaced Patrick Vieira, so has Chivu spoken to his old Roma teammate this week?

“We haven’t spoken this week, no. De Rossi transmitted character to his squad, but also quality, as they pass it around more and try to open up the opposition defences. Their strikers are doing well, so it’s going to be tough for us too.”

The last week has been a rollercoaster for the Nerazzurri, who had the best performance of the season thumping Como 4-0, but then lost to Liverpool in the Champions League thanks to an extraordinarily soft late penalty.

The biggest problem about that midweek defeat was fresh injuries to Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi, who both limped off during the first half and are therefore absent here.

“I expect to see a team aware of how important and difficult this match is going to be, because there will be moments when we need quality, others where we have to focus more on intensity,” concluded Chivu.

Inter are forced into changes in defence and midfield, while Francesco Pio Esposito partners Lautaro Martinez for the trip to Daniele De Rossi’s revitalised Genoa.

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

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

This has been a difficult few days for Cristian Chivu, as just after an exhilarating 4-0 victory over Como, he had to deal with a second consecutive Champions League defeat, this one to a ridiculously soft Liverpool penalty.

To make matters worse, Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi both limped off during that game and are out of action, along with Denzel Dumfries, Matteo Darmian, Tomas Palacios and Raffaele Di Gennaro.

Changes are therefore forced, including Carlos Augusto stepping in on the left, with Piotr Zielinski and Petar Sucic in midfield.

Francesco Pio Esposito is chosen to partner Lautaro Martinez upfront.

Genoa have been revitalised since Daniele De Rossi replaced Patrick Vieira, earning two draws and back-to-back victories over Verona and Udinese to break out of the relegation zone.

Leo Ostigard, Junior Messias, Hugo Cuenca, Maxwel Cornet and Benjamin Siegrist are still out of action, but Morten Frendrup returns to midfield.

Brooke Norton-Cuffy scored last week and bolstered his transfer value, while Vitinha supports Lorenzo Colombo upfront, leaving Inter-owned Valentin Carboni on the bench.

Genoa vs. Inter line-ups

Genoa: Leali; Marcandalli, Otoa, Vasquez; Norton-Cuffy, Frendrup, Malinovskyi, Ellertsson, Martin; Vitinha, Colombo

Inter: Sommer; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Luis Henrique, Barella, Zielinski, Sucic, Carlos Augusto; Lautaro Martinez, Pio Esposito

14-12-2025 17:00

MatchDay 15

Stadio Luigi Ferraris

Genoa

Inter

1 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		6'		Yann Bisseck (Assist: Lautaro Martínez)
		38'		Lautaro Martínez

2nd half

		54'		Manuel Akanji
Vitinha (Assist: Aarón Martín)		68'
		73'		Nicolò Barella
		78'		Yann Bisseck
Jeff Ekhator		90+2'

Match statistic

36

Possession %

64

5

Total shots

18

3

Shots on target

8

2

Shots off target

2

0

Blocked shots

8

1

Corners

6

0

Offsides

1

10

Fouls

20

Genoa

Inter

Starting lineups

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

27

Alessandro Marcandalli

Defender

15

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

34

Sebastian Otoa

Defender

89'

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

78'

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

58'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

89'

9

Vitinha

Attacker

78'

1

Yann Sommer

Goalkeeper

95

Alessandro Bastoni

Defender

25

Manuel Akanji

Defender

8

Petar Sucic

Defender

74'

31

Yann Bisseck

Defender

30

Carlos Augusto

Midfielder

23

Nicolò Barella

Midfielder

7

Piotr Zielinski

Midfielder

90'

94

Pio Esposito

Attacker

74'

10

Lautaro Martínez

Attacker

84'

11

Luis Henrique

Attacker

Substitutes

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

2

Morten Thorsby

Midfielder

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

8

Nicolae Stanciu

Midfielder

14

Jean Onana

Midfielder

73

Patrizio Masini

Midfielder

40

Seydou Fini

Attacker

76

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

35

Ernestas Lysionok

Goalkeeper

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

58'

11

Albert Grønbaek

Midfielder

78'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

78'

70

Maxwel Cornet

Attacker

89'

23

Valentín Carboni

Midfielder

89'

16

Davide Frattesi

Midfielder

32

Federico Dimarco

Defender

14

Ange-Yoan Bonny

Defender

13

Josep Martínez

Goalkeeper

60

Alain Taho

Goalkeeper

43

Matteo Cocchi

Defender

50

Simone Cinquegrano

Defender

22

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Midfielder

74'

9

Marcus Thuram

Attacker

74'

17

Andy Diouf

Attacker

84'

6

Stefan de Vrij

Defender

90'