Raffaele Palladino maintains Atalanta can turn the Champions League play-off around with Borussia Dortmund, as it’s ‘only the first half,’ and reveals the cause of tension with Nico Kovac.

It was a bad start in Dortmund, partly because kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes when the hosts were late getting to the stadium due to a traffic jam.

That didn’t seem to affect them, as they scored within three minutes thanks to Serhou Guirassy’s towering header, then the same player set up Maximilian Beier for 2-0 just before half-time.

Palladino trusts Atalanta can fight back

Atalanta were forced into changes in Dortmund, as this week both Giacomo Raspadori and Charles De Ketelaere were ruled out for at least a month by injuries.

“We mustn’t talk about who isn’t here, but instead concentrate on who did play,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.

“It’s a pity we were 1-0 down right from the start, because we knew Borussia Dortmund are a very good team with strong individuals who can attack the space, they put in a cross and we didn’t mark properly on that goal.”

Fabio Capello in the Sky Sport Italia studio warned that playing man for man with that Dortmund attack was a recipe for disaster.

“I agree with that analysis, it’s true that their strikers have a lot of technical and physical qualities,” replied Palladino.

“I was struck by their midfielders too, they are complete players. However, our mentality must be to have courage. We studied our opponents, these matches are also helpful to understand our strengths and their strengths.

“It won’t be easy to turn this around, but I believe, the fans will be pushing us on, and this is why we love football, because it gives you the opportunity to turn things around.”

Gianluca Scamacca made his return to the starting XI this evening, but seemed visibly rusty, as Nikola Krstovic was livelier when replacing him for the second half.

“We made too many errors and got stuck going down one flank, we were too predictable, too slow moving it around, but we did much better in the second half, with more possession, more movement, more options in attack, more spaces opening up.

“I got the feeling we were in a position to create something in attack, but we were lacking a little quality in the final third, with the final pass. There were things we didn’t do well tonight, we’ll analyse them with the lads and do better next time.

“Also don’t forget we were up against a strong side that is second in the Bundesliga, only six points behind Bayern Munich. I am sad about the result, but I also note they had only two shots on target and scored both of them. We have to think positive, our dream is to go through, and if we don’t manage it, we’ll know that we gave our all. There are many young players in this squad who gained experience from this for the future.”

It means La Dea have a mountain to climb in the second leg in Bergamo on Wednesday February 25, as they need to win by two clear goals just to force extra time in the Champions League play-off.

“This was just the first half, the second is on our home turf, and just as they put two goals past us this evening, we can do the same in Bergamo,” insisted Palladino.

“The lads know what we need to do, we will get back on our feet and certainly play the second leg with great intensity.”

There seemed to be some tension at the final whistle when Palladino stormed off and didn’t shake hands with Borussia Dortmund coach Kovac.

“I don’t like protesting, they were complaining for every single thing on the touchline. I try to leave the referees to do their job, in good and bad, so I just told him he ought to let the referees get on with it.”

Marten de Roon insists Atalanta ‘must believe’ in turning around the Champions League play-off after a 2-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund. ‘We can hurt them too and build on that.’

The game was delayed by 15 minutes in Dortmund because hosts Borussia were caught in traffic and arrived late to the stadium.

Nonetheless, they opened the scoring within three minutes thanks to a Serhou Guirassy header, then he provided the assist for Maximilian Beier to double their lead before half-time.

De Roon has faith in Atalanta future

“We struggled with their pace at the start, but then it became a more balanced game, we had a couple of chances, and the real pity was conceding the second goal,” De Roon told Sky Sport Italia.

The second leg is in Bergamo on February 25, and Atalanta have a huge task ahead of them to turn this around if they are to enter the Champions League Round of 16.

“We must always believe, and we believe a lot, because the last 25 minutes gave us confidence we can hurt them too. They are dangerous running into spaces, but we know what we can do and want to build on that,” continued De Roon.

“We went into the locker room, closed the door, and told each other we must believe, because we are a strong team. We attacked more in the second half and that meant leaving spaces, but we did well not to concede a third.”

Both goals were conceded with defensive errors, as Guirassy and Beier were left in acres of space to finish their chances, but even more disappointing was the lack of genuine scoring opportunities from Atalanta.

Atalanta crushed Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Europa League Final back in 2024, but things have changed since then.

“At least we raised the level, as it was the Champions League tonight and not the Europa League,” noted De Roon.

“I was very impressed with Borussia Dortmund, Felix Nmecha has enormous physical presence, but I still believe we can fight it out with them and have our say in Bergamo.”

Atalanta paid a heavy price for defensive distractions, as Serhou Guirassy and Maximilian Beier gave Borussia Dortmund a 2-0 first leg lead in the Champions League play-offs.

La Dea had been on the verge of direct qualification to the Round of 16, until back-to-back defeats to Athletic Club and Union Saint-Gilloise. Charles De Ketelaere and Giacomo Raspadori were both ruled out for at least a month this week, but Gianluca Scamacca returned to the starting XI. Borussia Dortmund had drawn 4-4 away to Juventus, but crumbled with one point from the last three against Bodo/Glimt, Tottenham and Inter. They won their last six Bundesliga ties in a row, despite missing Filippo Mane, Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck and Nicklas Sule, so 18-year-old Italian Luca Reggiani got his Champions League debut.

Kick-off had to be delayed by 15 minutes because the Borussia Dortmund team bus was caught in traffic on their way to the stadium.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It took under three minutes for the hosts to take the lead, as Julian Ryerson whipped in a cross from the right and Serhou Guirassy comfortably leapt over Odilon Kossounou for the towering header.

Serhou Guirassy leaps high to head Dortmund into an early lead against Atalanta

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

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Nicola Zalewski drew out the goalkeeper and rolled across from the left, but Daniel Svensson made a crucial block to prevent Mario Pasalic tapping into an empty net from five yards as they came sliding in.

Sead Kolasinac came flying out of defence to set up Zalewski for another dangerous situation, while a ferocious Felix Nmecha strike was charged down by Kossounou and Waldemar Anton’s header was over from a Ryerson free kick.

Borussia Dortmund doubled their advantage just before half-time, as Guirassy completed a give and go with Nmecha to burst down the left and roll across, finding Maximilian Beier unmarked to bundle over the line.

Maximilian Beier doubles Dortmund's advantage

A nice break down the left from Serhou Guirassy has Atalanta on the back foot…

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/Z3A1tZYPBz

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Nikola Krstovic tested the goalkeeper from distance, while Julian Brandt blasted over after Marco Carnesecchi parried an in-swinging corner, but Krstovic and Zalewski strikes were charged down.

Krstovic put in a fine cross, but it only grazed the head of Kamaldeen Sulemana in a good position, and Lazar Samardzic’s curler was too close to the goalkeeper.

In stoppages, Ramy Bensebaini made a fantastic sliding tackle to stop Krstovic tapping in the Sulemana low roll across from five yards.

Atalanta have it all to do in the second leg on February 25.

Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Atalanta

Guirassy 3 (B), Beier 42 (B)

17-02-2026 20:15

Knockout phase play-offs

Westfalenstadion (Signal Iduna Park)

Dortmund

Atalanta

2 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Serhou Guirassy (Assist: Julian Ryerson)		3'
Luca Reggiani		18'
		40'		Odilon Kossounou
		40'		Berat Djimsiti
Maximilian Beier (Assist: Serhou Guirassy)		42'
		45+1'		Gianluca Scamacca

2nd half

Waldemar Anton

48'

Match statistic

44

Possession %

56

9

Total shots

7

2

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

2

3

Blocked shots

2

3

Corners

2

1

Offsides

1

11

Fouls

13

Dortmund

Atalanta

Starting lineups

1

Gregor Kobel

Goalkeeper

24

Daniel Svensson

Defender

26

Julian Ryerson

Defender

49

Luca Reggiani

Defender

5

Ramy Bensebaini

Defender

3

Waldemar Anton

Defender

8

Felix Nmecha

Midfielder

83'

10

Julian Brandt

Midfielder

70'

7

Jobe Bellingham

Attacker

14

Maximilian Beier

Attacker

70'

9

Serhou Guirassy

Attacker

83'

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

46'

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

72'

47

Lorenzo Bernasconi

Defender

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

23

Sead Kolasinac

Defender

13

Éderson

Midfielder

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

63'

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

82'

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

46'

Substitutes

2

Yan Couto

Defender

6

Salih Özcan

Midfielder

33

Alexander Meyer

Goalkeeper

31

Silas Ostrzinski

Goalkeeper

42

Almugera Kabar

Defender

47

Elias Benkara

Defender

40

Samuele Inácio

Attacker

45

Danylo Krevsun

Midfielder

27

Karim Adeyemi

Attacker

70'

17

Carney Chukwuemeka

Midfielder

70'

20

Marcel Sabitzer

Midfielder

83'

21

Fábio Silva

Attacker

83'

31

Francesco Rossi

Goalkeeper

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

42

Giorgio Scalvini

Defender

5

Mitchel Bakker

Defender

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

69

Honest Ahanor

Defender

45

Dominic Vavassori

Midfielder

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

46'

4

Isak Hien

Defender

46'

7

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Midfielder

63'

16

Raoul Bellanova

Defender

72'

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

82'

Pierre Kalulu insists Juventus cannot hide behind alibis after their 5-2 defeat to Galatasaray, and wants to put the Alessandro Bastoni incident behind him. ‘It’s a pity.’

The Bianconeri had been leading 2-1 at half-time in the first leg of this Champions League play-off, with a Teun Koopmeiners brace overturning the early Gabriel Sara goal.

They went 3-2 down and a man down after the restart, crumbling to a 5-2 loss that gives them a mountain to climb in the second leg on February 25.

Kalulu surprised by Juventus collapse

“Goals keep coming from our own errors, but the most difficult thing to swallow was the second half performance overall,” Kalulu told Sky Sport Italia.

“Even with a red card, we should not have allowed all those scoring opportunities. We need to figure out what happened tonight, but it’s in the past now and in football you must be able to quickly move on to the next match.”

Gleison Bremer limped off with an injury in the first half, while they were also missing Jonathan David, Emil Holm and Dusan Vlahovic. Was the strain of their recent run of big matches to blame for this capitulation?

“No, you cannot hide behind fatigue when dealing with a Champions League fixture. That’s just the way it went today, it’s very difficult to work out what went wrong, but we’ve got to lift our heads and do better in future.”

Kalulu was in all the Italian headlines this week after his red card in the 3-2 Serie A defeat to Inter, as the second yellow was for a Bastoni simulation.

“Obviously, I was very irritable after that incident, but it is better not to talk too much, because sometimes it doesn’t really help. I just have to focus on the pitch, there are others who can talk about these matters.”

Inter defender Bastoni made a public apology today for exaggerating the contact to get Kalulu sent off, but above all for loudly celebrating the dismissal.

“I didn’t see what he said,” replied Kalulu.

“That match is in the past now, we’ve got to look to the future and not think about it anymore. All I will say is that it’s a pity.”

Juventus midfielder Teun Koopmeiners ‘can’t be happy’ after scoring a brace against Galatasaray as the Bianconeri slumped to a 5-2 loss away at Galatasaray in the Champions League.

Juventus suffered a heavy 5-2 loss against Galatasaray in the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off on Tuesday.

Koopmeiners’ comments after Galatasaray 5-2 Juventus

Koopmeiners scored his first goals this season and his first two in the Champions League before the break, giving Juventus a 2-1 lead.

“I think we played a good first half; we scored two great goals. We said in the dressing room that we had to keep the ball possession longer, but the way the second half went was not good,” the Dutch midfielder told Sky Sport Italia.

“We must look at the videos and know that there’s a new game next week.”

Juan Cabal was sent off in the second half, after barely 20 minutes from his introduction, while Gleison Bremer suffered a suspected muscle injury in the first half and was forced to be subbed off.

The decider will be played in Turin on Wednesday next week.

“We must improve and score three goals at least; it’s easy,” said the Juventus midfielder.

“I started well with this coach, I scored two important goals in the first half, but I can’t be happy. Because nothing matters when you look at the second half. We scored twice, but we need at least three in the next one.

“I feel well in this position. I think I can contribute with goals. I told myself I had to score more goals. I did it in the first half, but we had to do more in the second.”

Juventus have lost three of their last four games across all competitions, drawing once, and conceding 13 goals in the process.

Juventus’ next game will be at home against Como in Serie A this coming Saturday.

Luciano Spalletti admits Juventus ‘took three steps back’ in their 5-2 Champions League play-off defeat to Galatasaray, warning they are ‘always at risk of conceding goals.’

The Bianconeri had managed to turn around an early Gabriel Sara goal with the Teun Koopmeiners brace to go into half-time leading 2-1 in Istanbul.

It all fell apart after the break, when Juan Cabal replaced Andrea Cambiaso because the Italian was on a yellow card, but he made two crucial errors for goals and then received a red card.

Juve crumbled down to 10 men, as Noa Lang scored twice, plus Davinson Sanchez and Sacha Boey for the 5-2 result.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Galatasaray 5-2 Juventus

Spalletti does not hold back on dire Juventus performance

“We ended the first half badly, tried to get back into shape and changed a few things, but we really dropped off in terms of character,” Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia.

“It was not one step back, but three steps back this evening. Clearly, Cambiaso risked a second yellow card at the end of the first half, in these games when you have someone on a card, it is wise to do something with the substitutions.

“However, we received two more yellow cards in the first 15-odd minutes, then we did further damage to ourselves by not recognising the danger in those situations.”

Is it a problem for Juventus that they consistently concede so many goals, especially in Europe?

“I am convinced that we can lighten the load on the defence if we manage to play football. If we set up barricades and go on the counter, we don’t have players suited to that sort of approach, we don’t have those solid enough to let nothing through,” noted Spalletti.

“So I believe attack is the best form of defence, taking the front foot. If we drop below our standards of quality, then we are always at risk of conceding goals.”

The first, fourth and fifth goals came from giving the ball away and not playing it effectively out from the back, so should Spalletti encourage his defenders to just clear it when under that kind of pressure?

“I want them to play the ball in normal situations, but when there is extreme danger, you kick it away. I want us to create something going forward, not just breaking up the play. Not every situation is the same, sometimes you kick it away and release some pressure. I like to play the ball in general, but there are different situations.

“When down to 10 men, that’s a difficult situation, we made the substitution to take pressure off one player and his replacement receives two yellow cards in 20 minutes, that makes everything tougher.

“Quite apart from the cards, the whole team took a few steps back in various ways today.”

Juventus now have a huge mountain to climb for the second leg of the Champions League play-off, as they need a 3-0 result just to force extra time.

“Of course we’ll try to climb that mountain, try to organise a comeback. Clearly, we must take on responsibility for what happened and for the decisions we take during the match,” noted Spalletti.

“From now on, it’s pointless saying lots of words if we don’t back it up with action. We do some things well recently, but always manage to create problems for ourselves too.

“When it comes to recognising certain situations, we weren’t at the top yet anyway, and today managed to make it worse. The red card added to the difficulties, but we still have to respond and do our duty to a group of fans, a whole city, and a club.”

Gleison Bremer limped off during half-time with a muscular issue, so is there any news yet on his condition?

“We have to evaluate Bremer, as he might have some problems.”

Di Gregorio 5 – A couple of decent saves here and there, but it was always too easy for Juventus opponents to score. The Italian didn’t look confident on set pieces and with distribution.

• Match report – Galatasaray 5-2 Juventus: Cabal catastrophe ruins Champions League play-off

Kalulu 6 – Straight back to action after Saturday’s controversy against Inter, the French played a key role in Teun Koopmeiners’ equaliser, forcing a save from Ugurcan Cakir before the rebound was tapped home.

Bremer 6.5 – Injured early in the first half, but remained on the pitch until the Bianconeri took the lead. Juventus collapsed after he left the field. (34′ Gatti 4)

Kelly 4 – A positive performance in the first half, but the Englishman faded after the break. He lost the ball inside the box for Galatasaray’s fourth goal and lost yet another duel against Osimhen for the fifth.

Cambiaso 6.5 – His forward run right after Galatasaray’s opener paved the way for Koopmeiners’ equaliser. His cross for Kalulu came with a high degree of difficulty. He was booked in the first half and will miss the return leg next week. (46′ Cabal 3 – A terrible impact. In the wrong position for Gala’s equaliser, then caused the free kick that led to the opponents’ third goal. Very few successful passes. Two yellow cards in 20 minutes. A disaster.)

Koopmeiners 7  – He had no goals and no assists in 32 appearances across all competitions this season. No Champions League in his career. All of a sudden, he showed why Juventus paid €60m for him over 18 months ago.

Locatelli 5 – Too many errors in the build-up, and didn’t help the team defensively as he usually does.

Thuram 4.5 – Back to action after missing Saturday’s game against Inter. The Frenchman was sloppy on the ball and made a dangerous backpass that Galatasaray converted in their fourth goal. (80′ Miretti N/A).

Conceicao 5 – Energetic and involved throughout, as always, but his impact faded in the final third, where the decisive pass was missing. (70′ Kostic 5).

McKennie 6.5 – Started as a centre-forward but, as ever, he played all over the pitch. Also provided the assist for Koopmeiners’ second goal.

Yildiz 4.5 – The homeboy didn’t seem fully fit as he often checked on his knee during the match. He also lost possession in a danger zone, leading to Galatasaray’s opening goal. He was never dangerous and was subbed off when the game was practically over (81′ Openda N/A).

Coach: Spalletti 4 – A shocking result, a disastrous second half for the Bianconeri. Still not clear why he replaced Cambiaso after a brilliant first-half performance. Cabal dragged the team down, and this time, Juventus sank rather than reacting.

Galatasaray: Ugurcan Cakir 6; Sallai 6, Sanchez 7, Abdulkerim Bardakci 7 (77′ Singo N/A), Jakobs 6.5 (83′ Elmali N/A); Torreira 7, Gabriel Sara 8.5; Baris Alper Yilmaz 7.5 (77′ Icardi N/A), Yunus Akgun 7.5 (70′ Sané), Lang 7.5 (83′ Boey); Osimhen 8. Coach: Buruk 8.

Atalanta’s Champions League play-off with Borussia Dortmund has seen kick-off delayed by 15 minutes after the hosts got stuck in traffic and were late to the stadium.

It was meant to kick off at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

However, that has been moved to 20.15 GMT (21.15 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Galatasaray-Juventus on the Liveblog.

The second leg for a place in the Round of 16 will be on February 25.

Dortmund traffic surprises Borussia squad

Borussia Dortmund ought to know the traffic in their own city on match days, but evidently were surprised by the situation they ran into on their way to the arena.

They were delayed so much that the kick-off time had to be put back by 15 minutes.

La Dea had been very close to going directly into the next phase as one of the top eight teams in the league table, but fumbled it with defeats to Athletic Club and Union Saint-Gilloise.

Both Charles De Ketelaere and January signing Giacomo Raspadori are out for at least a month with injuries sustained at the weekend, so Gianluca Scamacca makes his return to the starting XI.

There are some surprises in defence, as Giorgio Scalvini and Isak Hien are both on the bench.

Juventus were leading 2-1 with a Teun Koopmeiners brace, but a disastrous performance from Juan Cabal with red card and Noa Lang double create a Champions League play-off mountain to climb.

The Bianconeri made the trip to Istanbul without Jonathan David, Emil Holm, Dusan Vlahovic and Arek Milik, but Khephren Thuram returned after missing the controversial 3-2 defeat to Inter. Weston McKennie was turned into a surprise False 9, flanked by Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao. The hosts had Mario Lemina suspended, but could count on former Serie A stars Victor Osimhen, Mauro Icardi, Noa Lang and Lucas Torreira. The second leg in Turin is on February 25.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

A Yunus Akgun scorcher flashed just wide, as did the deflected Kenan Yildiz effort at the other end, but Kenan Yildiz was caught napping on a throw-in, so Lucas Torreira laid it off for Gabriel Sara to bend the left-foot finish into the far bottom corner.

Gabriel Sara FIRES Galatasaray ahead @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/bHZKDXTwjM

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

However, the Galatasaray celebrations were still in full swing when Juventus equalised less than a minute later. Andrea Cambiaso surged forward from the kick-off and floated a cross for Pierre Kalulu’s header, which was only parried into the path of Teun Koopmeiners to turn in the rebound.

Koopmeiners responds immediately and Juventus are level@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/PbUwwBUCsR

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Cambiaso was booked and will be suspended for the second leg, while Osimhen’s half-volley flashed over the bar and his header was well saved by Michele Di Gregorio.

Both Gleison Bremer and Kenan Yildiz were carrying knocks, but Juve managed to turn the game around to lead with another from Koopmeiners. The Dutchman burst through the centre, completed a give and go with McKennie, and blasted into the roof of the net with his left foot.

Koopmeiners puts Juventus in front with a brilliant strike @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/oyvbz6AKcd

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

After several minutes of trying to continue, Bremer was forced off with a thigh issue, replaced by Federico Gatti.

Francisco Conceicao curled off target from a counter-attack and Di Gregorio got down to palm away the Yunus Akgun daisy-cutter.

Former Palermo man Roland Sallai should’ve equalised on the stroke of half-time, but ballooned over at the back post after surprising Cambiaso on a Lang corner.

They did make it 2-2 straight after the restart, as Di Gregorio got a glove to the Baris Alper Yilmaz angled drive, but could do nothing on Lang’s tap-in for his first goal since the January move from Napoli. Substitute Juan Cabal had tried to double up marking elsewhere, leaving Yilmaz alone.

Noa Lang brings Galatasaray right back into it @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/LEdmFZ5OQn

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Galatasaray turned it around once more, Gabriel Sara’s ferocious free kick taking a mere glance off Davinson Sanchez to wrong-foot Di Gregorio from close range.

REMARKABLE TURNAROUND BY GALATASARAY @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/V9Qhm0MfpT

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Cabal had given that free kick away with a foul on Baris Alper Yilmaz for a yellow card, and received his second for another failed attempt to stop the Galatasaray captain, reducing Juventus to 10 men after a nightmare performance off the bench.

Juan Cabal sent off after coming on at half-time! @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/EFFzs9QlpC

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Things went from bad to worse, as Thuram and Lloyd Kelly were too sluggish playing out from the back, allowing Osimhen to steal it inside the box and find Lang for another tap-in.

Noa Lang gets his second of the night! @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/oXcAsUUJqn

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Ex-Torino winger Wilfried Singo drilled just wide from distance, but the fifth arrived when Osimhen battled with Lloyd Kelly to send substitute Sacha Boey down the right, blasting into the far top corner with a powerful finish.

Boey adds a fifth for Galatasaray @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/Dgbswx8PZR

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Galatasaray 5-2 Juventus

Gabriel Sara 15 (G), Koopmeiners 16, 32 (J), Lang 49, 75 (G), Sanchez 60 (G), Boey 86 (G)

Sent off: Cabal 67 (J)

17-02-2026 17:45

Knockout phase play-offs

Türk Telekom Arena (Ali Sami Yen Stadium)

Galatasaray

Juventus

5 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

Gabriel Sara		15'
		16'		Teun Koopmeiners (Assist: Pierre Kalulu)
		18'		Andrea Cambiaso
		32'		Teun Koopmeiners (Assist: Weston McKennie)
Gabriel Sara		43'

2nd half

Noa Lang (Assist: Barış Alper Yılmaz)		49'
		59'		Juan Cabal
Davinson Sánchez (Assist: Gabriel Sara)		60'
		67'		Juan Cabal
Noa Lang (Assist: Victor Osimhen)		75'
Sacha Boey (Assist: Victor Osimhen)		86'

Match statistic

62

Possession %

38

22

Total shots

7

9

Shots on target

3

7

Shots off target

2

6

Blocked shots

2

5

Corners

5

1

Offsides

2

8

Fouls

18

Galatasaray

Juventus

Starting lineups

1

Ugurcan Cakir

Goalkeeper

42

Abdülkerim Bardakci

Defender

77'

6

Davinson Sánchez

Defender

4

Ismail Jakobs

Defender

83'

8

Gabriel Sara

Midfielder

34

Lucas Torreira

Midfielder

53

Barış Alper Yılmaz

Attacker

77'

77

Noa Lang

Attacker

83'

7

Roland Sallai

Attacker

45

Victor Osimhen

Attacker

11

Yunus Akgün

Attacker

70'

16

Michele Di Gregorio

Goalkeeper

27

Andrea Cambiaso

Defender

46'

3

Bremer

Defender

34'

6

Lloyd Kelly

Defender

15

Pierre Kalulu

Defender

19

Khéphren Thuram

Midfielder

80'

5

Manuel Locatelli

Midfielder

8

Teun Koopmeiners

Midfielder

22

Weston McKennie

Midfielder

7

Francisco Conceição

Attacker

70'

10

Kenan Yıldız

Attacker

81'

Substitutes

23

Kaan Ayhan

Midfielder

20

Ilkay Gündogan

Midfielder

12

Batuhan Sen

Goalkeeper

21

Ahmed Kutucu

Attacker

19

Günay Güvenc

Goalkeeper

22

Yaser Asprilla

Midfielder

10

Leroy Sané

Midfielder

70'

90

Wilfried Singo

Defender

77'

9

Mauro Icardi

Attacker

77'

93

Sacha Boey

Defender

83'

17

Eren Elmali

Defender

83'

23

Carlo Pinsoglio

Goalkeeper

1

Mattia Perin

Goalkeeper

Jeremie Boga

Attacker

11

Edon Zhegrova

Attacker

17

Vasilije Adžić

Midfielder

4

Federico Gatti

Defender

34'

32

Juan Cabal

Defender

46'

18

Filip Kostic

Midfielder

70'

21

Fabio Miretti

Midfielder

80'

20

Loïs Openda

Attacker

81'

Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino explains how he prepared his team for a ‘fascinating’ Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund: ‘A maturity test.’

Atalanta visit Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off this evening.

Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta – Palladino’s pre-match quotes

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

“I’ve tried to convey serenity and tranquillity as we tried to prepare the game in a fascinating stadium,” Palladino told Sky Sport via TMW.

“I see it in the lads’ eyes. I’ve spoken to them, just a few things, very clear. It’s a nice maturity test for us tonight.”

Giacomo Raspadori and Charles De Ketelaere are injured, so Mario Pasalic starts as an attacking midfielder.

“He’s a versatile midfielder who can play as an attacking midfielder too. He did in the past, and he can score,” Palladino said.

“It shouldn’t take long for Raspadori; we’ll assess it with the staff. I hope he returns in two or three weeks, and around a month for De Ketelaere. We’ll try to recover them as quickly as possible.”

Juventus defender Gleison Bremer was forced to be substituted during the first half of a Champions League match against Galatasaray due to a suspected muscle injury.

Juventus defender Bremer suffered a suspected muscle injury during the first half of a Champions League match against Galatasaray on Tuesday.

Bremer suffered a suspected muscle injury vs. Galatasaray

As reported by Gazzetta, the Brazilian repeatedly touched his right thigh before being forced to be subbed off.

Bremer even left the field for a few minutes to get his thigh massaged by doctors, but Juventus were one goal down, so he refused to leave the field.

Teun Koopmeiners, however, scored twice in a few minutes, and Bremer surrendered just after the Dutchman’s second goal.

This evening’s match between Galatasaray and Juventus is the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off. The decider will be played in Turin next week.

You can follow live updates for Galatasaray-Juventus and Borussia Dortmund-Atalanta in the Football Italia LIVEBLOG.

Atalanta are forced to make big changes for the Champions League play-off, so Gianluca Scamacca is supported by Nicola Zalewski against Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy and Jobe Bellingham.

It kicks off at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Galatasaray-Juventus on the Liveblog.

The second leg of this play-off for a place in the Round of 16 will be on February 25.

La Dea had been on the verge of direct qualification for the Champions League Round of 16 after a great run of four wins in the first six games, including victories over Chelsea, Olympique Marseille and Eintracht Frankfurt.

However, back-to-back defeats to Athletic Club and Union Saint-Gilloise proved costly.

Raffaele Palladino is forced into changes, as both Charles De Ketelaere and Giacomo Raspadori will be out of action for at least a month.

It means Gianluca Scamacca rushes his return from injury to start, supported by Nicola Zalewski and Mario Pasalic.

Ederson and Marten de Roon bring their experience to pull the midfield strings.

Borussia Dortmund are missing Filippo Mane, Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck and Nicklas Sule for the first leg due to injury.

They too had been flying a lot higher in Europe, including a 4-4 draw away to Juventus, 4-1 victory with Athletic Club and 4-0 win over Villarreal, but crumbled with one point from the last three against Bodo/Glimt, Tottenham and Inter.

Dortmund won their last six Bundesliga matches on the bounce.

Guirassy is their top scorer with 15 competitive goals this season, followed by Julian Brandt on 10, Karim Adeyemi and Maximilian Beier with seven each.

With so many defenders missing, 18-year-old Italian Luca Reggiani gets his Champions League debut.

Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta line-ups

Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Reggiani, Anton, Bensebaini; Ryerson, F Nmecha, Bellingham, Svensson; Beier, Brandt; Guirassy

Dortmund bench: Ostrzinski, Meyer, Yan Couto, Salih Ozcan, Chukwuemeka, Sabitzer, Fabio Silva, Adeyemi, Inacio, Kabar, Krevsun, Benkara

Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Kolasinac, Djimsiti, Kossounou; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Bernasconi; Pasalic, Zalewski; Scamacca

Atalanta bench: Rossi, Sportiello, Hien, Bakker, Musah, Sulemana, Samardzic, Bellanova, Scalvini, Vavassori, Ahanor, Krstovic

Ref: Gozubuyuk (NED)

17-02-2026 20:15

Knockout phase play-offs

Westfalenstadion (Signal Iduna Park)

Dortmund

Atalanta

2 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Serhou Guirassy (Assist: Julian Ryerson)		3'
Luca Reggiani		18'
		40'		Odilon Kossounou
		40'		Berat Djimsiti
Maximilian Beier (Assist: Serhou Guirassy)		42'
		45+1'		Gianluca Scamacca

2nd half

Waldemar Anton

48'

Match statistic

44

Possession %

56

9

Total shots

7

2

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

2

3

Blocked shots

2

3

Corners

2

1

Offsides

1

11

Fouls

13

Dortmund

Atalanta

Starting lineups

1

Gregor Kobel

Goalkeeper

24

Daniel Svensson

Defender

26

Julian Ryerson

Defender

49

Luca Reggiani

Defender

5

Ramy Bensebaini

Defender

3

Waldemar Anton

Defender

8

Felix Nmecha

Midfielder

83'

10

Julian Brandt

Midfielder

70'

7

Jobe Bellingham

Attacker

14

Maximilian Beier

Attacker

70'

9

Serhou Guirassy

Attacker

83'

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

46'

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

72'

47

Lorenzo Bernasconi

Defender

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

23

Sead Kolasinac

Defender

13

Éderson

Midfielder

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

63'

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

82'

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

46'

Substitutes

2

Yan Couto

Defender

6

Salih Özcan

Midfielder

33

Alexander Meyer

Goalkeeper

31

Silas Ostrzinski

Goalkeeper

42

Almugera Kabar

Defender

47

Elias Benkara

Defender

40

Samuele Inácio

Attacker

45

Danylo Krevsun

Midfielder

27

Karim Adeyemi

Attacker

70'

17

Carney Chukwuemeka

Midfielder

70'

20

Marcel Sabitzer

Midfielder

83'

21

Fábio Silva

Attacker

83'

31

Francesco Rossi

Goalkeeper

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

42

Giorgio Scalvini

Defender

5

Mitchel Bakker

Defender

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

69

Honest Ahanor

Defender

45

Dominic Vavassori

Midfielder

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

46'

4

Isak Hien

Defender

46'

7

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Midfielder

63'

16

Raoul Bellanova

Defender

72'

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

82'

Juventus CEO Damien Comolli has apologised and admitted that his reaction after the fiery Derby d’Italia against Inter was excessive, but insists that he was ‘trying to defend my club’. 

Comolli has been given a fine of €15,000 and has been handed a Serie A ban until the end of March as a result of his comments and actions during and after the Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus on Saturday evening. 

Inter’s victory in the derby was largely overshadowed by the incorrect decision to send off Pierre Kalulu in the 42nd minute. Comolli angrily confronted the referee Federico La Penna in the tunnel at half-time, and later made calls for refereeing chief Gianluca Rocchi to resign after full-time. 

Comolli, speaking ahead of Juventus’s Champions League match against Galatasaray on Tuesday evening, apologised for the way in which he behaved in San Siro on Saturday. 

“I always respect the decisions of the authorities, whatever the decision, I will comply to it,” Comolli told Sky Sport Italia. 

“My passion was excessive, my reaction was excessive, I am sorry if I offended people, but I am here to defend my club, I felt it was an injustice, we reacted the wrong way and were excessive, but we still were on the wrong end of an injustice. 

“I don’t want to respond to other clubs, as we don’t want to talk about the past, we want to focus on the future and what happens on the pitch.”

Alessandro Bastoni, largely responsible for getting Kalulu sent off, has since offered his apologies for the way in which he celebrated the dismissal. Bastoni has avoided punishment from the league, but Kalulu remains suspended. 

“I can’t comment, we are very sorry for Pierre Kalulu, he is the one who is going to be suspended, we think it is very unfair. I saw him in the tunnel after the game, he is extremely frustrated. Our thoughts are all with Kalulu at this moment.”

Comolli and Chiellini protested about referees in general and not just errors against Juventus, calling for Rocchi to stand down.

“We just want to help, to collaborate with the authorities, the FIGC and Lega Serie A, it is not about Rocchi or any one person. We just want to work with all the clubs to improve a system that does not work, that is defective. We never said it was a person, but the system that is the problem, and we want it to be better for the good of Italian football.”

And reflecting on Giorgo Chiellini’s role in the debacle, Comolli said: “I just want to say that as good as he was on the pitch, Chiellini is an even better executive off it. He represents the present and future of Juventus. 

“The more young executives we have, the better it will be for Italian football. I’ve been around a long time, and I have seen few executives as talented as Giorgio in his role. We think about the present and the future, we are not interested in people who live in the past.”

And finally getting around to the topic of the Champions League match against Galatasaray, Comolli said: “I think we need to show personality, which we did at San Siro on Saturday. I asked Kostic to explain the game between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, he said it was impossible, we had to just experience it.”

Cristian Chivu has shared his thoughts ahead of the Champions League play-off match between Bodo/Glimt and Inter on Wednesday evening, and has also been forced to return to the topic of the Derby d’Italia against Juventus in Serie A over the weekend. 

The Nerazzurri have arrived in the arctic circle and are preparing to take on Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie on Wednesday evening. The two teams will meet again in San Siro next Tuesday. 

Juventus and Atalanta are both in Champions League action on Tuesday night. You can follow the action from those games on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Chivu on Bodo Glimt vs. Inter, Spalletti response and artificial pitch

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday evening, Chivu had an opportunity to reflect on Inter’s journey in the Champions League thus far and the task that lies ahead of them in Serie A. 

“This is a different competition and we know how important it is and how far we’ve come,” he said. We’ve done quite well without, unfortunately, qualifying for the round of 16. Bodo is a tough team, the club has made great progress.” 

There were, to little surprise, more questions asked about the controversial Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus on Saturday afternoon. Inter won 3-2, but their victory was marred by a major refereeing error which led to the wrongful sending off of Pierre Kalulu. 

There have been plenty of takes, comments and apologies since the incident occurred on Saturday. Alessandro Bastoni, largely responsible for getting Kalulu sent off, sat next to Chivu for the press conference and apologised for the way in which he celebrated the red card decision. 

Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti spoke to the press on Monday, defending Bastoni but criticising Chivu for the comments he made about Kalulu after full-time. 

Chivu was asked if he had a response for Spalletti on Tuesday evening. 

He said: “I don’t want to reply to what others say. I say what I say and what I think. I talked about the experiences of my team, and I don’t care what they have to say. The team at the top is always the most hated and criticised. 

“Incidents happen for and against everyone, we were wronged in Naples and I’m saying that for the first time. We moved on. The season is long and we want to be competitive without forgetting about the way we’ve been portrayed.” 

Returning his focus to the task at hand against Bodo/Glimt, Chivu proceeded to give an update on his players’ availability. 

“Everyone wants the formation in Italy, I’ve never told you,” he laughed. I know who will play but I won’t say it. Calhanoglu has a small problem, that could be a matter of days, a week at most.” 

And on Bodo/Glimt’s artificial pitch, which has caused problems for a number of Italian sides in recent seasons, Chivu said: “The concern is always for the safety of the players.

“Bodo have been achieving great results home and away and the club is ambitious. They will want to give it their all. We are also ready to do the same and adapt to this pitch and climate.” 

And on the star players within Bodo/Glimt’s squad and the current quality of Norwegian football, Chivu added: “They have a lot of great players, Norwegian football has grown and Norway will be at the World Cup. We know it won’t be easy, we have to be ready for the intensity and their quality on the flanks, the power of their players. We’re ready to adapt.”

Luciano Spalletti admires the ‘incandescent’ Galatasaray atmosphere and ‘complete striker’ Victor Osimhen, but explains how Weston McKennie can be an effective Juventus centre-forward.

It kicks off at the Ali Semi Yen in Istanbul at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta on the Liveblog.

This is the first leg of the play-off for a place in the Champions League Round of 16, and the second is on Wednesday February 25.

Spalletti makes Juventus changes in Istanbul

“Everything seems incandescent, like it’s ready to burn,” said Spalletti on Sky Sport Italia looking around the legendary stadium.

“What matters now is not what we want to become, but what we are now, because we need the right courage.”

The Bianconeri are still smarting from the controversial 3-2 Serie A defeat to Inter, which saw Pierre Kalulu sent off before half-time.

“My players have shown they are real men, who become a real team, so that is the best thing a coach can ask for.

“We have already left what happened in the past, because we are challenging for our future with tonight’s game, not what happened the other day.”

Jonathan David and Emil Holm joined Dusan Vlahovic and Arek Milik on the treatment table, but Khephren Thuram has shaken off a bruise for his return to the starting XI with McKennie unexpectedly as a False 9.

“The fundamental issue is how we press and how we emerge from their press, that is the key. Pressing limits the spaces on the pitch for the opponents and forces them to make decisions quickly,” explained the coach.

“Playing out from the press allows you to create spaces and use your quality. That’s when it all becomes crucial for the result.”

There are plenty of familiar faces in the Galatasaray squad, even if Mario Lemina is suspended, as ex-Napoli players Victor Osimhen and Noa Lang both start, with former Inter centre-forward Mauro Icardi on the bench.

Lucas Torreira, Wilfried Singo, Roland Sallai and Kaan Ayhan also have history in Italian football.

“Osimhen has these great flourishes of pace, determination and physicality, he is a complete striker, but we have centre-backs who can counter him,” concluded Spalletti.

No Italian team has beaten Galatasaray in Istanbul during the Champions League, as the last to win here was Milan when it was still the European Cup in 1963.

Turkiye head coach Vincenzo Montella has had his say on Kenan Yildiz ahead of Juventus’s Champions League play-off match away against Galatasaray on Tuesday evening, and has aimed a friendly dig at Bianconeri head coach Luciano Spalletti: ‘I’ve known him for 30 years … unfortunately’. 

Juventus finished the Champions League league phase in 13th place, three points shy of a spot in the top eight and a guaranteed place in the round of 16. They have been drawn against Galatasaray in the play-off round, and will begin the first leg of that tie at 17.45 GMT on Tuesday evening. 

You can follow the action as it unfolds on the Football Italia Liveblog. 

Montella on Galatasaray vs. Juventus, Yildiz and Spalletti 

Montella, currently head coach of the Turkiye national team, knows full well what the atmosphere can be like at Galatasaray’s Rams Park. 

“The stadium and atmosphere is marvellous, which is true of many places in Turkiye. As a former player, I can tell you this is the kind of atmosphere that inspires you stepping onto the pitch,” Montella told Sky Sport Italia.

And on his current role with the Turkiye national team, he added: “I am very happy, I’ve been here for four years, two at club level and two for the national team. I was welcomed very warmly, I really do feel at home, they care for me quite apart from my role as a coach, and that is the most satisfying thing for me.

There was plenty of praise for Juventus posterboy Yildiz as well, “He is mature enough to play under pressure, both for the national team and Juventus, so I imagine he is super motivated, but the performance of an individual also depends on that of the team, and vice versa.

Lastly, Montella added: “I visited the Continassa training camp last week, it’s always a pleasure to talk to Spalletti about football. We’ve known each other for over 30 years now… unfortunately!”

Kenan Yildiz admits it is ‘exciting’ as a Turkiye international to play Galatasaray in Istanbul, and scoring for Juventus here ‘would be a dream. All I can say about their fans is wow.’

It kicks off at the Ali Semi Yen in Istanbul at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta on the Liveblog.

This is the first leg of the play-off for a place in the Round of 16, and the second is on Wednesday February 25.

Kenan Yildiz excited by Galatasaray test

“I feel great, when you are in this stadium with these fans, it’s exciting, but we are fired up for a good performance,” Kenan Yildiz told Sky Sport Italia.

Juventus are fresh off a controversial 3-2 Serie A defeat to Inter, where Pierre Kalulu was sent off before half-time for a highly-contentious second bookable offence.

“The last match was very difficult for us after the red card, but I still think we had a great performance down to 10 men.”

Kenan Yildiz was born and raised in Germany, then moved to Italy for Juventus as a teenager, so this is his first time playing in Istanbul as an opponent.

“We’ll do everything today to get a victory. Scoring would be a dream, but let’s play and then see. This is a very difficult match, as Galatasaray are such a great team, and all I can say about their fans is wow.”

Turkiye coach Vincenzo Montella is in the stands to watch the game.

Alessandro Bastoni has apologised for the manner in which he celebrated Pierre Kalulu’s red card during the Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus, has revealed that he has received death threats as a result and has expressed his sympathies with referee Federico La Penna: ‘I thank those who just called me ‘stupid’ and left it at that’. 

Bastoni found himself at the centre of controversy for his involvement in Kalulu’s sending off in the 42nd minute of the Derby d’Italia in Serie A on Saturday evening, which ended 3-2 in favour of the Nerazzurri thanks to a 90th minute winner from Piotr Zielinski. 

Kalulu was sent off for two bookable offences, the latter of which was described as ‘absurd’ and ‘non-existent’ by newspapers in Italy. Bastoni was adjudged to have dived in an attempt to get his opponent sent off. 

To add insult to injury for Juventus, Bastoni was carrying a booking himself at the time and would have been sent off had he been shown a second yellow card for simulation. 

Bastoni also came under criticism for the manner in which he celebrated Kalulu’s sending off. There have even been calls from some supporters for him to be dropped from the Italy national team squad as a result. 

Bastoni on Kalulu red car, death threats and Wirtz comparison 

Bastoni has kept silent since the incident occured on Saturday, until Tuesday afternoon when he joined Cristian Chivu for the pre-match press conferences ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League play-off match away against Bodo/Glimt. 

The Nerazzurri defender spoke to both Sky Sport Italia and the wider media at the press conference on Tuesday afternoon, apologising for the way he celebrated, but not for the way he went down. 

He compared the situation to the incredibly soft penalty that Liverpool were awarded against Inter in the Champions League league phase earlier this season. 

“I wanted to come here because a lot, a lot more has happened than I would have thought or imagined after Saturday. I waited a few days to review what happened,” Bastoni told Sky Sport Italia (via TMW). 

“What I felt was a contact with my arm, which was emphasised when I watched it back. I’m here to take responsibility. What I regret is my subsequent behaviour. A human being has the right to make mistakes but equally the duty to recognise them. That’s why I’m here.” 

He repeated a similar statement at the beginning of his pre-match press conference: “A human being has the right to make mistakes, but also the duty to recognise them, so I’m here for that reason. I’m sorry I reacted like that, it’s right to hold my hands up to that. 

“But, my career and character shouldn’t be defined by an incident like this. I didn’t think I would create so much of an uproar, I noticed a lot of hypocrisy, I heard insiders say things that shouldn’t be said in heaven or earth. I thank those who just called me ‘stupid’ and left it at that.” 

Bastoni was asked whether he thinks he should have come out and made a statement earlier than Tuesday, given the abuse that he has received to which he replied: “No, it didn’t affect me that much. We’re exposed as people. Accustomed to this type of media pile-on and the (club) President rightly explained that. 

“I’m able to handle the situation, I’m more sorry for my wife and daughter who have found themselves on the receiving end of death threats. I also feel sorry for the referee, La Penna, for everyone less used to being exposed like that.” 

And on his current mindset heading into the Bodo/Glimt match on Wednesday, Bastoni said: “Mentally I’m doing very well, the same thing happened in reverse when Liverpool were awarded a penalty against us. Wirtz didn’t have the same trial that I did. 

“Chivu has been consistent. Now I really want to get out onto the pitch. I’m not compromised physically or mentally, so I’m ready to play.” 

Juventus adopt a surprising False 9 approach to Victor Osimhen’s Galatasaray in the Champions League play-off, with Weston McKennie flanked by Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao.

It kicks off at the Ali Semi Yen in Istanbul at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta on the Liveblog.

This is the first leg of the play-off for a place in the Round of 16, and the second is on Wednesday February 25.

The Bianconeri had a dismal start to their Champions League campaign, improving considerably once coach Luciano Spalletti took over from sacked Igor Tudor.

They are fresh off a controversial 3-2 defeat to Inter in Serie A at the weekend, with Pierre Kalulu sent off and therefore suspended for the next league game.

Khephren Thuram missed that match through injury, but has fully recovered and returns to the starting XI.

Jonathan David did not make the trip, but rather than start Lois Openda upfront, Spalletti opts for a surprising new McKennie role as the False 9, flanked by Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao.

Along with David, Emil Holm, Dusan Vlahovic and Arek Milik remain the long-term absentees.

Galatasaray had started quite strong with wins over Liverpool, Bodo/Glimt and Ajax, but then managed one point from the last four Champions League ties, losing to Union Saint-Gilloise, AS Monaco and Manchester City without scoring, around a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid.

Former Serie A midfielder Mario Lemina is suspended for the first leg of this play-off, but there are no major injury concerns.

The star man upfront is ex-Napoli striker Osimhen, who won the Scudetto under coach Spalletti.

There are other familiar faces, including Lucas Torreira, Noa Lang on loan from Napoli and ex-Inter hitman Mauro Icardi.

Juve have not beaten Galatasaray since a 2-1 home result in September 2023, managing one draw in the last three meetings, though the most recent was in December 2013.

Galatasaray vs. Juventus line-ups

Galatasaray: Ugurcan Cakir; Sallai, Sanchez, Abdulkerim Bardakci, Jakobs; Torreira, Gabriel Sara; Baris Alper Yilmaz, Yunus Akgun, Lang; Osimhen

Galatasaray bench: Batuhan Sen, Gunay Guvenc, Icardi, Sané, Eren Elmali, Gundogan, Ahmed Kutucu, Asprilla, Kaan Ayhan, Singo, Boey

Juventus: Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso; Koopmeiners, Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz

Juventus bench: Perin, Pinsoglio, Gatti, Zhegrova, Boga, Adzic, Kostic, Openda, Miretti, Cabal

Ref: Makkelie (NED)

17-02-2026 17:45

Knockout phase play-offs

Türk Telekom Arena (Ali Sami Yen Stadium)

Galatasaray

Juventus

5 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

Gabriel Sara		15'
		16'		Teun Koopmeiners (Assist: Pierre Kalulu)
		18'		Andrea Cambiaso
		32'		Teun Koopmeiners (Assist: Weston McKennie)
Gabriel Sara		43'

2nd half

Noa Lang (Assist: Barış Alper Yılmaz)		49'
		59'		Juan Cabal
Davinson Sánchez (Assist: Gabriel Sara)		60'
		67'		Juan Cabal
Noa Lang (Assist: Victor Osimhen)		75'
Sacha Boey (Assist: Victor Osimhen)		86'

Match statistic

62

Possession %

38

22

Total shots

7

9

Shots on target

3

7

Shots off target

2

6

Blocked shots

2

5

Corners

5

1

Offsides

2

8

Fouls

18

Galatasaray

Juventus

Starting lineups

1

Ugurcan Cakir

Goalkeeper

42

Abdülkerim Bardakci

Defender

77'

6

Davinson Sánchez

Defender

4

Ismail Jakobs

Defender

83'

8

Gabriel Sara

Midfielder

34

Lucas Torreira

Midfielder

53

Barış Alper Yılmaz

Attacker

77'

77

Noa Lang

Attacker

83'

7

Roland Sallai

Attacker

45

Victor Osimhen

Attacker

11

Yunus Akgün

Attacker

70'

16

Michele Di Gregorio

Goalkeeper

27

Andrea Cambiaso

Defender

46'

3

Bremer

Defender

34'

6

Lloyd Kelly

Defender

15

Pierre Kalulu

Defender

19

Khéphren Thuram

Midfielder

80'

5

Manuel Locatelli

Midfielder

8

Teun Koopmeiners

Midfielder

22

Weston McKennie

Midfielder

7

Francisco Conceição

Attacker

70'

10

Kenan Yıldız

Attacker

81'

Substitutes

23

Kaan Ayhan

Midfielder

20

Ilkay Gündogan

Midfielder

12

Batuhan Sen

Goalkeeper

21

Ahmed Kutucu

Attacker

19

Günay Güvenc

Goalkeeper

22

Yaser Asprilla

Midfielder

10

Leroy Sané

Midfielder

70'

90

Wilfried Singo

Defender

77'

9

Mauro Icardi

Attacker

77'

93

Sacha Boey

Defender

83'

17

Eren Elmali

Defender

83'

23

Carlo Pinsoglio

Goalkeeper

1

Mattia Perin

Goalkeeper

Jeremie Boga

Attacker

11

Edon Zhegrova

Attacker

17

Vasilije Adžić

Midfielder

4

Federico Gatti

Defender

34'

32

Juan Cabal

Defender

46'

18

Filip Kostic

Midfielder

70'

21

Fabio Miretti

Midfielder

80'

20

Loïs Openda

Attacker

81'

{rsn-live-v2}

Juventus directors Damien Comolli and Giorgio Chiellini have both earned bans after the controversial Derby d’Italia in Serie A over the weekend, so what are they allowed to do and what are they prohibited from doing during their suspensions? 

Why were Juventus directors Comolli and Chiellini banned? 

CEO Comolli has been handed a fine of €15,000 and has been given a ban until the end of March as a result of his actions towards the match officials during the Derby d’Italia against Inter on Saturday evening. Chiellini has been banned until the end of February. 

Comolli was punished by the sports judge in Italy “for having adopted an aggressive and seriously intimidating attitude towards the match official in the tunnel at the end of the first half, seeking physical contact with him, which was prevented thanks to the intervention of the Juventus coach and other members of the coaching staff.” 

Comolli also made “seriously insulting remarks towards the match official and repeated such behaviour outside the referees’ dressing room.”

Chiellini was sanctioned “for having disrespectfully challenged the referee’s actions in the tunnel at the end of the first half and also repeating this behaviour outside the referees’ dressing room.”

He also “made offensive and critical remarks towards the match officials. This latter violation was reported by an assistant.” 

The Juventus directors’ remarks and actions towards referee Federico La Penna and his team came after the 42nd-minute decision to send off Pierre Kalulu for a second bookable offence. 

It has since been confirmed by refereeing designator Gianluca Rocchi that a mistake was made by sending off Kalulu, given that Inter’s Alessandro Bastoni, who was carrying a yellow card himself at the time, had dived in an attempt to get his opponent sent off. 

What are Comolli and Chiellini allowed to do during bans? 

According to article 9 in the sporting code of justice (Codice di Giustizia Sportiva), banned directors are prohibited from representing their clubs in national and international events, are prohibited from interacting with federal bodies, are prohibited from entering the dressing room on matchdays and are prohibited from holding meetings with players, club members or agents. 

The latter of those prohibitions would have been particularly damning had the transfer window still been open, as neither Comolli nor Chiellini would have been able to sign off on incoming signings. 

For now, Comolli and Chiellini will not be able to hold talks with players’ agents over potential contract extensions either, which means that a renewal for Weston McKennie, whose current deal will expire at the end of the 2026-27, could be temporarily put on hold. 

As explained by La Gazzetta dello Sport, these sanctions currently apply within Italy, and it is unlikely that the FIGC will push for the bans to be upheld by UEFA or FIFA, as was done when Fabio Paratici earned a 30-month suspension in 2023. 

Comolli and Chiellini are still allowed to carry out administrative tasks within the club, and are still permitted to represent the club and, where applicable, exercise their right to vote in meetings between the club and the league.

Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti was not among the Bianconeri representatives to receive a ban after the Derby d’Italia against Inter on Saturday evening, and was instead credited for breaking up a heated confrontation between CEO Damien Comolli and referee Federico La Penna in the tunnel. 

The Derby d’Italia was marred by a first-half refereeing error when Juventus’s Pierre Kalulu was wrongly sent off for a second bookable offence in the 42nd minute despite replays showing that Alessandro Bastoni, who was on a yellow card himself at the time, had dived in an attempt to get his opponent sent off. 

The game ended 3-2 in favour of Inter, who found the eventual winner through Piotr Zielinski in the 90th minute against the 10-man Bianconeri. 

Spalletti: ‘prevented’ physical confrontation between Comolli and La Penna

Juventus officials were not best pleased by the events that unfolded on the pitch. Comolli and Giorgio Chiellini were sent to address the media instead of head coach Spalletti, and Comolli was also seen angrily confronting the referee, La Penna, in the tunnel during the half-time break. 

For his actions on Saturday, Comolli has been handed a €15,000 fine and has also been banned until the end of March. Chiellini has been banned until the end of February. 

Kalulu will also have to serve a one-match ban despite being wrongly sent off, and Inter midfielders Hakan Calhanoglu and Nicolo Barella have also earned one-match suspensions after picking up their fifth yellow cards in the league on Saturday. 

Spalletti has not been given any punishment by the sports judge, whose report was released on Tuesday. 

The only mention of Spalletti, in fact, came in the explanation of Comolli’s ban. The coach was credited with pulling the club CEO away from La Penna in an attempt to diffuse the situation. 

The report noted that Comolli earned his fine and suspension: “For having adopted an aggressive and seriously intimidating attitude towards the match official in the tunnel at the end of the first half, seeking physical contact with him, which was prevented thanks to the intervention of the Juventus coach and other members of the coaching staff.” 

Comolli also made “seriously insulting remarks towards the match official and repeated such behaviour outside the referees’ dressing room.”

Spalletti, Comolli e Chiellini infuriati (a fine primo tempo) all’ingresso del tunnel contro La Penna

@fedel.96 #Tuttosport #Inter #Juventus pic.twitter.com/gwfx8CSFIg

— Tuttosport (@tuttosport) February 14, 2026

Reports in Italy claim that Tommaso Pobega has formally joined Bologna on a permanent deal from Milan after the Rossoblu secured a win over Torino on Sunday.

Italian midfielder Pobega is now fully owned by Serie A side Bologna after fulfilling the terms required to convert his initial loan into a permanent transfer.

Milan to get €7m from Pobega’s permanent transfer

Italian transfer expert Nicolò Schira reports on X social media that the Rossoneri will earn €7m and that Pobega has signed a contract until 2030.

Pobega spent the last two seasons on loan at the Stadio Dall’Ara, and according to PianetaMilan, his permanent transfer was just a formality as Bologna would complete his purchase after securing at least one point starting from February 1, 2026.

The Rossoblu had lost against Milan and Parma earlier this month, but secured an away 2-1 win at Torino this past weekend, leading to Pobega’s permanent move.

The Italian midfielder has scored seven goals and provided five assists in 55 appearances at Bologna.

Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri says Christian Pulisic is in doubt for tomorrow’s Serie A match against Como, while Inter remain the ‘clear favourites’ in the race for the title.

• Read more – Allegri weighs in on diving debate and asks for offside rule change

Milan prepre to host Como at San Siro in a rescheduled Serie A fixture from Round 24 on Wednesday. It was not played earlier this month as the Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony took place at the Stadio Meazza in San Siro.

Santiago Gimenez is injured, and Adrien Rabiot is suspended for Milan, but Pulisic is also not fully fit.

Milan team news ahead of Como clash

“Aside from Rabiot, who is suspended, the others feel quite well. Saelemaekers is available, and I hope the same goes for Pulisic, because he still feels discomfort. Let’s see if he’ll be there. Gimenez will return soon,” Allegri said at a press conference via Milannews.

When asked about Rabiot’s replacement, Allegri replied: “I haven’t decided yet. Jashari feels well, and I must decide. Adrien is okay, he’s improved technically, phisically and mentally. Those who play tomorrow will have a great performance.”

Milan, however, can rely on another top-class player in central midfield, Luka Modric: “The secret of Luka is that he has passion and a visceral love for football that drives him to deliver these performances,” Allegri argued.

“He apologises and gets angry with himself when he misplaces a pass, one out of every 50 or 60 he makes. The calmness with which he approaches training sessions and matches is something others have a lot to learn from. When the decisive moment of the game comes, Luka’s expression changes. And that is something you see in great champions.”

Neither Rafael Leao nor Pulisic started in the last two Serie A games for Milan, but will Leao make it to the Rossoneri XI this time?

“It’s hard to give a percentage. Let’s say he’s okay. He had quite a good training session yesterday,” Allegri replied.

“Like Pulisic, he’s had some physical issues this season, but also scored important goals. Surely, they’ll do very well in the final part of the season when games will change, and we’ll need technical players.”

Como coach Fabregas showed frustration after Milan’s 3-1 win against the Azzurri last month.

“There’s no debate. I think Como and Fabregas are doing an excellent job. They are in the race for the Champions League,” Allegri said.

“They’ve done a great job in a short time, so we can only congratulate them. In some moments, you play well, in others not so well. For Milan, it is important to get a result through performances, which can be good or not so good. The main target is to reach the Champions League.”

A reporter asked whether the referee controversy in Inter-Juventus could affect his team.

“Why? We are doing good things. Inter were the clear title favourites; they were the favourites with Napoli, and now they are even more,” Allegri replied.

“There are still many games remaining. Juve, Napoli, Roma, Como. We have to remain calm. Once we are in the Champions League, we’ll see.

“We aren’t the only thing fighting for the title: 13 games are remaining, and anything can still happen. Caution is needed at both ends of the table. We must not waste energy on situations happening outside. Right now, blinders are needed.”

Massimiliano Allegri has had his say on the diving debate that has cropped up in Serie A since the weekend and has also pointed out an offside rule that he feels needs to be changed: ‘It’s subjectivity, at the discretion of the referee’. 

Allegri sat down for his pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon, ahead of the rearranged Serie A match between Milan and Como which will be played on Tuesday night. The game was originally scheduled to take place last weekend, but was postponed due to a clash with the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in San Siro. 

During his chat with the media, Allegri was asked for his thoughts after the controversial Derby d’Italia between his former side Inter and his former side Juventus, which was overshadowed by the wrongful decision to send off Pierre Kalulu for a second bookable offence in the 42nd minute. 

Replays showed that Alessandro Bastoni had dived in an attempt to get his opponent sent off. Refereeing designator Gianluca Rocchi has since admitted that a mistake was made and has apologised on behalf of referee Federico La Penna. 

Allegri comments on Inter 3-2 Juventus, diving and offside rules

Allegri was unwilling to go into too many details about the Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus, but had plenty to say on the topic of diving, the state of refereeing and the protocols that are currently in place. 

“Lots of people have already spoken [about the Derby], so it’s useless for us to continue doing so. We have to keep the energy on ourselves, not waste it on what happens to others,” he said (via TMW)

“The most important thing is that there are competent people who work to improve the objectivity of VAR, because those situations are not debatable.”

And when asked how he would combat diving in top-level football, Allegri said: “Football has become very quick, it’s not easy for the referees. The speed of the ball, the game, the physicality of the players is different to how it was 30-40 years ago. 

“We need to improve VAR and find solutions, as I’m sure they will be doing. It’s not as if that happens overnight. Let’s try and achieve objectivity.” 

Allegri also called for a change in rules regarding potential offsides that result in corner kicks. 

“In my opinion, one thing that absolutely needs to change is when there is an offside and the action results in a corner. The corner shouldn’t be given at all.” 

And when pushed again on the topic of diving, he added: “It’s subjectivity, at the discretion of the referee. There’s nothing we can do about that. I struggle to select the team, let alone say what the VAR should be doing. The game of football is not easy to explain, we can’t indoctrinate everyone.

“What happened on Saturday is disappointing to everyone, but I think the most disappointed are the protagonists of the event.” 

Milan director Igli Tare was fined €10,000 after the Rossoneri’s 2-1 win over Pisa on Friday as he ‘aggressively’ protested the referee on the field at full-time.

Milan director Tare was fined by the Serie A sports judge following a 2-1 win over Pisa on Friday.

Tare fined after Pisa 1-2 Milan

The Rossoneri sporting director will have to pay €10,000 as he “aggressively contested the referee’s decisions” after entering the pitch at full-time.

Milan had been given a penalty kick in the second half, which was missed by Niclas Fullkrug, but also saw their midfielder, Adrien Rabiot, sent off. The Frenchman received two yellow cards, the second one for dissent in the dying minutes.

Rabiot will miss tomorrow’s Serie A game against Como, a rescheduled league fixture from round 24, which was not played earlier this month because of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony taking place at San Siro.

The sports judge also confirmed a fine for Juventus director Damien Comolli and a ban for both him and Chiellini.

Juventus directors Damien Comolli and Giorgio Cheillini, plus players Pierre Kalulu, Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu are among those to have been fined and banned after the fiery Derby d’Italia in Serie A on Saturday evening. 

Juventus directors given lengthy punishments after Derby d’Italia

The decisions of the sports judge have arrived following the completion of the 25th round of Serie A fixtures. 

The harshest punishment has been handed to Juventus CEO Comolli, who has been banned until March 31 and has been given a fine of €15,000 for adopting an ‘aggressive and seriously intimidating attitude’ towards referee Federico La Penna in the tunnel at half-time following the sending off of defender Pierre Kalulu. 

The report from the sports judge adds that Comolli sought to make physical contact with the referee, which ‘was prevented thanks to the intervention of the Juventus coach and other members and coaches’. This behaviour also continued outside the referees’ dressing room. 

Chiellini has also been punished for protesting ‘in an agitated and disrespectful manner’ in the tunnel and outside the referees’ dressing room. He has been handed a ban until the end of February (27th). 

Elsewhere, Milan sporting director Igli Tare has also been fined €10,000 for ‘aggressively’ protesting the referee’s decision after entering the field of play following Milan’s 2-1 victory away against Pisa. 

Which players have been banned after Serie A Week 25? 

Gift Orban has been handed the most severe punishment of any player after the conclusion of the 25th round of fixtures. He has been handed a two-match ban for his comments towards the match official during Hellas Verona’s 2-1 loss against Parma. 

It has been confirmed that Pierre Kalulu will have to serve a one-match suspension, despite being wrongly sent off in the 42nd minute of the Derby d’Italia between Juventus and Inter. 

Como’s Alvaro Morata will also have to serve a one-match suspension after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession at the end of Saturday’s 2-1 loss against Fiorentina. 

Adrien Rabiot was also shown two yellow cards during Milan’s win over Pisa and will also have to serve a one-match suspension. 

Several players also picked up their fifth bookings of the season during the 25th round of Serie A fixtures and will have to serve a one-match suspension as a result.

They are: Inter’s Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu, Hellas Verona’s Jean Daniel Akpa Akpro, Parma’s Alessandro Circati, Fiorentina’s Rolando Mandragora and Sassuolo’s Tarik Muharemovic.

In December 2024 fans in the Stadio Artemio Franchi and watching worldwide feared the worst for Edoardo Bove. Giancarlo Rinaldi looks at his incredible journey back to the field of play.

On a weekend of Italian football dominated by the usual controversy, gamesmanship and conspiracy theories, there was some sunshine that broke through from the unlikely location of Preston’s Deepdale stadium. Late in the game, Watford made a substitution which will have made supporters of Fiorentina, Roma and Serie A in general smile. Edoardo Bove stepped back into a competitive game – something which seemed unthinkable to anyone who witnessed his dramatic collapse in the clash with Inter more than 14 months ago.

It was just a few minutes for his new club, Watford, but it still felt special. He was clearly delighted to be back doing what he loved after so long away and itching to make up for lost time. The fact that it all seemed so unlikely only makes it more welcome.

Anyone watching that Fiorentina-Inter game would have worried for his life, never mind his playing career. The distressing scenes after he fell to the ground off the ball were the kind nobody expects or wants to see at a football game. It seemed to take an eternity for emergency services to get to him and rush him from the stadium for treatment. In truth, it only took 13 minutes for doctors to take Bove to the Careggi hospital, on the opposite side of the city. Only gradually did more encouraging news filter through.

Still, there were question marks about his recovery – how long it would take and how complete it might be. The fitting of a defibrillator meant that his playing days in Italy were over due to strict regulations on such things. While it was delightful to see him back on the bench with Fiorentina, he cut a bit of a forlorn figure. Glad to be alive, of course, but struggling to come to terms with watching the sport he had dedicated his life to and being unable to take part. Like seeing something you had always longed for dangling tantalisingly out of reach.

Let us not forget that Bove was in fine form – as was his club – at the moment he was forced to take his unwanted break. He was a driving force in the Viola midfield, and there were certainly some who were suggesting the Italian national team could do with a player of his intensity and energy. Then, suddenly, it was all taken away. Fiorentina’s form stuttered as the young player began his lengthy rehabilitation process.

He appeared on the sidelines, he popped up at Wimbledon to support his good friend tennis ace Fabio Cobolli, but always with a slight hint of melancholy about him. Having lived and breathed football for most of his life, it must have been frustrating to be forced to put his boots away. Many players talk about how difficult retirement can be, even after a lengthy career – that must have been multiplied when it was being forced on him so early.

That’s why Saturday afternoon at about 4.44pm in Lancashire was a moment watched with interest and delight in Florence, Rome and much of Italy. At just 23 years of age, Bove can still have a lengthy career ahead of him – even if it cannot be in Serie A. It might not be a perfect solution, but it is a whole lot better than everyone feared on that fateful winter evening in Tuscany more than 400 days ago.

Just to watch him back playing the game felt like arriving home after a very long journey. There will be tough times to come, no doubt, but simply seeing the young Roman kick a ball again will more than suffice for now. We can sometimes get carried away about football and forget what really matters in life and how precious every moment should be. That’s why his return to action is about so much more than simply what position he plays or what contribution he can make in terms of tackles, goals or assists. Just being out there on the pitch is a victory in itself. Bentornato Edo.

@ginkers

Referee Federico La Penna has reported to the police and public prosecutor’s office after receiving multiple death threats in the aftermath of the Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus in Serie A over the weekend. 

What happened between Inter and Juventus in the Derby d’Italia?

La Penna was the man in the middle for the fiery derby between Inter and Juventus in San Siro on Saturday evening. The game ended 3-2 in favour of the hosts, but the Bianconeri were left furious after Pierre Kalulu was wrongly sent off in the 42nd minute. 

The Juventus defender was shown a yellow card in the 32nd minute for a foul on Nicolo Barella, which some deemed to have been harsh in the first place, and was then given his marching orders 10 minutes later for a supposed foul on Alessandro Bastoni. Replays confirmed that the Inter defender had dived in an attempt to get his opponent sent off. 

As this was a second yellow card decision and not a straight red, VAR was not able to review the incident. For similar reasons, the sporting authorities will not be able to take retrospective action. 

To add insult to injury for Juventus, Bastoni was also carrying a booking at the time of the incident and would have been sent off himself had the referee decided to book him for simulation. 

Refereeing designator Gianluca Rocchi later admitted that a mistake was made during the Derby d’Italia and said that La Penna was ‘distraught’ with his error. 

Now, according to reports from Corriere dello Sport, La Penna has had to report to the police and the public prosecutor’s office after receiving multiple death threats online in the days following the Derby d’Italia. La Penna has reportedly received personal threats and threats to his family as well. 

An investigation was immediately opened, the results of which are pending. 

La Penna is not expected to be involved in any Serie A matches this coming weekend, but Tuesday’s report suggests that he could be back for the following round of fixtures, either as a fourth official or as a VAR.

Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni will join Cristian Chivu for a pre-match press conference today, talking for the first time after Saturday’s controversial Serie A match against Juventus.

Inter star Bastoni will talk to the media today, on the eve of a Champions League knockout play-off first leg against Bodo/Glimt, as reported by Sky Sport Italia.

It’s technically a pre-match press conference, but Bastoni will inevitably face questions about the incident that led to a red card for Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu in Saturday’s Serie A match against Juventus.

Bastoni appeared to go down too easily on contact with the Bianconeri defender, causing a second yellow card for his opponent.

Bastoni received criticism from fans and media as he not only dived to deceive the referee, but also celebrated as soon as the red card was shown.

Some even suggested that Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso should drop Bastoni due to his behaviour, while the defender has been forced to disable comments on his social media accounts and those of his wife after receiving a wave of abusive messages following the match.

Inter have travelled to Bodo/Glimt without Hakan Calhanoglu and Davide Frattesi. Chivu and Bastoni will hold their press conference from Norway at 17:15 CET (16:15 GMT).

Sky Sport Italia reports that Inter midfielders Hakan Calhanoglu and Davide Frattesi won’t be available for a Champions League match against Bodo/Glimt on Wednesday.

Inter have travelled to Norway for the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off against Bodo/Glimt without their midfielders Calhanoglu and Frattesi.

Why Calhanoglu and Frattesi will miss Bodo/Glimt vs. Inter

As reported by Sky Sport Italia, Calhanoglu will miss the match due to muscle fatigue, while Frattesi has had a fever.

Calhanoglu had only just returned to action after spending a month on the sidelines, making a substitute appearance against Juventus on Saturday.

The Turkey international, 32, has already missed nine games across all competitions due to injuries this term.

Inter will visit Bodo/Glimt tomorrow, Wednesday, February 18, at 21:00 CET, while two other Serie A clubs play in the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off later today.

Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus will visit Galatasaray at 18:45 CET, while Raffaele Palladino’s Atalanta play away at Borussia Dortmund at 21:00 CET.

Victor Osimhen praises Luciano Spalletti and denies disagreements with his ex-Napoli coach: ‘He worked night and day to convince us that we could win the Scudetto.’

Spalletti and Osimhen reunite in Istanbul this evening, when the Nigerian striker will lead Galatasaray against Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off.

“It will be exciting to face a top club. We know we have no room for distractions because any error against them can cost dearly, and then I’ll reunite with Spalletti,” the striker told Gazzetta.

Osimhen and Spalletti won the Serie A title at Napoli in 2022-23, but the coach left the Stadio Maradona in 2023, while the striker moved to Galatasaray a year later.

During his interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Osimhen explained what led to his departure from Naples, claiming that the Partenopei treated him “like a dog” before his exit in 2024.

Osimhen, however, spoke positively about Spalletti, insisting that they shared a good relationship.

“People said we argued, but it wasn’t true. I respect him so much,” Osimhen said.

“He slept for months in the Napoli training centre, working night and day to convince us that we could win the Scudetto. He brought Kim, Anguissa, Kvaratskhelia and me in our best condition, winning with the club that hadn’t done it for years.

“He was very demanding, but he also gave you so much in return. Certain coaches make you grow first as a man and then as a footballer.”

Osimhen added that Juventus tried to sign him in 2024 through their previous director, Cristiano Giuntoli, when Spalletti was the Italy national team coach.

Under Spalletti, Osimhen scored 49 goals in 71 Napoli appearances across two seasons.

Former Napoli star Victor Osimhen says the Partenopei treated him ‘like a dog’ before his move to Galatasaray, but Antonio Conte wanted him to stay, and Juventus tried to sign him through Cristiano Giuntoli.

Osimhen confirms Juventus tried to sign him in 2024 before completing an initial loan deal to Galatasaray, which was made permanent a year later.

• Read more – Champions League: Galatasaray vs. Juventus – probable line-ups, where to watch on TV

“Yes, but I could have been in two other top Serie A clubs today,” Osimhen told Gazzetta.

“[Ex-Juventus director] Giuntoli called me to take me to Juve before negotiations with Galatasaray began. I spoke with a couple of people from the club. They showed interest, but I knew that he [Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis] wouldn’t let me leave. In any case, the interest was definitely there. And when Juventus call, regardless of everything, you sit down and listen.”

When Osimhen left the club in 2024, he was no longer on good terms with De Laurentiis, and it’s no coincidence that the striker never mentioned the Napoli owner in his interview.

Osimhen has made history at Napoli, contributing to winning the Serie A title in 2022-23 under Luciano Spalletti.

That season, Osimhen became the top-Serie A goalscorer, but things started going downhill from the following campaign.

In September 2023, Napoli mocked Osimhen on TikTok after the Nigerian had missed a penalty kick against Bologna.

“I feel sorry for the fans, also because I never spoke about what happened before,” said the striker.

“Some of them even came to my house asking for explaination. I asked them to put themselves in my shoes. After Napoli posted that video on TikTok, something broke.

“Anyone can miss a penalty, and anyone can be mocked for it. Napoli did it only to me, and with certain kinds of insinuations as well. I was the victim of racist insults, and I made my decision. I wanted to leave. I deleted the photos of me wearing the Napoli shirt from my Instagram, and they took the opportunity to turn the fans against me. And to think that, for me, my daughter is more Neapolitan than Nigerian.

“No one ever publicly apologised for what happened. After that famous video, Edoardo De Laurentiis called me several times. That’s it. Meanwhile, rumours were going around that I arrived late at training, and that I argued with teammates. They’re all lies. I’m sorry for the fans, but I understand and admire them: they support the club, no matter what. For them, Napoli comes before everything.”

Osimhen extended his contract with Napoli in December 2023, but already knew he’d not stay at the club long-term.

“We had a gentleman’s agreement according to which I could leave the following summer, but the commitment was not fully respected on the other side,” Osimhen recalled.

“They tried to send me anywhere to play, but they treated me like a dog. Go here, go there, do this, do that. I worked so hard to build my career, and I couldn’t accept that kind of treatment. I’m not a puppet.”

When Conte was appointed in 2024, Osimhen was already on his way out of Napoli, but according to the striker, the coach wanted him to stay.

“Of course, even if some people said he didn’t want me. Are we serious? Which coach at that moment wouldn’t have wanted me? As soon as he arrived, Conte called me into his office and said he was aware of the situation but that, despite everything, he wanted me to stay.

“I said I would have liked to work with him, but then I had made my decision: I didn’t want to keep working in a place where I didn’t feel happy.”

Osimhen is now in his second season at Galatasaray.

“I found a club and a city that I love. Maybe it was a stroke of luck. As soon as you arrive in Istanbul, you understand why anyone who has played here has fallen in love with the team and the people. I had never experienced anything like it,” he concluded.

Tonight, the Turkish giants will meet Spalletti’s Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off.

Gianluca Scamacca is expected to lead the Atalanta attack in the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off, away at Borussia Dortmund.

It kicks off at 21:00 CET (20:00 GMT) at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund.

Atalanta have travelled to Germany without the injured Charles De Ketelaere and Giacomo Raspadori, so they are short of options in attack.

Italy international Scamacca started the last two Serie A games on the bench, but is expected to return to the Atalanta XI tonight.

Nicola Zalewski will be one of the two attacking midfielders for La Dea, while the other spot will be taken by Lazar Samardzic or Mario Pasalic, who is the favourite to get the nod, according to Gazzetta and Tuttosport.

Davide Zappacosta will start as a right midfielder for Atalanta, while Lorenzo Bernasconi will play on the opposite flank.

Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta – where to watch on TV

The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 3 in the UK and Ireland and on Paramount+ in the USA. Football Italia will provide live updates for this match and Galatasaray-Juventus (18:45 CET) on a liveblog.

Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta – probable line-ups

Borussia Dortmund (3-4-2-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Anton, Bensebaini; Yan Couto, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson; Beier; Brandt; Guirassy.

Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Hien, Djimsiti; Zappacosta, Ederson, De Roon, Bernasconi; Pasalic, Zalewski; Krstovic.

Weston McKennie will start as a false nine for Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off against Galatasaray.

It kicks off at 18:45 CET (17:45 GMT) at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul.

Juventus have travelled to the Turkish capital without the injured Dusan Vlahovic, Arek Milik, Emil Holm and Jonathan David.

Lois Openda is the only centre-forward available for the Serie A giants, but according to several sources, including Gazzetta and Tuttosport, USMNT star McKennie will be deployed as a false nine.

Khephren Thuram is available after missing Saturday’s Serie A match against Inter. The Frenchman is expected to start alongside Manuel Locatelli in central midfield.

The Old Lady’s defensive line won’t change with Pierre Kalulu, Gleison Bremer, Lloyd Kelly and Andrea Cambiaso.

Former Napoli star Victor Osimhen, who won the Scudetto at Napoli in 2022-23 under Luciano Spalletti, will start up front for Galatasaray.

The 27-year-old has scored 15 goals in 22 appearances across all competitions this season.

Galatasaray vs. Juventus – where to watch on TV

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

Galatasaray vs. Juventus – probable line-ups

Galatasaray (4-2-3-1): Cakir; Sallai, Sánchez, Abdülkerim Bardakci, Jakobs; Torreira, Sara; Yilmaz, Yunus Akgün, Lang; Osimhen.

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

La Gazzetta dello Sport

What a brawl

But give us Europe

Endless Inter-Juve and a Champions League not to miss.

Spalletti: ‘Chivu made Kalulu look silly.’ Marotta: ‘Public shaming of Bastoni. Cuadrado dived too.’

The first leg play-off begins at 18:45 with the Bianconeri at Galatasaray’s home.

The yellow wall is a test for Atalanta.

Milan don’t give up

Fewer games and the derby: Allegri believes in it.

Corriere dello Sport

‘Marotta: ‘Juve, what a favour.’

Tough reply from the Inter President to Elkann’s club

‘With Cuadrado’s simulation on Perisic, the Bianconeri earned 70m. Chiellini? Inexperienced director. Bastoni made a mistake, but was subject to public shaming.’ La Penna spoke to the prosecutor yesterday: more threats, investigation opened.

Lucio, only Turkish things

Double clash

Play-off Champions: In Istanbul the first leg against Galatasaray, but it’s still derby

‘Chivu made Kalulu look silly.’

‘Simulations offend football. Cristian’s claims would also give me the chance to talk about Inter players.’ Waiting for the judge: ‘Spalletti risks a ban like Chiellini and Comolli. David injured, McKennie to play as a No.9. Yildiz challenges Osi and Icardi. Atalanta, exam with Borussia (21).

Alisson breaks Napoli games

Totti: ‘Roma still my home.’

Lecce coup, Cagliari darkness

Tuttosport

McKennie, do you dare?

Champions play-off: Juve in Istanbul with Wes as a striker.

David is out in the first leg of the Champions League play-off. The versatile American will replace him. ‘I could even play in goal for Spalletti. Renewal? I hope to stay.’ Yildiz’s game, a prophet in his own land. Terim: ‘He’s an icon like Del Piero.’ Lucio attacks Inter: ‘Two injustices for Kalulu, it’s unacceptable that Chivu makes him look silly.’

Marotta, Cuadrado has nothing to do with this…

The Nerazzurri president reacts to accusations, but he slips by recalling an incident from 2021: ‘Juventus went to the Champions League thanks to a simulation. Bastoni made a mistake, but enough with the public shaming. Saviano? I don’t know who he is.’

Atalanta without fear in front of the yellow wall

Protests, Baroni flop, Serie B nightmare, Cairo on the ropes

Lecce picked up a massively important 2-0 victory away against Cagliari in Serie A on Monday evening, which has lifted them out of the relegation zone at the expense of Fiorentina and has also drawn Genoa and Cremonses back into the dogfight: Omri Gandelman and Ylber Ramadani with the goals at the Unipol Domus. 

Click here to see how the teams lined up.

Riccardo Sottil came close after 28 minutes when the ball bounced up for him inside the penalty area, but the former Fiorentina man saw his shot sail over the crossbar. 

Gabriele Zappa also had an opportunity on the half volley inside the area down at the other end. The ball set up kinder for him than it did for Sottil, but he too blazed over the crossbar with his effort. 

The eventual Lecce opener couldn’t have come in much simpler circumstances. Sottil stood over a free kick just off the right flank, he lofted one into the area where January signing Gandelman rose and powered in a header from the edge of the six-yard box. 

That was the Israel international’s second goal in as many matches for the Salentini. 

It was another set-piece that indirectly led to Lecce doubling their advantage 10 minutes later. 

Another Sottil free-kick off the right was aimed at Gandelman again, but he was unable to get his head on it this time. Cagliari struggled to clear their lines, Ramadani found himself on the left corner of the penalty area and managed to squeeze a shot past Elia Caprile. 

The Cagliari stopper presumably saw the shot late, but will have been disappointed to have been beaten from that angle and range.  

This is an enormous three points for Lecce in their bid to avoid relegation to Serie B. They move out of the relegation zone and move three points above Fiorentina, and are now level on points with Genoa and Cremonese in 15th and 16th respectively.  

Cagliari now sit just four points above Lecce and have a seven-point cushion between themselves and the bottom three. 

Cagliari 0-2 Lecce

Gandelman 64’, Ramadani 76’. 

16-02-2026 19:45

MatchDay 25

Unipol Domus (Sardegna Arena)

Cagliari

Lecce

0 - 2

Player statistic

2nd half

		64'		Omri Gandelman (Assist: Riccardo Sottil)
		76'		Ylber Ramadani (Assist: Lassana Coulibaly)

Match statistic

59

Possession %

41

11

Total shots

13

0

Shots on target

4

8

Shots off target

3

3

Blocked shots

6

8

Corners

2

0

Offsides

0

16

Fouls

14

Cagliari

Lecce

Starting lineups

1

Elia Caprile

Goalkeeper

33

Adam Obert

Defender

79'

28

Gabriele Zappa

Defender

57'

2

Marco Palestra

Defender

3

Riyad Idrissi

Defender

26

Yerry Mina

Defender

32

Zé Pedro

Defender

8

Michel Adopo

Midfielder

25

Ibrahim Sulemana

Midfielder

30

Leonardo Pavoletti

Attacker

57'

94

Sebastiano Esposito

Attacker

30

Wladimiro Falcone

Goalkeeper

25

Antonino Gallo

Defender

17

Danilo Veiga

Defender

4

Kialonda Gaspar

Defender

44

Tiago Gabriel

Defender

29

Lassana Coulibaly

Midfielder

90'

16

Omri Gandelman

Midfielder

86'

20

Ylber Ramadani

Midfielder

23

Riccardo Sottil

Attacker

80'

50

Santiago Pierotti

Attacker

86'

99

Walid Cheddira

Attacker

80'

Substitutes

24

Giuseppe Ciocci

Goalkeeper

22

Alberto Dossena

Defender

12

Alen Sherri

Goalkeeper

39

Andrea Cogoni

Defender

15

Juan Rodríguez

Defender

27

Joseph Liteta

Midfielder

20

Agustín Albarracín

Midfielder

18

Othniel Raterink

Midfielder

31

Paul Mendy

Attacker

4

Luca Mazzitelli

Midfielder

57'

9

Semih Kılıçsoy

Attacker

57'

37

Yael Trepy

Attacker

79'

14

Thórir Jóhann Helgason

Midfielder

32

Jasper Samooja

Goalkeeper

1

Christian Früchtl

Goalkeeper

36

Filip Marchwinski

Midfielder

18

Gaby Jean

Defender

11

Konan N’Dri

Attacker

80

Niko Kovač

Midfielder

6

Álex Sala

Midfielder

9

Nikola Stulic

Attacker

80'

3

Corrie Ndaba

Defender

80'

79

Oumar Ngom

Midfielder

86'

5

Jamil Siebert

Defender

86'

8

Sadik Fofana

Defender

90'

Raffaele Palladino has given his pre-match thoughts ahead of Atalanta’s Champions League play-off tie against Borussia Dortmund, has commented on the absences of Charles De Ketelaere and Giacomo Raspadori and says that he disagrees with BVB coach Niko Kovac, who claims that both sides have a 50/50 chance of qualifying for the round of 16. 

Atalanta finished the league phase in 15th place on 13 points, three points shy of a spot in the top eight and a guaranteed spot in the Champions League round of 16. 

That set up a tie against Dortmund, who finished two points and two positions behind Atalanta in the Champions League league phase table. 

Atalanta will take on Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday evening before hosting the return leg in Bergamo next week (Wednesday, February 25). 

Palladino previews Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta 

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia before the Dortmund play-off tie gets underway, Palladino discussed the atmosphere that awaits them at the 81,000-capacity Signal Iduna Park. 

“The fans are the most beautiful part of football, even when you’re playing against a strong atmosphere, it’s always a spectacle and that’s good for football,” he said. “We will play in such a beautiful, prestigious and intense stadium. 

“The Champions League gives us an extra bit of motivation as well. We’ve recovered physically and mentally, we hope to put in a great performance. We’ll face a great team.” 

La Dea will be without two of their key attackers in De Ketelaere and Raspadori on Tuesday night. 

“We’re sorry for them, Charles and Jack are very important to us. They’re strong players and give us an element of unpredictability and quality, but injuries and unforeseen events are unfortunately part of football,” Palladino said. 

“We’re a big family, a big group and whoever replaces them will do it in the best possible way. We’ve reached a stage of awareness that whoever plays will do it well.” 

And reflecting on the journey that has led Atalanta into the Champions League knock-out stages, Palladino said: “We have a lot of enthusiasm, there’s a lot of desire to continue growing and getting results, which have been positive. 

“We know that the level is very high in the Champions League. Dortmund have great individuals and are very well coached. We want to try to put them in difficulty, we know we can do it in 180 minutes.” 

Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac claimed that both sides have an equal 50% chance of qualifying for the round of 16. 

Asked if he agrees, Palladino said: “You have to play the game first, I never do the percentages first. I try to bring a sense of light-heartedness and self-confidence. I want maturity and a team that understands how to react to certain moments in the game.” 

Palladino is well familiar with Kovac’s brother, with whom he played at Juuvents. 

“I know Robert, I’ll give him a big hug tomorrow. We shared the dressing room that year in Serie B.” 

Weston McKennie has shared his thoughts ahead of Juventus’s upcoming Champions League play-off round tie against Galatasaray, has commented on his contract status and has joked that he hopes the passionate supporters in Turkey will go easy on the Bianconeri due to the presence of Kenan Yildiz. 

McKennie joined head coach Luciano Spalletti for the customary pre-match press conference on Monday evening ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League play-off first leg against Galatasaray in Istanbul. 

The Bianconeri finished the league phase in 13th place, three points shy of a spot in the top eight and a guaranteed place in the round of 16. That means that they will have to beat Galatasaray over two legs if they are to make it into the hat for the round of 16. 

McKennie: ‘We want to win because we are Juventus’

“It’s a really important game for us, we want to win every game because we are Juventus,” McKennie told the media during his pre-match press conference. 

There have been suggestions that McKennie could play as a false nine on Tuesday evening given that Jonathan David, Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik are all unavailable. 

“I’m a player who is always available for my team. I play where the coach wants me to play, even in goal,” the American said. 

And on his contract, which is due to expire at the end of the current campaign, McKennie said: “We’ll think about it later because I’m here to win a game. 

“That’s something that’s between Juventus and my agent. I just have to think about the work on the pitch and my agent will think about the renewal.” 

McKennie was also given an opportunity to share his thoughts after the controversial Derby d’Italia between Juventus and Inter in Serie A over the weekend, but preferred to keep his focus on the task at hand against Galatasaray. 

“It’s a bit difficult when these things happen, We have to just focus on tomorrow and we’re only thinking about winning. We want to give our best.” 

And on the atmosphere that awaits the Old Lady in Istanbul and whether Yildiz has told the squad how to deal with it, McKennie said: “He’s talked about that and I played here many years ago as well, so I know what the atmosphere and the fans are like. We hope they won’t boo us too much because of Kenan.”

Luciano Spalletti has given his pre-match thoughts ahead of Juventus’s Champions League play-off round first leg against Galatasaray on Tuesday evening, has reflected on the controversial Derby d’Italia from Saturday night and has hinted at who could play at centre-forward for the Bianconeri in Istanbul. 

Juventus finished the league phase in 13th place in the Champions League table, three points shy of a spot in the top eight. This means that they will have to play against Galatasaray over two legs in order to qualify for a spot in the round of 16. 

The Bianconeri will take on a Galatasaray side featuring the likes of Victor Osimhen, Mauro Icardi and Noa Lang in Istanbul on Tuesday evening before hosting the return leg at the Allianz Stadium next Wednesday, February 25. 

Spalletti on Juventus vs. Galatasaray: ‘We want to try and win’

Juventus have been linked with moves for both of Galatasaray’s strikers, Icardi and Osimhen, over the last two transfer windows. Spalletti was asked which striker he would ‘prefer’ to have at his disposal. 

“I don’t know who I prefer within my own team, I can’t imagine what my colleagues have to do,” he replied (via TMW). 

“For me, they are both very strong players with different characteristics, and together, their characteristics could make up the encyclopaedia of being a no.9. 

“They are two strikers who know how to move inside the area, one creates chaos and the other knows how to capitalise on the chaos. We have to give them the ball as little as possible and keep it ourselves.” 

And on the importance of tomorrow’s match, Spalletti said: “When it’s a double-header, both matches are important. Any hesitation can cost dearly. I’m proud of the reaction they showed in Milan and I wouldn’t change my team for anyone in the world. 

“We have to play as a team and not suffer from the opponent’s pressure, play our football.”

Jonathan David, Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadsiuz Milik are all unavailable for the Galatasaray match, so Spalletti was asked whether there could be an opportunity for Lois Openda on Tuesday night. 

He replied: “This can be a turning point for anyone. Openda has already had opportunities and others will have them. We’ll see about how and when together.” 

Spalleti was then asked whether the in-form Weston McKennie, known for his versatility, is among the options to play at centre-forward. 

He said: “I’m convinced that he’s already shown it. He’s a player who has the characteristics to play with his back to goal and also knows how to turn things around in a short space of time because he’s fast and technical. 

“He’s shown everything, and we’ve had all the possible problems that have led him to going from a right-back to a left winger. His willingness to help his teammates is an example for everyone.” 

And on the rest of the squad, Spalletti added: “I don’t know because we’ve had one training session and we won’t train before tomorrow night. We have to evaluate Thuram and there are some other situations that we’re carrying. 

“The players have to recover and we have no other choice. Doing the same things repetitively is tiring on the mind as well.” 

And giving his assessment of Galatasaray, Spalletti said: “We have to be ready for Galatasaray’s selections. We’re anticipating decisions that will create confusion and chaos. We have to try and play our game and we can’t be intimidated by their ferocity.” 

And when asked if a victory away in Istanbul will be ‘enough’ for Juventus to qualify for the Champions League round of 16, Spalletti said: “We know the difficulties we’re facing because we’ve watched Galatasaray’s games. They’re a strong team and we’ve come here deserving to play this game. 

“We’re happy to play against opponents like this. We’ll try to play the game in the correct way and we will see what level of quality we’re at, because these stadiums show you what mental strength you need to have as well. We don’t want to hide, we want to play the game and try to win.” 

Spalletti on Inter vs. Juventus controversy 

Spalletti was given the opportunity to share his thoughts after the controversial Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus from Saturday night. The Bianconeri were on the losing side of a 3-2 scoreline, and were left furious after Pierre Kalulu was wrongfully sent off after a dive by Inter’s Alessandro Bastoni. 

Spalletti gave his thoughts on the matter, the post-match comments made by Cristian Chivu, the reaction to Bastoni’s dive and what Juventus have to do to combat diving in the sport. 

“I don’t want to speak over the words of Elkann and the directors. I can say that Pierre is a good guy, a decent person and the fact that he had to take a dig from an opposition coach is something I never expected.

“This would put me in a position to talk about Inter’s players and I don’t want to do that.

“Simulation is an offence to football and what I have to do is raise the team to a level where simulation does not allow others to determine games for us. What happens isn’t important, but what you do when something happens to you is. We needed to reverse the situation.

“We have to improve if we don’t want to concede that goal there, and we wanted to go and score again immediately afterwards. These are tests of maturity. Tomorrow will be a test of our maturity.” 

There were some calls after the Inter vs. Juventus match that Bastoni should be dropped from the Italy national team squad as a result of his unsportsmanlike behaviour. 

As the former head coach of the Italy national team, Spalletti was asked for his opinion on that thought. 

He came out in defence of Bastoni, arguing that it would not be the right decision to drop him from the Italy squad: “Absolutely, Gattuso has to be free to call up whoever he wants. Unfortunately, I am no longer CT and I will leave that situation with him. We have a strong coach, we have to leave him to be free to do what he wants.” 

Cagliari have reshuffled their personnel to take on an unchanged Lecce side in Monday evening’s Serie A kick-off. 

Cagliari are coming in off the back of a 2-0 defeat away against Roma last time out in Serie A, but had gone on a three-match win streak the weeks prior, including victories over Fiorentina and Juventus. 

Fabio Pisacane’s side find themselves in 13th place in the Serie A table ahead of kick-off, seven points clear of the relegation zone. 

Lecce picked up their first win in nine matches with a 2-1 victory over Udinese last time out in the league. 

Lecce are in 18th place ahead of kick-off with 21 points from 24 matches, but a draw on Monday evening will be enough for them to lift themselves out of the relegation zone at the expense of Fiorentina, who are level on points with Eusebio Di Francesco’s side as things stand. 

Cagliari have made several changes to their starting line-up following last week’s defeat against Roma. 

Yerry Mina and Adam Obert come back into the back three, while Gabriele Zappa comes back in at right wing-back. Marco Palestra is expected to play in a more advanced role on the right wing. There are also opportunities for Ibrahim Sulemana, Riyad Idrissi and Leandro Pavoletti. 

Unsurprisingly, Lecce have stuck with the exact same starting XI that beat Udinese last time out in Serie A, with Santiago Pierotti, Walid Cheddira and Riccardo Sottil leading the attack. 

Kick-off is due at 19.45 GMT. 

Cagliari vs. Lecce: Confirmed line-ups 

Cagliari (3-4-3): Caprile; Ze Pedro, Mina, Obert; Zappa, Adopo, Sulemana, Idrissi; Palestra, Esposito, Pavoletti. 

Lecce (4-2-3-1): Falcone: Veiga, T.Gabriel, Gaspar, Gallo; Ramadani, Coulibaly; Pierotti, Gandelmann, Sottil; Cheddira.

16-02-2026 19:45

MatchDay 25

Unipol Domus (Sardegna Arena)

Cagliari

Lecce

0 - 2

Player statistic

2nd half

		64'		Omri Gandelman (Assist: Riccardo Sottil)
		76'		Ylber Ramadani (Assist: Lassana Coulibaly)

Match statistic

59

Possession %

41

11

Total shots

13

0

Shots on target

4

8

Shots off target

3

3

Blocked shots

6

8

Corners

2

0

Offsides

0

16

Fouls

14

Cagliari

Lecce

Starting lineups

1

Elia Caprile

Goalkeeper

33

Adam Obert

Defender

79'

28

Gabriele Zappa

Defender

57'

2

Marco Palestra

Defender

3

Riyad Idrissi

Defender

26

Yerry Mina

Defender

32

Zé Pedro

Defender

8

Michel Adopo

Midfielder

25

Ibrahim Sulemana

Midfielder

30

Leonardo Pavoletti

Attacker

57'

94

Sebastiano Esposito

Attacker

30

Wladimiro Falcone

Goalkeeper

25

Antonino Gallo

Defender

17

Danilo Veiga

Defender

4

Kialonda Gaspar

Defender

44

Tiago Gabriel

Defender

29

Lassana Coulibaly

Midfielder

90'

16

Omri Gandelman

Midfielder

86'

20

Ylber Ramadani

Midfielder

23

Riccardo Sottil

Attacker

80'

50

Santiago Pierotti

Attacker

86'

99

Walid Cheddira

Attacker

80'

Substitutes

24

Giuseppe Ciocci

Goalkeeper

22

Alberto Dossena

Defender

12

Alen Sherri

Goalkeeper

39

Andrea Cogoni

Defender

15

Juan Rodríguez

Defender

27

Joseph Liteta

Midfielder

20

Agustín Albarracín

Midfielder

18

Othniel Raterink

Midfielder

31

Paul Mendy

Attacker

4

Luca Mazzitelli

Midfielder

57'

9

Semih Kılıçsoy

Attacker

57'

37

Yael Trepy

Attacker

79'

14

Thórir Jóhann Helgason

Midfielder

32

Jasper Samooja

Goalkeeper

1

Christian Früchtl

Goalkeeper

36

Filip Marchwinski

Midfielder

18

Gaby Jean

Defender

11

Konan N’Dri

Attacker

80

Niko Kovač

Midfielder

6

Álex Sala

Midfielder

9

Nikola Stulic

Attacker

80'

3

Corrie Ndaba

Defender

80'

79

Oumar Ngom

Midfielder

86'

5

Jamil Siebert

Defender

86'

8

Sadik Fofana

Defender

90'

Luciano Spalletti has criticised Inter head coach Cristian Chivu after his comments on Pierre Kalulu following the eventful Derby d’Italia in Serie A over the weekend, but has defended Alessandro Bastoni despite his role in getting the Juventus man sent off. 

Inter beat Juventus 3-2 in a fiery Derby d’Italia in Serie A over the weekend in a game that was not without its controversies. Most notably, Juventus’s Kalulu was wrongly sent off for a second bookable offence in the 42nd minute. 

Newspapers in Italy described the first booking as harsh, and claimed that the second was ‘absurd’ and ‘non-existent’. 

That is because Inter’s Bastoni was adjudged to have dived in order to get Kalulu sent off. However, as this was a second yellow card incident and not a straight red card, VAR was not able to intervene. 

For a similar reason, Bastoni will not face retrospective punishment despite the fact that he was also carrying a yellow card at the time and would have been sent off had referee Federico La Penna shown him a second yellow card instead. 

Spalletti comments on Inter 3-2 Juventus controversies 

The Juventus camp were enraged at the decision to send Kalulu off. Spalletti along with Juventus CEO Damien Comolli were seen angrily confronting referee La Penna in the tunnel after full-time. 

The Bianconeri sent Comolli and director Giorgio Chiellini to talk to the press after full-time over the weekend, which means that Spalletti did not have the opportunity to give his thoughts immediately after the Inter match. 

Spalletti was finally able to share his opinions on the matter during his pre-match press conference ahead of Juventus’s Champions League play-off match against Galatasaray on Monday evening. 

Spalletti was not best pleased about Chivu’s decision to criticise Kalulu during his post-match interview. 

Chivu had said: “I think it is a light touch, but it’s still a touch. When I dealt with similar situations in the Champions League, I told my players not to put themselves in a situation where they force the referee to make the call.

“Even if it’s light, and we have to admit it is a light touch, my player still felt the touch and was running at full speed. Kalulu is an experienced player and he ought to know that in these situations, you keep your hands to yourself.”

Giving his response on Monday evening, Spalletti replied: “I don’t want to speak over the words of Elkann and the directors. I can say that Pierre is a good guy, a decent person and the fact that he had to take a dig from an opposition coach is something I never expected.

“This would put me in a position to talk about Inter’s players and I don’t want to do that.

“Simulation is an offence to football and what I have to do is raise the team to a level where simulation does not allow others to determine games for us. What happens isn’t important, but what you do when something happens to you is. We needed to reverse the situation.

“We have to improve if we don’t want to concede that goal there, and we wanted to go and score again immediately afterwards. These are tests of maturity. Tomorrow will be a test of our maturity.” 

There were some calls after the Inter vs. Juventus match that Bastoni should be dropped from the Italy national team squad as a result of his unsportsmanlike behaviour. 

As the former head coach of the Italy national team, Spalletti was asked for his opinion on that thought. 

He came out in defence of Bastoni, arguing that it would not be the right decision to drop him from the Italy squad: “Absolutely, Gattuso has to be free to call up whoever he wants. Unfortunately, I am no longer CT and I will leave that situation with him. We have a strong coach, we have to leave him to be free to do what he wants.”

Brazil national team head coach Carlo Ancelotti was seen enjoying himself during carnival celebrations in Rio De Janeiro over the weekend, and was spotted drinking a few beers with his former Milan striker Ronaldo: ‘I’m sure he’s loving the experience’. 

Ancelotti was appointed as head coach of the Brazil national team in May last year, and will lead the Selecao into the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America this summer. 

Brazil have already qualified for the World Cup and will next be in action against France and Croatia in a pair of international friendlies on March 26 and April 1 respectively. 

Before then, Ancelotti has been able to take in some of the local culture and traditions at a series of carnival celebrations across the country. He was most recently in Rio along with a number of former Brazil stars including Ronaldo and Denilson. 

As per local outlet ge.globo, Ancelotti and Ronaldo were based in boxes next to each other, and at one stage, Ronaldo passed the former Milan and Real Madrid coach on a float during a parade. They were filmed sipping on beers and waving at each other amidst the vast crowds. 

Valorizem que só o ADM não está assim! #ge #futebol pic.twitter.com/joq7M430uc

— ge (@geglobo) February 16, 2026

What Ronaldo said about Ancelotti during Rio carnival

Ronaldo was later stopped for a brief interview with ge.globo, discussing his relationship with Ancelotti and the prospects for the Italy national team/ 

“We were trying to select the World Cup squad, I included myself in there,” Ronaldo joked. 

“I know him well and from the conversations we’ve had, I’m sure he’s loving the experience of being here and getting to know our people, working in Brazilian football, the most successful winner of World Cups. 

“I’m sure he’s enjoying this energy of the Brazilian people rooting for him, because he’ll need it during the World Cup.”

It wasn’t a good look for Alessandro Bastoni  during Inter-Juventus when he caused and celebrated Pierre Kalulu’s red card, but it would be wrong to omit him from the Italy national team for this, writes Lorenzo Bettoni.

Why Bastoni should not face punishment with Italy national team

Some Italian fans and journalists called for Bastoni to be dropped from the Italy national team because of his behaviour in Inter-Juventus on Saturday. The Italy international not only deceived the referee with a dive that led to Kalulu’s second yellow card, but also wildly celebrated when the official showed the red.

Bastoni’s actions “didn’t align with the principles of fair play,” as Inter President Beppe Marotta has admitted, but this doesn’t mean the defender should be excluded from the Italy squad.

Several sources have already reassured that Gattuso will not take action, meaning that Bastoni will be part of the Italy squad next month when the Azzurri meet Northern Ireland in a vital World Cup play-off semi-final. Rightly so, I would say.

Again, what Bastoni did wasn’t nice to see, especially because we are talking about one of the best Italian players and one of the supposed leaders in the Azzurri dressing room, who should set the example rather than trying to cause even more confusion to the referee.

Sadly, Bastoni is not alone in this. Over the last few months, the quality of refereeing in Serie A has hit new lows one week after another, but match officials have not been helped by footballers in any way.

Every time, in every game, we see players going down in pain for the slightest touches, hoping that a VAR check would spot a step-on-foot and a resulting penalty. Too many times, footballers, especially in Serie A, overreact whenever an opponent goes for a challenge, hoping to cause whatever punishment.

VAR has surely caused more problems than those it has solved this term. It’s been overused far too much for minor incidents, but, ironically, the protocol didn’t allow it to intervene to save Kalulu from being sent off on Saturday, given that his foul was a second-yellow card offence.

The Bastoni incident has been blown out of proportion because of the scale of the game, but it should also be a turning point from which footballers have to show a different attitude towards referees by sticking to the principles of the game without unnecessary drama that only makes the game more toxic.

Bastoni should not be punished by Gattuso for something that everybody, wrongly, does. And this is even more true ahead of the most important Italy game in the last four years.

On March 26, the Azzurri will be hosting Northern Ireland in Bergamo in the World Cup play-off semi-final. If they progress, they’ll visit Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final, and if the Azzurri are to qualify for the World Cup, they need their best players and unity.

Hopefully, Bastoni won’t get the tough reception that Gigio Donnarumma has sometimes experienced during Italy games in the past, especially in his first years at PSG. Club-related matters must be set aside during the next international break as Gennaro Gattuso will need unity on and off the pitch to avoid another World Cup fiasco.

Many Juventus fans won’t agree with this, but not even Juventus would want or need Bastoni to be dropped from the Italy squad. The Bianconeri didn’t hold back criticism towards Italian referees on Saturday, calling for immediate “change” but didn’t mention Bastoni directly during post-match interviews.

They know this sort of attitude is sadly part of the game sometimes, but referees should now have the tools to avoid affecting games so heavily.

Surely, Bastoni won’t be proud watching the replays of his dive and celebration, but he has a lesson to learn from this. Italian legends like Franco Baresi, Beppe Bergomi and Paolo Maldini earned the respect of their opponents, especially for the way they behaved on the pitch, and those who are now expected to lead the national team, such as Bastoni, must lead by example.

Moreover, there’s a lesson that all Serie A players should learn. The less that referee gets involved, the better it is for the game. Inter’s 2-2 draw against Napoli in January was one of the best games in Serie A this season, also because the match official, Daniele Doveri, rarely blew the whistle; only five times in the first half.

Too often, when an Italian team faces a Premier League side in Europe, we are shocked by the difference in the pace and intensity, which is also a consequence of how fragmented Serie A games are.

VAR has to change, players and referees must change too, but this doesn’t mean the Azzurri must go to a massive game without one of their best players.

Genoa head coach Daniele De Rossi has had his say on the controversial decision to send off Pierre Kalulu during the Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus on Saturday evening, suggesting that the Frenchman fell victim to ‘the stupidest VAR rule’. 

Inter claimed a 3-2 victory over their arch rivals Juventus on Saturday evening, but the game was not without its controversial talking points. In the 42nd minute, Juve defender Kalulu was sent off for his second bookable offence. Newspapers in Italy described Kalulu’s first booking as harsh, and claimed that the second was ‘absurd’ and ‘non-existent’. 

For the second yellow card incident, Kalulu was penalised for fouling Alessandro Bastoni near the halfway line, however, replays showed that the Inter centre-back went to ground far too easily. 

Bastoni, who was on a yellow card himself at the time, was seen passionately celebrating the decision to send off Kalulu, which caused further anger among the Bianconeri management and fanbase. 

Refereeing designator Gianluca Rocchi has since admitted that a mistake was made, however, the decision was not able to be reviewed by VAR at the time as this was a second yellow card call and not a straight red. 

There have already been suggestions that the IFAB will look to change this rule in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer. 

De Rossi weighs in on Inter 3-2 Juventus and refereeing standards 

De Rossi has not hid his frustrations with referees in recent weeks. Last weekend, his Genoa side were beaten 3-2 by Napoli, largely due to a 95th-minute penalty being awarded in favour of the Partenopei after a VAR review. 

“I already talked last week about penalties. None of us know what a clear and obvious error is anymore. We no longer know if we have to step on a foot or just glance over it,” De Rossi said after the Napoli game. 

“The football that I played in no longer exists. I must tell my players to keep their arms behind their backs and not go into tackles. I don’t know what sport I am coaching.”

De Rossi has since had his chance to comment on the controversial refereeing from the Derby d’Italia. 

He believes that it is a positive that this incident happened in such a high-profile game, given the attention it brings outside Italy, and claims that it would take ‘two days’ to amend the necessary VAR rules

“I was one of the first to celebrate the introduction of VAR and perhaps one of the first to realise that we will always be chasing each other on certain things,” De Rossi said (via Corriere dello Sport).

“The only positive thing about what happened is that it was a match between Juve and Inter, which makes the whole world talk about it. It’s a game that the whole world watches and is massively important in Italy. 

“The stupidest VAR rule, and I have been saying it for three years, is that a second yellow is not as serious as a straight red. It would be easy to change that in two days. Every second yellow, from tomorrow, should be reviewed. 

“I think it would be difficult to find anyone who disagrees that a second yellow is not as serious as a red card after Saturday night, nowadays it changes a game even more than a goal or a penalty.”

Roma can breathe a sigh of relief, as neither Wesley França nor Paulo Dybala are expected to be sidelined for significant periods after recent injury concerns. 

When will Dybala and Wesley return for Roma?

Dybala was ruled out of Sunday evening’s 2-2 draw between Napoli and Roma at the Stadio Maradona, and with Matias Soule only fit enough for a spot on the bench, Gian Piero Gasperini named Lorenzo Pellegrini and January signing Bryan Zaragoza as the supporting attackers behind centre-forward Donyell Malen. 

Dybala has been struggling with a recurring pain in his knee, and according to reports from Corriere dello Sport, the most recent issue was due to a small inflammation in his leg rather than a strain or a tear. 

This means that he could be in contention to feature against Cremonese in Serie A next weekend, but there is a chance that the Giallorossi decide to rest him in order to have him at full fitness in time for an enormous clash against Juventus on March 1. 

Wesley was named as a starter against Napoli on Sunday evening, but his evening was cut short after being brought down by Amir Rrahmani in the penalty area, the incident which led to Malen putting the Giallorosi 2-1 ahead from the spot. 

Both Wesley and Rrahmani were injured in the incident and both had to come off immediately afterwards, the Roma wing-back reporting an issue with his ankle. 

According to Corriere dello Sport, medical tests have shown that there is no fracture or break to the ankle in question. It was an impact injury and there is heavy bruising, but like Dybala, Wesley could be declared fit enough to play against Cremonese next weekend, if not against Juventus the following week if Roma decide to be extra cautious.

Former Serie A coach Serse Cosmi responds to Juventus director Giorgio Chiellini, who complained about the officiating in the Bianconeri’s 3-2 loss against Inter: ‘I experienced what wasn’t football.’

Ex-Serie A coach Cosmi criticises Juventus director Chiellini, who had raged at a red card shown to Pierre Kalulu in Saturday’s Serie A match against Inter.

Kalulu’s red card infuriates Chiellini and Juventus

The French defender received a second yellow card for a foul on Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni, who appeared to go down too easily and then celebrated when his opponent was sent off.

Inter coach Cristian Chivu said the Juventus defender should not have put his hands on Bastoni, while Chiellini angrily confronted the referee inside the tunnel and then voiced his frustration to the media, arguing that it was “impossible to talk about football” after such a mistake.

“I didn’t like any of the words,” Cosmi told Sport Mediaset via Corriere dello Sport.

Cosmi tells Chiellini: ‘I experienced what wasn’t football’

“Not those Cristian Chivu, from whom I expected something different considering his intelligence, but I also didn’t like Giorgio Chiellini’s, who came to tell us this isn’t football. With all due respect, I experienced what wasn’t football.”

Cosmi’s reference was to the Calciopoli scandal in 2006, which saw Juventus being stripped of two titles and relegated to Serie B.

Cosmi was the Udinese coach in 2005-06, but remained in charge of the Bianconeri for just 24 games as he was sacked in February 2006.

Corriere dello Sport reports that the officiating in Inter-Juventus did not infuriate the Bianconeri only, but Milan are also upset, especially because the Rossoneri previously complained about other referee decisions this season.

Juventus are not the only Serie A side unhappy with the officiating in their latest Serie A match against Inter, which saw their defender Pierre Kalulu sent off with two yellow cards in the first half.

Milan unhappy with referee decisions in Inter vs. Juventus

As reported by Corriere dello Sport (via Calciomercato.com), there is also discontent within Milan about how such an important game was officiated, especially because the Rossoneri are challenging Inter in the race for the Scudetto.

Milan sit second in the standings, eight points below their city rivals, but Massimiliano Allegri’s men have a game in hand to be played this coming Wednesday at home against Como.

Previous Milan referee controversies

Milan have already voiced concerns over refereeing decisions they believe have had an impact on their season so far.

The latest incident was on Friday, when Adrien Rabiot was sent off for dissent in an away 2-1 win at Pisa.

The Frenchman received two yellow cards, so he’ll miss tomorrow’s match against Como.

Back in December, the Rossoneri were held to a 2-2 home draw by Sassuolo, but had a Christian Pulisic goal disallowed for a foul from Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the build-up.

Roma legend Francesco Totti confirms he’s in talks to return to the club as a director and reveals he ‘had dinner’ with Giallorossi coach Gian Piero Gasperini.

Former Roma striker Totti confirms he’s in talks with the Giallorossi over his potential return to the Stadio Olimpico as a club director.

Totti confirms talks for return to Roma

Senior advisor Claudio Ranieri surprisingly revealed a few weeks ago that Roma owners were considering bringing back the club legend with an operative role in the control room.

“I’ve always been a fan. To me, Roma is my home; it’s always been, even if I’m not there. I’m happy with what they are doing and their path,” Totti told Sky Sport Italia on Monday (via Repubblica).

“There have been rumours lately. It’s true, we are talking, discussing some details and deciding what’s best for everyone. I hope we can solve this situation soon. Sooner or later, surely we are talking about it.”

The legendary Italian striker went on to praise Roma boss Gasperini, who was appointed last summer.

Totti: ‘I had dinner with Gasperini’

“He has started on the right foot, and we are cheering him on for a return to the Champions League. I had dinner with him, and we spoke a bit about everything, not just about football,” Totti concluded.

Roma sit fourth in the Serie A standings after an away 2-2 draw at Napoli on Sunday.

The Giallorossi have collected 47 points, one more than fifth-placed Juventus, who they’ll host at the Olimpico in a crucial Serie A match on March 1.

Totti spent his entire playing career at Roma, scoring 307 goals in 786 games and winning the Serie A title in 2000-01.

As the Premier League season enters its critical final third, Manchester City welcome Newcastle United to the Etihad Stadium for a clash that carries significant weight for both sides.

HOW TO BUY MAN CITY VS. NEWCASTLE TICKETS

Pep Guardiola’s men are in hot pursuit of league leaders Arsenal, while Eddie Howe’s Newcastle are looking to find consistency and climb from mid-table back into European contention.

With City sitting second on 53 points and Newcastle occupying 10th place with 36, the stakes are high for two sides chasing very different objectives as the season enters its decisive phase.

This fixture comes with added spice, as the two sides have already met three times this season across all competitions, once in the league and twice in the EFL Cup.

It has been a turbulent season for the Magpies. Currently sitting 10th, consistency has been their biggest enemy. While their home form at St. James’ Park has been respectable, their travels have been less fruitful, with a record of 3 wins, 4 draws, and 6 losses away from home.

HOW TO BUY MAN CITY VS. NEWCASTLE TICKETS

How Man City could line up against Newcastle

Man City will be without Josko Gvardiol (tibial fracture) and John Stones (thigh) for the match against the Magpies. Ruben Dias’ return from injury has been a major boost for Pep Guardiola and his team.

Mateo Kovacic is out with an ankle issue, and Jeremy Doku (calf) is also sidelined.

Man City Predicted Line-up: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri, Silva, Rodri, O’Reilly, Foden, Haaland, Semenyo.

How Newcastle United could line up against Man City

Howe’s squad has been decimated by injuries, particularly in defence and midfield, compounding their recent struggle for form.

Tino Livramento (hamstring) is out until March, while Fabian Schär (ankle) and Emil Krafth (knee) remain on the treatment table.

Joelinton (groin) is nearing a return, but this game may come too soon for him to start. The Brazilian has missed the last five matches with an injury.

Newcastle United Predicted Line-up: Pope, Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Burn, Ramsey, Guimaraes, Willock, Elanga, Gordon, Barnes.

HOW TO BUY MAN CITY VS. NEWCASTLE TICKETS

How to buy Man City tickets

The Manchester City ticket portal is available through the club’s official website, but it may not be the most practical choice if you are not a season ticket holder or registered member.

For supporters seeking a dependable and competitively priced alternative, it’s highly recommended to explore our link for a more accessible option.

How to buy Newcastle United tickets

Newcastle supporters will no doubt visit the club’s official ticketing page, available online, but it’s always wise to compare options and check whether better value can be found elsewhere.

For instance, we strongly suggest using our link if you’d rather avoid paying additional membership fees just to get ahead of the queue for this high-profile fixture.

Our user-friendly platform also provides added peace of mind with a 150% money-back guarantee.

Man City vs Newcastle United head-to-head record

The historical head-to-head is closer than recent years might suggest, but City still hold the advantage.

Man City have 81 wins, Newcastle United have 74 wins, while 42 matches have ended as a draw.

The head-to-head record in the last five matches favours Guardiola’s side.

04 Feb 2026 | Man City 3-1 Newcastle | EFL Cup (Semi-Final 2nd Leg)

13 Jan 2026 | Newcastle 0-2 Man City | EFL Cup (Semi-Final 1st Leg)

22 Nov 2025 | Newcastle 2-1 Man City | Premier League

15 Feb 2025 | Man City 4-0 Newcastle | Premier League

28 Sep 2024 | Newcastle 1-1 Man City | Premier League

 

According to Sport Mediaset, Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti told Inter President Beppe Marotta ‘you made a pig’s ear of it’ as the Bianconeri protested for a red card shown to Pierre Kalulu.

More details emerge after a brutal confrontation between Juventus directors and referee Federico La Penna during the halftime break of Saturday’s Serie A match Inter-Juventus.

What Spalletti told Marotta during Inter-Juventus

The Bianconeri were furious for a red card given to Kalulu minutes before the break, prompting directors Giorgio Chiellini and Damien Comolli to face the referee inside the tunnel at halftime.

Spalletti separated Comolli and the match official, but according to Sport Mediaset, the Italian tactician also addressed Inter President Marotta, telling him: “You made a pig’s ear of it.”

Bans for Comolli and Chiellini after Inter-Juventus?

The heated confrontation between Juventus directors and the match official will likely lead to a ban for Comolli and Chiellini, according to reports in Italy.

Today, Marotta hit back at criticism from the Old Lady, recalling previous referee decisions that went in favour of the Bianconeri

Juventus striker Jonathan David has been ruled out of tomorrow’s Champions League match against Galatasaray due to a groin injury.

Juventus have travelled to Istanbul to face Galatasaray without Canada star David.

Why David is not available for Galatasaray vs. Juventus

The ex-Lille forward is not part of the Bianconeri squad list released just a few minutes ago.

According to Sky Sport Italia, David has been omitted due to a groin injury.

David had been subbed off in the second half of an away game at Inter on Saturday in what appeared to be a tactical substitution.

Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik are also unavailable for the upcoming European fixture, so Lois Openda will be the only centre-forward available for the Old Lady in Istanbul.

David started in the last eight Serie A games for Juventus.

He has scored seven goals and provided five assists in 34 appearances across all competitions this season, including two in the Champions League.

Tomorrow, February, Tuesday 17, Juventus visit Galatasaray in the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off.

Juventus squad list vs. Galatasaray

La lista dei convocati per la sfida di #UCL di domani in trasferta in Turchia #GalatasarayJuve pic.twitter.com/xrEymkcn0x

— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) February 16, 2026

Scotland international Billy Gilmour is delighted to have returned to action for Napoli after ’10 long weeks’ on the sidelines: ‘No feeling like being on the pitch.’

Gilmour returned to action for the first time since November on Sunday, making a substitute appearance in Napoli’s 2-2 home draw against Roma.

Gilmour returns to action for Napoli

The Scotland international was introduced in the second half and contributed to the Partenopei’s equaliser with a through ball in the build-up to Alisson Santos’ first goal for the defending Serie A champions.

“First steps in 2026,” Gilmour wrote on Instagram.

“No feeling like being on the pitch & none bigger or better than doing it in front of your support. 10 long weeks, now back doing what I love with this team. Forza Napoli Sempre.”

Gilmour spent over 2 months on the sidelines

Gilmour underwent surgery in November 2025 due to a groin injury and had missed the previous 23 matches with the Partenopei.

 

Visualizza questo post su Instagram

 

Un post condiviso da Billy Gilmour (@billygilmour)

Inter President Beppe Marotta feels Alessandro Bastoni has been subject to ‘excessive media exposure’ and hits back at Juventus, saying that a ‘clear simulation’ of Juan Cuadrado in 2021 allowed the Bianconeri to beat the Nerazzurri and qualify for the Champions League.

The controversy surrounding Inter-Juventus and a red card shown to Pierre Kalulu on Saturday is far from over.

Inter President Marotta spoke to reporters on Monday ahead of a Lega Serie A meeting in Milan, saying (via Calciomercato.com): “I’m here because we have fought against excessive media exposure, a public shaming of Bastoni that goes beyond what actually happened. A young man who represents an asset for our national team, it is unfair to put his participation in doubt.

“Who doesn’t make mistakes? Since the 1950s, there have been players, no names mentioned, famous for actions like this. We are facing, in my view, an ordinary event, not an extraordinary one. Reprehensible, but also due to other circumstances, such as the wide arm,” Marotta continued.

Marotta recalls referee mistake that qualified Juventus for Champions League

“Last season, we lost the Scudetto by one point, and there was a confirmed error in Inter-Roma, but we didn’t protest. This season, Inter have only intervened once, after Napoli-Inter, where a penalty kick, later deemed unfair, had been given.”

Italian media already reported that Inter felt Juventus’ reaction was blown out of proportion, a view strongly confirmed by Marotta.

“If we talk about simulations, I want to remember Juventus-Inter in 2021 and a penalty given despite a clear simulation from Cuadrado with Calvarese as a referee,” he said.

“Afterwards, both the referee and the technical bodies confirmed it had been an obvious simulation, and with that win, Juventus qualified for the Champions League, which is worth €60-70m.”

Marotta admitted that Bastoni’s simulation against Juventus was against the principles of fair play, and also called for stronger sanctions.

“We need to take responsibility: AIA, clubs and FIGC, all institutions,” he added.

Marotta on Chiellini and Bastoni

“We need to engage in a broad and calm discussion, toughening disciplinary penalties, especially financial ones. Too often, things go beyond the line, and that is unacceptable. Bastoni’s gesture does not align with the principles of fair play. Repression is not part of my approach. Prevention, however, is possiblethrough dialogue. There is often a lack of knowledge of the rules, which players in particular should be familiar with.”

Juventus director Giorgio Chiellini was particularly critical of the officiating as he and Damien Comolli showed up in front of the media after the match on Saturday night, while coach Luciano Spalletti remained silent.

Marotta had greeted Chiellini at San Siro, but didn’t seem impressed by the ex-defender’s claims.

“It was the least I could do as he was one of my players,” he concluded, via Gazzetta.

“Today, he’s a young and inexperienced director, but I do not dare give him suggestions.”

Fabio Capello was ‘upset’ to see Alessandro Bastoni’s ‘obvious simulation’ during Inter-Juventus but was also disappointed by Cristian Chivu, even if ‘his actions matter more than words.’

• Read more – Inter’s support for Bastoni after social media threats, but Juventus overreacted – report

Former Italian coach Capello strongly criticised Inter defender Bastoni and Nerazzurri coach Chivu in his latest column for Gazzetta dello Sport.

During Saturday’s game against Juventus, Bastoni had tricked the referee by going down too easily on a Pierre Kalulu challenge, causing a second yellow for the Bianconeri defender just before the break.

Capello: Bastoni ‘can’t behave like that’

“Two things struck me in particular. The first: a player like Bastoni, of international calibre and a key figure in our national team, cannot and, above all, must not behave like that,” wrote Capello.

“It was very upsetting for all the football fans to see him deceive the referee with an obvious simulation, especially since he was already booked and therefore risking a second yellow card.”

Inter coach Chivu refused to blame Bastoni during his post-match interviews, suggesting that Kalulu should have avoided putting his hands on his defender.

Before the game, however, the Inter coach had stated that he wouldn’t comment on a referee unless he heard a Serie A coach openly acknowledge a favourable referee decision.

“Second thing,” continued Capello.

Capello: Chivu’s ‘actions matter more’ than his words

“I know Chivu very well, as he was one of my players at Roma, but his words after the game deeply disappointed me. The Inter coach was not consistent with what he had said on the eve of the match, and in the end, he gave the impression of justifying what happened.

“More than his words, however, his actions matter. Chivu substituted Bastoni at halftime because he knew exactly that he would be at risk if he stayed on the pitch. I would have expected statements of a very different tone, especially after a victory.”

Inter and Juventus both return to action mid-week as both sides have European commitments.

The Bianconeri will visit Galatasaray on Tuesday, while Inter will play away at Bodo/Glimt on Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off.

Hellas Verona striker Gift Orban calls for ‘equal treatment on the pitch’ after being shown an early red card in a Serie A game against Parma: ‘As a Black player in Italy, I can’t ignore how often we’re treated differently.’

Verona striker Orban complained about a straight red card he received in the opening minutes of an eventual 2-1 loss at Parma on Sunday.

Orban: Black players ‘treated differently’ in Serie A

The Nigeria international had been given his marching orders after just 10 minutes, with his team already down one goal.

Orban appeared to calmly protest for a potential foul from a Parma defender, but the referee was quick to stop the play to show the 23-year-old a red card.

“Sent off for protesting a decision. As a Black player in Italy, I can’t ignore how often we’re treated differently,” Orban added on X social media.

“I love the game, and all I ask for is fairness, respect, and equal treatment on the pitch.”

Orban has scored seven goals and provided two assists in 22 Serie A appearances with Verona this season.

This is his first season in Serie A, but his positive performances still couldn’t help Verona in their race for survival as the Gialloblu sit at the bottom of the table alongside Pisa with 15 points.

Verona didn’t send their coach to comment on the game at full-time as a sign of protest. They only released a statement, which, however, didn’t mention racism issues: “A very serious lack of respect towards a team, a city, a community and a fanbase,” the club said.

“We always accept mistakes, just as we make them ourselves. However, we believe that the sending off after ten minutes play, based on what was seen on the field and what we were told, is a signal of disrespect.”

Northern Ireland and Italy will clash in the European play-offs of the 2026 World Cup qualification. The Italians are considered the clear favourites, but Gennaro Gattuso’s team shouldn’t underestimate their opponents.

It’s not just that this might be Italy’s third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup. Northern Ireland’s style of play makes them difficult opponents, capable of causing the Squadra Azzurra some very real problems. Read more about the upcoming battle in the 1xBet Ireland review.

Psychological trap for Italy

Northern Ireland’s main trump card in this match is not the roster or tactics, but the enormous pressure their opponents are under. The team that has won fewer World Cups than only Brazil (5 times against 4) will take to the pitch with the burden of having missed two Mundials in a row.

In Italy, this is regarded not just as a sporting failure but as a national disaster. And although Serie A, an official partner of global betting company 1xBet, is still one of the strongest leagues in the world, many of its top stars aren’t Italian. The fear of failure in the qualification led to the dismissal of Luciano Spalletti, who had previously done a great job with Napoli and then instantly proved his high level at Juventus. If the national team fails to qualify for the third consecutive World Cup, it will mean a 12-year absence from the competition. Moreover, the Italians last played in the knockout stage in 2006, when they became world champions.

This situation creates perfect conditions for the underdogs. While Italy struggle with anxiety and ghosts of the past, Northern Ireland can afford to play without pressure. In football, it is often the team that makes the best use of its chances that wins.

History doesn’t favour Squadra Azzurra

Looking back at history, Italy have reason to be concerned. Northern Ireland have twice prevented Italy from qualifying for the Mundial. In the 1958 World Cup qualification, the Squadra Azzurra lost 1-2 to Northern Ireland in the last game, even though a draw would have been enough. That victory was Northern Ireland’s first and so far only win in 11 matches against Italy. In 1958, the Green and White Army went to the World Cup for the first time and reached the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Italy’s second failure came in the qualification for the previous World Cup in Qatar. Before the last round, Italy and Switzerland had the same number of points, but while the Swiss were crushing Bulgaria 4-0 at home, Italy couldn’t score in Belfast. The final score of 0-0 sent Roberto Mancini’s team into the play-offs, where the Squadra Azzurra were eliminated.

Italy rely more on emotions than tactics

During his tenure, Spalletti tried to get the team to play more attacking football with a high defensive line. But he was unable to make it work. The coach just didn’t have enough time to work out the complex ideas and didn’t want to keep things too simple.

The Squadra Azzurra often struggled against opponents who focused heavily on defence. Italy would pass the ball around the penalty area for a long time, only to fail to convert their chances. And when their opponents had fast players capable of organising counterattacks, as was the case with Norway, Italian fans had little to look forward to.

In June last year, Italy lost 0-3 in an away game against Norway, after which Spalletti was dismissed as national team coach. Gennaro Gattuso, the legendary Milan player, was called in to save the day, despite having fewer coaching achievements to his name than Spalletti.

At half-time in the home match against Estonia, with the score at 0-0, Gattuso slapped his players in the dressing room. It worked – Italy won 5-0. But fans expect smarter coaching decisions in the country where tactics have always been the top priority.

Northern Ireland feel comfortable giving the initiative to their opponents. In October’s home match against Germany, Die Mannschaft won 1-0 but created few chances, while Michael O’Neill’s team missed several good opportunities to score.

After winning the ball, the Green and White Army immediately try to pass it forward. If they manage to exploit the space behind Italy’s defenders, Northern Ireland could cause problems for the favourites. Another weapon of O’Neill’s team is set pieces, which Italy occasionally struggle with.

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Inter have shown support for their star Alessandro Bastoni after the Italian defender was subjected to social media abuse, and according to Gazzetta, the Nerazzurri feel the Juventus’ reaction was blown out of proportion.

Inter directors and coach Cristian Chivu sent support to their defender Bastoni on Sunday.

Inter send support to Bastoni

The Italy international had received hate messages and threats on social media after celebrating Pierre Kalulu’s red card during Inter-Juventus. Bastoni went down far too easily in a challenge with the French defender, causing a second yellow card.

Tension is so high that, according to Repubblica, Bastoni’s decision to disable comments on his social media accounts and those of his wife came under suggestion from the Italian Police.

According to Gazzetta, Bastoni was taken aback by the scale of online abuse, which even extended to his younger daughter. Italian sources claim that Bastoni spoke for a long time on the phone with Chivu and Inter directors on Sunday, receiving full support from his club.

‘No one at Inter considers him a diver in the slightest, with everyone viewing the incident as nothing more than a simple yellow-card incident,’ wrote Gazzetta.

Inter unhappy with Juventus’ reaction

At the same time, the Nerazzurri feel that the Juventus’ reaction was blown out of proportion as the Bianconeri directors confronted the referee inside the tunnel at half-time and sent Giorgio Chiellini and Damien Comolli in front of the media after the match, rather than coach Luciano Spalletti.

Gazzetta notes that Chiellini’s pointed comments after the match particularly rubbed Inter the wrong way. Having won the 2021 Euros alongside Bastoni, the former Juventus defender is regarded by the Inter star as one of the best centre-backs of the past decade, having seen firsthand the full spectrum of the ex-national captain’s skills, including his shrewdness in certain defensive situations.

Reports in Italy suggest that Juventus directors Damien Comolli and Giorgio Chiellini face a possible ban for a tunnel confrontation with referee Federico La Penna during a tense Serie A match against Inter.

Juventus directors Comolli and Chiellini could be punished following their heated protests against referee La Penna during the half-time break of Saturday’s Serie A match against Inter.

Furious Chiellini and Comolli confronted Inter-Juventus referee

A video that has gone viral on social media shows the two directors facing the match official just inside the tunnel at the Stadio Meazza as the two teams head to the dressing room at half-time.

La Penna had sent off Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu just a few minutes earlier, infuriating the Bianconeri players and their directors.

Comolli attempted to confront La Penna directly, but Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti stepped in to hold him back, while Chiellini voiced his anger toward the referee.

Report Juventus director Comolli risks two-month ban

As reported by Gazzetta, referee La Penna likely mentioned the incident in his post-match report, which would lead to a suspension for both Chiellini and Comolli.

Without an official report from the referee, the FIGC Prosecutor would need to open a formal investigation.

Gazzetta notes that ‘while Chiellini’s remarks seem like strong criticism and are not necessarily insulting, Comolli’s verbal attack risks being considered as such and, consequently, could lead to a ban of at least two months.’

Reports in Italy claim that Gennaro Gattuso will continue to rely on Inter star Alessandro Bastoni despite criticism over the defender’s behaviour during the Derby d’Italia against Juventus.

• Read more – Bastoni forced to silence fans on social media after insults following Derby d’Italia

Inter defender Bastoni will continue to be part of the Italy squad, as coach Gattuso is not considering dropping him following controversies in Inter-Juventus.

Gattuso won’t drop Bastoni for Italy games

Bastoni infuriated fans on Saturday as he went down far too easily in a challenge from Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu, causing his second yellow card.

Bastoni celebrated widely when his opponent was shown a red card, prompting fans and some journalists in Italy to suggest he should be dropped from the Italy squad next month.

Italian sports papers, including Gazzetta and Corriere dello Sport, however, claim that Gattuso is not even considering leaving Bastoni at home.

Crucial match for Italy in March

The Azzurri have a crucial match coming up as they’ll host Northern Ireland in the World Cup play-off semifinal on March 26.

If they progress, they’ll visit Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final and, if fit, Bastoni will surely be part of the Italy squad.

La Gazzetta dello Sport

Inter-Juve, the tunnel like a ring: FIGC investigation, possible sanctions

Bastoni threatened, will play for the Azzurri. Rocchi: ‘Too many simulations.’ La Penna stop.

Malen scores twice, Alisson’s equaliser makes Napoli happy.

Corriere dello Sport

La Penna reports, Elkann calls Gravina

Death threats to the referee who calls the Postal Police. The Exor CEO: ‘Solutions now, Italian football must defend its credibility.’ Rocchi: ‘Bastoni simulated, everyone tries to trick us.’

Alisson Santos ruins Roma’s party

Malen freezes the Maradona. Spinazzola equalises. The Dutchman scores the 2-1, but Conte’s move proves decisive. The ex-Sporting is introduced and locks the third spot.

Tuttosport

Elkann to Gravina: ‘Respect us!’

John calls the FIGC President: ‘Repeated errors, solutions are needed to defend football.’ Not just Kalulu, Comolli, Chiellini and Spalletti risk bans too. Bastoni covered by insults, cancels himself from social media with his wife. Rocchi attacks divers.

Toro: Cairo and Baroni, endless pain

The Granata revive Bologna. The stadium was still half-empty. The President was insulted for the entire game, but the coach: ‘I feel trust.’

Alisson Santos ‘would’ve been happier’ with his first Napoli goal if they had all three points against Roma, while Alessandro Buongiorno admits he ‘needed to react’ to a recent crisis.

It was a hard-fought and thrilling match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with the Giallorossi twice going in front through Donyell Malen goals, only to be clawed back by a deflected Leonardo Spinazzola strike and late Alisson Santos daisy-cutter.

The January signing seemed very emotional when celebrating his first goal in the Napoli jersey, as the crowd went wild in the stands behind him.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Napoli 2-2 Roma

Napoli refused to give in for thrilling draw

“I am very happy to score and help the team. I would’ve been happier if we won the game, for sure, but I am feeling really good and enjoying scoring at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona,” Alisson Santos told DAZN Italia.

Alisson Santos came off the bench and made a remarkable impact this evening, as he ran at opponents every time and gave them that spark they needed to get back into the game.

He even pushed to the very end trying to win it in stoppages, so was named Serie A Man of the Match.

“My relationship with the teammates, the coach and the whole staff is really good.”

Buongiorno stepped back into the starting XI for the first time since his nightmare performance in the 3-2 win at Genoa, where he was directly at fault for two goals and was hauled off by Antonio Conte.

“We fought like lions to the end of the match, so we’ve got to thank everyone here, because we are giving our absolute all,” Buongiorno told DAZN Italia.

“I faced up to my problems and tried to resolve them, I did a lot of work in training and know that if you never give in, you can achieve your dreams.

“I have to thank the fans, my family and my partner for being close to me during this difficult time. There are moments where you fall and you’ve got to get back on your feet.”

Napoli are now out of the Champions League and the Coppa Italia, but are up to third in Serie A, ahead of Roma and Juventus.

“The only objective we have really is to get into the top four, but we need to take it one game at a time and see what happens.”

Donyell Malen admits Gian Piero Gasperini ‘played a big role’ in convincing him to come to Roma, and is allowing the former Aston Villa striker to flourish. ‘It’s a big club with big ambitions.’

The Netherlands international has had an extraordinary impact in Serie A with five goals in his first five games, and bagged another brace this evening in the thrilling 2-2 draw away to Napoli.

However, he wasn’t happy with the result, having seen the lead twice slip away to a deflected Leonardo Spinazzola strike and late Alisson Santos finish.

Malen made remarkable Roma impact

“To be honest, I am quite disappointed. I think we deserved to win it and had done enough. Obviously, it was a good night personally, but this is football and you want to win,” Malen told DAZN Italia.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Napoli 2-2 Roma

When he arrived from Aston Villa in the January transfer window, on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season, was he expecting such a strong start to life in Italy?

“I had a good feeling when I signed for the club. I know what I can do and I know my qualities. In football, you also need a little bit of luck and momentum, so I am very happy to be here.”

Roma coach Gasperini said that Malen is “the ideal striker for my style of football,” so what role did the former Atalanta tactician play in convincing him to choose the Stadio Olimpico?

“Gasperini played a big role, he told me about the position and what he wanted me to do, what he feels I could bring to the team,” replied Malen.

“I believe Roma is a very big club, with big ambitions, and the right place for me to play my football. That’s why I chose Roma.”

Gian Piero Gasperini insists Roma ‘would have a few more points’ if Donyell Malen had arrived earlier in the season, as they have ‘regrets’ at a 2-2 draw with Napoli.

The Giallorossi had hoped they would break their drought of wins in big games, and had twice gone in front with goals from Malen, who has now scored five goals in his first four Serie A games.

However, Napoli fought back both times with a deflected Leonardo Spinazzola strike from distance, and Alisson Santos drilling in from the edge of the area.

Gasperini: ‘Malen ideal striker for Roma’

“We often end these games with young lads who need to grow, gain experience and character. These are fundamental minutes in matches where we need fresh legs, which the younger players do have, but it also means missing out on experience,” Gasperini told DAZN Italia.

The January transfer window has certainly changed the options available for Roma, as this evening Malen scored twice, including on an assist from Bryan Zaragoza making his first start for the club.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Napoli 2-2 Roma

“I have always been convinced Malen has the ideal characteristics for my style of football, as he is a complete striker, he can get shots away quickly, is fast, can combine with his teammates. This is a side that needs a striker like him, who is scoring frequently also because we put him in a position to be consistently dangerous.

“He’s only been with us for five games, so we can keep improving I feel, especially if we get Dybala, Soulé or El Shaarawy back to full fitness, we can be more competitive.”

Paulo Dybala, Manu Kone, Artem Dovbyk, Evan Ferguson and Stephan El Shaarawy didn’t make the trip, with Matias Soulé and Mario Hermoso not fully fit.

Wesley was seen limping badly and with an ice pack strapped to his left ankle after winning the penalty from Amir Rrahmani, but it was Malen who stepped up, despite not taking many spot-kicks in his career.

“It was a very important penalty, but I had seen him in training, he takes good free kicks as well as penalties. Milinkovic-Savic has saved a lot of penalties, so it was tough, but he hit it hard and precise. Well done,” revealed Gasperini.

This result means both Napoli and Roma surge ahead of Juventus in the standings, now sitting third and fourth, despite not managing to win a single head-to-head clash.

“We’ve had a positive attitude throughout the season, which is why we are fourth in the table. I am not afraid to say that if we’d had Malen in the first half of the season, we’d have a few more points right now, but the overall approach has always been the same,” added Gasperini.

“We went very close to results against the big teams and stumbled at the last hurdle in many of them. It has been better in the second half of the campaign, because we held Milan and now Napoli to draws, leaving both games with regrets that we came so close to victory.”

Antonio Conte believes Napoli deserved more than a 2-2 draw with Roma. ‘It was an English style match, now we’ll see what European competition we qualify for.’

There was a long and touching banner in the stands before kick-off that sent a strong message to Conte and the Napoli players during their injury crisis. ‘We don’t know what our destiny will be, but we’ll be by your side to the end. Despite the many difficulties, you are honouring the shirt and the city,’ it read.

“It is only right that we thank the fans, because it is by no means to be taken for granted that they would recognise what we are doing this season,” Conte told DAZN Italia.

“The fact they recognised we are fighting for Napoli, honouring the shirt and not giving in, that is a wonderful message for the lads. I know what they’ve been dealing with and how we’ve managed to get through the last few months.”

Conte saw English style clash for Napoli and Roma

It was another hard-fought battle at the Stadio Maradona, but the Partenopei refused to give in and twice fought back from Donyell Malen goals to earn a 2-2 draw.

Leonardo Spinazzola’s strike took a deflection off Nicolò Pisilli to loop over Mile Svilar, while late on January signings Giovane and Alisson Santos combined for the latter’s emotional equaliser.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Napoli 2-2 Roma

“Fighting back twice to hold Roma was also no mean feat, and I think if this was a boxing match, we’d have won it on points,” insisted Conte.

“It was an entertaining game played at a high level of intensity, there were difficulties playing because the pressing was so high from both teams. It was an English style match. We’ve got to continue, knowing that we are building our future in the next 13 games, so what we have next season will depend on what we do in these 13 games, and what European competition we manage to qualify for.

“It won’t be easy, as the other teams in the race are well-drilled and have resources, but we are pushing beyond our boundaries.”

Alisson Santos arrived in the January transfer window and made a big impact off the bench today, scoring a goal, but also repeatedly running at opponents.

“Both Giovane and Alisson are young players that the club signed in January, because we had those transfer limitations and had to sell first in order to buy to balance the books,” noted Conte.

“They have not even been training with us for two weeks, so they need to understand our movements. Alisson is better at taking men on than Giovane, whereas Giovane is more of a striker. They have made a massive change in their careers, but they have showed humility and are ready to take that time to understand how we do things here.”

There was mixed news from the treatment table, as while Amir Rrahmani seemed to sprain his ankle during the penalty incident, Billy Gilmour made his first appearance since early November.

“I honestly don’t know how Rrahmani is doing, but it won’t make much difference at this point,” shrugged Conte.

“We can’t always talk about injuries, otherwise it becomes stupid. We should focus on what we have at our disposal for the next match, if he is ready then we’ll be happy, if not then we’ll find a solution, as we have been doing in every single game.”

Serie A | Napoli 2-2 Roma: New buys do battle as Alisson silences Malen, as Partenopei new boy Alisson Santos scored a late goal to cancel out a brace from Roma winter signing Donyell Malen.

Malen was Football Italia’s Man of the Match, whilst strong performances from Alisson, N’Dicka and Beukema underpinned a hard-fought draw at the Maradona.

Napoli 2-2 Roma – Player Ratings

Napoli: Milinkovic-Savic 6; Rrahmani 5 (Alisson 7.5), Buongiorno 5.5, Beukema 6.5; Gutierrez 5, Lobotka 6, Elmas 6.5 (Gilmour N/A), Spinazzola 6.5 (Olivera 6); Politano 5.5 (Mazzocchi N/A), Vergara 5.5 (Giovane 6.5); Hojlund 6

Best Napoli player: Alisson Santos – The Brazilian came on to not only save the game but inject some much needed venom into the Neapolitan attack. He scored the late equaliser and has potentially earned his right to start some upcoming games.

Lowest Napoli rating: Amir Rrahmani – Somewhat shocking performance from the experienced defender, who has been one of the very best in Serie A this season. Therefore, he must be held to a high standard – to which he fell short tonight – culminating with him injuring himself while giving away the penalty for Roma’s second goal.

Coach: Antonio Conte 6 – Reacted well with his substitutes despite a still paper thin squad. Clearly missing key difference makers in the midfield such as McTominay and Zambo-Anguissa but showed flexibility today to fight back against a spirited Roma.

Roma: Svilar 6; Mancini 6, N’Dicka 7, Ghilardi 6.5; Celik 6, Cristante 6, Pisilli 5.5 (El Aynaoui 6), Wesley 6.5 (Tsimikas 5); Pellegrini 5.5 (Venturino 5.5), Zaragoza 6 (Soule 5), Malen 8 (Vaz 5.5)

Best Roma player: Donyell Malen – Another brace for the Aston Villa loanee, who continues to shine following his two goals against Cagliari last Monday. The Dutchman has settled in well in the Italian capital and looked sharp today for his tap-in and penalty.

Lowest Roma rating: Kostas Tsimikas – Was only on the pitch for 20 minutes but can be held responsible for Alisson Santos’ equaliser. A poor clearance from the Greek full-back, who has hardly impressed on his loan spell from Liverpool.

Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini 6 – Never an easy game to rock up to the Maradona and put two past the champions but Gasperini’s side did that and would have come away with three points were it not for Alisson’s equaliser.

Napoli fought their way back twice from Donyell Malen goals to hold Roma to a thrilling 2-2 draw with Leonardo Spinazzola and Alisson Santos, on a big night for January buys.

Both sides were forced into changes by an injury crisis. Scott McTominay joined Giovanni Di Lorenzo, David Neres, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne and suspended Juan Jesus in the stands, but Matteo Politano returned to the starting XI after a Coppa Italia penalty shoot-out defeat to Como midweek. Paulo Dybala, Manu Kone, Artem Dovbyk, Evan Ferguson and Stephan El Shaarawy didn’t make the trip, with Matias Soulé and Mario Hermoso not fully fit either, so Bryan Zaragoza got his first start.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It took just seven minutes to break the deadlock, as the two January buys combined down the right with Zaragoza rolling across for Malen to come sliding in with the right foot from seven yards. This was the ex-Aston Villa striker’s fourth goal in five Serie A games.

Donyell Malen silences the Maradona

Roma race free and into an early lead against Napoli!

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/z6OokMQkEG

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 15, 2026

Rasmus Hojlund felt he was dragged down by Evan Ndicka in a promising position, but the referee waved play on, while Stanislav Lobotka’s half-volley was straight at Mile Svilar.

Malen scuffed just wide after shrugging off Amir Rrahmani to push forward from the centre-circle, while Nicolò Pisilli also drilled past the near post and Wesley’s effort was charged down after controlling a long ball.

Napoli equalised after a long passing move, as Leonardo Spinazzola’s screamer from outside the area took a deflection off Pisilli to loop up and over a helpless Mile Svilar. It was a special goal for the former Roma player.

We're back level in Naples

Leonardo Spinazzola has a pop from range, which deflects over Mile Svilar and into the back of the net!

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/4LMcRGjxIj

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 15, 2026

Soulé came on for the restart, but Napoli came out fighting and Spinazzola’s control and strike forced a tricky save out of Svilar.

Wesley sprinted down the left and in a desperate bid to run after him, Rrahmani bundled into the back of the Brazilian for a penalty, a tangle of legs that saw both players injured. Malen converted into the top corner with a short run-up to complete his brace and beat Milinkovic-Savic.

Donyell Malen outwits Vanja Milinković-Savić again, this time from twelve yards to restore Roma's lead in Naples

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

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 15, 2026

Alisson Santos cut inside to test Svilar and Billy Gilmour made his comeback for the first time since early November 2025.

The January signing made an immediate impact, as he gathered the Giovane through ball and drilled a ferocious strike into the near bottom corner from the edge of the area. Alisson Santos was visibly emotional at his first goal for Napoli.

Napoli equalise once again

Billy Gilmour and Rasmus Hojlund combine, and Alisson Santos rifles in a second for the home side v Roma!

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/UYU09Ldzb0

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 15, 2026

The hosts kept pushing in search of a winner, having fought their way back twice from a goal down, as while Robinio Vaz had a shot charged down, at the other end Svilar got down to fingertip away the Miguel Gutierrez daisy-cutter.

Napoli 2-2 Roma

Malen 7, pen 71 (R), Spinazzola 40 (N), Alisson Santos 82 (N)

15-02-2026 19:45

MatchDay 25

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

Napoli

Roma

2 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		7'		Donyell Malen (Assist: Bryan Zaragoza)
		26'		Gianluca Mancini
Leonardo Spinazzola (Assist: Eljif Elmas)		40'

2nd half

Amir Rrahmani		68'
		71'		Donyell Malen
Alisson Santos (Assist: Giovane)		82'

Match statistic

61

Possession %

39

11

Total shots

9

7

Shots on target

2

1

Shots off target

4

3

Blocked shots

3

2

Corners

1

1

Offsides

2

14

Fouls

14

Napoli

Roma

Starting lineups

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić

Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno

Defender

13

Amir Rrahmani

Defender

70'

37

Leonardo Spinazzola

Defender

70'

3

Miguel Gutiérrez

Defender

31

Sam Beukema

Defender

26

Antonio Vergara

Midfielder

79'

20

Eljif Elmas

Midfielder

79'

68

Stanislav Lobotka

Midfielder

21

Matteo Politano

Attacker

85'

19

Rasmus Højlund

Attacker

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

5

Evan Ndicka

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

43

Wesley

Defender

72'

19

Zeki Celik

Defender

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

7

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Midfielder

65'

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

65'

97

Bryan Zaragoza

Attacker

46'

14

Donyell Malen

Attacker

72'

Substitutes

1

Alex Meret

Goalkeeper

14

Nikita Contini

Goalkeeper

9

Romelu Lukaku

Attacker

17

Mathías Olivera

Defender

70'

27

Alisson Santos

Attacker

70'

6

Billy Gilmour

Midfielder

79'

23

Giovane

Attacker

79'

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi

Defender

85'

3

Angeliño

Defender

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

70

Giorgio De Marzi

Goalkeeper

75

Mattia Della Rocca

Midfielder

18

Matìas Soulé

Attacker

46'

8

Neil El Aynaoui

Midfielder

65'

20

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

65'

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

72'

78

Robinio Vaz

Attacker

72'