Antonio Conte left the door wide open to an Italy recall, admitting his future at Napoli is in doubt. ‘If I was the FIGC President, I’d take me into consideration.’

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The 56-year-old has emerged as one of the strongest candidates to take over the reins of the Azzurri after the failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

It would be a return, as he was already on the Nazionale bench from 2014 to 2016, before walking away for a new club experience at Chelsea.

When asked in today’s press conference after Napoli beat Milan 1-0 to leap into second place if he was disturbed or flattered by the Italy rumours, his response was surprisingly open.

Conte not hiding Italy ambition

“Let us not forget that last year, in the final three months of the season, there was talk in the media that I would leave Napoli to go to Juventus, right?” said Conte.

“The media has to write something, and it is only right that my name appears as part of that list. If I was the FIGC President, I would take me into consideration along with others. For many reasons, I would put Conte in that list.

“After all, I have already worked with the Nazionale and I know the environment. I am flattered, because representing your country is something wonderful.

“You all know full well that I have a year left on my contract with Napoli and that at the end of the season I will sit down with the President to discuss it.”

A new coach is only part of the process, as Italian football has struggled since that epic World Cup triumph in 2006, and the EURO 2020 victory is starting to feel like a blip more than a sign of recovery.

What more needs to be done to turn things around?

“It’s disappointing that if we had won that penalty shoot-out with Bosnia and qualified for the World Cup, people would’ve talked about a great achievement and Italy playing great football. Unfortunately, only the results count in this sport now,” noted Conte.

“After three World Cups in a row, however, something serious needs to be done. When I was CT there was a lot of talk, but I got very little help from the clubs.

“Now everything is seen as a disaster, but even in disasters, there is always something that can be salvaged. We’ve got to understand that if things aren’t working, then they remain the same whether we qualify or not. If we had qualified, the same people criticising would’ve called it a triumph.

“We all care about the Nazionale and something must be done.”

Giovane reveals his shock when discovering this morning he ‘might have to start’ in a new role for Napoli against Milan, as Rasmus Hojlund had a virus.

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This was a Scudetto showdown to see who would go into the final seven rounds as genuine challengers to leaders Inter.

It was a rough situation for the Partenopei, who lost Hojlund just hours before kick-off to a stomach bug, with Romelu Lukaku, David Neres, Antonio Vergara, Amir Rrahmani and Giovanni Di Lorenzo already injured.

Giovane was used as a makeshift centre-forward, but Politano came off the bench to meet the poor Koni De Winter header at the back post, scoring the winning goal.

Giovane had no time to prepare new role

Reports started to filter through in the afternoon that Hojlund was not in good shape, but it wasn’t much earlier that Napoli found out either.

“When I arrived at the camp this morning, I couldn’t see Hojlund, because he wasn’t well,” Giovane told DAZN Italia.

“Everyone started telling me I ought to get ready, because I might have to play. I am a young guy, I know that I need to improve and learn, and this is a role I have played only a few times.

“I am happy it went well, I really needed a performance like this against a great team like Milan.”

Giovane joined Napoli in January from Hellas Verona, but was always used as a winger and not a centre-forward.

“I had only played there at youth level, but I was ready to help the team. The coach told me to do the counter-movements in the second half, and it did go better.”

Having arrived a few months ago, the Brazilian is yet to fully discover the joys of living in Naples.

“I am rather reserved and don’t really like going out much, Juan Jesus tells me I am a weird Brazilian. What I’ve seen of the city is beautiful, it reminds me of Brazil, so I hope to see more of it.”

Antonio Conte feels Napoli beating Milan to take second place during an injury crisis is ‘extraordinary,’ but while they must be ‘realistic,’ this team still ‘wants to defend the Scudetto to the end.’

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This was a massive showdown for second place and the opportunity to keep up the pressure on leaders Inter, and it really did not start in the best way for the Partenopei.

Rasmus Hojlund came down with a stomach bug overnight and was ruled out of the squad, so with Romelu Lukaku, David Neres, Antonio Vergara, Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Amir Rrahmani injured, Conte had to give January signing Giovane his first start as a makeshift centre-forward.

It was a substitute who decided the match, Matteo Politano volleying in a poor Koni De Winter clearance at the back post at the 79^th minute.

Conte thanks decimated Napoli

“This victory gives us a great deal of enthusiasm and confidence, because we must never forget that if we are up there in second place, it is thanks to those lads who covered for all the absences we dealt with this season,” Conte told DAZN Italia.

“Hojlund was missing today, but we haven’t had Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Neres and Vergara for a while either, so that’s five players who are almost all regular starters. It’s extraordinary that the team has stayed up there despite these absences.

“Any other side would’ve fallen apart and lost its fight. I think of Elmas, who came on for the final 15 minutes, he was a key player during the many absences. Mazzocchi, Beukema, they were protagonists over the season.

“That was extraordinary, not what we saw this evening. It’s inevitable that the more players we get fit, the more we have choices and the more we can rotate to keep everyone fresh.”

The news only started to filter through in the afternoon that Hojlund not only might not be in the starting XI, but wasn’t even ready for a spot on the bench.

“This morning the doctor greeted me with this marvellous news that Hojlund had a fever and was vomiting, so I had to change plans, Giovane gave a good response,” explained Conte.

“I am eager during a moment of joy now that we are in second place to thank those lads who stepped up during a tragic sporting situation that could’ve ended badly. They gave a great response, we are starting to get players back, Rrahmani and Giovanni are on track. We hope Neres and Vergara can recover before the end of the season.”

Politano was in part on the bench because he was involved in Italy’s failed World Cup play-off campaign, starting against both Northern Ireland and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“I was joking with Politano today that I had predicted he’d come on and make the difference when Milan were more tired, in an area of the pitch where they’d attack us more,” revealed Conte.

“I am very glad for Matteo, who scored his second goal of the season. Alisson Santos was important too as a substitute.”

This result means Napoli leapfrog Milan into second place and are seven points behind leaders Inter, who crushed Roma 5-2 last night.

“Now we have to keep going, because there are seven rounds to go and we took an important step towards the Champions League, which is our objective,” added Conte.

“If Milan can say the Champions League is their target, why shouldn’t it be Napoli’s? Juventus say the same too, Napoli won the Supercoppa, but people seem to expect even more from us than these clubs.

“Now we must try to stay up there and defend this position. We know Inter deserve to be first in the table, we are there, and must focus on ourselves.”

More might be expected because Napoli are the reigning Champions of Italy and won two of the last three Serie A titles, even if both times their coaches tried to depict them as sporting miracles.

How much does Conte believe in the possibility of a second consecutive Napoli Scudetto?

“We’ve got to be realistic here. We would need to not make a single mistake, and at the same time hope that Inter slip up more than once. Seeing what Inter have done so far, that seems improbable. They are a very strong squad, they deserve all they are doing, and we must try to just keep our foot on the gas.

“We want to defend the Scudetto to the very end, which we hadn’t been able to do for many months, but now we’ve been able to take back control of our history, our destiny, and we want to keep going, without making proclamations.

“The Champions League spot still needs to be locked down, and it is by no means achieved yet. That truly is a fundamental objective, because everyone knows the financial benefits that brings,” concluded Conte.

Max Allegri admits ‘the Scudetto race is not for us now’ after defeat to Napoli, so they ‘still have work to do to achieve our objective, which is Champions League football.’

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The Rossoneri made big changes at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, leaving the not fully fit Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic on the bench to start an all-new partnership of Niclas Fullkrug and Christopher Nkunku.

They struggled to test Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, and were beaten by a late Matteo Politano volley at the back post, ready to meet the poor Koni De Winter headed clearance.

Allegri regrets after Napoli 1-0 Milan

“It was a game with few scoring opportunities, so we felt like one incident would make the difference,” Allegri told DAZN Italia.

“Napoli did well to make the most of it, our defence was in position, but we conceded that goal. We should’ve been a bit quicker to finish off attacking moves in the second half, as we hesitated and allowed them to close us down.”

The choice of strikers was a big risk when they had not been used together before, but were there fitness problems behind that decision?

“I think Nkunku and Fullkrug had a good game, Nkunku worked for the team and had a couple of opportunities. Someone like him needs to score one of those chances,” replied Allegri.

“Football is made of these situations, the whole team played pretty well. We allowed one Spinazzola shot in the first half we shouldn’t have let him get through, then struggled with a few counter-attacks.

“I thought we recovered the ball three or four times in their half, but made the wrong pass, and that lack of precision is important. We absolutely need to improve, we still have some work to do in order to achieve our objective, which is Champions League football.”

Allegri has a tendency to throw strikers on when in a losing situation, but could Milan attempt a 4-3-3 formation from the start at some point too?

“The 4-3-3 is something we could try from the start, but it depends on fitness levels. Pulisic arrived on Friday from international duty, Leao was out for two weeks and had two half training sessions. I could’ve gone for it earlier, but I preferred to keep the game going for a while.

“Unfortunately, Rafa had started the season well, but has struggled with a series of injury problems.”

This was a head-to-head for second place, and Milan have slipped down to third, now two points behind Napoli and nine adrift of leaders Inter.

Perhaps more worrying, they are now only six points clear of Juventus in fifth, so that Champions League ticket is by no means locked down yet.

“The Scudetto race is not for us now, Inter are nine points away and Napoli are ahead now. We need to focus on ourselves, taking it one game at a time. We are right now on target for our objective, but it won’t be decided within a week or two, we need to maintain that advantage by trying to win games,” warned Allegri.

Matteo Politano came off the bench for a late goal to give Napoli victory over Milan, sending them into second place, with Inter’s lead at the top extended to seven points.

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This was a crucial crossroads in the campaign, as third hosted second to see who would emerge to challenge leaders Inter.

Rasmus Hojlund was ruled out by a stomach bug, so Giovane was the makeshift centre-forward, because Romelu Lukaku was frozen out for seeking treatment in Belgium, with David Neres, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani and Antonio Vergara injured.

Both Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic were only fit for the bench, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek returning after six weeks out with facial fractures, and Matteo Gabbia a long-term absentee, so Max Allegri launched a new front pairing of Niclas Fullkrug and Christopher Nkunku.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Luka Modric squirmed through a crowd to force Alessandro Buongiorno into a bookable offence, and from that free kick Strahinja Pavlovic nodded inches wide of the near post.

Leonardo Spinazzola dribbled past Youssouf Fofana to bend a finish just wide of the far top corner, with Nkunku failing to keep his finish down when sent clear down the left by Fofana.

Giovane sprinted onto a through ball and was shaping up to shoot when blocked off by Pavlovic, but he forced a big one-handed save out of Mike Maignan with a strike from outside the area after the restart.

Maignan also parried a Kevin De Bruyne effort from the by-line at the near post when sent through by Spinazzola, while Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa nodded wide from a promising position.

The breakthrough came in the final stages, as Mathias Olivera’s cross to the back post was only flicked on with a weak Koni De Winter header, finding Matteo Politano on the volley with the left foot from a tight angle to give Napoli the lead.

That magic left foot

Matteo Politano gives Napoli the lead in a must win game

TNT Sports and HBO Max pic.twitter.com/jHkoYanuhX

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 6, 2026

Santiago Gimenez saw his header sail just over the bar from a Zachary Athekame cross, while Rafael Leao fired over when going for the same ball as Pulisic.

Napoli 1-0 Milan

Politano 79 (N)

06-04-2026 19:45

MatchDay 31

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

Napoli

Milan

1 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Alessandro Buongiorno

12'

2nd half

Matteo Politano		79'
Matteo Politano		81'

Match statistic

53

Possession %

47

10

Total shots

7

3

Shots on target

1

6

Shots off target

6

1

Blocked shots

0

4

Corners

3

5

Offsides

2

7

Fouls

6

Napoli

Milan

Starting lineups

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić

Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno

Defender

5

Juan Jesus

Defender

85'

37

Leonardo Spinazzola

Defender

74'

17

Mathías Olivera

Defender

3

Miguel Gutiérrez

Defender

99

Frank Anguissa

Midfielder

11

Kevin De Bruyne

Midfielder

85'

8

Scott McTominay

Midfielder

68

Stanislav Lobotka

Midfielder

23

Giovane

Attacker

70'

16

Mike Maignan

Goalkeeper

33

Davide Bartesaghi

Defender

23

Fikayo Tomori

Defender

82'

5

Koni De Winter

Defender

31

Strahinja Pavlovic

Defender

12

Adrien Rabiot

Midfielder

56

Alexis Saelemaekers

Midfielder

62'

14

Luka Modric

Midfielder

19

Youssouf Fofana

Midfielder

82'

18

Christopher Nkunku

Attacker

74'

9

Niclas Füllkrug

Attacker

63'

Substitutes

1

Alex Meret

Goalkeeper

14

Nikita Contini

Goalkeeper

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi

Defender

6

Billy Gilmour

Midfielder

27

Alisson Santos

Attacker

70'

21

Matteo Politano

Attacker

74'

20

Eljif Elmas

Midfielder

85'

31

Sam Beukema

Defender

85'

1

Pietro Terracciano

Goalkeeper

4

Samuele Ricci

Midfielder

2

Pervis Estupiñán

Defender

30

Ardon Jashari

Midfielder

96

Lorenzo Torriani

Goalkeeper

27

David Odogu

Defender

24

Zachary Athekame

Defender

62'

7

Santiago Giménez

Attacker

63'

11

Christian Pulisic

Attacker

74'

10

Rafael Leão

Attacker

82'

8

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Midfielder

82'

Edoardo Bove has revealed that Jose Mourinho went out of his way to get in contact with his parents following his scary cardiac arrest back in 2024, and has again spoken of the reality of going from ‘feeling like a superhero’ to being told he wouldn’t play football again. 

Bove has made a miraculous return to full health after suffering a scary cardiac arrest on the pitch during the first half of a Serie A match between Inter and Fiorentina on December 1, 2024.

The former Roma youngster, who was on loan with Fiorentina at the time, collapsed on the pitch, was rushed to hospital, admitted to intensive care and later had a removable internal defibrillator device fitted. 

The defibrillator prevents Bove from playing professionally in Italy, but it has not stopped him from returning to professional action in the UK, where the rules surrounding heart conditions and defibrillator devices are more loose. For similar reasons, Christian Eriksen was forced to leave Inter after suffering a cardiac arrest at EURO 2020, but was allowed to sign for Brentford and later Manchester United in the Premier League. 

Bove’s journey has taken him to Watford, where he has since gone on to make eight league appearances. 

Bove on cardiac arrest, Watford return and special Mourinho relationship

Bove has spoken about his turbulent last 18 months in an interview with MailOnline. 

“The last thing I remember is when I went down. I woke up in hospital without knowing what happened. I thought I’d been in a car accident,” Bove recalled. 

“Before it happened, I felt like a superhero. They told me I wouldn’t play football again. Sometimes I was thinking, ‘what am I going to do?’. There were very difficult days where everything was going so bad.

“It was hard but it became part of the journey. I’m happy with how it went and I learned more in this year than from anything I’d experienced before.”

During his interview with MailOnline, Bove lifted up his shirt to show what it looks like after having a defibrillator implanted.

“The first month, you struggle sleeping on the side. It changes your physique. When you see yourself changed in the mirror it can be painful – but for me it wasn’t. I’ve never been disappointed.

“I’m so lucky it happened at a perfect age. I was 22. I was mature enough to understand the real meaning, but I also had the energy and power of a young guy.”

Bove also revealed that his former Roma coach, Mourinho, went to special lengths to get in contact during his time in the hospital, at a time when he couldn’t respond to messages or calls from his own phone. 

“He cares about every player he has trained, some of them more than others!

“He wrote to me first but I couldn’t answer anyone, so he got the number of my parents. I have an unbelievable relationship with him. Mourinho is a very important person for me and my family.

“Sometimes when I think about the past, it makes me emotional. But at the same time it makes me proud. It was a long period but I turned a tough moment into an opportunity. 

“I have a different perspective. If you are not open-minded, you lose something about life. I’m happy.”

Juventus head coach and former Italy CT Luciano Spalletti has expressed his sympathies with Gennaro Gattuso, who left his role in charge of the national team after Thursday’s World Cup play-off final defeat away against Bosnia and Herzegovina: ‘I put myself in his shoes, my first thoughts went to him’. 

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Spalletti on Italy, Gattuso and why introducing a minimum quota for Italian players in Serie A wouldn’t work

Spalletti gave his honest assessment of the Italy national team set-up during his post-match interview following Juventus’s 2-0 Serie A win over Genoa on Easter Monday. 

Spalletti himself left the role of Italy national team head coach less than a year ago following a miserable EURO 2024 campaign and a costly defeat against Norway in World Cup qualifying, and now, the Azzurri will have to find their third head coach in a year following Gattuso’s recent departure. 

“When the game against Bosnia ended, I swear, I put myself in Gattuso’s shoes, my first thoughts went to him. He’s a decent person, he has passion, he has all the qualities to become one of the best in the world,” Spalletti told the press on Easter Monday. 

“I said to myself: ‘If I’d still been there and it happened to me in that environment, in that stadium … I really wouldn’t have got out of it. 

“I suffered a lot, in a big way. It created a non-reaction. I couldn’t talk about football, I almost hid from it. 

“That said, if Kean had scored, we’d be talking about how great Italy is. We need a bit more balance with these swings of opinions and realise that it’s easy before you get to the national team, when you’re there, you can suffer, it happens, it’s the weight of the situation. We had done well, we won all of our matches except against Norway, but it’s a very heavy situation.” 

Spalletti agrees with large sections of the Italy supporters that there are not enough chances handed to young Italian talents in Serie A. 

“Out of the 33 players on the pitch in Udinese-Como, only two were Italian,” Spalletti pointed out. “That’s a fundamental issue because we have to try and protect our talents. I don’t want to advise, but we can’t do it on our own.” 

Some supporters have called for a minimum number of Italian players to be fielded in each Serie A match, but this is a suggestion that Spalletti admits might be difficult to implement. 

“I’ll give you an example. What if you had an U19 player play in every Serie A team? We’d be forced to have four available just to play one, and then what? I go and watch those players a few years earlier because we need them, but then who actually makes it? You might get none from Juve, but you might get one come through at Cremonese. I need someone who doesn’t let the level drop.

“Our national team is strong, they showed it to you under Gattuso and as far as I’m concerned, he made the right choices. These incidents have decided it, it’s not that we are the worst in the world now. It’s the interpretation of the games that makes the difference. Football is a game of incidents.”

Luciano Spalletti criticised Juventus’s second-half performance despite picking up a 2-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A on Monday evening, and says that after six or seven months at the helm in Turin, ‘I’m still not sure what I’m dealing with’.

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Juventus claimed a 2-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A on Easter Monday thanks to first-half goals from Gleison Bremer and Weston McKennie, but goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, brought on at half-time, bailed his teammates out with a penalty save, and Spalletti believes that had the spot-kick gone in, it would have become a ‘very difficult’ evening for the Bianconeri. 

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

Spalletti reacts to Juventus 2-0 Genoa: ‘I’m still not sure what I’m dealing with’ 

Despite moving back within a point of Como and the Serie A top four on Easter Monday, Spalletti was still frustrated by some of the things he saw from his players against Genoa, especially in the second half. 

There were complaints that some of the Juventus squad looked tired, which Spalletti insisted can’t be the case as his players received extra time off in the build-up to Monday’s game. 

“It wasn’t tiredness, we didn’t train yesterday or the day before,” Spalletti told Sky after full-time.

“I left them alone because they needed to recover. They had two days off, a training session and a half and then they took a break, so that’s not the case.” 

Spalletti admitted that despite being in charge of Juventus since the end of October, he still doesn’t always know what he’s going to see from his players on the pitch. 

“Sometimes we have to accept that we aren’t the best versions of ourselves. After six or seven months here, I’m still not sure what I’m dealing with. It’s not possible to have a first half like that and then a second half like this. And if they go ahead and score the penalty, it becomes a very difficult evening.” 

There are also concerns for Dusan Vlahovic, who was meant to come on but felt something go in his calf while warming up, and for goalkeeper Perin, who was forced off at half-time, also with a calf issue. 

“There is concern because they both got hurt, they both felt a muscle go,” Spaleltti confirmed. “We need them to have tests to understand how long it will take to get them back on the pitch.” 

Juventus moved back within a point of Como and the Serie A top four with their 2-0 victory against Genoa on Easter Monday, but there were some questions as to why Dusan Vlahovic did not feature off the bench. 

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Goals from Gleison Bremer and Weston McKennie sent Juventus back within a point of fourth place in Serie A after Como were held to a 0-0 draw by Udinese earlier on Monday afternoon. They and Roma in sixth and Atalanta in seventh have seven matches of the 2025-26 season left to fight it out for the final Champions League spot in the Serie A top four. 

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

Why was there no Vlahovic in Juventus 2-0 Genoa?

Vlahovic has recently returned from a five-month injury lay-off following a serious injury to his adductor. He made his long-awaited return with an 11-minute cameo appearance in the 1-1 draw against Sassuolo prior to the international break and was named in the matchday squad to face Genoa on Easter Monday. 

However, Vlahovic felt something in his calf while warming up and the coaching staff decided against risking him on precautionary grounds. 

A calf injury was also the reason why Juventus were forced into a change of goalkeepers at half-time, with the previously out-of-favour Michele Di Gregorio coming on to replace Mattia Perin at the interval. Di Gregorio went on to help his team with an important double-save from the penalty spot along with a series of big second-half stops.

Juventus teammates were full of praise for goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, who came on at half-time and made a second-half penalty save to help the Old Lady towards a 2-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A on Sunday afternoon. 

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Juventus were forced into a rare in-game change of goalkeepers at half-time of their 2-0 victory over Genoa on Easter Monday after an injury to Mattia Perin, which gave a first run-out in five games for the out-of-favour Di Gregorio.

Juventus moved back within one point of the Serie A top four thanks to goals from Gleison Bremer and Weston McKennie in an eventual 2-0 win over Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa at the Allianz Stadium. 

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

Juventus stars review 2-0 Genoa win: ‘We knew Di Gregorio’s time would come’ 

Di Gregorio had been dropped for Perin for the last four Serie A matches, but was brought on at half-time after the latter felt a problem with his calf. Di Gregorio then went on to make a huge double save from the penalty spot to keep Juve’s two-goal lead in tact. 

“He’s gone through good and bad times with us, but we know his qualities,” said goalscorer Bremer after full-time. “We knew his time would come, and it has come.” 

Andrea Cambiaso added: “Michele is an extraordinary guy. He’s always switched on in training and I’m very happy for him because today he won us a very important game. 

“He was great because of the attitude he had, he’s always been alert and today he showed it.” 

Napoli director Giovanni Manna explains Romelu Lukaku will face ‘consequences’ for his refusal to return from Belgium, but has faith in Giovane in tonight’s big match with Milan.

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It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

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

Whoever wins will be in a position to challenge leaders Inter going into the final seven rounds of the season, as only one point separates Napoli in third from Milan in second going into this clash.

Manna outlines Napoli position on Lukaku

“It is an important match, we want to give a sense of consistency to our positive period of form, and certainly want to consolidate our position in front of our fans,” Manna told DAZN Italia.

“These are two strong teams, they are well-drilled, close together in the table. It is going to be a long and tough match.”

There was a surprising twist in the build-up to this match, because reports emerged this afternoon that Rasmus Hojlund was struggling with a stomach bug, and he is not even fit for the bench.

Lukaku, David Neres, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani and Antonio Vergara are also still out of action, though Kevin De Bruyne, Scott McTominay and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa seem to be getting back to full fitness after long lay-offs, so Giovane is the makeshift centre-forward.

“We signed Giovane because we needed an attacking player. Centre-forward isn’t his best role, but he can play there, he is humble, professional, works hard, and that tends to pay off.

“He earned this opportunity, the coach had no doubts, so we have full faith in him.”

Lukaku faces disciplinary action after he refused to return from international duty, preferring to seek treatment in Belgium rather than with the Napoli medical staff.

“The situation is very clear to me. Romelu went to Belgium for international duty, he had a small injury setback and preferred to remain there to train, against what we had asked. Nobody would’ve stopped him from working with his doctors, but we had wanted to talk it over in Naples, and it didn’t happen. We are not happy about that.

“The integrity, respect and value of the group is above all else. Talking about this now is superfluous, because Romelu is not here, he is working in Belgium, I think and hope he will return in a week’s time.

“He knows there will be consequences, but we keep going, Giovane plays today, and so we are happy about that.”

Milan won when these teams met at San Siro in September, but Napoli replied with a 2-0 victory in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final in December.

“We expanded the squad precisely for these issues, and if we hadn’t done that, then we wouldn’t be there competing for our main target, which is a Champions League spot,” added Manna.

“We always fought this season to deal with injuries, but we are here, we want to give more joy to our fans this evening.”

Milan director Igli Tare explains the surprising new strike partnership against Napoli and insists Rafael Leao ‘is a very important player’ despite this season’s problems.

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It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

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

This is a crucial moment in the season, as whoever wins will be in a position to challenge leaders Inter going into the final seven rounds.

Tare stands up for Leao and Milan

“These are two great teams, the table says so as well, we expect a spectacular game of football tonight,” Tare told DAZN Italia.

“Looking at the Juventus victory too, the table is closing up and a victory would be fundamental for us this evening.”

Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic are not at 100 per cent, so rather than risk them, Allegri has launched a new strike pairing of Niclas Fullkrug and Christopher Nkunku.

“We have many excellent strikers, it is a deep squad for this reason, so there is nothing surprising about these choices. The best thing for Allegri today is that he has a lot of options to choose from.

“I generally try to look more to the top than over my shoulder, playing in a stadium with this atmosphere, there is nothing better for a player. We must try to do everything possible to win tonight.”

Leao has struggled as a False 9 and would perhaps prefer to be on the left wing, but how has his season been overall?

“We seem to talk about Leao every week, but his quality is beyond doubt,” replied Tare.

“His problem is that he suffered a lot of injuries this season that never allowed him to express himself in the best way. He was out for two weeks, had a couple of days training with the team, we brought him along because he can make the difference off the bench too.”

Will these setbacks affect the future of a player like Rafael Leao?

“He has a contract for another two years, he is a very important player for Milan,” concluded the director.

These sides have already met twice this season, Milan winning 2-1 in Serie A in September despite the Pervis Estupinan red card, but then Napoli emerged 2-0 winners in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final.

Juventus closed to within a point of Como in fourth place with a 2-0 victory over Genoa, as Gleison Bremer and Weston McKennie scored, substitute Michele Di Gregorio saving a penalty.

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The Bianconeri were feeling the pressure after a 1-1 draw with Sassuolo left them in joint fifth place, although Como’s draw in Udine gave them the opportunity to close the gap on fourth. While they finally had a full squad to choose from, Dusan Vlahovic and Arek Milik were only ready for the bench. Genoa missed Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Maxwel Cornet and Benjamin Siegrist after a run of three wins in four games was ended by a home defeat to Udinese. It was a touchline reunion for Luciano Spalletti and his former Roma player Daniele De Rossi.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It took just four minutes to break the deadlock, as after the first Gleison Bremer header was charged down, Khephren Thuram and Lloyd Kelly knocked it back into the box for another Bremer header, this one wrong-footing Justin Bijlow with a deflection off Johan Vasquez.

Thuram flashed just wide and Ruslan Malinovskyi’s powerful free kick was deflected for a corner, but Juventus added a second with a well-worked move.

Weston McKennie started it in the centre-circle sending Francisco Conceicao down the right, continued his run and was ready to sweep home the return pass from 12 yards off the inside of the right boot.

However, McKennie was booked soon after for a clumsy sliding tackle on Vasquez and will be suspended for the big match with Atalanta.

Kenan Yildiz had a couple of weak efforts straight at Bijlow, but McKennie wasted an astonishing chance on the stroke of half-time.

Conceicao’s cross to the far post was acrobatically knocked back at the by-line by Kenan Yildiz, but McKennie somehow turned over from point-blank range.

Moments later, Conceicao went for goal himself, an angled drive flashing across the face of goal to skim the back stick.

Michele Di Gregorio came on for the second half, as Mattia Perin sustained a slight calf issue.

Juve continued to pour forward, as first McKennie was sliding in unable to fully meet the Thuram knockdown in a free kick routine, then moments later Jonathan David’s screamer from the edge of the area thumped the inside of the far post.

Tommaso Baldanzi fired straight at Di Gregorio, while the Vasquez strike was charged down, along with a Vitinha volley from a corner.

Vlahovic was getting ready to come on when he felt a calf twinge in the warm-up, so Milik was introduced instead.

Bremer brought down Aaron Martin for a yellow card, but VAR confirmed the contact was on the line, which is part of the penalty area. Martin stepped up, but Di Gregorio marked his unexpected return with a huge double save, first on the Martin spot-kick, then the follow-up volley too. It means Genoa have failed to convert four of their eight Serie A penalties this season, with four different players missing.

Baldanzi made a big difference since coming on for Genoa and was brought down by Thuram this time inches outside the box.

Arkadiusz Milik spotted Bijlow off his line and attempted an audacious lob from the centre-circle, which the Genoa goalkeeper scrambled back to claw away.

Juventus 2-0 Genoa

Bremer 4 (J), McKennie 17 (J)

Saved penalty: Martin 75 (G)

06-04-2026 17:00

MatchDay 31

Juventus Stadium (Allianz Stadium)

Juventus

Genoa

2 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Bremer (Assist: Lloyd Kelly)		4'
Manuel Locatelli		15'
Weston McKennie (Assist: Francisco Conceição)		17'
Weston McKennie		26'

2nd half

		51'		Morten Frendrup
Bremer		72'
		75'		Aarón Martín
Khéphren Thuram		78'

Match statistic

62

Possession %

38

16

Total shots

12

5

Shots on target

3

8

Shots off target

2

3

Blocked shots

7

5

Corners

5

0

Offsides

0

10

Fouls

8

Juventus

Genoa

Starting lineups

1

Mattia Perin

Goalkeeper

46'

27

Andrea Cambiaso

Defender

84'

3

Bremer

Defender

6

Lloyd Kelly

Defender

15

Pierre Kalulu

Defender

19

Khéphren Thuram

Midfielder

5

Manuel Locatelli

Midfielder

22

Weston McKennie

Midfielder

7

Francisco Conceição

Attacker

83'

30

Jonathan David

Attacker

67'

10

Kenan Yıldız

Attacker

90'

16

Justin Bijlow

Goalkeeper

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

27

Alessandro Marcandalli

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

5

Leo Östigard

Defender

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

83'

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

66'

10

Junior Messias

Attacker

52'

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

66'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

9

Vitinha

Attacker

Substitutes

9

Dusan Vlahovic

Attacker

23

Carlo Pinsoglio

Goalkeeper

8

Teun Koopmeiners

Midfielder

4

Federico Gatti

Defender

20

Loïs Openda

Attacker

18

Filip Kostic

Midfielder

11

Edon Zhegrova

Attacker

32

Juan Cabal

Defender

16

Michele Di Gregorio

Goalkeeper

46'

14

Arkadiusz Milik

Attacker

67'

21

Fabio Miretti

Midfielder

83'

2

Emil Holm

Defender

84'

13

Jeremie Boga

Attacker

90'

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

13

Nils Zätterström

Defender

34

Sebastian Otoa

Defender

4

Amorim

Midfielder

98

Jacopo Grossi

Midfielder

99

Latif Ouedraogo

Defender

8

Tommaso Baldanzi

Midfielder

52'

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

66'

73

Patrizio Masini

Midfielder

66'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

83'

It’s a huge Scudetto battle between third and second, as Napoli lose Rasmus Hojlund, so Giovane, Kevin De Bruyne and Scott McTominay start, while Milan revamp with Niclas Fullkrug, Christopher Nkunku and Luka Modric.

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It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

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

This is a decisive crossroads in the campaign, as whoever wins will be in a position to challenge leaders Inter going into the final seven rounds of the season.

Napoli are still missing Romelu Lukaku, David Neres, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani and Antonio Vergara, with Lukaku frozen out of the squad as punishment for refusing to return early from international duty, seeking instead to continue treatment in Belgium.

The situation took a totally unexpected turn today when Hojlund came down with a stomach bug and fever, so he is not even fit for the bench, having started the last 29 games in a row.

Antonio Conte can finally start De Bruyne, McTominay and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa together after their injury problems.

They need to provide support for makeshift centre-forward Giovane, who joined from Verona in January.

Miguel Gutierrez is preferred to Matteo Politano, who struggled for Italy in the World Cup play-offs, as Napoli seek a fifth straight Serie A victory.

Milan have quite a few problems to deal with after the hard-fought 3-2 win over Torino, because Rafael Leao is still not fully fit after a hip inflammation, while Christian Pulisic returned fatigued from international duty with the USMNT.

With that in mind, Max Allegri launches a brand new front pairing of Fullkrug and Nkunku, neither of them entirely accustomed to starting, let alone together.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is back on the bench for the first time since suffering facial fractures in a collision with the Parma goalkeeper in February, so only Matteo Gabbia remains out of action entirely.

Davide Bartesaghi is chosen ahead of Pervis Estupinan, with Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot in midfield.

These teams have already met twice this season, as Milan won 2-1 at San Siro in Serie A in September, then Napoli sealed a 2-0 victory in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final on December 12.

Napoli vs. Milan official line-ups

Napoli: Milinkovic-Savic; Juan Jesus, Buongiorno, Olivera; Gutierrez, Lobotka, Anguissa, Spinazzola; De Bruyne, McTominay; Giovane

Milan: Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Fullkrug, Nkunku

06-04-2026 19:45

MatchDay 31

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

Napoli

Milan

1 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Alessandro Buongiorno

12'

2nd half

Matteo Politano		79'
Matteo Politano		81'

Match statistic

53

Possession %

47

10

Total shots

7

3

Shots on target

1

6

Shots off target

6

1

Blocked shots

0

4

Corners

3

5

Offsides

2

7

Fouls

6

Napoli

Milan

Starting lineups

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić

Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno

Defender

5

Juan Jesus

Defender

85'

37

Leonardo Spinazzola

Defender

74'

17

Mathías Olivera

Defender

3

Miguel Gutiérrez

Defender

99

Frank Anguissa

Midfielder

11

Kevin De Bruyne

Midfielder

85'

8

Scott McTominay

Midfielder

68

Stanislav Lobotka

Midfielder

23

Giovane

Attacker

70'

16

Mike Maignan

Goalkeeper

33

Davide Bartesaghi

Defender

23

Fikayo Tomori

Defender

82'

5

Koni De Winter

Defender

31

Strahinja Pavlovic

Defender

12

Adrien Rabiot

Midfielder

56

Alexis Saelemaekers

Midfielder

62'

14

Luka Modric

Midfielder

19

Youssouf Fofana

Midfielder

82'

18

Christopher Nkunku

Attacker

74'

9

Niclas Füllkrug

Attacker

63'

Substitutes

1

Alex Meret

Goalkeeper

14

Nikita Contini

Goalkeeper

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi

Defender

6

Billy Gilmour

Midfielder

27

Alisson Santos

Attacker

70'

21

Matteo Politano

Attacker

74'

20

Eljif Elmas

Midfielder

85'

31

Sam Beukema

Defender

85'

1

Pietro Terracciano

Goalkeeper

4

Samuele Ricci

Midfielder

2

Pervis Estupiñán

Defender

30

Ardon Jashari

Midfielder

96

Lorenzo Torriani

Goalkeeper

27

David Odogu

Defender

24

Zachary Athekame

Defender

62'

7

Santiago Giménez

Attacker

63'

11

Christian Pulisic

Attacker

74'

10

Rafael Leão

Attacker

82'

8

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Midfielder

82'

Juventus had dropped Michele Di Gregorio as their first choice goalkeeper, but he replaced Mattia Perin at half-time in today’s game with Genoa.

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You can follow all the action as it happens from today’s four Serie A games on the Liveblog.

Juventus forced into goalkeeper change

The Bianconeri have seemingly changed their hierarchy of goalkeepers due to recent form, as coach Luciano Spalletti had started out picking Di Gregorio, but switched to Perin after a series of errors.

The former Monza man was benched for six games in a row between Serie A and the Champions League, not featuring since the 2-0 home defeat to Como on February 21.

He was also on the touchline for this evening’s Week 31 fixture against Genoa, but surprisingly came on for the second half.

Sky Sport Italia report this is because Perin felt a twinge in his calf muscle and it was decided not to risk further damage, so Di Gregorio came on in his place during the break.

Raffaele Palladino was ‘satisfied’ with Atalanta’s 3-0 victory away to Lecce, which put them back in the race for the top four. ‘It was the first of eight finals, we’ll keep climbing that mountain.’

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La Dea put themselves right back in the race for a top four finish and return to the Champions League, as they started the final sprint of eight rounds with a 3-0 victory away to Lecce.

Giorgio Scalvini opened the scoring in the first half at the Stadio Via del Mare, followed by Nikola Krstovic and Giacomo Raspadori, while Marco Carnesecchi never really had a save to make.

Palladino believes in Atalanta comeback

“This was a game with many hidden dangers, as the first after the break for international duty is always complicated to get everyone back together again,” Palladino told DAZN Italia.

“It wasn’t easy to prepare for this, the two teams also struggled with the heat as the temperature is changing, so that made the passing too predictable.

“We adjusted as time went on and did well to attack the space. I’m satisfied with the performance, another clean sheet also gives confidence to the defence.

“It was the first of eight Finals, now we must continue our climb up that mountain.”

If Champions League football and a top four finish seemed improbable when Palladino took over from Ivan Juric in November, the situation is very different now.

Atalanta are within five points of fourth place after Como were held to a 0-0 draw by Udinese today.

“We expected Lecce to be aggressive, as this was a decisive match for them, so I liked the maturity shown by my team in dealing with that early strong approach,” continued Palladino.

“We let them have their runs down the flanks with Banda and Pierotti, but blocked off the channels with quality, technique and dynamism.”

Having been eliminated from the Champions League Round of 16 by Bayern Munich, Atalanta are still in the Coppa Italia semi-final, having drawn the first leg 2-2 with Lazio.

“Now we have two head-to-head clashes coming up, plus the Coppa Italia semi-final, so I asked the team to raise the bar. Everyone is really involved in this fight,” continued the coach.

“Our DNA is to attack and defend together, the players know how much I care about everyone contributing to the two phases. We need altruism in the final third to find the player in the best position to score, I saw some of that today, and we could’ve won by a wider margin.”

It is not just Como’s draw that represented a boost for Atalanta, but Roma losing 5-2 to Inter also means La Dea are within a point of their former boss Gian Piero Gasperini in sixth.

“Obviously, those results were positive for us, I tried to keep the lads concentrated on our own path. I asked them to finish off this journey by giving their all, then we will see where we end up,” concluded Palladino.

Rasmus Hojlund is reportedly out of tonight’s big game between Napoli and Milan with a virus, so Giovane or Alisson Santos could step in.

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It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

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

This is a huge match for the title race, as the winner will be in a position to keep up the pace with leaders Inter and pressure them to the end.

Napoli must do without Hojlund

Hojlund was set to start his 30^th game in a row for Napoli, but there were reports this afternoon that he was struggling for fitness.

Details were scarce, it was assumed he had sustained an injury on international duty with Denmark, but Sky Sport Italia now confirm it is a different matter.

Hojlund started feeling ill last night with a high fever, vomiting and stomach bug, he is still not in any fit condition to play, so is likely to not even be on the bench tonight.

The 23-year-old was their top scorer with 14 goals and four assists in 37 competitive games.

It’s a devastating blow for Antonio Conte, who was already missing Romelu Lukaku, David Neres, Antonio Vergara, Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Amir Rrahmani.

Giovane is the only real striker available, although some are suggesting that Alisson Santos could be used as a False 9 instead.

Juventus director of sport Marco Ottolini faces his old club Genoa, giving updates on contract talks with Dusan Vlahovic and Luciano Spalletti. ‘Italian football needs vision and patience.’

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It kicks off at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin at 17.00 UK time (18.00 CEST).

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

The pressure is on the Bianconeri to secure Champions League qualification, which became more difficult after their 1-1 draw with Sassuolo going into the break for international duty.

However, a win here would put them within a point of fourth place, seeing as Como were held 0-0 by Udinese earlier today and Roma lost 5-2 to Inter.

Ottolini outlines Juventus vision

“It is a special game for me, I want to salute all of Genoa, as I spent some unforgettable years there,” Ottolini told Sky Sport Italia.

“The team is doing well, including those who returned from international duty, and we are ready to concentrate on this final sprint.”

Vlahovic and Arek Milik made their comebacks two weeks ago, but are still only fit for the bench to begin with after so many months on the treatment table.

The Serbian is only under contract until June 30, but while his exit as a free agent had seemed inevitable, it is increasingly likely that a new agreement will be reached.

“With Dusan we started talking again after his return from Belgrade, showing the mutual desire to sit down and evaluate the situation. Those talks will continue over the next few weeks. There is nothing more to say than that,” explained Ottolini.

Coach Spalletti is also in discussions for a contract extension, as he arrived to replace Igor Tudor and penned a short-term deal without guarantees, even if he qualifies for the Champions League.

“With the coach, as he himself said, there is no rush. We are concentrated on these final games, but talks are at an advanced stage.”

Although Jeremie Boga had been expected to start, it is Jonathan David who gets the nod in attack, with Francisco Conceicao, Weston McKennie and Kenan Yildiz in support.

It also remains to be seen how the Italy internationals in the squad will react after the World Cup play-off failure to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The debate over how to get more young players to develop in Italy also involves stronger use of second teams.

“We were the first club in Italy to set up the Next Gen team and are very pleased with how that is progressing, but naturally that also requires investment and infrastructure,” explained Ottolini.

“It also needs patience, but if you have a medium to long-term vision, it does bring results, and we will continue to put our faith in this project.

“When it comes to Italian football as a whole, many expressed their opinions, but I feel we need to sit down, set individual interests aside, and focus on the system in total.”

Daniele De Rossi explains his Genoa choices against Juventus and why he admires Luciano Spalletti. ‘He keeps up to date with changes in football and remains a modern coach.’

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It kicks off at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin at 17.00 UK time (18.00 CEST).

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

De Rossi outlines Genoa decisions

Genoa went into the break for international duty off a home defeat to Udinese, but are missing Brooke Norton-Cuffy after he suffered an injury with the England Under-21 side.

There were different options on the left flank, but Aaron Martin got the nod ahead of Stefano Sabelli.

“I can’t be using left-footed players on the opposite flank, Martin is suited to the left, so I’ll keep him there. We can solve games like this with set plays and Martin is a maestro, and his fitness levels really improved recently,” De Rossi told Sky Sport Italia.

“With five substitutions, it helps to have a deep squad, but I think Juventus have a great starting XI and play some of the best football currently in Italy along with Como.”

It is a touchline reunion with De Rossi’s former Roma coach Spalletti, and the veteran said that he considered DDR one of his ‘football sons’ who went on to become tacticians.

“He taught me so much, I worked with him when I was very young, he left and came back an even better coach than I remembered,” explained De Rossi.

“That means he is always eager to keep up to date with changes in football, continue to develop, and remain a modern coach, even when the years tick by.”

It was a long rapport, because De Rossi played 251 competitive games under Spalletti, more than with any other coach.

The midfielder scored 30 goals and provided 27 assists in that time.

Roma are expected to be without Gianluca Mancini for two to three weeks after tests showed a serious injury during the 5-2 defeat to Inter.

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The defender had been in the starting XI at San Siro on Easter Sunday and scored the equaliser, but then limped off at half-time clutching the top of his right thigh.

Mancini injury confirmed for Roma

Now tests have identified the source of the problem, namely a lesion to the adductor in the right leg.

According to the Corriere dello Sport and Sky Sport Italia, it means Mancini is expected to be out of action for two to three weeks.

It would rule him out of the games against Pisa on April 10, Atalanta on April 18 and possibly also the trip to Bologna on April 25.

This is a further blow for the Giallorossi, who were already missing Wesley, Manu Koné, Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson.

Their chances of making it into the Champions League suffered a blow with that 5-2 defeat to Inter, although they were boosted by the fact Como in fourth were held to a 0-0 draw by Udinese today, keeping them within reach.

Juventus use Jonathan David and Kenan Yildiz upfront in a must-win game against Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa, who look to Vitinha and Lorenzo Colombo.

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It kicks off at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin at 17.00 UK time (18.00 CEST).

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

The race for fourth place and that Champions League qualification could go down to the wire, but with Roma beaten 5-2 by Inter on Sunday, the pressure is on for Juve to keep up with Como.

They slipped behind going into the break for international duty with a 1-1 draw against Sassuolo.

In a rare situation, Luciano Spalletti has a full squad to choose from, although Dusan Vlahovic and Arek Milik are only fit for a spot on the bench initially.

Jonathan David and Lois Openda have been flops this season, but the Canadian is given another chance as the centre-forward, flanked by Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao, with Weston McKennie uniting midfield and attack.

Mattia Perin gets to face his old club in goal, preferred to Michele Di Gregorio.

Genoa had been on sparkling form with three wins in four rounds, until a surprising 2-0 home defeat to Udinese.

Brooke Norton-Cuffy picked up an injury playing for the England Under-21 side, so he is out along with Maxwel Cornet and Benjamin Siegrist.

Junior Messias gets the nod rather than Tommaso Baldanzi in support of strikers Vitinha and Colombo.

This is a special reunion on the touchline for Luciano Spalletti and his former Roma player De Rossi.

Juventus vs. Genoa line-ups

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

Genoa: Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Ellertsson, Frendrup, Malinovskyi, Martin; Messias, Vitinha; Colombo

06-04-2026 17:00

MatchDay 31

Juventus Stadium (Allianz Stadium)

Juventus

Genoa

2 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Bremer (Assist: Lloyd Kelly)		4'
Manuel Locatelli		15'
Weston McKennie (Assist: Francisco Conceição)		17'
Weston McKennie		26'

2nd half

		51'		Morten Frendrup
Bremer		72'
		75'		Aarón Martín
Khéphren Thuram		78'

Match statistic

62

Possession %

38

16

Total shots

12

5

Shots on target

3

8

Shots off target

2

3

Blocked shots

7

5

Corners

5

0

Offsides

0

10

Fouls

8

Juventus

Genoa

Starting lineups

1

Mattia Perin

Goalkeeper

46'

27

Andrea Cambiaso

Defender

84'

3

Bremer

Defender

6

Lloyd Kelly

Defender

15

Pierre Kalulu

Defender

19

Khéphren Thuram

Midfielder

5

Manuel Locatelli

Midfielder

22

Weston McKennie

Midfielder

7

Francisco Conceição

Attacker

83'

30

Jonathan David

Attacker

67'

10

Kenan Yıldız

Attacker

90'

16

Justin Bijlow

Goalkeeper

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

27

Alessandro Marcandalli

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

5

Leo Östigard

Defender

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

83'

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

66'

10

Junior Messias

Attacker

52'

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

66'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

9

Vitinha

Attacker

Substitutes

9

Dusan Vlahovic

Attacker

23

Carlo Pinsoglio

Goalkeeper

8

Teun Koopmeiners

Midfielder

4

Federico Gatti

Defender

20

Loïs Openda

Attacker

18

Filip Kostic

Midfielder

11

Edon Zhegrova

Attacker

32

Juan Cabal

Defender

16

Michele Di Gregorio

Goalkeeper

46'

14

Arkadiusz Milik

Attacker

67'

21

Fabio Miretti

Midfielder

83'

2

Emil Holm

Defender

84'

13

Jeremie Boga

Attacker

90'

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

13

Nils Zätterström

Defender

34

Sebastian Otoa

Defender

4

Amorim

Midfielder

98

Jacopo Grossi

Midfielder

99

Latif Ouedraogo

Defender

8

Tommaso Baldanzi

Midfielder

52'

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

66'

73

Patrizio Masini

Midfielder

66'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

83'

Atalanta closed the gap on fourth place to just five points and plunged Lecce closer to relegation trouble with Giorgio Scalvini, Nikola Krstovic and Giacomo Raspadori goals.

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La Dea made the trip without Isak Hien and Gianluca Scamacca, so Nikola Krstovic faced his old club. The Salentini were increasingly in danger of the drop after losing four of their last five games, missing Antonino Gallo, Riccardo Sottil, Francesco Camarda, Medon Berisha and Kialonda Gaspar.

There was a mixed atmosphere before kick-off, as while Lecce ultras left the Curva Nord empty for the first 15 minutes in protest at limitations, the players brought out puppies from a local rescue centre as mascots.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Sadik Fofana should’ve done much better on 11 minutes when shinning the half-volley well over from 14 yards relatively undisturbed, so at the other end Wladimiro Falcone made a great one-handed save to deny Charles De Ketelaere on the Krstovic lay-off.

Lameck Banda had an effort charged down, but Atalanta scored on the counter-attack, as Giorgio Scalvini ran from his own box to meet the De Ketelaere pass, shrug off a defender, and smash into the net from 12 yards.

It was nearly 2-0, as De Ketelaere rolled across for Krstovic to sweep first time, forcing a sensational save out of Falcone. On the resulting corner, Danilo Veiga charged down Ederson’s scorcher with his face.

Atalanta had the ball in the net again after the restart with Ederson tapping in the De Ketelaere pass to the back post, but the offside flag went up for a very tight decision.

When Lecce did get into promising situations, they were wasteful with rushed crosses from Walid Cheddira and Lameck Banda, and were made to pay for it with a second goal on the counter-attack.

Ederson started the move and De Ketelaere threaded through for Krstovic to fire in from 12 yards. The former Lecce striker did not celebrate, instead bowing in apology to his former fans.

Falcone made another strong save to deny Ederson from close range, but the move kept going and he could do nothing as Giacomo Raspadori rifled it into the roof of the net from 12 yards for 3-0.

Banda was the last to give up for Lecce, curling just over the bar, while Krstovic’s acrobatic overhead kick was off target from a Raspadori assist.

Lecce 0-3 Atalanta

Scalvini 29 (A), Krstovic 59 (A), Raspadori 73 (A)

06-04-2026 14:00

MatchDay 31

Stadio Ettore Giardiniero - Via del Mare

Lecce

Atalanta

0 - 3

Player statistic

1st half

29'

Giorgio Scalvini (Assist: Charles De Ketelaere)

2nd half

		47'		Berat Djimsiti
		59'		Nikola Krstovic (Assist: Charles De Ketelaere)
		70'		Davide Zappacosta
		73'		Giacomo Raspadori (Assist: Mario Pasalic)

Match statistic

42

Possession %

58

11

Total shots

16

Shots on target

6

6

Shots off target

6

5

Blocked shots

4

2

Corners

5

2

Offsides

5

10

Fouls

18

Lecce

Atalanta

Starting lineups

30

Wladimiro Falcone

Goalkeeper

3

Corrie Ndaba

Defender

17

Danilo Veiga

Defender

67'

5

Jamil Siebert

Defender

8

Sadik Fofana

Defender

46'

44

Tiago Gabriel

Defender

79

Oumar Ngom

Midfielder

20

Ylber Ramadani

Midfielder

68'

19

Lameck Banda

Attacker

50

Santiago Pierotti

Attacker

99

Walid Cheddira

Attacker

78'

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

70'

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

70'

42

Giorgio Scalvini

Defender

47

Lorenzo Bernasconi

Defender

23

Sead Kolasinac

Defender

13

Éderson

Midfielder

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

63'

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

63'

17

Charles De Ketelaere

Attacker

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

80'

Substitutes

14

Thórir Jóhann Helgason

Midfielder

32

Jasper Samooja

Goalkeeper

1

Christian Früchtl

Goalkeeper

36

Filip Marchwinski

Midfielder

18

Gaby Jean

Defender

13

Matías Pérez

Defender

28

Olaf Gorter

Midfielder

6

Álex Sala

Midfielder

16

Omri Gandelman

Midfielder

46'

11

Konan N’Dri

Attacker

67'

29

Lassana Coulibaly

Midfielder

68'

9

Nikola Stulic

Attacker

78'

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

5

Mitchel Bakker

Defender

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

69

Honest Ahanor

Defender

98

Albert Navarro

Defender

99

Piotr Pardel

Goalkeeper

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

63'

18

Giacomo Raspadori

Attacker

63'

16

Raoul Bellanova

Defender

70'

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

70'

7

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Midfielder

80'

Gianluigi Donnarumma was enraged with the Bosnia and Herzegovina team after Italy’s World Cup play-off defeat and it is now revealed why, as a ball boy stole his penalties cheat sheet.

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The Azzurri had held on when down to 10 men for a 1-1 draw after extra time in Zenica, forcing the tie to go all the way to a penalty shoot-out.

Usually, Donnarumma is very strong in these situations, acting as the hero when Italy won the EURO 2020 Final against England on penalties.

However, this time he didn’t get near any of the efforts from the Bosnian players, and he was spotted screaming angrily at Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.

Donnarumma rage explained in Bosnia vs. Italy shoot-out

This was because he accused Vasilj of stealing the cheat sheet that was hidden under his towel before the shoot-out, so in revenge tried to tear up his own list of indications.

It is now revealed that Donnarumma’s list was indeed stole, but not by Vasilj, rather by a 14-year-old ball boy.

The kid, a Celik youth team player called Afan Cizmic, revealed all when speaking to a local television station.

“I saw there was something next to the towel and realised immediately what it was. I took it and hid it. This had all the indications on our players, and without that list, Donnarumma would need to go by instinct.”

It might’ve been unsporting behaviour, but some Bosnian fans are urging Cizmic to be rewarded with a trip to the World Cup as the team mascot.

Cesc Fabregas admits he ‘expected more’ from Como after their 0-0 draw at Udinese and that Alvaro Morata ‘is disappointed because he wanted to play more.’

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The Lariani had won five on the bounce and seemed unstoppable in their march towards an extraordinary Champions League qualification.

However, that could all change after they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw away to Udinese, a game with very few scoring opportunities.

Fabregas lists Como errors in Udine

“Both teams had difficulties finding spaces, it was a very tactical game and nobody really took the initiative,” Fabregas told DAZN Italia.

“Nonetheless, we had two big chances to score and that is important. In general, I didn’t like the way the team played in possession, there were many players who were below par today. At the same time, Udinese created very little danger and we kept our 15^th clean sheet.”

Como are still in fourth on 58 points, now four clear of Roma, but if Juventus beat Genoa this evening, they will move to within a point of the ambitious minnows.

Atalanta can also threaten to get back into the race going into the final seven rounds of the Serie A season.

“Let us not forget that Roma, Napoli, Atalanta and Fiorentina all lost here. Some of my internationals also had long journeys over the last few days, as a coach I have to take that into consideration,” insisted the coach.

“When you are in these situations, it is important not to lose and not to concede, even if I am the first to admit that I expected more.”

What was it about the performance that Fabregas did not appreciate from his team?

“The possession, transitions, vertical passes, we didn’t play the ball with pace, we didn’t do the right preventative marking, and we did not win the duels. Against a physical and experienced side like Udinese, you pay for that.”

The struggle to create scoring opportunities made it a surprise that Fabregas at one point took off Tasos Douvikas, leaving them with no centre-forward, until Alvaro Morata was introduced late on.

“Morata is motivated, you saw his attitude when he came on. He is certainly disappointed because he wanted to play more this season, I would be too in his position, but I always say the important thing is the quality of the minutes you get on the field, not the quantity,” replied the coach.

“This is the change of mentality I want all players in the world to adopt, seeing as there are five substitutions now and so many games. Morata is helping the team, he is starting to get back to his level.

“We are a family here, we all have our journey, but they will all be important for me this season.”

There are reports emerging of a new and potentially devastating injury problem for Napoli, as Rasmus Hojlund could miss tonight’s showdown with Milan.

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It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

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

New Hojlund problem for Napoli

It was assumed that the injury crisis was starting to calm down for Antonio Conte, as Kevin De Bruyne, Scott McTominay and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa are all expected to start tonight.

There are still quite a few absentees, such as Romelu Lukaku, David Neres, Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Amir Rrahmani.

According to Il Mattino, there are concerns that Hojlund could miss the match too, because he is struggling with an injury sustained on international duty.

It is not clear what condition he is suffering from, but only that he is in doubt for this match.

With Lukaku frozen out after refusing to return early from Belgium, as he prefers to seek treatment there than with the club staff, there are very few centre-forward options available.

Giovane could be used in that role instead, with support from De Bruyne.

Reports in the UK and Italy continue to link Juventus with a potential summer transfer for Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte as the Bianconeri look to strengthen their options in the middle of the park. 

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Could Juventus move for Manchester United’s Ugarte?

According to reports from Corriere dello Sport and various others, Juventus are among the sides interested in a summer transfer for Uruguay international Ugarte, who is currently valued in the region of €40m.

The 24-year-old has struggled to live up to expectations since joining United from Paris Saint-Germain in a €50m deal in the summer of 2024. The Manchester Evening News suggests that it is time for United to ‘cut their losses’ with Ugarte, whose first-team opportunities have decreased during his second season at Old Trafford. 

Juventus could potentially be among the clubs that could offer Ugarte an escape route, but the interest from the Old Lady depends heavily on their qualification for next season’s Champions League. 

The Bianconeri will have an opportunity to move back within one point of the Serie A top four when they take on Genoa in Serie A on Easter Monday. Como, who currently occupy fourth place and had a three-point advantage over the Bianconeri at the start of the weekend, were held to a 0-0 draw against Udinese on Monday. 

Galatasaray, Newcastle United and Aston Villa have also been mentioned as potential destinations for Ugarte this summer.

Raffaele Palladino explains the Atalanta ‘mantra’ ahead of today’s match with Lecce, as fourth place is within reach, while this club can be ‘a model for Italian football.’

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It kicks off at the Stadio Via del Mare at 14.00 UK time (15.00 CEST).

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

Como were held to a 0-0 draw by Udinese earlier today, while Roma were swept aside 5-2 by Inter last night, so the race for fourth place is hotting up.

A win here would take Atalanta to within five points of Como and the top four, with seven rounds left after that.

Palladino trusts Atalanta model for success

“Our mantra over the last five months is to keep climbing that mountain,” Palladino told DAZN Italia.

“We won many games, were competitive in the Champions League, are still in the Coppa Italia, and now we are going into the last eight games of the Serie A season.

“We must give everything, have no regrets and be ambitious, as is the style of this club.”

So much has been said about the Italy crisis after failing to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, and the main culprit is the lack of Italian representation in Serie A club football.

In that sense, Atalanta stand out as an example to others, especially as their youth academy has been churning out talent for a long time and their players receive passage to the senior squad.

“Before I arrived here, I looked to Atalanta as a model for Italian football, because this is a club that believes in youth, not just Italian, even though over half the squad is Italian,” noted Palladino.

“We know that even if they make mistakes, we must give these young players belief and the time to grow.

“The tendency is to drop players who make errors and then they get forgotten, whereas we are ready to keep the faith.”

There are three Italians starting for Atalanta today, two in the Lecce XI, although it would’ve been more if not for Gianluca Scamacca’s injury.

Como were frustrated by a goalless draw away to Udinese, ending a run of five consecutive Serie A victories.

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The Lariani had the opportunity to consolidate fourth place after Roma’s defeat to Inter, but Jesus Rodriguez, Jacobo Ramon and long-term absentee Jayden Addai missed the trip. Udinese had top scorer Keinan Davis suspended, plus Adam Buksa, Jordan Zemura and Alessandro Zanoli carrying injuries. Controversially, there was only one Italian in the starting 22 players.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Arthur Atta sprung the offside trap to sting the gloves of Jean Butez, while Diego Carlos made a decisive tackle to stop him going clear on the Nicolò Zaniolo through ball and Lucas Da Cunha tested Maduka Okoye at the near post.

Diego Carlos threw himself in the way of a ferocious Jesper Karlstrom strike from the edge of the area, while Okoye took the sting out of a Tasos Douvikas angled drive.

Weak Christian Kabasele and Douvikas attempts were easy smothers for the two goalkeepers, then Sergi Roberto couldn’t keep his header down from a promising position.

Udinese substitute Idrissa Gueye forced a tougher save out of Butez with a powerful finish at the near post, and Marc-Oliver Kempf made a decisive block to deflect the Zaniolo strike over the bar from 10 yards.

Mergim Vojvoda should’ve done better for Como at the 87^th minute when running onto a long Butez ball, but he over-hit the lob and it sailed over the bar.

Alvaro Morata made an impact coming off the bench late on, getting two opponents booked, but unable to test Okoye.

Udinese 0-0 Como

06-04-2026 11:30

MatchDay 31

Friuli Stadium (Dacia Arena)

Udinese

Como

0 - 0

Player statistic

2nd half

		50'		Máximo Perrone
		72'		Diego Carlos
		78'		Ivan Smolcic
Kingsley Ehizibue		85'
Thomas Kristensen		88'

Match statistic

49

Possession %

51

14

Total shots

12

4

Shots on target

4

1

Shots off target

4

9

Blocked shots

4

6

Corners

2

3

Offsides

2

10

Fouls

12

Udinese

Como

Starting lineups

40

Maduka Okoye

Goalkeeper

27

Christian Kabasele

Defender

86'

11

Hassane Kamara

Defender

69'

19

Kingsley Ehizibue

Defender

86'

28

Oumar Solet

Defender

31

Thomas Kristensen

Defender

14

Arthur Atta

Midfielder

24

Jakub Piotrowski

Midfielder

65'

8

Jesper Karlström

Midfielder

32

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp

Midfielder

69'

10

Nicolò Zaniolo

Midfielder

1

Jean Butez

Goalkeeper

3

Álex Valle

Defender

34

Diego Carlos

Defender

28

Ivan Smolcic

Defender

86'

2

Marc Oliver Kempf

Defender

6

Maxence Caqueret

Midfielder

60'

23

Máximo Perrone

Midfielder

60'

10

Nico Paz

Midfielder

11

Anastasios Douvikas

Attacker

59'

38

Assane Diao

Attacker

80'

33

Lucas Da Cunha

Attacker

Substitutes

93

Daniele Padelli

Goalkeeper

90

Răzvan Sava

Goalkeeper

15

Vakoun Bayo

Attacker

29

Abdoulaye Camara

Midfielder

22

Branimir Mlacic

Defender

38

Lennon Miller

Midfielder

65'

7

Idrissa Gueye

Attacker

69'

20

Juan Arizala

Defender

69'

13

Nicolò Bertola

Defender

86'

6

Oier Zarraga

Midfielder

86'

5

Edoardo Goldaniga

Defender

22

Mauro Vigorito

Goalkeeper

44

Nikola Cavlina

Goalkeeper

18

Alberto Moreno

Defender

19

Nicolas Kühn

Attacker

21

Noel Törnqvist

Goalkeeper

56

Cristiano De Paoli

Defender

31

Mërgim Vojvoda

Defender

59'

8

Sergi Roberto

Midfielder

60'

20

Martin Baturina

Midfielder

60'

7

Álvaro Morata

Attacker

80'

77

Ignace Van Der Brempt

Defender

86'

Luciano Spalletti has named his strongest available squad for Juventus’s upcoming Serie A clash against Genoa on Easter Monday afternoon. 

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The fifth-placed Bianconeri are hoping to keep up with the pace set by Como, currently occupying Serie A’s fourth Champions League spot heading into the final stretch of 2025-26 fixtures. 

Juventus have a clean bill of health heading into Monday’s clash against Genoa. There are no major absentees from the Bianconeri squad, but Dusan Vlahovic remains unlikely to start having recently returned from his long-term injury lay-off. The same is also true for Arkadiusz Milik. 

According to pre-match reports, either Jonathan David or Jeremie Boga could start up front for the Old Lady on Easter Monday, but otherwise, it is expected to be the same Juventus starting XI that drew 1-1 with Sassuolo prior to the international break. 

That means that Kenan Yildiz, Weston McKennie and Francisco Conceicao are likely to start in the supporting attacking roles, Khephren Thuram and Manuel Locatelli in midfield, a back four of Pierre Kalulu, Gleison Bremer, Lloyd Kelly and Andrea Cambiaso, and Mattia Perin still in goal instead of Michele Di Gregorio. 

Kick-off is due at 17.00 BST.

Confirmed Juventus squad for Genoa

Goalkeepers: Perin, Di Gregorio, Pinsoglio

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

Midfielders: Locatelli, Koopmeiners, Kostic, Thuram, Miretti, McKennie. 

Forwards: Conceicao, Vlahovic, Yildiz, Zhegrova, Boga, Milik, Openda, David.

I convocati da mister Spalletti per la gara all’Allianz Stadium di questa sera #JuveGenoa

Powered by @WhiteBit pic.twitter.com/LYCMFNtToY

— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) April 6, 2026

A common complaint from supporters of the Italy national team is that there are not enough opportunities handed to homegrown players in Serie A, and that argument is evidenced by the fact that there was only one Italian in the 22 players that started Easter Monday’s match between Udinese and Como.

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The Easter Monday schedule began with Udinese’s visit from Cesc Fabregas’s Como, who are looking to cement their place in the Serie A top four heading into the final stretch of the 2025-26 season. 

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

Just one Italy player named in Udinese vs. Como line-ups 

There have been widespread complaints from many supporters of Serie A clubs that there are not enough opportunities handed to Italian players in the domestic top-flight. This was certainly the case when Nicolo Zaniolo was the only Italian in the 22 players that started in Monday’s Serie A match between Udinese and Como. 

Cesc Fabregas and Como are, in fact, the worst offenders when it comes to the lack of opportunities for Italy hopefuls at club level. 

Only one Italian player has represented Como in Serie A so far this season: 32-year-old centre-back Edoardo Goldaniga, who has made two substitute appearances for a total of 14 minutes of league action this campaign. He also had a 90-minute run-out in the second round of the Coppa Italia.

“If Italy wants to fix the problems with its national team, it’ll have to go through a change in the league regulations forcing a minimum number of Italians on the pitch,” one supporter commented on X.

Another supporter commented: “I don’t agree with setting a minimum number of Italians on the pitch, but this is embarrassing.”

One fan wrote: “But it would be wrong to force Italians to play without any merit whatsoever. The focus should be on the youth teams, on why there aren’t any Italians capable of being starters in a mediocre league like Serie A.”

“We keep failing to understand that the problem isn’t foreign players, but a rotten system that favours agents and those willing to pay, with 80-year-olds sitting in the positions of power. We’ll make it to the World Cup in 2042,” another added.

Beppe Bergomi was full of praise for Inter captain Lautaro Martinez, who netted a brace in Sunday night’s 5-2 thrashing of Roma in Serie A, but also highlighted the performance of Marcus Thuram, whom he felt was one of Inter’s more underrated stars on the night. 

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Inter moved nine points clear at the top of the Serie A table thanks to a 5-2 victory over the Giallorossi in San Siro on Easter Sunday, with Nerazzurri goals coming from Lautaro (x2), Hakan Calhanoglu, Thuram and Nicolo Barella. 

This result ended a run of four matches without a victory across all competitions prior to the recent international break, and puts the pressure on second and third-placed Milan and Napoli ahead of their matches on Easter Monday. 

Bergomi praise for Inter stars in 5-2 Roma victory

There were vintage displays from some of Inter’s biggest stars on the night, including captain Lautaro, who netted a brace and is now on 16 Serie A goals for the 2025-26 season, five more than any other player in the division.

“It shows the  importance of having a player with this quality and personality, with how he moves and ‘unmarks’ himself,” said Bergomi while analysing Lautaro’s performance on Sky Sport Italia. 

“He works hard in both phases, he unlocked the match with his first goal and decided it with his second.”

Bergomi believes that Lautaro’s strike partner, Thuram, deserves just as much praise for his performance on the night, though: “I’d like to highlight Thuram’s performance, a player Inter had been missing. 

“How many times did he take a man away and open up the space? He scores, but importantly gets two assists. There’s also Lautaro’s finishing and the quality of Calhanoglu. 

“Roma did well in the first half, the goal for 2-1 changed the game emotionally and in the second half, Inter approached it well while the opponents found themselves in difficulty.” 

With seven league matches of the 2025-26 season left to play, is there any real chance of either Milan or Napoli catching up?

“I don’t know if the league is closed off or if it has reopened,” Bergomi admitted. 

“Inter have to find five more victories and they know their schedule. The team can’t be too light-hearted, they have to be aware of the responsibility, live through the difficulties. Let’s see if they do it. It’s Como on Sunday.”

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Large sections of Roma supporters have been left frustrated and have called for a ‘revolution’ in the summer after falling to a 5-2 defeat away against Inter in Serie A on Easter Monday, which has put a massive dent in Gian Piero Gasperini’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League. 

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The Giallorossi were swept away by the table-topping Nerazzurri in San Siro on their return to action after the international break. Gianluca Mancini and Lorenzo Pellegrini were on the scoresheet, but this was not enough to counter strikes from Lautaro Martinez (x2), Hakan Calhanoglu, Marcus Thuram and Nicolo Barella. 

Disappointed Roma fans react to 5-2 Inter hammering: ‘Criminal’

The result leaves Roma in sixth place in the Serie A table with seven league matches of the 2025-26 season left to play. Juventus, due to play Genoa on Monday, could now move three points of the Giallorossi in fifth place, and Como, who face Udinese on Monday, could move six points clear of Roma in fourth. 

Sunday’s result has not sat well with Roma supporters, some of whom have laid the blame at Gasperini’s door. The head coach has now lost 11 Serie A matches during his first season in charge of the Giallorossi on top of a disappointing round of 16 exit from the Europa League at the hands of Serie A opponents, Bologna.

“Just saying, Mourinho and De Rossi were sacked for much less, so I believe and hope that the time has come to sack this coach,” one supporter wrote on social media.

Another agreed: “Remember when the Friedkins thought firing one of the greatest managers of all time will improve Roma?”.

In response, another fan wrote: “With a better squad and performing worse than JM’s Roma is criminal. It serves the JM haters right.” 

Some felt that Gasperini didn’t get his match tactics right on the night: “The team is poor, we don’t have many strong players, so a smart coach goes to Inter and tries to play on the break, tries to defend and play on the counter attack. You don’t go there to play on equal terms, otherwise they wipe the floor with you. Ranieri, I miss you.” 

Others believe that the current crop of Roma players aren’t up to scratch: “I hope this is the definitive end for Cristante, Mancini, Pellegrini, El Shaarawy, Celik and Dybala, who’s always injured. By now, everyone’s figured them out.” 

“Many of the guys who take to the field in this shirt shouldn’t see another euro. You have to prove you deserve to play in this shirt. You have to sweat for it. Incompetent,” another wrote.

There has also been widespread criticism of the club’s ownership and senior management following Sunday’s defeat against Inter. 

“The owners aren’t interested in winning. They’re interested in the books being back in order and the new stadium being built in order to sell. Until then, the team will be like this, nothing more,” one supporter commented on X.

Another added: “You can’t expect anything less than a terrible team with an owner who doesn’t understand a thing about football.” 

Napoli are expected to deploy their midfield ‘fab four’ when they host Massimiliano Allegri and Milan in a huge clash in the late push for the Serie A title on Easter Monday. 

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It is a matter of second vs. third in the Serie A table with just one point separating Antonio Conte’s side from the Rossoneri ahead of kick-off. 

Hosts Napoli currently occupy third place on 62 points and will be hoping to move within seven points of league leaders Inter, who beat Roma 5-2 on Sunday evening. The Partenopei went into the international break with a four-game win streak under their belts. 

The second-placed Rossoneri have won three of their last four before facing Napoli, but have recorded defeats against Lazio and at home against Parma across their last five.

For the first time this calendar year, all four of Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne are expected to start alongside each other in midfield. 

Romelu Lukaku, meanwhile, is facing disciplinary action from the club after failing to report for training last week and is expected to be frozen out of the team as a result. 

As for Milan, pre-match reports indicate that there could be a brand-new strike partnership of Niclas Fullkrug and Christopher Nkunku on Monday evening, which would mean both Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic starting on the bench. 

Adrien Rabiot is expected to be available to start despite dropping out of the France national team squad on precautionary grounds during the break. 

Kick-off this evening is due at 19.45 BST.

Napoli vs. Milan: Probable line-ups 

Napoli (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Juan Jesus, Buongiorno, Olivera; Gutierrez, Lobotka, Anguissa, Spinazzola; De Bruyne, McTominay; Hojlund.

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

Where to watch Napoli vs. Milan 

Today’s game will be available to watch live in the UK on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 4 and through DAZN. Supporters in the USA are able to tune in via Paramount+.

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

Dusan Vlahovic is expected to feature but is unlikely to start as Juventus look to close in on the Serie A top four when they host Genoa in the league on Easter Monday. 

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The Bianconeri remain three points shy of Como in fourth place with eight matches of the season left to go. Luciano Spalletti’s side will be slightly relieved to see sixth-placed Roma beaten 5-2 away against Inter on Sunday evening, which means that there is no risk of Juve being overtaken regardless of today’s result

Visitors Genoa find themselves in 14th place ahead of kick-off. An against-the-odds victory away against Juventus on Sunday will take them up to 12th place in the Serie A standings. A draw or a loss will see them stay in 14th for another week. 

Juventus have a relatively clean bill of health heading into Sunday’s clash at the Allianz Stadium. 

Vlahovic is available, but remains unlikely to start as he works his way back to full fitness after recently returning from his long-term injury lay-off. Spalletti confirmed as much during his pre-match press conference, but added that “he could give us a hand.” 

Mattia Perin remains the favourite to start in goal instead of Michele Di Gregorio, and other than a slight doubt as to whether Jonathan David or Jeremie Boga will start up front, it is likely to be the same Juventus XI that started against Sassuolo before the break.

Genoa’s Brooke Norton-Cuffy is unavailable with a hamstring injury and could be replaced by either Stefano Sabelli or Aaron Martin according to Sky Sport Italia.

There are also some doubts as to who Daniele De Rossi will start in attack, with all of Vitinha, Junior Messias, Tommaso Baldanzi and Caleb Ekuban vying for a spot in the starting XI. 

Kick-off is due at 17.00 BST. 

Juventus vs. Genoa: Probable line-ups

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

Genoa (3-4-2-1): Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Ellertson, Frendrup, Malinovskyi, Sabelli; Messias, Vitinha; Colombo.

Where to watch Juventus vs. Genoa

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

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

Cristian Chivu explains what changed when Inter ran riot to beat Roma 5-2 in the second half. ‘We had the right spirit, trying to dominate and kill off the game.’

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If the Nerazzurri had limped into the break for international duty with just two points from three rounds, they made a statement this evening with a 5-2 hammering of Roma.

Lautaro Martinez had not played since his calf injury on February 18, but made an immediate impact with two goals, while Hakan Calhanoglu scored a screamer from at least 35 yards, along with Marcus Thuram and Nicolò Barella strikes.

Chivu set tone for Inter restart

“I am very happy to have Lautaro back, happy to see Marcus score and assist, to see Barella score, to see Denzel Dumfries play so well, also Diouf, Frattesi, those who didn’t play tonight,” Chivu told DAZN Italia.

The turning point that got everyone on the bench celebrating wildly was the third goal at the dawn of the second half.

“It was what we asked at half-time, to have the right approach straight out from the break, to finish off the game and score more goals,” continued Chivu.

“You realise what is happening on the field, that there are signs of maturity from this team. There were some wobbles in recent matches, when we tried to sit on the result and we shouldn’t have done that.

“This evening, we came out for the second half with the right spirit, trying to dominate and kill off the game.”

Gian Piero Gasperini said that Roma had a good first half and were pushing Inter back, until that sudden Calhanoglu strike from a huge distance.

“It’s not easy to press Roma high, because they move around so much, empty out the middle to attack you down the flanks with those wingbacks,” replied Chivu.

“We were a little worried about them getting the ball to Malen, so Calhanoglu was sitting a little deep and struggling to close down Pisilli, who was controlling the tempo. We showed more courage in the second half and broke their lines, moving the ball faster, and pushing our playmaker into a more advanced role.

“When you allow Roma players time and space, they are so good at finding the spaces and setting up their strikers. We stepped up a gear, had more sprints to compete for the ball, and it was a very good second half.”

There was also a special moment in the second half when Alessandro Bastoni received a standing ovation from the San Siro crowd as he was substituted.

It was not clear how the defender would handle the trauma of being sent off in Italy’s World Cup play-off defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina, having already been criticised so much in the media for getting Pierre Kalulu red carded for Juventus with a simulation.

With reports Bastoni is pushing to leave Italy entirely for a move to Barcelona due to that toxic atmosphere, this show of support was reassuring.

“I don’t have a magic wand to fix all that is wrong, but what I can say is that we are all responsible for what happens in football,” noted Chivu when asked if the pressure is part of the reason Italian football has struggled.

“That means coaches, players, journalists, social media, because criticism and negativity gets more attention. We must remember that football is a game, from the youth academy where I fortunately worked for a couple of years and saw some things that would shock you.

“We are all guilty, so we must change the approach to this wonderful sport that elicits such love from kids, the fans who cheer on their team, and not those who just wish ill on others, aim insults and worse at their opponents.”

It was an emotional night for Italy internationals Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolò Barella, who were both visibly touched by the support shown by Inter fans after the World Cup play-off.

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This was the first match for the players since the traumatic defeat on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ruled Italy out of a third consecutive edition of the World Cup.

Inter fans show support for Italy players

Bastoni was sent off in that game in Zenica, one of the biggest contributing factors to their exit, and sparked a firestorm of criticism from the media and public.

He had already faced calls for him to be dropped by Italy after confessing to a simulation that got Pierre Kalulu unfairly sent off for Juventus last month, so the dismissal in such an important fixture piled on immense pressure.

Amid reports Bastoni is eager to leave the country and accept a move to Barcelona to escape this tension, it was touching to see him receive a standing ovation from the San Siro crowd as he was substituted in the 5-2 win over Roma.

There was also a special moment for his Italy teammate Barella, who scored a goal and seemed to fight back tears as he saluted the fans, then rushed to the touchline to give big hugs to both coach Cristian Chivu and Bastoni.

Gian Piero Gasperini admits Roma suffered ‘a real blow to morale’ in their 5-2 defeat to Inter, crumbling in the second half, but has not lost hope of fourth place.

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It was immediately clear this was going to be a difficult night for the Giallorossi when they went behind after 60 seconds to a Lautaro Martinez strike.

They had equalised through Gianluca Mancini, who then went off injured, but fell apart after Hakan Calhanoglu’s long-range screamer, as Marcus Thuram, another Lautaro Martinez goal, and Nicolò Barella rounded out the scoreline.

Lorenzo Pellegrini’s scuffed finish pulled one back, but the 5-2 defeat is a heavy one and they crumbled after the restart.

Gasperini saw Roma deflate

“It wasn’t easy conceding in the first few seconds, but after that I saw a good Roma, though going into the break behind was a real blow to morale,” Gasperini told DAZN Italia.

“The third goal in particular knocked the wind out of us, and from then on we were really suffering.”

This side had one of the best defensive records in Serie A and have been leaking goals lately, but was Mancini’s injury a contributing factor to that collapse?

“Undoubtedly, Mancini is a very important player for us. When we have a complete squad, we are much more competitive, but are missing quite a few at the moment,” added Gasperini.

“I saw a good Roma in the first half, the final result makes it all look much worse, but admittedly the game was over at the third goal and we must give credit to a very strong Inter side.”

Roma had Matias Soulé back for his first appearance since February 15, but the Argentine looked rusty, while Wesley, Manu Koné, Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson were still out of action.

Now the Giallorossi risk falling further behind Como and potentially even Juventus in the hunt for a top four finish and Gasperini was asked if this team had struggled ever since conceding that last-gasp Federico Gatti goal for 3-3 with Juve.

“No, there were different games and the performances were always good. Tonight we got the second half wrong, there was certainly a drop in morale, you can lose to Inter at San Siro, but not with this scoreline. Now we have two home games and hope to get some good results.

“It is difficult for us, difficult for Juventus, for Como and Atalanta, all the teams challenging for one place. We are a little behind right now, but we’ll do everything possible to recover lost ground, that is for sure,” concluded Gasperini.

Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram admit they have ‘a special bond’ that worked so well tonight in Inter’s 5-2 victory over Roma. ‘A dip in form can happen, but we give our all.’

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The Nerazzurri had really missed their captain, who had not featured since suffering a calf injury during the Champions League play-off defeat to Bodo/Glimt on February 18.

It took him 60 seconds to score with his first touch on the comeback, paving the way for a 5-2 victory over Roma, with another Lautaro Martinez goal, Hakan Calhanoglu screamer from distance, plus Thuram and Nicolò Barella strikes.

Lautaro Martinez and Thuram reunited to inspire Inter

“This was a head-to-head, a very important match for the table, for our journey, for a signal to ourselves,” Lautaro Martinez told DAZN Italia.

“We needed to get out there with the right attitude, because Roma are a very strong team, who play man for man. We are happy, Thuram made the difference, as he usually does. Everyone can have a dip in form, so I won’t say he’s back, but he was great tonight.”

The absence of Lautaro Martinez had also affected Thuram, who it is perhaps no coincidence this evening provided two assists, along with scoring a header.

“I did miss him, but Pio and Bonny are very important for the team too,” said Thuram.

“It’s true I have a special bond with Lauti, he is our captain and sets the example in the most difficult moments. He did that in the first minute today and we are so glad he’s back with us.”

There was also a touching moment when Alessandro Bastoni received a standing ovation from the San Siro crowd, days after the devastating red card in Italy’s World Cup play-off defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The defender has been bitterly criticised in the media, especially in the wake of the controversy over his simulation to get Pierre Kalulu sent off for Juventus, and is carrying an ankle injury.

“When you talk about Bastoni and all the Italians in the squad, they give their heart on the field, it gives me goosebumps. They give everything, even when Italy went out, they worked with heads held high and were ready to deliver tonight,” added Lautaro Martinez.

“For many years now, we’ve been taking Inter to great heights, and we cannot afford to stop now, but there are going to be dips. We accept criticism, we try to give all we’ve got, and I am so happy to have these teammates.”

This result means Inter can sit back and watch what happens at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Monday evening, when third-placed Napoli host Milan in second, a game that should decide who gets to challenge for the Scudetto.

Inter swept Roma aside 5-2 with Lautaro Martinez bagging a brace on his comeback, a Hakan Calhanoglu stunner from distance, Marcus Thuram and Nicolò Barella goals.

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The Nerazzurri saw their lead at the top sliced from 10 points to six, but had Lautaro Martinez back for the first time since February 18, even if they lost Yann Bisseck and suspended Carlos Augusto. Matias Soulé was back for the Giallorossi after seven weeks out, though Wesley joined Manu Koné, Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson on the treatment table.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It was an extraordinary return to the field for the Inter captain, who scored in the opening 60 seconds of his comeback. Marcus Thuram rolled across from the right and Lautaro Martinez fired into the roof of the net first-time from six yards, getting in front of Zeki Celik.

The hosts had a huge double chance soon after, as first Hakan Calhanoglu’s scorcher stung Mile Svilar’s gloves, then the Federico Dimarco follow-up was deflected inches wide.

Svilar also parried a Lautaro Martinez angled drive when springing the offside trap on Dimarco’s pass, but Roma started to get into the game and Donyell Malen’s header on a Soulé free kick forced a very difficult Yann Sommer fingertip save.

Malen also drilled just wide from distance, while both Nicolò Barella and Piotr Zielinski had efforts charged down in the same move. Mario Hermoso had penalty appeals, but Manuel Akanji’s hands were clamped behind his back when the cross hit his elbow.

Roma got their equaliser when a corner was not cleared effectively, so Devyne Rensch stood up a ball from the left by-line for Gianluca Mancini to nod in undisturbed from six yards.

Just as they thought they were going into the break on level terms, Calhanoglu scored a stunner out of nowhere, unleashing a ground to air rocket from 35 yards that swerved mid-air to surprise Svilar under the bar.

HAKAN ÇALHANOĞLU TAKE A BOW

Amazing strike from the Turk puts Inter back in front against Roma

Live on TNT Sports & HBO Max pic.twitter.com/minZvXJTDc

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 5, 2026

There was more bad news for Roma, as Mancini limped off with a muscular problem at half-time, replaced by Daniele Ghilardi.

Inter added a third goal, as Thuram beat sluggish Rensch on a long bouncing ball, cut inside and provided the pass for Lautaro Martinez to sweep first-time into the far bottom corner from 13 yards with the inside of the right boot.

Moments later, Thuram was left unmarked for a glancing header at the near post on Calhanoglu’s corner to put the hosts 4-1 up.

With the scoreline looking comfortable, Cristian Chivu took Bastoni off to a standing ovation from San Siro, giving him some much-needed reassurance after the Italy debacle.

The Nerazzurri ran riot, as Nicolò Barella made the most of a double defensive error to burst into the box and smash in from 12 yards.

Roma responded, as first Malen fired over, then he set up Lorenzo Pellegrini for a scuffed finish to roll into the near bottom corner for 5-2.

Denzel Dumfries dinked it over Svilar to flash across the face of an open goal, then Svilar made another great one-handed save at the near post on Francesco Pio Esposito set up by Ange-Yoan Bonny’s back-heel flick.

Dumfries steered a free header wide from a corner too and Pellegrini’s free kick grazed the top corner, as there could’ve been more than the seven goals at San Siro.

Inter 5-2 Roma

Lautaro Martinez 1, 52 (I), Mancini 40 (R), Calhanoglu 45+2 (I), Thuram 55 (I), Barella 63 (I), Pellegrini 70 (R)

05-04-2026 19:45

MatchDay 31

San Siro Stadium (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)

Inter

Roma

5 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

Lautaro Martínez (Assist: Marcus Thuram)		1'
		40'		Gianluca Mancini (Assist: Devyne Rensch)
Hakan Calhanoglu (Assist: Piotr Zielinski)		45+2'

2nd half

Lautaro Martínez (Assist: Marcus Thuram)		52'
Marcus Thuram (Assist: Hakan Calhanoglu)		55'
		60'		Niccolò Pisilli
Nicolò Barella		63'
		70'		Lorenzo Pellegrini

Match statistic

56

Possession %

44

17

Total shots

9

9

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

5

4

Blocked shots

1

7

Corners

4

1

Offsides

1

11

Fouls

10

Inter

Roma

Starting lineups

1

Yann Sommer

Goalkeeper

95

Alessandro Bastoni

Defender

58'

32

Federico Dimarco

Defender

15

Francesco Acerbi

Defender

25

Manuel Akanji

Defender

2

Denzel Dumfries

Midfielder

20

Hakan Calhanoglu

Midfielder

67'

23

Nicolò Barella

Midfielder

7

Piotr Zielinski

Midfielder

76'

10

Lautaro Martínez

Attacker

58'

9

Marcus Thuram

Attacker

66'

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

58'

5

Evan Ndicka

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

46'

22

Mario Hermoso

Defender

81'

19

Zeki Celik

Defender

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

7

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Midfielder

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

14

Donyell Malen

Attacker

18

Matìas Soulé

Attacker

64'

Substitutes

16

Davide Frattesi

Midfielder

6

Stefan de Vrij

Defender

11

Luis Henrique

Attacker

13

Josep Martínez

Goalkeeper

17

Andy Diouf

Attacker

12

Raffaele Di Gennaro

Goalkeeper

43

Matteo Cocchi

Defender

36

Matteo Darmian

Defender

58'

14

Ange-Yoan Bonny

Defender

58'

94

Pio Esposito

Attacker

66'

8

Petar Sucic

Defender

67'

22

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Midfielder

76'

3

Angeliño

Defender

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

8

Neil El Aynaoui

Midfielder

97

Bryan Zaragoza

Attacker

70

Giorgio De Marzi

Goalkeeper

20

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

78

Robinio Vaz

Attacker

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

46'

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

58'

92

Stephan El Shaarawy

Attacker

64'

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

81'

It was a mixed evening for Roma defender Gianluca Mancini, as moments after scoring against Inter, he limped off with a worrying injury.

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The Giallorossi had gone behind just 60 seconds into the big Serie A match at San Siro with a Lautaro Martinez strike, but Mancini managed to draw level.

He remained in the area after a corner was cleared, so was ready for the header from six yards on a Devyne Rensch cross.

Eventful Roma night for Mancini

Great header from Mancini and Roma are back level in the game at the San Siro

Live now on TNT Sports & HBO Max pic.twitter.com/ZKPB9iM953

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 5, 2026

You can follow all the action as it happens from Inter vs. Roma on the Liveblog.

However, there was a double blow for him going into half-time, as Hakan Calhanoglu scored with a scorcher from at least 35 yards out, then the defender limped off.

Mancini was clutching the top of his thigh following a collision with Marcus Thuram, and was visibly limping as the team went into the break.

He did not return after the restart, replaced by Daniele Ghilardi, and tests are required to see what damage has been done.

Mancini had been in the starting XI of both Italy’s World Cup play-off matches against Northern Ireland and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Roma are already missing Wesley, Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk, Manu Koné and Evan Ferguson.

Watch as Hakan Calhanoglu scores one of the goals of the Serie A season, unleashing a screamer from at least 35 yards out to give Inter the 2-1 lead over Roma.

You can follow all the action as it happens from Inter vs. Roma on the Liveblog.

The Nerazzurri had taken the lead in the opening 60 seconds with Lautaro Martinez, cancelled out by a Gianluca Mancini header following a corner.

However, as the clock ticked down in first half stoppages, Calhanoglu let loose with an astonishing strike from a huge distance to surprise Mile Svilar under the bar.

The vicious swerve on the ball took it away from the goalkeeper, who simply wasn’t expecting to be beaten from there, even if this sort of thing is not entirely new for Calhanoglu.

It has been an exceptional week for the midfielder, who also helped take Vincenzo Montella’s Turkiye to the 2026 World Cup via the play-offs.

Calhanoglu screamer for Inter

HAKAN ÇALHANOĞLU TAKE A BOW

Amazing strike from the Turk puts Inter back in front against Roma

Live on TNT Sports & HBO Max pic.twitter.com/minZvXJTDc

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 5, 2026

OUTRAGEOUS

Hakan Çalhanoğlu hits from distance to put Inter back in control pic.twitter.com/5HWjsoycwb

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 5, 2026

Watch as Lautaro Martinez scores with his first touch since returning to the field from injury, giving Inter the lightning fast lead against Roma.

You can follow all the action as it happens from Inter vs. Roma on the Liveblog.

The Nerazzurri had sorely missed their captain, who had not featured since picking up a calf injury during the Champions League play-off defeat to Bodo/Glimt on February 18.

Lautaro Martinez took just 60 seconds to make his mark at San Siro, getting in front of his marker to meet the Marcus Thuram roll across from the right and smash first-time into the roof of the net from six yards.

This was his 15^th Serie A goal in 26 appearances this season, the 19^th in 36 competitive matches, along with four assists.

Lautaro Martinez immediate impact

60 seconds in… LAUTARO STRIKES!
Inter lead Roma immediately. #SerieA pic.twitter.com/uZ7KNb6Q2R

— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) April 5, 2026

60 SECONDS IN, INTER LEAD

Lautaro Martínez scores with his first touch of the game pic.twitter.com/Qcbtw0WDmm

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 5, 2026

Inter President Beppe Marotta blasted the ‘shameful lynching in the media’ of Alessandro Bastoni after Italy’s World Cup exit, but did not rule out a sale to Barcelona either.

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The clash with Roma kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

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

The Nerazzurri went into the break for international duty with their previous 10-point lead at the top sliced to just six, on a three-match winless streak.

It could be a very positive round for them, as the chasing pack Milan and Napoli go head-to-head on Monday night.

Marotta keeps Inter on their toes

“There are eight rounds to go, 24 points up for grabs, and that is a lot, but a victory would give us more confidence and security,” Marotta told DAZN Italia.

“There is a head-to-head tomorrow, but I continue to insist it is all to play for, as there are still many games involving the teams fighting against relegation and they are going to be highly-motivated, so anything could still happen.

“In every match, you’ve got to fight hard and be very motivated.”

Lautaro Martinez is back in the starting XI for the first time since his calf strain against Bodo/Glimt on February 18, but Carlos Augusto is suspended with Yann Bisseck injured.

Alessandro Bastoni plays despite the trauma of his red card contributing to Italy’s World Cup play-off failure against Bosnia and Herzegovina, with reports he is in talks for a move to Barcelona.

“It is shameful that Bastoni is exposed to this continual lynching in the media, as if he was guilty of who knows what,” noted Marotta.

“If you look at the World Cup elimination, the reasons behind that go much further back. In any case, a lad of his age does not deserve this kind of treatment. People make mistakes in life, but in Italy everyone thinks they are experts and psychologists, without knowing the kind of man and professional they are dealing with.

“He made a mistake, we all recognised that, but it can happen for a lad of his age. Having said all of that, Bastoni is an asset of Inter and of Italian football.

“I was reading in the paper that it was almost an obligation for him to leave this shirt and this country, but there are no such extremes. As with all players, we’ll discuss their future later on.”

Marotta has been mentioned by some as a potential candidate to become the new FIGC President following the resignation of Gabriele Gravina.

What does he think is the key to solving the crisis in Calcio?

“It would be a very long conversation. Everyone thinks they are experts of football, but this goes back a long way, we have not been competitive since 2006, even if we won EURO 2020 in that period,” replied the Inter President.

“There are many causes, it requires a long debate. I do think we lack talents, because how come the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, the land of Dino Zoff, Fabio Capello and Fulvio Collovati, no longer produces players?

“We need to go back and understand what the sport of football is, why we are not finding young players. I would prefer it to not turn into an argument, so we can all work in the same direction.”

Ricky Massara confirms Roma intend to make Aston Villa-owned Donyell Malen ‘our centre-forward for a long time to come’ and ‘guaranteed’ Gian Piero Gasperini will remain too.

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The trip to Inter kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

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

The fight for a top four finish looks like it could go down to the wire, as three points separate Como, Roma and Juventus going into the last eight rounds.

Massara reassuring on Roma future

Malen has been an astonishing signing from Aston Villa in January, scoring eight goals with one assist in 12 competitive matches, so will Roma activate the €25m option to make it permanent?

“There is an option for Roma to buy, so Malen is doing very well, had an incredible impact on Serie A, and we hope he can be the Roma centre-forward for a long time to come,” Massara told DAZN Italia.

“Evidently, we regret the Europa League elimination, but we never set any specific targets for this season. We have started a brand new project with an exceptional coach who is doing great things, we are glad to be challenging for fourth place and hope to stay in that race to the end.”

So is Gasperini sure he will remain next season?

“It is guaranteed,” assured Massara.

Matias Soulé returns for the first time since February 15, but Wesley picked up a muscular injury on international duty with Brazil and will be out for a month.

He joins long-term absentees Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson on the treatment table.

Italy failed to qualify for a third consecutive edition of the World Cup, so what does Roma director Massara suggest to fix Italian football?

“During critical moments like this, there are always ideas put forward. All I will say is that football has changed a great deal in recent years, so if we can understand those changes and take action, then we can see progress. If we don’t take those changes into account, we will find ourselves back here in four years having the same conversations.”

Matias Soulé reveals why he realised he ‘couldn’t keep going like this’ playing with anti-inflammatories, as he returns for Roma’s ‘very important’ trip to Inter.

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It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

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

The Giallorossi went into the break for international duty with a slender 1-0 win over Lecce, remaining three points adrift of fourth-placed Como and those precious Champions League spots.

Soulé returns after long Roma lay-off

“I was disappointed not to be fit for the recent games, but my teammates gave their all, and we have a lot of injuries,” Soulé told DAZN Italia.

“We hope to get a result tonight, as it is important for us and for the Serie A table, as there are many teams battling for a Champions League spot. Inter are challenging for the Scudetto, so it’ll be an intriguing game.”

Soulé returns for the first time since February 15, but Wesley picked up a muscular injury on international duty with Brazil and will be out for a month.

He joins long-term absentees Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson on the treatment table.

“As the days go by, I feel better and better, as I was playing for two or three months using anti-inflammatories and after the Napoli game I realised I just couldn’t keep going like this,” explained the Argentine.

“I worked in training and today feel better, even if the lesion is not completely healed. I hope to help my teammates and the fans tonight.”

Roma have struggled in the big games and were beaten 1-0 at home by Inter last time out, despite a strong performance.

“We played really well last time against Inter, conceding an avoidable goal, but then had many chances to equalise. We must be concentrated and play to our best, as tonight is very important.”

Former Arsenal, Juventus and Liverpool goalkeeper Alex Manninger has opened up on his experiences working with the likes of Arsene Wenger, Antonio Conte, Jurgen Klopp, Gianluigi Buffon and Alessandro Del Piero, and has explained why his first move to a Serie A club was a ‘mistake’. 

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The former Austria international, who represented Fiorentina. Torino, Bologna, Siena, Udinese and Juventus during his time in Italy, recalled all the highs and lows from his playing career in an in-depth interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Manninger on Arsenal, Juventus and Liverpool experiences

At the beginning of his career, Manninger was picked up by Arsene Wenger, who had taken over as head coach of Arsenal the year prior. 

“It still excites me just thinking about it,” said Manninger. “I was 20 years old, I was a kid. Wenger wanted to bring an international dimension to the club and focus on youngsters, I was one of them.

“Despite my age, I felt calm in goal. I had a monster like Tony Adams in front of me. He taught me a lot. I only have one regret: Leaving too soon. But you know, I wanted to play.” 

The next chapter of Manninger’s career took him to Serie A, where he joined Fiorentina on loan. 

“It was the wrong decision,” Manninger said. “I found it an absurd situation. It was 2001 and the club was on the verge of bankruptcy. We weren’t paid for several months. The coach was Mancini and every now and then he’d tell us ‘who knows if we’re training tomorrow’. He was joining, but we all knew it could all fail at any moment.” 

Manninger had several experiences in Serie A over the course of his career. He went on to join Torino and later Bologna, before going on to become a no.1 during a loan spell at Siena. 

“What a city, how peaceful. Siena is my home. I had a great time there and they treated me like a king,” Manninger recalled. “I come back and they shower me with affection. I also have to thank Enrico Chiesa. We’d played together at Fiorentina and he helped me a lot at the beginning. He told me ‘come to dinner with me today’. I could only accept, otherwise he’d get angry. How strong was Enrico, though? My goodness.” 

Among the biggest stars that Manninger played with was Juventus’s Alessandro Del Piero. 

“When I was no.2 to Gigi Buffon, he would keep me back for hours at the end of training. So many challenges, and so many laughs. He amazed me particularly with penalties. He was a sniper. 

“Ale is also a great golfer. Every now and then we talk about it. Sooner or later we’ll challenge each other, as we did on penalties and free-kicks at Juventus.” 

Speaking of Buffon, Manninger added: “He’s fantastic, really. He never made me question his greatness. I was amazed at the calmness he had. I’d always ask him ‘how do you do it, Gigi?’. I’m honoured to have played with him and for Juventus in general, which for me, felt like the closing of a full circle back then.” 

When asked to explain what he meant by full circle, Manninger said: “They had almost signed me 10 years earlier. I did a couple of training sessions with the group, then van der Sar arrived and I went to Arsenal. Going back was always my goal.” 

Aside from the aforementioned Wenger, Manninger also had the privilege of playing under some of the game’s modern-day greats in Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte. 

Manninger’s final season at Juventus was Conte’s first as head coach. “He struck me right from the pre-season training camp. He took me to one side and told me that he appreciated the way I worked and that he had wanted to sign me when he was at Siena. 

“At the beginning, he was the only one who believed in winning the Scudetto. We came from two seventh-place finishes and a series of poor choices from the club. He ‘rebuilt the church in the middle of town’ as you Italians like to say.” 

Manninger went on to end his career at Liverpool as a third-choice under Klopp. 

“It all started with a phone call. Jurgen knew everything about me. I’d beaten his Dortmund side with Augsburg two years earlier. ‘I want that goalkeeper there. That day you saved everything against us. You have to do it for me, too’.” 

“I never actually played, I was 40, but leaving football and saying goodbye to the fans in front of the Kop was an amazing feeling.” 

Pisa moved another step closer to relegation after wasting big scoring opportunities and capitulating to a late Che Adams goal for Torino.

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A disappointing season was limping to a close for both teams, as the hosts were joint rock bottom with Verona and went into the break for international duty off a 5-0 defeat to Como. Rafiu Durosinmi continued his ban, with Daniel Denoon, Marius Marin and Isak Vural injured, but Simone Scuffet and Michel Aebischer returned. Toro lost Duvan Zapata to a serious thigh strain after the 3-2 loss to Milan, with Zakaria Aboukhlal and Zanos Savva also out.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Gvidas Gineitis drilled just wide of the near post through a defender’s legs, while Aebischer’s spectacular volley off the outside of the left boot swerved inches past the far top corner.

Another Gineitis strike was charged down and Alberto Paleari was quick off his line to stop Matteo Tramoni going clear on an Aebischer through ball.

Pisa really should’ve scored on the hour mark when Tramoni robbed Saul Coco in midfield to surge forward, but instead of going for goal, he tried to roll across for Filip Stojilkovic and overhit the pass.

Stojilkovic returned the favour when twisting and turning to get down the left and pulled back from the byline beyond Tramoni.

Cesare Casadei came sliding in and failed to bundle the Che Adams cross over the line at the back post for Torino.

The deadlock was finally broken when Marcus Pedersen’s wayward volley at the back post turned into an accidental assist for Che Adams to slide in and push over the line from point-blank range.

Vlasic should’ve added another, but couldn’t keep his free header down on the Valentin Lazaro cross.

Pisa 0-1 Torino

Adams 80 (T)

05-04-2026 17:00

MatchDay 31

Arena Garibaldi – Stadio Romeo Anconetani

Pisa

Torino

0 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

Michel Aebischer

14'

2nd half

80'

Ché Adams (Assist: Marcus Pedersen)

Match statistic

50

Possession %

50

7

Total shots

13

1

Shots on target

2

5

Shots off target

8

1

Blocked shots

3

1

Corners

2

1

Offsides

1

12

Fouls

12

Pisa

Torino

Starting lineups

1

Adrian Šemper

Goalkeeper

4

Antonio Caracciolo

Defender

33

Arturo Calabresi

Defender

86'

3

Samuele Angori

Defender

5

Simone Canestrelli

Defender

8

Malthe Höjholt

Midfielder

77'

10

Matteo Tramoni

Midfielder

20

Michel Aebischer

Midfielder

9

Henrik Meister

Attacker

58'

7

Mehdi Léris

Attacker

86'

32

Stefano Moreo

Attacker

58'

1

Alberto Paleari

Goalkeeper

44

Ardian Ismajli

Defender

77

Enzo Ebosse

Defender

16

Marcus Pedersen

Defender

83'

33

Rafa Obrador

Defender

23

Saúl Coco

Defender

66

Gvidas Gineitis

Midfielder

83'

98

Matteo Prati

Midfielder

62'

10

Nikola Vlasic

Midfielder

18

Giovanni Simeone

Attacker

72'

17

Sandro Kulenovic

Attacker

62'

Substitutes

22

Simone Scuffet

Goalkeeper

12

Nicolas

Goalkeeper

36

Gabriele Piccinini

Attacker

39

Raúl Albiol

Defender

23

Calvin Stengs

Attacker

26

Francesco Coppola

Defender

2

Rosen Bozhinov

Defender

42

Brando Bettazzi

Midfielder

35

Felipe Loyola

Defender

58'

81

Filip Stojilkovic

Attacker

58'

14

Ebenezer Akinsanmiro

Midfielder

77'

11

Juan Cuadrado

Midfielder

86'

15

Idrissa Touré

Midfielder

86'

34

Cristiano Biraghi

Defender

81

Franco Israel

Goalkeeper

8

Ivan Ilić

Midfielder

13

Guillermo Maripán

Defender

6

Emirhan Ilkhan

Midfielder

35

Luca Marianucci

Defender

25

Niels Nkounkou

Defender

92

Alieu Njie

Attacker

99

Lapo Siviero

Goalkeeper

19

Ché Adams

Attacker

62'

22

Cesare Casadei

Midfielder

62'

14

Tino Anjorin

Midfielder

72'

20

Valentino Lazaro

Defender

83'

61

Adrien Tameze

Midfielder

83'

Lautaro Martinez returns to partner Marcus Thuram and there are changes in defence for stuttering leaders Inter, as Roma welcome back Matias Soulé with Donyell Malen.

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It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

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

Inter saw their lead at the top of the table shrink from 10 points down to just six, following a defeat to Milan, then back-to-back 1-1 draws with Atalanta and Fiorentina.

It is perhaps no coincidence that this spell was during Lautaro Martinez’s injury, but he returns for the first time since that calf strain in the Champions League play-off with Bodo/Glimt on February 18.

He partners Marcus Thuram, who last week scored his first goal for France in three years, while Hakan Calhanoglu has also shaken off a knock after taking Turkiye to the World Cup.

However, Yann Bisseck picked up an injury and Carlos Augusto is suspended, so Francesco Acerbi gets a rare start in defence.

He is with Alessandro Bastoni, and it remains to be seen how he will deal with the trauma of his red card in Italy’s World Cup play-off defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Roma have an injury crisis on their hands, because Wesley was ruled out for a month after suffering a muscular strain while playing for Brazil.

Manu Koné, Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson are also still on the treatment table.

The one piece of good news is the return of Soulé, who has not played since February 15 due to a recurring inflammation of the hip joints.

He forms the partnership with successful January signing Malen, who is already Roma’s top scorer this season, despite only arriving from Aston Villa at the turn of the year.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are currently joint fifth with Juventus, three points adrift of Como, as they too had a recent slump with Europa League elimination, then one point from three Serie A rounds.

They went into the break for international duty when scraping a 1-0 victory over Lecce.

With Wesley out, Devyne Rensch is preferred to Kostas Tsimikas, who has been largely a disappointment since the loan move from Liverpool, and Zeki Celik moved to the left.

Niccolo Pisilli takes the midfield reins rather than Neil El Aynaoui, with Evan Ndicka returning from suspension.

Inter vs. Roma official line-ups

Inter: Sommer; Akanji, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Dimarco; Thuram, Lautaro Martinez

Roma: Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Rensch, Cristante, Pisilli, Celik; Soulé, Pellegrini; Malen

05-04-2026 19:45

MatchDay 31

San Siro Stadium (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)

Inter

Roma

5 - 2