Cristian Chivu says that all credit must go to his coaching staff for their role in Piotr Zielinski’s goal of the season contender during Inter’ 2-1 win over Hellas Verona on Sunday afternoon, and joked that he ‘ruined’ during his injury-time celebrations.

Zielinski, Giovane and Martin Frese (own goal) ended up on the scoresheet as Inter climbed into second place in the Serie A standings at the Bentegodi on Sunday afternoon.

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

Chivu: ‘I didn’t agree with Inter’s set-piece routine’

It was a far tougher test than expected at the Stadio Bentegodi, because Giovane had cancelled out the sensational Piotr Zielinski opener, then Gift Orban’s flick hit the upright.

Just as it seemed as if this would end in a draw, Martin Frese accidentally turned the Nicolò Barella cross into his own net for a 94th-minute winner.

It was clear what this meant to Chivu, as he celebrated with a knee-slide onto the pitch.

“I ruined my suit, I’ve got a tracksuit on now, the sponsors are a bit angry,” Chivu joked with DAZN after full-time. 

“These games are easier to lose than they are to win, so when you win like this you celebrate, recognising the fact that it could have gone badly.” 

The opening goal was an inspired set-play routine, as Hakan Calhanoglu floated the corner to the edge of the area, where Zielinski was ready to volley into the top corner with the inside of the right boot.

It was inspired by Chivu’s staff member Angelo Palombo, a former Inter and Sampdoria midfielder.

“I was against it!,” Chivu admitted. “If it went badly they could have hit us with their speed on the counter attack. But with the quality we have, it’s good to try these sorts of things. It’s all thanks to Angelo, Filippo and the guys, who are committed to innovating techniques around set-pieces. 

“When you’ve got someone like Calhanoglu, who puts the ball where he wants, and someone like Zielinski, it’s right to try it. Credit has to be given to Palombo and to all the staff who are committed to bringing something new.” 

Reporters suggested that Inter ‘slowed down’ after going 1-0 up at the Bentegodi. 

Chivu responded: “No, we didn’t slow down. We were ahead, they were the ones who needed to take risks. We had two good chances.” 

And on Lautaro Martinez, Chivu added: “He hasn’t scored for a week, but he did in Brussels. We’re not turning this into a big thing, with his commitment and leadership, he is a true example for everyone. 

“It’s not easy to play every three days, but we don’t want to make a big deal out of it. He scored in Belgium and had chances in these last few games. It’s not a big drama if he doesn’t score, especially with him, because he works so hard and always makes himself available.”

Jamie Vardy has now scored twice in his last three matches after claiming a late consolation goal for Cremonese in their 2-1 defeat against Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus on Saturday evening. 

The former England international used his pace and strength to get the better of Federico Gatti after a long ball over the top, carried the ball into the area and dispatched past Michele Di Gregorio into the bottom corner. 

Vardy, who joined Cremonese after 13 years with Leicester City over the summer, has now scored twice in his last three Serie A matches, and is now the team’s joint second-highest goalscorer in the league and across all competitions. Only Federico Bonazzoli (4) has scored more than the Englishman for Cremonese this term.

Watch: Vardy finds the net against Juventus

Inter midfielder Piotr Zielinski hit an early contender for goal of the season with a wonderful volley to open the scoring in his side’s Serie A match away against Hellas Verona on Sunday afternoon. 

You can follow the action from all of Sunday’s Serie A matches as they unfold on the Football Italia Liveblog. 

Watch: Zielinski scores brilliant volley in Verona vs. Inter 

Zieilnski sent Inter into the lead against Verona after 16 minutes at the Bentegodi. 

Just as impressive as the strike itself was the corner delivery from Hakan Calhanoglu, who swerved a low, outswinging cross perfectly onto the foot of his teammate on the edge of the area. 

Zielinski, from 20 yards out, perfectly caught a first-time, full volley with his side foot and dispatched it right into the roof of the net. 

It was the Poland international’s first goal since a brace in the 4-4 with Juventus in October 2024.

Angelo Palombo has been credited with drawing up Inter’s brilliant set-piece routine. 

INTER MILAN’S ZIELINSKI MIGHT HAVE JUST SCORED THE BEST GOAL YOU’LL SEE IN SERIE A THIS SEASON

@TNTSports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/5jb875Tso5

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 2, 2025

Inter head coach Cristian Chivu has opened up about his return to Verona, where he once suffered a career-threatening head injury, and has spoken about the return of Josep Martinez to the matchday squad, just four days after he was involved in a car accident that resulted in the death of an 81-year-old man near the club’s training ground. 

Chivu discussed these topics, as well as his side’s recent results and his team selection, ahead of the Serie A match between Verona and Inter at the Bentegodi on Sunday afternoon. 

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

Chivu: ‘I’ve lost and gained a lot in Verona’

Inter could bring themselves within a point of the lead of the Serie A table with a victory over Verona on Sunday after the 3-0 victory over Fiorentina earlier this week. 

Despite the Fiorentina win, Chivu believes that Inter still have plenty of room to improve. 

“The reaction wasn’t taken for granted. We have to keep doing what we have been doing, and add a little more. It’s in our DNA to do better,” he told DAZN before kick-off against Verona. 

Chivu has plenty of trust in Ange-Yoan Bonny and Petar Sucic, who are in the starting line-up again on Sunday. 

“They are just as good as Luis Henrique, Diouf, Pio Esposito, even if the Frenchman hasn’t had much of a chance but his time will come,” Chivu said. “I have a group of fantastic players, who believe in this team and in our dream.” 

Verona is a meaningful city for Chivu, who once fractured his skull after a shocking clash of heads with Chievo striker Sergio Pellissier. Chivu required surgery after parts of his skull had caved in, and once he returned to playing, always wore a protective helmet for the rest of his career. 

“A lot of time has passed. It was a rebirth for me here. I lost, but also gained a lot that day. I realised that the most important things in life are not winning or losing, but rather, to appreciate a career that does not last for long. 

“I’m happy, I came back here with Parma last year, but I don’t think about what happened to me, but about the city, which gave so much to me. They saved my life in that hospital and I still thank them after all these years. Verona is a fantastic place.” 

And, on Josep Martinez, who is in the matchday squad despite being involved in a traumatic incident earlier this week, Chivu said:“We’re thinking of him and helping him as a club, but we’re also thinking about the family of the deceased. 

“We’ve got to look after him and think about the difficulties he will have for the rest of his life. We will stand close by him, the togetherness of the group will be important.”

Luciano Spalletti got his Juventus tenure off to a winning start with a 2-1 victory away against Cremonese in Serie A on Saturday evening, and four Bianoneri players have earned individual praise from the press after a second consecutive Bianconeri victory in the league. 

Goals from Filip Kostic and Andrea Cambiaso were enough for the Old Lady to hold onto in Cremona on Saturday evening, despite a late consolation goal from Jamie Vardy. 

That was Juve’s second victory in a row in Serie A, following a 3-1 win over Udinese on Wednesday night. The team had not won in any of their last eight games prior to the Udinese win. 

Which players stood out in Cremonese 1-2 Juventus? 

Several players have earned individual praise in the press following their roles in Juventus’s victory on Saturday night. 

Among them are goalscorers Kostic and Cambiaso. The Serbian, who had scarcely featured under Tudor, has now started two games in a row, offers something a little different to Juve’s other options out wide, and is now adding goal contributions to his game as well. 

Kostic completed more dribbles, more crosses and, interestingly, won more duels than any other Juventus player on the pitch on Saturday evening. 

Cambiaso, who had not scored in 11 months prior to the Cremonese win, has also earned praise from the likes of La Gazzetta dello Sport on Sunday. He was deployed in his most natural position, at right wing-back, and went on to create three chances and make seven interceptions and ball recoveries. 

Teun Koopmeiners also had a positive start to life under Spalletti. The Bianconeri midfielder played on the left of the back three amidst a crisis of injuries at the back, and still made the most forward passes of any player on the pitch (48). 

Despite the fact that he did not end up on the scoresheet on Saturday evening, Dusan Vlahovic has also earned praise for his performance against Cremonese. The Juventus striker played nine one-twos with his teammates, won eight duels and registered six shots on goal across the 90.

Roma legend Daniele De Rossi is reportedly among the potential candidates to replace Patrick Vieira as head coach of Genoa, following the Frenchman’s sacking at the start of the weekend. 

Roma legend De Rossi an option for Genoa after Vieira

Genoa announced on Saturday that they have dismissed head coach Vieira following a winless start to the 2025-26 campaign, which has left the Grifone at the foot of the Serie A table with three points and zero victories from nine league matches. 

Roberto Murgita and Domenico Criscito will lead Genoa into their Serie A match against Sassuolo as interims on Sunday.

Genoa will then look to appoint a permanent head coach on a long-term basis. 

According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, there are several candidates who could take over at Genoa, and it has not yet been ruled out that Murgita and Criscito could be given the job on a longer-term basis. 

Sunday’s report claims that De Rossi is also a potential option. Be has been out of work since leaving his beloved Roma four games into the 2024-25 season. 

The likes of Raffaele Palladino, Paolo Vanoli and Luca Gotti are also on Genoa’s shortlist according to Sunday’s reports. 

Roma have an opportunity to claim the lead of the Serie A table when they take on Massimiliano Allegri’s Milan in San Siro on Sunday evening, with a number of notable players expected to return for the Rossoneri.
Milan sit in fourth place on 18 points after nine league matches of the 2025-26 campaign before kick-off, while Roma sit in second, just one point behind Napoli at the summit, having played one game fewer. 

Milan, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Atalanta midweek, are expected to be without Santiago Gimenez due to an ankle issue, adding to the absence of Christian Pulisic in attack. Rafael Leao is likely to start, despite some midweek concerns, and is likely to be joined by Christopher Nkunku up top. 

€37m summer signing Ardon Jashari is expected to be part of the matchday squad for the first time following the injury that he picked up in August. Pervis Estupinan is also expected to return to the matchday squad, but both are likely to start from the bench. 

Adrien Rabiot remains unavailable, which likely means another opportunity for Italy international Samuele Ricci to start in the midfield alongside Luka Modric and Youssouf Fofana. 

Roma are still without Angelino at left wing-back, which means that Wesley is likely to start from the left again, with Zeki Celik an option to start at right wing-back. 

Pre-match reports suggest that Bryan Cristante could start in a more advanced role in midfield, just behind the ‘double false nine’ of Paulo Dybala and Matias Soule. 

Kick-off is due at 19.45 GMT.

Milan vs. Roma: Probable line-ups

Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; De Winter, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Ricci, Bartesaghi; Nkunku, Leao. 

Roma (3-4-1-2): Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Celik, El Aynaoui, Kone, Wesley; Cristante; Soule, Dybala 

Where to watch Milan vs. Roma

Tonight’s game will be available to watch live in the UK on 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. 

Marcus Thuram has been left at home, which means that Ange-Yoan Bonny is likely to partner Lautaro Martinez for Inter when they take on Hellas Verona at the Bentegodi in Serie A on Sunday afternoon. 

The Nerazzurri sit in third place in the Serie A standings prior to kick-off, and could pull themselves one point behind current league leaders Napoli with a victory away from home on Sunday evening. 

Thuram is Inter’s biggest absence. He has been unavailable for the last few weeks, returned to training earlier this week, but has not travelled with the squad for the Verona match on Sunday. As per Sky Sport Italia, the Nerazzurri are making sure that he is fully fit for the Champions League test against Kairat on Wednesday evening instead. 

That means that Bonny and Lautaro Martinez are expected to lead the line in Verona, with Pio Esposito among the substitutes. 

Carlos Augusto is expected to start, but it remains to be seen whether he will come in for Federico Dimarco at left wing-back, or for Alessandro Bastoni on the left of the back three. 

According to Sky, Cristian Chivu is planning to go with a midfield trio of Nicolo Barella, Piotr Zielinski and Petar Sucic on Sunday. 

Kick-off is due in the early slot at 11.30 GMT. 

Verona vs. Inter: Probable line-ups

Verona (3-5-2): Montipo; Bella-Kotchap, Nelsson, Valentini; Belghali, Bernede, Gagliardini, Niasse, Frese; Giovane, Orban. 

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Zielinski, Sucic, C.Augusto; L.Martinez, Bonny. 

Where to watch Verona vs. Inter

Tonight’s game will be available to watch live in the UK on 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. 

La Gazzetta dello Sport 

It’s a different Juve 

Spalletti effect: Win in Cremona, -4 from the top 

Kostic scores, then Cambiaso: A good debut

The coach: ‘Koopmeiners a good defender’

Triple attack 

Milinkovic saves another penalty, Conte only at +1: Gasp for the overtake. Allegri and Chivu ready to chase him down 

Corriere dello Sport 

Lucio advances 

Spalletti lifts Juve up again 

Positive debut

Wins 2-1 in Cremona and lifts himself up to four points off the lead

Kostic scores after 85 seconds. Cambiaso scores in the second half. Shudders in the final moments after Vardy’s goals. Koop in defence. The ex CT: ‘We’re growing’

Napoli slowdown 

0-0 against Como: Milinkovic saves another penalty 

An uphill battle: Gilmour and Spinazzola injured. Vanja super in the first-half: saves Morata’s penalty. Hojlund poor. Champions League, Eintracht at the Maradona on Wednesday

Max counts on Milan, Roma for the lead 

Leao against Dybala in San Siro (19.45)

Allegri: ‘I want a group that fights’. Gasp: ‘Paulo is in the prime of his maturity’ 

Tuttosport 

Spalletti: Juve frenzy 

Kostic, Cambiaso and Luciano’s adrenaline: It’s already a victory in Cremona (2-1)

A new idea: Koop in central defence), flashes of positive play and plenty of determination. Caught up to Inter and Milan, -4 from Conte. Sporting in the first Champions League test on Tuesday. The coach: ‘So much pressure here’. 

Simeone and Adams wanting to fly 

Toro-Pisa: All ahead 

Baroni on the attack for the fifth positive result in a row: ‘The derby is the game, but we’re thinking about 5 o’clock for now. If I had 11 players at risk of a suspension, I’d play them all’. 

Vanja saves Napoli. Milan-Roma is worth double. Inter opportunity 

Pre-match reports indicate that Stanislav Lobotka will be back and available for selection again when Napoli host Como in Serie A on Saturday evening. 

Conte gets Lobotka back in time for Napoli vs. Como

Lobotka has been unavailable since the beginning of the latest international break after picking up a muscular injury during his side’s 2-1 win over Genoa on October 5. 

The 30-year-old has since missed the last three rounds of Serie A fixtures, one game in the Champions League and Slovenia’s last two World Cup qualifiers. Billy Gilmour has been Antonio Conte’s go-to replacement over the last few weeks. 

Lobotka is now expected to return to the matchday squad when the Partenopei take on Como in Serie A on Saturday afternoon, kicking off at 17.00 GMT. According to reports from Sky Sport Italia, it is likely that he starts on the bench for his first game back. 

Pre-match reports indicate that there could also be a return to the starting line-up for Rasmus Hojlund, who marked his return from injury off the bench against Lecce on Tuesday evening. 

The Partenopei are expected to be without Lorenzo Lucca, Alex Meret, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku. 

Luciano Spalletti is due to take charge of his first match as Juventus head coach on Saturday, but will have his work cut out for him as both Kenan Yildiz and Lloyd Kelly have been ruled out. Here is how the Old Lady could line up in their absence. 

Juventus will travel to Cremona to take on Davide Nicola’s side in Serie A at 19.45 GMT on Saturday evening. This will be Spalletti’s first match in charge since replacing Igor Tudor as Bianconeri head coach on Thursday evening. 

Spalletti, thus far, has had just one training session to work with his players following his appointment on Thursday evening, and is therefore not expected to make any major changes to Juve’s recent shape or system. 

During his first press conference on Friday, Spalletti discussed the fact that he will look to deploy a back four in the future, but that he is likely to stick with a back three on Saturday, even if he only has three senior centre-backs available with Kelly and Bremer out injured. 

That means that Pierre Kalulu, Federico Gatti and Daniele Rugani are practically guaranteed to start, with Next Gen defenders Pedro Felipe and Filippo Scaglia called in to make up the numbers. 

There will be an enforced change further up the pitch, though, as Yildiz has also been left at home. 

Francisco Conceicao could come back into the starting line-up to play alongside Lois Openda in an attacking trident that will likely be led by Dusan Vlahovic at centre-forward. 

Khephren Thuram is also back in the squad after being left out against Udinese on Wednesday. It remains to be seen whether he will be thrown straight back into the starting line-up, with Teun Koopmeiners, Manuel Locatelli and Weston McKennie also available for selection.

Possible Juventus XI without Yildiz or Kelly

(3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Gatti, Rugani; McKennie, Koopmeiners, Thuram/Locatelli, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Openda; Vlahovic.

Luciano Spalletti has confirmed his first Juventus squad following his appointment as head coach on Thursday, and has been forced to leave out two key first-team players in Kenan Yildiz and Lloyd Kelly. 

Spalletti was appointed head coach of Juventus on Thursday, signing an initial short-term contract until the end of the 2025-26 season. He replaced Igor Tudor, who had gone eight matches without a win across all competitions at the end of his tenure, had lost all of his last three and had not seen his side score in any of his last four. 

Spalletti, who signed his contracts on Thursday and got to work in Continassa on Friday, will have an away trip against Cremonese on Saturday evening to begin his Bianconeri tenure. 

Spalletti has named a squad of 22 travelling players for the Cremonese match, but has left star attacker Yildiz at home.

The Turkish gem has recently been suffering with patellar tendinopathy, sometimes referred to as jumper’s knee in his left leg. This is effectively an inflammation that affects the tendon beneath the kneecap. He has been wearing a bandage around the affected knee in all of his recent Old Lady outings. 

That issue kept him out of the starting line-up for Tudor’s final match in charge of Juventus, a 1-0 defeat against Lazio last weekend, but he returned and played the full 90 minutes during the 3-1 win over Udinese on Wednesday night. 

As per Ilbianconero.com, Yildiz will be left at home on this occasion so that he can rest his knee. 

There is less cause for concern regarding centre-back Kelly, who has reportedly been suffering with back pain and is not expected to be sidelined for an extended period. 

There is a boost for the Juventus midfield department, though, as Khephren Thuram, who missed the 3-1 win over Udinese, has returned and is in contention to feature. 

Confirmed Juventus squad for Cremonese 

Goalkeepers: Di Gregorio, Perin. 

Defenders: Gatti, Kalulu, Rugani, J.Mario, Cambiaso, Rouhi, Scaglia, Pedro Felipe. 

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

Forwards: Conceicao, Vlahovic, Zhegrova, Openda, David. 

I giocatori convocati per #CremoneseJuve

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— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) October 31, 2025

The Allianz Stadium, the regular home of Juventus, is among the potential host venues for both the 2028 and 2029 Europa League and Conference League finals, UEFA have confirmed. 

On Friday, UEFA revealed a list of member associations who have officially expressed an interest in hosting its club competition finals in 2028 and 2029, i.e the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League finals. 

The host venues for the 2026 and 2027 finals have already been announced: 

• 2025-26 Champions League final: Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary.
• 2025-26 Europa League final: Besiktas Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey.
• 2025-26 Conference League final: Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig, Germany. 
• 2026-27 Champions League final: Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain. 
• 2026-27 Europa League final: Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany.
• 2026-27 Conference League final: Besiktas Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey. 

UEFA have now confirmed a list of potential host venues for the same competitions in 2028 and 2029. 

Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena, known as Fußball Arena München in UEFA competitions, is the only venue that has expressed an interest in hosting the Champions League final in 2028. 

Wembley Stadium in London and Barcelona’s Camp Nou are the two venues that have registered an interest in hosting the Champions League final in 2029. 

Juventus’s Allianz Stadium, known as Juventus Stadium in UEFA competitions, has registered an interest in hosting both the Europa League and Conference League finals in both 2028 and 2029. 

The Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon, the Parc des Princes in Paris, the National Arena in Bucharest and the Nations Stadium in Belgrade have also expressed an interest in hosting the Europa League final in both 2928 and 2029. The Ankara 19 Mayis Stadium is also an option for the 2029 Europa League final. 

The Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille, the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Astana Arena and Almaty Stadium in Kazakhstan and Arena Gdansk in Poland have registered an interest in hosting the 2028 Conference League final, along with the Juventus Stadium. 

The same list of venues, plus the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, have expressed an interest in hosting the 2029 Conference League final. 

Potential host venues for 2028 and 2029 Champions League, Europa League and Conference League finals 

2027-28

Champions League: Fußball Arena München (Munich).

Europa League: Parc Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon), Parc des Princes (Paris), Juventus Stadium (Turin), National Arena (Bucharest), National Stadium (Belgrade).

Conference League: Stade Pierre-Mauroy (Lille), Puskas Arena (Budapest), Juventus Stadium (Turin), Astana Arena (Astana), Almaty Stadium (Almaty), Gdansk Arena (Gdansk). 

2028-29

Champions League: Wembley Stadium (London), Camp Nou (Barcelona). 

Europa League: Parc Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon), Parc des Princes (Paris), Juventus Stadium (Turin), National Arena (Bucharest), National Stadium (Belgrade), Ankara 19 Mayis Stadium (Ankara). 

Conference League:  Helsinki Olympic Stadium (Helsinki), Stade Pierre-Mauroy (Lille), Puskas Arena (Budapest), Juventus Stadium (Turin), Astana Arena (Astana), Almaty Stadium (Almaty), Gdansk Arena (Poland).

Rafael Leao is back in contention to start for Milan when they take on Roma in a top-of-the-table Serie A clash on Sunday evening, but Massimiliano Allegri may have to do without two more of his first-team regulars according to the latest update. 

Leao back in contention for Milan vs. Roma

Reports on Thursday confirmed that Leao was a major doubt for Milan heading into their upcoming Serie A match against Roma, who sit level on points with Napoli at the top of the league standings before kick-off. 

The Portugal international had been struggling with inflammation around his hip, however, according to reports from Calciomercato.com, Leao has begun to shake that problem off and is now in contention to start again against Roma. 

Leao is reportedly ‘not 100% fully fit’, but it still in line to start from the off against the Giallorossi, even if that means he has to come off before full-time. 

According to Friday’s reports, Fikayo Tomori and Santiago Gimenez could both be ruled out of the Milan match. 

Tomori is suffering from a pair of knocks to his knee and thigh, while Gimenez has not yet overcome an ankle issue he picked up against Atalanta last time out in Serie A. As per Calciomercato, they are both likely to miss out on the Roma match barring any last-minute turn-arounds in Saturday’s final training session. 

Tomori and Gimenez add to an injury list that already includes Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic, who have both already been ruled out of the Roma game.

Juventus have officially announced the appointment of former Italy CT Luciano Spalletti as the club’s new head coach following the dismissal of Igor Tudor at the beginning of this week. 

Spalletti, who had always been Juventus’s first-choice candidate to replace Tudor, has put pen to paper on a short-term contract until the end of the 2025-26 season with an option to extend if the Bianconeri qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Recent reports indicate that Spalletti will earn a salary of around €3m until the end of the 2025-26 campaign. 

Why Juventus sacked Tudor 

Juventus took the decision to dismiss Tudor after just eight league matches of the 2025-26 campaign, and in doing so, became the first club in Serie A to pull the rug on their head coach this campaign. 

The Old Lady had gone eight matches without a win in all competitions, their most recent coming in a 4-3 victory over Inter on September 13, and had not scored in any of Tudor’s last four matches in charge. The team had also lost three games in a row at the end of Tudor’s tenure. 

There had also been reports that Tudor did not see eye to eye with a number of Juve’s directors, including general manager Damien Comolli. 

Outlets in Italy claim that the two didn’t agree on transfer decisions over the summer, that they did not agree over the appointment of Director of Performance Darren Burgess, and that the club were not keen on Tudor’s style of communication, particularly in the press. 

What Juventus said about Spalletti 

Spalletti career to date 

Most recently, Spalletti has served as head coach of the Italy national team, but was dismissed at the beginning of the summer following a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Norway in World Cup qualification, which made it near-on impossible to finish the qualifying campaign at the top of the group. 

Italy had an encouraging Nations League campaign under Spalletti, but had also massively underwhelmed at EURO 2024, crashing out at the round of 16 after a lacklustre performance against Switzerland. 

Before then, in his most recent Serie A job, Spalletti had a considerably more positive experience in charge of Napoli, where he won the Serie A title for the first time in his career in 2022-23. He delivered an average of 2.1 points per game during his three seasons with the Partenopei. 

Spalletti is also one of the most experienced Serie A coaches around, with well over 500 matches in the top flight under his belt from his spells with Udinese, Roma, Inter and Napoli. 

Luciano Spalletti will soon be officially announced as the new head coach of Juventus following the sacking of Igor Tudor at the beginning of the week, and recent updates confirm that the former CT recently turned down an opportunity to take over at Nottingham Forest before the opportunity with the Old Lady arose. 

Spalletti has already signed his contract with Juventus, and is now only an official announcement away from becoming the new Bianconeri head coach. 

He replaces Igor Tudor, who had gone eight matches without a win across all competitions, had lost all of his last three and had not scored in any of his last four. 

Spalletti has put pen to paper on an initial short-term contract that includes an option or a potential obligation to extend in the event that the Bianconeri qualify for next season’s Champions League. 

Spalletti turned down Forest and Al-Ittihad offers 

According to recent reports from Fabrizio Romano, Spalletti, who has been out of work since leaving his role with the Italy national team at the start of the summer, turned down job offers from Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and from Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League. 

Spalletti was reportedly not sold on taking over at Forest in a delicate situation in the Premier League, despite the fact that they would have offered more than Juventus in terms of wages according to Romano. 

Spalletti has been waiting for the right opportunity to arise, insisting that he is focused on the right sporting project, rather than the right economic offer. 

For that reason, he also reportedly turned down a lucrative contract offer from Al-Ittihad as a replacement for Laurent Blanc in September. Former Milan head coach Sergio Conceicao took up that opportunity instead.

The Italian minister for sport, Andrea Abodi, has had his say on the proposal to play the Serie A match between Milan and Como in Perth, Australia in February, suggesting that there was a ‘lack of respect’ for the supporters and that fan opinions ‘were not taken into account’. 

Abodi on Milan and Como being played in Australia: ‘Lack of respect’

The Lega Serie A have set plans in motion to play the Serie A match between Milan and Como, originally scheduled for February 8, in Perth Australia. 

The game will not be able to take place in San Siro, as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza will be occupied with preparations for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics over that weekend. 

In their search for a new venue, the Lega Serie A have decided to play the match in Australia. UEFA has given its approval, as have the Australian FA, but final go-ahead from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and from FIFA is still required before the game can go be played down under. 

The decision to play the game so far away from home has drawn criticism from a number of supporters, and from a handful of players and coaches as well. 

Abodi has recently had his say on the matter. While he thinks there could be positive aspects from the game being played in Australia, he also feels that the opinions of supporters were not taken into consideration. 

“Everyone has their thoughts, I think the league made their decision based on what was possible, and I think we need to look for the positive aspects as well,” Abodi said (via TMW). 

“Of course, there is a lack of respect for the fans because clubs should play in front of their own supporters, they make a big sacrifice, not only economically. I think what the fans are complaining about is the fact that they were not taken into account,” he concluded. 

Reports in Italy claim that Napoli are growing increasingly keen on the idea of a January deal for Manchester United outcast Kobbie Mainoo following a serious injury to Kevin De Bruyne, and with fears that Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa will be unavailable for around a month during the Africa Cup of Nations. 

Report Napoli even more keen on Mainoo after De Bruyne surgery

Napoli were among the clubs who enquired after Mainoo towards the end of the summer transfer window when it became clear that he was falling out of favour under United head coach Ruben Amorim. 

Effectively a quarter of the way through the 2025-26 campaign, Mainoo is still struggling for first-team opportunities at Old Trafford. 

All of his seven appearances in the Premier League this season have come off the bench, and his only start of the season came in United’s FA Cup humiliation against League Two Grimsby Town in August. 

According to reports from Corriere dello Sport (via TMW), Napoli are keen to offer Mainoo a way out of Old Trafford in January, potentially on a straight loan deal. 

The Partenopei have lost De Bruyne until February at the earliest following surgery on his hamstring, and there are concerns that the in-form Anguissa could be unavailable for around a month in December and January due to the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. 

That means that Antonio Conte could be left without two of his first-choice starting midfielders for most of January. 

There are some initial concerns surrounding a potential Napoli move for Mainoo, though, specifically over his physical condition, given that he has only played a full 90 minutes once in the last five months and that he would be expected to come in and start if a move to Napoli were to materialise. 

Milan invested heavily on the signing of centre-forward Santiago Gimenez last January, but reports in Italy suggest that time is beginning to run out for the Mexico international in San Siro, and now he has just two months to get his Rossoneri career back on track. 

Gimenez was signed by Milan amidst a major personnel reshuffle during the most recent January transfer window, coming in at a cost of €28.5m, which could total €35m with bonuses and add-ons included. 

Despite hitting seven league goals from 11 appearances in the Eredivisie and five in five for Feyenoord in the Champions League in the months leading up to his Milan transfer, Gimenez has since struggled to find the net in both the second half of 2024-25 and the first stage of 2025-26. 

Time running out for Gimenez at Milan

The Mexico international is still without a goal in Serie A this season, despite starting in eight out of nine matches and having played for over 10 hours in the league this campaign. 

Gimenez, who had been linked with a late move away from Milan at the end of the summer transfer window, was due to begin the season behind Rafael Leao, Christian Pulisic and Christopher Nkunku in the Rossoneri pecking order following the appointment of Massimiliano Allegri. 

However, following an injury to Leao and with Nkunku taking a while to get up to full match fitness, Gimenez has been a regular in Allegri’s 3-5-2, albeit with a slight lack of alternative options. 

Leao is now back, as is Nkunku, and while Pulisic is currently unavailable through injury, he is due to return before long as well. 

As La Gazzetta dello Sport writes, the clock is now ticking for Gimenez to prove his worth in front of goal for Milan. 

The Pink Paper suggests that Gimenez now has two months, or rather eight matches (potentially nine depending on Milan’s success in the Supercoppa Italiana) to show that he is up to the task, or risk being moved on. That is despite the fact that his contract runs until the summer of 2029.

Luciano Spalletti will soon be announced as the new head coach of Juventus following the sacking of Igor Tudor at the beginning of the week, and reports suggest that the former CT will bring a trusted and experienced backroom staff along with him to Continassa. 

Spalletti is due to be appointed as the new head coach of Juventus on an initial short-term contract until the end of the 2025-26 season with an option or potentially an obligation to extend depending on Champions League qualification. 

Who will join Spalletti at Juventus?

According to Thursday’s reports, Marco Domenichini will join Spalletti as his assistant at Juventus. 

Domenichini has been a long-term colleague, and has followed Spalletti throughout his career, spanning well over two decades, beginning with Udinese in 2002, then Roma, Zenit St. Petersburg, Roma again, Inter, Napoli and with the Italy national team. 

Salvatore Russo, who also worked with Spalletti at Napoli and with the Italy national team, will also join the set-up as a first-team coach according to reports from TMW. 

Thursday’s report indicated that Giovanni Martusciello will also be a first-team coach at Juventus. He worked with Spalletti at Inter between 2017 and 2019, and has also worked at Juventus previously under Maurizio Sarri.

Martusciello went on to serve as an assistant head coach under Sarri at Lazio for three years and also had 15 matches as head coach of Salernitana at the beginning of the 2024-25 season. 

Francesco Sinatti, who also has Napoli and the Italy national team on his CV, is set to join the Juventus staff as a fitness coach. 

Luciano Spalletti is set to be unveiled as the new head coach of Juventus on Thursday, but the former Italy CT is not expected to lead the Bianconeri in their training session immediately after his impending announcement according to the latest updates. 

Spalletti is due to be announced as the new head coach of Juventus on an initial short-term contract until the end of the 2025-26 season with an option or potentially an obligation to renew if the Bianconeri qualify for the Champions League. 

He is called in as the replacement for Igor Tudor, who became the first Serie A coach to lose their job in 2025-26 at the beginning of this week. He lasted just eight league matches of the season, but had failed to win in any of his last eight games across all competitions, had lost all of his last three and had not scored in any of his last four. 

Why Spalletti will not take Juventus training on Thursday 

Spalletti’s announcement is imminent: He has recently concluded his visit to the Bianconeri training ground, and headed for the club’s headquarters to sign his contract at around midday GMT. 

According to reports from TMW, Spalletti will not lead the Juventus training session on Thursday afternoon immediately after his impending announcement, though. 

That is largely due to the fact that most of the Bianconeri squad will be in for a recovery session following Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over Udinese under caretaker head coach Massimo Brambilla. 

The players will begin their recovery session at around 14.00 GMT, and will then turn their attention to Cremonese ahead of their match at 19.45 GMT on Saturday evening. 

Marcus Thuram returned to first-team training with the rest of the Inter squad on Thursday, according to reports in Italy, following a full month out with an injury he picked up during the Champions League win over Slavia Prague at the end of September. 

Thuram returns to Inter training after 30 days out

Thuram has not featured for the Nerazzurri since the 3-0 Champions League win over Slavia Prague on September 30. The Frenchman was spotted limping around the press area after full-time, but initially claimed that there was ‘nothing to worry about’ regarding a potential injury. 

He has since missed 30 days of action with a hamstring injury, during which time he has missed four Serie A matches, one in the Champions League, plus the October international break with the France national team. 

According to updates from Sky Sport Italia, Thuram is now back in the fold and has returned to training with the Inter squad in Milan on Thursday. 

It remains to be seen, however, whether he will be fit enough to feature when the Nerazzurri take on Hellas Verona at the Bentegodi in the early kick-off on Sunday. 

Former Italy CT and soon-to-be Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti has recently revealed his personal all-time greatest XI of players he has previously worked with, naming some legendary players including the likes of Mohamed Salah and Francesco Totti among his selections. 

Spalletti is set to be appointed as the new head coach of Juventus following the recent departure of Igor Tudor. 

The 2022-23 Scudetto winner is expected to sign a short-term contract until the end of the 2025-26 season with an option or potentially an obligation to renew if Juventus qualify for next season’s Champions League. 

Spalletti’s reveals his all-time greatest XI 

Speaking at the recent Festival dello Sport in Trento, Spalletti revealed his all-time greatest XI of players he has previously worked with, but found it difficult to name just one player in certain positions. 

That was the case in goal, where he could not decide between Alisson Becker and Wojciech Szczesny: “Two great goalkeepers, both good with their feet,” he said. “It’s always been difficult to leave one out. One always played in the cups and the other in the league.

Alisson and Szczesny get the nod over the likes of Samir Handanovic or Scudetto-winner Alex Meret. 

At right-back, Spalletti chose the captain of his Scudetto-winning Napoli side, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who has since gone on to win the league title again in 2024-25. He could have chosen Joao Cancelo or Alessandro Florenzi in that position. 

Spalletti decided to select one centre-back from Napoli and one from Inter, namely Kalidou Koulibaly and current Nerazzurri head coach Cristian Chivu. Antonio Rudiger, Kim Min-Jae and Kostas Manolas are among the notable centre-backs that Spalletti did not pick. 

At left-back, Spalletti went with Marek Jankulovski, whom he coached at Udinese. 

Spalletti selected two Giallorossi midfielders in his all-time XI. There was no way he was ever going to leave out Daniele De Rossi, nor David Pizarro, who get the nod over the likes of Stanislav Lobotka, Radja Nainggolan and Marcelo Brozovic. 

Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah, whom Spalletti coached at Roma, is the chosen selection on the right wing. Another Scudetto winner in Khvvicha Kvaratskhelia was chosen on the opposite flank to Salah. 

The most obvious selection of the team is at no.10, with the inclusion of Giallorossi and Italy legend Francesco Totti. 

And, despite the fact that he could have chosen Victor Osimhen, Mauro Icardi or Lautaro Martinez at centre-forward, Spalletti decided to go with Edin Dzeko: “He was the player who had everything for me at Roma, quality and physicality,” he said. 

Spalletti’s all-time greatest XI 

(4-2-3-1): Alisson/Szczesny; Di Lorenzo, Koulibaly, Chivu, Jankulovski; De Rossi, Pizarro; Salah, Totti, Kvaratskhelia; Dzeko.

Milan have been left with a doubt surrounding star forward Rafael Leao approaching the team’s crucial, top-of-the-table clash against Roma coming up this weekend according to Thursday’s reports. 

Leao in doubt for Milan vs. Roma

Leao underwent medical checks on Wednesday according to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, after being withdrawn at half-time of his side’s 1-1 draw with Atalanta on Tuesday night. 

While those tests ruled out a serious injury, it is understood that the Portugal international is struggling with inflammation in his hip, which makes him a doubt for the Roma game at the weekend. 

The 26-year-old has only been fit enough to start in Milan’s last three Serie A matches of the season, following a calf injury that kept him out for over a month at the beginning of the campaign. He has scored three goals across those last three league starts. 

Thursday’s reports indicate that Leao will be a guaranteed starter if he is fit and available on Sunday. With Christian Pulisic and Santiago Gimenez likely out of action for the Roma match, there could also be an opportunity for Christopher Nkunku, if not, for Ruben Loftus-Cheek. 

Pulisic and Adrien Rabiot are reportedly aiming to return to the group in time to face Parma on November 8. 

Summer signings Ardon Jashari and Pervis Estupinan have returned to first-team training on Thursday following their recent injury lay-offs.

Juventus picked up their first victory since September 13 with a 3-1 Serie A victory against Udinese under interim head coach Massimo Brambilla on Thursday evening, with Kenan Yildiz once again putting in one of Juve’s better performances. 

Below are the player ratings from an interesting evening in Turin. 

The Juve no.10 won and converted a penalty in second-half injury-time, which followed Bianconeri goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Gatti. Nicolo Zaniolo had made it 1-1 moments before half-time. 

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

Juventus 3-1 Udinese – Player ratings 

Juventus: Di Gregorio 6; Kalulu 6, Gatti 6.5, Kelly 6; Cambiaso 6, McKennie 6, Locatelli 6, Kostic 6.5; Yildiz 7; Openda 6.5, Vlahovic 6.5. 

Best Juventus player: Yildiz 7 – Yildiz continues to show why he is rated so highly in Bianconeri circles. He tested Okoye with a few shots from distance, but showed that he is capable of creating chances for himself from nothing. Should have made it 3-1 in injury time, but then won and converted a penalty that did restore his side’s two-goal advantage a few moments later. 

Coach: Massimo Brambilla 6.5 – Difficult circumstances for the interim Juventus head coach, who has only had since Monday to prepare the team following the sacking of Igor Tudor. The goal drought is over, though, and the team responded well despite the Udinese equaliser just before half-time. Not the most thrilling of Juventus performances by any means, but a valuable three points have been secured. 

Udinese: Okoye 5; Goglichidze 4, Kabasele 6, Solet 6; Ehizibue 6, Piotrowski 5.5, Karlstrom 6, Atta 6, Kamara 6; Zaniolo 6.5, Davis 5.

Coach: Kosta Runjaic –  The Udinese head coach will have been pleased with the way that his side ended the first-half, finding an equaliser just before the interval through Zaniolo, but that was his side’s only real sign of momentum across the 90. They did not come out for the second half with the same intensity that they finished the second, and ultimately let Juventus back into the game. 

Best Udinese player: Zaniolo 6.5 – The most composed man in the penalty area when the opportunity fell for him moments before half-time. Two goals in his last three Serie A appearances for Udinese now. 

Frederic Massara says that Roma are achieving ‘surprisingly good early results’ under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, but insists that the club’s goal is to grow ‘over time and build for the future’. 

The Giallorossi director of Football gave his thoughts on the current state of affairs at the Stadio Olimpico ahead of Roma’s Serie A clash against Parma on Wednesday evening, which kicks off at 17.30 BST. 

You can follow the action from tonight’s Serie A matches as they unfold on the Football Italia Liveblog. 

Massara: Roma having ‘surprisingly good early results’ under Gasperini 

Roma have an opportunity to draw level on points with Napoli at the top of the Serie A standings with a victory at home against Parma on Wednesday evening. 

That is despite the fact that the Giallorossi are lacking goals from their centre-forwards, with Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson scoring just once between them since the start of the season. 

Massara insists that Ferguson, who has not scored at club level in over a year, needs time to settle in following his move on loan with an option to buy from Brighton over the summer. 

“Let us not forget Ferguson is young, he has arrived at a difficult league in Italy and needs time to adapt. He also had a few fitness issues, but we are confident he can give a big contribution to the team,” Massara told DAZN Italia before kick-off.

Massara was also asked how it has been working alongside Gasperini as head coach and Claudio Ranieri as a director. 

“Gasperini and Ranieri are two legendary figures, so there is great reciprocal respect and collaboration on how to go forward for the good of Roma.”

And what does Massara expect to see from Roma during the January transfer window? 

“A big signing in January is always tough, because players who are already making the difference in their teams are hard to move. We have FFP restrictions, and it is not easy. On the other hand, we have many games to go until then, so we will be able to evaluate when and if we need to intervene and in which areas of the team.”

Friedkin family tend not to speak publicly, they delegate to other figures

“The owners are very close to us and we speak to them almost daily, so they care very much for Roma. This summer we decided on a different approach, to focus on a coach who could help create value in the squad for players with promising talent. 

“We knew it could be more laborious and will take time, also because the ideas of the coach take time to be absorbed by the players. He is having surprisingly good early results, but the intention is to grow over time and build for the future.”

Roma once again turn to Paolo Dybala as they look to draw level with Napoli at the top of the Serie A standings with a Serie A match at home against Carlos Cuesta’s Parma on Wednesday evening.

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 17.30 GMT.

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

The Giallorossi sat level with Napoli at the top of the Serie A standings at the end of the weekend following their 1-0 win over Sassuolo on Sunday. The Partenopei have since beaten Lecce 1-0 on Tuesday evening, which has temporarily sent them three points clear of Gian Piero Gasperini’s side.

Gasperini was expected to turn to Dybala to lead the Roma attack as a false nine following his first goal of the season against Sassuolo last time out.

However, Matias Soulé returns to the starting XI and notably so does Evan Ferguson, scrapping the False nine approach.

Angelino is Roma’s only injury absentee, which means that Wesley starts at left wing-back with Zeki Celik starting on the right, as Mario Hermoso returns to the back three.

The Ducali are without a win or a goal in three games, missing Mandela Keita, Pontus Almqvist, Emanuele Valeri, Gaetano Oristanio, Matija Frigan and Jacob Ondrejka, but Abdoulaye Ndiaye returns from suspension.

Roma vs. Parma line-ups

Roma: Svilar; Hermoso, Mancini, N’Dicka; Celik, Cristante, Koné, Wesley; Soulé, Dybala; Ferguson

Parma: Suzuki; Delprato, Circati, Valenti, Britschgi; Estevez, Bernabé, Ordonez, Sorensen; Cutrone, Pellegrino

29-10-2025 17:30

MatchDay 9

Stadio Olimpico

Roma

Parma

Live

1 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

38'

Mateo Pellegrino

2nd half

Mario Hermoso (Assist: Paulo Dybala)

63'

Roma

Parma

Starting lineups

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

5

Evan Ndicka

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

22

Mario Hermoso

Defender

43

Wesley

Defender

19

Zeki Celik

Defender

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

17

Manu Koné

Midfielder

11

Evan Ferguson

Attacker

7'

18

Matìas Soulé

Attacker

73'

21

Paulo Dybala

Attacker

31

Zion Suzuki

Goalkeeper

39

Alessandro Circati

Defender

15

Enrico Delprato

Defender

5

Lautaro Valenti

Defender

27

Sascha Britschgi

Defender

10

Adrián Bernabé

Midfielder

24

Christian Ordoñez

Midfielder

8

Nahuel Estévez

Midfielder

22

Oliver Sörensen

Midfielder

9

Mateo Pellegrino

Attacker

32

Patrick Cutrone

Attacker

60'

Substitutes

7

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Midfielder

92

Stephan El Shaarawy

Attacker

35

Tommaso Baldanzi

Midfielder

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

32

Devis Vásquez

Goalkeeper

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

66

Buba Sangaré

Defender

31

Leon Bailey

Attacker

8

Neil El Aynaoui

Midfielder

46'

9

Artem Dovbyk

Attacker

73'

23

Hernani

Midfielder

30

Milan Djuric

Attacker

66

Filippo Rinaldi

Goalkeeper

40

Edoardo Corvi

Goalkeeper

18

Mathias Løvik

Midfielder

11

Pontus Almqvist

Attacker

19

Tjas Begic

Attacker

3

Abdoulaye Ndiaye

Defender

63

Nicolas Trabucchi

Defender

65

Elia Plicco

Midfielder

25

Benja Cremaschi

Midfielder

37

Mariano Troilo

Defender

75

Alessandro Cardinali

Attacker

7

Adrian Benedyczak

Attacker

60'

Milan’s summer signing Ardon Jashari is expected to return to first-team training with the rest of the Rossoneri squad on Thursday after missing over two months of action at the start of the 2025-26 season. 

Jashari was one of the most expensive signings in Serie A over the course of the summer transfer window, joining Milan from Club Brugge at a total cost of €37m following a lengthy transfer saga. 

The Switzerland international was given 24 minutes off the bench during Milan’s 2-0 win over Bari in the first round of the Coppa Italia in August, and then another 16 minutes during Milan’s 2-1 Serie A defeat against Cremonese on August 23, but has been unable to feature since then. 

Milan expect Jashari to return on Thursday

It was reported that Jashari suffered an unfortunate injury in training after an accidental collision with teammate Santiago Gimenez. 

The club later confirmed that Jashari had suffered a fractured fibula, which was expected to keep him out of action for around two months. 

It has now been two months and one day since the injury that Jashari suffered in training, and now, according to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, the €37m signing will finally resume first-team training with the rest of the Rossoneri squad on Thursday.

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler has had an opportunity to share his thoughts on Roma loanee Evan Ferguson, who has come under criticism for his lack of goals, despite the Giallorossi being among the early challengers for the Serie A title. 

Ferguson joined Roma on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy for a cost of €40m during the summer transfer window. 

The Irishman started in three of Roma’s first four league matches of the season, all of which resulted in 1-0 victories, but has since struggled to break into Gian Piero Gasperini’s starting line-up, and has now gone a full calendar year without scoring a competitive goal at club level. 

What Hurzeler said about Ferguson’s goal drought at Roma

Brighton head coach Hurzeler was asked what he made of Ferguson’s form during his pre-match press conference ahead of his side’s cup clash against Arsenal on Tuesday. 

He believes it is ‘natural’ that a young player goes through ‘waves’ in their development, and insists that patience is the only thing that will help Ferguson get through his goal drought. 

“It’s not easy, especially for Evan, to go to another culture, it’s a completely different style of football,” Hurzeler told the press. 

“I think we need to be patient with him, he’s still very young, he needs to adapt. I think he had a really good start. 

“It’s natural, when you look at our squad, it’s the same with our young players, there are waves in the way they develop. We can’t expect that it always goes (upwards). 

“Overall, the main thing is that he doesn’t regret what he’s doing, that he’s overcoming these phases because overcoming these phases means you get stronger in your personality, you become more mature, you make the next step and I’m sure long-term, this will help in his development.”

Inter President Beppe Marotta has expressed his sympathies to the family of the 81-year-old man killed in a road traffic accident involving Nerazzurri goalkeeper Joesp Martinez on Tuesday, and says that he hopes the club can ‘be of assistance in this tragic situation’. 

Inter’s second-choice goalkeeper Martinez was the driver of a car that struck an 81-year-old man in an electric wheelchair a few kilometres away from the club’s training ground. The man, named as Paolo Saibene, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

In response to the fatal incident, Inter cancelled head coach Cristian Chivu’s pre-match press conference on Tuesday. Martinez, meanwhile, was taken to a local police station, was subjected to drug and alcohol tests and returned home at around 18.00 local time. He is not expected to return to training with Inter until next week at the earliest. 

What Inter’s Marotta said about Josep Martinez car accident

Inter President Marotta, speaking at an event in Milan marking 100 days until the start of the Winter Olympics, was able to express his sympathies publicly for the first time since the tragic incident on Tuesday morning. 

“It’s a serious and delicate situation,” Marotta said. “Of course, we are here for the family of the deceased, as well as for our player, whom we all know very well. 

“This is the sort of situation or accident that is, unfortunately, part of everyday life. I hope that we can be of assistance in this tragic situation.”

Cristian Chivu has been forced to call up two young goalkeepers from the youth teams for Inter’s Serie A match against Fiorentina on Wednesday evening, as Yann Sommer is currently the only senior stopper available for selection. 

Inter are without both of their two reserve goalkeepers on Wednesday evening. 

Raffaele Di Gennaro is recovering from a fractured wrist and is expected to be unavailable for several more weeks. 

Josep Martinez, Inter’s no.2, is out of the squad on compassionate grounds, as he was involved in a road traffic collision that resulted in the death of an 81-year-old man on Tuesday. The Spaniard is not expected to return to Nerazzurri training until next week at the earliest. 

Who will replace Martinez and Di Gennaro for Inter?

With both back-up goalkeepers unavailable, Chivu has had to call up 20-year-old goalkeeper Alessandro Calligaris, who has been included in the last two Serie A squads following the injury to Di Gennaro.

Calligaris is otherwise the first-choice goalkeeper for the U23 squad in Serie C. 

There is also a call-up for 18-year-old Albania youth international Alain Taho, who is usually based with the Inter Primavera side. This will be his first call-up to the senior side. 

Napoli star Kevin De Bruyne is expected to be unavailable until February at the earliest after undergoing surgery on his injured hamstring on Wednesday. 

De Bruyne immediately clutched his hamstring after converting a penalty during Napoli’s 3-1 win over Inter in Serie A over the weekend. The club confirmed the following day that the former Manchester City favourite had suffered a severe tear in his thigh, which required surgery to amend. 

Napoli have confirmed on Wednesday that De Bruyne has now had that operation in his native Belgium, and that he is due to begin the first stage of his rehabilitation process in Antwerp. 

Napoli confirm successful De Bruyne surgery

“As was scheduled, Kevin De Bruyne underwent surgery in Antwerp today following a high-grade hamstring injury in his right thigh,” Napoli confirmed in a statement on the club website. 

“The surgery was perfectly successful. De Bruyne, overseen by head of the medical staff, Dr Raffaele Canonico, will continue the first part of the post-surgical phase of his rehabilitation process in Belgium.” 

As per La Gazzetta dello Sport, the recovery phase after De Bruyne’s surgery could take anywhere between three to five months. 

Either way, the Belgium international could potentially return to action in February, but that is considered the best case scenario. 

It is not an ideal situation for head coach Antonio Conte, who will also lose in-form central midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa for up to a month in December and January for the Africa Cup of Nations. 

Josep Martinez is expected to take the week off training with Inter after being involved in a fatal road traffic collision that resulted in the death of an 81-year-old in a wheelchair on Tuesday morning. 

Here is how the club responded in the immediate aftermath of the tragic incident on Tuesday. 

What happened with Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez? 

At around 9.40 am local time on Tuesday morning, Inter’s second-choice goalkeeper Josep Martinez was involved in a road traffic collision that resulted in the death of an 81-year-old man in an electric wheelchair. 

The wheelchair user, named as Paolo Saibene, was pronounced dead at the scene, despite the prompt arrival of ambulances and an air ambulance. 

Martinez stopped immediately and attempted to administer first aid according to reports immediately after the incident. 

Inter, who are due to take on Fiorentina in Serie A on Wednesday evening, decided to cancel head coach Cristian Chivu’s pre-match press conference on Tuesday as a result of the incident. 

According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, representatives from the club will contact Saibene’s family in the coming hours to express their condolences. 

Martinez, meanwhile, was forced to comply with all legal obligations. He was reportedly taken to a local police station, was subjected to drug and alcohol tests, and was accompanied by the club’s lawyer. 

As per La Gazzetta dello Sport, he returned home at around 18.00 local time, where a psychologist appointed by the club was already waiting for him. 

Martinez’s teammates have already reached out to express their support, but it is expected that the Spaniard will not return to the club until next week. 

Sky Sport Italia suggests that Juventus could meet face-to-face with Luciano Spalletti to discuss a potential appointment as Bianconeri head coach on Tuesday, and that the Old Lady are planning to offer a short-term contract with an option to renew. 

Juventus are on the lookout for a new head coach to replace Tudor, who was relieved of his duties on Monday. 

The Croatian had gone eight matches without a win in any competition and his team had not scored in any of their last four matches. He becomes the first Serie A head coach to lose their job in 2025-26, lasting for just eight league matches. 

Sky: Spalletti inclined to accept Juventus terms

According to reports from Gianluca Di Marzio and Sky Sport Italia, Juventus could hold face-to-face talks with Spalletti as early as Tuesday. As Football Italia reported on Monday, the former Napoli and Italy head coach is the current frontrunner to replace Tudor. 

According to the latest updates, Juventus are prepared to offer Spalletti a contract until the end of the 2025-26 season with an obligation to renew if the Old Lady qualify for next season’s Champions League. 

As per Gianluca Di Marzio, it remains to be seen whether that automatic contract extension will be for another 12 months, or for another two years. Monday evening’s report indicates that Spalletti is already inclined to accept either way. 

Sky also adds that Spalletti has recently rejected potential opportunities abroad, including Fenerbahce and to some lucrative proposals from Qatar, in order to focus on a return to Serie A. 

Kenan Yildiz has sent his best wishes to Igor Tudor, who was sacked from his position as head coach of Juventus on Monday: ‘All the best for the future’. 

Juventus officially announced the departure of Tudor as head coach on Monday following a run of eight matches without a win across Serie A and the Champions League. The Bianconeri had not won since the 4-3 victory over Inter on September 13, and had not scored in any of Tudor’s last four matches in charge. 

The Croatian is the first head coach to lose his job in Serie A in 2025-26, receiving his marching orders just eight league games into the campaign. 

Juventus players thank Tudor after Juventus sacking

Gleison Bremer was the first of the Juve players to publicly express their gratitude to Tudor following the news of his departure on Monday. “Thank you for everything, gaffer, best of luck for the future,” he wrote in his story on Instagram. 

Yildiz, the most recent of the Juventus players to thank Tudor, wrote the same message as Bremer, but in English: “Thank you for everything, Mister. All the best for the future.” 

Mattia Perin has also sent a message to Tudor on his Instagram story, simply writing: “Thank you, mister.”

Juventus and Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon has expressed his support for his former colleague Luciano Spalletti, who is the current frontrunner to replace Igor Tudor as head coach of the Bianconeri. 

Juventus announced on Monday that Tudor has been relieved from his duties as head coach following a run of eight matches without a win and four games without scoring. The Old Lady have not won in any competition since the 4-3 Derby d’Italia victory over Inter on September 13. 

Several names have already been linked with a move to take over at the Allianz Stadium, including Roberto Mancini and Raffaele Palladino, but Spalletti is the current frontrunner, and is already in direct contact with the club. 

Buffon on Spalletti and Juventus: ‘The best around in terms of experience’

Buffon, speaking at the closing ceremony of the Corriere dello Sport centenary event in Naples on Monday evening, expressed his support for Spalletti becoming the next head coach of his beloved Juventus. 

“For me, Luciano is the right profile for any big club who wants to remain ambitious. You won’t lose many with Luciano,” Buffon said. 

Buffon and Spalletti have worked together previously as part of the Italy national team set-up. Spalletti was CT from the end of the summer in 2023 until the start of the summer in 2025, while Buffon served as delegation chief, a role that he still holds today. 

“It would be a great professional choice,” Buffon said of Juventus’s links with Spalletti. “He’s a football man, he’s a great person and a great coach. 

“Spalletti is the best around in terms of experience, charisma and authority. He’s the right person for ambitious clubs who want to remain ambitious. It’s a shame seeing him not in the dugout.” 

Jose Mourinho had an opportunity to discuss his time with Inter, and his rivalries with Milan and Juventus alongside Adriano Galliani and Gianluigi Buffon during a special event on Monday evening: ‘I have so much respect for him’. 

Mourinho, Galliani and Buffon were all among the star guests at an event organised by Corriere dello Sport, celebrating the paper’s 100th anniversary on Monday evening. 

Mourinho, who was appointed head coach of Benfica in September, was unable to attend in-person, but joined the special guests on a video call midway through the event on Monday. 

Mourinho, Galliani and Buffon discuss Inter, Milan and Juventus rivalries

Mourinho had a brief opportunity to discuss Inter’s rivalries with Milan and Juventus with Galliani and Buffon, insisting that he always had ‘respect’ for the former, and considers the latter ‘one of the greatest, if not the greatest’. 

Galliani, speaking about his experiences going up against Mourinho during his Milan days, said: “I’ve never felt like an opponent of Jose Mourinho. I respect him and I hope that this feeling will be reciprocated.” 

Mourinho, meanwhile, replied: “I always remember that during my time with Inter, I both won and lost against Milan. But, Galliani and (Silvio) Berlusconi would always come into the dressing room to congratulate us, and for this, I have so much respect for Adriano.” 

Buffon interjected, and insisted that the rivalry between Inter and Juventus was not always as pleasant. 

“There was no ‘good’ blood between Juve and Inter,” Buffon said. “At the time, we wanted to kill them, but then you’d meet Jose, who’d make a joke or say something to you that meant that you couldn’t hate him.” 

Mourinho was then able to exchange pleasantries with Buffon, adding: “I’ve always seen Juve as Juve, even if they were coming back up from Serie B at the time. And Gigi was always among the best, if not the best.” 

Gian Piero is bringing a clear identity to Roma, despite an up-and-down start to the season that has brought four home defeats across Serie A and the Europa League. The victory against Sassuolo over the weekend, however, rounded off by a Paulo Dybala winner, is a platform to build on from a technical and mental standpoint. 

Gasperini doesn’t need the transfer window, Roma are increasingly strong

Despite the fact that he is lacking the strikers and wingers needed to play his way, Gasperini has led Roma to the top of the Serie A standings along with Napoli, with six wins from their first eight league matches of the season. 

This achievement comes from Gasperini’s ability to adapt, his ability to make do with what he has, and his ability to stay competitive, even in times of trouble. 

The Roma side that we see today doesn’t quite line up with the coach’s philosophy: That would be impossible given the squad’s shortcomings, but they’re picking up valuable points and are becoming increasingly solid. 

It’s a solid team, one that is working hard on a daily basis rather than talking too much or making too many complaints. 

And, if this journey results in a return to the Champions League, it will be an impressive achievement, a sign that the project is finding form and continuity. For now, the transfer window can wait. 

Only two Serie A players have been included on the 26-player shortlist for the 2025 edition of the FIFPRO World XI, as voted for by players across the globe. 

The FIFPRO World XI has been running for 20 years, and acknowledges the 11 most successful players each calendar year. The nominees are voted for by players across the world. 

A 26-player shortlist has been revealed, and that will be whittled down to a final 11, which will be announced on November 3. 

The goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders and three attackers with the most votes will be included, and the remaining spot is assigned to the outfield player with the next highest number of votes. 

Which Serie A and Italy players are nominated for 2025 FIFPRO XI

Two Serie A representatives have been included on the 26-player shortlist for 2025, namely Luka Modric of Milan and Kevin De Bruyne of Napoli. 

Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma has been included among the goalkeepers, and is a strong candidate to be included in the final XI given his victory in the Champions League final with Paris Saint-Germain earlier this year. 

2021 was the last time that either an Italian or a Serie A player was included in the final XI. That came a few months after the EURO 2020 final, which had been delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Donnarumma was included on that occasion, as was Juventus’s Leonardo Bonucci, Chelsea’s Jorginho, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who was still with Juve for the first half of that year. 

Gianluigi Buffon (2017) is the only other Italian to have been included in the FIFPRO World XI over the last 10 years. He and Matthijs De Ligt (also 2017), Dani Alves (2017, 2016) and Paul Pogba (2015) are the only other Serie A players to have been included in the last 10 years. 

2025 FIFPRO World XI Shortlist

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Manchester City), Alisson Becker (Liverpool), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid).

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool/Real Madrid), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Achraf Hakimi (PSG), Marquinhos (PSG), Nuno Mendes (PSG), William Saliba (Arsenal).

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City/Napoli), Luka Modric (Real Madrid/Milan), Joao Neves (PSG), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Pedri (Barcelona), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Vitinha (PSG).

Forwards: Ousmane Dembele (PSG), Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Raphinha (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona).

The 26-player shortlist for the 2025 FIFPRO Men's World 11 – as voted by players worldwide.

The team will be revealed on 03.11.2025. pic.twitter.com/bnu1umSCKw

— FIFPRO (@FIFPRO) October 27, 2025

The latest updates suggest that Luciano Spalletti is the current frontrunner to become the new head coach of Juventus following the sacking of Igor Tudor, but how would the former Italy CT line up with the Bianconeri, and which tactics would he look to deploy? 

Juventus confirmed the sacking of head coach Tudor on Monday following a run of eight games without a win across Serie A and the Champions League. The Old Lady had also gone four games without scoring. Their last victory came in a 4-3 win over Inter in the Derby d’Italia on September 13. 

Several coaches have already been linked with a move to the Allianz Stadium, including Raffaele Palladino and Roberto Mancini, but Spalletti is considered the current frontrunner, and has already been in direct talks with the club. 

How Spalletti could line up with Juventus 

Spalletti has deployed a number of different formations across his recent spells in charge of the Italy national team, Napoli and Inter. 

Most recently, Spalletti played with a 3-5-1-1 during his final matches in charge of the Italy national team, given that he had plenty of midfielders but hardly any options to choose from at centre-forward or on the wings. He had also used a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 in the build-up to and during EURO 2024. 

With Napoli, a 4-3-3 built around centre-forward Victor Osimhen and left winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was the norm during Spalletti’s Scudetto-winning season in 2022-23. 

With Inter, a 4-2-3-1 was Spalletti’s usual go-to, and, given the options currently available at Juventus, it would make sense if he deployed that same system in Turin. 

Under Tudor, Juventus had often lined up with a back three, but following the injury to Gleison Bremer, the Bianconeri have been left with just four centre-back options to select from, which does not leave them with much cover, or possibilities to rotate. 

Given that the current Juventus squad is not blessed with an abundance of central midfield options, it would make sense to see Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram keep their places in a double-pivot. 

There would then be several options to deploy in the no.10 role, including posterboy Kenan Yildiz, summer signing Jonathan David and the out-of-favour Teun Koopmeiners, all of whom offer different qualities. 

Possible Juventus XI under Spalletti 

(4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Joao Mario, Kalulu, Bremer, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, David, Yildiz; Vlahvoic. 

A group of Juventus ultras have expressed their support for recently-sacked head coach Igor Tudor, just a few hours after his departure was officially confirmed by the club: ‘One of us’. 

Juventus announced on Monday that they had parted company with head coach Tudor, who had gone eight games without a win in all competitions and four games without a goal, ending with a 1-0 defeat away against Lazio on Sunday evening. 

Football Italia understands that the Bianconeri have already been in direct contact with former Italy national team head coach Luciano Spalletti, who is considered the first-choice candidate to replace Tudor at the Allianz Stadium. 

Juventus banner shows support for Tudor: ‘One of us’ 

Just a few hours after Tudor’s sacking was officially announced, Juventus ultras from the Curva Sud erected a banner outside the Allianz Stadium, expressing their support for the recently-departed Tudor. 

“Tudor one of us, the fish stinks from the head,” the banner outside the Juventus stadium read. 

Striscione comparso fuori dall’#AllianzStadium. #Juventus #Tudor pic.twitter.com/0IRlxJEbQ0

— Ale Cibien (@_cibi99_) October 27, 2025

Tudor was given a run of 24 competitive matches in charge of Juventus, including his stint as interim head coach at the end of the 2024-25 season. He recorded an average of 1.58 points per game over that period. 

He is the third Bianconeri head coach to depart in 18 months, following the dismissals of Thiago Motta and Massimiliano Allegri in March 2025 and May 2024 respectively. 

Juventus are due to take on Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in Serie A on Sunday evening, but pre-match reports indicate that Igor Tudor will have to do without starman Kenan Yildiz in his starting line-up. Here’s why. 

Yildiz potentially out of Lazio vs. Juventus? 

Juventus, who have not won in any competition since September 13, are looking to get back to winning ways in a difficult away game against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico. 

Yildiz, who has started in every one of Juventus’s Serie A and Champions League matches so far this term, is expected to drop out of the starting line-up, however. 

According to reports from Ilbianconero, Yildiz is suffering with patellar tendinopathy, sometimes referred to as jumper’s knee in his left leg. This is effectively an inflammation that affects the tendon beneath the kneecap. 

This is a manageable condition, but one that can cause occasional pain and discomfort, hence why Yildiz is expected to drop out of the starting line-up against Lazio, in an attempt to recover and go again at full strength against Udinese on Wednesday. 

Torino left it late to find the winner after coming from behind in a 2-1 victory over struggling Genoa in Serie A on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Morten Thorsby, an own goal from Stefano Sabelli and a late winner from Guillermo Maripan. 

Both Marco Baroni and Patrick Vieira made one change each ahead of kick-off. Torino, who were coming in off an encouraging 1-0 win over league leaders Napoli last time out, brought Cristiano Biraghi in for Niels Nkounkou, while Genoa handed a start to Morten Thorsby instead of Vitinha.

Click here to read more about how the teams lined up. 

A calamitous piece of Torino defending handed Genoa the 1-0 lead early on in the first half. 

Jeff Ekhator played an optimistic ball into the area, Kristjan Asllani made a complete hash of his clearance, which meant that Thorsby was free on the edge of the six yard box to stab home the opener. 

Torino had to wait until midway through the second half to begin their turnaround. 

Again, it was a cross in from the same flank at the same end of the pitch, and another piece of disastrous defending that led to the goal. Marcus Holmgren Pedersen’s cross was aimed at Che Adams, but Stefano Sabelli ended up steering into his own net in an attempt to clear. 

Torino claimed the three points right at the last: In the 90th minute. A routine corner from Valentino Lazaro came in from the right flank, and Maripan was on hand to slam home a first-time volley in the middle of the area for 2-1. 

With two consecutive league victories to their name, Torino are temporarily up to 11th place in the Serie A standings, while Genoa, still without a win in the league this season, remain rooted to the bottom of the table on three points after eight games.

Torino 2-1 Genoa

Thorsby 2 (G) Sabelli og 63 (T), Maripan 90 (T)

26-10-2025 11:30

MatchDay 8

Olympic Grande Torino Stadium

Torino

Genoa

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		5'		Morten Frendrup
		7'		Morten Thorsby
Cesare Casadei		29'

2nd half

		53'		Jeff Ekhator
Nikola Vlasic		59'
Stefano Sabelli		63'
Guillermo Maripán (Assist: Valentino Lazaro)		90'

Match statistic

59

Possession %

41

13

Total shots

11

6

Shots on target

3

3

Shots off target

5

4

Blocked shots

3

9

Corners

1

1

Offsides

14

Fouls

9

Torino

Genoa

Starting lineups

1

Alberto Paleari

Goalkeeper

34

Cristiano Biraghi

Defender

60'

13

Guillermo Maripán

Defender

16

Marcus Pedersen

Defender

23

Saúl Coco

Defender

61

Adrien Tameze

Midfielder

22

Cesare Casadei

Midfielder

32

Kristjan Asllani

Midfielder

60'

10

Nikola Vlasic

Midfielder

60'

19

Ché Adams

Attacker

73'

18

Giovanni Simeone

Attacker

83'

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

15

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

5

Leo Östigard

Defender

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

78'

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

78'

2

Morten Thorsby

Midfielder

87'

73

Patrizio Masini

Midfielder

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

87'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

61'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

Substitutes

8

Ivan Ilić

Midfielder

7

Zakaria Aboukhlal

Midfielder

5

Adam Masina

Defender

6

Emirhan Ilkhan

Midfielder

21

Ali Dembélé

Defender

71

Mihai Popa

Goalkeeper

92

Alieu Njie

Attacker

44

Ardian Ismajli

Defender

60'

20

Valentino Lazaro

Defender

60'

26

Cyril Ngonge

Attacker

60'

66

Gvidas Gineitis

Midfielder

73'

91

Duván Zapata

Attacker

83'

10

Junior Messias

Attacker

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

31

Benjamin Siegrist

Goalkeeper

23

Valentín Carboni

Midfielder

11

Albert Grønbaek

Midfielder

40

Seydou Fini

Attacker

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

30

Hugo Cuenca

Midfielder

34

Sebastian Otoa

Defender

76

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

61'

Maxwel Cornet

Attacker

78'

Jean Onana

Midfielder

78'

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

87'

9

Vitinha

Attacker

87'

Sunday’s reports indicate that referee Maurizio Mariani and assistant Daniele Bindoni will be dropped for the next round of Serie A fixtures after awarding a controversial penalty during Napoli’s 3-1 win over Inter on Saturday evening. 

What happened in Napoli 3-1 Inter?

Napoli went back to the top of the Serie A standings thanks to goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Scott McTominay and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa in an eventual 3-1 win over the Nerazzurri, who had won seven games in a row prior to Saturday’s match. 

There have been complaints from the Inter camp, however, regarding the decision to award a penalty to Napoli five minutes before the end of the first half. 

Giovanni Di Lorenzo found himself in the penalty area and went down under the challenge of Henrikh Mikhtaryan. Some argue, however, that Di Lorenzo was looking for the contact, and that Mkhitaryan did not make any intentional moves towards the Napoli captain, and that the penalty should not have been given. 

Now, as per La Gazzetta dello Sport, the AIA have concluded that a penalty should not have been awarded to Napoli last night. 

Sunday’s reports suggest that assistant referee Bindoni was the one who originally signalled for a penalty, that Mariani did not originally give it, but then changed his mind after a VAR review. 

Assistant referee Bindoni is the one who has come under the most criticism for signalling for the penalty, although Mariani has also been criticised from changing his original decision. 

La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that it is likely that both referees, who were also involved in the U20 World Cup final in Chile earlier this week, will be dropped for the next round of Serie A fixtures.

Napoli head coach Antonio Conte and Inter striker Lautaro Martinez exchanged insults during the meeting of their two sides in Serie A on Saturday evening, but this was not the first time the former colleagues have clashed on the pitch. 

Here is a reminder of what happened the last time Conte and Lautaro came to blows. 

Napoli 3-1 Inter: Conte and Lautaro clash again 

Napoli claimed a 3-1 victory at home against the in-form Inter on Saturday evening thanks to goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Scott McTominay and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa. The Partenopei are now back at the top of the Serie A standings as a result. 

Around the hour mark at the Stadio Maradona, Conte and Lautaro were seen throwing insults and gestures towards each other following an argument between the players on the pitch. 

• Read more: Conte and Lautaro insult each other in tense Napoli vs. Inter clash

This was not the first time that Conte and Lautaro have found themselves arguing with one another in Serie A, though. 

They also spent two seasons together at Inter between 2019 and 2021. 

During the Scudetto-winning 2020-21 season, Conte and Lautaro found themselves arguing after the coach decided to ‘double sub’ the striker during a 3-1 win over Roma in May, 2021. 

Lautaro, who had been accused of showing poor attitude on the pitch at the time, reacted to his substitution by shouting and throwing his shirt when Conte took him off. 

The following day, Conte and Lautaro returned to the training ground, and in an effort to put their difference to one side, organised a friendly boxing match on the training pitch, which ended in hugs and laughter. The same will not happen this time around, though.

Marco Baroni and Patrick Vieira have made just one change each ahead of the meeting of Torino and Genoa in Serie A on Sunday afternoon. 

Today’s game begins in the early kick-off slot at 11.30 GMT. 

Torino are looking to capitalise on their momentum following an encouraging 1-0 victory against league leaders Napoli last time out in Serie A. The Granata will be backed by a sell-out crowd in Turin on Sunday. 

Marco Baroni has made just one change to his side following the Napoli victory, bringing in Cristiano Biraghi to replace Niels Nkounkou at left wing-back. Last week’s goalscorer Giovanni Simeone leads the line again, alongside Scotland international Che Adams. 

Genoa, who drew 0-0 with Parma last time out, have replaced Vitinha with Morten Thorsby, but are otherwise unchanged. 

Torino vs. Genoa: Confirmed line-ups

Torino (3-4-1-2): Paleari; Tameze, Maripan, Coco; Pedersen, Casadei, Asllani, Biraghi; Vlasic; Simeone, Adams. 

Genoa (4-2-3-1): Leali; Norton-Cuffy, Ostigaard, Vasquez, Sabelli; Masini, Frendrup; Ellertson, Malinkovskyi, Thorsby; Ekhator.

26-10-2025 11:30

MatchDay 8

Olympic Grande Torino Stadium

Torino

Genoa

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		5'		Morten Frendrup
		7'		Morten Thorsby
Cesare Casadei		29'

2nd half

		53'		Jeff Ekhator
Nikola Vlasic		59'
Stefano Sabelli		63'
Guillermo Maripán (Assist: Valentino Lazaro)		90'

Match statistic

59

Possession %

41

13

Total shots

11

6

Shots on target

3

3

Shots off target

5

4

Blocked shots

3

9

Corners

1

1

Offsides

14

Fouls

9

Torino

Genoa

Starting lineups

1

Alberto Paleari

Goalkeeper

34

Cristiano Biraghi

Defender

60'

13

Guillermo Maripán

Defender

16

Marcus Pedersen

Defender

23

Saúl Coco

Defender

61

Adrien Tameze

Midfielder

22

Cesare Casadei

Midfielder

32

Kristjan Asllani

Midfielder

60'

10

Nikola Vlasic

Midfielder

60'

19

Ché Adams

Attacker

73'

18

Giovanni Simeone

Attacker

83'

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

15

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

5

Leo Östigard

Defender

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

78'

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

78'

2

Morten Thorsby

Midfielder

87'

73

Patrizio Masini

Midfielder

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

87'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

61'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

Substitutes

8

Ivan Ilić

Midfielder

7

Zakaria Aboukhlal

Midfielder

5

Adam Masina

Defender

6

Emirhan Ilkhan

Midfielder

21

Ali Dembélé

Defender

71

Mihai Popa

Goalkeeper

92

Alieu Njie

Attacker

44

Ardian Ismajli

Defender

60'

20

Valentino Lazaro

Defender

60'

26

Cyril Ngonge

Attacker

60'

66

Gvidas Gineitis

Midfielder

73'

91

Duván Zapata

Attacker

83'

10

Junior Messias

Attacker

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

31

Benjamin Siegrist

Goalkeeper

23

Valentín Carboni

Midfielder

11

Albert Grønbaek

Midfielder

40

Seydou Fini

Attacker

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

30

Hugo Cuenca

Midfielder

34

Sebastian Otoa

Defender

76

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

61'

Maxwel Cornet

Attacker

78'

Jean Onana

Midfielder

78'

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

87'

9

Vitinha

Attacker

87'

Juventus have been taking positive steps forwards in their attempts to hand a new contract extension to star attacker Kenan Yildiz, who has been subject of interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs over the last few weeks, including Real Madrid. 

Yildiz, Juve’s posterboy and star of the Turkey national team at the age of 20, has been in talks over a new contract extension, which is expected to come with a significant increase in salary, reflective of his recent performances in Serie A and the Champions League. 

Yildiz is already tied to the club until the summer of 2029, but is expected to pen a one-year extension until 2030 with a salary offer that will make him one of the highest earners within the squad. 

Gazzetta: Juventus taking positive steps in Yildiz talks

Juventus are also hoping that a new contract will also fend off interest from the likes of Real Madrid, who are reportedly prepared to offer staggering fees in order to sign Yildiz from the Bianconeri. 

As per La Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus have taken ‘positive steps’ towards a contract extension for Yildiz in recent days. 

The player’s mother and father, along with his agent, have been called into Continassa to discuss Yildiz’s future with general manager Damien Comolli over the last week. 

La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Juventus are prepared to offer Yildiz a salary in the region of €5m to €6m per season, which will make one of the highest earners in the current Juventus squad. Only the recent free agent Jonathan David and fellow centre-forward Dusan Vlahovic earn above the €6m-per-season mark in net salary in the current Juventus set-up. 

Fabio Capello has had his say on Inter after their 3-1 defeat at the hands of reigning champions Napoli in Serie A on Saturday evening, and while he admits that Kevin De Bruyne’s penalty was ‘non-existent’, he feels that the Nerazzurri can only look at themselves. 

Napoli returned to the top of the Serie A standings thanks to their 3-1 win over Cristian Chivu’s side, courtesy of goals from De Bruyne, Scott McTominay and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa. Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty was not enough for Inter to get back into it. 

• Read more: Napoli 3-1 Inter: Player ratings! 

Capello on Napoli 3-1 Inter: ‘Unrecognisable’

Capello agrees with the Inter camp that De Bruyne’s penalty was ‘non-existent’, and that it impacted the rest of the game, but he also feels that Inter were ‘unrecognisable’ in their performance. 

“It’s true that it was a non-existent penalty that shifted the balance of the game, the one from which De Bruyne broke the deadlock. It is also true that this should not and cannot be an excuse for the Nerazzurri,” Capello explained in his La Gazzetta dello Sport column.

“Aside from Bastoni hitting the crossbar and Dumfries the post, Inter were unrecognisable. There was space in behind for Napoli to counter attack every time they lost the ball, and the thing that surprised me the most was the lack of balance between the different departments. That had been the strength that pushed Lautaro and his teammates to seven wins in a row across all competitions.”

Capello feels that Chivu’s decision to give his players an extra day off after their recent Champions League victory over Union Saint-Gilloise was a mistake that backfired. 

“Maybe the victory against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League ended up affecting Inter too much, overconfidence in football can play tricks on you.

“In retrospect, it felt that the decision to give the players a day off between the trip to Brussels and the trip to Naples was an attempt to lighten the load within the group. The Inter coach is usually good at calming his players’ minds, and attempted a difficult move, but evidently, it wasn’t enough.”

And in terms of Inter’s play on the pitch, Capello said: “they often looked messy, and those who came off the bench, this time, took away more than they added. Instead of looking for speed, the changes off the bench tried to carry the ball too much. 

“Missteps are part of any season, and nothing has been fully compromised. Milan happened to slow down the other night against Pisa, too, Inter slipped during a Scudetto clash against the reigning champions. 

“The Nerazzurri have all the tools required to get back on their feet immediately, as long as they understand that they have to give more than what they showed on Saturday. Without that unity and purpose, they will not go far.” 

Paulo Dybala is expected to lead the line again for Roma when they take on Sassuolo in the league on Sunday afternoon, aiming to draw themselves level with Napoli at the top of the Serie A standings. 

The weekend’s fixtures thus far have fallen relatively favourably for the Giallorossi: Inter were beaten by Napoli, while Milan had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Pisa, which means that Roma will draw level with the Partenopei at the top of the standings with a win against Sassuolo. 

Pre-match reports suggest that Gian  Piero Gaperini will continue to leave both Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson on the bench in favour of Dybala at centre-forward. If that is the case, then Matias Soule and Lorenzo Pellegrini are expected to provide the support in attack. 

Kostas Tsimikas is set for another start in the absence of Angelino, unavailable through injury. Wesley is expected to start on the opposite flank. 

Kick-off is due at 14.00 GMT.

Sassuolo vs. Roma: Probable line-ups

Sassuolo (4-3-3): Muric, Walukiewicz, Idzes, Romagna, Doig, Koné, Matic, Thorstvedt, Berardi, Pinamonti, Laurienté.

Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka; Wesley, Kone, Cristante, Tsimikas; Soule, Pellegrini; Dybala. 

Where to watch Sassuolo vs. Roma 

Tonight’s game will be available to watch live in the UK with 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.

Juventus will look to get back to winning ways when they take on Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in Serie A on Sunday evening. 

The Bianconeri are without a win in any competition since September 13, but encouraged with their performance midweek despite ultimately falling to a 1-0 defeat away against Real Madrid in the Champions League. 

Lazio, meanwhile, are unbeaten across their last three, having drawn 0-0 with Atalanta last week, which followed a 3-3 draw with Torino and a 3-0 win away against Genoa the week before. 

The Biancocelesti are without Taty Castellanos, Nicolo Rovella and Samuel Gigot through injury. Nuno Tavares, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Matteo Cancellieri could also miss out. Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal are Juventus’s only major injury absentees, aside from veteran goalkeeper Carlo Pinsoglio and centre-forward Arkadiusz Milik. 

The Biancocelesti are expected to line up in a 4-3-3 with their attack led by Boulaye Dia at centre-forward. Gustav Isaksen and Mattia Zaccagni are expected to provide the support from the wings. 

It remains to be seen who will lead the line for Juventus. Some pre-match reports suggest that Tudor will switch to a 3-5-2 that will see strikers Dusan Vlahovic and Jonathan David start up front alongside each other. 

Kenan Yildiz is expected to drop out of the starting line-up as he overcomes a minor knee issue, while Mattia Perin could come in for Michele Di Gregorio in goal.

Kick-off is due at 19.45 GMT. 

Lazio vs. Juventus: Probable line-ups

Lazio (4-3-3): Provedel; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Hysaj; Guendouzi, Cataldi, Basic; Isaksen, Dia, Zaccagni. 

Juventus (3-5-2): Perin; Kalulu, Gatti, , Kelly; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso; Vlahovic, David. 

Where to watch Lazio vs. Juventus

Tonight’s game will be available to watch live in the UK on TNT Sports 1 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.

La Gazzetta dello Sport

Call to the top 

Napoli: 3-1 and first place, Inter furious 

Debatable penalty from De Bruyne (who gets hrt while scoring the goal for 1-0). Marotta: ‘We’re angry, it changed the game’. Conte: ‘Stop acting like the pope’. Arguments and insults with Lautaro. Goals from McTominay and Anguissa, Calhanoglu’s penalty unhelpful

Juve

Tudor: ‘Not afraid’. David with Vlahovic, Yildiz on the bench, but he is about to sign 

Roma 

Dybala attack, they need goals to take the lead

Corriere dello Sport 

Napoli cackle 

Conte silences Inter and Marotta

What a lesson: 3-1

The champions return to first place: Gasp’s Roma could draw level today

De Bruyne, McTominay and Anguissa decide the clash. Calhanoglu’s goal at 2-1 no good. The President: ‘Their victory came from a soft penalty’. Antonio: ‘Those are excuses, I wouldn’t have let one of my directors complain like that’. Sparks also fly with Lautaro at the end

Tudor wall: ‘Sacked? I’m not afraid’

Lazio-Juve at 19.45: Igor hasn’t won in seven games 

The Croatian: ‘Yildiz being like Del Piero? Comparisons are tricky’. Sarri: ‘We might have different ideas to Lotito, but our relationship is normal’

Kean and Castro, Derby call 

Fiorentina-Bologna at the Franchi 

The viola have lost three in three at home in the league. The Argentine could push Italiano to -2 from Napoli

Tuttosport

‘I’m not afraid’ 

Tudor against his Old Lazio. Needs to find goals and wins again. ‘I’m not afraid of the sack. And I want a more attacking Juve’

The coach protects his team: ‘I’m only thinking about the players, not about myself’, and tries to take the pressure off Yildiz: ‘Like Del Piero? Calm down’. Tempted to play the Turk with Conceicao behind Vlahovic and David. Zhegrova case. Perin in goal? 

Conte rises Napoli, Inter and Lautaro on a tilt 

Penalties, woodwork, battles, injuries, scuffles: The 3-1 at the MAradona had it all 

‘Go on Toro! Ride the wave of enthusiasm’ 

Against Genoa at 11.30, in a full stadium

Baroni: ‘The hug with the supporters was great, we can’t take anything for granted now’ Cholito looking for his third consecutive goal. Israel out, there’s Paleari

Gasp to Dybala: ‘Words weren’t right, score goals and assist, you’ 

Paulo critical after the Euro-flop