Fabio Grosso admits Sassuolo are ‘ahead of schedule’ this season, but a lack of maturity was evident in the ‘naïve errors’ for their 2-1 defeat to Lazio.

The Neroverdi had won five of their previous six Serie A matches, losing only to leaders Inter, and had the opportunity with a win here to leapfrog Bologna into eighth place.

They had recovered from the shocking start of a Daniel Maldini goal after 80 seconds, drawing level through Armand Laurienté, but were undone deep into stoppages.

Goalkeeper Arijanet Muric mistimed the run off his line, not for the first time this season, and allowed Adam Marusic to nod a Matteo Cancellieri cross into the empty net.

Grosso sees room for Sassuolo improvement

“Our initial approach wasn’t right, but there is an issue of maturity that requires certain steps in the process, and we are very much ahead of schedule this season,” Grosso told Sky Sport Italia.

“If we managed to be consistent too, then we’d be even higher up the table. We reacted to the opening goal, started the second half well too, but we lost intensity in the closing stages. It was more psychological than physical, especially after wasting two big chances, then making naïve errors.

“It would’ve been important to bring home at least a point, as Lazio might be having difficulties, but they remain a very strong team. They were able to bring on fresh legs in attack that made the difference.”

Andrea Pinamonti was suspended today, so M’Bala Nzola had his first start for Sassuolo, but some substitutes didn’t provide the boost that they needed.

“We certainly could’ve done better. I usually don’t change the two full-backs, but Coulibaly was struggling for fitness, while Garcia had just been booked and Lazio were pushing hard on those duels down the flanks, so I didn’t want us to go down to 10 men,” explained Grosso.

“That meant I couldn’t use those two substitutions to change in attack. It’s a pity, we had some big chances just moments before conceding the last goal. When we are not at full intensity, teams with this kind of quality will make it count.

“It’s a pity we conceded that goal at the end, we go back home with a bitter taste in our mouths. We must remember that if we’re not pushing to the max, a side like ours will drop points.”

It is still an extraordinarily positive season for Sassuolo, who were only promoted from Serie B last summer, as they remain in ninth place, just one point behind local rivals Bologna.

“We have a mix of different nationalities and cultures, plus some Italians who have done so much in the past, one of them winning the Euros, many youngsters who are growing. We have an interesting combination.”

Grosso was of course the man who scored the decisive penalty to give Italy the 2006 World Cup, beating France in the Final, so what advice does he have for the Azzurri preparing for the play-offs?

“I think you need the right balance between healthy fear of a big occasion and the clear-headed approach to enjoy the football. It’s been too long since we’ve been away from the World Cup, so we all hope to do our part by cheering on the team.”

Maurizio Sarri confirms two new injuries for Lazio in their last-gasp victory over Sassuolo, but warns ‘the club has to take some initiative’ to end the fan boycott and reinforce the squad.

The Biancocelesti had just two points in their last four Serie A games and were coming off Wednesday’s dramatic 2-2 Coppa Italia semi-final draw with Atalanta.

They took just 80 seconds to break the deadlock here today with Daniel Maldini, cancelled out by an Armand Laurienté strike, but in stoppages Adam Marusic flicked in the Matteo Cancellieri cross to beat the rather wayward Arijanet Muric.

Sarri frustrated at Lazio difficulties

“There were some ups and downs during the match, but even without some important players, then losing Romagnoli and Cataldi too, the lads had a great final half-hour with real heart. I think the win was fully deserved, even if we left it late,” Sarri told Sky Sport Italia.

Some of Sarri’s changes were forced, as Danilo Cataldi went off with a muscular issue in the first half, then Alessio Romagnoli was replaced at half-time over a fitness issue.

“Cataldi felt his calf muscle harden, but it was caused by something else that we’ll identify tomorrow. Romagnoli had a similar issue, caused by a knock he sustained against Atalanta.”

Debutant goalkeeper Edoardo Motta made a double save at 1-1, giving some reassurance after Ivan Provedel’s season was ended by shoulder surgery.

“This is a team that can have the right attitude, every now and then we get it wrong, but not that often. We’ve had to deal with enormous difficulties and some of them are still going, as playing in an empty stadium is depressing, but the players have reacted well to that too.”

The atmosphere in the Stadio Olimpico remains a worrying situation, because the boycott continues from the ultras in protest at President Claudio Lotito, so there were only 5,000 people in the stands.

It is the fourth home game in a row with this boycott, so how can the supporters be convinced to come back?

“I think the club has to take some initiative to bring them back, because this is too much of a difficult situation for us,” replied Sarri.

“I am not a director, but this situation has been dragging on for a while, so they know more than me. They will know better than me how and where to intervene.”

The coach said many times he only stayed at Lazio because he made a promise to the fans, so how does he see his future at the club?

“I don’t know, as soon as the season ends and we’ll have a few meetings, then I’ll be able to tell you. A team that has to be up to the standards of the history of this club must be reinforced, that’s for sure,” concluded Sarri.

“If I stayed only for the fans, then right now even I don’t know why I’m still here, because the fans aren’t here either,” the coach added in a press conference.

This result means that Lazio climb back ahead of Udinese into the top 10, and are within a point of Sassuolo in ninth.

There are new reports in Spain that Real Madrid are tracking Como coach Cesc Fabregas, putting his name on the shortlist for the Bernabeu job next season.

According to pundit Jorge Picon on El Desmarque, Fabregas is one of the coaches who have particularly impressed the Real Madrid chiefs.

They appreciate his working style, his communication tactics, and believe he could be a serious candidate to take over next term.

Alvaro Arbeloa is currently the interim manager for Real Madrid, after Xabi Alonso was sacked in January.

Fabregas eager to stay at Como, but if Real Madrid call…

This could well be one of the only offers that could tempt him to walk away from the project at Como, where he is currently in joint fourth place in Serie A alongside Roma.

He has taken then from Serie B to challenging for Champions League qualification, along with a place in the Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter, in just two years.

Fabregas is only 38 years of age, but was a product of the Barcelona youth academy, also spending time at Arsenal, Chelsea and AS Monaco before retiring at Como in 2023.

He went straight into management and helped them earn promotion from Serie B to the top flight, along with significant financial backing from the club’s Indonesian owners.

That included signing Nico Paz, who has a buy-back clause at Real Madrid that the club is eager to use.

¿Qué entrenadores sondea el Real Madrid para la 26/27?@JorgeCPicon analiza varios nombres… y ¡suelta una bomba!

"Están siguiendo muy de cerca a Cesc Fàbregas".

En #ElDesmarket, con @Rafa9Mainez.

https://t.co/Hbxp19PI5e pic.twitter.com/SY2dtnsj4g

— ElDesmarque (@eldesmarque) March 9, 2026

Lazio pounced on a goalkeeping error to punish on-form Sassuolo in stoppages with Adam Marusic, with a 2-1 victory that takes them into the top 10.

The Aquile were fresh off a 2-2 Coppa Italia semi-final draw with Atalanta on Wednesday, but lost goalkeeper Ivan Provedel for the season after shoulder surgery, joining Toma Basic, Nicolò Rovella and Samuel Gigot on the sidelines, so January signing Edoardo Motta made his Serie A debut. The Neroverdi won five of the last six games, losing only to Inter, and Andrea Pinamonti was suspended, with Nemanja Matic suffering from flu symptoms, plus Alieu Fadera, Daniel Boloca, Edoardo Pieragnolo and Fali Candé injured.

Lazio ultras continued to boycott the match in protest at President Claudio Lotito, so there were only 5,000 fans present.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It took 80 seconds to break the deadlock, as Gustav Isaksen surged forward after a throw-in and forced the save from Arijanet Muric, but Daniel Maldini gathered the rebound, took a touch to send Woyo Coulibaly to ground, and walked it into the net from six yards.

Isaksen also robbed Ulisses Garcia to drill inches wide of the near post, then his glancing header flashed across the face of goal on a corner.

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru failed to make the most of a cheap giveaway, but Sassuolo grew into the game and M’Bala Nzola’s angled drive took a double deflection off Alessio Romagnoli’s shin and debutant Motta’s fingertips to graze the far stick.

The equaliser was in the air and arrived at the end of a well-worked move, as Armand Laurienté combined with Kristian Thorstvedt to cut inside from the left and bend a ferocious right-foot finish into the far top corner from 14 yards.

Moments later, Danilo Cataldi limped off with a muscular issue and was replaced by Gil Patric in a relatively new role in front of the defence.

Maldini had penalty appeals rejected when he went shoulder-to-shoulder with Luca Lipani, but the hosts lost another big player at half-time when Alessio Romagnoli was forced off through injury.

Oliver Provstgaard immediately had to intercept the dangerous Coulibaly assist before Nzola could tap in, while Kenneth Taylor scuffed from a promising position when set up by Dele-Bashiru.

Mattia Zaccagni’s curler was too close to Muric, but Lazio really should’ve scored on 78 minutes. Isaksen timed the run perfectly to spring the offside trap on the Patric through ball and dinked it over the on-rushing goalkeeper, only to land on the roof of an empty net.

Moments later, debutant goalkeeper Motta needed a tough double save, first parrying the Laurienté strike and then doing better on the Josh Doig follow-up.

Muric got down for a one-handed save on the powerful Mattia Cancellieri curler, then also got his gloves to a Cancellieri cross-shot at the near post, pushing it away from Boulaye Dia.

Provstgaard nodded over from six yards on a free kick, but Lazio snatched the winner in stoppages. Cancellieri floated in a cross from the right and Muric came flailing out aimlessly, allowing Adam Marusic to flick the header backwards into the empty net from 10 yards.

Lazio 2-1 Sassuolo

Maldini 2 (L), Laurienté 35 (S), Marusic 92 (L)

09-03-2026 19:45

MatchDay 28

Stadio Olimpico

Lazio

Sassuolo

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

Daniel Maldini		2'
		35'		Armand Lauriente (Assist: Kristian Thorstvedt)
		37'		Luca Lipani

2nd half

		58'		Ulisses Garcia
		86'		Armand Lauriente
		88'		Sebastian Walukiewicz
Adam Marusic (Assist: Matteo Cancellieri)		90+2'

Match statistic

50

Possession %

50

13

Total shots

7

5

Shots on target

4

6

Shots off target

1

2

Blocked shots

2

1

Corners

6

2

Offsides

3

7

Fouls

8

Lazio

Sassuolo

Starting lineups

40

Edoardo Motta

Goalkeeper

77

Adam Marusic

Defender

13

Alessio Romagnoli

Defender

46'

34

Mario Gila

Defender

17

Nuno Tavares

Defender

27

Daniel Maldini

Midfielder

65'

32

Danilo Cataldi

Midfielder

38'

7

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru

Midfielder

24

Kenneth Taylor

Midfielder

18

Gustav Isaksen

Attacker

79'

10

Mattia Zaccagni

Attacker

79'

49

Arijanet Muric

Goalkeeper

21

Jay Idzes

Defender

80

Tarik Muharemovic

Defender

23

Ulisses Garcia

Defender

68'

25

Woyo Coulibaly

Defender

68'

90

Ismaël Koné

Midfielder

83'

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

46'

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

10

Domenico Berardi

Attacker

8

M’Bala Nzola

Attacker

68'

Substitutes

29

Manuel Lazzari

Defender

23

Elseid Hysaj

Defender

55

Alessio Furlanetto

Goalkeeper

3

Luca Pellegrini

Defender

21

Reda Belahyane

Midfielder

20

Petar Ratkov

Attacker

14

Tijjani Noslin

Attacker

28

Adrian Przyborek

Attacker

99

Giacomo Giacomone

4

Patric

Defender

38'

25

Oliver Provstgaard

Defender

46'

19

Boulaye Dia

Attacker

65'

9

Pedro

Attacker

79'

22

Matteo Cancellieri

Attacker

79'

7

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

19

Filippo Romagna

Defender

12

Giacomo Satalino

Goalkeeper

16

Gioele Zacchi

Goalkeeper

13

Stefano Turati

Goalkeeper

44

Edoardo Iannoni

Midfielder

40

Aster Vranckx

Midfielder

18

Nemanja Matic

Midfielder

46'

6

Sebastian Walukiewicz

Defender

68'

24

Luca Moro

Attacker

68'

3

Josh Doig

Defender

68'

50

Darryl Bakola

Midfielder

83'

Fabio Capello assured Milan can claw back the seven-point gap in the Scudetto race with Inter. ‘At Real Madrid, I recovered a nine-point deficit from Barcelona.’

The advantage had been 10 points until last night, when Pervis Estupinan’s strike sealed a 1-0 Milan victory over their city rivals.

Now the title race is opened up again, even if seven points with 10 rounds to go is still a significant hurdle to overcome.

Capello has faith in Milan title

“Inter still have a big advantage, but I think more than anything else it’s a psychological issue now,” said Capello in his role as pundit on Sky Sport Italia.

“In every match recently, Inter have alternated moments of great football with others of just exasperating slowness. This is what allows their opponents to cause problems for them.”

How can Cristian Chivu solve that lack of consistency and intensity in the Inter performances?

“They have to play with more humility and help each other out, something that I have not seen recently enough in the Inter matches,” added Capello.

Milan are now flying high ahead of the pack fighting for the top four and therefore have nothing really to lose, which the former Rossoneri coach feels could be significant.

“They’ve got a pretty good fixture list, so why not try to recover lost ground on first place? I managed it with Real Madrid, I recovered a nine-point deficit with Barcelona, precisely because they were resting on their laurels with such a big advantage.

“Inter need to be very wary of making that same mistake. The danger now is the players won’t have that same belief and focus.”

What would Capello say to the Milan players if he was in Allegri’s shoes?

“I think he should tell them that they’ve almost achieved their objective, so now it’s time to have some fun and enjoy themselves.

“I saw Inter looking so tepid, lacking grit and determination. I don’t know why, but Inter didn’t play the derby with the right attitude.

“I was surprised at how slowly the Nerazzurri moved the ball around. Perhaps they were missing Hakan Calhanoglu in midfield.”

Lautaro Martinez was out injured, but asked to be named among the substitutes just so he could be close to his teammates and sit on the bench throughout.

“Lautaro is a real captain, one of those figures who can shake up a team, run everywhere and work hard rather than just score goals. That grit is what Inter are missing right now,” added Capello.

Inter defender Yann Bisseck is keeping his eyes on the real prize, insisting he’d happily ‘take’ losing both Milan Derbies if it means celebrating the Scudetto.

The Nerazzurri are now seven points clear at the top of the Serie A table, but the gap had been 10 until last night’s 1-0 defeat to their city rivals.

Milan had not won both editions of the Derby della Madonnina in a single Serie A campaign since 2010-11, which is when they ended up taking the title under Max Allegri.

Bisseck wants silverware for Inter

They won both meetings with Inter 1-0 this season, so that gives them bragging rights, but Bisseck is keeping his eyes on the prize.

“If there is a game that we want to win, then it’s the derby, and we haven’t managed it for two years,” confessed the defender at a charity event this evening.

“However, if at the start of the season you tell me that we’ll lose two derbies, but then win the Scudetto, then I’ll take that.”

The title is not quite locked down yet, as Inter have a seven-point advantage with 10 games still to play.

“This is a good advantage to have, but 10 rounds are a lot, and we still have work to do.”

Bisseck had been tipped to make a move to the Premier League last summer, so is he happy with the offers that are bound to come in again?

“When you do well, there are many clubs who want you, but I am concentrated on Inter.”

Former Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic could return to Serie A for Milan next season, claim reports, but he would need to significantly drop his Al-Hilal wages.

The Serbia international first shot to fame in Italian football with eight years in the Biancocelesti jersey, arriving from KRC Genk in the summer of 2015 for €12m and sold to Al-Hilal in 2023 for €40m.

Milinkovic-Savic has some Milan links already

He has been linked with a possible comeback to Serie A several times in recent years, and the latest suggestion is pushing him towards Milan.

This is because Max Allegri has long been an admirer of the 31-year-old, and it would represent a reunion with former Lazio director of sport Igli Tare, who is now running the transfer strategy at Milan.

According to Tuttosport and Calciomercato, the Rossoneri believe Milinkovic-Savic could bring something extra to their midfield, especially if they lock down Champions League qualification.

The big problem is that he only recently signed a new contract with Al-Hilal that runs to June 2028, and with it a salary worth circa €20m per season.

In order to make the move to Milan, he’d have to pick up roughly a quarter of that sum, plus some performance-related bonuses.

Maurizio Sarri hit out at Lazio President Claudio Lotito after losing Ivan Provedel for the season and being forced to debut Edoardo Motta against Sassuolo. ‘I was totally against the sale of Christos Mandas.’

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

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

The Biancocelesti have been showing very different form in Serie A compared to the Coppa Italia, as they scraped one point from three league games, yet played a spectacular 2-2 semi-final first leg draw with Atalanta last Wednesday.

“We have such incredible differences in our statistics from Sunday to Wednesday, they are genuinely hard to explain,” shrugged the coach on Sky Sport Italia.

“It is all about the different attitude that the team had in those two games. It is a mistake to do that, we should always have great motivation, and I hope to see the version of Lazio tonight that we got on Wednesday.”

Sarri vents fury at Lazio transfer strategy

The injury crisis has dragged on throughout the campaign, but hit a new low when goalkeeper Provedel was ruled out for the rest of the season by shoulder surgery on a tendon tear.

It means Sarri has to give 21-year-old Motta his Serie A debut, having arrived in January from Reggina.

“It is certainly a major absence. I was totally against the decision to sell Mandas. Now we have a young lad with some qualities, we’ll see what he does on the field,” replied the coach.

He sent that message to President Lotito, who had loaned second-choice goalkeeper Mandas to Bournemouth in January for €1.5m with an option to buy for a further €18.5m.

However, Mandas made just one appearance this season for Lazio, in the Coppa Italia, and is yet to make his Bournemouth debut either.

Not many expected at the start of the season that in Week 28 this would be a mid-table tussle, with newly-promoted Sassuolo ahead and pushing for eighth place with a victory here.

Even if the Aquile win this evening, they won’t be able to close the gap completely and catch the Neroverdi in the table.

“I was more or less expecting Sassuolo to do this well, as they are a strong team, well-organised and had a clear identity from the start,” said Sarri.

The mood has not been helped by the ongoing boycott of the home matches, as ultras have been abandoning the Stadio Olimpico for the last four games in protest at President Lotito.

“It’s depressing, horrible, and it’s time the club does something about this,” added Sarri on DAZN Italia.

Italy international Federico Chiesa is not part of the Liverpool squad for the Champions League clash with Galatsaray, as Arne Slot explains his latest setback.

The first leg of the Round of 16 tie is going to be in Istanbul on Tuesday.

It is not a full squad making the trip as ex-Roma goalkeeper Alisson Becker and Italy’s Chiesa were left behind in Liverpool.

Chiesa struggling for playing time at Liverpool

“Federico was also not in the session, he felt unwell last night, so that’s why he wasn’t training with us today and not travelling with us,” explained coach Slot in his pre-match press conference.

As for Alisson, the shot-stopper felt a twinge towards the end of the training session and the medical staff decided it was better he stay home for this match.

Chiesa’s injury record has stalled his career badly and the last thing he needed was to add to the number of missed games with illness too.

The 28-year-old could be recalled by Gennaro Gattuso when Italy play the 2026 World Cup play-offs later this month.

He has made 29 competitive appearances for Liverpool so far this season, contributing three goals and three assists.

However, Chiesa was only in the starting XI for five of those fixtures.

Lazio begin life without Ivan Provedel and give Edoardo Motta his Serie A debut in goal, taking on Domenico Berardi’s ambitious Sassuolo, who could leap into eighth place.

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

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

This is a surprising mid-table tussle, because no matter the result this evening, newly-promoted Sassuolo will be ahead of the Aquile in the standings.

A home victory would close the gap to just one point and put Maurizio Sarri’s side in 10^th place, whereas a Neroverdi win would let them leapfrog Bologna into eighth position.

Lazio were involved in a midweek 2-2 Coppa Italia semi-final draw with Atalanta, twice fumbling the lead so that it all goes down to the second leg in Bergamo next month.

The big news over the last few days is that Provedel required surgery on a tendon in his shoulder and could well be out for the rest of the season.

It means January signing Edoardo Motta is thrown in at the deep end for his Serie A debut.

Toma Basic, Nicolò Rovella and Samuel Gigot are also out of action, so Fisayo Dele-Bashiru starts in midfield, with Daniel Maldini, Gustav Isaksen and Mattia Zaccagni upfront.

They scraped only two points from the last four Serie A games, and failed to score for three in a row in this competition.

The mood has not been helped by the ongoing boycott of the home matches, as ultras have been gathering outside the Stadio Olimpico to cheer on their team from there in protest at President Claudio Lotito.

Sassuolo are on fine form recently, winning five of the last six games, interrupted only by a defeat to leaders Inter.

Sebastian Walukiewicz returns from suspension, but Andrea Pinamonti sits out a ban instead.

Alieu Fadera is recovering after surgery on a fractured cheekbone he suffered during the 2-1 victory over Atalanta, which was achieved when down to 10 men for over an hour.

Daniel Boloca, Edoardo Pieragnolo and Fali Candé are all long-term absentees.

Instead, M’Bala Nzola steps into the attack with Domenico Berardi and Armand Laurienté, with ex-Roma midfielder Nemanja Matic rested.

Lazio vs. Sassuolo line-ups

Lazio: Motta; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Nuno Tavares; Dele-Bashiru, Cataldi, Taylor; Isaksen, Maldini, Zaccagni

Sassuolo: Muric; Coulibaly, Idzes, Muharemovic, Garcia; Koné, Lipani, Thorstvedt; Berardi, Nzola, Laurienté

09-03-2026 19:45

MatchDay 28

Stadio Olimpico

Lazio

Sassuolo

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

Daniel Maldini		2'
		35'		Armand Lauriente (Assist: Kristian Thorstvedt)
		37'		Luca Lipani

2nd half

		58'		Ulisses Garcia
		86'		Armand Lauriente
		88'		Sebastian Walukiewicz
Adam Marusic (Assist: Matteo Cancellieri)		90+2'

Match statistic

50

Possession %

50

13

Total shots

7

5

Shots on target

4

6

Shots off target

1

2

Blocked shots

2

1

Corners

6

2

Offsides

3

7

Fouls

8

Lazio

Sassuolo

Starting lineups

40

Edoardo Motta

Goalkeeper

77

Adam Marusic

Defender

13

Alessio Romagnoli

Defender

46'

34

Mario Gila

Defender

17

Nuno Tavares

Defender

27

Daniel Maldini

Midfielder

65'

32

Danilo Cataldi

Midfielder

38'

7

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru

Midfielder

24

Kenneth Taylor

Midfielder

18

Gustav Isaksen

Attacker

79'

10

Mattia Zaccagni

Attacker

79'

49

Arijanet Muric

Goalkeeper

21

Jay Idzes

Defender

80

Tarik Muharemovic

Defender

23

Ulisses Garcia

Defender

68'

25

Woyo Coulibaly

Defender

68'

90

Ismaël Koné

Midfielder

83'

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

46'

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

10

Domenico Berardi

Attacker

8

M’Bala Nzola

Attacker

68'

Substitutes

29

Manuel Lazzari

Defender

23

Elseid Hysaj

Defender

55

Alessio Furlanetto

Goalkeeper

3

Luca Pellegrini

Defender

21

Reda Belahyane

Midfielder

20

Petar Ratkov

Attacker

14

Tijjani Noslin

Attacker

28

Adrian Przyborek

Attacker

99

Giacomo Giacomone

4

Patric

Defender

38'

25

Oliver Provstgaard

Defender

46'

19

Boulaye Dia

Attacker

65'

9

Pedro

Attacker

79'

22

Matteo Cancellieri

Attacker

79'

7

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

19

Filippo Romagna

Defender

12

Giacomo Satalino

Goalkeeper

16

Gioele Zacchi

Goalkeeper

13

Stefano Turati

Goalkeeper

44

Edoardo Iannoni

Midfielder

40

Aster Vranckx

Midfielder

18

Nemanja Matic

Midfielder

46'

6

Sebastian Walukiewicz

Defender

68'

24

Luca Moro

Attacker

68'

3

Josh Doig

Defender

68'

50

Darryl Bakola

Midfielder

83'

Raffaele Palladino expects a ‘magical’ Champions League night against Bayern Munich, assuring Atalanta ‘don’t want to set limits on ourselves, all Italians are cheering us on.’

The first leg kicks off at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo on Tuesday at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

La Dea are the only remaining Italian representatives in the Champions League and face a daunting task against German giants Bayern Munich.

Atalanta ready to dream big in Champions League

“Tomorrow will be a magical, wonderful night for us, as it’s a dream to be in the Champions League last 16 against one of the strongest teams in the world,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.

“Dreams are there to be experienced. We want to enjoy it to the full and cause difficulties for Bayern. We are playing at home, so can repeat the performance against Borussia Dortmund.”

Atalanta certainly have a strong record with German opponents, going back to winning the Europa League trophy by crushing the then-unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Final.

In the Champions League play-offs last month, they overturned a 2-0 first leg deficit to eliminate Borussia Dortmund with a 4-1 success in Bergamo.

“Being the only Italian in the Champions League is a nice feeling, we feel that all Italians are cheering us on and I received messages of encouragement from all over, including my former players at Fiorentina and Monza,” added Palladino.

“We don’t want to set limits on ourselves. We want to have our say, knowing of course that Bayern Munich are a truly excellent team.”

While the Germans are missing Manuel Neuer and waiting on fitness news from Harry Kane, Atalanta are forced to do without several key players.

Giacomo Raspadori and Charles De Ketelaere are still out injured, with Giorgio Scalvini suspended in defence, while Ederson remains a major doubt.

“I would’ve liked to go into this game with an entire squad at my disposal, but in attack especially we are limited without Raspadori and De Ketelaere,” continued the coach.

“I know whoever plays will give 100 per cent for this shirt. We’ll try to end the first 90 minutes of this tie having given our all to make these fans happy.”

Bayern Munich won seven of their eight Champions League games in the opening phase, losing only 3-1 to Arsenal on November 26.

“Bayern don’t have many weak spots, but we studied them carefully,” added Palladino.

“They have so much quality in attack, especially Harry Kane, but we must not lose our identity, can never drop the tempo, as intensity is our greatest strength.”

Is this to be considered Mission Impossible for Atalanta?

“Maybe, but it’s still wonderful to face this type of challenge. We want to enjoy it and I really liked the attitude of the lads.”

Alisson Santos has impressed so much at Napoli that Carlo Ancelotti has sent Brazil scouts to watch him ahead of the World Cup, but the club hasn’t yet decided to purchase him from Sporting CP.

The wide attacker arrived in the January transfer window, on loan for six months at a cost of €3.5m, with an option to buy him outright at the end of the season for a further €16m.

Alisson Santos strong start with Napoli

So far, the 23-year-old has only made five competitive appearances in the Napoli jersey, yet contributed two decisive goals in the 2-2 draw with Roma and 2-1 victory over Torino.

Spanish newspaper AS and Tuttomercatoweb maintain this caught the eye of Brazil boss Ancelotti, who sent some of his staff to watch the 23-year-old in action.

Following the serious injury that ruled Real Madrid star Rodrygo out of the 2026 World Cup, a slot has opened up for a player with similar characteristics.

However, Alisson Santos has apparently not yet won everyone over at Napoli, because transfer pundit Fabrizio Romano notes that so far they have not yet contacted his agent or Sporting CP to confirm whether the option to buy will be activated.

So much will depend on whether they manage to qualify for the Champions League next season, as they currently sit in third place in Serie A.

Vincent Kompany warns Bayern Munich ‘are playing against a very strong’ Atalanta side in the Champions League, while a decision on Harry Kane’s fitness will only be made tomorrow.

The first leg kicks off at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo on Tuesday at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

There are some injury concerns for the Bundesliga leaders, as Manuel Neuer is ruled out with Leon Klanac, Hiroki Ito and Alphonso Davies, while star striker Kane is a major doubt.

“Kane had a very good training session, but we will only make a decision tomorrow,” explained Kompany in his press conference.

“The priority is to have him in the squad, whether he starts or not.”

Kompany full of respect for Atalanta

Inevitably, the German giants are the favourites, but they will also have learned the lesson of Borussia Dortmund, who were eliminated by La Dea in the play-offs.

The first leg had ended 2-0 in Germany, only for Atalanta to turn it around with a last-gasp 4-1 success in Italy.

“We are playing against a very strong team tomorrow. There are analogies to the way we play, considering they attack down the wings a lot, but we must time the pressing correctly.

“Atalanta have done some great things, including winning the Europa League, so we absolutely cannot underestimate them. Our objective is to be as competitive as possible in every tournament. We are not afraid of anyone and want to take every single opportunity.”

Kompany was asked about the level of Italian football compared to many others in Europe, seeing as their biggest clubs struggled recently and crashed out.

“I know it’s a topic in Italy at the moment, because Atalanta are the only Italian team still in the Champions League. I watched the level of Inter last year, when I saw Atalanta’s games this year, I see a lot of talent, I see teams that are well-coached.

“It’s been difficult games for Dortmund, for Frankfurt and Liverpool, so we cannot have any pretention towards this game,” insisted coach Kompany.

“Atalanta is a very special opponent in terms of the way they play, and a very interesting game for us as coaches. Atalanta has been building towards where they are today, so they have the belief they can do something special.

“I was never in the Italian League, so I am not the best judge of how different the level is, but probably not too much.”

La Dea had started very shakily this season, in Serie A and Europe, but went from strength to strength after Raffaele Palladino took over from Ivan Juric in January, bringing more of the approach that his mentor Gian Piero Gasperini had imposed.

“Atalanta have a new coach now, but you can see the consistency, and it is never a guarantee after coach like Gasperini to have such a long period of success as an icon for a club, to find someone who can maintain that identity,” noted Kompany.

“It’s really difficult, but they kept that identity and add something new. I have a lot of respect for Atalanta and what they do, so I know tomorrow will be a really tough game.

“We are used to being favourites in most games, so we don’t have a problem accepting this role if people want to say we are favourites. However, anyone who follows football in recent years will know Atalanta can beat anyone.

“They beat Juventus 3-0 this season, are in the Coppa Italia semi-final, so we have great respect for them. Anything is possible in football, but we want to win.”

Unlike the play-off, this time Atalanta must play the first leg on home turf and the second in Germany.

“It looked for all of us that Dortmund was sure to qualify, they looked dominant at home and the better team, but it changed totally in Bergamo,” confessed Kompany.

“Maybe it was the stadium, the atmosphere, the fans, but they had so much belief here. Italian fans are known to be quite loud, but I can guarantee you that the Allianz Arena on Champions League nights is very special too,” smiled Kompany.

Belgium international Charles De Ketelaere is out of action and Kompany admits to having mixed feelings on the situation.

“As a Belgium fan, I want him fit for the World Cup, but I saw Charles in his debut in Bruges. I thought going to Milan was a chance to try out, but Atalanta are perfect for him to develop. He has a wonderful left foot, good physical presence, he runs a lot and this club was absolutely the right place for him to make this step.

“You can see what a good player he is, so it’s good for us that he’s not available tomorrow, but I also hope he can soon be fit and do really well for the national team.”

Luis Diaz was a big €70m investment from Liverpool and made a strong impact this season with 20 goals and 16 assists in 35 competitive appearances for Bayern Munich.

“Lucho has done really well in terms of numbers, but I think he’s so much more than that. I always say he has creativity in chaos, and what I love is the message he sends when he plays, that reflects the team as well, always fighting and trying to get something.

“Just because we are Bayern Munich, it does not mean we are any less hungry than other teams. It has been a pleasure to have him with us,” concluded Kompany.

There is mixed news from the Napoli medical staff, as while Scott McTominay returns to training, Antonio Vergara’s problem might be more serious.

The Partenopei have been dealing with an injury crisis for seemingly the entire campaign, as just as one player returns to the field, another picks up a new issue.

Napoli look to medical staff for team picks

McTominay has not played since aggravating the inflammation of a tendon on February 7 when scoring a goal in the victory over Genoa.

According to Sky Sport Italia, the Scotland international will resume training with his teammates tomorrow, so should therefore be in the squad for Saturday’s Serie A match against Lecce.

However, Vergara is increasingly unlikely to be part of the team after he limped off in the win over Torino.

Il Mattino newspaper suggests that the youth academy product has been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis and it could take a while for him to make a full recovery.

Napoli are still without David Neres, Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Amir Rrahmani, but Kevin De Bruyne and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa made their comebacks last week.

Federico Dimarco admits it’s ‘difficult to explain’ Inter’s sluggish response with Milan, but insists ‘if someone told us eight months ago we’d be seven points clear, we wouldn’t believe you.’

The Nerazzurri looked disjointed after losing both first choice strikers, as Marcus Thuram was out with flu symptoms and Lautaro Martinez injured.

While Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Dimarco missed big chances, Milan were clinical when Pervis Estupinan ran onto the Youssouf Fofana through ball and surprised Yann Sommer at the near post.

Dimarco saw Inter struggle in Milan Derby

“Milan dropped very deep after their goal, as was entirely to be expected, and the truth is that we created too little to really hurt them,” Dimarco told DAZN Italia.

“We had prepared the match with a low-to-medium block so we could increase the press. When it came to my chance, the ball bobbled and I didn’t connect properly.”

They had been unbeaten in the league since the last Derby della Madonnina, which also ended 1-0 back in November 2025, putting together a 2-2 draw with Napoli and 14 victories.

“When we concede a goal, we struggle to react a lot of the time, or rather we don’t react with enough determination,” confessed Dimarco.

“It is difficult to explain why we do that. The team is united, we are having a great season and are still seven points clear at the top, after all.

“We’ve got to stay calm, because our fate is still entirely in our hands.”

The result means Inter see their lead at the top of the Serie A table cut to seven points, which is still a significant advantage at this stage of the season with 10 rounds left to play.

It is put to the Nerazzurri that they have a poor record in the ‘big’ games, managing only two wins, one draw and three defeats in the Serie A fixtures against Milan, Napoli, Roma and Juventus.

“You say that, but if someone had told us eight months ago that we’d be seven points clear at the top of the table, we wouldn’t have believed you,” insisted Dimarco.

“We’ve got to stay clear-headed and focus on these remaining 10 matches.”

Inter were also angry in stoppages when Denzel Dumfries nodded the ball onto Samuele Ricci’s elbow from close range inside the penalty area.

“I didn’t see it, as I was on the other side of the pitch. Watching the video, the arm is quite wide, so it’s down to the interpretation of the referee. There could’ve been a VAR check.”

Cristian Chivu concedes Inter were ‘unable to break down’ the Milan defensive block, but insists ‘nothing would’ve changed even if we had won tonight’ in the Scudetto race.

The Nerazzurri could put the final nail in the coffin of the title with this showdown, but have instead seen their 10-point lead reduced to seven.

They were forced into changes on the night, as Marcus Thuram was ruled out by flu symptoms, with Lautaro Martinez also injured, so the all-new strike partnership of Francesco Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny struggled to gel.

Moments after Henrikh Mkhitaryan wasted a promising counter-attack, Inter conceded from Pervis Estupinan at the near post, surprising Luis Henrique by running onto the Youssouf Fofana assist.

Chivu recognises Inter should’ve done better

“Our first half was below par with a slow tempo, we then conceded their goal and that was a blow too,” Chivu told DAZN Italia.

“We tried to step up a gear after the break and did better in fits and starts, creating a good chance with Dimarco. We tried everything to swarm around their low defensive block, but were unable to break them down.”

Considering that Esposito and Bonny are different to the usual centre-forwards, should Inter have put more crosses into the box this evening?

“We got to the by-line, but without clear-cut situations, and then the crosses tended to be cleared by their defenders, because we never got in front of them,” replied Chivu.

“There was a lack of dynamism for us, Milan were sitting back and waiting for us to then go on the counter-attack. We need to improve and raise the tempo.”

Inter had been unbeaten in Serie A since the last encounter with Milan, another 1-0 result on November 23, managing a 2-2 draw against Napoli and 14 victories.

Chivu had said that Inter were too often criticised and not given credit for their successes, but after a disappointing 0-0 Coppa Italia semi-final draw with Como midweek and this defeat, they seem to be losing steam.

This is on top of the Champions League exit in the play-offs to Norwegian minnows Bodo/Glimt.

“We could and should have done better. The strikers are young, they didn’t do what we usually require, but that is not an excuse, I am pleased with what they tried to do, considering they were the only two at our disposal. For two such young players, this is valuable experience,” added Chivu.

“We all should’ve had greater intensity and moved with more determination all over the pitch.”

There had been suggestions Inter could go back to the system with one centre-forward and two more advanced creative midfielders, the approach used against Como in the Coppa Italia, to have at least one striker who could come off the bench and shake things up.

“I don’t think this was the right game to make experiments like that.”

The coach was pressed on the late incident where Denzel Dumfries headed the ball onto Samuele Ricci’s arm, but it was considered to be in a natural position.

“I was told the VAR checked it, so I have nothing to add. I am focused on the performance, on my decisions, my mistakes. There are 10 games to go, 30 points up for grabs, so we’ve got to build on what we’ve done so far,” replied Chivu.

“We still have a seven-point advantage, there are 30 still to be earned, nothing would’ve changed even if we had won tonight.”

In Serie A history, Inter and Milan have never managed to win the Scudetto in the same season where they lost both editions of the Derby della Madonnina.

Max Allegri confirms the Pervis Estupinan goal was prepared by Milan to target an Inter defensive weakness, but insists the Nerazzurri ‘remain the clear Scudetto favourites.’

The last time the Rossoneri won both editions of the Serie A derby was 2010-11, also under this coach, and how did that season end?

“It ended with winning the Scudetto,” smiled Allegri on DAZN Italia.

“However, Inter have a seven-point lead at the top, it’s a big advantage, they are still the strongest team and the clear favourites. We could’ve done better and been sharper in the final third on a few situations.

“We can only be happy, because we have kept Juventus at -10 points, Como and Roma at -9, so it was important to get a result today.”

Allegri keeps eyes on the real Milan prize

There are now 10 rounds left in the campaign, and a seven-point gap at the top of the table, although the coach has been adamant the main focus must be on qualifying for the Champions League.

“We worked seven months to make sure we reached March in the best possible condition, because this is when the most important games of the season are played and everything is decided,” continued Allegri.

The Rossoneri knew this was their last chance to keep the title race alive and that Inter had been unbeaten in Serie A since the last Derby della Madonnina on November 23.

That also ended 1-0, but this was an unexpected hero, Estupinan running onto the Youssouf Fofana through ball to beat Yann Sommer at the near post with his first goal for the club, hitting the weakness of Luis Henrique’s defending.

“Luis Henrique is a very good player, but we had prepared that situation in training,” confessed Allegri.

“Before the goal, there was a Rabiot cross that Estupinan could’ve run onto if he had just read it a moment earlier. Fofana did really well with that assist, he had another two important passes against Cremonese where we didn’t manage to score. The team is doing better.”

Milan owner Gerry Cardinale was present at San Siro, something he had not done for 18 months, and went into the dressing room after the final whistle to congratulate the team.

“I spoke to the team and then left, because I had to do the interviews, but I’m very pleased that the club and patrons congratulated the players.

“Having said that, we know that we have not achieved anything yet, so we’ve got to keep our feet on the ground. We must be pleased with the victory, but above all recognise they take us up to 60 points, with one less round to go in order to achieve our target.”

Milan pressed Inter hard in the first half, while they were pushed back a bit more after the break and ended the match clammed up in their own penalty area.

“We used up a lot of energy in the first half, then obviously Inter stepped up a gear and we allowed them a few more crosses when we sat deeper,” continued Allegri.

“However, apart from Federico Dimarco’s chance on the counter-attack, I don’t remember genuine Inter chances. We had some favourable situations too and could’ve gone into the break 2-0 up.

“Having said that, yet again, I need to point out Inter remain the clear favourites for the Scudetto. This victory gives us a morale-booster.”

Luka Modric believes Milan had ‘some Sergio Ramos spirit’ in their Derby della Madonnina victory over Inter today, while Pervis Estupinan admits it was ‘the most important goal of my life.’

The odds were against the Rossoneri, who also felt the most pressure knowing they were 10 points behind the leaders going into this last chance to keep the title race open.

It was an unexpected hero who secured the 1-0 victory at San Siro, as Estupinan had never scored in the Rossoneri jersey before, but he ran onto the Youssouf Fofana through ball to surprise Yann Sommer at the near top corner.

Estupinan and Modric dreaming big for Milan

“It is the most important goal of my life, really,” Estupinan told DAZN Italia.

“This is thanks to all the hard work we did, we worked all week so hard, we had the right approach and we got the victory.”

Max Allegri told Estupinan to run at Luis Henrique, who got the timing and positioning all wrong when defending.

“Yes, as I said, we worked on this and the coach told me to attack that channel. I found the right moment to make the run and scored the goal.”

This means Milan have won both editions of the Derby della Madonnina this season, as Inter had been unbeaten in Serie A since the last encounter on November 23, which also ended 1-0.

“We always believed, but we must keep taking it one game at a time,” Modric told DAZN Italia.

“It was an enormous effort, a great performance in the first half, Inter fought back after the restart, because they are a strong side, but they still created practically nothing against us.

“That shows how well we defended and were so organised, we deserved the victory.”

The gap at the top of the Serie A table remains extensive at seven points, but it does at least give the Rossoneri some hope of catching their bitter city rivals in the remaining 10 rounds.

Inter protested in stoppages when they had the ball in the net, but the referee had stopped play on the corner.

“I don’t know what happened, but the referee blew the whistle beforehand, so it cannot be a goal if play was stopped. It isn’t even disallowed,” explained Modric.

Modric invited 60 friends and family to the match tonight, including his old Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos, who was spotted in the stands at San Siro.

Considering his presence, what do they make of the rumours in Spain that Allegri could be lined up for Real Madrid next season?

“There are always rumours around Real Madrid, but I don’t get involved in these things. I am very happy at Milan, I am so happy to see Sergio, he wrote yesterday and said he really wanted to experience this match. To have him here and with a victory too, that’s even better! We had a bit of Sergio Ramos spirit today,” concluded Modric.

Milan have won both editions of the Derby della Madonnina, as the Pervis Estupian goal reopens the Scudetto race, closing the gap on leaders Inter to seven points.

This was not only the Derby della Madonnina, but also a Scudetto showdown between first and second place. The Nerazzurri were unbeaten in Serie A since the 1-0 defeat in this fixture on November 23, followed by a draw and 14 victories. Marcus Thuram had flu symptoms, with Lautaro Martinez injured and on the bench anyway to cheer on his teammates, so it was an all-new strike partnership. Matteo Gabbia and Santiago Gimenez missed out following surgery, with Davide Bartesaghi not fully fit.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Luka Modric drilled inches wide from the edge of the area in the third minute after a wayward Yann Sommer pass out from the back.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan gathered from his own half and sprinted forward to force a tricky save out of Mike Maignan one-on-one, but Milan scored instead moments later.

Youssouf Fofana completed a give and go with Rafael Leao, then placed a smart through ball to send Estupinan down the left behind Luis Henrique, beating Sommer from a tight angle at the near post. It was the Ecuadorian’s first ever goal for the Rossoneri.

Pervis Estupiñán rockets AC Milan into the lead in the Derby della Madonnina

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/4JFOkVSDrN

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 8, 2026

It was nearly 2-0 soon after, as Christian Pulisic pulled back from the left by-line and Federico Dimarco did just enough to stop Alexis Saelemaekers sweeping in from 12 yards.

After the restart, Piotr Zielinski stung Maignan’s gloves at the near post, while Rafael Leao scuffed well wide after a strong Pulisic counter-attack.

Fofana tested Sommer on another counter, but Federico Dimarco should’ve equalised on 54 minutes when ballooning over from 12 yards, as Mkhitaryan knocked down a Barella cross.

Leao also wasted a promising opportunity when sent through by Fofana, while Denzel Dumfries came off the bench and within 60 seconds had tested Maignan after pouncing on a loose ball, then Bonny nodded his cross over the bar.

Alessandro Bastoni was booked for a late trip on Rabiot, which ended up injuring the Inter defender and forcing him off the pitch.

Rabiot also saw yellow later and will be suspended for next week’s meeting with Lazio. Inter had the ball in the net on a corner during stoppages, but the referee had clearly blown the whistle beforehand to have it taken again.

Inter also had penalty appeals when Dumfries nodded the ball onto Samuele Ricci’s arm, but it was considered to be in a natural position, then the move continued and Manuel Akanji’s header was off target.

Milan 1-0 Inter

Estupinan 35 (M)

08-03-2026 19:45

MatchDay 28

San Siro Stadium (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)

Milan

Inter

1 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Pervis Estupiñán (Assist: Youssouf Fofana)

35'

2nd half

		65'		Alessandro Bastoni
		69'		Denzel Dumfries
Adrien Rabiot		80'
Luka Modric		89'

Match statistic

37

Possession %

63

9

Total shots

11

2

Shots on target

2

6

Shots off target

5

1

Blocked shots

4

1

Corners

6

2

Offsides

1

8

Fouls

12

Milan

Inter

Starting lineups

16

Mike Maignan

Goalkeeper

23

Fikayo Tomori

Defender

5

Koni De Winter

Defender

2

Pervis Estupiñán

Defender

31

Strahinja Pavlovic

Defender

12

Adrien Rabiot

Midfielder

56

Alexis Saelemaekers

Midfielder

14

Luka Modric

Midfielder

19

Youssouf Fofana

Midfielder

73'

11

Christian Pulisic

Attacker

84'

10

Rafael Leão

Attacker

73'

1

Yann Sommer

Goalkeeper

95

Alessandro Bastoni

Defender

68'

14

Ange-Yoan Bonny

Defender

32

Federico Dimarco

Defender

25

Manuel Akanji

Defender

31

Yann Bisseck

Defender

80'

22

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Midfielder

59'

23

Nicolò Barella

Midfielder

68'

7

Piotr Zielinski

Midfielder

94

Pio Esposito

Attacker

11

Luis Henrique

Attacker

59'

Substitutes

1

Pietro Terracciano

Goalkeeper

30

Ardon Jashari

Midfielder

33

Davide Bartesaghi

Defender

96

Lorenzo Torriani

Goalkeeper

24

Zachary Athekame

Defender

27

David Odogu

Defender

4

Samuele Ricci

Midfielder

73'

9

Niclas Füllkrug

Attacker

73'

18

Christopher Nkunku

Attacker

84'

15

Francesco Acerbi

Defender

36

Matteo Darmian

Defender

20

Hakan Calhanoglu

Midfielder

6

Stefan de Vrij

Defender

10

Lautaro Martínez

Attacker

13

Josep Martínez

Goalkeeper

12

Raffaele Di Gennaro

Goalkeeper

53

Matteo Lavelli

Attacker

2

Denzel Dumfries

Midfielder

59'

8

Petar Sucic

Defender

59'

16

Davide Frattesi

Midfielder

68'

30

Carlos Augusto

Midfielder

68'

17

Andy Diouf

Attacker

80'

Inter President Beppe Marotta agrees with Cristian Chivu that their success ‘attracted jealousy and excessive criticism,’ while youth is the way forward in the Milan derby.

It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

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

The Nerazzurri are forced into changes, because Marcus Thuram has flu symptoms and is not even fit for a spot on the bench this evening.

Curiously, Lautaro Martinez is named among the substitutes, even though he is in absolutely no condition to play, because the captain wants to be close to his teammates during this huge match.

Marotta reassuring for Inter showdown

“It was a nice gesture, he wanted to be there and knows that a captain is not just on the pitch, but he can take that role off it too. We consider it an extremely positive attitude,” Marotta told DAZN Italia.

Francesco Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny start together in a competitive match for the first time, forming a brand new and young Inter strike partnership.

“Italian football cannot compete financially with many other leagues, so we need to focus on the quality of Made in Italy. Playing Pio Esposito is to the credit of our youth academy, and this is the path that other Serie A sides ought to be following.

“Football is entertainment and another way of creating that is to make the most of the talent within our shores.”

Inter are 10 points clear at the top of the Serie A table, so anything less than a defeat would all but stitch the Scudetto badge onto their jersey.

“We are not thinking about that,” said the President. “We want to remember the dangers in this derby, as it is always separate from the rest of the season.

“I hope it can be a positive advertisement for the city of Milano, an iconic city. We hope it can be spectacular and positive for those in the stadium and around the world.”

Cristian Chivu complained recently that Inter did not receive credit for their successes this campaign, playing in the Coppa Italia semi-final and top of Serie A.

“I think it is a fair assessment, because generally those who win tend to attract jealousy or excessive criticism without substance,” agreed Marotta.

“In the last five years, Inter are the side in Italy who won the most, and we’ve got to be able to handle that kind of malicious sniping that drags us into situations where we don’t belong. There’s no point getting into more controversy.”

Max Allegri assures Christian Pulisic ‘hasn’t forgotten how to score goals’ for Milan and warns they ‘need to be realistic’ in the Scudetto race even if they beat Inter.

It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

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

Not only is this a Derby della Madonnina and bitter local rivalry, it’s also a decisive crossroads in the Scudetto race, because anything less than a victory for the Rossoneri today would make it a huge ask to claw back the gap at the top of the table.

Allegri not fooled by Inter difficulties

Inter are forced to do without both first choice strikers, as Marcus Thuram has flu and Lautaro Martinez is injured, so does anything change for Milan in their approach to facing Francesco Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny?

“Nothing changes, as Esposito and Bonny are both very good players,” Allegri told DAZN Italia.

“It is a difficult match, Inter are an excellent team, as you can see from their position in the table, and we’ll see if we are able to put in a good performance, and above all to get a result.”

Alexandre Pato is in the stands as a guest of the Milan squad, saluted by Allegri before kick-off, with memories of his goal early into a Derby della Madonnina.

“We will try to start strong and that we get what happened in 2011, it would be auspicious. Having said that, we need to be realistic and look at the ultimate objective. The season doesn’t end here, it would be good to get a marvellous result this evening though,” continued Allegri.

Pulisic has not found the net since the 3-0 win over Hellas Verona on December 12, but the USMNT star returns to the starting XI today.

“I think his condition is improving and he will be very important for us in the final months of the season. It’s not as if he has forgotten how to score goals, he had an injury from pre-season, he had a few more setbacks, but is working on finding his best form,” concluded Allegri.

Marcus Thuram is not even on the Inter bench this evening for the Derby della Madonnina against Milan, but Lautaro Martinez is among the substitutes, even if he cannot play.

It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

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

This is not just the fiery local derby and Stadio Giuseppe Meazza battle for local bragging rights, but also a Scudetto showdown between the runaway leaders and the only team keeping up the pace in second.

Inter without first choice strikers

However, Cristian Chivu is forced into some changes, because Thuram has not recovered after suffering from flu symptoms on Friday evening and is not even on the bench today.

Curiously, Lautaro Martinez is named among the substitutes, even though he is in no condition to play after sustaining that calf strain during the first leg of the Champions League play-off with Bodo/Glimt last month.

The captain wanted to be included so that he could be close to his Inter teammates, both inside the locker room, and sitting on the touchline rather than being more isolated in the stands.

The last time Inter did not have a single minute for both Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram in Serie A was a 2-0 win away to Como on May 23, 2025.

Back then, they were rested ahead of the Champions League Final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, so that was 289 days ago.

Inter bench: Di Gennaro, J Martinez, Dumfries, De Vrij, Sucic, Lautaro Martinez, Acerbi, Frattesi, Diouf, Calhanoglu, Carlos Augusto, Darmian, Lavelli

Daniele De Rossi stunned his beloved Roma to give Genoa a much-needed victory, allowing Como to catch the Giallorossi in joint fourth place.

The Giallorossi were gearing up for the Europa League Round of 16 tie with Bologna, but also knew they needed a result here to hold onto fourth place. Paulo Dybala and Evan Ferguson found out this week they required surgery, with Matias Soulé, Mario Hermoso and Artem Dovbyk out too, plus Wesley suspended. Lorenzo Venturino therefore got his first start aged 19 against his parent club. Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa lost Roma-owned Tommaso Baldanzi to injury, with Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Sebastian Otoa not fully fit either.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Evan Ndicka received an early yellow card for a push on Jeff Ekhator and will be suspended when Roma take on Como next week.

Donyell Malen squirmed away from three for a shot deflected wide, while Junior Messias misplaced the pass that would’ve sent Ekhator clear on goal.

Malen was booked after going for the acrobatic volley on a Gianluca Mancini cross, but only catching Leo Ostigard on the head instead.

Genoa had a huge chance on the stroke of half-time, as Caleb Ekuban came sliding in and got to the Messias cross before Mancini, turning over from seven yards.

Bryan Cristante came on for the restart, but Lorenzo Pellegrini slipped and crashed into Mikel Ellertsson for an inevitable penalty, which was converted centrally into the roof of the net by Messias.

Ekuban fired over from a promising position moments later, but Roma equalised on a corner kick of their own. Mancini’s header was nodded away by Messias, but only into the path of Ndicka for a looping header into the empty net. It was the defender’s third consecutive Serie A match on target.

Malen had the ball in the net just two minutes later, but was offside when gathering the Neil El Aynaoui pass through the middle. Malen’s diving header also went over from 10 yards on another Mancini cross.

A Lorenzo Colombo overhead kick failed to trouble Mile Svilar, but Genoa restored their advantage after a throw-in. It was knocked down by Colombo for Ruslan Malinovskyi, who sent Patrizio Masini down the left, rolled across for Vitinha to come sliding in to tap into an empty net from six yards.

Kostas Tsimikas got into the box and could’ve gone for goal, but instead pulled back from the by-line into an area with no Roma teammates.

Malen saw his strike deflected just wide in the final minute and there was a scramble on a corner, then Svilar made a desperate save one-on-one with Malinovsyki on the counter-attack.

Genoa 2-1 Roma

Messias pen 52 (G), Ndicka 55 (R), Vitinha 80 (G)

08-03-2026 17:00

MatchDay 28

Stadio Luigi Ferraris

Genoa

Roma

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		12'		Evan Ndicka
Patrizio Masini		16'
		40'		Donyell Malen

2nd half

Junior Messias		52'
		55'		Evan Ndicka
Vitinha (Assist: Patrizio Masini)		80'
		89'		Bryan Cristante

Match statistic

35

Possession %

65

11

Total shots

7

5

Shots on target

1

5

Shots off target

2

1

Blocked shots

4

3

Corners

6

1

Offsides

5

11

Fouls

17

Genoa

Roma

Starting lineups

16

Justin Bijlow

Goalkeeper

27

Alessandro Marcandalli

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

5

Leo Östigard

Defender

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

73

Patrizio Masini

Midfielder

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

75'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

64'

10

Junior Messias

Attacker

64'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

79'

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

70'

5

Evan Ndicka

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

84'

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

19

Zeki Celik

Defender

84'

7

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Midfielder

56'

17

Manu Koné

Midfielder

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

14

Donyell Malen

Attacker

20

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

46'

Substitutes

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

70

Maxwel Cornet

Attacker

14

Jean Onana

Midfielder

15

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Defender

13

Nils Zätterström

Defender

4

Amorim

Midfielder

99

Mamedi Doucouré

Defender

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

64'

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

64'

9

Vitinha

Attacker

75'

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

79'

92

Stephan El Shaarawy

Attacker

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

97

Bryan Zaragoza

Attacker

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

46'

8

Neil El Aynaoui

Midfielder

56'

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

70'

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

84'

78

Robinio Vaz

Attacker

84'

Inter start an all-new partnership of Francesco Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny with Piotr Zielinski, while Milan hope Luka Modric can inspire Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic.

It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

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

Not only is this a Derby della Madonnina and bitter local rivalry, it’s also a decisive crossroads in the Scudetto race, because leaders Inter are 10 points clear of Milan in second place.

The Nerazzurri were held 0-0 by Como in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg on Tuesday, when adopting a new tactical system with Davide Frattesi and Andy Diouf in advanced roles to support a single centre-forward.

Marcus Thuram was meant to start today, but he is suffering from flu symptoms and is not even fit for the bench, with Lautaro Martinez still out after that calf injury against Bodo/Glimt.

Curiously, the Argentine is named ‘on the bench’ just so he can be close to his teammates and cheer them on.

It means a brand-new strike pairing of Esposito and Bonny, while Hakan Calhanoglu is rested after making his first start in six weeks with Como.

Instead, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zielinski take the midfield reins, with Denzel Dumfries slowly making his way back to full fitness after several months out due to ankle surgery.

Milan have problems of their own to deal with, because Matteo Gabbia had an operation for a sports hernia and is expected to be out for a month, joining Santiago Gimenez on the absentee list.

Davide Bartesaghi avoided a serious flexor injury, but the twinge against Cremonese was enough to mean he’s on the bench, replaced by Pervis Estupinan.

Pulisic and Leao work on their partnership, with Modric and Adrien Rabiot in midfield.

Inter are unbeaten in Serie A since their loss to Milan on November 23, followed by a 2-2 draw with Napoli, and 14 victories.

Milan vs. Inter line-ups

Milan: Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Estupinan; Leao, Pulisic

Inter: Sommer; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Luis Henrique, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Esposito, Bonny

08-03-2026 19:45

MatchDay 28

San Siro Stadium (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)

Milan

Inter

1 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Pervis Estupiñán (Assist: Youssouf Fofana)

35'

2nd half

		65'		Alessandro Bastoni
		69'		Denzel Dumfries
Adrien Rabiot		80'
Luka Modric		89'

Match statistic

37

Possession %

63

9

Total shots

11

2

Shots on target

2

6

Shots off target

5

1

Blocked shots

4

1

Corners

6

2

Offsides

1

8

Fouls

12

Milan

Inter

Starting lineups

16

Mike Maignan

Goalkeeper

23

Fikayo Tomori

Defender

5

Koni De Winter

Defender

2

Pervis Estupiñán

Defender

31

Strahinja Pavlovic

Defender

12

Adrien Rabiot

Midfielder

56

Alexis Saelemaekers

Midfielder

14

Luka Modric

Midfielder

19

Youssouf Fofana

Midfielder

73'

11

Christian Pulisic

Attacker

84'

10

Rafael Leão

Attacker

73'

1

Yann Sommer

Goalkeeper

95

Alessandro Bastoni

Defender

68'

14

Ange-Yoan Bonny

Defender

32

Federico Dimarco

Defender

25

Manuel Akanji

Defender

31

Yann Bisseck

Defender

80'

22

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Midfielder

59'

23

Nicolò Barella

Midfielder

68'

7

Piotr Zielinski

Midfielder

94

Pio Esposito

Attacker

11

Luis Henrique

Attacker

59'

Substitutes

1

Pietro Terracciano

Goalkeeper

30

Ardon Jashari

Midfielder

33

Davide Bartesaghi

Defender

96

Lorenzo Torriani

Goalkeeper

24

Zachary Athekame

Defender

27

David Odogu

Defender

4

Samuele Ricci

Midfielder

73'

9

Niclas Füllkrug

Attacker

73'

18

Christopher Nkunku

Attacker

84'

15

Francesco Acerbi

Defender

36

Matteo Darmian

Defender

20

Hakan Calhanoglu

Midfielder

6

Stefan de Vrij

Defender

10

Lautaro Martínez

Attacker

13

Josep Martínez

Goalkeeper

12

Raffaele Di Gennaro

Goalkeeper

53

Matteo Lavelli

Attacker

2

Denzel Dumfries

Midfielder

59'

8

Petar Sucic

Defender

59'

16

Davide Frattesi

Midfielder

68'

30

Carlos Augusto

Midfielder

68'

17

Andy Diouf

Attacker

80'

Vincenzo Italiano is frustrated after Bologna’s unexpected home defeat to rock bottom Verona. ‘This sport drives me crazy, we had 19 shots on goal today.’

The Rossoblu had seemingly put their crisis behind them and put together a run of positive results.

They took the lead here today with the first Serie A goal for Jonathan Rowe, but found themselves going 2-1 behind in the space of just nine minutes to Martin Frese and Kieron Bowie counter-attacks.

Verona even had a third goal with Amin Sarr, disallowed using VAR for the earlier Roberto Gagliardini push on Benjamin Dominguez.

Italiano can’t believe latest Bologna setback

“The main problem is when you are unable to finish off the chances that you create, and then after that, every time you make a mistake, you have to plug that gap,” said Italiano in his press conference.

“We had managed to make up for the errors recently with a big save or a defensive block, but today we weren’t solid enough in attack or defence.

“When it came to the second goal, we should’ve just taken a yellow card and stopped the counter-attack at the start. It’s a pity, we wanted to add another three points to our tally.

“Santiago Castro could’ve had four goals toady and didn’t convert any of them. We allowed too many spaces in defence too. This is how you lose in Serie A.”

The most remarkable thing about Bologna’s season is their awful record at the Stadio Dall’Ara, as in Serie A alone they have lost seven of their last nine home games.

That is as many defeats as in the previous 62 fixtures played in front of the local supporters.

“You seem to believe that Bologna should sweep everyone aside, but the fact remains, Napoli needed a stoppage-time goal to beat Verona last time,” replied Italiano.

“When you told me we’d get six easy points against Pisa and Verona, I warned you that would not be the case.

“This sport drives me crazy because we had 19 shots on goal today. We had become so much more effective recently, in attack and defence, but today we made silly mistakes.”

Now Bologna must prepare for Thursday’s Europa League Round of 16 tie with Roma, fresh off this surprising home defeat.

“I always say we need to turn the page and start afresh after every match, whether it’s a win or not. We’ll adjust a few things and must have the right concentration against a quality opponent,” concluded Italiano.

Luka Modric has supported Milan since childhood, so he wanted 60 friends and family to be at San Siro to watch him play in tonight’s Derby della Madonnina against Inter.

It kicks off at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

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

Special Milan Derby for Modric

Modric joined the Rossoneri this season as a free agent from Real Madrid, as he has always admitted to supporting the club since he was a little boy in Croatia.

Now he gets to participate in the iconic derby and wants to share the moment with all his friends and family.

According to the Corriere dello Sport, the 40-year-old spared no expense, splashing out for 60 tickets and helping many of them travel from Croatia to be in the stands.

Among them is also a familiar face to this stadium, because he brought along ex-Milan striker Mario Mandzukic, who retired recently and is part of the Croatian coaching staff.

Mandzukic was already in Italy, as last night he was given an award by Juventus and saluted the fans ahead of their 4-0 home win over Pisa.

It’s reported that Mandzukic was staying at Modric’s house over the last couple of days.

Paolo Vanoli admits Fiorentina have regressed in the last couple of weeks after a 0-0 draw with Parma and gives a Moise Kean injury update. ‘It’ll be a battle to the end.’

It should’ve been a positive result for the Viola, as this point means that they are out of the relegation zone for the first time since October 2024.

However, there were jeers from the fans at the final whistle, as a sluggish performance failed to get the full victory that could’ve dragged Parma back down towards the danger spots.

Vanoli sees Fiorentina problems re-emerge

“We were too slow in the first half and got many crosses wrong, so we didn’t attack the penalty area in the right way,” said Vanoli in his press conference.

“The second half was better, we could’ve brought home the victory, but these games are always balanced. We’re disappointed, but it is also a point that allows us to break away from Cremonese.”

Fiorentina had seemingly turned a corner with a run of positive results, but they have now scraped one draw in the last three competitive matches, failing to score for 250 minutes of Serie A football.

“Football is strange sometimes. In the first two months here we had so many chances, but ups and downs are natural. We didn’t attack the back post or have the right service today, yet compared to the defeat to Udinese last week, we had a better xG today. We just weren’t inventive enough,” added Vanoli.

“I always said the fans are important to us and if they felt the need to jeer, we have to accept it. We must be aware that it’ll be a battle to the very end. We aren’t giving enough, yet it is all we have right now.”

Does he at least recognise there have been steps backward in the last couple of weeks, cancelling out the progress that had been made?

“That is a fair analysis, we are lacking a bit of energy at the moment. Against Udinese was the fifth game in 16 days, I evidently didn’t manage to get the batteries recharged,” confessed Vanoli.

“We lacked quality in the one-on-one situations and I was angry in the first half because Dodo was keeping Jack Harrison pinned back too deep. We were more aggressive after the break, but were still too static and this made it easier for the Parma defenders.”

The lack of goals was also down to the absence of injured Moise Kean and Manor Solomon, who both suffered knocks in recent matches and were not even on the bench today.

“Moise has an inflammation in the ankle after a blow in Udine, we tried to get him on the bench, but he continued to feel pain. Now we hope he’ll be available for the Conference League,” explained Vanoli.

“Solomon is continuing treatment and we’ll see if we can get him fit before the break for international duty or after.”

The next week could be huge in Fiorentina’s season, as they have the Conference League Round of 16 with Rakow and then a relegation tussle with Cremonese.

Roma director Ricky Massara insists Paulo Dybala’s operation ‘will not affect’ the decision to offer him a new contract, while there is squad rotation against Genoa.

It kicks off at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris at 17.00 GMT (18.00 CET).

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

This is crunch time of the campaign for the Giallorossi, because while the Europa League Round of 16 tie against Bologna is coming up on Thursday, they also face pressure from Como and Juventus to keep hold of a top four Serie A spot.

Massara on Roma changes and Dybala situation

The major surprise is Lorenzo Venturino getting his first Serie A start against his parent club, as he arrived from Genoa in January on loan with an option to buy.

“Venturino has always had a positive impact when called upon, with enthusiasm and confidence, so we are very pleased with what he has been doing,” Massara told Sky Sport Italia.

There was double bad news this week, as both Paulo Dybala and Evan Ferguson required surgery, with Matias Soulé, Mario Hermoso, Artem Dovbyk and suspended Wesley not making the trip either.

“It is true that we have a lot of injuries concentrated in the attack, which is a coincidence that does not help. We’ve got El Shaarawy back, Robinio Vaz is very young and still adapting to a new league after arriving only six weeks ago. There will be time for him, Zaragoza and Venturino to develop over the course of the season.”

Dybala has been ruled out for at least six weeks now with meniscus surgery, so will this influence Roma’s decision on whether or not to offer him a new contract?

“This does not affect the issue, we didn’t talk about Paulo’s contract before the injury and we don’t think it is fair to talk about it now. We just hope he can recover as quickly as possible, this will not affect our rapport with Dybala or the club’s strategy,” assured Massara.

Roma’s medical staff faced criticism for not suggesting an operation earlier, as it seems the meniscus in the knee had been damaged for over a month.

“I don’t wish to get into the medical details, it is always better to try conservative treatment first and focus on the health of the players. That is the priority. At least this resolves the problem and we’ll soon have him fully fit.”

Last week’s 3-3 draw with Juventus felt like a missed opportunity, fumbling a 3-1 lead to concede the equaliser in stoppages and confirming Roma’s poor record in the big games.

Daniele De Rossi admits he must put his love for Roma aside or ‘it wouldn’t allow me to do my job properly,’ and explains his big Genoa changes for this match.

It kicks off at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris at 17.00 GMT (18.00 CET).

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

The Giallorossi will always be in his heart, first growing up as a supporter in the Eternal City, then as their player coming up through the youth academy to wear the captain’s armband, and again as coach.

“I went to the Olimpico as an away coach, obviously it is a place that belongs in my heart, but I have worked on putting the past aside, or it wouldn’t allow me to do my job properly,” De Rossi told Sky Sport Italia.

“The great thing about the Genoa fans is they make you feel at home here, their passion is remarkable.”

De Rossi changes Genoa to limit Roma

De Rossi has made quite a few surprising changes to his Genoa side this evening, even taking into account that Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Sebastian Otoa are not fully fit.

He leaves Ruslan Malinovskyi, Vitinha and Lorenzo Colombo on the bench, introducing rapid young strikers Jeff Ekhator and Caleb Ekuban, who had never started together before.

“They can run into space, they are pure strikers who like to sneak up behind defenders. Roma play an aggressive style, so we must be balanced, organised, and ready to get behind their defence,” explained the coach.

Stefano Sabelli and Patrizio Masini are also back in the Genoa starting XI, so is he trying to disorient Gian Piero Gasperini?

“Gasperini cannot be easily disoriented, he has been doing this for a lifetime and knows how to play against many different teams. I chose this line-up because these are the players who can interpret the approach I want for this match, which is going to be very different to the one against Torino, so we need different characteristics to draw upon.”

A point takes Fiorentina out of the drop zone for the first time since October, but it feels like a wasted opportunity, as Parma are now practically safe.

The Viola’s positive run of form ground to a screeching halt after back-to-back defeats in the Conference League to Jagiellonia, even if they qualified in extra time, and 3-0 to Udinese in Serie A. Preparing for the Round of 16 with Rakow on Thursday, they couldn’t afford rotation in this relegation battle.

Dodo returned from suspension, replaced on the naughty step by Fabiano Parisi. Moise Kean, Manor Solomon, Luca Lezzerini and Tariq Lamptey were ruled out. Parma were revitalised by three straight wins and a draw against Cagliari, though Adrian Bernabé, Sascha Britschgi, Pontus Almqvist and Matija Frigan missed out. Zion Suzuki returned to the bench after surgery on a hand fracture in November.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Luca Ranieri couldn’t get control of a scuffed acrobatic volley on the Roberto Piccoli knockdown, while Gabriel Strefezza blasted over on the counter-attack after robbing Marco Brescianini.

Mandela Keita’s daisy-cutter from outside the area skimmed the base of the near post, but Fiorentina stepped up a gear after the restart, Jack Harrison’s cross for Piccoli forcing a desperate Enrico Delprato block.

Rolando Mandragora’s acrobatic volley sailed over, while both Piccoli and Giovanni Fabbian failed to get on the end of a Nicolò Fagioli cross from six yards.

The point takes Fiorentina out of the bottom three for the first time since October, but it means Parma are now almost guaranteed Serie A safety, and the Viola were jeered off the field by their own fans.

Fiorentina 0-0 Parma

08-03-2026 14:00

MatchDay 28

Artemio Franchi Stadium

Fiorentina

Parma

0 - 0

Player statistic

2nd half

Rolando Mandragora		61'
Dodô		90'

Match statistic

56

Possession %

44

12

Total shots

8

1

Shots on target

0

6

Shots off target

6

5

Blocked shots

2

7

Corners

1

1

Offsides

0

12

Fouls

14

Fiorentina

Parma

Starting lineups

43

David de Gea

Goalkeeper

2

Dodô

Defender

6

Luca Ranieri

Defender

5

Marin Pongracic

Defender

86'

27

Cher Ndour

Midfielder

86'

44

Nicolò Fagioli

Midfielder

21

Robin Gosens

Midfielder

8

Rolando Mandragora

Midfielder

64'

10

Albert Gudmundsson

Attacker

17

Jack Harrison

Attacker

81'

91

Roberto Piccoli

Attacker

40

Edoardo Corvi

Goalkeeper

39

Alessandro Circati

Defender

14

Emanuele Valeri

Defender

15

Enrico Delprato

Defender

37

Mariano Troilo

Defender

25

Benja Cremaschi

Midfielder

41

Hans Nicolussi Caviglia

Midfielder

16

Mandela Keita

Midfielder

22

Oliver Sörensen

Midfielder

82'

7

Gabriel Strefezza

Attacker

9

Mateo Pellegrino

Attacker

72'

Substitutes

3

Daniele Rugani

Defender

53

Oliver Christensen

Goalkeeper

29

Niccolò Fortini

Midfielder

60

Eddy Kouadio

Defender

50

Pietro Leonardelli

Goalkeeper

61

Riccardo Braschi

Attacker

62

Luis Balbo

Defender

80

Giovanni Fabbian

Midfielder

64'

22

Jacopo Fazzini

Midfielder

81'

4

Marco Brescianini

Midfielder

86'

15

Pietro Comuzzo

Defender

86'

29

Franco Carboni

Defender

66

Filippo Rinaldi

Goalkeeper

17

Jacob Ondrejka

Attacker

31

Zion Suzuki

Goalkeeper

3

Abdoulaye Ndiaye

Defender

70

Bernardo Conde

Defender

63

Marlon Mena Martinez

Defender

23

Nesta Elphege

Attacker

72'

8

Nahuel Estévez

Midfielder

82'

Hellas Verona caused a huge upset with this comeback victory away to Bologna, sealed by Kieron Bowie’s debut Serie A goal.

The Rossoblu put their recent crisis behind them with three consecutive victories and were gearing up for the Europa League Round of 16 against Roma. Remo Freuler was suspended, with Juan Miranda and Torbjorn Heggem injured, but Charalampos Lykogiannis returned. Rock bottom Verona added Armel Bella-Kotchap and Tobias Slotsager to the injury list with Sandi Lovric, Pol Lirola, Antoine Bernede and Suat Serdar, but Gift Orban was back after a two-match ban.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Santiago Castro’s swerving finish flashed wide from distance, then slipped at the crucial moment on a Jonathan Rowe pull-back.

Verona also threatened on the counter-attack, Lukasz Skorupski getting down to parry the Orban angled drive, while Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro’s shot accidentally hit teammate Orban.

Nadir Zortea drilled inches wide, but Bologna had a huge opportunity at the dawn of the second half when Riccardo Orsolini’s volley on a corner thumped the base of the upright.

The breakthrough came moments later, when Rowe started the move, spreading it down the right with Jens Odgaard and the Zortea pull-back, finding Rowe to sweep first-time through a sea of legs into the far bottom corner. It was his first Serie A goal.

It didn’t last long, as Verona responded immediately with a similar Martin Frese strike from the edge of the area, gathering a poor clearance.

Remarkably, Hellas then turned the game around on the counter-attack, as Orban got down the left and rolled across for the totally unmarked Kieron Bowie to sweep in undisturbed. This too was a debut Serie A goal for the ex-Hibernian striker.

Bowie fired another attempt wide from distance, but Lorenzo Montipò got down for a fantastic save to fingertip the Odgaard strike out from the near bottom corner from the edge of the area.

There was controversy on 85 minutes when Roberto Gagliardini pushed Benjamin Dominguez on the edge of the area, but the referee waved play on, allowing Amin Sarr to sprint away from Jhon Lucumi and score the third for Verona. However, it was disallowed following the VAR review, as Gagliardini had both hands on the back of Dominguez.

Federico Bernardeschi’s free kick went over, then Castro couldn’t steer his cross on target.

Bologna 1-2 Verona

Rowe 49 (B), Frese 53 (V), Bowie 57 (V)

08-03-2026 14:00

MatchDay 28

Renato Dall'Ara Stadium

Bologna

Verona

1 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		16'		Kieron Bowie
Lewis Ferguson		40'
		42'		Abdou Harroui

2nd half

Jonathan Rowe (Assist: Nadir Zortea)		49'
		53'		Martin Frese
		57'		Kieron Bowie (Assist: Gift Orban)

Match statistic

68

Possession %

32

19

Total shots

15

2

Shots on target

5

10

Shots off target

7

7

Blocked shots

3

5

Corners

3

1

Offsides

4

5

Fouls

20

Bologna

Verona

Starting lineups

1

Lukasz Skorupski

Goalkeeper

26

Jhon Lucumí

Defender

17

João Mário

Defender

41

Martin Vitik

Defender

84'

20

Nadir Zortea

Defender

77'

11

Jonathan Rowe

Midfielder

77'

19

Lewis Ferguson

Midfielder

66'

6

Nikola Moro

Midfielder

21

Jens Odgaard

Attacker

7

Riccardo Orsolini

Attacker

66'

9

Santiago Castro

Attacker

1

Lorenzo Montipò

Goalkeeper

5

Andrias Edmundsson

Defender

2

Daniel Oyegoke

Defender

82'

12

Domagoj Bradaric

Defender

3

Martin Frese

Defender

15

Victor Nelsson

Defender

21

Abdou Harroui

Midfielder

74'

11

Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro

Midfielder

63

Roberto Gagliardini

Midfielder

16

Gift Orban

Attacker

90'

18

Kieron Bowie

Attacker

82'

Substitutes

29

Lorenzo De Silvestri

Defender

16

Nicolò Casale

Defender

13

Federico Ravaglia

Goalkeeper

28

Nicolò Cambiaghi

Attacker

24

Thijs Dallinga

Attacker

25

Massimo Pessina

Goalkeeper

5

Eivind Helland

Defender

10

Federico Bernardeschi

Attacker

66'

23

Simon Sohm

Midfielder

66'

22

Charalampos Lykogiannis

Defender

77'

30

Benja Domínguez

Attacker

77'

4

Tommaso Pobega

Midfielder

84'

34

Simone Perilli

Goalkeeper

36

Cheikh Niasse

Attacker

94

Giacomo Toniolo

Goalkeeper

25

Daniel Mosquera

Attacker

70

Fallou Cham

Defender

7

Rafik Belghali

Defender

41

Isaac

Attacker

10

Tomas Suslov

Attacker

74'

9

Amin Sarr

Attacker

82'

6

Nicolás Valentini

Defender

82'

73

Moatasem Al-Musrati

Midfielder

90'

The pressure is on Roma amid an injury crisis to get a win and stay in fourth place, as Donyell Malen and Lorenzo Venturino lead the way against Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa.

It kicks off at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris at 17.00 GMT (18.00 CET).

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

With Como flying and Juventus back on track after the 3-3 thriller last week, Roma know they need a result to hang on to that Champions League spot.

They are also having to prepare for Thursday’s Europa League Round of 16 clash with Bologna, but the squad is stretched very thin.

Paulo Dybala and Evan Ferguson both needed to undergo surgery this week, with Matias Soulé, Mario Hermoso and Artem Dovbyk not making the trip either.

Wesley Franca sits out a ban too, so there has to be squad rotation, with 19-year-old former Genoa youth product Lorenzo Venturino getting his first start in support of fellow January signing Malen.

This will always be a special fixture for the two coaches, as Gian Piero Gasperini first made his mark at Genoa, while De Rossi remains a Roma legend.

Tommaso Baldanzi is on loan from the Giallorossi, but has barely featured and is out here with a muscular issue.

Genoa are fresh off a 2-0 defeat to Inter, with Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Sebastian Otoa still carrying knocks.

Lorenzo Colombo, Vitinha and Ruslan Malinovskyi are all benched in a surprising revamp.

Genoa vs. Roma line-ups

Genoa: Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Sabelli, Masini, Frendrup, Messias, Ellertsson; Ekhator, Ekuban

Roma: Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Celik; Rensch, Koné, Pisilli, Tsimikas; Pellegrini, Venturino; Malen

08-03-2026 17:00

MatchDay 28

Stadio Luigi Ferraris

Genoa

Roma

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		12'		Evan Ndicka
Patrizio Masini		16'
		40'		Donyell Malen

2nd half

Junior Messias		52'
		55'		Evan Ndicka
Vitinha (Assist: Patrizio Masini)		80'
		89'		Bryan Cristante

Match statistic

35

Possession %

65

11

Total shots

7

5

Shots on target

1

5

Shots off target

2

1

Blocked shots

4

3

Corners

6

1

Offsides

5

11

Fouls

17

Genoa

Roma

Starting lineups

16

Justin Bijlow

Goalkeeper

27

Alessandro Marcandalli

Defender

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

5

Leo Östigard

Defender

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

73

Patrizio Masini

Midfielder

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

75'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

64'

10

Junior Messias

Attacker

64'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

79'

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

70'

5

Evan Ndicka

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

84'

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

19

Zeki Celik

Defender

84'

7

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Midfielder

56'

17

Manu Koné

Midfielder

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

14

Donyell Malen

Attacker

20

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

46'

Substitutes

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

70

Maxwel Cornet

Attacker

14

Jean Onana

Midfielder

15

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Defender

13

Nils Zätterström

Defender

4

Amorim

Midfielder

99

Mamedi Doucouré

Defender

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

64'

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

64'

9

Vitinha

Attacker

75'

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

79'

92

Stephan El Shaarawy

Attacker

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

97

Bryan Zaragoza

Attacker

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

46'

8

Neil El Aynaoui

Midfielder

56'

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

70'

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

84'

78

Robinio Vaz

Attacker

84'

There are growing reports that Marcus Thuram won’t even be on the Inter bench for tonight’s Derby della Madonnina against Milan.

It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

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

This is a Scudetto battle at the top of the table between the runaway leaders and the only side keeping up the pace in second.

The Nerazzurri were already missing captain Lautaro Martinez, who has been out of action since he suffered a calf strain in the first leg of the Champions League play-off defeat to Bodo/Glimt.

Thuram unexpected Inter problem

Thuram had been expected to lead the attack, but he came down with flu symptoms on Friday night and has not trained at all on Saturday or today.

There are growing reports the France international is struggling so much that he isn’t even going to be on the bench this evening.

It means an all-new front partnership of Francesco Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny, who have never started a match together before.

There are other alternatives, as Inter used a new system for the Coppa Italia semi-final 0-0 draw with Como, moving Davide Frattesi and Andy Diouf into more advanced roles to support the centre-forward.

Hakan Calhanoglu is also tipped to make way for Piotr Zielinski and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in midfield, as the midweek trip to Como was his first start six weeks after injury.

Cremonese director of sport Simone Giacchetta was raging after the controversial finale of their 2-1 defeat to Lecce. ‘We feel damaged and disrespected’ by referees and VAR.

The Seahorses had been trailing 2-0 at the Stadio Via del Mare, but got back into it and pushed hard to the final whistle for an equaliser.

They had the ball in the net only for it to be disallowed for a handling offence, then there were penalty appeals waved away as Antonio Sanabria went down under a Gaby Jean challenge.

Cremonese vent fury after VAR non-call

“I am not here to comment on the match, but to clarify our position on the incident that compromised the game,” Giacchetta told DAZN Italia.

“For us, a team fighting for our Serie A safety, moments like this can decide the entire season.”

Although there was some contact between Jean and Sanabria, it was considered insufficient by VAR and the referee to warrant an On-Field Review or penalty.

“This is the second time I have had to intervene in the media, after an evident handling offence at the 95th minute from Simeone of Torino, which cost us an important point. Today, again at the 95th minute, Sanabria received decisive contact on his right foot,” continued the Cremonese director.

“These are the things that ruin the game, and indeed you heard there was suddenly a deathly silence in the stadium. It is a situation that penalises us.”

This adds to the recent controversy about when and how VAR ought to intervene in Serie A, as there are different definitions of ‘clear and obvious error’ even within the same match.

“I don’t want to hear that the referee didn’t see it. I am here to complain that VAR did not intervene, seeing as they like to get involved for the tiniest details just to prove how important they are, and yet do nothing in a situation like this.

“We feel damaged and disrespected by this. There was confusion after the final whistle, the referee didn’t give us any explanation.

“We feel deprived of justice and respect. It was a penalty that should’ve been given on the field, but at the very least by VAR,” continued the Cremonese chief.

“These matches leave scars and today it also ended up penalising us further with a red card after the final whistle. VAR could’ve avoided all of that, especially after intervening to get our goal disallowed for Martin Payero.”

This result means Cremonese are in the bottom three and risk falling behind the clubs higher up the table.

Davide Nicola’s squad have scraped only five wins, nine draws and 14 defeats in Serie A this season, but their recent form has been simply disastrous.

Luciano Spalletti seemed to send a message to Juventus about the future of Jonathan David and Lois Openda. ‘Kenan Yildiz would do even better if he had a Number 9 near him.’

The Bianconeri ended their dismal run of results with the first Serie A victory since February 1, crushing Pisa 4-0 with all the goals in the second half scored by Andrea Cambiaso, Khephren Thuram, Kenan Yildiz and Jeremie Boga.

It is notable that the breakthrough and vast improvement only came after the break, when David and Federico Gatti had been substituted by Boga and Lloyd Kelly.

Yildiz was moved to the False 9 role and found his goal, but Spalletti’s comments felt like a pointed reminder of his January transfer requests.

Spalletti wanted a new striker at Juventus

“A centre-forward needs to have either a physical impact, or great technical quality,” the coach told DAZN Italia.

“There aren’t many spaces against sides like Pisa, so you must be able to weight the pass correctly, we showed that we did have the situations to cause problems.

“It becomes more difficult for Yildiz to play like this, because these are not his characteristics, he is not at ease with his back to goal.”

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, Spalletti was even clearer with his messaging on what he wanted from the attack, which David and Openda simply do not provide.

“Yildiz would do even better if he had a Number 9 near him.”

The tactician made no secret of his desire to sign a real centre-forward during the January transfer window, but negotiations for players like Randal Kolo-Muani and Youssef En-Nesyri faltered.

We may well soon see more of what Spalletti had envisaged, because Dusan Vlahovic is back in training after an adductor tear in November 2025.

The Serbian has the kind of characteristics that are not provided by Canada international David, who could be back on the market this summer.

The statistics point to a worrying strength on one side and weakness on the other, suggesting set plays could be decisive for Milan and Inter in the Derby della Madonnina.

It kicks off at San Siro on Sunday at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

This is a Scudetto showdown as well as bitter local rivalry, because Inter are top of the Serie A table and Milan trail in second place, a full 10 points behind.

That in itself is rather remarkable, considering that the Rossoneri have amassed 57 points after 27 rounds, the exact same number that they had at this stage in 2021-22 on their way to winning the title.

At that time, it was enough to put them joint top with Napoli, two points clear of Inter, but now it has them floundering in second place.

Milan weakness is Inter strength

Looking at the statistics, a pattern emerges that makes a goal from dead ball situations a very distinct possibility in this big match.

That is because Inter scored 21 Serie A goals this season from set plays, including 15 alone on corner kicks.

Only Arsenal have been more effective from these situations in Europe’s top five leagues this term.

On the other hand, Inter’s strength also represents Milan’s biggest weakness, because Max Allegri’s side have conceded 50 per cent of all their goals from set plays.

His team let in 20 goals in 27 games, 10 of them were from dead ball situations, five on corners.

Luciano Spalletti celebrates his 67^th birthday, explains his changes that transformed Juventus to beat Pisa 4-0 and warns Jeremie Boga ‘is a bit too sluggish at times.’

It proved to be a very happy birthday indeed for the coach, who had not been able to celebrate a real victory since February 1 after a run of two points in four Serie A rounds, Champions League and Coppa Italia elimination.

They took a while to break Pisa down, but ran riot in the second half with Andrea Cambiaso, Khephren Thuram, Kenan Yildiz and Jeremie Boga goals for a 4-0 result.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Juventus 4-0 Pisa

Spalletti has a happy Juventus birthday

After Thuram’s goal, players ran over to celebrate on the touchline with their tactician on his special day.

“I have many years on me, but hopefully I only show the good ones,” smiled Spalletti on Sky Sport Italia.

Spalletti realised that his team was struggling in the early stages and made a tactical adjustment, moving them from 4-2-3-1 into a 3-4-3 formation, aided by the versatility of players like Cambiaso, Yildiz and Weston McKennie.

Another important change was the removal of misfiring Jonathan David at half-time, replaced by the lively Boga.

“There are different moments of the match, as Yildiz scored, but the spaces had already opened up because we were in the lead,” explained Spalletti.

“The density of the first half was very different, so if Kenan starts from out wide, which he enjoys because he can see everything in front of him, and it is also a very different type of marking that he has to deal with.

“It is a slightly different type of work for a striker to be in the centre. Of course, once Pisa were trailing, they couldn’t maintain that solidity with the long ball for the two physical strikers, forcing you to chase back. It’s not easy to play through that density, we have difficulties in those situations.

“If Yildiz had a centre-forward next to him, it’d be better, because that figure can take some of the physical impact of dealing with the defenders and ease the pressure on Yildiz. In the first half, we couldn’t find the spaces or go around them by moving the ball quickly.”

It wasn’t just David who was substituted at half-time, because Lloyd Kelly also replaced Federico Gatti.

“Everything improved after the break, the speed of movement, we talked about a few things. I took Federico off too not because he hadn’t done well, but because you need someone with better feet to play out from the back when there’s that packed midfield in front of you,” continued Spalletti.

“I felt bad taking Gatti off, it was between him and Bremer, I might choose differently next time.”

Boga has proved to be quite a good investment in January and again was a livewire off the bench, this time also scoring a goal.

“Boga has that quality, we all know that, but he’s a bit too sluggish at times. He needs to be more determined, grittier, because we know he has that pace to shock opposition defenders, but he has to give it that fire too.

“The bench is not a waiting area, it is an extra part of the team. In modern football, you pick players who can do damage in certain moments of the match, who provide something unexpected. Those on the bench are watching, they can see where the spaces are and what spots they can attack, they are participating and learning throughout,” concluded Spalletti.

The race for a Champions League spot looks as if it will go down to the wire, as Como won away to Cagliari today and remain in fifth place, waiting for Roma’s trip to Genoa on Sunday.

Kenan Yildiz insists he is happy to play anywhere for Juventus, while Khephren Thuram explained the special Luciano Spalletti celebration. ‘We’ve got to believe in ourselves.’

The Bianconeri had been showing some good performances and spirit to fight back from difficult situations, but hadn’t celebrated a Serie A victory since February 1.

They ended a run of two points from four rounds, along with Champions League and Coppa Italia elimination, by sweeping Pisa aside 4-0 in Turin.

It took a while to break the newly-promoted strugglers down, then the floodgates opened with Andrea Cambiaso, Thuram, Kenan Yildiz and Jeremie Boga on target.

Juventus back on track in Serie A

“I am happy for the victory, as we did well in the first half too, but much better in the second half. I believe we had some very good performances in recent games, we didn’t manage to win them, but are on the right track,” Yildiz told Sky Sport Italia.

Yildiz had not found himself on the scoresheet since January 25, so this was a significant breakthrough for the Turkish talent, along with his assist for Cambiaso’s header.

The breakthrough seemed to be when Jonathan David was substituted by Boga, moving Yildiz to a False 9 role.

“I am here to help the team, it doesn’t matter where, if the coach tells me to play centre-forward or on the left, that’s fine. I had some knocks today, including on my head, it hurt a bit, but I’m fine,” smiled Yildiz.

Today was coach Spalletti’s birthday, and after the Thuram goal, the players ran over to hug the tactician on the touchline.

“I am not exactly a hitman, but it is good to score goals and it was a little gift for the coach to celebrate his birthday,” Thuram told Sky Sport Italia.

It seems as if the race for a top four finish will go down to the wire, as Como won today away to Cagliari to stay in fifth place.

“We believe, because we’ve got the team that can do it, so we must have belief. That’s where it all starts, we want to get into the Champions League and we’ve got to believe in ourselves.”

Juventus took a while to break Pisa down, but eventually ran out 4-0 winners with Andrea Cambiaso, Khephren Thuram, Kenan Yildiz and Jeremie Boga goals to end their negative streak.

The Bianconeri were fresh off another determined comeback from 3-1 down to hold Roma 3-3, but had just two points from the last four Serie A rounds, along with Champions League and Coppa Italia exits. Manuel Locatelli returned from suspension, but Dusan Vlahovic, Emil Holm and Arek Milik were still out of action on Luciano Spalletti’s 67^th birthday.

Pisa had one point from Oscar Hiljemark’s four games in charge, missing Simone Scuffet, Daniel Denoon, Isak Vural and Lorran, with Arturo Calabresi back in the starting XI.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It was Pisa who had a big chance after four minutes, when Stefano Moreo’s glancing header at the near post on an Angori cross forced a tricky save out of Mattia Perin.

Khephren Thuram fired over and Francisco Conceicao tested goalkeeper Nicolas with a low drive, while Caracciolo threw himself in the path of a Jonathan David effort.

David also couldn’t keep a header down on Andrea Cambiaso’s assist, so the striker was substituted at half-time after a disappointing performance.

Jeremie Boga came on instead and made an immediate impact, brought down by Mehdi Leris for a yellow card within 120 seconds.

Juventus finally took the lead when Kenan Yildiz was sent down the right by Conceicao and stood up the cross for Cambiaso’s free header at the back post. It was a totally empty net, as Nicolas had been drawn to the near post and was not expecting the cross.

They doubled their lead when Weston McKennie won it back on the edge of the area, Locatelli’s angled drive bounced off the far post, allowing Thuram to turn in the rebound from 12 yards. The players rushed over to celebrate with Spalletti on his birthday.

Boga fired over from a tricky angle on the Yildiz assist, then hit the side-netting after Conceicao harassed Nicolas into an error.

Yildiz got the third when he gathered from Conceicao on the edge of the area, committed Coppola with a shimmy, and blasted into the far bottom corner. It was his first Serie A goal since mid-January.

Cambiaso’s curler flashed just wide of the far top corner from the edge of the box. With the last kick of the game, Locatelli’s inspired slide-rule pass sent Boga through without breaking his stride to dribble around Nicolas and deposit into an empty net from a tricky angle.

Juventus 4-0 Pisa

Cambiaso 54 (J), Thuram 65 (J), Yildiz 75 (J), Boga 93 (J)

07-03-2026 19:45

MatchDay 28

Juventus Stadium (Allianz Stadium)

Juventus

Pisa

4 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

40'

Marius Marin

2nd half

		48'		Mehdi Léris
Andrea Cambiaso (Assist: Kenan Yıldız)		54'
Khéphren Thuram		65'
		70'		Antonio Caracciolo
Bremer		72'
Kenan Yıldız (Assist: Francisco Conceição)		75'
Jeremie Boga (Assist: Manuel Locatelli)		90+3'

Match statistic

59

Possession %

41

25

Total shots

7

7

Shots on target

2

9

Shots off target

1

9

Blocked shots

4

4

Corners

4

0

Offsides

0

7

Fouls

7

Juventus

Pisa

Starting lineups

1

Mattia Perin

Goalkeeper

27

Andrea Cambiaso

Defender

3

Bremer

Defender

4

Federico Gatti

Defender

46'

15

Pierre Kalulu

Defender

19

Khéphren Thuram

Midfielder

77'

5

Manuel Locatelli

Midfielder

22

Weston McKennie

Midfielder

7

Francisco Conceição

Attacker

77'

30

Jonathan David

Attacker

46'

10

Kenan Yıldız

Attacker

83'

12

Nicolas

Goalkeeper

4

Antonio Caracciolo

Defender

33

Arturo Calabresi

Defender

78'

26

Francesco Coppola

Defender

3

Samuele Angori

Defender

8

Malthe Höjholt

Midfielder

60'

6

Marius Marin

Midfielder

60'

20

Michel Aebischer

Midfielder

7

Mehdi Léris

Attacker

60'

17

Rafiu Durosinmi

Attacker

76'

32

Stefano Moreo

Attacker

Substitutes

23

Carlo Pinsoglio

Goalkeeper

16

Michele Di Gregorio

Goalkeeper

20

Loïs Openda

Attacker

11

Edon Zhegrova

Attacker

32

Juan Cabal

Defender

17

Vasilije Adžić

Midfielder

13

Jeremie Boga

Attacker

46'

6

Lloyd Kelly

Defender

46'

21

Fabio Miretti

Midfielder

77'

8

Teun Koopmeiners

Midfielder

77'

18

Filip Kostic

Midfielder

83'

1

Adrian Šemper

Goalkeeper

5

Simone Canestrelli

Defender

10

Matteo Tramoni

Midfielder

15

Idrissa Touré

Midfielder

39

Raúl Albiol

Defender

23

Calvin Stengs

Attacker

14

Ebenezer Akinsanmiro

Midfielder

9

Henrik Meister

Attacker

2

Rosen Bozhinov

Defender

34

Tommaso Guizzo

Goalkeeper

11

Juan Cuadrado

Midfielder

60'

36

Gabriele Piccinini

Attacker

60'

35

Felipe Loyola

Defender

60'

19

Samuel Iling-Junior

Attacker

76'

81

Filip Stojilkovic

Attacker

78'

Raffaele Palladino hails Atalanta for ‘never giving up’ after a fightback from 2-0 down to hold Udinese 2-2. ‘Now we are looking forward to the Champions League’ and Bayern Munich.

La Dea have been stretched a little thin in recent weeks, as they were coming off the Coppa Italia semi-final 2-2 draw with Lazio on Wednesday, and are preparing for next week’s European Round of 16 clash.

“I want to publicly thank my players for all they are giving during this packed season,” Palladino told DAZN.

“We could’ve crumbled when going 2-0 down, instead these lads showed the reaction of a great team, with energy and determination, refusing to give in.”

Palladino changed Atalanta after difficult start

When trailing to the goals from Thomas Kristensen and Keinan Davis against the run of play, the coach switched Atalanta to a 4-4-2 formation, using Gianluca Scamacca and Nikola Krstovic together.

It paid off, as Scamacca scored two headers in five minutes to equalise, although they also left themselves unbalanced and at risk of conceding another in stoppages.

“When you prepare a match, you always need to have two or three solutions in mind. Playing against a 3-5-2, you have different ways of opening them up,” explained Palladino.

There was tension at the final whistle when the referee ended the match without letting Atalanta take a corner, so Palladino stormed over to the fourth official to check the timer.

“I never protest with referees, I try to help them, so I went to the locker room afterwards and apologised to the referee and assistants for my tone. I also gave an explanation for my reaction, which was that Udinese had started wasting time since they first took the lead.

“We’ve got to improve this in Italy, we can’t let them get away with taking 40 seconds to take a throw-in. I expected a little more time at the end. The fans and the players want to see more football on the pitch.”

Atalanta are the only side still competing in Serie A, the Coppa Italia semi-finals and the Champions League Round of 16, where they will host Bayern Munich in the first leg on Tuesday evening.

“I liked the spirit above all else. We are fighting in three competitions, and even if we are playing lots of games, we won’t complain,” continued Palladino.

“There are some who do complain, but my team enjoys playing football, and we are looking forward to the Champions League.

“It’s not easy to go two goals down after a good performance to the only shots on target, but these lads never give in, they always want to prove themselves. We must face everyone with this attitude, with nothing to lose, starting in the Champions League next week.”

Luciano Spalletti outlined what he wants from Juventus on his birthday as they host Pisa in Serie A and explains why ‘the fans are our best barometer’ of form more than statistics.

It kicks off at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

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

Today is coach Spalletti’s 67^th birthday, so he is hoping for a gift not only on the field, but also potentially off it with a contract extension beyond June 30.

“I’ve had birthdays all over the world and with very different people, because I am at my age now very experienced with having birthdays.

“I am happy to spend this one here with my players, and seeing as they didn’t give me a present, I’d love to have a picture of them singing at the final whistle with our fans, celebrating,” Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia.

Juventus are fighters under Spalletti

The Bianconeri have been impressing the supporters with their sheer determination lately, fighting back repeatedly from almost impossible situations, but that hasn’t necessarily translated to results.

They are out of the Champions League and Coppa Italia, scraping only two points from the last four Serie A matches, including the epic comeback from 3-1 down to hold Roma 3-3.

“When you look at the statistics, it’s about numbers, but not how those numbers arrived. The fact the fans are so close to us at this moment, despite not bringing home the results, that means we sent signals. They are our best barometer.

“We’ve got to win every game first within ourselves, and then on the field. This match tests you, and seeing as I am dealing with intelligent lads, I know they feel that, because these are the games that seem easy and really aren’t. This is not about the future, it’s about the details of every match, your mentality, self-discipline moment by moment, not looking too far into the future.”

Federico Gatti scored the last-gasp equaliser against Roma and is rewarded with a place in defence today, while Manuel Locatelli returns from suspension, but Michele Di Gregorio is again dropped in favour of Mattia Perin.

“With Perin, I didn’t want to keep chopping and changing, so I told them that we’d give Di Gregorio time off and a chance for Perin to have a run of games. We’ll see from the next game what happens.”

Despite still being out injured, Dusan Vlahovic is on the touchline talking to his teammates. Will he be available for next week?

“As for Vlahovic, you know more than me,” smiled Spalletti.

Gianluca Scamacca scored two headers in five minutes for Atalanta to claw back a point against Udinese, after Thomas Kristensen and Keinan Davis efforts.

La Dea were stretched thin by being the only team still in three tournaments, as they held Lazio 2-2 in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final on Wednesday, and were preparing for the Champions League Round of 16 with Bayern Munich. Their Serie A form suffered with a 2-1 loss at Sassuolo, but they remained in the race for the top four. Ederson and Giorgio Scalvini were struggling, with Charles De Ketelaere still out, but Giacomo Raspadori returned to the bench. Udinese ended their run of three straight defeats by crushing Fiorentina 3-0, but missed Oumar Solet, Nicolò Bertola and Alessandro Zanoli, so Branimir Mlacic got his first Serie A start just days before his 18^th birthday.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Kingsley Ehizibue’s strike flashed just wide, as did the Gianluca Scamacca strike, while Marco Carnesecchi was alert on the looping Nicolò Zaniolo cross-shot that was going into the far top corner.

There were appeals for a potential Mlacic handling offence, but the Kamaldeen Sulemana cross hit his elbow, with the arm behind his back.

Lorenzo Bernasconi gave away an avoidable corner and it proved costly, because Thomas Kristensen shrugged off Odilon Kossounou for a glancing header from six yards on Zaniolo’s set play, giving Udinese the lead against the run of play.

Scamacca was unlucky not to equalise at the dawn of the second half, his low drive from the edge of the box thumping the base of the upright.

Instead, Udinese doubled their lead in chaotic fashion. Sead Kolasinac acrobatically intercepted a Zaniolo low cross from the left inside the six-yard box, and charged down the Oier Zarraga effort, but could do nothing as Davis bent the finish around him and Carnesecchi into the far bottom corner.

Atalanta switched to 4-4-2 and Sulemana’s diving header was off target from a Bernasconi cross, while Nikola Krstovic drilled wide on a Davide Zappacosta assist.

The siege eventually paid off when Nicola Zalewski swung a cross from the left for a Scamacca free header from six yards.

Udinese crumbled, as Maduka Okoye’s poor pass out from the back under pressure was intercepted, he made the save on Lazar Samardzic, but could do nothing when Scamacca nodded in the rebound to complete the comeback in just five minutes.

La Dea wanted all three points, Okoye getting down to fingertip a Krstovic daisy-cutter round the post for a corner.

Udinese also threatened, as Arthur Atta’s long-range thunderbolt grazed the crossbar, and Carnesecchi rushed out to smother at the feet of Adam Buksa.

Deep into stoppages, Jurgen Ekkelenkamp wasted a golden opportunity with a finish charged down from 13 yards.

There was controversy, as Atalanta had a corner with the last kick of the game, but the referee blew for full time before they could take it. Raffaele Palladino was furious and went over to check the timer held by the fourth official.