Raffaele Palladino has called on Atalanta to produce a performance worthy of their remarkable journey as they prepare to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League last-16 second leg at the Allianz Arena, knowing that overturning a 6-1 first-leg deficit represents one of the most daunting tasks in European football.

The occasion carries additional historical significance. Tomorrow’s match will be Atalanta’s 100th game in UEFA competition, and also the fixture in which Marten De Roon could equal a club appearance record.

Palladino confirmed the Dutchman will be involved, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb, adding with a smile that the milestone is “a great satisfaction, a historic result for him and for Atalanta.”

Atalanta boss Palladino gives updates on Raspadori & De Ketelaere

The head coach was also able to deliver positive team news, confirming that Giacomo Raspadori trained with the squad on Tuesday and will be available, while Charles De Ketelaere and Ederson have also returned to fitness after injury absences.

“We have missed these players enormously and we are delighted to have them back,” Palladino said. “We will try to build up their minutes carefully.”

On the match itself, Palladino’s message was simple and unambiguous.

“Tomorrow the team must play with pride,” he said.

“We have nothing to lose and everything to prove. We must be focused on ourselves, as we showed in the first leg, the details make the difference.”

He also pointed to the growth his side have shown since that heavy defeat, arguing that Atalanta’s response against Inter demonstrated a resilience that bodes well.

“Despite conceding six goals we managed to mature and react like a great team.”

Palladino was equally clear that the result is secondary to the performance.

“Recovering five goals is always a mountain to climb,” he acknowledged.

“But I want a match worthy of this club and this occasion. We are proud to be the last Italian side standing in the Champions League, and tomorrow we will fight until the very end.”

Francesco Pio Esposito’s agent has moved to dismiss speculation linking the young Inter striker with a move to the Premier League, insisting the Italian starlet is fully committed to his future at San Siro despite reported interest from Arsenal and Newcastle.

Mario Giuffredi, speaking on Radio CRC, was emphatic on his client’s stance, with quotes via Nico Schira on X.

“Pio Esposito is happy at Inter and will be the club’s future for the next ten years,” he said. “The boy is in love with Inter right now.”

He also pushed back on comparisons being made between Esposito and former Inter striker Christian Vieri, arguing that such parallels only create unnecessary pressure for a player still finding his own identity.

“He needs to develop his own way of playing, comparisons like that serve no purpose.”

The agent’s words come amid growing interest from England, with both Arsenal and Newcastle understood to be monitoring Esposito’s situation ahead of the summer.

Inter & Pio Esposito destined for one another as parties shrug off Arsenal & Newcastle interest

Inter, however, are not believed to be open to a sale unless a truly extraordinary offer arrives, and Giuffredi’s comments suggest the player himself has no desire to leave, with his contract running until June 2030.

The numbers back up the excitement surrounding him.

Esposito has already made 39 appearances across all competitions this season, contributing eight goals and six assists, a remarkable return for a player of his age operating at the highest level.

He has also caught the eye of Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso, who is expected to call on him for the World Cup playoff semi-final against Northern Ireland and a potential final on 31 March.

It has been a rapid rise for a player who came through Inter’s academy alongside brothers Salvatore and Sebastiano, before a standout loan season at Spezia, where he scored 20 goals and helped the club reach the Serie B playoff final, convinced Inter he was ready for the first team.

Gianluigi Donnarumma haș been named in the starting lineup for Manchester City this evening, as they welcome Real Madrid to the Etihad Stadium with a 3-goal deficit to overturn from the first leg.

The Italian shot-stopper has been Pep Guardiola’s number one since he arrived last summer from Paris Saint-Germain.

He will need to be at his best tonight, with every goal the Premier League giants conceding tonight having a massive impact on their potential comeback.

Donnarumma starts, Calafiori on the bench in UCL action

Meanwhile, Arsenal host Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates Stadium after the first leg finished all square at 1-1 in Germany.

Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori is not included in Mikel Arteta’s starting lineup, with former Leverkusen man Piero Hincapie playing at left-back.

Calafiori received praise in the Premier League at the weekend after a tremendous scorpion block to deny Everton a first half opener.

The former Bologna man is, however, on the bench for the Gunners and may be deployed by Arteta later in the match.

Roma’s attempt to overturn Wesley’s red card suspension has failed, with the sporting judge rejecting their appeal and confirming the Brazilian will miss the club’s next Serie A fixture against Lecce.

Roma had argued the second yellow card shown to Wesley during Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Como was the result of mistaken identity, claiming the foul on Diao had actually been committed by Rensch rather than Wesley.

Under VAR protocol, a case of mistaken identity would be grounds for intervention, but the sporting judge ruled that no such error had occurred, stating there were no grounds to apply the relevant article of the regulations, according to CalcioMercato.

Blow for Roma as no grounds for Wesley suspension being overturned

The VAR analysis, as detailed on DAZN’s Open VAR programme, supports that conclusion.

Officials Fabbri and Gariglio reviewed the incident immediately and confirmed without doubt that Wesley, not Rensch, made the challenge, with his right leg clearly making contact.

The on-field referee also clarified that he had initially played advantage following a separate Pellegrini challenge before whistling for Wesley’s foul, which VAR confirmed was not on the ball.

The 2-1 result stands, Wesley’s suspension is upheld, and Gasperini will be without the wide man for the Lecce game.

The silver lining for Roma is that he will be able to give his all in the Europa League quarter-final second leg against Bologna, a match that carries enormous importance with the tie level at 1-1, with Tsimikas likely to cover against Lecce when the Brazilian takes his place in the stands.

Lazio picked up three points in an impressive 1-0 victory over Milan at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday night, with a first half goal from Gustav Isaksen separating the two teams as the Rossoneri fail to close the gap on league leaders Inter.

Football Italia’s Man of the Match was Mario Gila, for an impeccable defensive performance that helped thwart the Milan attack time and time again.

Lazio 1-0 Milan – Player Ratings

Lazio: Motta 7; Marusic 6.5, Gila 7.5, Provstgaard 6.5, Tavares 6.5; Dele-Bashiru 6, Patric 6, Taylor 6.5 (Belahyane N/A); Isaksen 7 (Pedro 6), Maldini 6.5 (Dia 5.5), Zaccagni 6 (Cancellieri N/A)

Best Lazio player: Mario Gila – Continues to shine as a core element of the Biancocelesti’s team, made a number of huge defensive interventions and gave the Rossoneri front line no room to breathe.

Lowest Lazio rating: Boulaye Dia – Despite playing nearly thirty minutes, the Senegalese forward had next to no involvement, touching the ball less than 10 times – more or less just there to complete the numbers and help secure the three points.

Coach: Maurizio Sarri 7.5 – An impressive hit-and-run performance saw the coach pick up what will feel like a well-earned win against tough opposition. Sarri’s influence and tactics helped shape the game and keep his team in the lead until the final whistle.

Milan: Maignan 6; Tomori 6 (Athekame 6), De Winter 5.5, Pavlovic 6; Saelemaekers 6 (Ricci N/A), Fofana 6 (Nkunku 5.5), Modric 6, Jashari 5.5, Estupinan 5 (Bartesaghi 6), Pulisic 6, Leao 5 (Fullkrug 5.5)

Best Milan player: Alexis Saelemaekers – Definitely offered the most threat of Milan’s ‘attackers’, creating six chances for his team and working hard to track back defensively.

Lowest Milan rating: Pervis Estupinan – Whilst Leao is a dishonourable mention, the Ecuadorian continues his poor form in red and black, and was entirely to blame for Lazio’s winner. The Biancocelesti identified him as a weak point early on and the wing-back caused several other problems for his defence in his 57 minutes on the pitch.

Coach: Massimiliano Allegri 5.5 – Brought back down to earth after the impressive Milan derby victory last weekend. This will be a disappointing one for the coach to take, as he was able to close the gap on Inter further with a win today. His substitutions offered little, even though Allegri deserves credit for taking Leao off after his lacklustre performance.

Milan forward Rafael Leao looked quite the unhappy man after he was substituted in Milan’s match against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening.

Lazio took the lead in the first half thanks to a goal from Danish winger Gustav Isaksen and Leao had little impact in helping his side get back into the game.

Therefore, with 25 minutes to play, Rossoneri head coach Massimiliano Allegri decided to replace the Portuguese star and midfielder Youssouf Fofana with two more traditional strikers in Fullkrug and Nkunku.

Relive all the action from today’s Serie A matches on our Live Blog.

Leao frustrated after being taken off in Milan trip to Lazio

Leao was not happy to be taken off and took his time exiting the field.

Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan rushed over to the forward to encourage him to leave the pitch faster, before being embraced by Allegri, who he quickly pushed off to go and take his place on the bench.

Shortly after, the former Lille man was spotted kicking bottles in frustrating on the touchline.

Whilst his frustration is understandable, the forward demonstrated an arrogance at a critical point for his team in what was a must-win game to keep in the Scudetto chase.

Gian Piero Gasperini has fired back at Cesc Fabregas following the post-match handshake controversy that emerged after Como’s 2-1 victory over Roma, delivering a blunt and unambiguous response to the Como head coach’s public comments.

Speaking to ANSA, via the Corriere dello Sport, Gasperini showed little interest in diplomatic language.

“Como are a strong team, but I do not respect their behaviour, on the pitch or on the touchline,” he said plainly.

The exchange follows Fabregas’ pointed but measured comments to Sky Sport after the final whistle, in which the Como coach expressed disappointment at Gasperini’s failure to shake his hand, describing it as a matter of basic sporting respect.

You can read Fabregas’ full reaction here.

Gasperini furious with Como behaviour ‘on the pitch & the touchline’

Gasperini’s response suggests the ill-feeling runs considerably deeper than a missed handshake.

His reference to behaviour “on the pitch and on the touchline” implies broader grievances with Como’s conduct throughout the match, likely connected to the Wesley’s second yellow card that prompted his furious post-match reaction about simulation.

With Roma still harbouring Europa League ambitions and facing Bologna in the second leg on Thursday, Gasperini will be eager to channel his frustration into a result at the Olimpico.

But the war of words with Fabregas has added an extra layer of intrigue to what is already a fascinating final stretch of the season for both clubs.

Cesc Fabregas was riding a wave of emotion after Como’s victory over Roma, describing the performance as “epic” while taking a pointed but measured swipe at Gian Piero Gasperini for failing to shake his hand at the final whistle.

The Como head coach was effusive in his praise for his players, who he felt demonstrated exactly the identity and character he has been building since taking charge.

“It was a beautiful match and I enjoyed every moment of it,” he said, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.

“You could say the victory was epic, but it cost a lot. It was a very intense game and yet from the first minute we always sought our own game. That gives enormous credit to this squad.”

Fabregas was equally clear about what underpins Como’s remarkable season. “When you build a squad you implement an idea, you study your players carefully, their character, their identity. Learning to handle the result and the game in a certain way is a question of solidity, courage and trust. That takes months to develop, not weeks. Games like this show it is becoming natural, not forced.”

But it was his comments on Gasperini that will generate the most headlines.

Como 2-1 Roma – Fabregas slams lack of Gasperini respect

The Roma coach notably failed to seek out Fabregas for the customary post-match handshake, and the Spaniard did not shy away from addressing it directly.

“In two years I do not think there has been a single occasion where I have not gone to shake a colleague’s hand, whether I have lost, been sent off, been angry or been happy,” he said. “I think it is a question of respect. When the match ends you go and shake hands, even if you have been beaten in circumstances you feel were unjust. When he left without doing so, it saddened me a little, but then I thought it was nothing.”

He added that he had moved towards the tunnel believing Gasperini was heading that way, and was careful not to escalate the situation further.

“I can only speak about my own experience, I simply went to say hello.”

With nine league games remaining plus the Coppa Italia, Fabregas was keen to keep feet firmly on the ground despite Como sitting fourth. “We must maintain humility, naturalness and keep working. We go step by step.”

Gian Piero Gasperini cut a frustrated figure after Roma’s defeat at Como, directing his anger at the decision to send off Wesley for a second yellow card and lamenting what he described as a growing problem with simulation in the modern game.

The Roma head coach was in no mood to hold back when speaking to DAZN, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.

“I have already seen the Wesley incident, today it is pointless to comment on this trend in football, especially regarding dives,” he said.

“It was unfortunately a decisive episode, just like the one for their equaliser. We defended the cutbacks well but in that moment we were not good enough. Some of it is down to us, and it is not a great moment, but these are glaring episodes that are hard to ignore.”

Gasperini shakes off defeat to focus on Europa League

Gasperini also acknowledged that the absence of Donyell Malen significantly reduces Roma’s attacking threat, though he was keen to frame it as a broader team issue rather than an individual dependency.

The Dutchman scored from the spot to give Roma the lead but was replaced with twenty five minutes left.

“We do rely on him, understandably, given how many goals we score,” he said. “He creates clear, clean chances every match, that means the team is working well and building correctly.”

His tactical assessment of the match itself was candid.

Roma had the tools to turn the game around after the break, he argued, but Como’s half-time changes, introducing key players before Wesley’s dismissal altered the contest, proved decisive.

With Thursday’s Europa League second leg against Bologna now looming large, Gasperini acknowledged there is little time to dwell.

“The players are young and some have experience, they must recover their energy quickly. The suspensions disrupt our continuity, but Thursday is an important match and we must be ready.”

Como came back from a goal down to defeat 10-man Roma at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia this evening, with a 2-1 victory seeing the hosts leapfrog Juventus into fourth place in Serie A.

Football Italia’s Man of the Match was Como attacking midfielder Martin Baturina, for his impressive work rate, chance creation and brightness on the ball.

Como 2-1 Roma – Player Ratings

Como: Butez 6; Ramon 6.5, Diego Carlos 7, Kempf 6 (Douvikas 7); Smolcic 6.5, Sergi Roberto 5 (Diao 7), Da Cunha 7, Valle 6.5; Caqueret 5.5 (Perrone 6), Baturina 7.5; Nico Paz 5.5 (Rodriguez N/A)

Best Como player: Martin Baturina – Despite not finding the back of the net himself, the Croatian created six chances, more than anyone else on the pitch, and was a constant menace – especially when the visitors went down to 10 men.

Lowest Como rating: Sergi Roberto – Playing in midfield once again, the Spaniard had a rough day today before being replaced by Diao as Fabregas switched his strategy up at half-time. Really struggled to have any impact on the game in his 45 minutes on the pitch.

Coach: Cesc Fabregas 7.5 – Helped in part by Wesley’s red card, the coach masterminded an impressive comeback, with Douvikas being subbed on to score and Diao coming on to greatly improve the team’s danger going forward.

Roma: Svilar 6; Ghilardi 5.5, Mancini 6, Hermoso 5 (Ziolkowski 6); Celik 6 (Tsimikas 5.5), Cristante 5.5, Kone 5.5, Wesley 5.5; Pellegrini 6.5 (Pisilli 6), El Shaarawy 6.5 (Rensch 5.5); Malen 6.5 (Vaz 6)

Best Roma player: Stephan El Shaarawy – Impressive performance tonight from the 33-year-old, who continued to prove he is not getting lazier with age. A hard working performance from the Italian, who won the penalty early on to give Roma the lead.

Lowest Roma rating: Kostas Tsimikas/Wesley – Not entirely sure who was worse. Wesley was perhaps unlucky to pick up two yellow cards but ultimately it was his fault the team lost. Tsimikas, meanwhile, was brought on for an injured Zeki Celik with twenty minutes left and put in another disastrous cameo.

Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini 5.5 – His substitutes offered very little when he needed them most. The coach was let down by Wesley’s sending off but his side were being outplayed, even in the first half with the teams at eleven apiece.

The 2026 Finalissima between Argentina and Spain has been cancelled, with the Argentine Football Association confirming that a proposed alternative venue in Italy was rejected by UEFA following the original host city of Doha becoming untenable due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

AFA president Claudio Tapia explained that Argentina had pushed for the match to be moved to Italy and played on 31 March, but UEFA deemed the rescheduling unfeasible.

“We could have played it in Italy, but UEFA did not accept the proposal to change the date,” Tapia said, via FCInterNews.

“We always maintained that the match should be played on neutral ground and the proposal of Madrid did not respect that principle. The Italy option was presented, but we had requested a postponement to 31 March. UEFA considered the move unworkable and the match was cancelled.”

The proposed alternate location was Milan’s San Siro, which would’ve marked a special homecoming for Inter Captain Lautaro Martinez.

Inter relief as no pressure for Lautaro to star in Finalissima after UEFA snub San Siro

The decision therefore has a notable knock-on effect for Inter, aside from San Siro being rejected as a possible location.

Captain Lautaro Martinez had been pushing to accelerate his recovery from injury with the Finalissima in mind, but with that incentive now removed, Inter can take a more measured approach to his rehabilitation without the pressure of an international fixture looming.

According to Sky Sport, the club are relieved to have more breathing room and are unwilling to take any risks with their captain ahead of the season’s crucial final weeks.

Whether Lautaro will be fit for Inter’s trip to Fiorentina remains to be seen, with further assessment expected in the coming days.

Ciro Immobile has revealed that AC Milan made a serious attempt to sign him during his peak years at Lazio, with the Italian striker admitting it was no easy decision to turn them down, even if his heart ultimately made the choice for him.

The former Lazio captain, who joined Paris FC on a free transfer in January after spending the first half of the season with Bologna, spoke exclusively to MilanNews.it ahead of tonight’s Lazio-Milan clash at the Stadio Olimpico.

“It is true, there was interest, even when Gattuso was the manager,” Immobile confirmed.

“But that was a strong Lazio side, at the same level as Milan at the time. It was a decision made with the heart, because it is difficult to say no to a club of that importance. Would I have liked it? Well, who wouldn’t?” he laughed. “But at that moment I was happy at Lazio.”

Lazio vs Milan – Immobile: ‘Lazio can cause problems for anyone’

On tonight’s fixture, Immobile was enthusiastic, predicting a lively atmosphere with supporters returning to the Olimpico in full voice.

“I know how much the fans love the club, I will watch it very willingly if I can,” he said. “Lazio can cause problems for anyone, especially with the crowd behind them. They are well organised and well coached.”

Asked about his fondest memories of facing Milan, Immobile singled out two figures who left a lasting impression. “Donnarumma and Ibrahimovic, in terms of personality and making themselves felt on the pitch, it was those two.”

Tonight’s match kicks off at 19:45 GMT (20:45 local time) and you can follow all the action, as it happens, on our Live Blog.