Gian Piero Gasperini gave a very open-ended reply when asked about his Roma future. ‘This has been an extraordinary experience for me, we’ll discuss it at the end of the season.’

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The Giallorossi went behind to Atalanta at the first opportunity on home turf, as Nikola Krstovic blasted in from the edge of the area, with Mario Hermoso’s volley drawing level on the stroke of half-time.

Although the hosts had the best chances to win it, forcing saves from Serie A Man of the Match Marco Carnesecchi and clipping the crossbar, they were unable to get more than a 1-1 draw.

Gasperini won’t commit future to Roma

“Carnesecchi made several great saves, Svilar too on one occasion, but we certainly tried to win it more than Atalanta,” Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia.

“The first half was very entertaining, after the break a bit of fatigue set in, so there were a few more errors, but we always tried to get the full result to the final whistle.”

This had been a big chance to leapfrog Como into fifth place after Cesc Fabregas and his team lost to Sassuolo yesterday, but instead they only catch the Lariani on 58 points, and risk falling further behind Juventus in fourth.

Roma’s dismal record in the big matches continues, scraping only seven points in matches against the other teams in the top seven.

“Sometimes like against Juventus and Napoli, we were in the lead, we did well against Milan, then at Como were down to 10 men, but the only one we lost in the second half of the season was against Inter, who are a step above. More often than not, we were closest to the victory.”

Matias Soulé and Gianluca Mancini were still visibly not at 100 per cent, while Devyne Rensch went off with a muscular problem.

“Until mid-December, we had a consistency in our line-up that allowed us to defend very well. When Malen arrived in January, we vastly improved our attack, but at the same time got weaker in defence. It was a remarkable defensive record at the start that we would’ve struggled to maintain for long,” insisted Gasperini.

It has been a difficult few days for Roma, as Gasperini and director Claudio Ranieri engaged in a very public war of words, prompting many fans to take sides and assume they cannot work together next season.

There was also some tension at the final whistle with some jeers from the crowd. He was asked outright, will the club have to choose between the coach and Ranieri?

“I was dragged into this thing, people have talked about nothing else for a week. I never replied, I will continue to not reply, as I don’t think it is a very pleasant thing for all the people in the stadium,” replied Gasperini.

“There are five games to go, we are still challenging for some important targets, and if we are four points clear of an Atalanta side who were third last season, that shows we’ve done something right. We are close to Como and Juve, we saw today Napoli lost, so I am concentrated on this situation.

“We need to end the season well, because this has been an extraordinary experience for me, having arrived here with a lot of scepticism around me, and a little rivalry.

“There is a team that continues to follow me, I am grateful to them and always will be, just as I am to the fans for what they have given me so far. As for what happens after that, these are things we will discuss at the end of the season.”

Raffaele Palladino ‘enjoyed myself’ watching Atalanta’s 1-1 draw with Roma, feeling either team could win it, but the Coppa Italia semi-final is ‘the most important match of the season.’

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La Dea knew that this was their last real chance to challenge for a Champions League spot, and they had taken the lead at the Stadio Olimpico with the first Nikola Krstovic effort on goal.

However, Mario Hermoso’s acrobatic volley cancelled it out on the stroke of half-time, and the defender almost got a second when his header bounced off the crossbar.

Marco Carnesecchi made several big saves and was named Lega Serie A Man of the Match, but this point was not the birthday present Palladino had hoped for.

Palladino relishing Atalanta performances

“It was a good game of football played between two teams who wanted to win, playing with intensity, courage and quality. I’ll be honest, I enjoyed myself tonight,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.

“We took on a team that was eager to beat us, especially as we beat them earlier this season. Coming here into this atmosphere with such spirit was not easy, so I congratulated my players.

“It was an open match and frankly either side could’ve won it, as we had the chances to go 2-0 up, and then they had opportunities in the second half. We take this point and feel it is probably the right result.”

This result means Atalanta remain in seventh place and four points adrift of Roma in sixth, so it will be a struggle to make up that ground now.

Winning the Coppa Italia could therefore be their best chance of qualifying for the Europa League, and they host Lazio in Wednesday’s semi-final, after the first leg ended 2-2.

“I won’t say this was a wasted opportunity, as we closed one point from Como and stayed at the same distance from Roma. We won’t give up to the last game, I think against Juventus and Roma they were two really good performances, showing we’ll fight it out with anyone,” noted Palladino.

“Now the semi-final of the Coppa Italia is probably our most important match of the season so far, we really want to get into the Final.”

Atalanta made three changes at half-time, two of them in defence, so what was behind that decision?

“Giorgio Scalvini had a knock to the hip and was struggling to keep up the pace of the game, while Kolasinac had a slight muscular twinge and we will need to evaluate it over the next few days. With an eye on Wednesday, I didn’t want to take any risks.

“Charles De Ketelaere wasn’t sharp today, as he had flu earlier this week and didn’t have his usual energy. We had trouble with our defenders in the first half, but they were largely physical issues.”

Gianluca Scamacca was expected to start this evening, but Krstovic got the nod and scored the opening goal. Could they play together?

“I have faith in both strikers, they will prove themselves when given the chance. I needed players with different characteristics today, as Nikola can attack the space more, whereas Gianluca tends to connect with the midfield. Whether they can play together next season, I don’t know, we’ve got time to think about that.”

Roma and Atalanta were both left frustrated with a point apiece in this showdown for European places, as Mario Hermoso cancelled out the Nikola Krstovic opener.

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This was a pure head-to-head for European ambitions, but also an emotional reunion for Gian Piero Gasperini with his former club, and protégé Raffaele Palladino. Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, Wesley, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson were still out of action, with Nicolò Pisilli and Gianluca Mancini not at 100 per cent either.

La Dea had to prepare for Wednesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final against Lazio, though Isak Hien and Kamaldeen Sulemana were injured, so Giacomo Raspadori started against the club he turned down in January.

Atalanta had a remarkable recent record against the Giallorossi, unbeaten since March 2022 with six wins and a draw going into this game.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

The visitors scored with the first chance of the game, as Marten de Roon robbed Mario Hermoso in midfield and sent Nikola Krstovic through the middle, the striker’s ferocious right-foot finish beating Mile Svilar.

Matias Soulé cut inside for a curler from the edge of the area that was deflected over by Berat Djimsiti, then in a similar position forced the low one-handed Marco Carnesecchi save.

Carnesecchi did even better when rushing off his line for a desperate block on Donyell Malen’s tap-in from seven yards, when Stephan El Shaarawy had rolled across.

Malen also tested the Atalanta goalkeeper at the near post on the counter-attack, while Mile Svilar denied Ederson one-on-one moments later after the midfielder had left El Aynaoui in his wake.

Roma equalised on the stroke of half-time, as Devyne Rensch nodded down the Zeki Celik cross for an acrobatic Hermoso left-foot volley from eight yards into the roof of the net.

Atalanta made a triple change at half-time, including ex-Roma youth product Nicola Zalewski, who immediately blasted wide from distance.

El Shaarawy stung Carnesecchi’s gloves at the near post with a volley from a tricky angle, as did Malen from a very similar position, while the goalkeeper was ready for a Hermoso header.

Lorenzo Venturino’s strike was deflected over, but on the resulting corner a Hermoso looping header bounced off the top of the crossbar.

Devyne Rensch hobbled off with a muscular problem, while Robinio Vaz couldn’t take advantage of Carnesecchi fumbling a Venturino cross.

Roma 1-1 Atalanta

Krstovic 12 (A), Hermoso 45 (R)

18-04-2026 19:45

MatchDay 33

Stadio Olimpico

Roma

Atalanta

1 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		12'		Nikola Krstovic (Assist: Marten de Roon)
Mario Hermoso (Assist: Devyne Rensch)		45'

2nd half

		65'		Éderson
Niccolò Pisilli		75'
		90+1'		Berat Djimsiti

Match statistic

53

Possession %

47

19

Total shots

8

9

Shots on target

2

4

Shots off target

3

6

Blocked shots

3

7

Corners

6

1

Offsides

3

4

Fouls

14

Roma

Atalanta

Starting lineups

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

78'

5

Evan Ndicka

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

60'

22

Mario Hermoso

Defender

19

Zeki Celik

Defender

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

8

Neil El Aynaoui

Midfielder

60'

14

Donyell Malen

Attacker

18

Matìas Soulé

Attacker

71'

92

Stephan El Shaarawy

Attacker

60'

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

42

Giorgio Scalvini

Defender

46'

16

Raoul Bellanova

Defender

23

Sead Kolasinac

Defender

46'

13

Éderson

Midfielder

80'

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

17

Charles De Ketelaere

Attacker

46'

18

Giacomo Raspadori

Attacker

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

Substitutes

3

Angeliño

Defender

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

97

Bryan Zaragoza

Attacker

70

Giorgio De Marzi

Goalkeeper

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

60'

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

60'

20

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

60'

78

Robinio Vaz

Attacker

71'

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

78'

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

5

Mitchel Bakker

Defender

7

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Midfielder

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

46'

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

46'

69

Honest Ahanor

Defender

46'

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

80'

Roma director Ricky Massara insists ‘there is absolutely no problem’ between Gian Piero Gasperini and Claudio Ranieri, as they are ‘fully concentrated’ on beating Atalanta.

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It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

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

This has become an absolutely crucial clash for European places, especially in the wake of Como’s defeat to Sassuolo, as a win here would let Roma leapfrog Cesc Fabregas into fifth.

At the same time, Atalanta could close to within a point of the Giallorossi if they get the victory at the Stadio Olimpico.

Massara keeps Roma focused on the field

“Every element of the club is concentrated, eager to end the season on a high,” assured Massara on Sky Sport Italia.

“There is a big objective potentially up for grabs, we have a tough game this evening, but we hope to put in a solid performance. The team has always shown it is fully concentrated on the field.”

There are four players whose contracts will expire on June 30, namely Stephan El Shaarawy, Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Zeki Celik, so will any of them remain at Roma?

“There is an open dialogue with all four players and their agents. We will evaluate if there are the conditions to reach a mutual agreement.”

The main problem with Roma’s season is they have struggled against the other clubs in the top seven, picking up just six points in those head-to-head clashes.

“It’s true that we didn’t manage to beat the big clubs, other than beating Como, but we always had good performances. Tonight is an opportunity to prove that we have grown, and the fact we are in the running still for the top four despite this statistic means we have done some good things,” replied Massara.

This has been a strange few days for Roma, because coach Gasperini was irritated at the public complaints from director Claudio Ranieri, then left his press conference on the verge of tears when talking about his rapport with Atalanta President Antonio Percassi.

It all makes it unlikely that both Gasperini and Ranieri will continue working together next season.

“Dialogue exists in all clubs and even when there are discussions, those are focused entirely on improving this squad, so we are all focused on that. There is absolutely no problem.”

Massara also spoke to DAZN Italia and gave a further comment on where the Friedkin family stand on this issue.

“The owners speak with action, they are making big investments and developing the club to reach the top level. We are all working to build something big here and it is a privilege to work with these owners.”

"If they do this in public I don't want to know what's going on behind the scenes!" @_poppymiller, Nigel Reo-Coker, @TMeola1 and @IFTVMarco discuss the public fallout between Gian Piero Gasperini and Claudio Ranieri pic.twitter.com/F7tQxWQJtX

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 18, 2026

Raffaele Palladino expects ‘an open and attacking game’ between his Atalanta and Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma, assuring they ‘welcome pressure, motivation and responsibility.’

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It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

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

This is an important few days for La Dea, as after this showdown for European places in Serie A, they will face Lazio in the Coppa Italia semi-final on Wednesday evening.

The first leg ended 2-2, so it is all to be decided at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo.

Palladino hoping for Atalanta birthday gift

Today is the birthday of the Atalanta coach, who is hoping for a gift from his former mentor Gian Piero Gasperini.

“We are fully concentrated on tonight’s game, because it is very important and we can blow the race for Europe wide open,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.

“This journey started with me five months ago, and every time we slip up, people act as if the world is falling down around us, but we do not lose hope. We climbed up the table, this is a big opportunity for us, and we are certainly not thinking about the Coppa Italia this evening.”

Gasperini was with Atalanta for nine years, winning the Europa League, reaching two Coppa Italia Finals, and turning them from relegation strugglers to regulars in the Champions League.

“This job is made of pressure, motivation and responsibility. We welcome all of that, because these are the games you want to play, so we have ambition and motivation against a strong team in their own stadium,” continued Palladino.

“It will be an open and attacking game, so whoever wins the most individual duels will then win the game. We prepared well.”

Giacomo Raspadori starts this evening, having turned down a move to Roma in January because he preferred the Atalanta project, while Nikola Krstovic is preferred to Gianluca Scamacca.

“The club deserves credit for building a great squad that has so many quality options, I can choose from at least two in every role, and rotation is natural when I need certain characteristics. I wanted someone to attack the space today, and Gianluca has different characteristics to Krstovic and Raspadori.”

Napoli really have abandoned Scudetto dreams after their first Serie A home defeat of the season, as despite a Vanja Milinkovic-Savic penalty save, Matteo Cancellieri and Toma Basic gave Lazio victory.

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The Partenopei were still smarting after the draw at Parma practically ended their Scudetto ambitions. Amir Rrahmani returned to the bench, with Sam Beukema preferred to Juan Jesus, but Romelu Lukaku, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, David Neres and Antonio Vergara were still out of action. Lazio weren’t in much better shape, as Adam Marusic, Ivan Provedel, Nicolò Rovella, Samuel Gigot and Alessio Furlanetto didn’t make the trip, with Daniel Maldini back in the squad. Maurizio Sarri faced his old club and also kept an eye on Wednesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final with Atalanta.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It was an aggressive start from Lazio and they opened the scoring early on when Kenneth Taylor pulled back from the left by-line for Matteo Cancellieri to sweep into the far bottom corner first-time from eight yards.

Toma Basic and Matteo Politano tested the goalkeepers, but Mario Gila did just enough to stop Scott McTominay nodding in from six yards on a Politano cross.

Alessio Romagnoli made a decisive sliding tackle on Rasmus Hojlund when sent through by Kevin De Bruyne, but Lazio earned a penalty when Noslin took advantage of a lucky ricochet off Alessandro Buongiorno to go on the counter, shrugged off Beukema, and was bundled over from behind by Stanislav Lobotka.

However, Zaccagni became the latest victim of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who parried his third penalty of the season, and then the Lazio captain slipped to fire the rebound over the bar.

Milinkovic-Savic was decisive again with a tricky save as Cancellieri’s strike went through a defender’s legs, and Noslin couldn’t keep the rebound down.

Nuno Tavares forced another Milinkovic-Savic save with an angled drive when sent sprinting down the left, and Kenneth Taylor drilled just wide straight after the restart.

Lazio did double their lead when Nuno Tavares sprinted down the left and Cancellieri stumbled on what should’ve been a tap-in, but the ricochet fell kindly for teammate Toma Basic to sweep in from 10 yards.

Substitute Alisson Santos threatened to pull one back moments later, but his powerful angled drive thumped the outside of the near post.

Nuno Tavares failed to turn in the Noslin roll across from six yards under pressure from Miguel Gutierrez, and McTominay’s scorcher was deflected over, as Napoli remarkably suffered their fourth consecutive home defeat to Lazio. It was also their first home loss of the Serie A season.

Napoli 0-2 Lazio

Cancellieri 6 (L), Basic 57 (L)

Saved penalty: Zaccagni 31 (L)

18-04-2026 17:00

MatchDay 33

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

Napoli

Lazio

0 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		6'		Matteo Cancellieri (Assist: Kenneth Taylor)
Stanislav Lobotka		29'
		31'		Mattia Zaccagni
		33'		Danilo Cataldi

2nd half

		57'		Toma Basic (Assist: Matteo Cancellieri)
		60'		Kenneth Taylor
		90+1'		Boulaye Dia

Match statistic

67

Possession %

33

12

Total shots

14

Shots on target

7

8

Shots off target

6

4

Blocked shots

1

12

Corners

2

Offsides

11

Fouls

9

Napoli

Lazio

Starting lineups

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić

Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno

Defender

37

Leonardo Spinazzola

Defender

63'

17

Mathías Olivera

Defender

31

Sam Beukema

Defender

99

Frank Anguissa

Midfielder

46'

11

Kevin De Bruyne

Midfielder

46'

8

Scott McTominay

Midfielder

68

Stanislav Lobotka

Midfielder

63'

21

Matteo Politano

Attacker

72'

19

Rasmus Højlund

Attacker

40

Edoardo Motta

Goalkeeper

13

Alessio Romagnoli

Defender

29

Manuel Lazzari

Defender

82'

34

Mario Gila

Defender

61'

17

Nuno Tavares

Defender

32

Danilo Cataldi

Midfielder

61'

24

Kenneth Taylor

Midfielder

26

Toma Basic

Midfielder

71'

22

Matteo Cancellieri

Attacker

10

Mattia Zaccagni

Attacker

61'

14

Tijjani Noslin

Attacker

Substitutes

5

Juan Jesus

Defender

1

Alex Meret

Goalkeeper

13

Amir Rrahmani

Defender

14

Nikita Contini

Goalkeeper

6

Billy Gilmour

Midfielder

23

Giovane Nascimento

Attacker

20

Eljif Elmas

Midfielder

46'

27

Alisson Santos

Attacker

46'

3

Miguel Gutiérrez

Defender

63'

23

Giovane

Attacker

63'

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi

Defender

72'

9

Pedro

Attacker

27

Daniel Maldini

Midfielder

3

Luca Pellegrini

Defender

18

Gustav Isaksen

Attacker

21

Reda Belahyane

Midfielder

20

Petar Ratkov

Attacker

28

Adrian Przyborek

Attacker

99

Giacomo Giacomone

72

Nicolò Pannozzo

Goalkeeper

4

Patric

Defender

61'

19

Boulaye Dia

Attacker

61'

25

Oliver Provstgaard

Defender

61'

7

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru

Midfielder

71'

23

Elseid Hysaj

Defender

82'

Roma and Atalanta go head-to-head for European ambitions, as emotional Gian Piero Gasperini faces his past with Donyell Malen and Matias Soulé, while Charles De Ketelaere and Giacomo Raspadori start.

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It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

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

Como’s defeat to Sassuolo has made this a particularly crucial fixture for chasing down the top four, as Champions League qualification is still up for grabs.

This is a special night for Gasperini, as confirmed by his tears in the press conference when discussing the departure after nine years with Atalanta.

His time at Roma has been mixed, and overshadowed by the recent very public disagreement with director Claudio Ranieri.

Injuries haven’t helped, as Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, Wesley, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson are all out of action.

Nicolò Pisilli and Gianluca Mancini are not at 100 per cent either, so Neil El Aynaoui and Devyne Rensch start in midfield.

Stephan El Shaarawy steps in with Soulé to support Malen, who is fresh off a hat-trick in the 3-0 victory over Pisa.

Atalanta had been marching up the standings until last week’s 1-0 home defeat to Juventus, which could yet prove a pivotal moment in this season’s hunt for European places.

Isak Hien has joined Kamaldeen Sulemana on the treatment table, while coach Raffaele Palladino has to keep an eye on Wednesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final against Lazio.

Scamacca is available again, but only on the bench, and Raspadori is pushing to find full fitness after his injury, so they start with Charles De Ketelaere.

There is bound to be tension here too, because Roma tried to sign Raspadori from Atletico Madrid in January, but he preferred La Dea.

It allows ex-Roma man Nicola Zalewski to rest, as Lorenzo Bernasconi steps in too.

Atalanta have an extraordinary record against Roma, unbeaten since a 1-0 result here in March 2022, followed by six wins and a draw.

Palladino, who was Gasperini’s protégé, beat him 1-0 in Bergamo back in January thanks to a Giorgio Scalvini goal.

Roma vs. Atalanta line-ups

Roma: Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Celik, Cristante, El Aynaoui, Rensch; Soulé, El Shaarawy; Malen

Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Djimsiti, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta; De Ketelaere, Raspadori; Krstovic

18-04-2026 19:45

MatchDay 33

Stadio Olimpico

Roma

Atalanta

1 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		12'		Nikola Krstovic (Assist: Marten de Roon)
Mario Hermoso (Assist: Devyne Rensch)		45'

2nd half

		65'		Éderson
Niccolò Pisilli		75'
		90+1'		Berat Djimsiti

Match statistic

53

Possession %

47

19

Total shots

8

9

Shots on target

2

4

Shots off target

3

6

Blocked shots

3

7

Corners

6

1

Offsides

3

4

Fouls

14

Roma

Atalanta

Starting lineups

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

78'

5

Evan Ndicka

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

60'

22

Mario Hermoso

Defender

19

Zeki Celik

Defender

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

8

Neil El Aynaoui

Midfielder

60'

14

Donyell Malen

Attacker

18

Matìas Soulé

Attacker

71'

92

Stephan El Shaarawy

Attacker

60'

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

42

Giorgio Scalvini

Defender

46'

16

Raoul Bellanova

Defender

23

Sead Kolasinac

Defender

46'

13

Éderson

Midfielder

80'

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

17

Charles De Ketelaere

Attacker

46'

18

Giacomo Raspadori

Attacker

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

Substitutes

3

Angeliño

Defender

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

97

Bryan Zaragoza

Attacker

70

Giorgio De Marzi

Goalkeeper

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

60'

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

60'

20

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

60'

78

Robinio Vaz

Attacker

71'

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

78'

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

5

Mitchel Bakker

Defender

7

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Midfielder

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

46'

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

46'

69

Honest Ahanor

Defender

46'

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

80'

Lazio director Angelo Fabiani admits Maurizio Sarri’s ‘football philosophy’ doesn’t entirely fit with the squad built for him this season, but injuries were also damaging as they visit Napoli.

• Read Football Italia Ad-Free and get access to Exclusive News and Content – Free Trial – Click Here

It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 17.00 UK time (18.00 CEST).

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

The Biancocelesti want to climb into the top 10, but also have to prepare for Wednesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final against Atalanta.

As the first leg ended 2-2 last month at the Stadio Olimpico, it will all be decided in Bergamo, and may well be their only path back into Europe for next season.

Lazio had a tough campaign

“This is a big game, we care about this, the club, the coach, the players, and want a good performance. Then we will think about the Coppa Italia,” Lazio director Fabiani told DAZN Italia.

“It has been a difficult season with 45 injuries, so we had to make do, because inevitably you’re going to drop points when missing players like Zaccagni and Rovella for long periods.

“It was a reconstruction campaign, going from the older figures to young players who should provide the structure for the team in future seasons.”

Adam Marusic, Ivan Provedel, Nicolò Rovella, Samuel Gigot and Alessio Furlanetto didn’t make the trip, with Daniel Maldini back for a spot on the bench.

Taty Castellanos was sold in January, but there was no real replacement, as Petar Ratkov is barely used.

“In Maurizio’s philosophy, he prepares a player who drops deeper and works with the midfield, like Daniel Maldini. So he has used Maldini more.”

There has been tension around Lazio in recent months, with the fans often leaving the Stadio Olimpico during their boycott in protest against President Claudio Lotito’s strategy.

How can that split be healed for the good of the team?

“With hard work and sacrifice, we can all work together including those around Lazio, using common sense to get back to normality.”

This is always an emotional game for Sarri, who was the Napoli coach from 2015 to 2018, famously born in the city before moving to Tuscany, so declared himself a supporter of the club.

Antonio Conte insists ‘second place is just first place for losers’ and he hasn’t lost hope of catching Inter, but explains why Napoli tactics against Lazio today are forced by one injury.

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It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 17.00 UK time (18.00 CEST).

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

The injury crisis continues, as although Amir Rrahmani returns to the bench, Napoli are still without Romelu Lukaku, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, David Neres and Antonio Vergara.

Sam Beukema is preferred to Juan Jesus, who made some costly errors last week against Parma, but also means not all three centre-backs are left-footed.

Conte explains Napoli tactical choices

“It is a technical decision, nothing in particular. It is only right that players alternate during the season, as Amir Rrahmani and Giovanni Di Lorenzo are not ready yet, so it’s important to have options to choose from,” explained Conte on DAZN Italia.

Kevin De Bruyne and Scott McTominay are currently used in support of Rasmus Hojlund, with a 3-4-2-1 formation.

“The system depends exclusively on the fact we don’t have a full-back available at the moment. Without Di Lorenzo, it’s tough to think of a different system. Besides, this tactic allowed us to recover during an emergency situation, I don’t see why I should make radical changes right now.

“Inevitably, Di Lorenzo’s injury is damaging, because he can play in a back three, as a full-back, or as a wing-back. He played practically constantly, had this knee injury, and there’s nobody else with his characteristics in the squad.

“We’ll also see about tactics when Vergara recovers and is available.”

The Partenopei know that last week’s 1-1 draw with Parma practically ended their Scudetto hopes, especially with Inter winning 3-0 against Cagliari last night to go temporarily 12 points clear.

They also need to look over their shoulders now to lock down second place and Champions League qualification, having already won the Supercoppa Italiana.

“Second place is the first place for losers, so I’m not sure that second or third changes much, it’s just about who qualifies for the Champions League,” smiled Conte bitterly.

“We are currently 12 points off Inter, we saw full well against Parma that we cannot make any mistakes, or we lose two points. Our objective is to do our best, trying to look forward, but also keep an eye on those behind us, because one or two slip-ups can change a great deal.”

There has been a lot of talk around the future of coach Conte, who has not ruled himself out of the running for a return to the Italy bench.

Jhon Lucumi will start for Bologna against Juventus tomorrow, and it may well be an opportunity to discuss a transfer, as first choice Marco Senesi is closer to Liverpool or Tottenham.

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The Bianconeri are trying to reinforce their defence for next season, having been forced to use Teun Koopmeiners there at times due to the lack of alternatives.

Juventus intrigued by Lucumi

Senesi had been a primary target, as his contract with Bournemouth is running down and he will be a free agent in the summer, but there were reports this week that he favoured a Premier League stay with Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in advanced talks.

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus are therefore turning towards Lucumi, who is expected to start for Bologna against the Bianconeri on Sunday.

It is a valuable opportunity for the two clubs to discuss potential transfer terms, after the Colombia international had already pushed to leave last summer for Sunderland.

That move collapsed because Bologna insisted on keeping him after already selling Sam Beukema to Napoli.

There were also links with Manchester City in January that did not develop.

His current contract at the Stadio Dall’Ara only runs to June 2027, so the price tag will have dropped too, making him a more appetising prospect.

Napoli hope Kevin De Bruyne, Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund can get them back on track, as Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio start Mattia Zaccagni and Matteo Cancellieri.

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It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 17.00 UK time (18.00 CEST).

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

Napoli need a victory to maintain any slender hope of keeping up with leaders Inter, but also need to look over their shoulders as the fight for the top four hots up after their 1-1 draw at Parma.

The absentee list remains extensive, including Romelu Lukaku, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, David Neres and Antonio Vergara, but Amir Rrahmani returns to the bench.

The ‘Fab Four’ of Stanislav Lobotka, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, De Bruyne and McTominay again start together in support of the ever-present Hojlund.

Sam Beukema is chosen rather than Juan Jesus, who made costly errors last week.

It is always a special match for former Napoli coach Sarri, but he has if anything even worse injury problems than Antonio Conte.

Adam Marusic is only the latest to join Ivan Provedel, Nicolò Rovella, Samuel Gigot and Alessio Furlanetto on the treatment table, but Daniel Maldini does return for a spot on the bench.

Sarri has to look ahead to Wednesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final against Atalanta, as the first leg ended 2-2 last month, and it is their last chance to salvage a traumatic season.

After several games used in midfield, Patric is rested, as Danilo Cataldi is approaching full fitness, but Mario Gila shakes off a knock to start.

Zaccagni and Cancellieri flank Tijjani Noslin as the centre-forward, leaving Gustav Isaksen and Boulaye Dia on the bench.

It was a famously ill-tempered affair the last time these sides met, Napoli emerging 2-0 winners with Noslin, Adam Marusic and Pasquale Mazzocchi sent off.

Napoli vs. Lazio official line-ups

Napoli: Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Buongiorno, Olivera; Politano, Lobotka, Anguissa, Spinazzola; De Bruyne, McTominay; Hojlund

Lazio: Motta; Lazzari, Gila, Romagnoli, Nuno Tavares; Taylor, Cataldi, Basic; Cancellieri, Noslin, Zaccagni

18-04-2026 17:00

MatchDay 33

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

Napoli

Lazio

0 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		6'		Matteo Cancellieri (Assist: Kenneth Taylor)
Stanislav Lobotka		29'
		31'		Mattia Zaccagni
		33'		Danilo Cataldi

2nd half

		57'		Toma Basic (Assist: Matteo Cancellieri)
		60'		Kenneth Taylor
		90+1'		Boulaye Dia

Match statistic

67

Possession %

33

12

Total shots

14

Shots on target

7

8

Shots off target

6

4

Blocked shots

1

12

Corners

2

Offsides

11

Fouls

9

Napoli

Lazio

Starting lineups

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić

Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno

Defender

37

Leonardo Spinazzola

Defender

63'

17

Mathías Olivera

Defender

31

Sam Beukema

Defender

99

Frank Anguissa

Midfielder

46'

11

Kevin De Bruyne

Midfielder

46'

8

Scott McTominay

Midfielder

68

Stanislav Lobotka

Midfielder

63'

21

Matteo Politano

Attacker

72'

19

Rasmus Højlund

Attacker

40

Edoardo Motta

Goalkeeper

13

Alessio Romagnoli

Defender

29

Manuel Lazzari

Defender

82'

34

Mario Gila

Defender

61'

17

Nuno Tavares

Defender

32

Danilo Cataldi

Midfielder

61'

24

Kenneth Taylor

Midfielder

26

Toma Basic

Midfielder

71'

22

Matteo Cancellieri

Attacker

10

Mattia Zaccagni

Attacker

61'

14

Tijjani Noslin

Attacker

Substitutes

5

Juan Jesus

Defender

1

Alex Meret

Goalkeeper

13

Amir Rrahmani

Defender

14

Nikita Contini

Goalkeeper

6

Billy Gilmour

Midfielder

23

Giovane Nascimento

Attacker

20

Eljif Elmas

Midfielder

46'

27

Alisson Santos

Attacker

46'

3

Miguel Gutiérrez

Defender

63'

23

Giovane

Attacker

63'

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi

Defender

72'

9

Pedro

Attacker

27

Daniel Maldini

Midfielder

3

Luca Pellegrini

Defender

18

Gustav Isaksen

Attacker

21

Reda Belahyane

Midfielder

20

Petar Ratkov

Attacker

28

Adrian Przyborek

Attacker

99

Giacomo Giacomone

72

Nicolò Pannozzo

Goalkeeper

4

Patric

Defender

61'

19

Boulaye Dia

Attacker

61'

25

Oliver Provstgaard

Defender

61'

7

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru

Midfielder

71'

23

Elseid Hysaj

Defender

82'

Nesta Elphege’s debut Serie A goal has practically secured Parma’s Serie A status with a surprise victory away to Udinese.

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The Friulani confirmed their giant-killer reputation by beating Milan and holding Como, but lost Keinan Davis to injury along with Jordan Zemura and Alessandro Zanoli. Parma were winless in six, but held Lazio and Napoli to stalemates. Benja Cremaschi and Matija Frigan missed the trip, but Mateo Pellegrino returned from suspension. Lautaro Valenti picked up an injury in the warm-up, replaced by Abdoulaye Ndiaye.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Alessandro Circati nodded a corner inches over the bar in the opening minutes for Parma, as Maduka Okoye was caught wrong-footed.

Nicolò Zaniolo went on the counter from a Parma corner only for Zion Suzuki to smother his pass at the feet of Jurgen Ekkelenkamp, while Hassane Kamara shinned a volley wide from a promising position.

Pellegrino went off at half-time after two accidental knocks to the head, and Ndiaye made a desperate interception to stop Ekkelenkamp tapping in the Arthur Atta roll across.

Substitute Nesta Elphege made an immediate impact by scoring his debut Serie A goal for Parma, gathering the Gabriel Strefezza assist with his back to goal, turning Christian Kabasele to burst into the box and fire past Okoye.

Moments later, Strefezza’s deflected shot was fingertipped over the bar, while Atta dribbled past two to test Suzuki at the near post.

Parma should’ve been 2-0 up on the hour mark, but Elphege seemed surprised that Okoye fumbled the Enrico Delprato low cross and only poked the rebound wide.

Udinese incredibly failed to equalise on 76 minutes at the end of a chaotic move. Oumar Solet dribbled into the box and his shot was charged down, so he stood up a cross for Idrissa Gueye’s header off the crossbar, and Zaniolo then nodded the rebound wide from four yards.

Thomas Kristensen was also forced off after a neck injury, while Gueye’s glancing header from a Jesper Karlstrom cross was smothered by Suzuki.

Zaniolo had a huge chance to score deep into stoppages, but the finish was off his weaker foot and allowed Suzuki to scramble across for a fingertip save.

Udinese 0-1 Parma

Elphege 51 (P)

18-04-2026 14:00

MatchDay 33

Friuli Stadium (Dacia Arena)

Udinese

Parma

0 - 1

Player statistic

2nd half

		51'		Nesta Elphege (Assist: Gabriel Strefezza)
Nicolò Zaniolo		71'
Jesper Karlström		85'

Match statistic

57

Possession %

43

16

Total shots

10

3

Shots on target

1

9

Shots off target

5

4

Blocked shots

4

10

Corners

5

2

Offsides

1

11

Fouls

8

Udinese

Parma

Starting lineups

40

Maduka Okoye

Goalkeeper

27

Christian Kabasele

Defender

11

Hassane Kamara

Defender

64'

19

Kingsley Ehizibue

Defender

73'

28

Oumar Solet

Defender

31

Thomas Kristensen

Defender

81'

14

Arthur Atta

Midfielder

24

Jakub Piotrowski

Midfielder

64'

8

Jesper Karlström

Midfielder

32

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp

Midfielder

73'

10

Nicolò Zaniolo

Midfielder

31

Zion Suzuki

Goalkeeper

39

Alessandro Circati

Defender

14

Emanuele Valeri

Defender

15

Enrico Delprato

Defender

5

Lautaro Valenti

Defender

37

Mariano Troilo

Defender

10

Adrián Bernabé

Midfielder

66'

41

Hans Nicolussi Caviglia

Midfielder

72'

16

Mandela Keita

Midfielder

7

Gabriel Strefezza

Attacker

66'

9

Mateo Pellegrino

Attacker

46'

Substitutes

93

Daniele Padelli

Goalkeeper

90

Răzvan Sava

Goalkeeper

15

Vakoun Bayo

Attacker

38

Lennon Miller

Midfielder

29

Abdoulaye Camara

Midfielder

7

Idrissa Gueye

Attacker

64'

20

Juan Arizala

Defender

64'

18

Adam Buksa

Attacker

73'

6

Oier Zarraga

Midfielder

73'

22

Branimir Mlacic

Defender

81'

29

Franco Carboni

Defender

66

Filippo Rinaldi

Goalkeeper

22

Oliver Sörensen

Midfielder

40

Edoardo Corvi

Goalkeeper

11

Pontus Almqvist

Attacker

21

Gaetano Oristanio

Midfielder

23

Nesta Elphege

Attacker

46'

17

Jacob Ondrejka

Attacker

66'

24

Christian Ordoñez

Midfielder

66'

8

Nahuel Estévez

Midfielder

72'

3

Abdoulaye Ndiaye

Defender

27

Sascha Britschgi

Defender

75'

Cristian Chivu is glad Inter ‘enjoy their football’ after sweeping Cagliari aside 3-0, but continues to resist Scudetto celebration. ‘Thank God we achieved Champions League qualification.’

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The Nerazzurri are ever closer to Scudetto glory after a hard-fought 3-0 victory over Cagliari at San Siro.

It took until the 53^rd minute to finally break the Sardinians down with Marcus Thuram tapping in the Federico Dimarco assist, then moments later Nicolò Barella rifled in another.

Piotr Zielinski put the icing on the cake in stoppages with a ferocious strike into the top corner.

Chivu continuing to mock media

Last week, the coach took a sideswipe at his rivals by saying their primary objective was a Champions League spot, so with Como’s defeat today that is now mathematically certain.

“I was being ironic last week, but not joking, so we’re very happy,” smiled Chivu on Sky Sport Italia.

“We were aware of how important this match was. We had a few problems in the first half, we moved it too slowly, and that allowed Cagliari to cover the spaces very well. We spread them wider after the break, pushed the forwards up, and also raised the intensity level.

“When this team breaks the deadlock, it starts to enjoy its football and go for more ambitious moves. This is a team with quality, they are great players and they enjoy themselves on the pitch.”

Chivu was asked if he can see the belief in the eyes of his players in the locker room, but had a curious answer and added more sarcasm.

“I don’t see their eyes often, as they are always looking down at their phones. I call this the one-hand generation, they’ve always got a phone in one hand, they do other things with the other…

“We are aware of the hard work we’ve done, of what we did to become competitive, and thank God we have now achieved the objective of Champions League qualification with five games to spare, so now we can look forward and try to be competitive to the end.”

This result means Inter are momentarily 12 points clear at the top of the table, awaiting Napoli and Milan matches over the weekend.

They went into this round with a nine-point lead and know that at the very least that will remain intact going into the final five rounds.

Inter now have to prepare for the Coppa Italia semi-final against Como on Tuesday evening, as the first leg ended 0-0 at the Stadio Sinigaglia, so it is all to play for.

Having received so much criticism this season, Chivu is still on track to end the campaign with two trophies.

“There are human elements too, we mustn’t forget how tough it was for these lads last season, but they challenged themselves, did not back down, and always reacted during ups and downs in the season.

“They built something here over the last few years, and were determined to maintain the good things they had been put together.”

How does Chivu think Inter can step up a gear next season to be competitive in the Champions League as well as in Serie A?

“It’s not easy, as you are up against teams of a certain level, especially the Premier League sides that spend an incredible amount of money to keep reinforcing. We have a thousand examples of teams who spent so much and still discovered it’s no guarantee of Champions League success.

“We want to be competitive, one of the objectives of all clubs is to qualify for the Champions League, so it’s not a joke really, because everyone want to participate in that tournament.”

Inter President Beppe Marotta said before the match that a new contract with Chivu would not be an issue.

“I never talked about this to them, because I was busy with achieving the Champions League qualification. Is it achieved? No, not really. I’m not superstitious, I just prefer to focus my energy on football and not my future,” replied the coach.

Fabio Pisacane admits the two Inter goals in quick succession left Cagliari ‘dazed’ in an eventual 3-0 defeat at San Siro and warns Serie A safety is not guaranteed yet.

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The Sardinians managed to muzzle the Serie A leaders for long spells at San Siro, but capitulated after Inter scored two goals in the space of three minutes with Marcus Thuram and Nicolò Barella.

Piotr Zielinski made the final result a little harsh with a powerful strike from distance in added time.

Pisacane saw strong Inter against Cagliari

“It’s natural that the double blow really knocked us down and we were dazed after that,” Pisacane told Sky Sport Italia.

“Until then, we were playing well, and knew that even if we were perfect, that Inter would cause us problems. We are against the best team in Serie A, but the regret is that we could’ve dealt with the assist for the opening goal differently.

“The trouble with Serie A is that every game is difficult. The ones that seemed on paper to be easier are precisely those where we tended to get it wrong. We must always be on our toes, and at the same time realise that like today, doing everything right isn’t necessarily enough.

“We’ve got to be realistic, keep picking up points where we can, and continue to chase our objective.”

This is Pisacane’s debut Serie A season as a coach, and they still have a significant cushion from the relegation zone, but have lost seven of their last 10 matches.

“It has been an unusual campaign, we had a lot of serious injuries, but tried to stay alert, play our football, and I think we saw many young players impress tonight too. I feel they will be the ones, guided by the old guard, who can take us to the objective.”

Cagliari went into the weekend with a six-point gap from the bottom three, but if Cremonese or Lecce win, it could get halved.

“It’s not over yet, if you look at the table, Torino had almost the same number of points as us a few weeks ago, and now they are a long way ahead, so that’s going to be a tricky match.”

Marcus Thuram and Nicolò Barella assure ending the season empty-handed ‘taught Inter a lot’ and their friendship is helping them march towards the Scudetto now.

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The Nerazzurri were a little sluggish in the first half and struggled to break Cagliari down, but ran riot after the break when stepping up a gear.

The deadlock was broken when Federico Dimarco rolled across his 16^th assist of the season for Thuram to tap in, then Barella blasted in the loose ball moments later.

Piotr Zielinski sealed it in style during added time by rifling a scorcher into the top corner for 3-0.

Inter can taste the Scudetto now

Thuram really has found his form at the right time after a difficult period, as he can’t seem to stop scoring at the moment with four goals and two assists in the last three games.

“Nothing has changed really, these are moments, I am in a good moment now, and that’s good for Inter,” Thuram told Sky Sport Italia.

“It’s not done yet, we’ve got to keep pushing and picking up points. We are a squad who like to play together and hanging out together, and you can see that when we’re on the pitch too.”

Barella did not want to celebrate scoring a goal against his hometown club, but Thuram forced a smile when giving the midfielder a piggy-back ride.

Inter went into this weekend with a nine-point lead at the top of the Serie A table, and it will at the very least remain intact going into the final five rounds.

It’s no wonder the fans at San Siro unleashed the traditional chant of ‘we will win the tricolor’ at the final whistle.

“I hope we’ll win the tricolor!” replied Barella.

“It’s pleasing, last season was difficult and taught us a lot, but now we really need to win. Seeing this atmosphere recreated with our determination, commitment and hard work, it’s marvellous.”

This side is marching away with the Scudetto, because only four times in their history had Inter won 25 of the opening 33 Serie A rounds, in 2023-24, 2006-07 and 1988-89.

“Statistics only mean so much, because the important thing is to give everything you’ve got on the field. I also want to compliment Pepu Martinez for his performance, it was not easy for him after what happened, we tried to be by his side, so he deserves this moment.”

Goalkeeper Martinez received a rare start today, but his season was affected by a tragic accident when an elderly man fell ill at the wheel and veered into his car.

Marcus Thuram, Nicolò Barella and Piotr Zielinski eventually broke Cagliari down for a 3-0 victory that takes Inter ever closer to the Scudetto, as Francesco Pio Esposito won the battle of the brothers.

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The Nerazzurri were fired up after the thrilling 4-3 win at Como put them nine points clear at the top of the table, but also had to prepare for Tuesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against the same opponents. Lautaro Martinez, Alessandro Bastoni and Yann Bisseck were out injured, with Petar Sucic suspended, and some squad rotation.

The Sardinians ended a run of five straight defeats by beating Cremonese to break clear of the relegation zone, but Luca Mazzitelli, Leonardo Pavoletti, Riyad Idrissi and Mattia Felici didn’t make the trip. It was a special moment as brothers Francesco Pio and Sebastiano Esposito faced off.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It was an aggressive start from Cagliari, as Sebastiano Esposito’s deflected effort forced a fingertip save from Josep Martinez, then Marco Palestra blasted over.

Francesco Pio Esposito completed a give and go with Marcus Thuram, but both he and Federico Dimarco saw attempted tap-ins denied by defensive blocks.

Carlos Augusto’s strike was deflected inches wide from the edge of the area, while Pio Esposito stung Caprile’s gloves at the near post after controlling Nicolò Barella’s pass.

Inter finally broke the deadlock after the restart, as Dimarco rolled across from the left, bending the pass inwards so that Thuram just had to cushion it over the line at the back post.

The second goal arrived soon after, as while Thuram’s attempt was charged down, Barella smashed in the rebound from just inside the area. He refused to celebrate against his hometown club, but cracked a smile when Thuram insisted on giving the midfielder a piggy-back ride.

Cagliari threatened too, as Manuel Akanji needed a desperate interception to stop Mendy meeting the Palestra cross after the offside trap failed.

Denzel Dumfries met the Ange-Yoan Bonny cross late on, but couldn’t keep his header down.

Inter added a third in stoppages, as Dumfries knocked down a ball on the edge of the area for Piotr Zielinski to hit a first-time right-foot screamer into the top corner.

Inter 3-0 Cagliari

Thuram 53 (I), Barella 56 (I), Zielinski 92 (I)

17-04-2026 19:45

MatchDay 33

San Siro Stadium (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)

Inter

Cagliari

3 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

		23'		Sebastiano Esposito
		25'		Gennaro Borrelli

2nd half

Marcus Thuram (Assist: Federico Dimarco)		52'
Nicolò Barella		56'
Piotr Zielinski (Assist: Denzel Dumfries)		90+2'

Match statistic

55

Possession %

45

18

Total shots

10

5

Shots on target

1

8

Shots off target

4

5

Blocked shots

5

4

Corners

9

1

Offsides

2

17

Fouls

6

Inter

Cagliari

Starting lineups

13

Josep Martínez

Goalkeeper

32

Federico Dimarco

Defender

76'

25

Manuel Akanji

Defender

6

Stefan de Vrij

Defender

30

Carlos Augusto

Midfielder

2

Denzel Dumfries

Midfielder

20

Hakan Calhanoglu

Midfielder

85'

22

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Midfielder

76'

23

Nicolò Barella

Midfielder

89'

94

Pio Esposito

Attacker

9

Marcus Thuram

Attacker

76'

1

Elia Caprile

Goalkeeper

33

Adam Obert

Defender

76'

15

Juan Rodríguez

Defender

2

Marco Palestra

Defender

26

Yerry Mina

Defender

32

Zé Pedro

Defender

88'

10

Gianluca Gaetano

Midfielder

57'

8

Michel Adopo

Midfielder

25

Ibrahim Sulemana

Midfielder

76'

29

Gennaro Borrelli

Attacker

57'

94

Sebastiano Esposito

Attacker

Substitutes

15

Francesco Acerbi

Defender

36

Matteo Darmian

Defender

1

Yann Sommer

Goalkeeper

12

Raffaele Di Gennaro

Goalkeeper

51

Christos Alexiou

Defender

48

Mattia Mosconi

Attacker

7

Piotr Zielinski

Midfielder

76'

14

Ange-Yoan Bonny

Defender

76'

11

Luis Henrique

Attacker

76'

16

Davide Frattesi

Midfielder

85'

17

Andy Diouf

Attacker

89'

24

Giuseppe Ciocci

Goalkeeper

22

Alberto Dossena

Defender

9

Semih Kılıçsoy

Attacker

12

Alen Sherri

Goalkeeper

27

Joseph Liteta

Midfielder

37

Yael Trepy

Attacker

20

Agustín Albarracín

Midfielder

18

Othniel Raterink

Midfielder

14

Alessandro Deiola

Midfielder

57'

31

Paul Mendy

Attacker

57'

28

Gabriele Zappa

Defender

76'

90

Michael Folorunsho

Midfielder

76'

19

Andrea Belotti

Attacker

88'

Nicolò Barella refused to celebrate after scoring for Inter against hometown club Cagliari, but Marcus Thuram did his best to get a smile out of the midfielder with an unorthodox approach.

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You can follow all the action as it happens from Inter vs. Cagliari on the Serie A Liveblog.

The Nerazzurri took a while to break the Sardinians down at San Siro, finally taking the lead through Thuram tapping in the Federico Dimarco assist.

Moments later, Thuram’s shot was charged down and Barella was ready to blast in the rebound past Elia Caprile.

Why Barella did not celebrate goal

Nicolò Barella SMASHES home a second for Inter in quick succession pic.twitter.com/xs0ETYxfrI

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 17, 2026

Barella did not celebrate, waving to the crowd in apology, because Cagliari is his hometown club and where he started his career before the move to Inter in 2019.

Teammate Thuram did his best to crack a smile out of his teammate by scooping up the diminutive midfielder and carrying him around on his shoulders.

Barella at the double with a powerful shot that finds the top bins! #InterCagliari 2-0 pic.twitter.com/gZlXimhHMj

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) April 17, 2026

The Italian seemed a little concerned that he might get dropped from a great height, so looked relieved when landing on his feet.

CREW pic.twitter.com/z1x3MK34Ek

— Inter (@Inter) April 17, 2026

Inter went into the weekend nine points clear at the top of the Serie A table and are closing on the Scudetto.

Milan are not expected to use their option to buy Niclas Fullkrug outright from West Ham United for €5m, so VfL Wolfsburg are reportedly interested.

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The centre-forward made the loan move to San Siro as a last-minute deal on February 1, after the Rossoneri had struggled to secure other targets and Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta failed a medical.

Fullkrug has made 16 Serie A appearances for Milan, scoring one goal in the 1-0 victory over Lecce on January 18, but only three of those matches saw him in the starting XI.

Instead, coach Max Allegri tended to prefer Rafael Leao in a False 9 role, even with Santiago Gimenez injured.

Fullkrug will not make Milan move permanent

Milan have no intention of using the €5m option to buy the 33-year-old outright, so Fullkrug is going back to West Ham United at the end of the season.

He probably won’t remain there for long, as Sky Sports Deutschland reporter Florian Plettenburg claims that VfL Wolfsburg are interested in picking up the striker.

It is noted that his contract with West Ham remains valid even if they are relegated from the Premier League, although his salary would be reduced by 50 per cent.

Inter President Beppe Marotta insists Cristian Chivu is ‘one of the best young coaches in Europe’ and they ‘can see the finish line’ for the Scudetto.

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The match with Cagliari kicks off at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza at 19.45 UK time (18.45 CEST).

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

Both those Serie A Week 33 fixtures are being played today because Inter and Como will meet in the Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday, with the first leg ending 0-0 last month.

Those sides met only last week with the 4-3 thriller sending the Nerazzurri nine points clear at the top of the Serie A table, with Napoli and Milan also stumbling.

Inter can see the Scudetto

“I am very prudent, albeit very optimistic,” Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.

“It feels as if we are in the final kilometre of the Giro d’Italia, we are wearing the pink shirt and can see the finish line, but let’s not make any calculations ahead of time.

“There are still 18 points up for grabs, we must repeat the performance in Como, where we achieved a victory with character after going behind.

“We must remember every team raise their game when facing the leaders, it is added motivation, so we must respect our opponents and be aware of their quality.”

Alessandro Bastoni has been struggling with an ankle issue for several weeks and is therefore in the stands today, with Lautaro Martinez and Yann Bisseck also injured.

Squad rotation is nonetheless kept to a minimum, as Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco maintain their usual positions on the wings, but Josep Martinez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan step in.

On the Cagliari side, Marco Palestra starts, and he has been linked with a possible Inter swoop from parent club Atalanta.

“There is this talk of a crisis of talent in Italy, but this lad made his mark and in my view has a great future ahead of him,” noted Marotta.

“He is having some excellent performances and needs to keep going like this. It’s not easy, I am proud as a fan of the Nazionale to see him develop, but it is only right and fair that Atalanta hold on tight.”

It is a special evening for the Esposito family, as brothers Francesco Pio and Sebastiano face off on opposite teams, both having come up through the Inter youth academy.

A third brother, Salvatore Esposito, is currently playing for Sampdoria in Serie B.

“You don’t win trophies with young talents alone, you have to mix them with experience and also the winning culture that is often found within players who have more history behind them,” argued the Inter President.

“As a club, we should continue focusing on the importance of financial sustainability and also the objective of winning, with a mixture of youth and experience. And naturally also a core of Italian players.”

If Chivu is on track to win the Scudetto in his first season at Inter, will his contract be automatically renewed?

“The contract is just a formal aspect, but with his way of working, he has proved himself worthy of Inter, and he is one of the best young coaches in Europe,” concluded Marotta.

Inter will step out wearing special jackets as part of a collaboration marking the 50^th anniversary of Pink Floyd album ‘Wish You Were Here.’

Sassuolo cause an upset with a quickfire double of counter-attacks from Cristian Volpato and M’Bala Nzola, as Como see the Champions League dream slip away.

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The Lariani rotated the squad after a chaotic 4-3 defeat to Inter put them into fifth place, and ahead of Tuesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against the same opponents. Jayden Addai remained the only long-term absentee, but Alvaro Morata was given a rare start. The Neroverdi had Domenico Berardi and Josh Doig suspended after the ill-tempered loss to Genoa, with Darryl Bakola, Filippo Romagna, Daniel Boloca, Edoardo Pieragnolo and Fali Cande injured, giving Stefano Turati a surprise chance in goal.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Sassuolo had a huge chance within 20 seconds, as Kristian Thorstvedt’s finish from the edge of the area was deflected just wide by Jacobo Ramon.

Thorstvedt was also brought down just outside the area by Ramon for a yellow card, Armand Laurienté seeing his resulting free kick palmed out from under the bar.

Alberto Moreno sliding in at the back post just failed to connect with a Nico Paz cross, while Turati scrambled to fingertip a Nico Paz snooker shot round the base of the upright.

Como were caught totally unbalanced on their corner kick, as Laurienté sent M’Bala Nzola on the counter-attack and his slide-rule pass found Cristian Volpato for a delightful lob from distance.

Barely two minutes later, Sassuolo repeated the trick, as this time Nzola ran onto the Laurienté through ball and finished it himself, beating the on-rushing Butez from inside the area for his first Serie A goal in the Neroverdi shirt.

However, Como got one back with the last kick of the half, as Nico Paz sent a looping, swerving header from Ivan Smolcic’s cross into the far from corner from just inside the box.

Cesc Fabregas made a triple change at the break, but Como had a huge chance to equalise on 69 minutes. Nico Paz gathered a ball over the top, flicked it around Woyo Coulibaly and went for the lob from a tricky angle, but Turati scrambled across to claw it off the line with Morata ready to bundle over from a yard.

There was a double desperate block, first from Jay Idzes on Tasos Douvikas, then Thorstvedt on Mergim Vojvoda, while Andrea Pinamonti failed to make the most of an Alberto Moreno error.

Como have just one point from the last three rounds and their hopes of a Champions League spot are now badly damaged.

Sassuolo 2-1 Como

Volpato 42 (S), Nzola 44 (S), Nico Paz 45+2 (C)

17-04-2026 17:30

MatchDay 33

Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore

Sassuolo

Como

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		14'		Jacobo Ramón
		26'		Álvaro Morata
Cristian Volpato (Assist: M’Bala Nzola)		42'
M’Bala Nzola (Assist: Armand Lauriente)		44'
		45+2'		Nico Paz (Assist: Ivan Smolcic)

2nd half

Ismaël Koné		51'
Cristian Volpato		64'
		79'		Alberto Moreno
Kristian Thorstvedt		82'

Match statistic

30

Possession %

70

12

Total shots

12

4

Shots on target

3

6

Shots off target

4

2

Blocked shots

5

5

Corners

8

14

Fouls

11

Sassuolo

Como

Starting lineups

13

Stefano Turati

Goalkeeper

21

Jay Idzes

Defender

6

Sebastian Walukiewicz

Defender

80

Tarik Muharemovic

Defender

25

Woyo Coulibaly

Defender

7

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

64'

90

Ismaël Koné

Midfielder

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

18

Nemanja Matic

Midfielder

77'

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

8

M’Bala Nzola

Attacker

76'

1

Jean Butez

Goalkeeper

18

Alberto Moreno

Defender

28

Ivan Smolcic

Defender

46'

14

Jacobo Ramón

Defender

2

Marc Oliver Kempf

Defender

20

Martin Baturina

Midfielder

46'

6

Maxence Caqueret

Midfielder

46'

10

Nico Paz

Midfielder

7

Álvaro Morata

Attacker

38

Assane Diao

Attacker

60'

33

Lucas Da Cunha

Attacker

72'

Substitutes

12

Giacomo Satalino

Goalkeeper

16

Gioele Zacchi

Goalkeeper

24

Luca Moro

Attacker

44

Edoardo Iannoni

Midfielder

23

Ulisses Garcia

Defender

49

Arijanet Muric

Goalkeeper

40

Aster Vranckx

Midfielder

66

Pedro Felipe

Defender

33

Christian Frangella

Midfielder

20

Alieu Fadera

Midfielder

64'

99

Andrea Pinamonti

Attacker

76'

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

77'

5

Edoardo Goldaniga

Defender

22

Mauro Vigorito

Goalkeeper

44

Nikola Cavlina

Goalkeeper

34

Diego Carlos

Defender

77

Ignace Van Der Brempt

Defender

3

Álex Valle

Defender

21

Noel Törnqvist

Goalkeeper

31

Mërgim Vojvoda

Defender

46'

11

Anastasios Douvikas

Attacker

46'

23

Máximo Perrone

Midfielder

46'

17

Jesús Rodriguez

Attacker

60'

19

Nicolas Kühn

Attacker

72'

Inter aim to consolidate their Serie A leadership against a Cagliari side hoping to avoid relegation, as it’s a battle of the Esposito brothers at San Siro.

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It kicks off at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza at 19.45 UK time (18.45 CEST).

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

These fixtures are being played today because Inter and Como will then face off in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday.

The Nerazzurri are fresh from a thrilling 4-3 victory over Como that sent them nine points clear at the top of the Serie A table, as rivals Napoli and Milan stumbled.

Now they face a very different challenge from a Cagliari side that is hovering just above the relegation zone.

Cristian Chivu has limited choices, because Alessandro Bastoni joined Lautaro Martinez and Yann Bisseck on the injury list, while Petar Sucic is suspended.

Some squad rotation is to be expected ahead of that Coppa Italia clash, but Marcus Thuram is partnered by Francesco Pio Esposito rather than Ange-Yoan Bonny.

It is a very special occasion, because Cagliari are starting Sebastiano Esposito, the older sibling in a football family with three brothers who all play professionally.

Stefan de Vrij and Carlos Augusto pad out the defence, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and goalkeeper Josep Martinez stepping in.

Cagliari had been in a total crisis that saw them slide down the table back into the danger zone after four consecutive defeats, but the 1-0 win against Cremonese gave them a six-point buffer zone.

It’s not enough to feel comfortable, though, so they’ll come out fighting for every precious point at San Siro.

Leonardo Pavoletti has a knee issue and Luca Mazzitelli suffered a calf strain, while Riyad Idrissi and Mattia Felici are long-term absentees with torn ACLs.

Turkish talent Semih Kilicsoy therefore supports Sebastiano Esposito, while veteran Yerry Mina hopes to harass opponents.

Marco Palestra has been linked with a potential move to Inter, so will be eager to impress at right wing-back.

Inter vs. Cagliari official line-ups

Inter: Martinez; Akanji, De Vrij, Carlos Augusto; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Pio Esposito

Cagliari: Caprile; Ze Pedro, Mina, Obert; Palestra, Adopo, Gaetano, Sulemana, J Rodriguez; Borrelli, S Esposito

17-04-2026 19:45

MatchDay 33

San Siro Stadium (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)

Inter

Cagliari

3 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

		23'		Sebastiano Esposito
		25'		Gennaro Borrelli

2nd half

Marcus Thuram (Assist: Federico Dimarco)		52'
Nicolò Barella		56'
Piotr Zielinski (Assist: Denzel Dumfries)		90+2'

Match statistic

55

Possession %

45

18

Total shots

10

5

Shots on target

1

8

Shots off target

4

5

Blocked shots

5

4

Corners

9

1

Offsides

2

17

Fouls

6

Inter

Cagliari

Starting lineups

13

Josep Martínez

Goalkeeper

32

Federico Dimarco

Defender

76'

25

Manuel Akanji

Defender

6

Stefan de Vrij

Defender

30

Carlos Augusto

Midfielder

2

Denzel Dumfries

Midfielder

20

Hakan Calhanoglu

Midfielder

85'

22

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Midfielder

76'

23

Nicolò Barella

Midfielder

89'

94

Pio Esposito

Attacker

9

Marcus Thuram

Attacker

76'

1

Elia Caprile

Goalkeeper

33

Adam Obert

Defender

76'

15

Juan Rodríguez

Defender

2

Marco Palestra

Defender

26

Yerry Mina

Defender

32

Zé Pedro

Defender

88'

10

Gianluca Gaetano

Midfielder

57'

8

Michel Adopo

Midfielder

25

Ibrahim Sulemana

Midfielder

76'

29

Gennaro Borrelli

Attacker

57'

94

Sebastiano Esposito

Attacker

Substitutes

15

Francesco Acerbi

Defender

36

Matteo Darmian

Defender

1

Yann Sommer

Goalkeeper

12

Raffaele Di Gennaro

Goalkeeper

51

Christos Alexiou

Defender

48

Mattia Mosconi

Attacker

7

Piotr Zielinski

Midfielder

76'

14

Ange-Yoan Bonny

Defender

76'

11

Luis Henrique

Attacker

76'

16

Davide Frattesi

Midfielder

85'

17

Andy Diouf

Attacker

89'

24

Giuseppe Ciocci

Goalkeeper

22

Alberto Dossena

Defender

9

Semih Kılıçsoy

Attacker

12

Alen Sherri

Goalkeeper

27

Joseph Liteta

Midfielder

37

Yael Trepy

Attacker

20

Agustín Albarracín

Midfielder

18

Othniel Raterink

Midfielder

14

Alessandro Deiola

Midfielder

57'

31

Paul Mendy

Attacker

57'

28

Gabriele Zappa

Defender

76'

90

Michael Folorunsho

Midfielder

76'

19

Andrea Belotti

Attacker

88'

Como hope Nico Paz, Martin Baturina and Alvaro Morata can inspire them to victory against a Sassuolo side without Domenico Berardi.

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It kicks off at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia at 17.45 UK time (18.45 CEST).

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

These Serie A Week 33 fixtures are being played today because Inter and Como will face off in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday.

Cesc Fabregas needs a victory to stay in the hunt for a top four finish, having slipped down behind Juventus after the 4-3 defeat to Inter.

Jayden Addai remains the only long-term injury absentee, but as always the choice for Fabregas is between Tasos Douvikas upfront, or using Nico Paz or Diao as a False 9.

Instead, the coach rotates and gives Alvaro Morata a rare start upfront.

Lucas Da Cunha returns to the starting XI after he scored off the bench last week.

Sassuolo are comfortably mid-table, but are forced into changes after the ill-tempered 2-1 defeat to Genoa.

That’s because Josh Doig and club legend Domenico Berardi are suspended, plus Darryl Bakola joins Filippo Romagna, Daniel Boloca, Edoardo Pieragnolo and Fali Cande on the treatment table.

The good news is that Nemanja Matic has fully recovered from the outbreak of whooping cough that spread throughout the squad a few weeks ago.

Cristian Volpato steps in to replace Berardi in the trident attack with Armand Laurienté and surprisingly M’Bala Nzola instead of Andrea Pinamonti.

Sassuolo vs. Como official line-ups

Sassuolo: Turati; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Muharemovic, Coulibaly; Koné, Matic, Thorstvedt; Volpato, Nzola, Laurienté

Como: Butez; Smolcic, Ramon, Kempf, Alberto Moreno; Caqueret, Da Cunha; Diao, Nico Paz, Baturina; Morata

17-04-2026 17:30

MatchDay 33

Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore

Sassuolo

Como

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		14'		Jacobo Ramón
		26'		Álvaro Morata
Cristian Volpato (Assist: M’Bala Nzola)		42'
M’Bala Nzola (Assist: Armand Lauriente)		44'
		45+2'		Nico Paz (Assist: Ivan Smolcic)

2nd half

Ismaël Koné		51'
Cristian Volpato		64'
		79'		Alberto Moreno
Kristian Thorstvedt		82'

Match statistic

30

Possession %

70

12

Total shots

12

4

Shots on target

3

6

Shots off target

4

2

Blocked shots

5

5

Corners

8

14

Fouls

11

Sassuolo

Como

Starting lineups

13

Stefano Turati

Goalkeeper

21

Jay Idzes

Defender

6

Sebastian Walukiewicz

Defender

80

Tarik Muharemovic

Defender

25

Woyo Coulibaly

Defender

7

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

64'

90

Ismaël Koné

Midfielder

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

18

Nemanja Matic

Midfielder

77'

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

8

M’Bala Nzola

Attacker

76'

1

Jean Butez

Goalkeeper

18

Alberto Moreno

Defender

28

Ivan Smolcic

Defender

46'

14

Jacobo Ramón

Defender

2

Marc Oliver Kempf

Defender

20

Martin Baturina

Midfielder

46'

6

Maxence Caqueret

Midfielder

46'

10

Nico Paz

Midfielder

7

Álvaro Morata

Attacker

38

Assane Diao

Attacker

60'

33

Lucas Da Cunha

Attacker

72'

Substitutes

12

Giacomo Satalino

Goalkeeper

16

Gioele Zacchi

Goalkeeper

24

Luca Moro

Attacker

44

Edoardo Iannoni

Midfielder

23

Ulisses Garcia

Defender

49

Arijanet Muric

Goalkeeper

40

Aster Vranckx

Midfielder

66

Pedro Felipe

Defender

33

Christian Frangella

Midfielder

20

Alieu Fadera

Midfielder

64'

99

Andrea Pinamonti

Attacker

76'

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

77'

5

Edoardo Goldaniga

Defender

22

Mauro Vigorito

Goalkeeper

44

Nikola Cavlina

Goalkeeper

34

Diego Carlos

Defender

77

Ignace Van Der Brempt

Defender

3

Álex Valle

Defender

21

Noel Törnqvist

Goalkeeper

31

Mërgim Vojvoda

Defender

46'

11

Anastasios Douvikas

Attacker

46'

23

Máximo Perrone

Midfielder

46'

17

Jesús Rodriguez

Attacker

60'

19

Nicolas Kühn

Attacker

72'

Paolo Vanoli was ‘proud’ of Fiorentina after they beat Crystal Palace, but went out of the Conference League. ‘If we had a full squad, we proved we can play at this level.’

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The Viola had given themselves a mountain to climb after losing the first leg 3-0 at Selhurst Park and ultimately that late goal made a big difference in the tie.

They also conceded early into this evening’s match with an Ismaila Sarr counter-attack, but turned it around through the Albert Gudmundsson penalty and Cher Ndour strike.

It wasn’t quite enough, as Fiorentina win on the night 2-1, but go out in the Conference League quarter-finals 4-2 on aggregate.

Vanoli proud of Fiorentina performance

“It was wonderful to see our fans pushing us on in the stands again, and I can only compliment these lads,” Vanoli told Sky Sport Italia.

“We all believed going in that we could achieve something remarkable. The early goal knocked the wind out of our sails, but I appreciated the pride shown to try until the very end.

“I feel that since the start of the season, this has been one of our most important performances. We beat a Premier League team, and if you look at the first leg, individual errors were costly, we didn’t keep our heads in the game.”

The Tuscans have managed to balance the Conference League commitments with Serie A, where they had to mount a desperate comeback to clamber off the foot of the table.

That is where they were when Vanoli took over, but are now eight points clear of the relegation zone thanks to Monday’s 1-0 win over Lazio.

“I focus on working every day with these lads, I think you can see the work has paid off, and the club is right behind us,” continued Vanoli.

“I am proud of the team tonight, because to see them fight like this, it means I’ve passed something on to them.”

His future remains in doubt, as Vanoli is not expected to remain beyond the end of this season.

“I feel we are laying the foundations to get Fiorentina back into a more important position. I told them now we must not take a step back, but instead keep going forward, because there’s another fiery atmosphere awaiting us in Lecce and we’ve got to prove to the end that we are developing.”

Ndour seems to have really hit form after playing regularly in recent weeks and it paid off at international level for the Italy Under-21 side too.

“I always admired Ndour and watched him play for the Under-21s, his growth has been exponential this season,” added Vanoli.

“I saw the same for Fagioli and others, they need to keep working. I always said midfielders must take shots from outside the box, and more of them are doing that lately. Sometimes you need a little patience with young players.”

Nicolò Fagioli went off at half-time with an injury, adding to the absentee list.

“We reached this game, but above all the first leg, with a decimated squad. We got Manor Solomon back today, which allowed us also to put Gudmundsson between the lines. We also played three at the back, because I wanted to find him in that position, even if the midfielders tended to drop a bit too often together.

“I think if we’d had a full squad available, we proved that we can play at this level,” concluded Vanoli.

Crystal Palace will now face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Conference League semi-final, while Rayo Vallecano take on Strasbourg.

Vincenzo Italiano explains his surprising tactical adjustments against Aston Villa, but insists Bologna ‘went beyond expectations’ reaching the Europa League quarter-finals.

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The Rossoblu knew that it was a tough task after losing the first leg 3-1 at home, especially as they had already been beaten at Villa Park both in the Champions League last season, and in the Europa League group phase back in September 2025.

However, they were hoping for better than a 4-0 mauling in this second leg, especially as Federico Ravaglia also parried a Morgan Rogers penalty, only for Emiliano Buendia to score on the following throw-in.

Ollie Watkins, Rogers and a late acrobatic Ezri Konsa volley completed the rout, eliminating Bologna 7-1 on aggregate.

Bologna experiment didn’t work with Aston Villa

Italiano pulled a few surprises this evening, above all inverting his full-backs from their usual positions.

“Analysing this match is superfluous,” Italiano told Sky Sport Italia.

“We made too many mistakes in the first leg, so we tried to do something different with Joao Mario and Juan Miranda on opposite sides, because Villa are so good at defending the box when we get to the by-line. The idea was when defending that we’d cut inside on our stronger feet.

“That’s not the reason why we lost, it’s because Aston Villa are so incredibly clinical that they score with every chance. We hadn’t started badly, but when they score at the first chance and you are 4-1 down on aggregate, it all becomes more difficult.”

Despite the heaviness of the defeats, it must be noted that the only Europa League games Bologna lost this season were all against Aston Villa.

“We must learn lessons from the whole journey, recognise that right now Aston Villa have an extra gear compared to us. They probably belong in the Champions League more than the Europa League, and I believe they will win the trophy,” continued the coach.

“Our performance in the first leg was very strong, but we paid for too many distractions and errors. I don’t know if the difference between the teams is all that big, but all credit to them, they took every opportunity.

“I don’t think it was a tactical issue today, there was a big difference in quality level between the two teams, and we had to just hope they were not firing on all cylinders. You cannot gift them anything, and we did in both legs.”

Bologna are struggling mid-table and out of the Coppa Italia, so it seems frankly unlikely they will be in Europe again next season.

“This team is accustomed to playing regularly, we had over 100 games in the last two seasons. The moment we get to Bologna, we have to prepare for another tough match against Juventus, and hope to add more points in the season, fix those things that went wrong.

“We had hoped to cause Villa problems tonight, but they were ferocious in their pressing and didn’t allow us to do it. We reached the quarter-finals, our objective had been to get through the league phase, so I think our campaign has gone beyond expectations.

“You learn from this, we conceded on a throw-in today, that’s a lesson you cannot gift goals at this level. We reached the quarter-final, I think it was more than positive.”

It is going to be an all-English semi-final for the Europa League, as Nottingham Forest go head-to-head with Aston Villa, while Braga will face Freiburg.

It is now official that Serie A will have four Champions League teams next season, two in the Europa League, and one participating in the Conference League for Italy.

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All the Italian representatives are out of the UEFA tournaments now, as Bologna were eliminated by Aston Villa in the Europa League, while Fiorentina went out of the Conference League to Crystal Palace.

This means their coefficient cannot be further improved, nor can anyone win a trophy to earn qualification for another tournament.

Italy struggling in Europe

It is therefore now set in stone that Italy will only have four teams in the Champions League during the 2026-27 campaign.

The sides who finish fifth and sixth in Serie A will enter the Europa League, as well as whoever wins the Coppa Italia.

There is one club from Italy that can enter the Conference League at the preliminary round.

The Coppa Italia is still a bit of a grey area, as Inter, Atalanta, Como and Lazio are the semi-finalists, so if the victors are already qualified via Serie A, that opens up another slot behind them.

Fiorentina at least managed to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on the night with Albert Gudmundsson and Cher Ndour, but their Conference League campaign ended in the quarter-finals.

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The Viola had a huge task if they were to reach a fourth consecutive Conference League semi-final, having lost the first leg 3-0 at Selhurst Park. Moise Kean, Marco Brescianini, Fabiano Parisi, Tariq Lamptey and Niccolò Fortini were still injured, plus Dodo suspended. Palace welcomed back Jorgen Strand Larsen from his ban, but Evann Guessand, Caleb Kporha and Eddie Nketiah missed out.

Fiorentina wore black armbands and held a minute’s silence before kick-off following this morning’s death of Alex Manninger, who was their goalkeeper in 2001-02.

See how the game unfolded on the Liveblog.

Munoz fired just wide when found in plenty of space down the right in the opening minutes, while Nicolò Fagioli’s strike was charged down by Lacroix.

Ismaïla Sarr gives Palace the lead on the night, and makes it 4-0 on aggregate

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Crystal Palace opened the scoring on the counter-attack, with Ismaila Sarr spreading it down the right and ready to nod in the Daniel Munoz return pass at the near post.

Sarr almost got another moments later, testing David De Gea on the counter-attack, while Manor Solomon stung the goalkeeper’s gloves.

Fiorentina were awarded a penalty when Canvot was late to a bouncing ball, only kicking Rolando Mandragora as they both stretched to meet it.

Albert Guðmundsson pulls one back for Fiorentina in the tie

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Gudmundsson had to wait several minutes to take it, as Wharton went off injured, but sent Dean Henderson the wrong way.

Lacroix also sustained an injury and didn’t make it to half-time, but the hosts kept pushing, Henderson palming a Solomon strike out from under the bar.

Nicolò Fagioli went off injured at the break with bruised ribs and Daichi Kamada forced De Gea into a tricky save from the edge of the area.

Tie back on?

Cher Ndour’s long range effort puts Fiorentina 2-1 up, and just two goals behind on aggregate

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Substitute Cher Ndour put the Viola in front for the first time, drilling hard and low with his right foot through a sea of legs into the near bottom corner.

It was 2-4 on aggregate and Fiorentina were fired up, Gudmundsson stinging Henderson’s gloves at the near stick, but Jack Harrison’s finish was too weak after sprinting forward down the right.

Fiorentina 2-1 Crystal Palace (2-4 agg)

Sarr 17 (C), Gudmundsson pen 30 (F), Ndour 53 (F)

16-04-2026 20:00

1/4 Final

Artemio Franchi Stadium

Fiorentina

Crystal Palace

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		17'		Ismaïla Sarr (Assist: Daniel Muñoz)
Albert Gudmundsson		30'
Marin Pongracic		40'
		40'		Yéremy Pino
Pietro Comuzzo		45+5'

2nd half

Cher Ndour (Assist: Manor Solomon)		53'
		56'		Ismaïla Sarr
Luca Ranieri		67'
		76'		Chadi Riad
Cher Ndour		87'
Roberto Piccoli		90+1'

Match statistic

67

Possession %

33

16

Total shots

9

6

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

5

6

Blocked shots

1

6

Corners

1

2

Offsides

2

14

Fouls

14

Fiorentina

Crystal Palace

Starting lineups

43

David de Gea

Goalkeeper

6

Luca Ranieri

Defender

5

Marin Pongracic

Defender

15

Pietro Comuzzo

Defender

70'

44

Nicolò Fagioli

Midfielder

46'

21

Robin Gosens

Midfielder

70'

8

Rolando Mandragora

Midfielder

10

Albert Gudmundsson

Attacker

75'

17

Jack Harrison

Attacker

19

Manor Solomon

Attacker

75'

91

Roberto Piccoli

Attacker

1

Dean Henderson

Goalkeeper

26

Chris Richards

Defender

2

Daniel Muñoz

Defender

23

Jaydee Canvot

Defender

5

Maxence Lacroix

Defender

41'

3

Tyrick Mitchell

Defender

20

Adam Wharton

Midfielder

30'

18

Daichi Kamada

Midfielder

7

Ismaïla Sarr

Attacker

14

Jean-Philippe Mateta

Attacker

46'

10

Yéremy Pino

Attacker

73'

Substitutes

53

Oliver Christensen

Goalkeeper

50

Pietro Leonardelli

Goalkeeper

23

Eman Kospo

Defender

61

Riccardo Braschi

Attacker

64

Lapo Deli

Midfielder

69

Giorgio Puzzoli

Midfielder

27

Cher Ndour

Midfielder

46'

60

Eddy Kouadio

Defender

70'

62

Luis Balbo

Defender

70'

22

Jacopo Fazzini

Midfielder

75'

80

Giovanni Fabbian

Midfielder

75'

17

Nathaniel Clyne

Defender

44

Walter Benítez

Goalkeeper

24

Borna Sosa

Defender

Brennan Johnson

Attacker

55

Justin Devenny

Midfielder

59

Rio Cardines

Defender

31

Remi Matthews

Goalkeeper

42

Kaden Rodney

Midfielder

8

Jefferson Lerma

Midfielder

30'

34

Chadi Riad

Defender

41'

Jörgen Strand Larsen

Attacker

46'

19

Will Hughes

Midfielder

73'