Luciano Spalletti believes Juventus can still mount a Serie A title challenge despite sitting seventh in the standings, as the former Italy boss explained on Friday why he accepted a short-term deal to rescue the struggling side.

The 66-year-old was appointed coach until the end of the season on Thursday following Igor Tudor's dismissal after an eight-match winless streak across all competitions.

Juve are six points adrift of Serie A leaders Napoli, who Spalletti famously guided to their first Scudetto in 33 years, and he insisted he would not have signed an eight-month contract if he did not see potential for silverware.

"I hope to be able to get back into the Scudetto race, why not? In fact, that's what we were talking about yesterday with the players in the dressing room," Spalletti told reporters.

"Intentions must be at their best because nine games have been played and there are still 29 to go, that's a lot. I've seen all sorts of things in over 30 years of my career."

SWIFT RETURN TO MANAGEMENT FOR SPALLETTI

The appointment marks a swift return to club management for Spalletti, who led Italy to the knockout stage of Euro 2024 before he was sacked in June following a humiliating start to their World Cup qualifying campaign.

"The first impressions are wonderful. We all know the history of this club and we know there's great expectation, but being part of it is fantastic," Spalletti said.

"The desire to bring this team back to the top is paramount. I have great respect for Igor Tudor, I know him and I know how he works. I am sure I will find a well-trained team, knowing the professionalism of my predecessor."

 

The #SerieA table after nine games! 🧐 pic.twitter.com/ehLuHZmq2z

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) October 30, 2025

 

The new coach outlined ambitious targets despite Juventus's poor start to the campaign.

"Our sights are high, we need to try to get back into the Champions League (positions). We need to get things back on track because the others are racing fast," he said.

RELATIONSHIP WITH NAPOLI WILL NOT CHANGE

Spalletti sports a tattoo marking Napoli's historic title on his left arm and he took time to respond to fans of the Naples club who were unhappy with him taking the Juve job, saying he could not stop coaching because of his link to the club.

"In Naples, something extraordinary emerged thanks to the beauty of the football we played and what we achieved, a wonderful and important league title. I established a special relationship with those people," he said.

"This morning I had to have some tests done and I had blood taken from my other arm because I didn't want anything to be touched on this one.

"Nothing will change for me, I will always have lots of friends in Naples."

Spalletti's first game in charge will be against eighth-placed Cremonese on Saturday.

In what is shaping up to be an extremely tight Serie A season, all eyes will be on AC Milan's clash at home against AS Roma on Sunday, as two in-form sides meet after strong starts to the campaign.

Roma have 21 points, the same as leaders Napoli while Milan are fourth with 18 points, level with rivals Inter Milan in third.

Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri might have a problem in attack as Rafael Leao has a hip injury while Santiago Gimenez has struggled to find the net. An option could be Ruben Loftus-Cheek to pair with Christopher Nkunku.

Two consecutive league draws suggest that, despite their quality, Milan's squad still lacks depth. Both Christian Pulisic and Adrien Rabiot are most likely sidelined for the match.

A win would be crucial in proving that Allegri’s project remains on course as they seek to keep up with Serie A’s early pace-setters.

Roma have made a remarkable start to the season, and their recent 2-1 victory over Parma further underlined their status as early title contenders.

Gian Piero Gasperini's side may be without Evan Ferguson, although the Irish striker has struggled to find the net in recent weeks.

 

🎯🫶#ASRoma pic.twitter.com/LMq1E5yGCT

— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) October 30, 2025

 

Napoli are still coping with a lengthy injury list, which manager Antonio Conte described as a curse after Kevin De Bruyne was forced off with an injury sustained while taking a penalty in the 3-1 win over Inter on Saturday.

While striker Rasmus Hojlund has returned after a muscle injury, Napoli remain without goalkeeper Alex Meret, Stanislav Lobotka and long-term absentee Romelu Lukaku ahead of their clash with this season's surprise package, Como.

Cesc Fabregas's fifth-placed Como secured an impressive 2-0 win at home against Juventus earlier in the month and have one loss so far in the league campaign.

Inter should have little trouble away at Hellas Verona on Sunday, although the absence of Henrikh Mkhitaryan could be felt, with the veteran sidelined for several weeks due to a thigh injury.

Juventus snapped an eight-match winless streak with Wednesday's 3-1 success over Udinese with Luciano Spalletti ready to replace the sacked Igor Tudor, as Roma and Inter Milan stayed on Serie A leaders Napoli's tails.

Federico Gatti thumped home a powerful header in the 67th minute before Kenan Yildiz slotted in a late penalty in Turin to give Juve a first win in any competition since mid-September and move them to seventh spot on 15 points, six behind leading pair Napoli and Roma who beat Parma 2-1.

Gatti and Yildiz saved Juve's blushes after another disjointed performance, this time under "Next Gen" under-23 coach Massimo Brambilla who has stepped in until Tudor's permanent replacement in the dugout is confirmed.

Juve were level at 1-1 heading into the final third of a match played at a soaking Allianz Stadium after Nicolo Zaniolo stroked home his third goal of the season in the dying seconds of the first half, cancelling out Dusan Vlahovic's early penalty.

"I've only been here with the first team a couple of days, on Monday morning I was in training with the under-23s and then in the afternoon I was with the first team," said Brambilla to broadcaster DAZN.

"They're good players, they know what they're supposed to do and today they deserved the win."

Spalletti is expected to sign a contract until the end of the season which will be renewed only if Juve manage to qualify for the Champions League.

But speaking to DAZN ahead of Wednesday's win Giorgio Chiellini, a club icon and now Juve's strategic director, insisted that "nothing has been signed right now".

Spalletti, now 66 years old, had a dreadful time in his most recent job as Italy boss, but he has been one of the country's most influential coaches over the past two decades and won a historic Serie A title with Napoli in 2023.

ROMA, INTER IN THE HUNT

In the capital, Mario Hermoso headed home his first goal for Roma just after the hour mark before Artem Dovbyk netted the crucial strike with nine minutes remaining as Gian Piero Gasperini's charges maintained their pursuit of Napoli.

Dovbyk's second goal of a troubled start to the season for the Ukraine striker was key as Alessandro Circati pulled one back for Parma shortly afterwards but the 15th-placed side couldn't force an equaliser.

"These are three well-earned points... once we got going we controlled the game, conceded very little and created plenty," said coach Gasperini.

Roma travel to AC Milan on Sunday with the division's best defence -- Circati's strike was just the fourth conceded in nine league matches -- and a chance to prove that they deserve to be in the Scudetto discussion.

Milan are fourth after being overtaken on goal difference by local rivals Inter Milan, who comfortably beat troubled Fiorentina 3-0 at the San Siro and moved into third on 18 points.

A brace from Hakan Calhanoglu and Petar Sucic's sumptuous individual goal, all in the second half, got Inter back on track after losing at Napoli on Saturday.

Calhanoglu opened the scoring with a unstoppable low drive in the 66th minute, finally ending Fiorentina and goalkeeper David de Gea's resistance.

And Sucic doubled the hosts' lead with his first Serie A goal five minutes later, bringing the house down in the process.

Sucic, who signed from Dinamo Zagreb in the summer, collected Lautaro Martinez's pass on the edge of the penalty area before skipping through Fiorentina's defence and, after a perfectly-executed shimmy, rifling home a low finish.

Calhanoglu rounded off victory with a late penalty won by Ange-Yoan Bonny, leaving Fiorentina in the relegation zone without a win to their name.

Federico Bonnazoli scored twice as Cremonese beat rock-bottom Genoa and moved up to eighth, one point and place below Juventus who they host on Saturday.

Napoli midfielder Kevin De Bruyne underwent an operation on his injured hamstring in his native Belgium on Wednesday, the Serie A club announced.

"As planned, Kevin De Bruyne underwent surgery on Wednesday in Antwerp, following a high-grade tear of the biceps femoris in the right thigh," Napoli said in a statement.

"The operation went well. De Bruyne, who was assisted during the operation by the head of Napoli's medical staff, Dr. Raffaele Canonico, will now begin the first post-surgery phase of rehabilitation in Belgium."

De Bruyne sustained the hamstring injury while scoring a penalty for league leaders Napoli in a 3-1 win over Serie A title rivals Inter Milan on Saturday.

De Bruyne, 34, has scored four times since joining Napoli following his departure from Manchester City in the summer, three times from the penalty spot and once with a free-kick.

Napoli sports coordinator Gabriele Oriali said Tuesday that he expected De Bruyne to be out of action for three to four months.

Juventus JUVE.MI Serie A club have chosen Luciano Spalletti as their new head coach, Italian newspapers reported on Wednesday, adding that the official announcement is expected late in the day or on Thursday.

Juventus have sacked head coach Igor Tudor after failing to win their last eight matches in all competitions, the Serie A club said on Monday.

The club did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Spalletti, the former Italian head coach, said on Tuesday that he had not yet been contacted regarding the vacant managerial position at Juventus, but he was eager to make a return to the dugout after his disappointing performance with the Italian team.

"It would be nice for me to get a new opportunity to get back into the game after that," Spalletti said at an event in Milan, adding that any manager would be happy to take the Juventus job.

According to newspapers the official announcement could come after the Juventus-Udinese match scheduled for 1730 GMT on Wednesday.

Napoli maintained their lead at the top of Serie A on Tuesday after the champions won a hard-fought contest at lowly Lecce 1-0 and moved three points ahead of AC Milan, who drew 1-1 at Atalanta, and Roma.

Andre-Frank Anguissa headed home the only goal of the game in the 69th minute to ensure Napoli followed up on their tempestuous win over Scudetto rivals Inter Milan at the weekend.

Napoli are on 21 points from nine league fixtures, three points ahead of Roma who host Parma on Wednesday evening and have an inferior goal difference.

"These matches are never easy, especially after a big game against Inter in which we expended a huge amount of physical and mental energy," said coach Antonio Conte.

⏹️ Full time: #LecceNapoli 0-1

💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/tDo0UwI34E

— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) October 28, 2025

Anguissa's fourth goal of the season, which came after a brilliant individual effort against Inter, gave Napoli a second win in a matter of days and further steadied the ship after a rocky recent run of results.

If it had not been for giant goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Napoli might not have claimed all three points, as the Serbian penalty specialist threw himself to his right to keep out Francesco Camarda's spot kick 11 minutes after the break.

Conte had to do without a clutch of key players in his 250th Serie A match as coach. The absentees included Kevin De Bruyne who, according to team manager Gabriele Oriali, will be out of action for at least three months with a hamstring injury.

De Bruyne injured himself scoring Napoli's opening goal from the penalty spot against Inter and will be a big loss. Conte will also be without Cameroon midfielder Anguissa during the Africa Cup of Nations.

Milinkovic-Savic was playing after starting goalkeeper Alex Meret suffered a foot fracture in training earlier this month, while Romelu Lukaku is yet to feature in Napoli's title defence.

NAPOLI BATTLE ON

Two other players key to last year's four Serie A championship triumph -- Amir Rrahmani and Stanislav Lobotka -- have already missed chunks of the campaign.

"Let's not forget that it's since the start of the season that we've had to make a virtue of necessity," added Conte.

"We've lost so many important players to injury, but no-one seems to be talking about it."

Rrahmani and Rasmus Hojlund started Tuesday's win on the bench, good news for Napoli with tricky fixtures against Como and Bologna sandwiching the visit of Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League next Tuesday.

Lecce stay 16th on six points, two above the relegation zone after a fifth defeat of the season for Eusebio Di Francesco's spirited team.

Ademola Lookman scored his first goal for Atalanta since being brought back into the fold by coach Ivan Juric following a following a protracted attempt to force a move to Inter Milan.

Nigeria forward Lookman, who only made his first start of the season earlier this month, lashed home Atalanta's leveller in the 35th minute in Bergamo, cancelling out Samuele Ricci's early, deflected half-volley which gave the Italy midfielder his first goal for Milan.

Milan who sit third, level on 18 points with second-placed Roma after a third draw in four matches, one earned also thanks to a brilliant Mike Maignan save from Davide Zappacosta's long-range effort with five minutes remaining.

Massimiliano Allegri's team host Roma on Sunday night.

Atalanta are the division's only remaining unbeaten team but a fifth straight league draw draws have the Bergamo-based club eight points behind Napoli in seventh.

Napoli midfielder Kevin De Bruyne suffered a serious thigh injury while scoring a penalty in Saturday's 3-1 win over Inter Milan, his club said on Monday, while Italian media reported the 34-year-old was not expected to play again before the new year.

Former Manchester City player De Bruyne clutched the back of his right thigh after scoring the opening goal of the Serie A match.

His teammates consoled him as he grimaced and left the pitch before returning to the substitutes' bench with crutches.

"Kevin De Bruyne underwent diagnostic tests... which revealed a high-grade lesion to the biceps femoris muscle in his right thigh," Napoli said in a statement, without providing a timescale for the player's return.

Hamstring injuries have previously sidelined De Bruyne for extended periods, with the Belgium international missing four months in 2023 and over six weeks last year.

De Bruyne, a six-time Premier League winner with Man City, has played a key role in helping Napoli rise to the top of the Serie A table with four goals this season. He has also scored six times for Belgium in their World Cup qualifiers.

Napoli said De Bruyne had already begun the rehabilitation process.

Serie A leaders Napoli could be without Kevin De Bruyne until early 2026 after the club confirmed he had suffered a hamstring injury.

The former Manchester City midfielder was hurt while scoring a penalty in his team's 3-1 home victory over Inter Milan on Saturday.

After converting his spot kick, the 34-year-old Belgian froze and clutched his right thigh before limping off the field with the help of the club's medical staff.

It was De Bruyne's fourth league goal of his first season in Italy since moving from City in the close season. He had already scored twice from the penalty spot and once with a free kick.

"Kevin De Bruyne underwent tests which revealed that he has a large-scale lesion in the biceps femoris of his right thigh," Napoli said in a statement.

"The player has already begun his rehabilitation," the club added, without providing further details.

Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport reported that De Bruyne is not expected to play again this year, dealing a blow to Napoli's hopes of retaining the Italian league title.

Napoli, who face Lecce on Tuesday, are top on goal difference but have the same number of points as second-placed AS Roma.

Juventus on Monday sacked coach Igor Tudor after the Serie A club's 1-0 defeat by Lazio meant they have accumulated just five points in their last five matches.

Men's first team coach Massimiliano Brambilla will be on the bench for the match against Udinese on Wednesday, the Turin club sai

🚨⚪️⚫️ Igor Tudor has been personally informed about Juventus decision to sack him this morning.

Massimo Brambilla will be the interim coach ahead of club’s decision on new manager. pic.twitter.com/0wtcdPM5m8

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 27, 2025

"Juventus FC announces that it has today relieved Igor Tudor of his duties as head coach of the men's first team, along with his staff consisting of Ivan Javorcic, Tomislav Rogic and Riccardo Ragnacci," it said.

"The club thanks Igor Tudor and his entire staff for their professionalism and dedication over the past few months and wishes them all the best for their future careers."

Juventus sit eighth in Serie A six points behind leaders Napoli. They are 25th out of 36 teams in the Champions League standings after drawing one and losing two of their first three games.

Paulo Dybala scored his first Serie A goal of the season to give Roma a 1-0 victory at Sassuolo on Sunday to lift them level on points with leaders Napoli.

After 16 minutes Dybala set up Bryan Cristante for a shot. When Arijanet Muric saved, Dybala pounced to put the rebound into the empty net.

It was the Argentinian's 130th Serie A goal but his first from open play since last December.

"These are three important points," said Dybala, whose team are hoping to deliver a first Scudetto for Roma since 2001.

"We knew we could move into first place before this match, but we're not getting carried away. The championship is still very long."

Under Gian Piero Gasperini, who took over in July, Roma have become stingy in defence but are struggling to score.

In eight games they have conceded three goals – two fewer than any other team – while scoring only eight.

Roma sit second behind reigning champions Napoli, who beat fourth-placed Inter Milan 3-1 on Saturday, on goal difference.

However, if two teams are level on points at the top of the table at the end of the season, the title will be decided in a play-off.

 

Paulo Dybala is the Panini Player of the Match of #SassuoloRoma! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/AuTw0dDNjQ

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) October 26, 2025

 

All four of Roma's defeats this season have come at home, including a loss to Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday and against Inter Milan in Serie A last Saturday.

"I'm very satisfied because the team reacted well after two defeats this week," said Gasperini.

"The priority now is to win again at home. We have to reward our fans. At home, we have to be more effective."

AC Milan, held to a 2-2 draw by Pisa on Friday at the San Siro, dropped to third, a point behind.

JUVE BEATEN AGAIN

Lazio extended Juventus' winless streak in all competitions to eight matches with a 1-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico.

Juventus fell behind in just the ninth minute when Jonathan David carelessly gave the ball away inside his own half, before Toma Basic drilled in a deflected shot from outside the box.

The visitors thought they should have been awarded a penalty on the hour mark when Mario Gila appeared to trip Francisco Conceicao, but their appeals were in vain.

 

FT | Fischio finale.@EASPORTSFC @easportsfcit#LazioJuve pic.twitter.com/jVKgoZy7cD

— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) October 26, 2025

 

Lazio managed to hold on to an important three points, helped by an excellent save from Ivan Provedel to keep out a Khephren Thuram header with 15 minutes left.

The capital club moved into 10th, one point behind their beaten opponents.

"We are of course disappointed, we feel terrible, but there is always something missing in our matches. We are all responsible for this situation," said Juve coach Igor Tudor, insisting he is "not worried about his future".

Elsewhere, Fiorentina remained winless despite fighting back to rescue a 2-2 home draw with Bologna.

Goals from Santiago Castro and Nicolo Cambiaghi put Bologna on track to climb to fourth place and close within two points of the leaders.

But Albert Gudmundsson pulled one back from the penalty spot for La Viola, before Bologna's Emil Holm was sent off for a second booking.

Fiorentina took advantage to rescue a draw as Moise Kean netted another spot-kick in the third minute of added time.

Stefano Pioli's Fiorentina still have just four points from their opening eight league games and are languishing in 18th place.

Torino made it back-to-back wins after downing Napoli last week with a 2-1 victory against Genoa.

Kevin de Bruyne injured himself hitting his fourth Serie A goal but Napoli went on to beat visiting Inter Milan 3-1 on Saturday, halting their slide and moving to the top of Serie A.

AC Milan left the leadership door ajar when they drew with Pisa on Friday night to move onto 17 points. Napoli are now one point clear at the top after a timely win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Napoli had been struggling, losing two of their last three Serie A games, including a defeat at AC Milan, before suffering a 6-2 humiliation at PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday.

They responded in front of their home crowd.

"It was a fantastic evening. We played like a top team, we knew we had to put in a great performance and we did it," said Napoli's Scott McTominay. "There was a great reaction after the bad night in the Champions League."

Napoli won a penalty after 33 minutes when Henrikh Mkhitaryan brought down Napoli right back Giovanni Di Lorenzo.

Mkhitaryan injured himself making the challenge and went off before De Bruyne stepped up to convert the penalty.

It was the Belgian's fourth league goal of his first Italian season since moving from Manchester City. He had already scored twice from the penalty spot and once with a free kick.

But the 34-year-old clutched a hamstring after scoring and was helped off the field before play resumed.

KDB scores his penalty and then goes off injured 🤕

Watch the match live on SuperSport in English, isiZulu and Sesotho commentary 🎙️

📺 Stream #SerieA on DStv: https://t.co/B0jLrQW5cc pic.twitter.com/vSrLLPXiAZ

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) October 25, 2025

"We're going through a tough spell with lots of injuries – Kevin picked up one today too – but we responded with great character," said Napoli coach Antonio Conte.

Inter president Giuseppe Marotta was unhappy that the penalty was awarded by a video review after the referee had initially not whistled for a foul.

"The unjustified penalty, as shown by the footage, completely changed the dynamic of the match," he said, but added "Napoli could have won anyway, of course."

McTominay doubled the home lead when he smashed the ball home from the edge of the box after 54 minutes.

Hakan Calhanoglu hit back from the spot five minutes later after Alessandro Buongiorno blocked a Lautaro Martinez strike with an arm.

Andre-Frank Anguissa drove home a third for Napoli after 67 minutes to finish the scoring.

"Inter were coming off a string of good results, while we were struggling," said Conte.

"Inter came here to destroy us," said Conte. "We have no desire and no intention of stopping fighting.

"Despite everything, we played an excellent game and the win was legitimate and deserved."

Inter are fourth behind Roma who visit Sassuolo on Sunday and could draw level with Napoli.

In the late game, Atalanta preserved the only unbeaten record in Serie A but sit only eighth after recording their sixth draw in eight league matches, 1-1 at Cremonese.

Jamie Vardy, making his second start since his move from Leicester, scored his first Serie A goal to give the hosts a 79th minute lead.

Atalanta responded by bringing on Marco Brescianini in the 82nd minute. The midfielder levelled two minutes later with a shot that went in off the post.

Zachary Athekame's long-range shot in time added on earned the Serie A leaders a last-gasp 2-2 draw, as promoted side Pisa almost escaped with all three points on Friday.

Milan lead Serie A on 17 points but Inter, Napoli and Roma are all on 15pts ahead of their games this weekend.

Pisa narrowly missed a famous win after starting the game rock-bottom of the league and falling behind to a seventh minute goal from Rafael Leao.

A point apiece at San Siro.

Brought to you by @Bitpanda_global pic.twitter.com/LmZ7QhWlHb

— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 24, 2025

But Pisa levelled with a penalty converted by the 37-year-old Juan Cuadrado before half-time and held on until they stunned the San Siro as Mbala Nzola lost his marker and sent the visitors 2-1 up on 86 minutes.

But a first win of the season alluded Pisa as Athekame's desperate late strike pulled Milan back level at 2-2.

Pisa did however climb from rock-bottom to 18th.

Champions Napoli host Inter Milan on Saturday while Roma travel to Sassuolo Sunday.

Cracks are already starting to appear in Napoli's Serie A title defence as the champions prepare to host red-hot Inter Milan on Saturday after a drubbing at the hands of PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.

Tuesday's 6-2 defeat in the Netherlands was fully deserved for Napoli, and came after last weekend's shock loss at Torino which led to AC Milan taking top spot in Italy's top flight.

Both Napoli and Inter are locked on 15 points alongside Roma, with that trio a point behind Milan who kick off the weekend's action with the visit of lowly Pisa on Friday night.

Antonio Conte was scathing about the efforts of his players on Tuesday, the combustible coach saying supporters "shouldn't be taken the piss out of" in a long rant to reporters who witnessed a humiliation at the Philips Stadion.

"I've been saying for some time that we need to eat some humble pie, some people are trying to blow smoke in the eyes of Napoli supporters but this is a fan base that needs to be told the truth," said Conte.

"If we're going to build something that can make Naples proud we need to rediscover the spirit that we had last season when there were no personal goals, there was no egoism, there was one vision, and that was Napoli."

Conte has not been helped by a series of injuries in the opening weeks of the season, including a serious thigh problem for Romelu Lukaku, whose replacement Rasmus Hojlund was also missing in Turin and Eindhoven.

Hojlund will be back for the visit of Inter, a boost for Conte given the Denmark striker's fine performances since signing from Manchester United on transfer deadline day.

But bigger problems remain as last season's player of the year Scott McTominay struggles for his best form following the arrival of Kevin De Bruyne, a signing which has brought both world class talent and a midfield conundrum.

McTominay, who scored both of Napoli's goals on Tuesday, has been shunted out to the left side of a midfield four, limiting the Scotland international's ability to charge into the box to get on the end of chances as he did so often last season.

While Napoli were being ripped apart Inter were strolling to their seventh straight win in all competitions, a 4-0 thumping of Union Saint-Gilloise highlighting the depth of talent at coach Cristian Chivu's disposal.

The absence of France forward Marcus Thuram since the start of October hasn't slowed Inter down, with his countryman Ange-Yoan Bonny and promising Italy international Pio Esposito providing the sort of attacking back-up that was sorely missed during Inter's failed title defence last term.

"They had to put behind the disappointment of last year. Sometimes that pain can play games with you but the boys have been brilliant," said Chivu on Tuesday.

The pressure is on Juventus coach Igor Tudor ahead of Sunday night's clash at Lazio, with a 1-0 defeat at Real Madrid leaving the Turin giants without a win in seven matches.

Player to watch: Riccardo Orsolini

Bologna continue to punch above their weight under Vincenzo Italiano and a large part of that is down to Orsolini, who has had a blistering start to the season.

Orsolini has already scored six times in all competitions this term and will be the key attacking threat for coach Italiano who takes on his struggling old team Fiorentina on Sunday evening.

Bologna are three points behind Milan in fifth and the difference between Italiano's team and Fiorentina could barely be bigger, with the Viola sat in the relegation zone without a win in seven league matches.

Key stats

3 - Inter, Napoli and Roma all trail Milan by one point

7 - Inter's all-competitions winning streak

Rafael Leao shot AC Milan to the top of Serie A with a brace in Sunday's 2-1 win over Fiorentina who were enraged by the "scandalous" awarding of the penalty that decided the game.

Portugal winger Leao pushed Milan one point ahead of local rivals Inter Milan, Napoli and Roma with a coolly-taken spot-kick, given for what looked like a soft foul on Santiago Gimenez by Fabiano Parisi, with four minutes remaining.

That goal capped a fine first league start of the season for Leao, and came after he drew the hosts level with a brilliantly struck effort from distance in the 63rd minute.

💥😁 pic.twitter.com/zGiG1pfQwN

— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 19, 2025

"He's an amazing talent, from outside when I used to watch him and now when I train with him, I see he is one of the best players in the world," said Luka Modric to DAZN.

"The incredible thing is that he can still improve, it just depends on him. I hope these two goals can help him grow his confidence and be the main guy for us. He will be very important and we will depend a lot on him. He showed why tonight."

Rafael Alexandre da Conceição Leão. pic.twitter.com/fcz7TMKUwN

— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 19, 2025

Leao's goals are a boost for Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri, who has had to deal with a spate of injuries, including to key players Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic who were hurt on international duty and will not be back for weeks.

The 26-year-old's brace cancelled out Robin Gosens's opener in the 55th minute for Fiorentina, who are still seeking their first league win of the season under former Milan coach Pioli and sit in the relegation zone.

But Pioli said the awarding of the decisive penalty, given by referee Livio Marinelli following a check of the pitchside monitor, would "encourage players to dive at the slightest touch".

Fiorentina's sporting director Daniele Prade was even more blunt, blasting Marinelli for not having "the courage to back his original decision".

"These are those incidents that change everything, we were playing to win the game and you just can't do things like that. It's scandalous," said Prade.

"Gimenez was on the floor for 20 minutes and he was barely touched, it was almost grotesque... We didn't deserve to lose and we definitely didn't deserve to lose in that way."

COMO SINK JUVE 

Earlier, Nico Paz shone again for Como with a goal and assist in a landmark 2-0 win over Juventus, which lifted the traditionally tiny club up to sixth place.

Argentina international Paz set up Marc-Oliver Kempf to sweep home in the fourth minute at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, before making sure of Como's first win against Juve since 1952 with a wonderful individual goal with 12 minutes remaining.

An eventful day for Nico 💎

🏆 Rising Star of the Month
🅰️ 1 Assist
⚽️ 1 Goal
🏆 Player of the Match pic.twitter.com/RYEekjc0dT

— Como1907 (@Como_1907) October 19, 2025

Owned by tobacco giant Djarum and coached by former Spain and Barcelona star Cesc Fabregas, ambitious Como are on 12 points from seven matches, only four behind Milan.

Paz, 21, was signed from Real Madrid in August last year and after an impressive debut season in Italy, he has been a key part of Como's strong start to this campaign with four goals and as many assists.

"He's a great player, I'm not worried about his future because I can tell when a player is hungry, whether they have the right mentality to become a top player or whether they're a flash in the pan," said Fabregas to DAZN.

🫂💙

⚪️🔵➡️ https://t.co/4ARjtwVrmh pic.twitter.com/RjH6SwLT7C

— Como1907 (@Como_1907) October 19, 2025

Paz's fine display on Sunday left Juve without a win since a dramatic victory over arch-rivals Inter just over a month ago.

Defeat ended a tough week for Juve, who lost starting centre-back Gleison Bremer until the end of the year with a knee ligament tear and are under investigation by European governing body UEFA for financial fair play breaches.

And next week offers the huge task of Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Juve on two points following their first two matches in this season's Champions League.

Riccardo Orsolini helped move Bologna a point above Como and into fifth spot with his fifth goal of the season in a comfortable 2-0 win at Cagliari.

🐻🤩 https://t.co/826khYu3vZ

— Bologna FC 1909 (@BolognaFC1909en) October 19, 2025

Juventus lost 2-0 at Como in Serie A on Sunday, another disappointing result after five successive draws in all competitions for Igor Tudor's side.

Como took the lead in the fourth minute when defender Marc-Oliver Kempf volleyed in from close range at the far post following Nico Paz's curling cross.

Juventus thought they had equalised in the 36th minute when Jonathan David slotted home from close range, but the Canadian's effort was ruled out for offside in the build-up.

Early in the second half, Kempf required treatment for a cut to his forehead after an accidental clash with teammate Jacobo Ramon but was able to continue with heavy strapping.

Juventus continued to struggle and Paz doubled Como's lead in the 79th minute with a brilliant solo effort, cutting inside from the right to glide past Andrea Cambiaso before curling a left-footed strike beyond Michele Di Gregorio.

The 21-year-old Argentine has contributed to eight of Como's nine league goals this season with four goals and four assists in seven matches, the most in Serie A.

Como moved up to fifth in the standings, level on 12 points with Juventus in sixth.

Inter Milan moved top of Serie A on goal difference on Saturday after winning 1-0 at Roma, taking advantage of Napoli's shock 1-0 defeat at Torino.

Ange Yoan-Bonny sprung Roma's offside trap and forced home the winning goal in the sixth minute at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome as Inter moved level on 15 points with both their opponents and champions Napoli.

🫣 pic.twitter.com/tR6glXmW5j

— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter) October 18, 2025

Effectively Inter are joint leaders as should teams finish the season on the same points the destination of the league title will be decided by a playoff.

But Cristian Chivu's team, who also hit the post in the final five minutes through Henrikh Mkhitaryan, have won their last six matches in all competitions and made clear their intentions of reclaiming the Scudetto after conceding it to Napoli last season.

After facing Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League, Inter travel to Napoli, who fell to a goal from old boy Giovanni Simeone and are in the midst of an injury crisis with both Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay missing in Turin.

Last year's Champions League finalists did not have it all their own way on Sunday night however, and Roma were unlucky not to level on the hour when Zeki Celik had a great chance deflected into the side netting.

And from the subsequent corner Artem Dovbyk headed over with Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer completed stranded.

Napoli's defeat and Inter winning in the Italian capital gives AC Milan, fourth and two points from the summit, the chance to take top spot from their local rivals with a win over Fiorentina on Sunday.

However Milan have injury problems of their own with coach Massimiliano Allegri saying on Saturday that key players Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic will be out of action until the next international break in mid-November.

SIMEONE SINKS NAPOLI

Simeone, who helped Napoli win Serie A in 2023 and last season, netted the only goal in the 32nd minute of a tense game in Turin.

The 30-year-old also scored the winner in Torino's 1-0 home victory over Roma in September and he took his third goal of the season brilliantly, capitalising on a fortunate ricochet to skip past Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and shoot home.

È stata una partita molto speciale per me emotivamente. Felice per il mio primo gol in questo stadio e per la vittoria. Continuiamo a crescere, FORZA @TorinoFC_1906 🐂🔴 pic.twitter.com/WD5JDypUbD

— Giovanni Simeone (@simeonegiovanni) October 18, 2025

Noa Lang thought he had snatched a point for Napoli in the third minute of stoppage time, wheeling away in delight after tapping home before his strike was ruled out for offside.

"It a was a special night for me, to give Torino three points from such a difficult match makes me very happy," said Simeone to DAZN.

"They're a very good team and it was an emotional night for me, but the most important thing is making happy the Torino fans by showing them we're a team that fights to the end."

Napoli coach Antonio Conte had to do without in-form striker Hojlund and McTominay who were left out of the squad with respective thigh and ankle injuries suffered in training ahead of Saturday's defeat.

Both are doubts for Tuesday's clash at PSV Eindhoven, creating more injury problems for Conte who has already had to deal with a series of physical problems for his squad this season.

"We conceded a goal which we basically created ourselves," said Conte.

"We have to play every three days and we don't have time, all we can do is play and and improve every time we do."

Hojlund, who has scored three times for Napoli and netted for Denmark last weekend, was only signed from Manchester United after Romelu Lukaku suffered a thigh injury which could keep the Belgium striker out until the new year.

Alessandro Buongiorno and Matteo Politano were only fit for a place on the bench while Stanislav Lobotka and Amir Rrahmani are still sidelined.

Napoli were sunk 1-0 at Torino by old boy Giovanni Simeone on Saturday as they struggled without the injured Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay, who may also both miss out on a Champions League clash at PSV Eindhoven.

Simeone, who helped Napoli win Serie A in 2023 and last season, netted the only goal in the 32nd minute of a tense game in Turin which gives Roma the chance to go out on their own at the top of the league.

The 30-year-old also scored the winner in Torino's 1-0 home victory over Roma in September and he took his third goal of the season brilliantly, capitalising on a fortunate ricochet to skip past Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and shoot home.

"It a was a special night for me, to give Torino three points from such a difficult match makes me very happy," said Simeone to DAZN.

"They're a very good team and it was an emotional night for me, but the most important thing is making happy the Torino fans by showing them we're a team that fights to the end."

Noa Lang thought he had snatched a point for champions Napoli in the third minute of stoppage time, wheeling away in delight after tapping home before his strike was ruled out for offside.

Roma host Inter Milan in Saturday's late match and are level on 15 points with Napoli, who drop down to second by virtue of having played a game more.

Inter sit three points behind Roma and Napoli, meaning that Cristian Chivu's team will be first on goal difference with a win in the Italian capital.

MCTOMINAY AND HOJLUND MISSING

Napoli coach Antonio Conte had to do without in-form striker Hojlund and McTominay who were left out of the squad with respective thigh and ankle injuries suffered in training ahead of Saturday's defeat.

Both are doubts for Tuesday's clash at PSV, creating more injury problems for Conte who has already had to deal with a series of physical problems for his squad this season.

"We conceded a goal which we basically created ourselves," said Conte.

"We have to play every three days and we don't have time, all we can do is play and and improve every time we do."

Hojlund, who has scored three times for Napoli and netted for Denmark last weekend, was only signed from Manchester United after Romelu Lukaku suffered a thigh injury which could keep the Belgium striker out until the new year.

Alessandro Buongiorno and Matteo Politano were only fit for a place on the bench while Stanislav Lobotka and Amir Rrahmani are still sidelined.

Hojlund would be a big absence for PSV as he scored both goals in Napoli's 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon earlier this month and Lorenzo Lucca did little up front on Saturday.

McTominay was Serie A's player of the year and key to Napoli winning their fourth league title last season, but the Scotland midfielder has struggled to impose himself in the early weeks of this campaign following the arrival of Kevin De Bruyne.

AC Milan will be without Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic "until the next international break", the Serie A club's coach Massimiliano Allegri said on Saturday.

France midfielder Rabiot and USA forward Pulisic were both injured on international duty, when the pair picked up respective calf and hamstring problems.

Allegri confirmed their absences in the pre-match press conference for Milan's match against Fiorentina on Sunday.

Milan do not have European football this season but will play five Serie A fixtures between now and the next international break in mid-November.

Rabiot, 30, and 27-year-old Pulisic have been two of Milan's standout performers in the early weeks of the season, with Allegri's team beginning the weekend two points behind joint leaders Roma and Napoli.

Pulisic has scored six goals and set up two more in league and cup matches this season, while Rabiot has struck up a fine midfield partnership with veteran new arrival Luka Modric.

Inter Milan have two tests of their Serie A title credentials coming up over the next two weeks as they head to Roma on Saturday night, a week before a key clash with Napoli.

Cristian Chivu has led Inter to five straight wins in all competitions, but their trip to the capital will pitch them against spiky opposition who jointly lead Italy's top flight with champions Napoli.

Roma have conceded just twice in their opening six league fixtures and are level on 15 points with Napoli at the top of the division.

Inter are three points behind that pair, with three consecutive league wins over Sassuolo, Cagliari and Cremonese putting them in fourth, ahead of Juventus – who are at high-flying Como on Sunday – on goal difference.

Chivu has one major absence, with Marcus Thuram still out with the hamstring injury he picked up against Slavia Prague last month.

But he has handy back up in another Frenchman Ange-Yoan Bonny, who was key to Inter's most recent win against Cremonese just before the international break.

And captain Lautaro Martinez is fresh from another goalscoring outing with Argentina, his brace against Puerto Rico taking his tally for club and country this season to eight.

Thuram is pushing to be available for next weekend's clash at Napoli, after which Inter will know whether they are realistic contenders for the Scudetto.

That is not something that would have been considered a given once Inter chose Chivu, whose only previous senior managerial experience was in the final months of last season with Parma, to replace Simone Inzaghi.

The former Romania defender was a surprised choice to take over Inter and will face a test of his coaching mettle against Gian Piero Gasperini and then Antonio Conte next week.

Roma have ridden their luck to keep pace with Napoli, as goalkeeper Milar Svilar has stepped up several times already this season and allowed Gasperini's new team to get away with some below-par displays.

Napoli meanwhile have what should be a straight-forward task at Torino just before Inter take on Roma, with Italian pair Matteo Politano and Alessandro Buongiorno set to return from injury.

Nestled between Inter and the leading pair are AC Milan, two points from the summit ahead of Sunday night's fixture with struggling Fiorentina who are yet to win in Serie A this season and have Italy striker Moise Kean sidelined with injury.

Milan will be without Christian Pulisic and Adrien Rabiot, with France midfielder Rabiot risking a month-long absence with a calf injury.

Player to watch: Rafael Leao

Once the undisputed star of the AC Milan team, Leao has had a bumpy start to the season, not helped by a calf problem which he picked up just before the start of the campaign.

But the Portugal winger needs to step up for Milan now that Pulisic has suffered a right hamstring injury, with the American set to undergo tests on Friday.

Pulisic could be sidelined for a month after playing in two friendlies despite having an ankle problem, a situation which has irritated Milan as the winger has already scored six goals and set up two more this term.

Leao is set for his first league start of the season after two poor efforts as a substitute against Napoli and Juventus, and coach Massimiliano needs the wing wizard back to his best.

Key stats

5 - Inter's winning run since last-gasp defeat at Juventus last month.

2 - The number of goals conceded by Roma in the opening six rounds of the season.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Saturday

Lecce v Sassuolo, Pisa v Verona (1300), Torino v Napoli (1600), Roma v Inter Milan (1845)

Sunday

Como v Juventus (1030), Cagliari v Bologna, Genoa v Parma (1300), Atalanta v Lazio (1600), AC Milan v Fiorentina (1845)

Monday

Cremonese v Udinese (1845)

Adrien Rabiot will miss AC Milan's next two Serie A fixtures against Fiorentina and Pisa after picking up a calf injury on international duty, the Italian club said on Thursday.

Milan said that tests "revealed a tear to the soleus muscle", adding that Rabiot would be "reassessed in around 10 days".

That timeframe rules the France midfielder out of Sunday's clash with Fiorentina at the San Siro and the trip to Pisa the following Friday.

Rabiot signed for Milan on transfer deadline day after being offloaded by Marseille in the wake of a dressing room brawl with Jonathan Rowe, who is now also in Italy with Bologna.

The 30-year old scored in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan on Friday.

Milan sit third in Serie A on 13 points, two behind league leaders Napoli and Roma.