Sassuolo have officially been relegated to Serie B after 11 consecutive years in the top flight.

The Neroverdi are the second Serie A side to have their relegation confirmed in 2023-24, after Salernitana met their fate at the back end of April, with four games left to go.

One more position in the bottom three remains open heading into the final day of the 2023-24 campaign next weekend, with four other teams still at risk of being relegated.

The 2-0 home defeat to Cagliari ultimately sealed their fate, along with this afternoon’s results, as Frosinone won, while Empoli and Udinese drew 1-1.

They had been in the top flight consistently since earning their first ever promotion to Serie A in 2013.

Sassuolo relegated to Serie B

It has been an unexpectedly difficult season for Sassuolo this time out in Serie A.

Coach Alessio Dionisi, who had guided the team to 11th and 13th placed finishes in 2021-22 and 2022-23 respectively, was given his marching orders in February.

Davide Ballardini was called in to replace him, but he has not been able to steer the ship away from danger, and now has two consecutive relegations on his CV after his brief spell with Cremonese in 2023.

Sassuolo also lost a key player in Davide Frattesi, who moved to Inter during the summer transfer window last year.

Star man Domenico Berardi has been unavailable through two serious injuries, which kept him out of action for practically all of the second half of the season.

Now, with just 30 points from 37 matches, the Neroverdi will have to battle it out in Serie B in 2024-25.

It was an astonishingly dramatic afternoon, as when Empoli thought it was done with the M’Baye Niang penalty, Lazar Samardzic converted a spot-kick at the 104^th minute for Udinese.

This was a pure relegation dogfight that all the other teams kept a close eye on too, as they were separated by just one point. The Friulani gave themselves hope by beating Lecce under new coach Fabio Cannavaro, but were without Sandi Lovric, Enzo Ebosse, Florian Thauvin, Marco Silvestri and Gerard Deulofeu. Tyronne Ebuehi was the only remaining Empoli absentee.

See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.

There was an immediate problem for the hosts, as Isaac Success pulled up clutching the back of his right thigh and had to make way for Brenner.

Sebastiano Luperto was decisive to prevent Lorenzo Lucca nodding in a cross, then as the move continued the Walace shot was fingertipped over by Elia Caprile.

Empoli also suffered an injury to Alberto Cerri on his return to the starting XI, but they had the ball in the net on 36 minutes.

A free kick was floated into the box, not cleared effectively and Youssef Maleh smashed it in off the underside of the bar. However, it was disallowed following a VAR review for the M’Baye Niang elbow on Thomas Kristensen’s nose.

Udinese had a massive opportunity to go in front on 57 minutes when Lucca’s cross found substitute Keinan Davis for a header back across the face of goal, but he incredibly steered it wide from six yards.

Sebastian Walukiewicz made a decisive sliding tackle on Davis at the by-line, but the decisive moment arrived at the 89^th minute when Lazar Samardzic was late to clearing a loose ball and caught Nicolò Cambiaghi instead for a penalty. Niang kissed the ball before converting low into the near bottom corner, despite Maduka Okoye getting his fingertips to it.

However, it still wasn’t over, because deep into stoppages on a corner, Jaka Bijol’s tap-in was parried off the line by Elia Caprile and Martin Payero couldn’t turn in the rebound because he was being dragged back by the jersey by Jacopo Fazzini. After a very long wait for VAR issues, the Udinese penalty was awarded and Samardzic kept his cool to convert.

This goal after 14 minutes of stoppages changed everything, pushing Empoli back into the drop zone. Udinese now go into the final showdown with Frosinone.

Udinese 1-1 Empoli

Niang pen 90 (E), Samardzic pen 104 (U)

19-05-2024 14:00

MatchDay 37

Friuli Stadium (Dacia Arena)

Udinese

Empoli

1 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		4'		Alberto Grassi
Nehuén Pérez		34'

2nd half

		54'		Simone Bastoni
		64'		Ardian Ismajli
		75'		Emmanuel Gyasi
Lazar Samardzic		90+14'
		90'		M’Baye Niang
		90+6'		Razvan Marin
		90+13'		Jacopo Fazzini

Match statistic

46

Possession %

54

9

Total shots

4

3

Shots on target

1

5

Shots off target

2

1

Blocked shots

1

5

Corners

5

1

Offsides

3

14

Fouls

18

Udinese

Empoli

Starting lineups

40

Maduka Okoye

Goalkeeper

12

Hassane Kamara

Defender

87'

29

Jaka Bijol

Defender

19

Kingsley Ehizibue

Defender

55'

18

Nehuén Pérez

Defender

31

Thomas Kristensen

Defender

24

Lazar Samardzic

Midfielder

32

Martín Payero

Midfielder

11

Walace

Midfielder

87'

7

Isaac Success

Attacker

7'

17

Lorenzo Lucca

Attacker

25

Elia Caprile

Goalkeeper

34

Ardian Ismajli

Defender

19

Bartosz Bereszynski

Defender

59'

3

Giuseppe Pezzella

Defender

33

Sebastiano Luperto

Defender

5

Alberto Grassi

Midfielder

80'

30

Simone Bastoni

Midfielder

59'

29

Youssef Maleh

Midfielder

17

Alberto Cerri

Attacker

30'

11

Emmanuel Gyasi

Attacker

20

Matteo Cancellieri

Attacker

81'

Substitutes

37

Roberto Pereyra

Midfielder

93

Daniele Padelli

Goalkeeper

33

Jordan Zemura

Defender

14

James Abankwah

Defender

27

Christian Kabasele

Defender

79

David Pejičić

Midfielder

16

Antonio Tikvic

Defender

30

Lautaro Giannetti

Defender

70

Federico Mosca

Goalkeeper

2

Festy Ebosele

Defender

55'

22

Brenner

Attacker

9

Keinan Davis

Attacker

55'

13

João Ferreira

Defender

87'

6

Oier Zarraga

Midfielder

87'

23

Mattia Destro

Attacker

27

Szymon Zurkowski

Midfielder

13

Liberato Cacace

Defender

9

Francesco Caputo

Attacker

8

Viktor Kovalenko

Midfielder

1

Samuele Perisan

Goalkeeper

12

Jacopo Seghetti

Goalkeeper

7

Stiven Shpendi

Attacker

2

Saba Goglichidze

Defender

10

M’Baye Niang

Attacker

30'

21

Jacopo Fazzini

Midfielder

59'

4

Sebastian Walukiewicz

Defender

59'

18

Razvan Marin

Midfielder

80'

28

Nicolò Cambiaghi

Attacker

81'

Walid Cheddira took Frosinone closer to guaranteeing their Serie A status with victory away to Monza, their first away win in a year.

The hosts were stuttering towards the finish line after securing mid-table comfort and with Raffaele Palladino expected to leave this summer. Absentees included Patrick Ciurria, Jose Machin and Davide Bettella. The Canarini were tied with Empoli in the relegation zone and desperate, missing Luca Mazzitelli, Anthony Oyono, Stefano Turati and Sergio Kalaj.

See how the game unfolded on the Liveblog.

Milan Djuric nodded an Andrea Colpani cross over in the opening minutes, while Caleb Okoye turned wide from a corner at the other end.

Frosinone opened the scoring when Abdou Harroui got down the left and stood up a cross for the Walid Cheddira cushioned header at the back post.

Harroui fired wide moments later, then forced an outstretched boot save from Stefano Sorrentino when sent through by Emanuele Valeri.

Andrea Colpani thought he had equalised on the stroke of half-time, only to nod the Dany Mota Carvalho cross onto the base of the far post.

Cheddira slipped at the last moment to waste a counter-attack, but play was halted for several minutes when communication with the VAR hub in Lissone broke down. They resumed play at the 61^st minute still without VAR, needing both teams to agree to that and a statement read out in the stadium.

During this nine-minute blackout, Frosinone almost doubled their lead, as Matias Soule’s angled drive bounced off the base of the far post and Alessandro Sorrentino parried the Harroui follow-up too.

Nadir Zortea tested Sorrentino from distance and Valentin Carboni fired over from a tricky angle, but Gianluca Caprari should’ve done better drilling just wide in stoppages.

Monza 0-1 Frosinone

Cheddira 9 (F)

19-05-2024 14:00

MatchDay 37

Stadio Brianteo (U-Power Stadium)

Monza

Frosinone

0 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		9'		Walid Cheddira (Assist: Abdou Harroui)
Warren Bondo		28'

2nd half

		47'		Matìas Soulé
		90+2'		Francesco Gelli

Match statistic

71

Possession %

29

14

Total shots

16

2

Shots on target

5

7

Shots off target

6

5

Blocked shots

5

3

Corners

4

14

Fouls

13

Monza

Frosinone

Starting lineups

23

Alessandro Sorrentino

Goalkeeper

4

Armando Izzo

Defender

46'

77

Georgios Kyriakopoulos

Defender

46'

22

Pablo Marí

Defender

19

Samuele Birindelli

Defender

79'

28

Andrea Colpani

Midfielder

32

Matteo Pessina

Midfielder

6

Roberto Gagliardini

Midfielder

38

Warren Bondo

Midfielder

46'

47

Dany Mota

Attacker

65'

11

Milan Djuric

Attacker

31

Michele Cerofolini

Goalkeeper

5

Caleb Okoli

Defender

32

Emanuele Valeri

Defender

19

Nadir Zortea

Defender

20

Pol Lirola

Defender

6

Simone Romagnoli

Defender

21

Abdou Harroui

Midfielder

72'

45

Enzo Barrenechea

Midfielder

86'

4

Marco Brescianini

Midfielder

18

Matìas Soulé

Attacker

90'

70

Walid Cheddira

Attacker

86'

Substitutes

8

Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro

Midfielder

9

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

2

Giulio Donati

Defender

5

Luca Caldirola

Defender

62

Andrea Mazza

Goalkeeper

80

Samuele Vignato

Midfielder

66

Stefano Gori

Goalkeeper

61

Andrea Ferraris

Attacker

33

Danilo D’Ambrosio

Defender

46'

20

Alessio Zerbin

Attacker

46'

21

Valentín Carboni

Midfielder

46'

10

Gianluca Caprari

Attacker

65'

13

Pedro Pereira

Midfielder

79'

3

Riccardo Marchizza

Defender

9

Kaio Jorge

Attacker

33

Kevin Bonifazi

Defender

16

Luca Garritano

Midfielder

37

Lorenzo Palmisani

Goalkeeper

30

Ilario Monterisi

Defender

36

Luca Mazzitelli

Midfielder

1

Pierluigi Frattali

Goalkeeper

27

Arijon Ibrahimovic

Attacker

47

Mateus Henrique Vanelli Lusuardi

Defender

29

Farès Ghedjemis

Attacker

14

Francesco Gelli

Midfielder

72'

12

Reinier

Midfielder

86'

11

Marvin Cuni

Attacker

86'

7

Jaime Báez

Attacker

90'

It is a very strange atmosphere at San Siro, where Inter celebrate the Scudetto against a Lazio side chasing Europe, but also fear the club will be repossessed within 48 hours.

It kicks off at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT).

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

The situation is surreal, as the Serie A trophy will be presented to the team after the final whistle, but all eyes are on the club owners in China.

Suning have until the end of Monday to repay the €395m including interest loan to Oaktree or see the club repossessed, just like Elliott Management with Milan and Yonghong Li in 2019.

As for the match itself, Simone Inzaghi has a full squad and uses his best XI, with Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu.

Lazio are battling Roma for sixth place and Europa League qualification, although it could potentially still be the Champions League depending on what Atalanta do in Dublin.

Ivan Provedel returns two months after spraining his ankle, while Luis Alberto is also back in the squad following his disciplinary action.

Alessio Romagnoli is suspended, but there is a totally revamped attack with Daichi Kamada and Mattia Zaccagni supporting Taty Castellanos.

Inter vs. Lazio line-ups

Inter: Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Thuram

Lazio: Provedel; Patric, Casale, Gila; Marusic, Vecino, Rovella, Pellegrini; Kamada, Zaccagni; Castellanos

19-05-2024 17:00

MatchDay 37

San Siro Stadium (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)

Inter

Lazio

vs

Season Analytics

Inter

Positions

Lazio

SEASON TOTAL

INT HOME

14

3

1

29

5

2

Last matches

10-05-2024		Frosinone	W	0 - 5
04-05-2024		Sassuolo	L	1 - 0
28-04-2024		Torino	W	2 - 0
22-04-2024		Milan	W	1 - 2
14-04-2024		Cagliari	D	2 - 2

28-04-2024		Torino	W	2 - 0
14-04-2024		Cagliari	D	2 - 2
01-04-2024		Empoli	W	2 - 0
17-03-2024		Napoli	D	1 - 1
04-03-2024		Genoa	W	2 - 1

1

7

Position

SEASON TOTAL

LAZ AWAY

8

2

8

18

5

13

Last matches

	2 - 0	W	Empoli		12-05-2024
	2 - 2	D	Monza		04-05-2024
	1 - 0	W	Verona		27-04-2024
	0 - 1	W	Genoa		19-04-2024
	4 - 1	W	Salernitana		12-04-2024

	2 - 2	D	Monza		04-05-2024
	0 - 1	W	Genoa		19-04-2024
	1 - 0	L	Roma		06-04-2024
	2 - 3	W	Frosinone		16-03-2024
	2 - 1	L	Fiorentina		26-02-2024

According to Mundo Deportivo, Bologna coach Thiago Motta remains an option for the Barcelona job, and the same is true of Roberto De Zerbi, who will leave Brighton at the end of the season.

Barcelona directors have been urged to consider Thiago Motta as a replacement for Xavi if the ex-midfielder leaves the club at the end of the season.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Motta has been mentioned to Barcelona directors by people outside Motta’s entourage.

MD: Thiago Motta offered to Barcelona, De Zerbi still a candidate

Motta has led Bologna to a historic Champions League qualification this season. The ex-Italian midfielder said that he’d meet club President Joey Saputo next week to discuss his future at the Stadio Dall’Ara and insisted that he had not reached an agreement with any other club.

However, several sources in Italy insist Motta will be the new Juventus coach in 2024-25.

According to Mundo Deportivo, another Italian coach, De Zerbi, is a candidate for the Barcelona job.

The former Sassuolo tactician will leave Brighton after today’s game against Manchester United.

Cagliari coach Claudio Ranieri reveals he rejected offers from two national teams to remain at Cagliari and says he quoted club legend Gigi Riva before today’s 2-0 win over Sassuolo, which keeps the Sardinians in Serie A.

The Sardinians needed a win from their final two games to be sure of Serie A safety and got it at the Mapei Stadium this afternoon, thanks to Matteo Prati off the bench and a late Gianluca Lapadula penalty.

“The last feat is always the best one,” Ranieri told Sky Sport.

“The first time I secured survival with Cagliari was in 1991 and it came on May 19 in Emilia Romagna, like today. It brings good luck.”

It is an extraordinary achievement for Ranieri, who had already scraped promotion in last year’s Serie B play-offs at the last minute against Bari.

“Before the game against Bari, I received a call from Gigi Riva,” Ranieri recalled.

“He told me to tell the lads that an entire region was backing them. I passed on his message and I did the same today.”

Rough ride for Ranieri

Ranieri started badly this season, with three points in the opening nine rounds. He then handed in his resignation mid-season, only for the players and club to convince him to change his mind.

“This team needed a shock at a difficult moment. I wanted to leave, but the lads stopped me because they said they wanted to continue with me,” the coach explained.

“Usually, when you say something like this, the players keep their heads down and just accept it. This time they rebelled and asked me to stay. So I said, ‘ok, I’ll stay, but you have to wake up.’ I received offers from two national teams, but I said no and I decided to stay. I’ve always followed my heart and I have more enthusiasm than on my first day.”

It is the second time Ranieri has gone on this journey with Cagliari, taking them to promotion and securing safety 35 years ago.

Cagliari have scored 14 goals from players who came off the bench in Serie A this season and 20-year-old Prati is the latest. Ranieri’s contract with the Sardinians runs out in June 2025.

“I have another year left in my contract, but let me rest now. We’ll see. The President said it depends on me,” the coach concluded.

L’hai fatto ancora, Mister pic.twitter.com/L9NeSS1uy2

— Cagliari Calcio (@CagliariCalcio) May 19, 2024

With the Zhang family seemingly unable to repay a debt to Oaktree Capital Management, the American firm can take over the club from May 20, reproducing the same scenario that saw Elliott take control of Milan in 2018, even if there’s a key difference.

Today, Sunday, May 19, 2024, could be the final full day of the Suning era at Inter.

President Zhang is due to repay a €395m loan to Oaktree Capital Management by tomorrow, but he does not seem in a condition to meet the deadline. If this is the case, the American firm will take control of the club from the end of May 20.

Zhang had been in talks with Pimco to get a new loan, but negotiations fell apart. The Nerazzurri president said in an official statement on Saturday that he’d been making “every attempt with our partner [Oaktree] to find an amicable resolution”, but, at this stage, the end of the Suning era at Inter seems inevitable.

Even CEO Beppe Marotta, who is usually very measured, described Saturday as a ‘terrible’ day financially and didn’t attend an event in Noli because of the club’s crisis.

Inter fans are experiencing precisely the same situation as their ‘cousins’ – city rivals Milan – six years ago.

Zhang not quite like Yonghong Li

Back in 2016, Li Yonghong, a completely unknown Chinese entrepreneur, bought the Rossoneri from Silvio Berlusconi-owned Fininvest.

However, to complete the deal, he obtained a loan from Elliott Investment Management, which, after years of struggles, he was unable to repay. Therefore, the American firm took over in the summer of 2018, and this is exactly what will happen to Inter tomorrow if Zhang fails to repay the debt.

There is a key difference between the two stories, and it does not concern the length or success of the Suning ownership at Inter compared to Li Yonghong on the other side of San Siro.

As explained by Il Giornale—via l’Interista—Suning would not lose Inter’s control for nothing. In fact, in order to take over, Oaktree must pay the difference between the club’s market value and the sum Zhang was unable to repay. This means Oaktree will have to pay circa €500m to take control of Inter if the club’s transfer value is estimated at around €900m.

Li Yonghong, on the other hand, lost control of Milan for nothing, while Elliott sold the club to RedBird in 2022.

What Oaktree will decide about Inter, so whether to keep control or sell to the highest bidder straight away, remains to be seen.

The Marotta factor

There is also another important difference, as Inter already have a management structure in place that was operating largely independently of Suning and President Steven Zhang.

CEO Beppe Marotta is to all intents and purposes running the club and for several years has been slicing into the record losses, operating a transfer budget balanced entirely by player sales and sealing free transfers.

He has already lined up two players for next season, Piotr Zielinski and Medhi Taremi, who are out of contract at Napoli and FC Porto respectively.

If Oaktree do want to wait until finding a buyer and keep building value at Inter, then Marotta is the right man to do it for them.

La Gazzetta dello Sport hailed ‘professional’ Christian Pulisic after Milan‘s 3-1 loss against Torino, but the pink paper urged the Rossoneri to replace Fikayo Tomori ‘if this was his true version.’

Milan suffered an away 3-1 loss against Torino on Saturday night, which was pretty disappointing even though Stefano Pioli’s men have mathematically qualified for the Champions League as Serie A runners-up.

Their latest loss to Torino, their 7th in 37 games this term, led to criticism from the media on Sunday and English centre-back Tomori was among the most exposed.

Pulisic the light in Milan’s darkness, but Tomori must be replaced on one condition

Gazzetta rated the ex-Chelsea man 4.5/10, highlighting that he had lost key duels, which led to two Torino goals. ‘If this is his true version, Milan will need a defensive leader,’ wrote the pink paper in their Pagelle, the Player Ratings.

The whole Milan squad was pretty disappointing and clearly less motivated than their opponents.

Only Marco Sportiello, Tijjani Reijnders and Alessandro Florenzi received 6/10 from Gazzetta, while Pulisic was the best Milan player on the pitch with 6.5/10.

Gazzetta praised the American star not only because he earned a penalty kick in the second half, but primarily for his DNA as a ‘professional.’

Corriere dello Sport had the same view, given that Pulisic was described as the ‘light in Milan’s darkness’. At the same time, Tomori and his defensive partner Malick Thiaw received the lowest ratings: 4.5 for both.

Paolo Montero took charge of his first training session at Juventus this morning.

The former Uruguay international was officially appointed by the Bianconeri this morning and will remain in charge of the Serie A giants for the last two games of the season against Bologna and Monza.

Juventus released the pictures of Montero at Continassa on Sunday morning.

The Bianconeri visit Bologna at the Stadio Dall’Ara on Monday night and Montero won’t hold a pre-match press conference. Football Italia understands Juventus will travel to Bologna on Monday morning.

L’allenamento di questa mattina al JTC pic.twitter.com/Ns2WfQvX3R

— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) May 19, 2024

Cagliari have guaranteed their Serie A safety after Matteo Prati and Gianluca Lapadula grab victory at the Mapei Stadium, as Sassuolo are now on the verge of relegation.

This was a huge battle to avoid the drop, as the Neroverdi were in penultimate place, but only four points behind the Sardinians. Domenico Berardi and Samu Castillejo were still out of action, while Jakub Jankto and Antoine Makoumbou didn’t make the trip, but Gianluca Gaetano and Tommaso Augello returned from suspension.

There were 4,000 Cagliari fans at the Mapei Stadium, knowing a win would guarantee their Serie A status.

See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.

Ruan Tressoldi risked a disaster in the opening six minutes, mis-kicking a clearance and then bundling into Gianluca Lapadula, but the striker went down too easily in the penalty area.

Martin Erlic hobbled off with a bruise to the small of the back, but Sassuolo had the first real chance with Andrea Pinamonti steering a free header inches wide.

Gianluca Lapadula saw his angled drive flash across the face of goal to skim the far post and Eldor Shomurodov fired over. Cagliari started to push after the restart, the Gabriele Zappa strike smothered by Andrea Consigli and Zito Luvumbo hesitating on the counter-attack.

Lapadula was brought down in the box, but only after wandering offside, and Pinamonti’s acrobatic bicycle kick flashed off target.

Cagliari took the lead in front of their many away fans when a free kick was pumped into the box, the Lapadula strike was charged down and Yerry Mina eventually laid it off for substitute Matteo Prati to drill home.

Ibrahim Sulemana should’ve added a second, firing wide when set up by a Nahitan Nandez solo run down the right.

Cagliari did seal it when Marash Kumbulla was surprised by an odd bobble on the pitch and clattered into Lapadula for a penalty, which Lapadula converted, even though Yerry Mina had wanted to take it.

The Sassuolo situation got to Matheus Henrique, who was sent off for two yellow cards in quick succession, both for dissent. They could even be mathematically relegated this afternoon.

Sassuolo 0-2 Cagliari

Prati 71 (C), Lapadula pen 91 (C)

Sent off: Matheus Henrique 93 (S)

19-05-2024 11:30

MatchDay 37

Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore

Sassuolo

Cagliari

0 - 2

Player statistic

2nd half

Kristian Thorstvedt		54'
		61'		Alessandro Deiola
		71'		Matteo Prati (Assist: Alberto Dossena)
		76'		Alberto Dossena
Andrea Pinamonti		79'
Matheus Henrique		90+3'
Matheus Henrique		90+3'
		90+1'		Gianluca Lapadula

Match statistic

50

Possession %

50

7

Total shots

13

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

5

3

Blocked shots

5

5

Corners

6

1

Offsides

8

14

Fouls

9

Sassuolo

Cagliari

Starting lineups

47

Andrea Consigli

Goalkeeper

2

Filippo Missori

Defender

46'

13

Gian Marco Ferrari

Defender

43

Josh Doig

Defender

5

Martin Erlic

Defender

19'

44

Ruan Tressoldi

Defender

62'

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

57'

7

Matheus Henrique

Midfielder

6

Uros Racic

Midfielder

57'

9

Andrea Pinamonti

Attacker

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

22

Simone Scuffet

Goalkeeper

4

Alberto Dossena

Defender

28

Gabriele Zappa

Defender

27

Tommaso Augello

Defender

86'

26

Yerry Mina

Defender

14

Alessandro Deiola

Midfielder

67'

70

Gianluca Gaetano

Midfielder

67'

25

Ibrahim Sulemana

Midfielder

8

Nahitan Nández

Midfielder

89'

61

Eldor Shomurodov

Attacker

46'

9

Gianluca Lapadula

Attacker

Substitutes

23

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

21

Mattia Viti

Defender

11

Nedim Bajrami

Midfielder

28

Alessio Cragno

Goalkeeper

22

Jeremy Toljan

Defender

25

Gianluca Pegolo

Goalkeeper

15

Emil Konradsen Ceide

Attacker

8

Samuele Mulattieri

Attacker

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

19

Marash Kumbulla

Defender

19'

92

Grégoire Defrel

Attacker

46'

14

Pedro Obiang

Midfielder

57'

24

Daniel Boloca

Midfielder

57'

3

Marcus Pedersen

Defender

62'

18

Simone Aresti

Goalkeeper

30

Leonardo Pavoletti

Attacker

1

Boris Radunović

Goalkeeper

32

Andrea Petagna

Attacker

5

Marco Mancosu

Midfielder

23

Mateusz Wieteska

Defender

17

Pantelis Chatzidiakos

Defender

37

Paulo Azzi

Attacker

19

Gaetano Oristanio

Midfielder

34

Kingstone Mutandwa

Attacker

77

Zito Luvumbo

Attacker

46'

10

Nicolas Viola

Midfielder

67'

16

Matteo Prati

Midfielder

67'

33

Adam Obert

Defender

86'

99

Alessandro Di Pardo

Defender

89'

PSG and Barcelona are among the clubs interested in Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia but according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the most likely scenario for the Georgian star is a contract extension with a release clause.

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis is ready to meet Kvaratskhelia’s agent, Mamuka Jugeli, to discuss a contract extension for the Georgian ace.

According to the latest report of La Gazzetta dello Sport, a new summit between the two parties will take place at the beginning of the campaign, so not later than in two weeks.

Kvara has demanded a new €5m-a-year contract through his entourage, while Napoli will not offer more than €4m plus add-ons.

The winger’s agent has already informed the Partenopei about PSG and Barcelona’s interest in his client, but the Ligue 1 giants would be the favourite in this race because of a better financial situation.

Kvaratskhelia: most likely scenario revealed amid Barcelona and PSG rumours

President De Laurentiis has not ruled out a sale, but according to Gazzetta, the most likely scenario would be for Kvaratskhelia to extend his contract with the Partenopei, including a release clause in his contract.

How much would it be worth? Surely more than €100m and potentially close to Osimhen’s clause between €120m and €130m.

Kvara only gets €1.5m per season and his current deal runs out in June 2027. Napoli didn’t offer him a new deal after their title-winning campaign in 2022-23 so they will surely make their proposal in the coming days.

Check the official line-ups for this afternoon’s Serie A games with two big relegation dogfights, Udinese–Empoli and Monza-Frosinone.

They both kick off at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT).

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

These are crucial fixtures for the battle against relegation, especially when Udinese and Empoli go head-to-head.

The situation is extremely tight near the bottom, as there are six teams in a five-point radius and two of them will go down along with Salernitana.

Serie A Week 37

Monza vs. Frosinone

Monza: Sorrentino; Birindelli, Izzo, Pablo Mari, Kyriakopoulos; Bondo, Pessina, Gagliardini; Colpani, Mota Carvalho; Djuric

Frosinone: Cerofolini; Lirola, Romagnoli, Okoli; Zortea, Barrenechea, Brescianini, Valeri; Soule, Harroui; Cheddira

Udinese vs. Empoli

Udinese: Okoye; Perez, Bijol, Kristensen; Ehizibue, Walace, Payero, Kamara; Success, Samardzic; Lucca

Empoli: Caprile; Bereszynski, Ismajli, Luperto; Gyasi, Bastoni, Grassi, Maleh, Pezzella; Cancellieri, Cerri

The festivities are soon to begin for Bologna, after they secured qualification to the Champions League last weekend, for the first time since their appearance in the preliminary round in 1964, and now the club are planning for a few celebrations to recognise this season’s accomplishments.

Bologna confirmed on Sunday that they will stage an open-top bus parade through the city, beginning from the square outside the Dall’Ara’s Curva Bulgarelli, leading to the Piazza Maggiore, where thousands of supporters are expected to be waiting in order to congratulate the team.

The parade will also take the team past several iconic spots in the city of Bologna, including the Piazza Malpighi and through Via Indipendenza.

The club, with an official statement, have urged supporters who live or work along the route to decorate their homes and/or businesses in Bologna colours.

The events are due to take place on Wednesday 22 May, beginning at 18.30 BST, 19.30 local time.

What Bologna need to confirm third place in Serie A

On the pitch, The Rossoblu are due to face Juventus in Serie A on Monday night, which will likely determine the final ranking of the two teams in question, who are currently level on points in third and fourth place, with 67 apiece.

A win for Bologna against Juve will secure third place in the league, while a draw means that the teams will still be level on points, and on head-to-head given their 1-1 draw earlier in the season. If the latter scenario is the case, the final standings will be determined on the final day of the season next weekend.

In contrast, a loss against Juventus will mean that the Old Lady will confirm their spot in third place at full-time on Sunday.

It has taken Thiago Motta just six years to progress from the bottom of the coaching ranks to one of the most sought-after tacticians in Europe: here’s how the ex-Italy international has taken the Rossoblu to the Champions League and became the leading candidate for the Juventus job.

The 41-year-old’s appointment at Bologna was not greeted with universal approval yet the former Italy international has led the Rossoblu to the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.

It is a monumental achievement for a coach who was belittled for suggesting the merits of a 2-7-2 formation when he transitioned from the pitch to the dugout with the Paris Saint-Germain under-19 squad.

Motta’s pathway to qualification for Europe’s top competition has been unconventional.

Sacked after just 10 games at the helm in Genoa the ex-Inter midfielder had to wait patiently before leading Spezia to safety in the 2021-2022 season. Drafted in when Bologna relieved Sinisa Mihajlovic of his duties in September 2022, the Brazilian-born coach was not greeted by hordes of cheering Rossoblu ultras.

Yet Motta guided the club to its best-ever points tally in the modern era—matching the 54 recorded by the 1963-1964 championship-winning team—as he steered the Emilia-Romagna club to ninth in the table.

Nobody foresaw such an improvement this term.

The benefits of a full pre-season as coach and excellent player recruitment, especially in defence, yielded spectacular results.

Motta’s willingness to adapt different strategies within a flexible formation while utilising every talented squad member produced a formidable team that was undaunted to duke it out with the Serie A heavyweights.

The young tactician ostensibly lined up his side in a 4-3-3 configuration with an emphasis on the flanks. It has also been interpreted as 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 depending on his starting XI. Yet there has been consistency in the deployment of a back four, a holding midfielder, two wingers and a lone forward.

Motta favours an advanced press to suffocate the opposition and retrieve possession rapidly. A calculated build-up from the back aims to manipulate occupied areas, as the widemen rarely stray from the touchlines.

Everyone tracks back as Bologna resembles two blocks of four and five when defending their goal. It is a mixture of pragmatic and creative, as Motta’s side’s fitness and physical tenacity have proved the difference in several big games.

An animated and motivational presence on the sidelines, the former Inter treble winner clearly has the respect of a committed player pool. Before an extremely unfortunate season-ending injury, Lewis Ferguson established himself as one of the leaders in a side with multiple match winners.

The Scottish midfielder’s link-up play with Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee had been a hallmark of a Rossoblu side which patiently dictates from the back.

Motta transformed former full-back Riccardo Calafiori into a ball-playing central defender with a license to roam forward. The ex-Roma youth product now looks certain to be part of Luciano Spalletti’s Italy squad at the European Championships after an outstanding campaign.

Although there are reliable mainstays—Austrian full-back Stefan Posch, Colombian stopper Jhon Lucumi, and Dutch centre-back Sam Beukema in defence, Swiss midfielder anchor Remo Freuler, and Zirkzee upfront—Motta has often rotated his squad, leaving key players out.

Even star winger Riccardo Orsolini has not been guaranteed a starting place as the coach has tweaked his team with surprising regularity.

It is a testament to Motta’s decision-making and man-management that no schisms have emerged in the 24-strong squads despite the changes.

His ability to keep fringe players fresh and focused should not be underestimated either.

Motta has not left anyone on the bench permanently.

Italian under-21 cap Giovanni Fabbian, Moroccan international Oussama El Azzouzi and versatile Danish forward Jens Odgaard have all made vital contributions when called upon. Backup goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia has also played his part in place of regular first-choice Lukasz Skorupski.

Without such a unified effort the Rossoblu’s advance up the standings would not have been possible. Success inevitably attracts admirers and Motta might be coaching a different club in the Champions League next term.

It has been widely reported for weeks that Juventus, who travel to Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on Monday night, want the Brazilian-born coach to replace Massimiliano Allegri.

Regardless of where he ends up, the innovative young tactician can look back on a milestone campaign that will be remembered for years to come in Bologna.

@SKasiewicz

Despite being crowned as Serie A champions for 2023-24, uncertain times lie ahead for Inter, as club President Steven Zhang and holding company Suning’s €395m loan must be repaid by the end of Monday. If they fail to come good, the club will be repossessed and a new management team could come into effect in San Siro.

US fund Oaktree Capital provided a €275m loan with a 12% interest rate back in 2021, which must be repaid in full on May 20, 2024. If the loan is not repaid, Oaktree will assume control, as the club was effectively used as collateral at the time of the original agreement.

However, Oaktree reportedly have no interest in running and operating a football club. If the loan is not repaid, they will look to sell Inter as swiftly as possible. Recent reports suggest they may even have a buyer lined up already.

Who will run Inter day-to-day

Oaktree have promised to keep the same management in place if they do assume control of the club next week according to reports from TMW on Sunday morning.

However, the new shareholders after that will have to confirm their own board of directors, and importantly, appoint a new President to replace Zhang.

Though recent reports suggest that Oaktree’s potential repossession of Inter will not have an impact on the agreement of new contracts or transfer deals, there is expected to be a period of around 20 days where that type of business is put on hold, until a new, longer-term owner is put in place.

Midway through the penultimate round of Serie A fixtures for 2023-24, six teams still run the risk of being relegated to the second division, including Sassuolo, Empoli, Frosinone, Cagliari, Udinese and Hellas Verona.

Five of those teams are in action on Sunday, while Verona are due to play already-relegated Salernitana at 17.45 BST on Monday evening.

Excitingly, four of the teams at risk of relegation will play each other directly on Sunday, as Sassuolo host Cagliari at 11.30, with Udinese-Empoli following at 14.00.

It’s important to remember that if teams in 17th and 18th finish level on points, head-to-head and goal difference becomes irrelevant. The teams will instead contest a relegation play-off, as happened with Verona and Spezia in 2022-23.

This year onwards, though, the play-off will take place over two legs, rather than a one-off 90 minute match.

Here’s what the teams all need to avoid the drop to Serie B …

What Sassuolo need to stay in Serie A

As the lowest-ranked team who are still in with a shout of survival, Sassuolo certainly have their work cut out for them. They have 29 points with two games remaining and currently sit three points from safety.

They could technically be relegated by the end of Sunday. That would happen if Sassuolo lose or draw against Cagliari, and if Udinese (15th place) pick up at least one point against Empoli, and if Frosinone (17th) beat Monza.

If Sassuolo beat Cagliari, they can not be relegated on Sunday, and the standing will depend on results on the final day, next weekend.

What Empoli need

From 18th place upwards, it becomes more open as no other team can be mathematically relegated on Sunday. A win for Empoli against Udinese at 14.00 will massively boost their survival hopes, and will lift them out of the bottom three and likely drop Udinese into the relegation zone in their place, depending on the result in Monza-Frosinone.

What Frosinone need

As Frosinone sit level on points with Empoli in Serie A, it’s effectively the exact same situation as before. They will not be relegated, and can not confirm safety on Sunday either way, but a win against Monza will be massively valuable. Their final position will come down to the final day.

What Cagliari need

It’s a much clearer picture for Cagliari. A win today against Sassuolo will mathematically confirm Serie A safety.

A Cagliari will send them up to 36 points, which, in turn will relegate Sassuolo. Sky Sport Italia confirm that a win in either of their final two matches will be enough to keep Cagliari up.

What Udinese need

Similarly to Cagliari, a win against Empoli on Sunday will confirm Serie A safety for Udinese. A draw or loss means that it will come down to the final day, when they play Frosinone.

What Verona need

Verona need two points from their final two games of the season to avoid relegation. In fact, as they play on Monday, they could be confirmed as safe by the end of Sunday without having to play themselves, depending on results elsewhere.

A win against already-relegated Salernitana on Monday will mathematically confirm Serie A safety regardless of other results, but a single point may also be enough to do it depending on Sunday’s matches.

Two Premier League sides have reportedly sent scouts to watch Manchester United’s on-loan Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat with a view to making an investment this summer according to updates on Sunday morning.

Amrabat to stay in England?

Two London sides in Crystal Palace and Fulham have sent members of their team to watch the Morocco international in recent weeks according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, reporting from sources in the UK.

It has been an underwhelming maiden campaign in the Premier League for Amrabat, who introduced himself on the global stage with a run to the World Cup semi-final with Morocco in Qatar in 2022.

He has picked up 20 top flight appearances in the UK, but only nine of those have come as a starter, and several of those were out-of-position at left-back.

United picked Amrabat up on loan with an option to buy, eventually costing them a reported €10m for the season, with a possibility to pay €20m plus an extra €5m in bonuses to secure his services permanently. United will not activate their buy option.

The 27-year-old has little over a year remaining on his contract with Fiorentina, but it is understood that his time in Tuscany has likely already come to an end. La Viola will almost certainly look to move him on in the summer according to recent updates.

La Gazzetta feel that remaining in England is a strong possibility, and that a move ot the capital, to either Crystal Palace or Fulham, could be on the cards.

Atalanta were given a hero’s welcome upon their return to the team hotel after securing their return to Champions League football with a 2-0 win away to Lecce in Serie A on Saturday evening.

Though the team returned to their accommodation in the early hours of the morning, there were hundreds of supporters waiting to welcome them back with songs, flares and fireworks going off long into the night.

It will be the first appearance in the Champions League in three years for La Dea, who were eliminated before the knock-out rounds in 2021-22, finishing third in a group containing Manchester United, Villarreal and BSC Young Boys.

In fact, it will be only the fourth time ever that Atalanta have appeared in the Champions League. All three previous outings have come under Gian Piero Gasperini between 2019 and 2021.

#Atalanta | Nonostante la pioggia battente (che a una certa ha dato anche tregua), un centinaio di tifosi hanno atteso la squadra a Zingonia con tanto di fuochi d’artificio per festeggiare il ritorno in #UCL … e caricare il gruppo verso Dublino pic.twitter.com/d04tlvoDYH

— Giorgio Dusi (@Gio_Dusi) May 19, 2024

#Atalanta | Nonostante la pioggia battente (che a una certa ha dato anche tregua), un centinaio di tifosi hanno atteso la squadra a Zingonia con tanto di fuochi d’artificio per festeggiare il ritorno in #UCL … e caricare il gruppo verso Dublino pic.twitter.com/d04tlvoDYH

— Giorgio Dusi (@Gio_Dusi) May 19, 2024

Juventus’ recent dismissal of head coach Massimiliano Allegri could potentially end in a court case according to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport on Sunday morning.

Allegri was officially sacked on Friday, in the aftermath of Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final, where, despite Juventus lifting the trophy, the coach erupted on the touchline, before making a series of alleged personal threats to Tuttosport editor Guido Vaciago.

Do Juventus owe Allegri €7m?

La Gazzetta report that Juventus consider themselves negatively impacted by Friday’s sacking, and that they have been evaluating the possibility of dismissal for just cause.

If that is the case, then Juventus could get away with not having to pay the remaining €7m on Allegri’s contract, which had been due to expire in the summer of 2025.

According to Sunday’s report, the former Bianconeri coach is yet to decide which next steps to take. If just cause is found, he could still appeal. He will have five days from the time of his dismissal to respond to the disciplinary issues he was presented with by CEO Maurizio Scanavino on behalf of the club’s lawyers at the time.

If Juventus are found not to have had just cause, or if they do and Allegri successfully appeals, the coach will be entitled to the €7m he is owed from the remaining year on his contract in full, plus potential compensation for damages to reputation.