Juventus host struggling Catania in one of eight Serie A fixtures today when the champions will be among the sides looking to close the gap on record-setting AS Roma.
The Bianconeri have endured a tough two weeks, seeing their UEFA Champions League group hopes nosedive with defeat away to Real Madrid, four days after suffering a first reverse of the season in a 4-2 away defeat to ACF Fiorentina.
Despite a dominant 2-0 win over Genoa on Sunday, the spotlight has been directed away from the Turin giants and southwards toward league leaders Roma.
Photo: EPA
Roma’s fairy-tale start under Frenchman Rudi Garcia continued on Sunday when they set a new Serie A record of nine consecutive wins at the start of a season.
Their 1-0 win away at Udinese was all the more impressive as defender Maicon had been sent off early in the second half and Udinese had not been beaten at home for more than a year.
In the absence of injured captain Francesco Totti, likely to be sidelined for another two weeks, Garcia will be relying on Moroccan Mehdi Benarti to marshal his forward line away to the Mussi Volanti.
Photo: EPA
AC Chievo Verona sit bottom of the table, but having seen league newcomers US Sassuolo pull off a sensational 1-1 draw at title contenders SSC Napoli on Sept. 25, Garcia was quick to warn his side against complacency in tomorrow’s only fixture.
“Although we’ve already won our most difficult match of the season so far [against Napoli], everyone thinks we’ve already won the game against Chievo,” Garcia told the Roma Channel.
“All the games in Italy are tough and this one will be even tougher. Look at what happened with Napoli versus Sassuolo for example,” added the 49-year-old, who guided unfashionable LOSC Lille Metropole to the 2010-2011 Ligue 1 title.
While not dismissing Roma’s impressive start, Juventus striker Carlos Tevez said the battle for the scudetto has just begun.
“There’s a long way to go,” said Tevez, Juve’s top scorer with five goals in nine games.
Napoli, who sit second, are also five points adrift, but unlike Juventus Rafael Benitez’s side face a tough task away to ACF Fiorentina.
La Viola sit fifth, a further four points adrift, are unbeaten at home this season and full of confidence following their come-from-behind 4-2 win over Juve just over a week ago.
Any slip-ups at this juncture could prove costly for Napoli, who after facing Catania at home at the weekend are away to Juventus.
“We have a crucial run of fixtures coming up, so we have to focus on every match,” said Slovakian forward Marek Hamsik, who was Napoli’s top scorer until being caught by Argentine teammate Gonzalo Higuain following his penalty double in a 2-0 win over Torino.
Reports in Italy suggest it could be a make-or-break week for AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri following their 3-2 defeat away to Parma.
Milan striker Mario Balotelli lasted less than an hour on his return from injury and suspension on Sunday, when the Rossoneri’s fourth defeat in nine games reportedly infuriated Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi.
Milan should welcome back Mattia di Sciglio, but they have lost another defender to injury in Matias Silvestre.
SS Lazio, who recorded their first win in a month at home to Cagliari on Sunday, will fancy at least a share of the points.
Meanwhile, Garcia, who has so far talked down Roma’s hopes of winning a title they last secured in 2000-2001, appears to be changing tack.
“I would prefer that people remember us for what we do at the end of the season, perhaps with a title. That is something that remains,” the Frenchman said. “Nine victories are exceptional, but we have to keep our streak going. Starting with Thursday.”
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
RSS