La Gazzetta dello Sport 

Inter gets a shake-up

Scudetto, and then there will be a revolution

The club wants a side with more characters, even Barella and Bastoni up for discussion. And, on the market place, Kone and Vicario primary objectives 

Milan’s plans for the Champions League

Kean for the attack

Italy sink 

Our sides a disaster in the Champions League

No team reaches the quarter-finals. The bottom  of the barrel. Look how many points they’ve suffered: The reasons behind the crisis 

Real lessons 

Super Valverde (three goals) to overwhelm City

Rino, you think about it 

The locations of the training bases have already been chosen: Toronto and then Utah 

It’s Bologna-Roma. Gasp plays for a lot, Italiano for everything 

And in the Conference, Fiorentina take on Rakow 

Corriere dello Sport 

A place for one 

The Euroleague derby 

At the Dall’Ara (17.45) the first of two battles for a spot in the quarter-finals

Bologna with Castro, Roma have SuperMalen 

A route to the Champions League also comes up in this competition: One of Italiano or Gasp could save the honor of Italian football

Valverde humiliates Pep 

Champions League: City overwhelmed with three goals from the Uruguayan 

Guardiola, what a lesson in Madrid. Donnarumma saves a penalty from Vinicis (3-0). Psg, five against Chelsea, brace from Kvara (5-2), Arsenal save themselves in Leverkusen (1-1), Bodo continue to amaze: Sporting also capitulate in Norway (3-0)

Fiorentina, the uncomfortable cup 

Survival is the most important thing, but need to get past Rakow in the Conference League to save any further embarrassments 

Spalletti, here’s Vlahovic again 

Returning in Udine 

Dusan back after three months. Senesi intrigue: Juve are also there 

Conte, Mister 600 

He has 597 points in Serie A

Could reach a landmark figure in Napoli-Lecce 

Inter, Alisson or Vicario 

Goalkeepers in the distance 

Sommer heading for farewell: The replacement will arrive from the Premier League

Iran, no World Cup 

The announcement from the minister 

‘The conditions are not there’. Infantino’s gaffe 

Tuttosport 

Juve, the bonus Vlahovic 

DV9 returns in Udine: They need his goals for the Champions League comeback and the new contract … 

Dusan scores right away in a training match: After 105 days of absence, he will start again from the bench, but everyone is waiting for him on the pitch. Contacts over his renewal are intensifying: The salary reaches 6 million with bonuses and objectives, Spalletti lifts the tension. Boga sees himself as a starter, more doubts in goal: And for the future, looking at Martinez from Villa. Inquiry for Lewandowski

The war affects the World Cup. Iran forfeit

The consequence of the conflict and FIFA’s embarrassment 

From Tehran: ‘We can’t play in the United States like this’. The logic would be to replace them with another Asian side (Iraq or the UAE), but with fears of other renunciations, a decision based on overall ranking can’t be ruled out. Sport in Palestine: The Italian parliament writes to the IOC and FIFA. Meanwhile, Verratti is out: Gattuso puts the trust in Locatelli and thinks about Pisilli

Valverde, Real magic. PSG, what a spectacle! 

Fantasy hat-trick from the Uruguayan, City destroyed 

Chelse\ hold them off in Paris, but then Vitinha and the brace from Kvara make it 5-2. Fantastic Bodo: 3-0 against Sporting, looking at the quarter-finals and history 

Bologna and Roma to feel like we’re in Europe 

At 17.45: The derby in the round of 16. Italiano: ‘We want to get through to the end’. Gasp: ‘I’m not thinking about Como.’. Conference League: Fiorentina-Rakow 

D’Aversa studies Serie B and … Juric 

The Serbian’s return looms over safety. The scathing letter from Marengo to Cairo 

Roma are expected to use Donyell Malen, Bryan Zaragoza and Niccolò Pisilli in the Europa League Round of 16, while Bologna look to Thijs Dallinga and Federico Bernardeschi.

It kicks off at the Stadio Dall’Ara at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET) on Thursday, with the second leg next week at the Stadio Olimpico.

The draw means Italy will have only one representative in the Europa League quarter-finals, as the two Serie A competitors go head-to-head.

Hosts Bologna have Juan Miranda, Charalampos Lykogiannis and Torbjorn Heggem not fully fit, while Lorenzo De Silvestri is not on the UEFA squad list.

Santiago Castro has looked exhausted lately after a run of games in the starting XI, so it seems likely that Dallinga will step into the centre-forward role instead.

He should be flanked by Bernardeschi and Jonathan Rowe, leaving Riccardo Orsolini on the bench.

Coach Vincenzo Italiano confirmed that Tommaso Pobega has a good chance of starting in midfield.

Roma are forced to do without suspended Gianluca Mancini in defence, while Matias Soulé, Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson are all injured.

It leaves limited options in attack, but January signings Malen and Zaragoza can finally play in the Europa League, having been cup-tied for the final league phase matches.

Mario Hermoso took part in training today and could make his comeback in defence, while Bryan Cristante is tipped to take the more advanced role in support of the strikers.

This is a position he can swap around with Pisilli, giving the opposition defenders few reference points.

It might be an all-Italian game, but it is still a UEFA fixture, so the referee is German Sven Jablonski, with Bastian Dankert in the VAR booth.

Bologna vs. Roma probable line-ups

Bologna (4-3-3): Skorupski; Joao Mario, Lucumi, Vitik, Miranda; Ferguson, Freuler, Pobega; Bernardeschi, Dallinga, Rowe

Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Ghilardi, Ndicka, Hermoso; Celik, Koné, Pisilli, Wesley; Cristante, Zaragoza; Malen

Ref: Jablonski (GER)

Remo Freuler could be Bologna’s secret weapon in the Europa League meeting with Roma. ‘I know how Gian Piero Gasperini plays off by heart.’

The first leg of this Round of 16 tie kicks off at the Stadio Dall’Ara on Thursday at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET).

It is safe to say the two teams have few surprises in store, considering this is an all-Italian derby on the UEFA stage, but some are even more tuned in.

Gasperini and Freuler are old friends

Freuler made 254 appearances under Roma coach Gasperini when they worked together at Atalanta from 2016 to 2022, scoring 20 goals and providing 23 assists.

“I know how Gasperini plays off by heart, even if he too has changed some things in his style over recent years,” Freuler told Sky Sport Italia.

“The foundations are still more or less the same, and I will be very happy to see him again tomorrow.”

Gasperini is keeping a few decisions to the last minute, and now uses two players in the trequartista role supporting a centre-forward, especially as there are so many injuries in attack.

“I know the adjustments he makes too, whether he plays with three upfront or an extra midfielder, I know the thoughts he has in his mind. We’ll see what happens.”

Freuler left Atalanta in 2022 for Nottingham Forest, but returned within a year to Serie A, where he is enjoying a new lease of life with Bologna.

This means he had already departed by the time Atalanta won the Europa League trophy, but he did experience some European success there.

“I remember how we danced after the game against Shakhtar Donetsk, when we qualified for the Champions League Round of 16. I still feel that joy, just as I do our super rapport both on and off the field,” said the Switzerland international.

“The first leg is always an important result so we can go into the decider with confidence. We want to keep going in the Europa League.

“Unfortunately, we picked Roma in the draw, who with all due respect to the others are more difficult to play against than KRC Genk.”

Gian Piero Gasperini insists Roma are not prioritising Serie A ahead of the Europa League clash with Bologna, despite an injury crisis in attack. ‘Donyell Malen’s situation is very rare.’

It kicks off at the Stadio Dall’Ara on Thursday at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET).

The second leg will be at the Stadio Olimpico next week, as we know only one Italian team will make it to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

It is confirmed that the Giallorossi will be without suspended Gianluca Mancini, plus injured Matias Soulé, Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson, but Mario Hermoso is included in the list.

Gasperini has reduced Roma options

“We’ll see tomorrow, at the moment Hermoso is available and could play, but he’s been out for a while, so we’ll see if it’s from the start or off the bench,” explained Gasperini in his press conference.

“At least one Italian team will get through for sure. It’s true the trend for Italian teams in Europe has not been good this season, even worse if we add in the Nazionale struggles, so evidently it’s not a coincidence.

“We all need to dig deep and explain what the problem is, the coaches, clubs, and probably the media too. It’s not about a tactical issue, there’s something deeper that probably stems from the youth academies and the way teams are built.”

Considering he has won the Europa League with Atalanta, but also that Roma have a Serie A battle with Como this weekend for fourth place, which is the priority for them?

“Every game is important, we cannot make calculations, but take them one at a time trying to give our best in each one,” replied the coach.

“The priority is both competitions, perhaps a few weeks ago we also had the Coppa Italia and therefore saw Serie A as the priority, but we never thought about just letting anything go.

“I don’t see any way of giving less in a match situation. It’s possible we won’t play as well in some games as others, but it won’t be by choice.”

The January signings have made a big impact, most notably striker Malen, who will finally get to play in the Europa League with Roma after he was cup-tied for the league phase due to his time with Aston Villa.

“We are scoring more goals, the trend is positive thanks also to the arrival of Malen, who has made us more dangerous in attack,” confirmed Gasperini.

“We have certainly lost several important players in attack, but Malen has given us something extra. Bryan Zaragoza needs time to adapt, he’s only been here for a month, so the situations like Malen who hit the ground running in a new team are very rare.

“With both Dybala and Soulé out, we have had to rotate players in those support roles. Lorenzo Pellegrini has played there most consistently, but Lorenzo Venturino, Robinio Vaz and Stephan El Shaarawy can all play there.”

Has Gasperini spoken to Pellegrini about his future, with the contract running down?

“No, this is not something we need to discuss now, as it’s a fundamental stage of the season, and we need to focus on the pitch.”

Could Malen and Vaz even start together tomorrow?

“Anything is possible,” smiled the coach.

Davide Massa has been assigned to the Como vs. Roma Serie A fight for fourth place, while Gianluca Manganiello gets Inter-Atalanta, but Daniele Doveri drops to Serie B after the Derby della Madonnina.

The AIA (Italian Referees Association) has confirmed the referees chosen for this weekend’s Serie A matches.

The biggest game of the round is arguably the showdown for Champions League qualification, as Como and Roma are locked together in the table and go head-to-head at the Stadio Sinigaglia on Sunday.

That has been handed to experienced official Massa.

Leaders Inter try to get back on track against Atalanta, which will be officiated by Gianluca Manganiello in another top seven duel.

Notably, there is no Serie A fixture this weekend for Doveri after his work in the Derby della Madonnina, but this does not mean it is a demotion.

Instead, he is trusted with the extremely difficult and important Serie B promotion clash between Monza and Palermo, which could prove decisive for who gets to be in the top flight next season.

Serie A Week 29 referees

Torino vs. Parma (Maresca, VAR Ghersini)

Inter vs. Atalanta (Manganiello, VAR Gariglio)

Napoli vs. Lecce (Abisso, VAR Nasca)

Udinese vs. Juventus (Mariani, VAR Maggioni)

Verona vs. Genoa (Marchetti, VAR Marini)

Pisa vs. Cagliari (La Penna, VAR Paterna)

Sassuolo vs. Bologna (Bonacina, VAR Serra)

Como vs. Roma (Massa, VAR Fabbri)

Lazio vs. Milan (Guida, VAR Chiffi)

Cremonese vs. Fiorentina (Di Bello, VAR Aureliano)

Roma have named their squad list for the Europa League Round of 16 against Bologna, missing big names like Matias Soulé, Paulo Dybala and Gianluca Mancini, but Mario Hermoso is included.

The first leg kicks off at the Stadio Dall’Ara on Thursday at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET).

The Giallorossi have been dealing with a lengthy injury crisis for some time now, and many of the problems are localised in the attack.

Good and bad news for Roma

This means Dybala, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson are long-term absentees, while Soulé has again not been included, as he struggles to recover from an inflammation.

The good news for coach Gian Piero Gasperini is that defender Hermoso completed the training session and is in the squad, though it remains to be seen if he will start.

There is more pressure on the defence, as Gianluca Mancini is suspended for the first leg of this Europa League tie.

According to Sky Sport Italia, Bryan Zaragoza is tipped to start in support of Donyell Malen, while Bryan Cristante can be moved into a more advanced role too.

This leaves Manu Koné and Niccolò Pisilli in midfield, benching Lorenzo Pellegrini.

Vincenzo Italiano admits he would gladly have avoided the all-Italian Europa League duel with Roma, but Bologna ‘hope to tease some weaknesses out of them tomorrow.’

It kicks off on Thursday at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET) at the Stadio Dall’Ara.

The draw was unkind to the Italian teams, as while it means at least there will be one representative in the quarter-finals, it can only be one of the two sides who entered the tournament.

Bologna had a terrible start to 2026 and seemingly had turned a corner with a run of victories, but faltered again at the weekend with their home defeat to rock bottom Hellas Verona.

Italiano would have avoided Bologna vs. Roma

“We have already put that match behind us,” assured Italiano in his press conference.

“Roma have some weaknesses and we hope to tease those out of them tomorrow. As I said before, I had hoped in a different draw, because we could’ve gone far together in this competition, but instead one of the two Italians must go out.

“We are stuttering in our home games lately, but hope to change that tomorrow.”

The coach gave injury updates, as Juan Miranda and Torbjorn Heggem are back in training, but it remains to be seen if either of them could start.

He did hint that Tommaso Pobega has “a very good chance” of being in the starting XI, though Thijs Dallinga could finally give Santiago Castro some rest ahead of the Serie A showdown with Sassuolo.

“Roma defend well and have now found a striker in Donyell Malen who is doing very well, giving their aggressive style of football an outlet. We know him too, as we already played against his Aston Villa earlier in the season.

“Gian Piero Gasperini has set the example for all coaches, winning important trophies both at team and individual level. He continues to exhibit wonderful football and I have incredible respect for him.”

Will the two coaches go out to dinner together?

“We’d need a restaurant that stayed open late, because we’d have so much to talk about!”

The second leg will be at the Stadio Olimpico next week, where the Rossoblu lost 1-0 in the opening game of the Serie A season back in August.

“I am not thinking about the second leg, because after tomorrow we already have another Serie A match to play, so there’s time for that. Obviously, it won’t be an easy atmosphere for us at the Olimpico, but we know that.

“The trouble with an Italian derby is we know each other so very well. It’s a new experience for me too, facing another Italian side in Europe.”

Bologna’s home record has been the most surprising aspect of their campaign so far, as since the start of December 2025 they have amassed just three victories at the Stadio Dall’Ara, two draws and eight losses in all competition.

“I analysed all those games, and some we deserved to lose, with others we could’ve won with a bit more concentration. The attitude is not the issue, but we are paying a heavy price for some distractions, and have the time to make up for it,” noted Italiano.

“We did win five games after that difficult period, and a situation like Verona can happen, in Serie A anybody can beat anyone else, it’s always a struggle. We have more difficulty against teams who let us take control of the game, leading us to become a bit too superficial in our preventative marking.

“Tomorrow is a big opportunity for us to progress in Europe, but we won’t be able to judge the season until the end.”

Bologna winger Federico Bernardeschi says he ‘never talked’ to Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso and admits fear of World Cup play-off is ‘real’ but ‘it must not turn into a phobia.’

The World Cup play-offs are just around the corner, with Italy hosting Northern Ireland in the semifinals in Bergamo on March 26.

Bernardeschi, a Euro 2020 winner, is not expected to be part of the team that Gennaro Gattuso will release next week.

Bernardeschi: World Cup play-off fear should ‘push you to raise the bar’

“I’ve never talked to him, except when he visited Serie A clubs, and we exchanged a couple of words,” Bernardeschi said in the second part of his interview with Gazzetta via TMW.

Italy have already been knocked out of the World Cup play-offs in 2018 and 2022.

“It’s a real fear, and it’s right that it exists, but it must not turn into a phobia,” said the experienced winger.

“It should push you to raise the bar, so you’re ready to compete. The entire external environment needs to start helping, because it’s something that belongs to all of Italy.

“It seems to me that people almost take pleasure when the Azzurri do badly, and that’s an ugly thing. They can’t wait to say you aren’t good enough and judge you after just two matches.”

When asked to pick two wingers for the Azzurri, choosing among him, Domenico Berardi, and Mattia Zaccagni, Bernardeschi replied, “The Euros champions,” which means he and Berardi.

During the same interview, Bernardeschi revealed that he could have joined Atalanta before signing for Toronto FC in 2022, admitting that his decision was mostly driven by money.

Bernardeschi returned to Serie A last summer, joining Vincenzo Italiano at Bologna.

A former Fiorentina and Juventus star, Bernardeschi has grabbed five goals and one assist in 32 appearances across all competitions.

Bologna winger Federico Bernardeschi reveals Gian Piero Gasperini wanted to bring him to Atalanta in 2022 when he eventually joined Toronto FC from Juventus: ‘ I admit money influenced my decision for 80%.’

Bologna winger Bernardeschi released an interview with Gazzetta just a few days before the Rossoblu’s Europa League meeting with Roma in the Europa League Round of 16.

Bernardeschi returned to Serie A last summer after spending three years at Toronto FC.

Bernardeschi: ‘No easy games’ in Serie A

“I’ve found a different Serie A football; now even the smaller teams are more equipped; technology is helping everyone, and everyone is organised,” the Italian said.

“There’s never an easy game, at any level, from race for survival to Europe.”

The first leg between Roma and Bologna will be played at the Dall’Ara this coming Thursday, but the Giallorossi will be without Paulo Dybala, a former teammate of Bernardeschi at Juventus.

“I’m sorry for Paulo, I’d have been happy to challenge him, even if it’s always better not to play against his left foot,” admitted Bernardeschi.

“But I’ll be glad to see many Azzurri friends. When I joined Juventus, I asked if I could get the no. 10. They said I was too young and should have waited a year. Then Dybala took it, who was already in his third year. I would have preferred to face a foreign club, because, as an Italian, I’d have been happier to see two Italian teams go as far as possible.”

Bernardeschi’s move to Bologna raised eyebrows over the summer, with some in the media suggesting he was no longer suitable for Italian football after such a long spell in Canada.

Bernardeschi, on the other hand, has scored five goals and provided one assist in 32 appearances and has never had doubts about his ability to make an impact at the Dall’Ara.

“I know myself. I didn’t go to Canada to take a walk in the park,” he said.

“I put maximum commitment into everything I do, even if I admit money influenced my decision for 80%, and the remaining 20% was a life choice. I’ve always trained and cared for my body meticulously. I’ve learned from Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus how to be a professional in all aspects and be a great professional. In Bologna, I took a month to readjust. I suffered a knee injury and was forced to skip pre-season. But my physical figures were high in the MLS, and I knew I was competitive.”

Bernardeschi could have even played under Gasperini at Atalanta.

“He called me before moving to Toronto, and I was tempted, but then I made a different choice. I don’t regret it, but I would have loved to work with him; I knew I could add a piece to my career,” the winger concluded.

“Roma looked for me when I was at Juventus, but I said no. I was happy in Turin, and I still have a house there, where I’m Yildiz’s neighbour.”

Source: Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, March 10, 2026, page 24.

Vincenzo Italiano is frustrated after Bologna’s unexpected home defeat to rock bottom Verona. ‘This sport drives me crazy, we had 19 shots on goal today.’

The Rossoblu had seemingly put their crisis behind them and put together a run of positive results.

They took the lead here today with the first Serie A goal for Jonathan Rowe, but found themselves going 2-1 behind in the space of just nine minutes to Martin Frese and Kieron Bowie counter-attacks.

Verona even had a third goal with Amin Sarr, disallowed using VAR for the earlier Roberto Gagliardini push on Benjamin Dominguez.

Italiano can’t believe latest Bologna setback

“The main problem is when you are unable to finish off the chances that you create, and then after that, every time you make a mistake, you have to plug that gap,” said Italiano in his press conference.

“We had managed to make up for the errors recently with a big save or a defensive block, but today we weren’t solid enough in attack or defence.

“When it came to the second goal, we should’ve just taken a yellow card and stopped the counter-attack at the start. It’s a pity, we wanted to add another three points to our tally.

“Santiago Castro could’ve had four goals toady and didn’t convert any of them. We allowed too many spaces in defence too. This is how you lose in Serie A.”

The most remarkable thing about Bologna’s season is their awful record at the Stadio Dall’Ara, as in Serie A alone they have lost seven of their last nine home games.

That is as many defeats as in the previous 62 fixtures played in front of the local supporters.

“You seem to believe that Bologna should sweep everyone aside, but the fact remains, Napoli needed a stoppage-time goal to beat Verona last time,” replied Italiano.

“When you told me we’d get six easy points against Pisa and Verona, I warned you that would not be the case.

“This sport drives me crazy because we had 19 shots on goal today. We had become so much more effective recently, in attack and defence, but today we made silly mistakes.”

Now Bologna must prepare for Thursday’s Europa League Round of 16 tie with Roma, fresh off this surprising home defeat.

“I always say we need to turn the page and start afresh after every match, whether it’s a win or not. We’ll adjust a few things and must have the right concentration against a quality opponent,” concluded Italiano.

Hellas Verona caused a huge upset with this comeback victory away to Bologna, sealed by Kieron Bowie’s debut Serie A goal.

The Rossoblu put their recent crisis behind them with three consecutive victories and were gearing up for the Europa League Round of 16 against Roma. Remo Freuler was suspended, with Juan Miranda and Torbjorn Heggem injured, but Charalampos Lykogiannis returned. Rock bottom Verona added Armel Bella-Kotchap and Tobias Slotsager to the injury list with Sandi Lovric, Pol Lirola, Antoine Bernede and Suat Serdar, but Gift Orban was back after a two-match ban.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Santiago Castro’s swerving finish flashed wide from distance, then slipped at the crucial moment on a Jonathan Rowe pull-back.

Verona also threatened on the counter-attack, Lukasz Skorupski getting down to parry the Orban angled drive, while Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro’s shot accidentally hit teammate Orban.

Nadir Zortea drilled inches wide, but Bologna had a huge opportunity at the dawn of the second half when Riccardo Orsolini’s volley on a corner thumped the base of the upright.

The breakthrough came moments later, when Rowe started the move, spreading it down the right with Jens Odgaard and the Zortea pull-back, finding Rowe to sweep first-time through a sea of legs into the far bottom corner. It was his first Serie A goal.

It didn’t last long, as Verona responded immediately with a similar Martin Frese strike from the edge of the area, gathering a poor clearance.

Remarkably, Hellas then turned the game around on the counter-attack, as Orban got down the left and rolled across for the totally unmarked Kieron Bowie to sweep in undisturbed. This too was a debut Serie A goal for the ex-Hibernian striker.

Bowie fired another attempt wide from distance, but Lorenzo Montipò got down for a fantastic save to fingertip the Odgaard strike out from the near bottom corner from the edge of the area.

There was controversy on 85 minutes when Roberto Gagliardini pushed Benjamin Dominguez on the edge of the area, but the referee waved play on, allowing Amin Sarr to sprint away from Jhon Lucumi and score the third for Verona. However, it was disallowed following the VAR review, as Gagliardini had both hands on the back of Dominguez.

Federico Bernardeschi’s free kick went over, then Castro couldn’t steer his cross on target.

Bologna 1-2 Verona

Rowe 49 (B), Frese 53 (V), Bowie 57 (V)

08-03-2026 14:00

MatchDay 28

Renato Dall'Ara Stadium

Bologna

Verona

1 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		16'		Kieron Bowie
Lewis Ferguson		40'
		42'		Abdou Harroui

2nd half

Jonathan Rowe (Assist: Nadir Zortea)		49'
		53'		Martin Frese
		57'		Kieron Bowie (Assist: Gift Orban)

Match statistic

68

Possession %

32

19

Total shots

15

2

Shots on target

5

10

Shots off target

7

7

Blocked shots

3

5

Corners

3

1

Offsides

4

5

Fouls

20

Bologna

Verona

Starting lineups

1

Lukasz Skorupski

Goalkeeper

26

Jhon Lucumí

Defender

17

João Mário

Defender

41

Martin Vitik

Defender

84'

20

Nadir Zortea

Defender

77'

11

Jonathan Rowe

Midfielder

77'

19

Lewis Ferguson

Midfielder

66'

6

Nikola Moro

Midfielder

21

Jens Odgaard

Attacker

7

Riccardo Orsolini

Attacker

66'

9

Santiago Castro

Attacker

1

Lorenzo Montipò

Goalkeeper

5

Andrias Edmundsson

Defender

2

Daniel Oyegoke

Defender

82'

12

Domagoj Bradaric

Defender

3

Martin Frese

Defender

15

Victor Nelsson

Defender

21

Abdou Harroui

Midfielder

74'

11

Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro

Midfielder

63

Roberto Gagliardini

Midfielder

16

Gift Orban

Attacker

90'

18

Kieron Bowie

Attacker

82'

Substitutes

29

Lorenzo De Silvestri

Defender

16

Nicolò Casale

Defender

13

Federico Ravaglia

Goalkeeper

28

Nicolò Cambiaghi

Attacker

24

Thijs Dallinga

Attacker

25

Massimo Pessina

Goalkeeper

5

Eivind Helland

Defender

10

Federico Bernardeschi

Attacker

66'

23

Simon Sohm

Midfielder

66'

22

Charalampos Lykogiannis

Defender

77'

30

Benja Domínguez

Attacker

77'

4

Tommaso Pobega

Midfielder

84'

34

Simone Perilli

Goalkeeper

36

Cheikh Niasse

Attacker

94

Giacomo Toniolo

Goalkeeper

25

Daniel Mosquera

Attacker

70

Fallou Cham

Defender

7

Rafik Belghali

Defender

41

Isaac

Attacker

10

Tomas Suslov

Attacker

74'

9

Amin Sarr

Attacker

82'

6

Nicolás Valentini

Defender

82'

73

Moatasem Al-Musrati

Midfielder

90'

Vincenzo Italiano has delivered a glowing assessment of January arrival Joao Mario ahead of Bologna’s Serie A clash with Verona, with the Juventus loanee continuing to impress since his move to the Emilia-Romagna club.

The Portuguese midfielder, who joined on loan from Juventus in the winter window, has settled quickly into Italiano’s system.

“He is recovering well from the knock he picked up against Pisa,” the Bologna head coach confirmed, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.

“He is loosening up more and more, he is smiling, and he has made himself available to play on the left as well, which was not straightforward for him. He has played two great matches and I am very happy.”

Bologna coach Italiano positive ahead of Verona test

Italiano was in a broadly positive mood at his pre-match press conference, pleased with the direction his squad is heading after a period in which their league position had given cause for concern.

Riccardo Orsolini was another player singled out for encouragement, despite a recent dip in form.

“He needs to rediscover his sharpness, but I am convinced that at the first good opportunity he will find his rhythm again,” Italiano said. “He is already in double figures this season despite the difficult spell, and in training today he was scoring some great goals.”

On the subject of the upcoming Europa League quarter-final against Roma, Italiano was emphatic that full focus remains on Verona. “We are thinking only about tomorrow,” he said. “We have put right a league position that we were not happy with, and we want to keep collecting points. Roma can wait until Monday.”

Dallinga returned to training on the eve of the match after managing a tendon issue, while Lykogiannis also appears to have shaken off his own tendon complaint.

Dominguez is another option in reserve, with Italiano praising the midfielder’s impact whenever called upon from the bench.

The Lega Serie A have confirmed that Roma wing-back Wesley Franca is among the players to be suspended following the conclusion of the 27th round of 2025-26 league fixtures over the weekend just gone. 

Six players have picked up one-match suspensions following the 27th round of Serie A fixtures, including Roma’s Wesley, Fiorentina’s Fabiano Parisi and Bologna’s Remo Freuler. 

Serie A confirm Wesley, Parisi, Freuler, Terracciano, Valenti and Pinamonti bans

Sassuolo striker Andrea Pinamonti was the only player to be shown a straight red card over the weekend, and will now have to serve a one-match ban. That rules him out of Sassuolo’s away trip to face Lazio on Monday night. 

Roma star Wesley picked up his fifth yellow card of the season during Roma’s 3-3 draw with Juventus over the weekend, and will now have to serve a one-match ban when the Giallorossi go up against Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa on Sunday. 

Bologna’s Freuler, Fiorentina’s Parisi, Cremonese’s Filippo Terracciano and Parma’s Lautaro Valenti were also shown their fifth yellow cards of the season over the weekend, and like Wesley, have also picked up one-match bans. 

Freuler will be suspended for Bologna vs. Verona, Parisi and Valenti will both be unavailable for the meeting of Fiorentina and Parma on Sunday, while Terracciano will miss out on a key relegation six-pointer between Lecce and Cremonese.

Vincenzo Italiano denies reports Jens Odgaard had been ‘forgotten’ at Bologna after a sensational strike to give them a fifth consecutive victory against Pisa.

The Rossoblu had been in disastrous form to begin 2026, but seem to have really turned a corner of late, as this 1-0 result at the Cetilar Arena this evening was their fifth win on the bounce in all competition.

“Our first half was excellent, and Santiago Castro had two big chances where we could’ve scored,” said Italiano in his press conference.

“After the break, there was some inevitable fatigue, but we also know that everyone has been made to suffer for results here. We’ve got a long way to go, but we hold on to this win, the third in a row in Serie A, and want to continue along this path.”

Bologna were in action on Thursday in the Europa League play-off, where they eliminated SK Brann to set up a Round of 16 showdown with fellow Italians Roma.

Bologna finding their form at last

“With such an intense fixture list, we need everyone in the squad to give their contribution,” continued Italiano.

“Riccardo Orsolini had a good impact off the bench, I liked his attitude. Federico Bernardeschi and Niccolò Cambiaghi both know they can be more effective, but it went alright today.”

There had been reports in recent months that Odgaard was no longer first choice for Italiano, putting his future at Bologna in doubt, but the coach shrugs off these suggestions.

“Odgaard proved once again how decisive he can be in that position. He knows that when he is called upon, he has to give his contribution. I certainly haven’t forgotten about him, we just needed to rest him a little.

“We’re going to have to do the same with Castro soon, I am worried with the amount he is playing, he might get hurt.”

Bologna were forced into two changes today, the first when Martin Vitik was left dazed after charging down a powerful shot with his face.

“Vitik and Joao Mario both had bruises to their knees,” insisted Italiano.

A moment of magic from Jens Odgaard gave Bologna all three points, but Pisa were frustrated by Lukasz Skorupski and a goal-line clearance.

The arrival of new Pisa coach Oscar Hiljemark has not steadied the ship with a draw and two defeats, even if they were at least tight results. Daniel Denoon and Simone Scuffet were still out of action. The Rossoblu seemingly ended their crisis run, celebrating back-to-back Serie A victories and setting up a Europa League Round of 16 clash with Roma. Juan Miranda, Charalampos Lykogiannis and Torbjorn Heggem missed the trip.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Martin Vitik charged down a powerful Marius Marin screamer with his face in the opening minutes, and although he tried to continue, it left him dazed and was eventually substituted after 21 minutes.

Mehdi Leris just failed to get on the end of a Stefano Moreo cross at the back post, but Santiago Castro should’ve done better when blasting over after shrugging off Antonio Caracciolo to go clear on goal.

Castro had another massive opportunity when sent through by an inspired Nikola Moro slide-rule pass, but his angled drive beat Nicolas only to bounce off the inside of the far post.

After the restart, Lukasz Skorupski had to make two big saves in quick succession. First he was at full stretch to palm a dangerous cross away as Leris was sliding in unmarked at the back post to tap in, then on the resulting corner he pushed a Moreo free header out from under the bar.

Castro saw his strike deflected onto the side-netting by Francesco Coppola, but Skorupski needed another extraordinary save, getting down to push the Gabriele Piccinini angled drive inches wide of the far post after a well-worked team move.

When Skorupski was finally beaten by a looping Filip Stojilkovic header, he was rescued by the Nadir Zortea goal-line clearance.

Instead, the deadlock was broken by a moment of magic in the final minute of normal time. Jens Odgaard gathered with his back to goal outside the area and turned to smash an unstoppable strike into the near top corner.

Pisa 0-1 Bologna

Odgaard 90 (B)

02-03-2026 17:30

MatchDay 27

Arena Garibaldi – Stadio Romeo Anconetani

Pisa

Bologna

0 - 1

Player statistic

2nd half

		53'		Remo Freuler
		82'		Jhon Lucumí
		90'		Jens Odgaard (Assist: Remo Freuler)

Match statistic

40

Possession %

60

6

Total shots

8

3

Shots on target

1

0

Shots off target

5

3

Blocked shots

2

7

Corners

4

5

Offsides

2

15

Fouls

11

Pisa

Bologna

Starting lineups

12

Nicolas

Goalkeeper

4

Antonio Caracciolo

Defender

90'

33

Arturo Calabresi

Defender

70'

26

Francesco Coppola

Defender

3

Samuele Angori

Defender

63'

8

Malthe Höjholt

Midfielder

70'

6

Marius Marin

Midfielder

20

Michel Aebischer

Midfielder

7

Mehdi Léris

Attacker

17

Rafiu Durosinmi

Attacker

64'

32

Stefano Moreo

Attacker

1

Lukasz Skorupski

Goalkeeper

26

Jhon Lucumí

Defender

17

João Mário

Defender

74'

41

Martin Vitik

Defender

21'

20

Nadir Zortea

Defender

6

Nikola Moro

Midfielder

8

Remo Freuler

Midfielder

23

Simon Sohm

Midfielder

64'

10

Federico Bernardeschi

Attacker

64'

28

Nicolò Cambiaghi

Attacker

74'

9

Santiago Castro

Attacker

Substitutes

1

Adrian Šemper

Goalkeeper

10

Matteo Tramoni

Midfielder

15

Idrissa Touré

Midfielder

39

Raúl Albiol

Defender

23

Calvin Stengs

Attacker

14

Ebenezer Akinsanmiro

Midfielder

9

Henrik Meister

Attacker

35

Felipe Loyola

Defender

2

Rosen Bozhinov

Defender

31

Matteo Luppichini

Goalkeeper

11

Juan Cuadrado

Midfielder

63'

81

Filip Stojilkovic

Attacker

64'

5

Simone Canestrelli

Defender

70'

36

Gabriele Piccinini

Attacker

70'

19

Samuel Iling-Junior

Attacker

90'

4

Tommaso Pobega

Midfielder

13

Federico Ravaglia

Goalkeeper

19

Lewis Ferguson

Midfielder

24

Thijs Dallinga

Attacker

30

Benja Domínguez

Attacker

25

Massimo Pessina

Goalkeeper

5

Eivind Helland

Defender

16

Nicolò Casale

Defender

21'

7

Riccardo Orsolini

Attacker

64'

21

Jens Odgaard

Attacker

64'

29

Lorenzo De Silvestri

Defender

74'

11

Jonathan Rowe

Midfielder

74'

Roma and Bologna will meet in the Europa League Round of 16, and although the Giallorossi appear slightly favourites to qualify for the quarter-finals, their victory is not guaranteed.

Roma and Bologna, the only two Serie A representatives in the Europa League, will meet in the Round of 16, which is surely no good news for Italian football.

By looking at the Serie A standings, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side looks favourite as the Giallorossi sit fourth, level on 50 points with Napoli, while Bologna are eighth with just 36 points, creating a gap that, on paper, appears as predictable as outcomes calculated by casino platform software.

The first leg will be played in Bologna on March 12, while the decider is scheduled for March 19 at the Stadio Olimpico. The winner will face Aston Villa or Lille in the quarter-finals.

Roma have collected better results than Bologna this season, both domestically and in Europe. The Giallorossi, in fact, finished the Europa League group phase in the top eight, qualifying directly for the next round, whereas Bologna had to go through the knockout play-off, where they beat Norwegian side Brann with a 2-0 aggregate win.

Bologna, however, will prioritise the cup competition, given that they are already quite far away from a Conference League spot in Serie A.

Roma, on the other hand, can’t afford to drop points in the league as they aim to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2017-18.

At the same time, Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano has a special relationship with cup competitions. He has never lifted a European silverware, as Gian Piero Gasperini did with Atalanta in 2023-24, but he has already reached three finals with Fiorentina and one with Bologna.

During Italiano’s spell at the Franchi, Fiorentina reached two Conference League Finals and one Coppa Italia Final, losing all three.

At Bologna, Italiano won the Coppa Italia, beating Milan 1-0 in the 2024-25 Final.

The head-to-head record with Gasperini is also quite balanced, with Italiano winning seven of their previous 15 meetings, drawing three times, and losing five.

As previously mentioned, the Serie A derby between Bologna and Roma is not necessarily good news for Italian football, as directors of both sides have highlighted.

“As a player, I played in an (all-Italian) final with Juventus. We would have preferred to avoid it for a lot of reasons, including the emotional aspect,” said Bologna executive Marco Di Vaio.

“We’ll prepare well. It would have been a great challenge against Freiburg as well. We’ll see what happens.”

Roma’s Frederic Massara seemed to agree with his colleague: “Perhaps, it could lose a bit of the charm coming from a European match, but we know it’s a nice game, with a lot at stake. The regret is for the ranking, as this does not favour Italy.”

Italy international and Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori has opened up about the disappointments that he experienced in the early days of his professional career with Roma and the journey that led him to joining Mike Arteta’s table-topping Premier League hopefuls: ‘It was a complicated situation’. 

Calafiori reflects on early stages of his career: ‘Everything was fine during my first year …’

Calafiori is playing a key role in Arsenal’s impressive 2025-26 campaign, in which they lead the Premier League table and are among the favourites to lift the Champions League at the end of the season. 

The Italy international has made 17 starts from a possible 28 in the Premier League, despite missing a big chunk of games over the winter period due to a muscular injury. 

Injuries have been a recurring theme for Calafiori throughout his career. His journey as a professional footballer was almost curtailed as a teenager due to a serious knee issue. 

Speaking in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Calafiori discussed his early injury issue and the role that it played in his leaving his boyhood club, Roma. 

“Everything was fine during my first year, I scored on my debut wearing the shirt of the team that I loved and after being told at 16 that I could not be a footballer due to a serious injury,” Calafiori told La Gazzetta dello Sport. 

“I’m still a Roma fan,” he admitted. “Before, I was a die-hard. The only flaw is that it was during Covid, so there were no fans in the stadium, otherwise I would have gone straight over to celebrate in front of the Curva Sud.” 

Despite being a passionate boyhood Roma supporter, Calafiori only managed to make 10 Serie A appearances for the Giallorossi before being moved on by Jose Mourinho. 

“The transition from the Primavera to the first-team is very fast, you don’t even realise it,” said Calafiori. 

“I started the first six games with Mourinho: That was also going well at the beginning, I was playing as a starter and getting some assists. After the 6-1 win over Bodo/Glimt, I didn’t play anymore and wanted more. 

“I went to Genoa on loan. It was a complicated situation and I only made three appearances, one of which was as a starter. I did worse than before and I didn’t understand why. 

“Inside, I never resigned, but that thought stayed in my head. I was really down at that point. Roma won the Conference League and the guys who played in my place did very well, so there was no more space for me. 

“Then, Roma sold me to Basel and I wasn’t happy at first, but when I accepted the gact that I had to take a step back, I realised that it would be the right place for me. For a young man, it was perfect to find continuity there.” 

Fortunately for Calafiori, his time in Switzerland with Basel was short-lived, lasting just one season before being brought back to Serie A by Bologna, where he would go on to help the team secure an historic spot in the Champions League. 

“My eyes still light up when I talk about Bologna. We’re not just talking about the football, but things on a human level as well. What I experienced and what we experienced in Bologna was incredible, but how could you say no to the Premier League?”

Legendary former referee Pierluigi Collina has had his say on a number of upcoming VAR and refereeing changes that are expected to come into effect in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America: ‘The goal is to eliminate timewasting as much as possible’. 

Collina explains upcoming VAR and refereeing changes

Collina is a member of the UEFA Referees Committee and is Chair of the FIFA Referees Committee. He was in attendance for the annual general meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Wales on Saturday. 

The IFAB is responsible for overseeing and determining the laws of the game. Its members met in Wales on Saturday to discuss and decide upon a number of changes, including new measures to combat timewasting and allowing VAR to intervene on second yellow card decisions instead of just for straight red card incidents. 

“The goal is to eliminate, or to eliminate as much as possible, timewasting that hinders the spectacle of the game,” Collina told La Gazzetta dello Sport about the upcoming changes that were decided upon on Saturday. 

“Last year we introduced the ‘eight second rule’ for goalkeepers, which has been a great success. There have been very few cases where a corner has been granted. The deterrent has worked.

“Considering the amount of time that is lost through so many goal-kicks and free-kicks, we thought we needed to find a solution.” 

Another rule that will be introduced at the FIFA World Cup is a 10-second limit for players to leave the field after a substitution has been called. If players fail to leave the pitch within the allocated 10 seconds, the replacement substitute will not be permitted to enter until the next stoppage in play, or until one minute of action has passed. 

“We already did something, making substitutes leave the pitch from the nearest point. The time limit is a more effective deterrent than the yellow card, which is sometimes seen as some sort of ‘deal’,” Collina said. ”The results in recent years in MLS show that this measure works,” he added. 

Importantly, VAR will now be able to intervene on second yellow card decisions, which had not previously been the case. 

Just two weeks ago in Serie A, Pierre Kalulu was incorrectly sent off for a second bookable offence in one of the biggest matches of the season, the Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus, but the referee Federico La Penna was unable to refer the incident for review as it was not a straight red card incident. This will no longer be the case. 

Some might argue that it should always have been the case that VAR is able to intervene on second yellow card offences and not just for straight red card incidents. 

“When we decided on the VAR trial in 2016, the technology was very different,” Collina explained. “The protocol was written from scratch and took inspiration from other sports, such as rugby, and video officials had no prior experience. Today, the situation is very different. 

“We’ve been discussing it for a few years and unfortunately until now, some had not considered it to be a priority, which is a shame.” 

VAR will now also be able to review corner kick decisions, which had not previously been the case. 

“A corner is a resumption of play that always takes a certain amount of time,” Collina said. “Usually you have to wait until the centre-backs go up and the kicker often has to cross the length of the pitch. In that time, it could be the case that by simply looking at an image, you realise the decision was wrong. 

“Does it make sense to let the corner go and hope that a goal isn’t scored? It’s much better to correct the initial decision and postpone it.”