Robeto Piccoli is expected to start at centre-forward for Fiorentina in the absence of Italy international Moise Kean as the Viola prepare to take on Rakow Czestochowa in the Conference League on Thursday evening. 

The Conference League has been a rare source of victories for Fiorentina in 2025-26. Paolo Vanoli’s side beat Polish opposition in Jagiellonia Białystok by a 5-4 scoreline over two legs of the play-offs in order to qualify for tonight’s round of 16 tie. 

Rakow Czestochowa finished the league phase in second place and qualified directly for the round of 16 as a result. 

Fiorentina are without Kean in attack. The Italy man is in contention to return against Cremonese in Serie A on Monday evening instead. Compatriot Piccoli is expected to start at centre-forward instead. 

Vanoli is expected to rest Dodo, Nicolo Fagioli and give an opportunity to goalkeeper Oliver Christensen instead of David De Gea. 

According to Sky Sport Italia, Fabiano Parisi and Jacopo Fazzini could also start in attack in a fairly heavily rotated Viola side.

Kick-off is due at 19.45 GMT. 

Fiorentina vs. Rakow Czestochowa: Probable line-ups 

Fiorentina (4-3-3): Christensen; Fortini, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Fabbian, Mandragora, Ndour; Parisi, Piccoli, Fazzini. 

Rakow (3-4-2-1): Zych; Mozor, Svarnas, Racovitan; Tudor, Repka, Struski, Ameyaw; Ibid, Makuch; Brunes.

Where to watch Fiorentina vs. Rakow Czestochowa

Tonight’s game will be available to watch live in the UK on TNT Sports 6 and online through Discovery+. Supporters in the USA are able to tune in via Paramount+. 

Join us for all the pre-match build-up, in-game commentary and post-match reactions on the Football Italia Liveblog.

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)

Fiorentina coach Paolo Vanoli says the club’s medical staff is assessing Moise Kean ‘day by day’ and hopes the Italian striker will be available for the next crucial Serie A match against Cremonese.

Fiorentina star Kean will miss tomorrow’s Conference League Round of 16 first leg game against Rakow, Vanoli confirmed at a press conference on Wednesday.

Kean to miss Fiorentina vs. Rakow

“We are continuing with a recovery process and evaluating him day by day. The target is to have him in Cremona,” the Viola coach said via TMW.

Kean has sustained a fibula injury, and Fiorentina hope he’ll be back for the next Serie A match away at Cremonese. It’s a crucial fixture for the Tuscans, who are just one point above the Grigiorossi in the relegation zone.

Gudmundsson is expected to be available tomorrow but is not in his best shape.

“Right now, he must regain full fitness after an ankle problem. He misses being decisive, but he still does important things,” Vanoli said.

“I like him more in his new role than as a support striker. He must only find that spark; we know he can be decisive in the final games.

“We are focused on this game. The Conference League is an important trophy that we want to honour and go as far as possible. We find a team that did very well in the league phase. They defend well and have only conceded two goals. We must think that we’ll play across two games, so we have to be smart. We’ll think about Cremonese on Friday.”

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Fiorentina star Moise Kean is Massimiliano Allegri’s preferred target to strengthen the Milan attack for the 2026-27 season.

Fiorentina and Italy star striker Kean is Allegri’s primary target in attack for next season, according to Gazzetta.

Allegri already coached Kean at Juventus, giving him his senior debut in November 2016.

Milan already in talks for Kean

Kean has a €62m clause included in his Fiorentina contract. It is only valid in the first two weeks of July, but the Rossoneri have already initiated talks, hoping to lower the Tuscans’ demands.

This past August, Kean signed a contract extension with Fiorentina, raising his clause from €52m to €62m.

According to Gazzetta, Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy is another Milan target for next season, and so is Dusan Vlahovic, although Juventus are confident about reaching an agreement to extend the Serbian striker’s contract, which expires this coming June.

Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao are Milan’s best scorers this season with 10 goals each across all competitions.

Fiorentina star David De Gea sided with under-fire Tottenham goalkeeper Antonín Kinský, who was subbed off after just 17 minutes in a Champions League match against Atletico Madrid last night: ‘Keep your head up.’

Tottenham suffered a 5-2 away loss to Atletico Madrid last night, with coach Igor Tudor and Spurs’ second-choice keeper Kinsky in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

De Gea to Kinsky: ‘No one can understand…’

Tudor dropped Italy international Guglielmo Vicario to give Kinsky his Champions League debut at 22, but the Czech goalkeeper poorly conceded two of Atletico Madrid’s opening three goals in the first 15 minutes and was subbed off after just 17.

Fiorentina star De Gea came out in defence of the young Tottenham goalkeeper with a message on X social media: “No one who hasn’t been a goalkeeper can understand how difficult it is to play in this position,” wrote De Gea.

“Keep your head up and you will go again.”

Sky Sport Italia pundit Paolo Di Canio, a former West Ham star, examined Tudor’s decisions, especially Kinsky’s unconventional substitution after just 17 minutes, suggesting that the ex-Juventus coach might pay a high price in his coaching career.

Overall, it was a very bad night for Italian football as Atalanta, the only Serie A side remaining in the Champions League Round of 16, suffered a 6-1 home loss to Bayern Munich.

Paolo Vanoli admits Fiorentina have regressed in the last couple of weeks after a 0-0 draw with Parma and gives a Moise Kean injury update. ‘It’ll be a battle to the end.’

It should’ve been a positive result for the Viola, as this point means that they are out of the relegation zone for the first time since October 2024.

However, there were jeers from the fans at the final whistle, as a sluggish performance failed to get the full victory that could’ve dragged Parma back down towards the danger spots.

Vanoli sees Fiorentina problems re-emerge

“We were too slow in the first half and got many crosses wrong, so we didn’t attack the penalty area in the right way,” said Vanoli in his press conference.

“The second half was better, we could’ve brought home the victory, but these games are always balanced. We’re disappointed, but it is also a point that allows us to break away from Cremonese.”

Fiorentina had seemingly turned a corner with a run of positive results, but they have now scraped one draw in the last three competitive matches, failing to score for 250 minutes of Serie A football.

“Football is strange sometimes. In the first two months here we had so many chances, but ups and downs are natural. We didn’t attack the back post or have the right service today, yet compared to the defeat to Udinese last week, we had a better xG today. We just weren’t inventive enough,” added Vanoli.

“I always said the fans are important to us and if they felt the need to jeer, we have to accept it. We must be aware that it’ll be a battle to the very end. We aren’t giving enough, yet it is all we have right now.”

Does he at least recognise there have been steps backward in the last couple of weeks, cancelling out the progress that had been made?

“That is a fair analysis, we are lacking a bit of energy at the moment. Against Udinese was the fifth game in 16 days, I evidently didn’t manage to get the batteries recharged,” confessed Vanoli.

“We lacked quality in the one-on-one situations and I was angry in the first half because Dodo was keeping Jack Harrison pinned back too deep. We were more aggressive after the break, but were still too static and this made it easier for the Parma defenders.”

The lack of goals was also down to the absence of injured Moise Kean and Manor Solomon, who both suffered knocks in recent matches and were not even on the bench today.

“Moise has an inflammation in the ankle after a blow in Udine, we tried to get him on the bench, but he continued to feel pain. Now we hope he’ll be available for the Conference League,” explained Vanoli.

“Solomon is continuing treatment and we’ll see if we can get him fit before the break for international duty or after.”

The next week could be huge in Fiorentina’s season, as they have the Conference League Round of 16 with Rakow and then a relegation tussle with Cremonese.

A point takes Fiorentina out of the drop zone for the first time since October, but it feels like a wasted opportunity, as Parma are now practically safe.

The Viola’s positive run of form ground to a screeching halt after back-to-back defeats in the Conference League to Jagiellonia, even if they qualified in extra time, and 3-0 to Udinese in Serie A. Preparing for the Round of 16 with Rakow on Thursday, they couldn’t afford rotation in this relegation battle.

Dodo returned from suspension, replaced on the naughty step by Fabiano Parisi. Moise Kean, Manor Solomon, Luca Lezzerini and Tariq Lamptey were ruled out. Parma were revitalised by three straight wins and a draw against Cagliari, though Adrian Bernabé, Sascha Britschgi, Pontus Almqvist and Matija Frigan missed out. Zion Suzuki returned to the bench after surgery on a hand fracture in November.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Luca Ranieri couldn’t get control of a scuffed acrobatic volley on the Roberto Piccoli knockdown, while Gabriel Strefezza blasted over on the counter-attack after robbing Marco Brescianini.

Mandela Keita’s daisy-cutter from outside the area skimmed the base of the near post, but Fiorentina stepped up a gear after the restart, Jack Harrison’s cross for Piccoli forcing a desperate Enrico Delprato block.

Rolando Mandragora’s acrobatic volley sailed over, while both Piccoli and Giovanni Fabbian failed to get on the end of a Nicolò Fagioli cross from six yards.

The point takes Fiorentina out of the bottom three for the first time since October, but it means Parma are now almost guaranteed Serie A safety, and the Viola were jeered off the field by their own fans.

Fiorentina 0-0 Parma

08-03-2026 14:00

MatchDay 28

Artemio Franchi Stadium

Fiorentina

Parma

0 - 0

Player statistic

2nd half

Rolando Mandragora		61'
Dodô		90'

Match statistic

56

Possession %

44

12

Total shots

8

1

Shots on target

0

6

Shots off target

6

5

Blocked shots

2

7

Corners

1

1

Offsides

0

12

Fouls

14

Fiorentina

Parma

Starting lineups

43

David de Gea

Goalkeeper

2

Dodô

Defender

6

Luca Ranieri

Defender

5

Marin Pongracic

Defender

86'

27

Cher Ndour

Midfielder

86'

44

Nicolò Fagioli

Midfielder

21

Robin Gosens

Midfielder

8

Rolando Mandragora

Midfielder

64'

10

Albert Gudmundsson

Attacker

17

Jack Harrison

Attacker

81'

91

Roberto Piccoli

Attacker

40

Edoardo Corvi

Goalkeeper

39

Alessandro Circati

Defender

14

Emanuele Valeri

Defender

15

Enrico Delprato

Defender

37

Mariano Troilo

Defender

25

Benja Cremaschi

Midfielder

41

Hans Nicolussi Caviglia

Midfielder

16

Mandela Keita

Midfielder

22

Oliver Sörensen

Midfielder

82'

7

Gabriel Strefezza

Attacker

9

Mateo Pellegrino

Attacker

72'

Substitutes

3

Daniele Rugani

Defender

53

Oliver Christensen

Goalkeeper

29

Niccolò Fortini

Midfielder

60

Eddy Kouadio

Defender

50

Pietro Leonardelli

Goalkeeper

61

Riccardo Braschi

Attacker

62

Luis Balbo

Defender

80

Giovanni Fabbian

Midfielder

64'

22

Jacopo Fazzini

Midfielder

81'

4

Marco Brescianini

Midfielder

86'

15

Pietro Comuzzo

Defender

86'

29

Franco Carboni

Defender

66

Filippo Rinaldi

Goalkeeper

17

Jacob Ondrejka

Attacker

31

Zion Suzuki

Goalkeeper

3

Abdoulaye Ndiaye

Defender

70

Bernardo Conde

Defender

63

Marlon Mena Martinez

Defender

23

Nesta Elphege

Attacker

72'

8

Nahuel Estévez

Midfielder

82'

Moise Kean is working to recover from his latest fibula injury, but the Fiorentina and Italy striker has already targeted World Cup qualification with the Azzurri: ‘We are an excellent group.’

Fiorentina and Italy striker Kean was subbed off in the second half of the Tuscans’ 3-0 loss against Udinese on Monday and will undergo medical examinations today.

Kean recovering from latest injury

According to Corriere dello Sport, the Italy international will miss the next two matches against Parma and Rakov.

The striker, however, was more cautious about his fitness and told Repubblica he hopes to be available for the next league match.

“I try to improve day by day. I work with a great staff, and I’ll try to be there for the next game, he said.

Kean has been a regular starter for Italy under Gennaro Gattuso and hopes to bring the Azzurri to the World Cup for the first time since 2014.

“I hope to break this taboo this summer. I was lucky; I experienced the triumph of 2006,” he said.

“I remember that night. I watched the final against France at the bar downstairs from my house, together with my brother. At the end of the match, you couldn’t understand anything with beers and chairs flying around in the little square. People were happy, and it was beautiful.

“There’s the right atmosphere, and we are an excellent group,” Kean continued.

“We are united and care about each other; we trust each other. We are friends beyond teammates. We needed this. I know we’ll play good games, I have good vibes.

“I have big targets. I continuously think about it. I work for it every day, and I hope to give my contribution.”

Gattuso has recently visited all Italy players for dinner, travelling to different cities and countries.

“It was nice to see him again. He always gives us a lot of energy, which is what we need,” Kean said.

“The coach and I often talk; we have a similar character. Every time I talk with him, I feel stronger.

“He really says what he thinks, and we like it. He’s a real one, and we’ll give everything for him.”

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.

Paolo Vanoli hit out at Fiorentina after their 3-0 defeat to Udinese, warning it ‘felt like a continuation’ of their Conference League play-off with Jagiellonia.

The Viola had been on a strong run of form, but lost twice in the space of a few days, even if on Thursday they still scraped into the Conference League Round of 16 past Jagiellonia in extra time, despite fumbling a 3-0 first leg advantage.

That match already showed signs of trouble, which were confirmed in Udine with a 3-0 defeat.

Vanoli sees old Fiorentina problems return

“Udinese are a very physical team, so if we are always late to the knockdowns, we are making life easier for them,” Vanoli told DAZN Italia.

“It felt like a continuation of the game in the Conference League, the mentality was all wrong again. The players need to take a good, hard look at themselves, because it takes a long time to build something up, and a mere moment to destroy it.”

Daniele Rugani was thrown straight into the starting XI for his Fiorentina debut and it was disastrous, because he slipped for the Christian Kabasele free header, gave away the Keinan Davis penalty, and was shrugged off by Adam Buksa for the third goal.

“I knew Rugani would struggle to last 90 minutes after so long out of action, but he did well to get to the end. He can’t find form or fitness if he doesn’t play. I am convinced he will give a strong contribution in the coming weeks,” noted Vanoli.

Instead, the coach turned his ire towards other Fiorentina players and the overall attitude of the squad.

“We never ran into the spaces, we passed the ball around too slowly, and this is not good enough.

“The statistics showed we didn’t have a single shot on target, plus we suffered defending on set plays and showed a lack of concentration.

“We will get nowhere without determination, and clearly in that sense we have not progressed, because we must increase our desire to not concede goals.”

There was also an additional injury concern, as Vanoli confirmed Moise Kean asked to be substituted after a knock to the tibia.

This is the first Fiorentina defeat in Serie A since their 2-1 loss at Napoli on January 31, and it leaves them level on 24 points with Cremonese and Lecce.

The only teams behind them in the table are Pisa and Verona, joint rock bottom on 15 points, so it looks as if there is one more relegation spot still to be assigned.

“The table is tightening up, games are coming along where the mentality is going to make the difference.”

Pisa and Verona look doomed to relegation from Serie A, but it’s wide open for the third slot, as Fiorentina, Cremonese, Lecce and Genoa are crammed into a three-point radius.

The Week 27 fixtures were completed this evening and the results have a big knock-on effect for the fight to avoid relegation.

Serie A has three spots going down out of 20, and it will take a miracle now for Pisa and Hellas Verona to avoid the slide into Serie B.

They are stuck together on just 15 points out of 27 rounds, already nine adrift of the others in this race.

Torino’s win over Lazio might’ve done enough to keep them out of the running, leaving only Genoa on 27 points, then Fiorentina, Cremonese and Lecce all crammed together on 24.

The Viola had broken clear in recent weeks, but are now back in the quagmire, out of the bottom three purely on goal difference.

If two teams are tied at the end of the season for relegation, then they will face off in a specially arranged play-off.

If three or more sides have the same points, then a mini-table is drawn up of their head-to-head results, with the bottom two going into the play-off.

Serie A Table

Udinese ended their negative streak with a badly-needed 3-0 victory sealed by Christian Kabasele, Keinan Davis and Adam Buksa, as Daniele Rugani had a disastrous Fiorentina debut.

The Viola had been transformed in recent weeks with three consecutive victories in all competition, but threw away a 3-0 first leg advantage in the Conference League play-off with Jagiellonia on Thursday, only scraping through in extra time. Dodo was suspended here, but Rolando Mandragora returned from his ban. Manor Solomon, Luca Lezzerini and Robin Gosens sustained injuries against Jagiellonia, so Daniele Rugani made his debut. Udinese were collapsing after three straight defeats, missing Arthur Atta, Oumar Solet and Alessandro Zanoli, but Keinan Davis returned after a month out.

There was a musical performance before kick-off, as this week is eight years since the death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori, in a hotel in Udine in March 2018. Free cardiac checks are also organised in the stadium this month.

See how the game unfolded on the Liveblog.

It took just 10 minutes to open the scoring, as Nicolò Zaniolo whipped a corner into the six-yard box and Christian Kabasele was allowed a free header, because Rugani had slipped.

Mandragora smashed a free kick over the bar, then blasted over from just inside the area, while Albert Gudmundsson hit a fresh-air volley on the dinked Niccolò Fagioli pass over the top.

Davis combined with Zaniolo and cut inside to shoot hard and low from 13 yards, forcing David De Gea to parry with his legs.

After the restart, Jack Harrison’s cross only grazed the head of Moise Kean at the back stick, and De Gea again denied Davis after a run from the centre-circle.

Another strong Davis run from his own half concluded with the Zaniolo effort deflected wide off Fabiano Parisi, and the striker was wrestled to the ground by Rugani as he tried to get on the end of an inspired Jordan Zemura pass. It was an inevitable penalty, which Davis converted himself.

Bertola ran back for a brave block on Kean, spraining his ankle in the process, and Cher Ndour’s header whistled wide on the resulting corner.

Rugani completed his truly disastrous debut by allowing Adam Buksa to shrug off his attempt at a challenge when running onto the Lennon Miller knockdown, curling a left-foot finish into the far corner.

Udinese 3-0 Fiorentina

Kabasele 10 (U), Davis pen 64 (U), Buksa 94 (U)

02-03-2026 19:45

MatchDay 27

Friuli Stadium (Dacia Arena)

Udinese

Fiorentina

3 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Christian Kabasele (Assist: Nicolò Zaniolo)		10'
		28'		Marin Pongracic
Kingsley Ehizibue		32'
		32'		Fabiano Parisi

2nd half

		61'		Daniele Rugani
Keinan Davis		63'
		80'		Luca Ranieri
Adam Buksa (Assist: Lennon Miller)		90+4'

Match statistic

35

Possession %

65

10

Total shots

10

7

Shots on target

1

Shots off target

6

2

Blocked shots

4

5

Corners

2

16

Fouls

12

Udinese

Fiorentina

Starting lineups

40

Maduka Okoye

Goalkeeper

27

Christian Kabasele

Defender

33

Jordan Zemura

Defender

73'

19

Kingsley Ehizibue

Defender

13

Nicolò Bertola

Defender

73'

31

Thomas Kristensen

Defender

24

Jakub Piotrowski

Midfielder

73'

8

Jesper Karlström

Midfielder

32

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp

Midfielder

10

Nicolò Zaniolo

Midfielder

87'

9

Keinan Davis

Attacker

68'

43

David de Gea

Goalkeeper

3

Daniele Rugani

Defender

65

Fabiano Parisi

Defender

6

Luca Ranieri

Defender

5

Marin Pongracic

Defender

46'

4

Marco Brescianini

Midfielder

46'

44

Nicolò Fagioli

Midfielder

87'

8

Rolando Mandragora

Midfielder

71'

10

Albert Gudmundsson

Attacker

17

Jack Harrison

Attacker

20

Moise Kean

Attacker

71'

Substitutes

93

Daniele Padelli

Goalkeeper

90

Răzvan Sava

Goalkeeper

1

Alessandro Nunziante

Goalkeeper

15

Vakoun Bayo

Attacker

29

Abdoulaye Camara

Midfielder

7

Idrissa Gueye

Attacker

20

Juan Arizala

Defender

18

Adam Buksa

Attacker

68'

11

Hassane Kamara

Defender

73'

6

Oier Zarraga

Midfielder

73'

22

Branimir Mlacic

Defender

73'

38

Lennon Miller

Midfielder

87'

21

Robin Gosens

Midfielder

53

Oliver Christensen

Goalkeeper

29

Niccolò Fortini

Midfielder

60

Eddy Kouadio

Defender

50

Pietro Leonardelli

Goalkeeper

62

Luis Balbo

Defender

27

Cher Ndour

Midfielder

46'

15

Pietro Comuzzo

Defender

46'

91

Roberto Piccoli

Attacker

71'

80

Giovanni Fabbian

Midfielder

71'

22

Jacopo Fazzini

Midfielder

87'

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.”

The Champions League, Europa League and Conference League knock-out draws are complete, and now, the times and dates for each of the upcoming round of 16 ties have been confirmed as well. Here are the key dates for Atalanta, Roma, Bologna and Fiorentina fans to mark down in their diaries. 

The Champions League, Europa League and Conference League draws took place at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday, following the completion of the play-off rounds earlier this week. 

You can see how the draw unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Atalanta are the only Italian team left standing in the Champions League after Napoli’s league phase elimination and the exits of both Inter and Juventus in the play-offs earlier this week. La Dea will go up against Borussia Dortmund over two legs of the round of 16. 

Two Italian teams remain in the Europa League in Roma and Bologna, but they have been drawn against each other in the round of 16, meaning there is a guarantee of an Italian side in the quarter-finals, but only one. 

Fiorentina, meanwhile, have a tough task ahead of them in the Conference League round of 16, where they will go up against Raków Częstochowa, who finished the league phase in second place, in the round of 16.

Key Atalanta dates 

Round of 16 first leg: Tuesday March 10, 2026 @ 20.00 GMT (at home against Bayern Munich)

Round of 16 second leg: Wednesday March 18 @ 20.00 GMT (away against Bayern Munich)

Quarter-final first legs: Tuesday April 7 and Wednesday April 8 

Quarter-final second legs: Tuesday April 14 and Wednesday April 15 

Semi-final first legs: Tuesday April 28 and Wednesday April 29 

Semi-final second legs: Tuesday May 5 and Wednesday May 6

Final: Saturday May 30. 

Key Roma and Bologna dates 

Round of 16 first leg: Thursday March 12 @ 17.45 GMT (at the Dall’Ara)

Round of 16 second leg: Thursday March 19 @ 20.00 GMT (at the Stadio Olimpico)

Quarter-final first legs: Thursday April 9

Quarter-final second legs: Thursday April 16

Semi-final first legs: Thursday April 30 

Semi-final second legs: Thursday May 7 

Final: Wednesday May 20. 

Key Fiorentina dates 

Round of 16 first leg: Thursday March 12 @ 20.00 GMT (at home at the Stadio Franchi)

Round of 16 second leg: Thursday March 19 @ 17.45 GMT (away at the Miejski Stadion Piłkarski Raków)

Quarter-final first legs: Thursday April 9

Quarter-final second legs: Thursday April 16

Semi-final first legs: Thursday April 30 

Semi-final second legs: Thursday May 7 

Final: Wednesday May 27.

The Conference League knock-out round draw is now complete and Fiorentina have discovered that they will go up against Raków Częstochowa over two legs of the round of 16 in March. 

The draws for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League knock-out took place at the UEFA Headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday. 

You can see how the draws unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Fiorentina learn Conference League round of 16 opponents

Fiorentina finished the Conference League league phase in 15th place with three wins and three losses to their name after six matches. 

That was enough to secure a spot in the play-off round, where they narrowly got past Jagiellonia on a 5-4 aggregate scoreline. Their second leg in Tuscany was taken to extra-time on Thursday night, despite the fact that the Viola were 3-0 up after the first leg. 

Fiorentina have since learned that they will go up against another Polish opponent in Raków Częstochowa in the round of 16. Rakow finished the league phase in second place and were one of only three sides in the Conference League to go unbeaten over their first six matches, with four wins and two draws to their name so far in this season’s competition. 

The winner of this tie will go on to face either Crystal Palace or AEK Larnaca in the quarter-final. The winner of that quarter-final will go on to play either Lech Poznan, Shakhtar Donetsk, AZ Alkmaar or Sparta Prague. 

Serie A have four clubs remaining in European competitions and will battle with Germany and Spain for an extra Champions League spot, but Italy’s contenders have more representatives.

Atalanta, Roma, Bologna and Fiorentina are the four Serie A clubs remaining in European competitions this season, and Italy’s chance to earn an extra Champions League spot in 2026-27 depends on how far they’ll go in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.

Atalanta are the only Serie A representative in the Champions League Round of 16, Bologna and Roma have qualified for the Europa League Round of 16, and so has Fiorentina in the Conference League.

Today’s draws will determine their next opponents.

Updated UEFA Coefficient Ranking

Italy sits fifth in the UEFA coefficient ranking, where the English Premier League has already practically secured the top spot and an extra Champions League spot for next season.

Germany, Spain and Italy will battle for the second and last available place, and the gap between the three contenders is currently only 0.20 points.

Germany currently sits second with 17.571 points, Spain follows in fourth with 17.406, while Italy sit fifth with 17.357.

Both Germany and Spain, however, have more clubs left in European competitions, so technically, they have more chances to earn points. They also have more clubs in the Champions League, a further concern for Italy.

Europe’s elite competition can, in fact, award up to 48 points to a nation; the maximum in the Europa League is 40, and in the Conference League, it’s 32.

Why Italy underdogs against Germany and Spain

Spain’s La Liga has six representatives left, including three in the Champions League, Real Madrid, Atletico and Barcelona.

Germany’s Bundesliga has five clubs remaining in Europe, two in the Champions League: Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.

As Gazzetta highlights, ‘theoretically Italy has limited chances because we can earn fewer points. Just as Poland and Portugal have pulled away, the same could happen to our clubs now. Naturally, winning every match and every trophy would change the picture, but a healthy dose of realism doesn’t hurt to avoid ending up disappointed.’

Atalanta, Roma, Bologna and Fiorentina, the four Serie A clubs remaining in European competitions, will learn their Round of 16 opponents today: let’s find out who they could meet.

The draws for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League take place today in Nyon, Switzerland, revealing the Serie A representatives’ road to the finals.

Atalanta are the only Italian club still involved in the Champions League and will face Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the Round of 16. The draw for Europe’s elite competition will begin at 12:00 CET (11:00 GMT) today.

La Dea beat Borussia Dortmund 4-3 on aggregate in the knockout play-off.

Possible Serie A derby in Europa League

There could be an Italian derby in the Europa League, with Bologna and Roma potentially meeting in the next Round.

The Rossoblu eliminated Brann from the knockout play-off, while Roma qualified straight to the Round of 16 by finishing in the top eight in the league phase.

Bologna will meet Roma or Freiburg, while the Giallorossi will play Bologna or Genk.

The Europa League draw will start at 13:00 today.

Fiorentina struggled to eliminate Jagiellonia from the Conference League knockout play-off and will face Strasbourg or Rakow in the Round of 16.

The Conference League draw will start at 14:00 CET today.