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)

Fabio Grosso admits Sassuolo are ‘ahead of schedule’ this season, but a lack of maturity was evident in the ‘naïve errors’ for their 2-1 defeat to Lazio.

The Neroverdi had won five of their previous six Serie A matches, losing only to leaders Inter, and had the opportunity with a win here to leapfrog Bologna into eighth place.

They had recovered from the shocking start of a Daniel Maldini goal after 80 seconds, drawing level through Armand Laurienté, but were undone deep into stoppages.

Goalkeeper Arijanet Muric mistimed the run off his line, not for the first time this season, and allowed Adam Marusic to nod a Matteo Cancellieri cross into the empty net.

Grosso sees room for Sassuolo improvement

“Our initial approach wasn’t right, but there is an issue of maturity that requires certain steps in the process, and we are very much ahead of schedule this season,” Grosso told Sky Sport Italia.

“If we managed to be consistent too, then we’d be even higher up the table. We reacted to the opening goal, started the second half well too, but we lost intensity in the closing stages. It was more psychological than physical, especially after wasting two big chances, then making naïve errors.

“It would’ve been important to bring home at least a point, as Lazio might be having difficulties, but they remain a very strong team. They were able to bring on fresh legs in attack that made the difference.”

Andrea Pinamonti was suspended today, so M’Bala Nzola had his first start for Sassuolo, but some substitutes didn’t provide the boost that they needed.

“We certainly could’ve done better. I usually don’t change the two full-backs, but Coulibaly was struggling for fitness, while Garcia had just been booked and Lazio were pushing hard on those duels down the flanks, so I didn’t want us to go down to 10 men,” explained Grosso.

“That meant I couldn’t use those two substitutions to change in attack. It’s a pity, we had some big chances just moments before conceding the last goal. When we are not at full intensity, teams with this kind of quality will make it count.

“It’s a pity we conceded that goal at the end, we go back home with a bitter taste in our mouths. We must remember that if we’re not pushing to the max, a side like ours will drop points.”

It is still an extraordinarily positive season for Sassuolo, who were only promoted from Serie B last summer, as they remain in ninth place, just one point behind local rivals Bologna.

“We have a mix of different nationalities and cultures, plus some Italians who have done so much in the past, one of them winning the Euros, many youngsters who are growing. We have an interesting combination.”

Grosso was of course the man who scored the decisive penalty to give Italy the 2006 World Cup, beating France in the Final, so what advice does he have for the Azzurri preparing for the play-offs?

“I think you need the right balance between healthy fear of a big occasion and the clear-headed approach to enjoy the football. It’s been too long since we’ve been away from the World Cup, so we all hope to do our part by cheering on the team.”

Maurizio Sarri confirms two new injuries for Lazio in their last-gasp victory over Sassuolo, but warns ‘the club has to take some initiative’ to end the fan boycott and reinforce the squad.

The Biancocelesti had just two points in their last four Serie A games and were coming off Wednesday’s dramatic 2-2 Coppa Italia semi-final draw with Atalanta.

They took just 80 seconds to break the deadlock here today with Daniel Maldini, cancelled out by an Armand Laurienté strike, but in stoppages Adam Marusic flicked in the Matteo Cancellieri cross to beat the rather wayward Arijanet Muric.

Sarri frustrated at Lazio difficulties

“There were some ups and downs during the match, but even without some important players, then losing Romagnoli and Cataldi too, the lads had a great final half-hour with real heart. I think the win was fully deserved, even if we left it late,” Sarri told Sky Sport Italia.

Some of Sarri’s changes were forced, as Danilo Cataldi went off with a muscular issue in the first half, then Alessio Romagnoli was replaced at half-time over a fitness issue.

“Cataldi felt his calf muscle harden, but it was caused by something else that we’ll identify tomorrow. Romagnoli had a similar issue, caused by a knock he sustained against Atalanta.”

Debutant goalkeeper Edoardo Motta made a double save at 1-1, giving some reassurance after Ivan Provedel’s season was ended by shoulder surgery.

“This is a team that can have the right attitude, every now and then we get it wrong, but not that often. We’ve had to deal with enormous difficulties and some of them are still going, as playing in an empty stadium is depressing, but the players have reacted well to that too.”

The atmosphere in the Stadio Olimpico remains a worrying situation, because the boycott continues from the ultras in protest at President Claudio Lotito, so there were only 5,000 people in the stands.

It is the fourth home game in a row with this boycott, so how can the supporters be convinced to come back?

“I think the club has to take some initiative to bring them back, because this is too much of a difficult situation for us,” replied Sarri.

“I am not a director, but this situation has been dragging on for a while, so they know more than me. They will know better than me how and where to intervene.”

The coach said many times he only stayed at Lazio because he made a promise to the fans, so how does he see his future at the club?

“I don’t know, as soon as the season ends and we’ll have a few meetings, then I’ll be able to tell you. A team that has to be up to the standards of the history of this club must be reinforced, that’s for sure,” concluded Sarri.

“If I stayed only for the fans, then right now even I don’t know why I’m still here, because the fans aren’t here either,” the coach added in a press conference.

This result means that Lazio climb back ahead of Udinese into the top 10, and are within a point of Sassuolo in ninth.

Lazio pounced on a goalkeeping error to punish on-form Sassuolo in stoppages with Adam Marusic, with a 2-1 victory that takes them into the top 10.

The Aquile were fresh off a 2-2 Coppa Italia semi-final draw with Atalanta on Wednesday, but lost goalkeeper Ivan Provedel for the season after shoulder surgery, joining Toma Basic, Nicolò Rovella and Samuel Gigot on the sidelines, so January signing Edoardo Motta made his Serie A debut. The Neroverdi won five of the last six games, losing only to Inter, and Andrea Pinamonti was suspended, with Nemanja Matic suffering from flu symptoms, plus Alieu Fadera, Daniel Boloca, Edoardo Pieragnolo and Fali Candé injured.

Lazio ultras continued to boycott the match in protest at President Claudio Lotito, so there were only 5,000 fans present.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It took 80 seconds to break the deadlock, as Gustav Isaksen surged forward after a throw-in and forced the save from Arijanet Muric, but Daniel Maldini gathered the rebound, took a touch to send Woyo Coulibaly to ground, and walked it into the net from six yards.

Isaksen also robbed Ulisses Garcia to drill inches wide of the near post, then his glancing header flashed across the face of goal on a corner.

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru failed to make the most of a cheap giveaway, but Sassuolo grew into the game and M’Bala Nzola’s angled drive took a double deflection off Alessio Romagnoli’s shin and debutant Motta’s fingertips to graze the far stick.

The equaliser was in the air and arrived at the end of a well-worked move, as Armand Laurienté combined with Kristian Thorstvedt to cut inside from the left and bend a ferocious right-foot finish into the far top corner from 14 yards.

Moments later, Danilo Cataldi limped off with a muscular issue and was replaced by Gil Patric in a relatively new role in front of the defence.

Maldini had penalty appeals rejected when he went shoulder-to-shoulder with Luca Lipani, but the hosts lost another big player at half-time when Alessio Romagnoli was forced off through injury.

Oliver Provstgaard immediately had to intercept the dangerous Coulibaly assist before Nzola could tap in, while Kenneth Taylor scuffed from a promising position when set up by Dele-Bashiru.

Mattia Zaccagni’s curler was too close to Muric, but Lazio really should’ve scored on 78 minutes. Isaksen timed the run perfectly to spring the offside trap on the Patric through ball and dinked it over the on-rushing goalkeeper, only to land on the roof of an empty net.

Moments later, debutant goalkeeper Motta needed a tough double save, first parrying the Laurienté strike and then doing better on the Josh Doig follow-up.

Muric got down for a one-handed save on the powerful Mattia Cancellieri curler, then also got his gloves to a Cancellieri cross-shot at the near post, pushing it away from Boulaye Dia.

Provstgaard nodded over from six yards on a free kick, but Lazio snatched the winner in stoppages. Cancellieri floated in a cross from the right and Muric came flailing out aimlessly, allowing Adam Marusic to flick the header backwards into the empty net from 10 yards.

Lazio 2-1 Sassuolo

Maldini 2 (L), Laurienté 35 (S), Marusic 92 (L)

09-03-2026 19:45

MatchDay 28

Stadio Olimpico

Lazio

Sassuolo

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

Daniel Maldini		2'
		35'		Armand Lauriente (Assist: Kristian Thorstvedt)
		37'		Luca Lipani

2nd half

		58'		Ulisses Garcia
		86'		Armand Lauriente
		88'		Sebastian Walukiewicz
Adam Marusic (Assist: Matteo Cancellieri)		90+2'

Match statistic

50

Possession %

50

13

Total shots

7

5

Shots on target

4

6

Shots off target

1

2

Blocked shots

2

1

Corners

6

2

Offsides

3

7

Fouls

8

Lazio

Sassuolo

Starting lineups

40

Edoardo Motta

Goalkeeper

77

Adam Marusic

Defender

13

Alessio Romagnoli

Defender

46'

34

Mario Gila

Defender

17

Nuno Tavares

Defender

27

Daniel Maldini

Midfielder

65'

32

Danilo Cataldi

Midfielder

38'

7

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru

Midfielder

24

Kenneth Taylor

Midfielder

18

Gustav Isaksen

Attacker

79'

10

Mattia Zaccagni

Attacker

79'

49

Arijanet Muric

Goalkeeper

21

Jay Idzes

Defender

80

Tarik Muharemovic

Defender

23

Ulisses Garcia

Defender

68'

25

Woyo Coulibaly

Defender

68'

90

Ismaël Koné

Midfielder

83'

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

46'

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

10

Domenico Berardi

Attacker

8

M’Bala Nzola

Attacker

68'

Substitutes

29

Manuel Lazzari

Defender

23

Elseid Hysaj

Defender

55

Alessio Furlanetto

Goalkeeper

3

Luca Pellegrini

Defender

21

Reda Belahyane

Midfielder

20

Petar Ratkov

Attacker

14

Tijjani Noslin

Attacker

28

Adrian Przyborek

Attacker

99

Giacomo Giacomone

4

Patric

Defender

38'

25

Oliver Provstgaard

Defender

46'

19

Boulaye Dia

Attacker

65'

9

Pedro

Attacker

79'

22

Matteo Cancellieri

Attacker

79'

7

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

19

Filippo Romagna

Defender

12

Giacomo Satalino

Goalkeeper

16

Gioele Zacchi

Goalkeeper

13

Stefano Turati

Goalkeeper

44

Edoardo Iannoni

Midfielder

40

Aster Vranckx

Midfielder

18

Nemanja Matic

Midfielder

46'

6

Sebastian Walukiewicz

Defender

68'

24

Luca Moro

Attacker

68'

3

Josh Doig

Defender

68'

50

Darryl Bakola

Midfielder

83'

Maurizio Sarri hit out at Lazio President Claudio Lotito after losing Ivan Provedel for the season and being forced to debut Edoardo Motta against Sassuolo. ‘I was totally against the sale of Christos Mandas.’

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

The Biancocelesti have been showing very different form in Serie A compared to the Coppa Italia, as they scraped one point from three league games, yet played a spectacular 2-2 semi-final first leg draw with Atalanta last Wednesday.

“We have such incredible differences in our statistics from Sunday to Wednesday, they are genuinely hard to explain,” shrugged the coach on Sky Sport Italia.

“It is all about the different attitude that the team had in those two games. It is a mistake to do that, we should always have great motivation, and I hope to see the version of Lazio tonight that we got on Wednesday.”

Sarri vents fury at Lazio transfer strategy

The injury crisis has dragged on throughout the campaign, but hit a new low when goalkeeper Provedel was ruled out for the rest of the season by shoulder surgery on a tendon tear.

It means Sarri has to give 21-year-old Motta his Serie A debut, having arrived in January from Reggina.

“It is certainly a major absence. I was totally against the decision to sell Mandas. Now we have a young lad with some qualities, we’ll see what he does on the field,” replied the coach.

He sent that message to President Lotito, who had loaned second-choice goalkeeper Mandas to Bournemouth in January for €1.5m with an option to buy for a further €18.5m.

However, Mandas made just one appearance this season for Lazio, in the Coppa Italia, and is yet to make his Bournemouth debut either.

Not many expected at the start of the season that in Week 28 this would be a mid-table tussle, with newly-promoted Sassuolo ahead and pushing for eighth place with a victory here.

Even if the Aquile win this evening, they won’t be able to close the gap completely and catch the Neroverdi in the table.

“I was more or less expecting Sassuolo to do this well, as they are a strong team, well-organised and had a clear identity from the start,” said Sarri.

The mood has not been helped by the ongoing boycott of the home matches, as ultras have been abandoning the Stadio Olimpico for the last four games in protest at President Lotito.

“It’s depressing, horrible, and it’s time the club does something about this,” added Sarri on DAZN Italia.

Lazio begin life without Ivan Provedel and give Edoardo Motta his Serie A debut in goal, taking on Domenico Berardi’s ambitious Sassuolo, who could leap into eighth place.

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

This is a surprising mid-table tussle, because no matter the result this evening, newly-promoted Sassuolo will be ahead of the Aquile in the standings.

A home victory would close the gap to just one point and put Maurizio Sarri’s side in 10^th place, whereas a Neroverdi win would let them leapfrog Bologna into eighth position.

Lazio were involved in a midweek 2-2 Coppa Italia semi-final draw with Atalanta, twice fumbling the lead so that it all goes down to the second leg in Bergamo next month.

The big news over the last few days is that Provedel required surgery on a tendon in his shoulder and could well be out for the rest of the season.

It means January signing Edoardo Motta is thrown in at the deep end for his Serie A debut.

Toma Basic, Nicolò Rovella and Samuel Gigot are also out of action, so Fisayo Dele-Bashiru starts in midfield, with Daniel Maldini, Gustav Isaksen and Mattia Zaccagni upfront.

They scraped only two points from the last four Serie A games, and failed to score for three in a row in this competition.

The mood has not been helped by the ongoing boycott of the home matches, as ultras have been gathering outside the Stadio Olimpico to cheer on their team from there in protest at President Claudio Lotito.

Sassuolo are on fine form recently, winning five of the last six games, interrupted only by a defeat to leaders Inter.

Sebastian Walukiewicz returns from suspension, but Andrea Pinamonti sits out a ban instead.

Alieu Fadera is recovering after surgery on a fractured cheekbone he suffered during the 2-1 victory over Atalanta, which was achieved when down to 10 men for over an hour.

Daniel Boloca, Edoardo Pieragnolo and Fali Candé are all long-term absentees.

Instead, M’Bala Nzola steps into the attack with Domenico Berardi and Armand Laurienté, with ex-Roma midfielder Nemanja Matic rested.

Lazio vs. Sassuolo line-ups

Lazio: Motta; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Nuno Tavares; Dele-Bashiru, Cataldi, Taylor; Isaksen, Maldini, Zaccagni

Sassuolo: Muric; Coulibaly, Idzes, Muharemovic, Garcia; Koné, Lipani, Thorstvedt; Berardi, Nzola, Laurienté

09-03-2026 19:45

MatchDay 28

Stadio Olimpico

Lazio

Sassuolo

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

Daniel Maldini		2'
		35'		Armand Lauriente (Assist: Kristian Thorstvedt)
		37'		Luca Lipani

2nd half

		58'		Ulisses Garcia
		86'		Armand Lauriente
		88'		Sebastian Walukiewicz
Adam Marusic (Assist: Matteo Cancellieri)		90+2'

Match statistic

50

Possession %

50

13

Total shots

7

5

Shots on target

4

6

Shots off target

1

2

Blocked shots

2

1

Corners

6

2

Offsides

3

7

Fouls

8

Lazio

Sassuolo

Starting lineups

40

Edoardo Motta

Goalkeeper

77

Adam Marusic

Defender

13

Alessio Romagnoli

Defender

46'

34

Mario Gila

Defender

17

Nuno Tavares

Defender

27

Daniel Maldini

Midfielder

65'

32

Danilo Cataldi

Midfielder

38'

7

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru

Midfielder

24

Kenneth Taylor

Midfielder

18

Gustav Isaksen

Attacker

79'

10

Mattia Zaccagni

Attacker

79'

49

Arijanet Muric

Goalkeeper

21

Jay Idzes

Defender

80

Tarik Muharemovic

Defender

23

Ulisses Garcia

Defender

68'

25

Woyo Coulibaly

Defender

68'

90

Ismaël Koné

Midfielder

83'

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

46'

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

10

Domenico Berardi

Attacker

8

M’Bala Nzola

Attacker

68'

Substitutes

29

Manuel Lazzari

Defender

23

Elseid Hysaj

Defender

55

Alessio Furlanetto

Goalkeeper

3

Luca Pellegrini

Defender

21

Reda Belahyane

Midfielder

20

Petar Ratkov

Attacker

14

Tijjani Noslin

Attacker

28

Adrian Przyborek

Attacker

99

Giacomo Giacomone

4

Patric

Defender

38'

25

Oliver Provstgaard

Defender

46'

19

Boulaye Dia

Attacker

65'

9

Pedro

Attacker

79'

22

Matteo Cancellieri

Attacker

79'

7

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

19

Filippo Romagna

Defender

12

Giacomo Satalino

Goalkeeper

16

Gioele Zacchi

Goalkeeper

13

Stefano Turati

Goalkeeper

44

Edoardo Iannoni

Midfielder

40

Aster Vranckx

Midfielder

18

Nemanja Matic

Midfielder

46'

6

Sebastian Walukiewicz

Defender

68'

24

Luca Moro

Attacker

68'

3

Josh Doig

Defender

68'

50

Darryl Bakola

Midfielder

83'

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.

Raffaele Palladino insists Atalanta must not use their Champions League exploits as ‘an alibi’ for the defeat to 10-man Sassuolo. ‘The real regret was the second goal.’

It is not the first time that La Dea have suffered a Champions League hangover, as the incredible comeback from a 2-0 first leg deficit to eliminate Borussia Dortmund 4-1 on the night took a lot out of this squad.

Even then, they capitulated 2-1 to a Sassuolo side who were down to 10 men since the 16^th minute, when Andrea Pinamonti saw red for a studs-up tackle.

A closer look from @MikeGrella10 and @Bonetti at how Atalanta were undone despite the numerical advantage pic.twitter.com/pYSxkpLFPi

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 1, 2026

Nonetheless, Ismael Koné and Kristian Thorstvedt turned in Armand Laurienté assists, with Yunus Musah’s late strike not enough to turn it around, as there were decisive Arijanet Muric fingertip saves in stoppages.

Palladino expected more from Atalanta

“I don’t feel we lacked sharpness, because we took the right approach, so using the Champions League as an alibi is not right,” Palladino told DAZN Italia.

“We were in full control of the match, we had the right attitude, respected our opponents, but oddly after the red card it was Sassuolo who gained confidence. They started to defend deep and we struggled to break them down.

“We moved the ball around too slowly, didn’t go down the wings enough, and didn’t go for the spaces. We did better after the break, went towards different zones that we could attack, but the big regret is conceding that second goal. It made everything more complicated.

“There were chances, but getting a goal back at the 88^th minute was too late to really change things, even if we hit the woodwork in stoppages.”

Palladino made a triple substitution at half-time, but he did not introduce another centre-forward, replacing Gianluca Scamacca with Nikola Krstovic.

“Sassuolo were defending 4-4-1, so to add another striker would’ve just played into their hands. We needed to attack them down the wings, which we didn’t do effectively enough in the first half. We lacked something on the final ball, but I was convinced we could score, the big regret was conceding the second. We could’ve stopped Laurienté earlier, that was the big mistake.”

This was the first defeat of 2026 for Atalanta in Serie A, since December 28 against Inter, and will damage their hopes of breaking back into the top four.

“I analysed the team, and if I had seen them start badly, I might’ve considered us being distracted by midweek, but I didn’t see that. It’s disappointing, but these things can happen, we must put it behind us and focus immediately on the Coppa Italia.”

Atalanta will face Lazio in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg on Wednesday, as the squad is becoming stretched rather thin by all these tournaments.

Fabio Grosso feels Sassuolo ‘wrote their names in the history books of this club’ with a 2-1 victory over Atalanta when down to 10 men. ‘It’s the icing on the cake with a big cherry on top.’

The Neroverdi are on spectacular form, winning five of their last six Serie A matches, and flying into eighth place in the table.

It is all the more remarkable, as Andrea Pinamonti received a straight red card after just 16 minutes for a studs-up tackle on Berat Djimsiti’s ankle.

Nonetheless, Ismael Koné and Kristian Thorstvedt turned in Armand Laurienté assists, and although Yunus Musah got one back late on, Arijanet Muric had a series of decisive fingertip saves to keep the points secure.

Grosso hails ‘crazy’ Sassuolo

“It was a crazy game. The lads wrote their names in the history books of this club,” Grosso told DAZN Italia.

Although they had been doing well, Sassuolo had not yet managed to beat one of the big clubs this season.

“We had been looking for the icing on the cake, and this was the icing with a big cherry on top. Our opponents were coming off the Champions League, but are also very strong. Our defenders were solid, determined, it’s not easy to keep that concentration for 90 minutes.

“We’re glad to have picked up some important points, and to achieve it with a performance like this.”

There was more bad luck for Sassuolo today, as Alieu Fadera had been on the pitch for just five minutes when he had to be substituted, left dazed by an aerial collision with Sead Kolasinac.

“Everyone worked so hard today, both those who started and who came off the bench. We are often very attacking and ambitious, but oddly we used up less energy today than usual, because we were so very concentrated,” added Grosso.

“My lads achieved something truly remarkable today.”

Considering he is back to fitness and such fine form, should Domenico Berardi be called up for Italy’s World Cup play-offs?

“He is my player, so of course I am his sponsor, but the coach and his staff will know what to do in order to take Italy back to where we belong, and haven’t been for a while.”

Being a newly-promoted side, the Neroverdi can now look to the final weeks of the campaign without pressure, and potentially even aim for Europe.

“It’s easy to forget that we were coming from Serie B, so it’s not easy to make that leap, and we’ve seen many other teams struggle badly. So we don’t want to settle, we know that every match is an opportunity, and we will go for points in every game.

“That is the objective, because we are nearly there, but not mathematically sure of safety yet,” concluded Grosso.

Just days after their historic Champions League night, Atalanta crumbled against a Sassuolo side that was down to 10 men for well over an hour, with Ismael Koné and Kristian Thorstvedt goals.

La Dea completed an epic comeback from 2-0 down in the first leg to knock Borussia Dortmund out of the Champions League. Ederson, Charles De Ketelaere and Giacomo Raspadori were still out, with Honest Ahanor suffering from flu symptoms. Sassuolo welcomed back Nemanja Matic and Tarik Muharemovic from suspension, though Sebastian Walukiewicz was banned instead, with Daniel Boloca, Fali Cande and Edoardo Pieragnolo injured after four wins in the last five.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It was wide open from the start, as Nicola Zalewski couldn’t keep his lob on target after springing the offside trap, then Marco Carnesecchi got down for a one-handed save on Thorstvedt’s glancing header.

The game changed after just 16 minutes when the referee showed a straight red card to Andrea Pinamonti, who didn’t see Berat Djimsiti until it was too late, going into a sliding tackle with studs-up on the defender’s ankle.

Despite being down to 10 men, Sassuolo still took the lead when Ismael Koné was ready to bundle an Armand Laurienté corner over the line from close range.

Arijanet Muric did well to palm away the Raoul Bellanova header from Lorenzo Bernasconi’s cross, but Sassuolo nearly got a second when Muharemovic nodded a Domenico Berardi free kick over from six yards.

Raffaele Palladino made a triple change at half-time, and substitutes Nikola Krstovic and Davide Zappacosta turned over from promising situations.

There was also a wonderful Sassuolo move including Koné back-heel flick for Laurienté, but Berat Djimsiti would not let the striker turn.

Despite being down to 10 men from the 16^th minute, the hosts doubled their lead when Thorstvedt swept into the top corner from the edge of the area with the inside of the left boot, an unstoppable finish on another Laurienté assist.

Muric flew to palm away the Krstovic header moments later, but Alieu Fadera’s game lasted only a couple of minutes before he was left badly dazed by an aerial collision with Sead Kolasinac.

The best opportunity for Atalanta was in the final minutes, Muric doing just enough to deflect a Samardzic tap-in onto the upright from Zappacosta’s assist.

The situation was repeated and this time Yunus Musah was ready to sweep in another Zappacosta pull-back from the right to set up a tense finale.

It could’ve been 2-2 in stoppages, but Muric fingertipped the Giorgio Scalvini looping header onto the bar from a Mario Pasalic cross.

A deflected Zappacosta shot ricocheted into the path of Krstovic, closed down by a desperate Jay Idzes block.

Sassuolo 2-1 Atalanta

Koné 23 (S), Thorstvedt 69 (S), Musah 88 (A)

Sent off: Pinamonti 16 (S)

01-03-2026 14:00

MatchDay 27

Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore

Sassuolo

Atalanta

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

Jay Idzes		12'
Andrea Pinamonti		16'
		21'		Lorenzo Bernasconi
Ismaël Koné (Assist: Armand Lauriente)		23'

2nd half

Nemanja Matic		57'
		58'		Nicola Zalewski
Kristian Thorstvedt (Assist: Armand Lauriente)		69'
		88'		Yunus Musah (Assist: Davide Zappacosta)

Match statistic

24

Possession %

76

7

Total shots

26

5

Shots on target

7

1

Shots off target

11

1

Blocked shots

8

3

Corners

9

1

Offsides

4

3

Fouls

13

Sassuolo

Atalanta

Starting lineups

49

Arijanet Muric

Goalkeeper

21

Jay Idzes

Defender

80

Tarik Muharemovic

Defender

23

Ulisses Garcia

Defender

25

Woyo Coulibaly

Defender

90

Ismaël Koné

Midfielder

89'

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

18

Nemanja Matic

Midfielder

74'

99

Andrea Pinamonti

Attacker

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

73'

10

Domenico Berardi

Attacker

73'

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

76'

42

Giorgio Scalvini

Defender

47

Lorenzo Bernasconi

Defender

46'

16

Raoul Bellanova

Defender

46'

23

Sead Kolasinac

Defender

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

67'

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

46'

Substitutes

7

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

19

Filippo Romagna

Defender

12

Giacomo Satalino

Goalkeeper

16

Gioele Zacchi

Goalkeeper

13

Stefano Turati

Goalkeeper

24

Luca Moro

Attacker

40

Aster Vranckx

Midfielder

50

Darryl Bakola

Midfielder

66

Pedro Felipe

Defender

8

M’Bala Nzola

Attacker

73'

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

74'

44

Edoardo Iannoni

Midfielder

79'

20

Alieu Fadera

Midfielder

3

Josh Doig

Defender

89'

31

Francesco Rossi

Goalkeeper

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

5

Mitchel Bakker

Defender

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

45

Dominic Vavassori

Midfielder

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

46'

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

46'

7

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Midfielder

46'

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

67'

4

Isak Hien

Defender

76'

Raffaele Palladino tries to keep Atalanta’s feet on the ground after their Champions League whirlwind, as they visit on form Sassuolo. ‘It’s a different tournament entirely.’

It kicks off at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia at 14.00 GMT (15.00 CET).

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

La Dea had an extraordinary few days, recovering from a goal down to beat Napoli 2-1 in Serie A and close on the top four, then fighting back from a 2-0 first leg deficit to eliminate Borussia Dortmund from the Champions League.

It allowed them to set up a Round of 16 showdown with Bayern Munich, with the Bergamo boys the only remaining Italian representatives in that competition.

Atalanta flying high in all competitions

“We have to focus on recovering the physical and mental energy, as the Champions League saps you of both those elements,” Palladino told DAZN Italia.

“The mentality is the most important thing, detaching totally from the Champions League, and focusing on a different tournament entirely. We are up against a We have to throw ourselves straight back into Serie A.

“We are against a Sassuolo side that won four of its last five games, we studied them carefully, and must pay attention to all the details.”

On top of that, Atalanta are also preparing for Wednesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final against Lazio.

There are some issues to deal with, as along with long-term absentees Charles De Ketelaere and Giacomo Raspadori, Atalanta are also missing Ederson with muscular issues, and Honest Ahanor has flu symptoms.

“Ahanor had a fever yesterday and was not well this morning either, while we are evaluating Ederson one day at a time. We had been hoping to get him back for this game, but we couldn’t manage it, so we hope he’ll be back as soon as possible,” explained Palladino.

Sead Kolasinac starts despite ending the midweek match with cramp, while Nikola Krstovic is on the bench after getting stitches on the head injury he sustained winning that last-gasp penalty, converted by Lazar Samardzic.

“Sama did well to make sure he was ready when called upon, as he always worked hard even when not getting much space. He took his opportunity, and has had more consistency since De Ketelaere’s injury. This is another chance to prove himself.”

Sassuolo: Muric; Coulibaly, Muharemovic, Idzes, Garcia; Thorstvedt, Matic, Koné; Berardi, Pinamonti, Laurienté

Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Djimsiti, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Pasalic, Bernasconi; Samardzic, Zalewski; Scamacca

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.”

Italian winger Domenico Berardi scored a brace in Sassuolo’s 3-0 win over Verona on Friday evening, with a result that sends the Neroverdi up into eighth place in Serie A.

Fabio Grosso’s side leapfrogged Bologna and Lazio to go temporarily 8th, pending the rest of the weekend’s fixtures. Lazio travel to Cagliari on Saturday night whilst Bologna host Udinese on Monday.

Verona arguably started the stronger of the two sides, as they sought just their third Serie A victory.

After about a quarter of an hour, Amin Sarr was quick to pounce on a loose rebound but the shot was blocked, before five minutes later, Verona January signing Kieron Bowie had a shot cleared off the line after a nice piece of play inside the Neroverdi box.

However, that was about it as far as Veronese optimism was concerned.

Sassuolo 3-0 Verona – Neroverdi put Gialloblu to the sword

In the 40th minute, nice interplay between Lauriente and Pinamonti, led the Italian to taking a shot that took a deflection and went in.

A few minutes later, Sassuolo were given a penalty after Cheikh Niasse committed a foul inside his box. Montipo ended up guessing correctly to deny Berardi from the spot but the Italian pounced on the rebound to give Grosso’s side a healthy lead headed into half-time.

Berardi put the game beyond any doubt around the hour mark, after a quick break in which the Italian converted a simple one-on-one against Montipo.

Things went from bad to worse for the Gialloblu in the closing stages when Al Musrati was shown a second yellow card with five minutes to go, taking the visitors down to 10 men and eliminating any chance of a dramatic comeback.

The match finished with a comfortable three points for the team in green and black, led by a spirited display from their captain.

Sassuolo 3-0 Verona

Pinamonti 40 (S), Berardi 44, 62 (S)

20-02-2026 19:45

MatchDay 26

Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore

Sassuolo

Verona

3 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Woyo Coulibaly		17'
		39'		Andrias Edmundsson
Andrea Pinamonti (Assist: Armand Lauriente)		40'
Domenico Berardi		44'
Domenico Berardi		44'

2nd half

		51'		Moatasem Al-Musrati
Domenico Berardi (Assist: Armand Lauriente)		62'
Sebastian Walukiewicz		78'
		85'		Moatasem Al-Musrati

Match statistic

47

Possession %

53

8

Total shots

12

4

Shots on target

1

3

Shots off target

5

1

Blocked shots

6

6

Corners

5

1

Offsides

2

12

Fouls

14

Sassuolo

Verona

Starting lineups

49

Arijanet Muric

Goalkeeper

21

Jay Idzes

Defender

6

Sebastian Walukiewicz

Defender

89'

23

Ulisses Garcia

Defender

25

Woyo Coulibaly

Defender

36'

90

Ismaël Koné

Midfielder

73'

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

99

Andrea Pinamonti

Attacker

72'

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

73'

10

Domenico Berardi

Attacker

1

Lorenzo Montipò

Goalkeeper

5

Andrias Edmundsson

Defender

37

Armel Bella-Kotchap

Defender

12

Domagoj Bradaric

Defender

73'

3

Martin Frese

Defender

15

Victor Nelsson

Defender

21

Abdou Harroui

Midfielder

82'

73

Moatasem Al-Musrati

Midfielder

9

Amin Sarr

Attacker

73'

36

Cheikh Niasse

Attacker

18

Kieron Bowie

Attacker

82'

Substitutes

7

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

12

Giacomo Satalino

Goalkeeper

16

Gioele Zacchi

Goalkeeper

13

Stefano Turati

Goalkeeper

24

Luca Moro

Attacker

3

Josh Doig

Defender

40

Aster Vranckx

Midfielder

50

Darryl Bakola

Midfielder

19

Filippo Romagna

Defender

36'

8

M’Bala Nzola

Attacker

72'

44

Edoardo Iannoni

Midfielder

73'

20

Alieu Fadera

Midfielder

73'

66

Pedro Felipe

Defender

89'

34

Simone Perilli

Goalkeeper

94

Giacomo Toniolo

Goalkeeper

92

Luca Monticelli

Attacker

19

Tobias Slotsager

Defender

70

Fallou Cham

Defender

71

Davide De Battisti

Defender

30

Luca Szimionaș

Midfielder

41

Isaac

Attacker

99

Jurgen Peci

Midfielder

25

Daniel Mosquera

Attacker

73'

2

Daniel Oyegoke

Defender

73'

10

Tomas Suslov

Attacker

82'

90

Ioan Vermesan

Attacker

82'

Sassuolo could move up into eighth place tonight with a win over last-placed Verona, as the Neroverdi look to take advantage of a struggling Gialloblu side.

Fabio Grosso’s side can leapfrog both Lazio and Bologna this evening, with those two sides playing later in the weekend.

Despite Sassuolo‘s negative goal difference, they have been performing well under Grosso and look destined for a mid table finish.

Verona, meanwhile, are more fragile. With just two wins from 25 games this season, the Veronese side are in troubled waters and currently float nine points adrift from safety.

Verona have conceded 43 goals this season and have not been efficient at the other end either, scoring just 19.

Sassuolo vs Verona – Official Starting Lineups

SASSUOLO (4-3-3): Muric; Coulibaly, Walukiewicz, Idzes, Ulisses; Thorstvedt, Lipani, Koné; Berardi, Pinamonti, Laurienté

HELLAS VERONA (3-5-2): Montipò; Bella-Kotchap, Nelsson, Edmundsson; Bradaric, Niasse, Al-Musrati, Harroui, Frese; Bowie, Sarr

20-02-2026 19:45

MatchDay 26

Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore

Sassuolo

Verona

3 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Woyo Coulibaly		17'
		39'		Andrias Edmundsson
Andrea Pinamonti (Assist: Armand Lauriente)		40'
Domenico Berardi		44'
Domenico Berardi		44'

2nd half

		51'		Moatasem Al-Musrati
Domenico Berardi (Assist: Armand Lauriente)		62'
Sebastian Walukiewicz		78'
		85'		Moatasem Al-Musrati

Match statistic

47

Possession %

53

8

Total shots

12

4

Shots on target

1

3

Shots off target

5

1

Blocked shots

6

6

Corners

5

1

Offsides

2

12

Fouls

14

Sassuolo

Verona

Starting lineups

49

Arijanet Muric

Goalkeeper

21

Jay Idzes

Defender

6

Sebastian Walukiewicz

Defender

89'

23

Ulisses Garcia

Defender

25

Woyo Coulibaly

Defender

36'

90

Ismaël Koné

Midfielder

73'

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

99

Andrea Pinamonti

Attacker

72'

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

73'

10

Domenico Berardi

Attacker

1

Lorenzo Montipò

Goalkeeper

5

Andrias Edmundsson

Defender

37

Armel Bella-Kotchap

Defender

12

Domagoj Bradaric

Defender

73'

3

Martin Frese

Defender

15

Victor Nelsson

Defender

21

Abdou Harroui

Midfielder

82'

73

Moatasem Al-Musrati

Midfielder

9

Amin Sarr

Attacker

73'

36

Cheikh Niasse

Attacker

18

Kieron Bowie

Attacker

82'

Substitutes

7

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

12

Giacomo Satalino

Goalkeeper

16

Gioele Zacchi

Goalkeeper

13

Stefano Turati

Goalkeeper

24

Luca Moro

Attacker

3

Josh Doig

Defender

40

Aster Vranckx

Midfielder

50

Darryl Bakola

Midfielder

19

Filippo Romagna

Defender

36'

8

M’Bala Nzola

Attacker

72'

44

Edoardo Iannoni

Midfielder

73'

20

Alieu Fadera

Midfielder

73'

66

Pedro Felipe

Defender

89'

34

Simone Perilli

Goalkeeper

94

Giacomo Toniolo

Goalkeeper

92

Luca Monticelli

Attacker

19

Tobias Slotsager

Defender

70

Fallou Cham

Defender

71

Davide De Battisti

Defender

30

Luca Szimionaș

Midfielder

41

Isaac

Attacker

99

Jurgen Peci

Midfielder

25

Daniel Mosquera

Attacker

73'

2

Daniel Oyegoke

Defender

73'

10

Tomas Suslov

Attacker

82'

90

Ioan Vermesan

Attacker

82'

Juventus directors Damien Comolli and Giorgio Cheillini, plus players Pierre Kalulu, Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu are among those to have been fined and banned after the fiery Derby d’Italia in Serie A on Saturday evening. 

Juventus directors given lengthy punishments after Derby d’Italia

The decisions of the sports judge have arrived following the completion of the 25th round of Serie A fixtures. 

The harshest punishment has been handed to Juventus CEO Comolli, who has been banned until March 31 and has been given a fine of €15,000 for adopting an ‘aggressive and seriously intimidating attitude’ towards referee Federico La Penna in the tunnel at half-time following the sending off of defender Pierre Kalulu. 

The report from the sports judge adds that Comolli sought to make physical contact with the referee, which ‘was prevented thanks to the intervention of the Juventus coach and other members and coaches’. This behaviour also continued outside the referees’ dressing room. 

Chiellini has also been punished for protesting ‘in an agitated and disrespectful manner’ in the tunnel and outside the referees’ dressing room. He has been handed a ban until the end of February (27th). 

Elsewhere, Milan sporting director Igli Tare has also been fined €10,000 for ‘aggressively’ protesting the referee’s decision after entering the field of play following Milan’s 2-1 victory away against Pisa. 

Which players have been banned after Serie A Week 25? 

Gift Orban has been handed the most severe punishment of any player after the conclusion of the 25th round of fixtures. He has been handed a two-match ban for his comments towards the match official during Hellas Verona’s 2-1 loss against Parma. 

It has been confirmed that Pierre Kalulu will have to serve a one-match suspension, despite being wrongly sent off in the 42nd minute of the Derby d’Italia between Juventus and Inter. 

Como’s Alvaro Morata will also have to serve a one-match suspension after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession at the end of Saturday’s 2-1 loss against Fiorentina. 

Adrien Rabiot was also shown two yellow cards during Milan’s win over Pisa and will also have to serve a one-match suspension. 

Several players also picked up their fifth bookings of the season during the 25th round of Serie A fixtures and will have to serve a one-match suspension as a result.

They are: Inter’s Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu, Hellas Verona’s Jean Daniel Akpa Akpro, Parma’s Alessandro Circati, Fiorentina’s Rolando Mandragora and Sassuolo’s Tarik Muharemovic.

A first-half strike from Oumar Solet was not enough for Udinese to hold onto, as two goals within two minutes from Armand Lauriente and Andrea Pinamonti saw Sassuolo leapfrog their opponents into ninth place in the Serie A table on Sunday afternoon. 

Both teams were looking to bounce back after disappointing defeats in the league last weekend: Udinese slipping to a 2-1 defeat away against Lecce and Sassuolo falling on the receiving end of a 5-0 hammering from league leaders Inter. 

Kosta Runjaic opted for a change in shape and brought Nicolo Zaniolo back into his starting line-up, while Fabio Grosso made just one change: Replacing the suspended Nemanja Matic with Luca Lipani in midfield. 

Click here to read more about how the teams lined up.

The hosts broke the deadlock within the first 10 minutes when Josh Doig attempted to play an underhit pass out from left-back. Solet was aggressive in his pressing and did brilliantly to win the ball high up the pitch on the right flank before dribbling inside and firing low into the bottom corner off his toes from the edge of the area. 

It took Sassuolo until the second half to properly dust themselves down. 

10 minutes into the second period, the Neroverdi ran it all the way down the left flank from a goal-kick following an Udinese corner: Laurient, Ulisses Garcia and Pinamonti all combined in a fantastic team move, which ended with the Frenchman dispatching into the far corner from the centre of the area. 

It was a dismal few minutes for Udinese, as Sassuolo went on to steal the lead with their next attack of the game after the re-start. 

The ball was worked down the right flank on this occasion, before Lauriente, Garcia and Pinamonti combined for the second time in two minutes. This time it was Garcia’s cross that was met by the head of Pinamonti in the middle of the area for 2-1. 

This was a big result for Sassuolo, who have managed to leapfrog their opponents into ninth place in the Serie A table: Not a bad achievement for a team fresh off promotion from Serie B. Udinese sit one place below them in 10th palace, level on points on 32 from 25 matches. 

Udinese 1-2 Sassuolo

Solet 10 (U), Lauriente 56 (S), Pinamonti 58 (S)

15-02-2026 11:30

MatchDay 25

Friuli Stadium (Dacia Arena)

Udinese

Sassuolo

1 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

Oumar Solet (Assist: Jurgen Ekkelenkamp)		10'
		16'		Tarik Muharemovic
Arthur Atta		21'

2nd half

		56'		Armand Lauriente (Assist: Andrea Pinamonti)
		58'		Andrea Pinamonti (Assist: Ulisses Garcia)
Jordan Zemura		63'
Jurgen Ekkelenkamp		77'
		83'		Woyo Coulibaly
		90+6'		Alieu Fadera

Match statistic

51

Possession %

49

8

Total shots

10

2

Shots on target

3

3

Shots off target

4

3

Blocked shots

3

7

Corners

6

1

Offsides

4

14

Fouls

14

Udinese

Sassuolo

Starting lineups

40

Maduka Okoye

Goalkeeper

33

Jordan Zemura

Defender

13

Nicolò Bertola

Defender

28

Oumar Solet

Defender

86'

31

Thomas Kristensen

Defender

14

Arthur Atta

Midfielder

8

Jesper Karlström

Midfielder

79'

32

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp

Midfielder

79'

38

Lennon Miller

Midfielder

65'

10

Nicolò Zaniolo

Midfielder

15

Vakoun Bayo

Attacker

65'

49

Arijanet Muric

Goalkeeper

21

Jay Idzes

Defender

3

Josh Doig

Defender

46'

6

Sebastian Walukiewicz

Defender

80

Tarik Muharemovic

Defender

46'

90

Ismaël Koné

Midfielder

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

99

Andrea Pinamonti

Attacker

72'

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

79'

10

Domenico Berardi

Attacker

84'

Substitutes

93

Daniele Padelli

Goalkeeper

19

Kingsley Ehizibue

Defender

1

Alessandro Nunziante

Goalkeeper

27

Christian Kabasele

Defender

29

Abdoulaye Camara

Midfielder

22

Branimir Mlacic

Defender

18

Adam Buksa

Attacker

65'

6

Oier Zarraga

Midfielder

65'

24

Jakub Piotrowski

Midfielder

79'

20

Juan Arizala

Defender

79'

7

Idrissa Gueye

Attacker

86'

19

Filippo Romagna

Defender

12

Giacomo Satalino

Goalkeeper

16

Gioele Zacchi

Goalkeeper

13

Stefano Turati

Goalkeeper

24

Luca Moro

Attacker

44

Edoardo Iannoni

Midfielder

40

Aster Vranckx

Midfielder

50

Darryl Bakola

Midfielder

66

Pedro Felipe

Defender

25

Woyo Coulibaly

Defender

46'

23

Ulisses Garcia

Defender

46'

8

M’Bala Nzola

Attacker

72'

20

Alieu Fadera

Midfielder

79'

7

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

84'

Nicolo Zaniolo is called back into the Udinese starting line-up to face an almost unchanged Sassuolo side in Serie A, as both teams look to bounce back after disappointing defeats in the league last weekend. 

Both sides are hoping to bounce back after defeats in the league last weekend. Udinese were defeated 2-1 away against Lecce, while Sassuolo were on the receiving end of a 5-0 thrashing by runaway league leaders, Inter. 

Those results leave Udinese sitting in ninth place on 32 points ahead of kick-off, while Sassuolo with two positions below them in the table on 29 points. 

Pre-match reports claim that Kosta Runjaic has gone with a change of shape on Sunday, swapping to a 4-4-2 in stead of the 3-4-2-1 system he used last weekend. Zaniolo is back in the starting XI and is selected to lead the attack alongside Vakoun Bayo. 

Despite the 5-0 hammering by Inter last weekend, Fabio Grosso has opted to make just one change his Neroverdi starting line-up. That is an enforced change as well, as Nemanja Matic is suspended and is replaced by Luca Lipani in midfield. 

Kick-off is due at 11.30 GMT. 

Udinese vs. Sassuolo: Confirmed line-ups 

Udinese (4-4-2): Okoye; Bertola, Solet, Kristensen, Zemura; Ekkelenkamp, Miller, Karlstrom, Atta; Zaniolo, Bayo.

Sassuolo (4-3-3): Muric; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Muharemovic, Doig; Thorstvedt, Lipani, Koné; Berardi, Pinamonti, Laurienté.

15-02-2026 11:30

MatchDay 25

Friuli Stadium (Dacia Arena)

Udinese

Sassuolo

1 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

Oumar Solet (Assist: Jurgen Ekkelenkamp)		10'
		16'		Tarik Muharemovic
Arthur Atta		21'

2nd half

		56'		Armand Lauriente (Assist: Andrea Pinamonti)
		58'		Andrea Pinamonti (Assist: Ulisses Garcia)
Jordan Zemura		63'
Jurgen Ekkelenkamp		77'
		83'		Woyo Coulibaly
		90+6'		Alieu Fadera

Match statistic

51

Possession %

49

8

Total shots

10

2

Shots on target

3

3

Shots off target

4

3

Blocked shots

3

7

Corners

6

1

Offsides

4

14

Fouls

14

Udinese

Sassuolo

Starting lineups

40

Maduka Okoye

Goalkeeper

33

Jordan Zemura

Defender

13

Nicolò Bertola

Defender

28

Oumar Solet

Defender

86'

31

Thomas Kristensen

Defender

14

Arthur Atta

Midfielder

8

Jesper Karlström

Midfielder

79'

32

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp

Midfielder

79'

38

Lennon Miller

Midfielder

65'

10

Nicolò Zaniolo

Midfielder

15

Vakoun Bayo

Attacker

65'

49

Arijanet Muric

Goalkeeper

21

Jay Idzes

Defender

3

Josh Doig

Defender

46'

6

Sebastian Walukiewicz

Defender

80

Tarik Muharemovic

Defender

46'

90

Ismaël Koné

Midfielder

42

Kristian Thorstvedt

Midfielder

35

Luca Lipani

Midfielder

99

Andrea Pinamonti

Attacker

72'

45

Armand Lauriente

Attacker

79'

10

Domenico Berardi

Attacker

84'

Substitutes

93

Daniele Padelli

Goalkeeper

19

Kingsley Ehizibue

Defender

1

Alessandro Nunziante

Goalkeeper

27

Christian Kabasele

Defender

29

Abdoulaye Camara

Midfielder

22

Branimir Mlacic

Defender

18

Adam Buksa

Attacker

65'

6

Oier Zarraga

Midfielder

65'

24

Jakub Piotrowski

Midfielder

79'

20

Juan Arizala

Defender

79'

7

Idrissa Gueye

Attacker

86'

19

Filippo Romagna

Defender

12

Giacomo Satalino

Goalkeeper

16

Gioele Zacchi

Goalkeeper

13

Stefano Turati

Goalkeeper

24

Luca Moro

Attacker

44

Edoardo Iannoni

Midfielder

40

Aster Vranckx

Midfielder

50

Darryl Bakola

Midfielder

66

Pedro Felipe

Defender

25

Woyo Coulibaly

Defender

46'

23

Ulisses Garcia

Defender

46'

8

M’Bala Nzola

Attacker

72'

20

Alieu Fadera

Midfielder

79'

7

Cristian Volpato

Midfielder

84'

The number of Scotland international players on show in Serie A has prompted the return of Italian football to British free to air television in a new deal with BBC Alba.

The channel has signed a six-figure deal to show up to eight live matches from Italy’s top flight from now until the end of the 2025-26 season.

Scott McTominay was named Serie A Player of the Season in 2024-25 when winning the Scudetto at Napoli.

He is still making a big impact in Antonio Conte’s midfield, but is only part of a growing Scottish clan of Calcio stars.

Scotland flourishing in Serie A

Che Adams is at Torino, Billy Gilmour at Napoli, Bologna have captain Lewis Ferguson, Josh Doig is a regular at Sassuolo, while Lennon Miller joined Udinese.

The latest arrival on Italian soil is former Hibernian striker Kieron Bowie, who made his debut for Verona last week.

With that in mind, BBC Alba’s first Serie A game airing this weekend will be Torino vs. Bologna, with Adams against Ferguson.

That kicks off on Sunday at 17.00 GMT (18.00 CET).

“We work very closely with Serie A to promote Italian football in every country, in as many languages as possible,” said Verona CEO Italo Zanzi to The Scotsman.

“This is completely aligned with that objective. Scottish football is in a very positive place right now in my mind, both with the international team and domestically. Obviously, we have had many players who have not only come to Italy, but really succeeded.”

Watch Serie A LIVE on BBC ALBA!

Torino v Bologna

Dìdòmhnaich 15.02.26 16:50 – KO 17.00#SerieA #HomeOfCalcio #Torino #Bologna#Gàidhlig #spòrs @BBCSport @BBCScotland @BBCSpors pic.twitter.com/IxkrFQCZXm

— BBC ALBA (@bbcalba) February 13, 2026