Runaway Serie A leaders Inter will be looking to steer attention back to their title tilt when they take on relegation strugglers Empoli.

Inter welcome Davide Nicola’s side to San Siro on Monday evening with an 11-point lead over city rivals AC Milan, who made it four wins in four with victory at Fiorentina on Saturday.

The international break saw Inter in the news for other reasons, with defender Francesco Acerbi investigated and ultimately cleared of racially abusing Napoli’s Juan Jesus in their previous match on March 17.

Acerbi withdrew from the Italy squad after assuring manager Luciano Spalletti of his innocence and the claims were judged to be unproven due to a lack of supporting evidence. Inter’s financial arrangements have also been a source of speculation with a debt repayment deadline to American investment firm Oaktree Capital reportedly due in May.

How majority owners Suning intend to manage the matter is causing plenty of debate off the field, with a number of routes still possible as the clock ticks down behind the scenes.

Against that backdrop Inter coach Simone Inzaghi has, not for the first time this season, opted to stay away from media interrogation with no pre-match press conference taking place.

Reports from Italy suggest Inzaghi has closed ranks ahead of Empoli’s visit, allowing his squad to celebrate Easter with their families on Sunday morning before reporting for training and an overnight stay at the training centre ahead of their first game together in a fortnight.

Empoli have struggled to make any headway when visiting the leading sides this term, losing eight of their nine matches against the top six.

Inter, meanwhile, will be looking to begin another winning streak in Serie A after seeing a 10-game run end last time out with their 1-1 draw against Napoli.

Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer picked up an ankle knock on international duty with Switzerland but has since taken part in training, leaving Inzaghi to make a call between the experienced shot-stopper and understudy Emil Audero.

Juan Cuadrado and Marko Arnautovic are also working back to fitness but may be risked this time.

Visiting boss Nicola is mulling over whether to deploy a three or four-man defence and could favour Jacopo Fazzini over Viktor Kovalenko in midfield.

Empoli have lost each of their last three matches 1-0 and will be looking to January arrival M’Baye Niang to end his own three-game scoreless streak.

AC Milan extended their winning run to six matches with a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina on an emotional night at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

There had been tributes before kick-off to Fiorentina general manager Joe Barone, who collapsed in the team hotel just as they were preparing to travel to the stadium for the match against Atalanta and later died in hospital.

The Rossoneri produced a clinical display with second-half goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Rafael Leao either side of Alfred Duncan’s equaliser to consolidate second place in the Serie A table.

Following a minute’s silence, AC Milan, without the suspended Theo Hernandez, made a positive start as Olivier Giroud forced Fiorentina keeper Pietro Terracciano into an early save after a driving run from Samuel Chukwueze.

Fiorentina – returning to action for the first time since their Europa Conference League tie against Maccabi Haifa on March 14 – continued to be pressed into some deep defending, with Rossoneri winger Leao a constant threat down the left.

Leao floated a cross over to the back post, where Chukwueze’s downward header was palmed away by Terracciano.

La Viola finally created an opening in the 26th minute when Andrea Belotti was played into the Milan penalty area but Mike Maignan stood up to make a smart save.

After Leao’s angled effort was stopped by Terracciano at the near post, Fiorentina again broke quickly with Belotti flashing a ball across the Milan six-yard box.

Terracciano saved from Leao after the forward spun in the right side of the area before Giroud blazed over as Milan pressed for the breakthrough ahead of half-time.

Milan took the lead two minutes into the second half.

Chukwueze sent Leao clear down the right and his improved backheel went across the six-yard box. Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic slipped over, which allowed the ball to fall to Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who dug it out from under his feet to stab home a 10th goal of the season.

Fiorentina, though, were soon back on level terms in the 50th minute when Duncan clipped a fine finish into the far corner from the edge of the Milan penalty area.

In a hectic spell, Milan regained the lead in the 53rd minute when Tijjani Reijnders’ through pass saw Leao race clear past Milenkovic before calmly taking the ball around the onrushing Terracciano and knocking it into an empty net.

Milan full-back Alessandro Florenzi went close to a third when his fierce drive from the edge of the area was palmed clear by Terracciano at full stretch.

Rossoneri keeper Maignan was then called into action again to acrobatically push over a rising effort from Belotti and then tipped away a half-volley from Rolando Mandragora.

With 15 minutes left, Milan substitute Christian Pulisic saw his goal on the break disallowed for offside as Stefano Pioli’s side closed out a sixth straight win in all competitions.

Lazio scored a dramatic late winner to seal a deserved 1-0 victory over out-of-sorts Juventus at Stadio Olimpico.

Adam Marusic netted three minutes into stoppage time as Lazio claimed both the three points and also strike a psychological blow ahead of Tuesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final first leg between the two teams in Turin.

Massimiliano Allegri’s Juve, who have now won just once in their last nine matches, had another day to forget, failing to find their attacking rhythm as they found themselves under the cosh for much of the game.

That did not look like being the case early on as the third-placed Bianconeri started the better of the two sides, with Federico Chiesa looking lively. The Italy international used his pace to get into a dangerous area before his whipped cross was headed narrowly wide by centre-back Bremer.

Felipe Anderson was Lazio’s main outlet during the opening exchanges and he fashioned a chance for Taty Castellanos after beating four Juve players before unselfishly picking out his team-mate, but the Argentinian fired wide from inside the box.

The combination of Castellanos and Anderson continued to threaten a Juve side looking for points to seal a Champions League spot, but again Lazio failed to make the most of their chances with Castellanos missing the target again.

Lazio’s lack of cutting edge continued after a mix-up at the back between Juve centre-back Daniele Rugani and Wojciech Szczesny. The Poland goalkeeper found himself in trouble following a back pass by his defender but after a scramble in the box, Juve managed to clear and save their blushes.

A stellar defensive performance from Bremer continued into the second half as the visitors fought to keep Lazio’s attacking threats under control.

Ciro Immobile combined with Marusic inside the area but the resolute Brazilian blocked the ball, getting a crucial touch on the shot to turn it wide as the game remained goalless.

Lazio coach Giovanni Martusciello turned to his bench in one last attempt to break the deadlock, sending on Spanish forward Luis Alberto in a bid to inject some attacking life into a cagey affair in Rome.

And the home side were rewarded for their efforts in stoppage time when wing-back Marusic rose highest to head in the winner.

Napoli have urged their fans to make themselves heard in the fight against racism during Saturday’s home game against Atalanta.

The Serie A club said earlier in the week that it was “astonishing” that Italy defender Francesco Acerbi was not sanctioned over allegations of racism against their player Juan Jesus.

Inter Milan’s Acerbi was accused of racism towards Jesus in the closing stages of a 1-1 draw earlier this month, with the Napoli defender briefly pausing the match to report the matter to the referee.

But Acerbi will face no further action after Jesus’ claims were dismissed by a Serie A sports judge due to a lack of evidence.

On Friday, Napoli wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “We believe in a world where equality and respect are not just empty illusions but concrete and universally recognised principles.

“For this to happen, we mustn’t stay silent. Tomorrow is the right chance to raise our voices and say NO to racism.”

Acerbi protested his innocence, but agreed to withdraw from the national squad for this week’s games against Venezuela and Ecuador after discussing the matter with manager Luciano Spalletti.

Serie A sports judge Gerardo Mastrandrea considered the case against Acerbi and on Tuesday concluded: “In this case the minimum level of reasonable certainty regarding the discriminatory content of the offence committed is not reached.”

Napoli issued a statement in response saying they found the verdict “astonishing”, adding: “Napoli will no longer take part in anti-racism and anti-discrimination initiatives run by football institutions that are merely symbolic.

“But we will continue to organise them ourselves, as we have always done, with renewed conviction and determination.”

Juventus’ Serie A title challenge may well be over for another year but coach Massimiliano Allegri is still looking for a strong finish to the season.

The Turin giants last claimed the scudetto in 2020 but their hopes of ending that run this campaign have all-but disappeared after winning just one of their last eight games.

That means the third-placed Bianconeri will go into this weekend’s trip to Lazio a massive 17 points behind runaway leaders Inter Milan with only nine league games left.

However, with a top-four spot yet to be secured and the Coppa Italia up for grabs – Juve face Lazio in the first leg of their semi-final next Tuesday – Allegri’s men still have plenty to play for as action resumes after the international break.

Allegri told a press conference: “The players who have returned from international duty are well, and those who stayed with us worked a lot on the pitch.

“Now we’re all ready for that final push to the finish line, we have 55 days to take us to the end of the season.

“The most important thing for us now is that we’re all focused on the end of the season.

“We’ve dropped a lot of points and we have to be realistic. In the second half of the season we’ve only picked up 13 points, and now we have 27 to play for to consolidate our place in the Champions League spots.

“Then there’s the Italian Cup, and on Tuesday we have another important game against Lazio hoping to stay in the fight for silverware. We have to think about that too.”

Allegri, who said Italy forward Moise Kean will start against Lazio as he looks to push his Euro 2024 claims, is set to take charge of his 500th Serie A match this weekend.

The 56-year-old former AC Milan and Cagliari coach said: “I’m pleased to have reached 500 games in charge, and it’s evidence of my desire, passion and love for the job and this sport. I want to have fun still and I love being out on the pitch.”

AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli is refusing to look any further ahead than Saturday’s Serie A trip to Fiorentina as he targets a rousing finish to the season.

The Rossoneri, who have won their last five games in all competitions, head for the Stadio Artemio Franchi sitting in second place in the table, 14 points adrift of derby rivals Inter, but only three clear of Juventus in third.

With the prospect of Europa League glory still very much alive – they face compatriots Roma in the quarter-finals – the campaign could yet end on a high note, although Pioli, who will be without the suspended Theo Hernandez, will not allow his players to get ahead of themselves.

He told a press conference: “A decisive period is about to begin. We’ll need to focus on playing the best football we can as we look to improve the level of our performances with two very important months in store.

“We have nine league matches remaining and we hope we’ll also be involved in five more Europa League fixtures. Every game will be important, starting from Fiorentina. They’re a team that have often caused us problems.

“It’s only normal to talk about the future when there’s an international break, but I’m focused on doing the best I can in the next 60 days so we can finish the season in the best way possible.

“Conclusions can only be drawn at the end, so we’ll take it one game at a time.”

Fiorentina have proved tricky opponents in recent seasons – in the last six league encounters, the sides have been separated by just one goal, and La Viola have won the last two games they have hosted.

Milan’s latest visit to Florence comes with the home team still mourning the loss of general manager Joe Barone, who collapsed and died at the age of 57 as the Fiorentina party prepared to leave the team hotel for their league clash with Atalanta earlier this month.

Pioli, whose side won the reverse fixture in November 1-0, said: “It’s not the first time that Fiorentina have experienced a complicated situation. Florence and the team’s fans are fantastic when there is a need to come together to overcome difficult moments like a bereavement.

“We expect a special atmosphere at the start in memory of a person who did so much for the club.”

Vincenzo Italiano’s side, who head into the weekend in eighth place and four points adrift of the top six, have not played since a 1-1 Europa Conference League draw with Maccabi Haifa on March 14 with the Atalanta game having been postponed after Barone was rushed to hospital.

Italiano said: “We need to restart and honour our director with all the things that were his: passion, love and attachment to this city, these colours and this club.”

Napoli defender Juan Jesus says it is “difficult to comprehend” the decision not to punish Inter Milan’s Francesco Acerbi over allegations of racism.

Brazilian Jesus accused Italy international Acerbi of an abusive comment relating to skin colour during a 1-1 draw between their clubs earlier this month.

But the case was dismissed by a Serie A sports judge on Tuesday due to a lack of evidence.

Jesus feels “very bitter” about the verdict and believes his complaint may have been treated differently if he had not responded “as a gentleman”.

“I have read several times and with great disappointment the decision of the sports judge, who felt there was no evidence that I was the victim of a racist,” said the 32-year-old in a lengthy statement released with his legal representatives.

“While respecting the decision, it is one I find difficult to comprehend and it leaves me feeling very bitter.

“Quite honestly I am crestfallen by such a serious incident in which my only mistake was that I dealt with it ‘as a gentleman’, deciding not to interrupt an important game, with all the inconvenience that would have caused the spectators watching the match.

“I did so believing that such an attitude would have been respected, and perhaps taken as an example.

“Following this decision, I imagine that anyone else finding themselves in a similar situation to mine will act in a very different manner, in order to protect themselves and to curb the disgrace of racism, which, sadly, we are struggling to rid ourselves of.”

According to Jesus, Acerbi apologised on the pitch before changing his version of events the following day.

The 36-year-old Inter player publicly protested his innocence but agreed to withdraw from Italy’s squad for games against Venezuela and Ecuador after discussing the matter with national team manager Luciano Spalletti.

Judge Gerardo Mastrandrea suggested Acerbi’s comments may have been offensive but could not determine whether they were of a racist nature.

Jesus fears the episode could “set a serious precedent for justifying certain behaviour after the event” but expressed hope it may help the football world reflect on the “serious and urgent” issue of racism.

“I really do not understand how ‘go away negro, you’re just a negro’ can be considered to be certainly offensive but not discriminatory,” continued Jesus’ statement.

“I do not understand all the commotion that evening if it really was ‘just an insult’, for which Acerbi himself felt the need to apologise, the referee decided to notify VAR, the match was suspended for over a minute and his team-mates hurried to speak to me.

“I cannot fathom why Acerbi only started to change his version of the events the following day while with the national team, instead of denying it immediately after the match, when it actually happened.

“I didn’t expect it to end like this. I fear – and I hope I am wrong – that this could set a serious precedent for justifying certain behaviour after the event.

“I sincerely hope that this sad matter can help the world of football to reflect on an issue that is both serious and urgent.”

Napoli say they find it “astonishing” that Italy defender Francesco Acerbi was not sanctioned over allegations of racism against their player Juan Jesus.

Inter Milan’s Acerbi was implicated by his opponent in the closing stages of a 1-1 draw earlier this month, with Jesus briefly pausing the match to report the matter to the referee.

But Acerbi will face no further action after defender Jesus’ claims were dismissed by a Serie A sports judge due to a lack of evidence.

In a statement, Napoli said: “The principle of the greatest likelihood of an event, which exists in sports justice and which appears clear from the dynamics of the incident and the apology offered on the pitch, simply vanishes in this judgement.

“We find it astonishing.

“If what happened on the pitch ‘is certainly compatible with the expression of offensive comments (…) by the Inter player, who does not deny that they were offensive and threatening,’ then why was Acerbi not sanctioned in any way?

“If, as the judgement itself reads, ‘there was certainly proof of an insult,’ why did the sports judge decide to take no action to punish the responsible party?

“We find that even more astonishing.

“Napoli will no longer take part in anti-racism and anti-discrimination initiatives run by football institutions that are merely symbolic, but we will continue to organise them ourselves, as we have always done, with renewed conviction and determination.”

Acerbi protested his innocence but agreed to withdraw from the national squad for this week’s games against Venezuela and Ecuador after discussing the matter with manager Luciano Spalletti.

Serie A sports judge Gerardo Mastrandrea considered the case against Acerbi, speaking to both men, others present on the pitch and also consulting recordings of the incident, but found insufficient proof to support Jesus’ own testimony.

Acerbi, who faced potentially serious sanctions had he been found guilty, has been cleared to turn out again for Inter when their league schedule resumes on April 1.

Mastrandrea’s ruling concluded: “In this case the minimum level of reasonable certainty regarding the discriminatory content of the offence committed is not reached.

“Without calling into question the good faith of the Napoli player, it appears to have been perceived only by ‘offended’ footballer without the support of any external evidence, be it audio, video or even testimonial.

“Discriminatory conduct, due to its intrinsic severity and intolerability, especially when it refers to the person’s race, skin colour or religion, must be sanctioned with the utmost severity in accordance with the Code of Sports Justice and the rules international sporting events.

“But it is nevertheless necessary that the imposition of such burdensome sanctions is correspondingly assisted by a minimum amount of evidence, or at least by serious, precise and consistent evidence in order to achieve reasonable certainty.”

Italy defender Francesco Acerbi will face no further action over allegations of racism against Napoli’s Juan Jesus, whose claims have been dismissed due to a lack of evidence.

The Inter Milan player was implicated by his opponent in the closing stages of a 1-1 draw earlier this month, with Jesus briefly pausing the match to report the matter to the referee.

Acerbi protested his innocence but agreed to withdraw from the national squad for this week’s games against Venezuela and Ecuador after discussing the matter with manager Luciano Spalletti.

Serie A sports judge Gerardo Mastrandrea considered the case against Acerbi, speaking to both men, others present on the pitch and also consulting recordings of the incident, but found insufficient proof to support Jesus’ own testimony.

Had he been found guilty, Acerbi faced potentially serious sanctions that could have included a lengthy ban and thrown his hopes of featuring in this summer’s European Championships into doubt. Instead, he has been cleared to turn out again for Inter when their league schedule resumes on April 1.

Mastrandrea’s ruling concluded: “In this case the minimum level of reasonable certainty regarding the discriminatory content of the offence committed is not reached.

“Without calling into question the good faith of the Napoli player, it appears to have been perceived only by ‘offended’ footballer without the support of any external evidence, be it audio, video or even testimonial.

“Discriminatory conduct, due to its intrinsic severity and intolerability, especially when it refers to the person’s race, skin colour or religion, must be sanctioned with the utmost severity in accordance with the Code of Sports Justice and the rules international sporting events.

“But it is nevertheless necessary that the imposition of such burdensome sanctions is correspondingly assisted by a minimum amount of evidence, or at least by serious, precise and consistent evidence in order to achieve reasonable certainty.”

Fiorentina director Joe Barone has died after suffering a cardiac arrest on Sunday.

The 57-year-old Italian-American businessman was taken to a cardiac intensive care unit in Milan hours before Fiorentina were supposed to play against Atalanta in Bergamo, with the Serie A fixture being postponed as a result.

A statement on the club’s official website on Tuesday read: “It is with deep sorrow and immense sadness that Fiorentina confirms the loss of one of its figureheads, a person who has marked the recent history of the club and who will never be forgotten. General director Giuseppe Barone passed away today at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan after suddenly falling ill on Sunday.”

Barone, who began working for Rocco Commisso’s Mediacom business in 2017, joined Fiorentina when the latter purchased the Tuscan club in November 2019, working closely alongside sporting director Daniele Prade and with head coach Vincenzo Italiano as La Viola showed clear improvement in the league and reached the 2023 Europa Conference League final, losing to West Ham.

The statement continued: “Rocco Commisso and his family, Daniele Prade, Nicolas Burdisso, Alessandro Ferrari, Vincenzo Italiano, Cristiano Biraghi and everyone associated with Fiorentina are utterly devastated by the terrible loss of a man who showed great professionalism and gave his heart and soul for these colours. He was a treasured friend who always stayed strong in the happiest and, above all, the most difficult moments.

“The entire Viola world sends its heartfelt condolences to Giuseppe’s wife Camilla, his children and the entire Barone family during this time of immense sorrow.”

Runaway Serie A leaders Inter Milan were held to a 1-1 draw by reigning champions Napoli at the San Siro.

It is the first time Simone Inzaghi’s side have dropped points in 2024 as Juan Jesus’ late goal against his former club cancelled out Matteo Darmian’s opener to secure a point for Napoli.

It has been a week to forget for Inter, who were knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid in midweek, during what is a fine domestic league campaign.

Marcus Thuram had the first clear-cut chance of the game but Jesus was on hand to make the block.

Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret then somehow kept the score level with a quick-fire double save, pushing away a Darmian header before clambering up and keeping out Lautaro Martinez on the rebound.

Inter were not at their fluent best and Hamed Traore could have punished them but headed wide as the visitors looked to take a half-time lead.

Instead, they were caught out just moments later as Darmian tucked home from inside the box for his second goal of the campaign.

After the break, Martinez stung the palms of Meret early in the second half before fluffing his lines with another opportunity shortly afterwards.

Napoli, though, with leading goalscorer Victor Osimhen watching on from the substitutes’ bench, started to enjoy more of the ball and push for an equaliser.

Despite having more possession, the champions – who sit seventh in the table following a dismal defence of their title – struggled to create chances.

That was until they were gifted a corner which Matteo Politano sent into the middle and Inter’s Alessandro Bastoni could only flick into the direction of Jesus, unmarked at the back post to turn home.

Neither side could muster a winning goal as Inter’s lead at the top of the table now sits at 14 points, with rivals AC Milan the closest of the challenging pack.

The point does little to help Napoli’s prospects of qualifying for the Champions League as they still have to make up a nine-point gap to the top four.

Second-placed AC Milan registered their third straight Serie A victory with a 3-1 triumph at Verona on Sunday.

The visitors, looking for their fifth consecutive win in all competitions, started like a team on form, going close through Christian Pulisic and Noah Okafor before Theo Hernandez put their noses in front before the interval.

Pulisic doubled their lead just after the break and, although Verona then made a fist of it and made things interesting by pulling a goal back midway through the second half through Tijjani Noslin, Samuel Chukwueze’s 79th-minute strike for the visitors put the game to bed.

Milan made their attacking intentions clear from the outset and could have had the opener in the fourth minute when Hernandez swung a cross in towards Fikayo Tomori, but the England international diverted wide of the target.

The away side were edging ever closer and Okafor let rip from outside the box with a volley that was magnificently tipped over the bar by Lorenzo Montipo.

It was one-way traffic through the opening quarter and Milan again went close to breaking the deadlock when Ruben Loftus-Cheek let the ball roll to his ex-Chelsea team mate Pulisic, who rattled the crossbar.

It took Verona 30 minutes to fire their first warning shot of the encounter, Noslin working his way into the box and flashing a low effort just past the far post.

Milan grabbed the opener just before half-time when Hernandez latched onto Rafael Leao’s through ball and, after seeing his low cross blocked straight back into his path, lifted a neat finish into the Verona net.

The visitors doubled their advantage five minutes after the break and Hernandez was at the heart of it again when his shot was palmed into the path of Pulisic, who tapped into an empty net from close range.

Verona needed to make a mark in the game but their second big chance went begging when Noslin headed a Fabien Centonze cross over the bar from inside the six-yard box.

The hosts did pull a goal back in the 64th minute, Noslin finally getting his deserved goal when he knocked the ball past Loftus-Cheek before firing into the roof of the net from the edge of the box.

Verona then went in search of an equaliser and had a couple of chances from long range in quick succession through Ondrej Duda and then Tomas Suslov.

But Milan restored their two-goal cushion when they struck a third through Chukwueze just five minutes after his 74th-minute introduction from the bench.

Ismael Bennacer’s corner was headed out to Chukwueze on the edge of the box and the Nigeria international volleyed past Montipo and into the bottom corner to seal the win, leaving Verona two points above the drop zone.

Moise Kean hit the post in added-time as Juventus continued their run of disappointing results with a goalless draw at home to Genoa.

Substitute Kean came close to winning it for the Massimilano Allegri’s side when he struck the woodwork in the closing moments but it was another lacklustre showing for a team with just one victory from their last eight Serie A matches.

Dusan Vlahovic, just back from suspension, made things even worse in the dying seconds when he was sent off – booked initially for a foul then again for dissent.

The Serbian could have finished things himself when he spurned a good chance in the 75th minute, but mid-table Genoa hung on for a welcome point.

The visitors were first to threaten from an early corner, Mattia Bani winning the header but unable to beat the dive of Wojciech Szczesny.

Szczesny had little to do as the game wore on but was required to mop up soon for a second time in quick succession when Vitinha got a half-volley away. Tempers soon flared between Danilo and Mateo Retegui, with the pair split up by the referee before play could resume.

Juve took their time to establish a rhythm in attack, but eventually stitched together a nice move involving Weston McKennie and Fabio Miretti. Federico Gatti took the chance to shoot but was denied by Josep Martinez.

The hosts continued to press forward without precision, Gatti trying unsuccessfully to make something out of Filip Kostic’s pass, Gleison Bremer heading wide from a corner and Federico Chiesa tumbling inside the penalty area to no avail.

Genoa’s counters were no sharper, with a couple of long shots failing to worry Szczesny.

Looking for a lift, Allegri made a triple substitution on the hour as Adrien Rabiot, Kenan Yildiz and Samuel Iling-Junior entered the fray. Things began to improve for the home side, who created a couple of half-chances for Vlahovic before Iling-Junior produced a flash of inspiration.

Letting rip from outside the area the England under-21 international came closer than anyone to breaking the deadlock, with Martinez getting a decisive touch.

Genoa’s resistance should have been broken with 15 minutes left to play, Andrea Cambiaso’s cross picking out Vlahovic in a scoring position only for the striker to fluff his lines.

That was as good as it got, despite the best efforts of the bright Iling-Junior, who had one last attempt on goal, and Kean as Genoa’s hard work earned them a share of the spoils following back-to-back defeats.

Inter Milan and Napoli will both look to put Champions League disappointment behind them when they meet in Serie A on Sunday.

Napoli exited the competition in the last 16 on Tuesday, beaten 4-2 on aggregate by Barcelona, and a day later Inter lost out to Atletico Madrid on penalties following a 2-2 draw.

The result was a bitter pill to swallow for the runaway Serie A leaders, who were on a run of 13 consecutive victories in all competitions and had hoped to go one better than last season, when they were beaten in the Champions League final by Manchester City.

Inter went two up in the tie but Atletico fought back to level through Memphis Depay’s goal late in normal time and, after missed chances for Simone Inzaghi’s side in extra-time, they missed three of their five penalties, with Lautaro Martinez sending the final effort high over the bar.

Inter seem certain to lift silverware this season domestically, going into the weekend 16 points clear of nearest rivals AC Milan.

And Inzaghi said on the club website: “The lads have to be proud of what they’ve done. It’s normal to be disappointed, because it’s a shame when it comes down to penalties.

“Now we’ve got 10 Serie A matches we need to play well to try to reach that crucial goal of ours. We’ve got to try and recover physically and mentally to give it our best shot against the reigning champions. We’ll try and do our best.”

Napoli’s title defence has been distinctly underwhelming and they are sweating on the fitness of striker Victor Osimhen, who missed training for two days this week with a muscle problem.

They have not given up hope of forcing their way into the European places, with victory over Juventus earlier this month a much-needed boost, although they were then held at home by Torino.

Napoli are on their third manager of the season in Francesco Calzona, who was appointed until the end of the campaign last month and also holds the position of Slovakia coach.

He insisted he is not concerned about his future, saying on Sky Sports Italia: “Let’s think about the championship, there are many games and we have to cradle the dream of catching up with the teams that are ahead of us.

“It’s difficult, but mathematics doesn’t condemn us. As for me, my future is the last thing on my mind. The boys are working hard and giving me a lot, I think we’ve made a small step forward.”

AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli is preparing for his side to push themselves when they face Verona in their final match before the international break.

Pioli’s men have a quick turnaround from Thursday night, when they made it two from two over Slavia Prague with a 3-1 win in their Europa League last-16 second leg encounter to book a quarter-final match-up with Roma next month.

First, the second-placed Serie A side will hope to gain more ground on leaders Inter and put more distance between themselves and Juventus, who sit just one point below the Rossoneri.

Pioli told Sky Sports Italy: “We’re fine, it’s a positive moment, our three offensive players have quality. We have to do well on Sunday in another difficult match against Verona, before recovering energy during the break.”

He also praised the efforts of Rafael Leao, who netted the third of AC Milan’s goals on Thursday with a stunning strike into the top corner.

Leao was in turn just as complimentary about his boss, telling Sky Sports Italy: “I’m feeling good, I’m getting along well with (Olivier) Giroud and (Christian) Pulisic, the team is also good.

“It’s my job to help the team even when I don’t score or assist. I’m very happy with myself, but it’s the team that’s doing well.

“As I always say, (Pioli) is one more person who helps me. In the last three years he has better understood how to help me 100 per cent to make a difference, so this good moment is also thanks to him.

“With Giroud and Pulisic we understand each other well. I don’t need to watch them because I already know where they are going in the area; then behind me I have Theo (Hernandez), with him I have an extra weapon.

“Everyone helps me to be a better player, then Pioli puts me in a position to feel calm by telling me ‘Come in and have fun’.”

Verona have lost their last six Serie A matches against AC Milan, and have not recorded a home victory over Sunday’s opponents since December 2017.

Marco Baroni’s men sit in 15th at a crowded bottom of the Serie A table, with just five points separating 13th-placed Lecce from 19th-placed Sassuolo in the second relegation place.

Baroni knows it will be a tough ask to try to gain ground against AC Milan, playing down their chances as he addressed the Italian media in a press conference.

He said: “When you play against these teams, it’s always difficult. Perhaps it’s their best moment too, I have respect for the coach but we have to look at ourselves. We have to play our best game and it might not be enough anyway.

“We have great respect for Milan, they have champions who can decide matches with one play but you don’t defend individually, you defend as a team, you play together and as a team in these matches.”