Former Italy and Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has announced his retirement.

The 39-year-old has called time on his career following the end of the MLS season, where his side Los Angeles FC lost the MLS Cup to Columbus Crew at the weekend.

Chiellini, who won Euro 2020 with Italy, says it is time to “start new chapters” in his life.

“You have been the most beautiful and intense journey of my life,” he wrote on social media.

“You have been my everything. With you I have travelled a unique and unforgettable path. But now it is time to start new chapters, face new challenges and write further important and exciting pages of life.”

The centre-half made over 700 career appearances after making his debut for Livorno in 2000.

He spent the mainstay of his career at Juventus, winning nine Serie A titles, before heading to LA to see out his career in America.

Juventus said in a statement on their official website: “You were always by our side, like a superhero ready to intervene if necessary. In your case, however, there was no shield, red cloak or bat-mobile: a blow to the head was enough – you took a lot of them – and off you went, all bandaged up.

“Once you wore that, there was no escape for our opponents: it was Kryptonite for any Superman who tried to challenge us, from the “Romeo Neri” of Rimini to the “Santiago Bernabeu” of Madrid.

“Even in the MLS, where you’ve brought to an end your stellar 23-season career, they had a little taste of what you could still do, at 39 years of age. On the slopes of Hollywood Hill they know how to tell the deeds of heroes from other times, of apparently normal men who later turn out to be extraordinary.

“Should they ask us which is our favourite, we have no doubt: with Giorgio from Livorno by our side, complete with that iconic bandage around his head, no one ever scared us. Wishing you all the best, captain!”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has taken a new role with RedBird Capital Partners as a senior adviser to AC Milan’s ownership and management.

The 42-year-old retired from football following Milan’s final game of the last Serie A season, but has returned to the club in his first job since his playing days as an adviser to the management and owners.

Ibrahimovic will serve as a senior adviser to the ownership, which is led by RedBird and longstanding partners the New York Yankees.

The former Sweden striker will play a key role with the club, dealing with their sporting and business operations to help the club build on the success since Redbird took ownership the club.

Ibrahimovic will work with the playing side, which includes development and high-performance training, while having a say in Milan’s commercial business and supporting special projects, including the building and development of the club’s new stadium.

The American investment firm, which also has stakes in Liverpool’s owner Fenway Sports Group, took over the Italian club in 2021 and helped them win the Serie A title in 2021-22 while taking the club back into the Champions League.

Ibrahimovic will work alongside RedBird founder Gerry Cardinale as well as first-team coach Stefano Pioli and chief executive Giorgio Furlani.

Ibrahimovic told the club website: “I am extremely grateful to be joining both RedBird and AC Milan in these important and influential roles.

“RedBird has partnered with some of the greatest athletes, teams and business figures in the world to create businesses with meaning and impact. I look forward to contributing to their investing activities across their sports, media and entertainment properties.

“My love for the Rossoneri will never die, and the opportunity to be a part of its future in a meaningful way is something I could only have dreamed of.

“I have greatly admired the commitment, passion and hard work RedBird and Senior Management have demonstrated since acquiring the club. This is not a decision that I take lightly – it is one which is very important and personal to me and my family.

“I’ve thought long and hard about the first steps in my post-playing career, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to start that journey as a member of RedBird and AC Milan. For me and my family, this is truly a homecoming with the cherished club where I ended my playing career and am now starting my next chapter.”

Giorgio Chiellini is delighted to see Juventus challenging at the Serie A summit again, but he struggles to see the Bianconeri winning the Scudetto this term.

Chiellini won nine Serie A titles during his distinguished spell with Juve, which came to an end at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season as he left for Los Angeles FC in MLS.

In their first season after the defender's departure, Juve finished seventh in Serie A, hampered by a 10-point deduction that was handed down following an investigation into the club's finances. 

However, Massimiliano Allegri has overseen a revival of their fortunes this campaign, with the Bianconeri sitting two points behind Inter at the top of Serie A after 15 games.

A 1-0 win over Napoli briefly took Juventus top on Friday, only for Inter to recapture the lead by thrashing Udinese 4-0.

While Chiellini has been impressed by his former club's resurgence, he believes toppling the Nerazzurri is a tough ask.

"It will be hard," he told Stats Perform.

"If they can be as consistent as Inter, if they arrive in that situation in March, I think it could be a possibility, but it's hard following a team for many months in a row. 

"We'll see, we'll see. I'm very happy obviously that they are having a good season and I hope they can finish first and win the title. 

"I think the key is the consistency of Inter, who are by far the favourites for the league." 

Juventus' off-pitch problems have refused to go away this term, though, with midfielder Paul Pogba suspended by the club after testing positive for heightened levels of testosterone following a win over Udinese in August.

Pogba's B sample also returned a positive test result, and he could face a ban of between two and four years if found guilty of doping.

Chiellini was a team-mate of Pogba's during the Frenchman's first spell in Turin between 2012 and 2016, and he says the midfielder's current situation is sad to see.

Asked how he responded to Pogba's positive test, Chiellini said: "I just text him because I knew him as a kid, from when he was 19. I love him as a good guy and I'm very sad for the situation. 

"I don't know other things, just what is public, because I cannot ask him; 'What happened? Did you do this?' It's something very bad. 

"I just ask people to be close to him and give support to him. I'm very sad and I don't know how to finish this type of situation. Everyone who has known Paul in his life will be very sad about what's happening."

Granada’s LaLiga match against Athletic Bilbao was abandoned following the death of a home fan at the Estadio Nuevo los Carmenes.

The visitors went ahead through an early goal from Inaki Williams, before the game was stopped after around 15 minutes after officials were alerted to a problem in the stands.

As the person received ongoing medical treatment, the players were eventually taken off the field.

LaLiga later confirmed the supporter had died and the match would be rescheduled.

“Granada CF vs. Athletic Club de Bilbao has been suspended following the tragic death of a fan at the Estadio Nuevo los Cármenes,” a league statement read.

“Our condolences go out to their family and friends, as well as to all Granada CF fans. A rescheduled date and time for the match will be announced in the near future.”

A statement from Granada added: “We want to send our most sincere condolences to the family and friends, as well as to the entire Granada family.”

Athletic Bilbao said in a statement: “LaLiga and the two clubs have agreed to call off the match due to the death of a fan at Los Carmenes.

“Athletic Club expresses its deepest condolences. Our thoughts are with the person’s family and loved ones.”

In Sunday’s other early kick-off, Atletico Madrid beat Almeria 2-1 thanks to first-half goals from Alvaro Morata and Angel Correa for an eighth successive home league win this season.

Bayern Munich suffered a spectacular 5-1 defeat as Eintracht Frankfurt ran riot to take their unbeaten Bundesliga record in style.

Thomas Tuchel named his strongest possible side – including Manuel Neuer, Leroy Sane and Harry Kane – in a bid to bridge the gap on leaders Bayer Leverkusen three days ahead of their Champions League trip to Manchester United.

But Eintracht were rampant at the Deutsche Bank Arena as Bayern conceded five goals in the opening 60 minutes of a Bundesliga match for the first time since 1975.

Eric Ebimbe scored twice and Omar Marmoush, Hugo Larsson and Ansgar Knauff were also on target with Joshua Kimmich, who scored moments before the interval to make the score 3-1, offering Bayern brief hope.

RB Leipzig triumphed in the battle between fourth and fifth by winning 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund.

Mats Hummels was sent off after 15 minutes for a rash challenge on Luis Openda and Leipzig took advantage through a Ramy Bensebaini own goal.

Niklas Sule equalised right on half-time but Christoph Baumgartner and Yussuf Poulssen scored before Niclas Fullkrug’s late consolation.

Jude Bellingham grabbed his 16th goal of the season in Real Madrid’s 1-1 LaLiga draw at Real Betis.

The England midfielder netted in the 52nd minute but it was not enough for three points as Aitor Ruibal hit back.

The result took Madrid a point clear at the top of the table but Girona and Barcelona – second and third respectively – will have a chance to take advantage when they face each other on Sunday.

Fifth-placed Real Sociedad eased to a 3-0 win at Villarreal with Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Takefusa Kubo scoring in a seven-minute spell before the break.

Inter Milan returned to the Serie A summit with a 4-0 stroll over Udinese at San Siro.

Hakan Calhanoglu, Federico Dimarco and Marcus Thuram rewarded Nerazzurri dominance in a seven-minute scoring burst before half-time. Lautaro Martinez added his 14th goal of the season six minutes from time.

Luis Muriel struck a stunning stoppage-time winner for Atalanta as they beat AC Milan 3-2.

Atalanta twice led through Ademola Lookman but Milan looked to be taking a point as they hit back through Olivier Giroud and Luka Jovic.

But Rossoneri captain Davide Calabria was sent off in stoppage time and Atalanta then sealed victory for the first time in five matches as Muriel cheekily backheeled past Mike Maignan from close range.

Verona drew 1-1 with Lazio despite losing Ondrej Duda to a 77th-minute red card. Mattia Zaccagni put Lazio ahead before Thomas Henry equalised.

Randal Kolo Muani returned to haunt former club Nantes with a late winner in Paris St Germain’s 2-1 Ligue 1 victory at Parc des Princes.

Bradley Barcola produced a superb angled finish four minutes before the break, but Nantes levelled after the restart through Mostafa Mohamed.

Kolo Muani struck from close range with seven minutes remaining to give PSG an eighth successive league win.

Ten-man Monaco moved into second spot – six points behind PSG – with a 2-1 success at Rennes.

Brazilian full-back Vanderson put Monaco ahead before being sent off, but Youssouf Fofana provided breathing space and ensured Benjamin Bourigeaud’s last-minute penalty was no more than scant consolation.

Inter Milan returned to the Serie A summit with a 4-0 win over Udinese at the San Siro.

Hakan Calhanoglu, Federico Di Marco and Marcus Thruam rewarded Nerazzurri dominance in a seven-minute scoring burst before half-time.

Lautaro Martinez put the gloss on victory six minutes from time by winning possession and advancing to lash home his 14th goal of the season from 20 yards.

Udinese might have argued their plan to shackle Inter was working until Nehuen Perez pulled back Martinez and Calhanoglu converted from the penalty spot after 37 minutes.

This was Inter’s 12th win from 15 league games and again took them two points clear of Juventus, who had beaten champions Napoli on Friday.

Udinese arrived at the San Siro – scene of their only league victory this season against Milan last month – as Serie A draw specialists, with the points being shared in nine of their 14 games.

But Udinese’s cause was not helped by the absence of injured defenders Jaka Bijol and Enzo Ebosse and the writing was on the wall inside 10 minutes.

Christian Kabasele twice cut out dangerous crosses and Martinez headed Di Marco’s cross against a post.

A fine Inter move also split open the visitors as Yann Bisseck, making his first Serie A start, crossed from the byline but Di Marco lacked the power to beat the diving Marco Silvestri.

Udinese escaped their own half for the first time and Roberto Pereyra fired wide when the veteran Argentinian might have been expected to do better.

Thuram headed over and Calhanoglu drove just wide before Udinese were let down by rash defending from Perez.

Martinez was attempting to reach Di Marco’s cross but Perez guaranteed that he would not, fouling his fellow countryman to prompt a lengthy VAR check which ended with Calhanoglu sending Silvestri the wrong way for his fourth goal in five league games.

Calhanoglu was involved again as Inter doubled their lead within five minutes, the Turkish midfielder setting up Di Marco who drilled an unstoppable left-footed drive past Silvestri.

The best was still to come before the break from a flowing 21-pass Inter move.

Di Marco stepped up the urgency and an incisive pass from Henrikh Mkhitaryan gave Thuram a simple tap-in for his seventh goal of the campaign.

Inter’s intensity dropped after the break and Udinese went close when goalkeeper Yann Sommer failed to hold substitute Sandi Lovric’s shot from the edge of the area.

Lorenzo Lucca dispatched the rebound but the on-loan striker was standing in an offside position and the final word belonged to Serie A top scorer Martinez.

Luis Muriel struck a stunning stoppage-time winner for Atalanta as they beat AC Milan 3-2 in a pulsating contest in Bergamo.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side twice led through Ademola Lookman but Milan looked to be taking a point as they hit back through Olivier Giroud and Luka Jovic.

However, Rossoneri captain Davide Calabria was sent off in stoppage time and moments later Atalanta sealed victory for the first time in five matches as Muriel cheekily backheeled past Mike Maignan from close range.

Giroud had an early chance for Milan well blocked from close range after Christian Pulisic’s cross.

Charles De Ketelaere then missed an incredible chance to give Atalanta the lead eight minutes in as Lookman nodded the ball down and the Belgian somehow steered it over the bar from four yards.

Despite Milan’s domination of possession it was Atalanta who took the lead after 38 minutes when Lookman fired goalwards and his effort struck the leg of Fikayo Tomori and looped up over goalkeeper Maignan into the net.

But in first-half stoppage time Milan drew level as Giroud met Alessandro Florenzi’s corner and planted a powerful header from 12 yards beyond the reach of Juan Musso.

It sparked fury from Atalanta supporters and players, with the hosts aggrieved at being denied a free-kick in the passage of play before the corner when Yunus Musah collided with Lookman.

Both sides started the second half well, with Giroud prodding wide from Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s pull-back before former Milan midfielder Mario Pasalic’s deflected effort flew wide.

Giorgio Scalvini launched a fierce drive which was well tipped over by Maignan before the hosts went ahead again 10 minutes after the restart.

Lookman popped the ball out left to De Ketelaere, who whipped it across the six-yard box for the 26-year-old to guide in first time.

Atalanta remained the biggest threat and Lookman should have had his hat-trick to put the game to bed 14 minutes from time.

Scalvini’s determined run resulted in a shot which was parried by Maignan, who scurried across the line to deny Lookman from the rebound but the ball fell back to the winger who blasted wide from four yards out.

Just four minutes later Milan made them pay as Pulisic crossed low for substitute Jovic to sweep in from the centre of the area.

In stoppage time, Calabria was shown a second yellow card for a tackle on Aleksei Miranchuk and Atalanta capitalised as the Russian’s run forced the ball into Muriel’s path and the Colombian’s improvised finish earned three points for Atalanta.

Milan’s next task is a trip to Newcastle on Wednesday, needing a win to stand any chance of making the knockout stage of the Champions League, while Atalanta face Polish side Rakow Czestochowa in the Europa League on Thursday.

Juventus moved top of Serie A, for 24 hours at least, with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over reigning champions Napoli.

Federico Gatti headed the only goal of the game early in the second half to take his side a point above Inter Milan, who face Udinese at San Siro on Saturday evening.

Manager Massimiliano Allegri had challenged his players to rectify the club’s wretched recent results against Napoli, Juve having lost five of their last seven league meetings including a 5-1 thrashing in January.

And the Bianconeri boss got what he wanted after the home side weathered an early storm at the Allianz Stadium to record their 11th win of the season.

Napoli started brightly and were inches away from taking the lead in the ninth minute, Matteo Politano’s curling shot leaving Wojciech Szczesny flat-footed but agonisingly grazing the outside of the post.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then failed to even hit the woodwork as he wasted a glorious chance shortly before the half-hour mark.

Victor Osimhen superbly controlled a long clearance on his chest and drew both Juventus central defenders out of position before squaring the ball to Kvaratskhelia, who took a slightly heavy touch before blazing his shot over the bar as Szczesny dived at his feet.

Szczesny was in the thick of the action again 10 minutes later as he produced a stunning reflex save from Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who had been gifted a clear sight of goal after Bremer inadvertently headed the ball off team-mate Gatti.

The flag did go up for offside as Juve struggled to clear their lines, but that took nothing away from the brilliance of the former Arsenal goalkeeper as the sides headed into the interval on level terms.

Parity lasted just five minutes of the second period, Andrea Cambiaso providing a perfect cross from the right for Gatti to head home from just five yards out.

Szczesny looked to have undone all his good work in the 71st minute when he hit a careless clearance straight to substitute Eljif Elmas, who headed the ball straight to Osimhen to fire home, only for Osimhen to be correctly ruled offside.

Napoli piled on the pressure in the final minutes as Juventus defended deep, but Giacomo Raspadori’s low shot was comfortably saved by Szczesny at the foot of the post.

Walter Mazzarri has now won just one of his first four games in charge since returning to Napoli for a second spell, a run of results which leaves his side fifth in the table and 12 points behind Juve.

Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi cancelled a planned press conference to preview his side’s Serie A clash with Udinese, according to reports in the Italian media.

No reason was given for Inzaghi’s decision not to speak and he has not conducted any interviews with the club’s in-house media either.

Inter, who topped the table after last Sunday’s 3-0 win at Napoli, are hoping to maintain their strong start to the season in the near sell-out clash at San Siro.

The club have reported more than 70,000 tickets have been sold for the game, with just the last remaining tickets available.

Inter go into the match high in confidence after just one defeat in their opening 14 fixtures of the season.

Inzaghi also has a strong record against Udinese, having won 11 of his 14 games against them as a coach in Serie A.

Udinese, who are 16th, are seeking only a second league win of the campaign after conceding a late equaliser in last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Verona.

Head coach Gabriele Cioffi told his club’s website: “I’m expecting a really tough game.

“I’m convinced that even if you prepare perfectly for Inter, they have players that can find imperfection in perfection.

“All it takes is one misplaced pass, so we’ll need to work really hard as a team to try to take the chances that they may afford us.

“That doesn’t mean that we go there knowing we’ll get them, but with the healthy fear that we want to take them as they could see us return to Udine with points in the bag.”

Stefano Pioli believes AC Milan should finish inside Serie A’s top four “as a minimum” ahead of their trip Atalanta on Saturday.

The 2021-22 champions reignite their bid for a second Scudetto in three years when they face Atalanta, who find themselves in eighth.

Pioli emphasised the importance of a win if they are to heap pressure on Inter and Juventus in first and second.

“There’s still a lot of football to be played before everything is decided, but we do need to put together a run of results in Serie A,” Pioli said.

“That’s what we’re aiming for. It’s our objective and tomorrow we have a great chance to do just that.

“We need to finish in the top four at a minimum but we’re aiming higher.”

Atalanta are without a win in four after Monday’s 3-0 defeat at Torino.

But Pioli refused to overlook Milan’s opponents and predicted they will bring the fight at Gewiss Stadium.

“Atalanta are always a tough team to face,” he added.

“They’ll fight for Champions League football until the end.

“We’ll be facing a complete side, which has quality, a big presence, intensity and midfielders who can chip in with a few goals.

“We know that they have it in them to come at us with aggression and we’ll have to adapt to evade their press.

“We’ll need to put in a top performance if we’re to come away with all three points.”

Pioli pinpointed the threat of Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere who is on loan from Milan and is contention to play against his parent club.

“De Ketelaere is playing in a more attacking role, Pioli said.

“He’s a player with a lot of promise and should he play, we’ll need to pay a lot of attention to him when we’re defending.”

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has challenged his players to rectify the club’s wretched recent results against rivals Napoli to move top of the Serie A table.

Juve have lost five of their past seven league meetings with the reigning champions, including a 5-1 thrashing in January, but are favourites for Friday evening’s clash at Allianz Stadium.

The in-form Bianconeri sit second in the table and will climb above leaders Inter Milan for at least 24 hours by registering an 11th victory of the season.

Fifth-placed Napoli are struggling to mount a title defence and, having last month reappointed former boss Walter Mazzarri after sacking Rudi Garcia, slipped 11 points adrift of Inter following a 3-0 home loss to them on Sunday.

“Tomorrow will be very tough,” Allegri told a press conference.

“Napoli stayed in the game against Inter until the second goal and we’ve only beaten them once in our last seven meetings – that’s something we need to put right.

“They’re a dangerous side away from home and have picked up 17 points on the road already.”

Juventus are just two points behind Inter, with whom they drew 1-1 on November 26, following a nine-match unbeaten run.

Allegri wants a minimum of six points from Juve’s next five fixtures to ensure the club reach the halfway point of the campaign in a stronger position than last term.

“This is a six-pointer – we have five games left before we reach the midway point of the season and they’ll all be difficult,” said Allegri, whose side finished a disappointing 2022-23 campaign in seventh position.

“Our target is to finish the first half of the campaign with more points than we did last term, when we had 38.

“We hope to achieve our target but we mustn’t take it for granted.

“Part of this job involves dealing with the pressure but we have to remember the league doesn’t finish tomorrow. There’s still a long way to go.”

Mazzarri, who initially managed Napoli between 2009 and 2013, beat Atalanta 2-1 in the first match of his second spell before the resounding loss to Inter.

The 62-year-old hopes his team can kick-start a revival by beating one of their fiercest rivals.

“Juventus v Napoli is a match that we know well because of the special sensations it generates and the importance of two teams that have been protagonists of the championship in recent years,” he told a press conference.

“We are playing against an opponent who is doing very well and there is little to add about the depth of the match.

“We go there as Italian champions and we want to highlight the progress that the boys are making.

“If we look at the squads, I don’t think there is as much of a difference as the league table says. This is also true compared to Inter.

“Unfortunately in football there are also moments and this is not a brilliant period for Napoli, especially in relation to the great last season.

“In football sometimes it doesn’t take much to make a change, it’s a question of trust but also of luck.

“There are moments which are going badly but a positive episode can change the wind.”

Inter Milan moved back to the top of Serie A in convincing style with a 3-0 win at defending champions Napoli.

Simone Inzaghi’s side had been knocked off the summit by Juventus’ victory at Monza on Friday, but emphasised their title credentials after being set on their way by a stunning goal from Hakan Calhanoglu.

Nicolo Barella doubled Inter’s lead just after the hour mark and Marcus Thuram made certain of all three points five minutes from time.

The win takes Inter two points clear of Juventus and 11 in front of Napoli, who have now taken just seven points from a possible 21 at home.

The home side in fact made a bright start and could have gone ahead in the third minute, only for Yann Sommer to produce a brilliant save from a shot from Eljif Elmas which looked destined for the top corner.

Both sides were happy to shoot from distance and Calhanoglu went close at the other end with a left-footed effort from outside the area before the visitors briefly thought they had broken the deadlock.

Thuram played a delightful one-two with Lautaro Martinez before firing a shot across Alex Meret and into the far corner, only to see the flag correctly go up for offside.

Inter were forced into an early change when Stefan de Vrij suffered a thigh injury and had to be replaced by Carlos Augusto, the reshuffle possibly allowing Elmas to get free in the area moments later to bring a good save from Sommer at his near post.

There was nothing Sommer could do about Matteo Politano’s long-range effort after 36 minutes however, and the Switzerland international was relieved to see the ball cannon back off the crossbar.

When the opening goal finally arrived it proved well worth the wait, Denzel Dumfries heading a deep cross back to Barella to flick the ball into the path of Calhanoglu, who struck a sumptuous low volley which swerved away from Meret and nestled in the corner of the net.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen appealed in vain for a penalty early in the second half after tangling with Francesco Acerbi just inside the area, the ball then breaking for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to bring a good save from Sommer.

But it was the visitors who found the all-important second goal shortly after the hour mark as Barella collected a firmly-struck pass from Martinez and slalomed past two defenders before slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

Osimhen flashed a header narrowly wide as Napoli tried to get back into the game but Thuram settled matters five minutes from time as he turned in a low, driven cross from substitute Juan Cuadrado.

Victor Osimhen’s suitors are running out of time to capture the Napoli hitman as president Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed the Nigerian is close to agreeing a new contract.

Osimhen, 24, has lit up Serie A since arriving in Naples from Lille in July 2020, with his greatest achievement so far scoring 31 league goals as the Azzurri clinched a long-overdue Scudetto last season.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid are reportedly among the clubs keen to fire up their forward lines with the recruitment of Osimhen, who remains hot property despite enduring an injury-ravaged 2023-24 campaign so far.

While a future move to the Premier League or LaLiga is still entirely possible, De Laurentiis on Saturday revealed Osimhen is on the verge of agreeing a new deal at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

He told Gazzetta ahead of Sunday’s clash with Inter Milan: “With Osimhen we are at the stage of signing the contract, the one that has been left pending since last summer.”

Napoli’s other superstar is Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has made a huge impression since making his unheralded switch from Dinamo Batumi last year.

De Laurentiis is even less concerned about the Georgia winger departing Napoli, though, adding: “Kvaratskhelia still has a four-year contract, what’s the point of asking about him now? Let’s try not to be too negative.”

On the showdown with Inter, which continues a baptism of fire for new boss Walter Mazzarri, De Laurentiis said: “We don’t have a left-back. Two are out injured.

“Then we have a new coach, to whom we have given a huge responsibility, because he has had to immediately face Atalanta and Real Madrid. Now we have another tour de force as we play Inter and then Juventus.

“Are two days enough to prepare for Inter, without two full-backs? It seems a bit difficult to me. Then five days to prepare for Juventus… we have to lay all our problems out on the table so we can be objective about them.”

Alessandro Zanoli will face a late check before the match while left-backs Mario Rui and Mathias Olivera are out for three weeks and two months respectively. On Inter’s treatment table are defenders Benjamin Pavard and Alessandro Bastoni.

Federico Gatti hit a last-gasp winner to send Juventus top of Serie A with a battling 2-1 victory at Monza.

The hosts had looked like rescuing a point when Valentin Carboni struck at the start of stoppage time to cancel out Adrien Rabiot’s opener.

But Juve would strike back deep into added time as Gatti’s effort sealed the three points to take Massimiliano Allegri’s side top.

Dusan Vlahovic saw an early penalty saved by Michele Di Gregorio after Andrea Cambiaso had been upended in the box but Rabiot headed in soon after before the late drama saw Juventus go top.

In the Bundesliga, Davie Selke hit the only goal as Cologne won at fellow strugglers Darmstadt 1-0 to leave both sides on nine points.

Selke struck on the half-hour mark to seal what could prove to be a vital victory for the visitors.

Las Palmas beat 10-man Getafe 2-0 to move up to eighth in LaLiga.

Julian Araujo hung in the air to head the home side ahead moments before the break, with Getafe’s hopes of battling back suffering a blow when Omar Alderete was sent off.

With just three minutes of the second half gone, Alderete was initially booked after catching Enzo Loiodice on the ankle but the yellow card was upgraded to red after a VAR review.

Substitute Cristian Herrera wrapped up the points for Las Palmas as he tapped in from close range late on.

Meanwhile in Ligue 1, Reims moved level on points with fourth-placed Lille courtesy of a 2-1 home win over Strasbourg.

Amir Richardson opened the scoring for the hosts early on and the lead was doubled courtesy of Mohamed Daramy’s strike before the break.

Strasbourg pulled a goal back through Kevin Gameiro’s late penalty but Will Still’s side held on for the points.

Federico Gatti scored a last-gasp winner to send Juventus top of Serie A with a battling 2-1 victory at Monza.

The hosts had looked like rescuing a point when Valentin Carboni struck at the start of stoppage time to cancel out Adrien Rabiot’s opener.

But Juve would strike back deep into added time as Gatti’s effort sealed the three points to take Massimiliano Allegri’s side top ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.

Dusan Vlahovic saw an early penalty saved by Michele Di Gregorio after Andrea Cambiaso had been upended in the box.

The visitors would not be kept at bay for long, though, as Rabiot broke the deadlock in the 12th minute when he headed home a corner.

Allegri’s men could not build on their lead however, with Di Gregorio rarely tested.

The Monza goalkeeper kept out a driven Rabiot effort with ease while Gatti fired over from distance with chances at a minimum.

Monza thought they had made Juve pay for not doubling their advantage when substitute Carboni scored.

His ball into the box evaded everyone and drifted in past Juve stopper Wojciech Szczesny as the home side scored with their first effort on target of the night.

Despite their celebrations, Monza could not hold on for a point as, with Juventus throwing men forward, Rabiot crossed low for the unmarked Gatti.

The defender fluffed his lines with his first chance but thrashed the ball home at the second attempt to seal a dramatic win for the visitors.

The victory takes Juventus top of the table, moving a point clear of Inter Milan, who face a tough trip to fourth-placed Napoli on Sunday evening.