Napoli midfielder Kevin De Bruyne suffered a serious thigh injury while scoring a penalty in Saturday's 3-1 win over Inter Milan, his club said on Monday, while Italian media reported the 34-year-old was not expected to play again before the new year.

Former Manchester City player De Bruyne clutched the back of his right thigh after scoring the opening goal of the Serie A match.

His teammates consoled him as he grimaced and left the pitch before returning to the substitutes' bench with crutches.

"Kevin De Bruyne underwent diagnostic tests... which revealed a high-grade lesion to the biceps femoris muscle in his right thigh," Napoli said in a statement, without providing a timescale for the player's return.

Hamstring injuries have previously sidelined De Bruyne for extended periods, with the Belgium international missing four months in 2023 and over six weeks last year.

De Bruyne, a six-time Premier League winner with Man City, has played a key role in helping Napoli rise to the top of the Serie A table with four goals this season. He has also scored six times for Belgium in their World Cup qualifiers.

Napoli said De Bruyne had already begun the rehabilitation process.

Serie A leaders Napoli could be without Kevin De Bruyne until early 2026 after the club confirmed he had suffered a hamstring injury.

The former Manchester City midfielder was hurt while scoring a penalty in his team's 3-1 home victory over Inter Milan on Saturday.

After converting his spot kick, the 34-year-old Belgian froze and clutched his right thigh before limping off the field with the help of the club's medical staff.

It was De Bruyne's fourth league goal of his first season in Italy since moving from City in the close season. He had already scored twice from the penalty spot and once with a free kick.

"Kevin De Bruyne underwent tests which revealed that he has a large-scale lesion in the biceps femoris of his right thigh," Napoli said in a statement.

"The player has already begun his rehabilitation," the club added, without providing further details.

Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport reported that De Bruyne is not expected to play again this year, dealing a blow to Napoli's hopes of retaining the Italian league title.

Napoli, who face Lecce on Tuesday, are top on goal difference but have the same number of points as second-placed AS Roma.

Juventus on Monday sacked coach Igor Tudor after the Serie A club's 1-0 defeat by Lazio meant they have accumulated just five points in their last five matches.

Men's first team coach Massimiliano Brambilla will be on the bench for the match against Udinese on Wednesday, the Turin club sai

🚨⚪️⚫️ Igor Tudor has been personally informed about Juventus decision to sack him this morning.

Massimo Brambilla will be the interim coach ahead of club’s decision on new manager. pic.twitter.com/0wtcdPM5m8

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 27, 2025

"Juventus FC announces that it has today relieved Igor Tudor of his duties as head coach of the men's first team, along with his staff consisting of Ivan Javorcic, Tomislav Rogic and Riccardo Ragnacci," it said.

"The club thanks Igor Tudor and his entire staff for their professionalism and dedication over the past few months and wishes them all the best for their future careers."

Juventus sit eighth in Serie A six points behind leaders Napoli. They are 25th out of 36 teams in the Champions League standings after drawing one and losing two of their first three games.

Paulo Dybala scored his first Serie A goal of the season to give Roma a 1-0 victory at Sassuolo on Sunday to lift them level on points with leaders Napoli.

After 16 minutes Dybala set up Bryan Cristante for a shot. When Arijanet Muric saved, Dybala pounced to put the rebound into the empty net.

It was the Argentinian's 130th Serie A goal but his first from open play since last December.

"These are three important points," said Dybala, whose team are hoping to deliver a first Scudetto for Roma since 2001.

"We knew we could move into first place before this match, but we're not getting carried away. The championship is still very long."

Under Gian Piero Gasperini, who took over in July, Roma have become stingy in defence but are struggling to score.

In eight games they have conceded three goals – two fewer than any other team – while scoring only eight.

Roma sit second behind reigning champions Napoli, who beat fourth-placed Inter Milan 3-1 on Saturday, on goal difference.

However, if two teams are level on points at the top of the table at the end of the season, the title will be decided in a play-off.

 

Paulo Dybala is the Panini Player of the Match of #SassuoloRoma! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/AuTw0dDNjQ

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) October 26, 2025

 

All four of Roma's defeats this season have come at home, including a loss to Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday and against Inter Milan in Serie A last Saturday.

"I'm very satisfied because the team reacted well after two defeats this week," said Gasperini.

"The priority now is to win again at home. We have to reward our fans. At home, we have to be more effective."

AC Milan, held to a 2-2 draw by Pisa on Friday at the San Siro, dropped to third, a point behind.

JUVE BEATEN AGAIN

Lazio extended Juventus' winless streak in all competitions to eight matches with a 1-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico.

Juventus fell behind in just the ninth minute when Jonathan David carelessly gave the ball away inside his own half, before Toma Basic drilled in a deflected shot from outside the box.

The visitors thought they should have been awarded a penalty on the hour mark when Mario Gila appeared to trip Francisco Conceicao, but their appeals were in vain.

 

FT | Fischio finale.@EASPORTSFC @easportsfcit#LazioJuve pic.twitter.com/jVKgoZy7cD

— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) October 26, 2025

 

Lazio managed to hold on to an important three points, helped by an excellent save from Ivan Provedel to keep out a Khephren Thuram header with 15 minutes left.

The capital club moved into 10th, one point behind their beaten opponents.

"We are of course disappointed, we feel terrible, but there is always something missing in our matches. We are all responsible for this situation," said Juve coach Igor Tudor, insisting he is "not worried about his future".

Elsewhere, Fiorentina remained winless despite fighting back to rescue a 2-2 home draw with Bologna.

Goals from Santiago Castro and Nicolo Cambiaghi put Bologna on track to climb to fourth place and close within two points of the leaders.

But Albert Gudmundsson pulled one back from the penalty spot for La Viola, before Bologna's Emil Holm was sent off for a second booking.

Fiorentina took advantage to rescue a draw as Moise Kean netted another spot-kick in the third minute of added time.

Stefano Pioli's Fiorentina still have just four points from their opening eight league games and are languishing in 18th place.

Torino made it back-to-back wins after downing Napoli last week with a 2-1 victory against Genoa.

Kevin de Bruyne injured himself hitting his fourth Serie A goal but Napoli went on to beat visiting Inter Milan 3-1 on Saturday, halting their slide and moving to the top of Serie A.

AC Milan left the leadership door ajar when they drew with Pisa on Friday night to move onto 17 points. Napoli are now one point clear at the top after a timely win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Napoli had been struggling, losing two of their last three Serie A games, including a defeat at AC Milan, before suffering a 6-2 humiliation at PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday.

They responded in front of their home crowd.

"It was a fantastic evening. We played like a top team, we knew we had to put in a great performance and we did it," said Napoli's Scott McTominay. "There was a great reaction after the bad night in the Champions League."

Napoli won a penalty after 33 minutes when Henrikh Mkhitaryan brought down Napoli right back Giovanni Di Lorenzo.

Mkhitaryan injured himself making the challenge and went off before De Bruyne stepped up to convert the penalty.

It was the Belgian's fourth league goal of his first Italian season since moving from Manchester City. He had already scored twice from the penalty spot and once with a free kick.

But the 34-year-old clutched a hamstring after scoring and was helped off the field before play resumed.

KDB scores his penalty and then goes off injured 🤕

Watch the match live on SuperSport in English, isiZulu and Sesotho commentary 🎙️

📺 Stream #SerieA on DStv: https://t.co/B0jLrQW5cc pic.twitter.com/vSrLLPXiAZ

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) October 25, 2025

"We're going through a tough spell with lots of injuries – Kevin picked up one today too – but we responded with great character," said Napoli coach Antonio Conte.

Inter president Giuseppe Marotta was unhappy that the penalty was awarded by a video review after the referee had initially not whistled for a foul.

"The unjustified penalty, as shown by the footage, completely changed the dynamic of the match," he said, but added "Napoli could have won anyway, of course."

McTominay doubled the home lead when he smashed the ball home from the edge of the box after 54 minutes.

Hakan Calhanoglu hit back from the spot five minutes later after Alessandro Buongiorno blocked a Lautaro Martinez strike with an arm.

Andre-Frank Anguissa drove home a third for Napoli after 67 minutes to finish the scoring.

"Inter were coming off a string of good results, while we were struggling," said Conte.

"Inter came here to destroy us," said Conte. "We have no desire and no intention of stopping fighting.

"Despite everything, we played an excellent game and the win was legitimate and deserved."

Inter are fourth behind Roma who visit Sassuolo on Sunday and could draw level with Napoli.

In the late game, Atalanta preserved the only unbeaten record in Serie A but sit only eighth after recording their sixth draw in eight league matches, 1-1 at Cremonese.

Jamie Vardy, making his second start since his move from Leicester, scored his first Serie A goal to give the hosts a 79th minute lead.

Atalanta responded by bringing on Marco Brescianini in the 82nd minute. The midfielder levelled two minutes later with a shot that went in off the post.

Zachary Athekame's long-range shot in time added on earned the Serie A leaders a last-gasp 2-2 draw, as promoted side Pisa almost escaped with all three points on Friday.

Milan lead Serie A on 17 points but Inter, Napoli and Roma are all on 15pts ahead of their games this weekend.

Pisa narrowly missed a famous win after starting the game rock-bottom of the league and falling behind to a seventh minute goal from Rafael Leao.

A point apiece at San Siro.

Brought to you by @Bitpanda_global pic.twitter.com/LmZ7QhWlHb

— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 24, 2025

But Pisa levelled with a penalty converted by the 37-year-old Juan Cuadrado before half-time and held on until they stunned the San Siro as Mbala Nzola lost his marker and sent the visitors 2-1 up on 86 minutes.

But a first win of the season alluded Pisa as Athekame's desperate late strike pulled Milan back level at 2-2.

Pisa did however climb from rock-bottom to 18th.

Champions Napoli host Inter Milan on Saturday while Roma travel to Sassuolo Sunday.

Cracks are already starting to appear in Napoli's Serie A title defence as the champions prepare to host red-hot Inter Milan on Saturday after a drubbing at the hands of PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.

Tuesday's 6-2 defeat in the Netherlands was fully deserved for Napoli, and came after last weekend's shock loss at Torino which led to AC Milan taking top spot in Italy's top flight.

Both Napoli and Inter are locked on 15 points alongside Roma, with that trio a point behind Milan who kick off the weekend's action with the visit of lowly Pisa on Friday night.

Antonio Conte was scathing about the efforts of his players on Tuesday, the combustible coach saying supporters "shouldn't be taken the piss out of" in a long rant to reporters who witnessed a humiliation at the Philips Stadion.

"I've been saying for some time that we need to eat some humble pie, some people are trying to blow smoke in the eyes of Napoli supporters but this is a fan base that needs to be told the truth," said Conte.

"If we're going to build something that can make Naples proud we need to rediscover the spirit that we had last season when there were no personal goals, there was no egoism, there was one vision, and that was Napoli."

Conte has not been helped by a series of injuries in the opening weeks of the season, including a serious thigh problem for Romelu Lukaku, whose replacement Rasmus Hojlund was also missing in Turin and Eindhoven.

Hojlund will be back for the visit of Inter, a boost for Conte given the Denmark striker's fine performances since signing from Manchester United on transfer deadline day.

But bigger problems remain as last season's player of the year Scott McTominay struggles for his best form following the arrival of Kevin De Bruyne, a signing which has brought both world class talent and a midfield conundrum.

McTominay, who scored both of Napoli's goals on Tuesday, has been shunted out to the left side of a midfield four, limiting the Scotland international's ability to charge into the box to get on the end of chances as he did so often last season.

While Napoli were being ripped apart Inter were strolling to their seventh straight win in all competitions, a 4-0 thumping of Union Saint-Gilloise highlighting the depth of talent at coach Cristian Chivu's disposal.

The absence of France forward Marcus Thuram since the start of October hasn't slowed Inter down, with his countryman Ange-Yoan Bonny and promising Italy international Pio Esposito providing the sort of attacking back-up that was sorely missed during Inter's failed title defence last term.

"They had to put behind the disappointment of last year. Sometimes that pain can play games with you but the boys have been brilliant," said Chivu on Tuesday.

The pressure is on Juventus coach Igor Tudor ahead of Sunday night's clash at Lazio, with a 1-0 defeat at Real Madrid leaving the Turin giants without a win in seven matches.

Player to watch: Riccardo Orsolini

Bologna continue to punch above their weight under Vincenzo Italiano and a large part of that is down to Orsolini, who has had a blistering start to the season.

Orsolini has already scored six times in all competitions this term and will be the key attacking threat for coach Italiano who takes on his struggling old team Fiorentina on Sunday evening.

Bologna are three points behind Milan in fifth and the difference between Italiano's team and Fiorentina could barely be bigger, with the Viola sat in the relegation zone without a win in seven league matches.

Key stats

3 - Inter, Napoli and Roma all trail Milan by one point

7 - Inter's all-competitions winning streak

Rafael Leao shot AC Milan to the top of Serie A with a brace in Sunday's 2-1 win over Fiorentina who were enraged by the "scandalous" awarding of the penalty that decided the game.

Portugal winger Leao pushed Milan one point ahead of local rivals Inter Milan, Napoli and Roma with a coolly-taken spot-kick, given for what looked like a soft foul on Santiago Gimenez by Fabiano Parisi, with four minutes remaining.

That goal capped a fine first league start of the season for Leao, and came after he drew the hosts level with a brilliantly struck effort from distance in the 63rd minute.

💥😁 pic.twitter.com/zGiG1pfQwN

— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 19, 2025

"He's an amazing talent, from outside when I used to watch him and now when I train with him, I see he is one of the best players in the world," said Luka Modric to DAZN.

"The incredible thing is that he can still improve, it just depends on him. I hope these two goals can help him grow his confidence and be the main guy for us. He will be very important and we will depend a lot on him. He showed why tonight."

Rafael Alexandre da Conceição Leão. pic.twitter.com/fcz7TMKUwN

— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 19, 2025

Leao's goals are a boost for Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri, who has had to deal with a spate of injuries, including to key players Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic who were hurt on international duty and will not be back for weeks.

The 26-year-old's brace cancelled out Robin Gosens's opener in the 55th minute for Fiorentina, who are still seeking their first league win of the season under former Milan coach Pioli and sit in the relegation zone.

But Pioli said the awarding of the decisive penalty, given by referee Livio Marinelli following a check of the pitchside monitor, would "encourage players to dive at the slightest touch".

Fiorentina's sporting director Daniele Prade was even more blunt, blasting Marinelli for not having "the courage to back his original decision".

"These are those incidents that change everything, we were playing to win the game and you just can't do things like that. It's scandalous," said Prade.

"Gimenez was on the floor for 20 minutes and he was barely touched, it was almost grotesque... We didn't deserve to lose and we definitely didn't deserve to lose in that way."

COMO SINK JUVE 

Earlier, Nico Paz shone again for Como with a goal and assist in a landmark 2-0 win over Juventus, which lifted the traditionally tiny club up to sixth place.

Argentina international Paz set up Marc-Oliver Kempf to sweep home in the fourth minute at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, before making sure of Como's first win against Juve since 1952 with a wonderful individual goal with 12 minutes remaining.

An eventful day for Nico 💎

🏆 Rising Star of the Month
🅰️ 1 Assist
⚽️ 1 Goal
🏆 Player of the Match pic.twitter.com/RYEekjc0dT

— Como1907 (@Como_1907) October 19, 2025

Owned by tobacco giant Djarum and coached by former Spain and Barcelona star Cesc Fabregas, ambitious Como are on 12 points from seven matches, only four behind Milan.

Paz, 21, was signed from Real Madrid in August last year and after an impressive debut season in Italy, he has been a key part of Como's strong start to this campaign with four goals and as many assists.

"He's a great player, I'm not worried about his future because I can tell when a player is hungry, whether they have the right mentality to become a top player or whether they're a flash in the pan," said Fabregas to DAZN.

🫂💙

⚪️🔵➡️ https://t.co/4ARjtwVrmh pic.twitter.com/RjH6SwLT7C

— Como1907 (@Como_1907) October 19, 2025

Paz's fine display on Sunday left Juve without a win since a dramatic victory over arch-rivals Inter just over a month ago.

Defeat ended a tough week for Juve, who lost starting centre-back Gleison Bremer until the end of the year with a knee ligament tear and are under investigation by European governing body UEFA for financial fair play breaches.

And next week offers the huge task of Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Juve on two points following their first two matches in this season's Champions League.

Riccardo Orsolini helped move Bologna a point above Como and into fifth spot with his fifth goal of the season in a comfortable 2-0 win at Cagliari.

🐻🤩 https://t.co/826khYu3vZ

— Bologna FC 1909 (@BolognaFC1909en) October 19, 2025

Juventus lost 2-0 at Como in Serie A on Sunday, another disappointing result after five successive draws in all competitions for Igor Tudor's side.

Como took the lead in the fourth minute when defender Marc-Oliver Kempf volleyed in from close range at the far post following Nico Paz's curling cross.

Juventus thought they had equalised in the 36th minute when Jonathan David slotted home from close range, but the Canadian's effort was ruled out for offside in the build-up.

Early in the second half, Kempf required treatment for a cut to his forehead after an accidental clash with teammate Jacobo Ramon but was able to continue with heavy strapping.

Juventus continued to struggle and Paz doubled Como's lead in the 79th minute with a brilliant solo effort, cutting inside from the right to glide past Andrea Cambiaso before curling a left-footed strike beyond Michele Di Gregorio.

The 21-year-old Argentine has contributed to eight of Como's nine league goals this season with four goals and four assists in seven matches, the most in Serie A.

Como moved up to fifth in the standings, level on 12 points with Juventus in sixth.

Inter Milan moved top of Serie A on goal difference on Saturday after winning 1-0 at Roma, taking advantage of Napoli's shock 1-0 defeat at Torino.

Ange Yoan-Bonny sprung Roma's offside trap and forced home the winning goal in the sixth minute at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome as Inter moved level on 15 points with both their opponents and champions Napoli.

🫣 pic.twitter.com/tR6glXmW5j

— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter) October 18, 2025

Effectively Inter are joint leaders as should teams finish the season on the same points the destination of the league title will be decided by a playoff.

But Cristian Chivu's team, who also hit the post in the final five minutes through Henrikh Mkhitaryan, have won their last six matches in all competitions and made clear their intentions of reclaiming the Scudetto after conceding it to Napoli last season.

After facing Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League, Inter travel to Napoli, who fell to a goal from old boy Giovanni Simeone and are in the midst of an injury crisis with both Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay missing in Turin.

Last year's Champions League finalists did not have it all their own way on Sunday night however, and Roma were unlucky not to level on the hour when Zeki Celik had a great chance deflected into the side netting.

And from the subsequent corner Artem Dovbyk headed over with Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer completed stranded.

Napoli's defeat and Inter winning in the Italian capital gives AC Milan, fourth and two points from the summit, the chance to take top spot from their local rivals with a win over Fiorentina on Sunday.

However Milan have injury problems of their own with coach Massimiliano Allegri saying on Saturday that key players Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic will be out of action until the next international break in mid-November.

SIMEONE SINKS NAPOLI

Simeone, who helped Napoli win Serie A in 2023 and last season, netted the only goal in the 32nd minute of a tense game in Turin.

The 30-year-old also scored the winner in Torino's 1-0 home victory over Roma in September and he took his third goal of the season brilliantly, capitalising on a fortunate ricochet to skip past Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and shoot home.

È stata una partita molto speciale per me emotivamente. Felice per il mio primo gol in questo stadio e per la vittoria. Continuiamo a crescere, FORZA @TorinoFC_1906 🐂🔴 pic.twitter.com/WD5JDypUbD

— Giovanni Simeone (@simeonegiovanni) October 18, 2025

Noa Lang thought he had snatched a point for Napoli in the third minute of stoppage time, wheeling away in delight after tapping home before his strike was ruled out for offside.

"It a was a special night for me, to give Torino three points from such a difficult match makes me very happy," said Simeone to DAZN.

"They're a very good team and it was an emotional night for me, but the most important thing is making happy the Torino fans by showing them we're a team that fights to the end."

Napoli coach Antonio Conte had to do without in-form striker Hojlund and McTominay who were left out of the squad with respective thigh and ankle injuries suffered in training ahead of Saturday's defeat.

Both are doubts for Tuesday's clash at PSV Eindhoven, creating more injury problems for Conte who has already had to deal with a series of physical problems for his squad this season.

"We conceded a goal which we basically created ourselves," said Conte.

"We have to play every three days and we don't have time, all we can do is play and and improve every time we do."

Hojlund, who has scored three times for Napoli and netted for Denmark last weekend, was only signed from Manchester United after Romelu Lukaku suffered a thigh injury which could keep the Belgium striker out until the new year.

Alessandro Buongiorno and Matteo Politano were only fit for a place on the bench while Stanislav Lobotka and Amir Rrahmani are still sidelined.

Napoli were sunk 1-0 at Torino by old boy Giovanni Simeone on Saturday as they struggled without the injured Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay, who may also both miss out on a Champions League clash at PSV Eindhoven.

Simeone, who helped Napoli win Serie A in 2023 and last season, netted the only goal in the 32nd minute of a tense game in Turin which gives Roma the chance to go out on their own at the top of the league.

The 30-year-old also scored the winner in Torino's 1-0 home victory over Roma in September and he took his third goal of the season brilliantly, capitalising on a fortunate ricochet to skip past Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and shoot home.

"It a was a special night for me, to give Torino three points from such a difficult match makes me very happy," said Simeone to DAZN.

"They're a very good team and it was an emotional night for me, but the most important thing is making happy the Torino fans by showing them we're a team that fights to the end."

Noa Lang thought he had snatched a point for champions Napoli in the third minute of stoppage time, wheeling away in delight after tapping home before his strike was ruled out for offside.

Roma host Inter Milan in Saturday's late match and are level on 15 points with Napoli, who drop down to second by virtue of having played a game more.

Inter sit three points behind Roma and Napoli, meaning that Cristian Chivu's team will be first on goal difference with a win in the Italian capital.

MCTOMINAY AND HOJLUND MISSING

Napoli coach Antonio Conte had to do without in-form striker Hojlund and McTominay who were left out of the squad with respective thigh and ankle injuries suffered in training ahead of Saturday's defeat.

Both are doubts for Tuesday's clash at PSV, creating more injury problems for Conte who has already had to deal with a series of physical problems for his squad this season.

"We conceded a goal which we basically created ourselves," said Conte.

"We have to play every three days and we don't have time, all we can do is play and and improve every time we do."

Hojlund, who has scored three times for Napoli and netted for Denmark last weekend, was only signed from Manchester United after Romelu Lukaku suffered a thigh injury which could keep the Belgium striker out until the new year.

Alessandro Buongiorno and Matteo Politano were only fit for a place on the bench while Stanislav Lobotka and Amir Rrahmani are still sidelined.

Hojlund would be a big absence for PSV as he scored both goals in Napoli's 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon earlier this month and Lorenzo Lucca did little up front on Saturday.

McTominay was Serie A's player of the year and key to Napoli winning their fourth league title last season, but the Scotland midfielder has struggled to impose himself in the early weeks of this campaign following the arrival of Kevin De Bruyne.

AC Milan will be without Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic "until the next international break", the Serie A club's coach Massimiliano Allegri said on Saturday.

France midfielder Rabiot and USA forward Pulisic were both injured on international duty, when the pair picked up respective calf and hamstring problems.

Allegri confirmed their absences in the pre-match press conference for Milan's match against Fiorentina on Sunday.

Milan do not have European football this season but will play five Serie A fixtures between now and the next international break in mid-November.

Rabiot, 30, and 27-year-old Pulisic have been two of Milan's standout performers in the early weeks of the season, with Allegri's team beginning the weekend two points behind joint leaders Roma and Napoli.

Pulisic has scored six goals and set up two more in league and cup matches this season, while Rabiot has struck up a fine midfield partnership with veteran new arrival Luka Modric.

Inter Milan have two tests of their Serie A title credentials coming up over the next two weeks as they head to Roma on Saturday night, a week before a key clash with Napoli.

Cristian Chivu has led Inter to five straight wins in all competitions, but their trip to the capital will pitch them against spiky opposition who jointly lead Italy's top flight with champions Napoli.

Roma have conceded just twice in their opening six league fixtures and are level on 15 points with Napoli at the top of the division.

Inter are three points behind that pair, with three consecutive league wins over Sassuolo, Cagliari and Cremonese putting them in fourth, ahead of Juventus – who are at high-flying Como on Sunday – on goal difference.

Chivu has one major absence, with Marcus Thuram still out with the hamstring injury he picked up against Slavia Prague last month.

But he has handy back up in another Frenchman Ange-Yoan Bonny, who was key to Inter's most recent win against Cremonese just before the international break.

And captain Lautaro Martinez is fresh from another goalscoring outing with Argentina, his brace against Puerto Rico taking his tally for club and country this season to eight.

Thuram is pushing to be available for next weekend's clash at Napoli, after which Inter will know whether they are realistic contenders for the Scudetto.

That is not something that would have been considered a given once Inter chose Chivu, whose only previous senior managerial experience was in the final months of last season with Parma, to replace Simone Inzaghi.

The former Romania defender was a surprised choice to take over Inter and will face a test of his coaching mettle against Gian Piero Gasperini and then Antonio Conte next week.

Roma have ridden their luck to keep pace with Napoli, as goalkeeper Milar Svilar has stepped up several times already this season and allowed Gasperini's new team to get away with some below-par displays.

Napoli meanwhile have what should be a straight-forward task at Torino just before Inter take on Roma, with Italian pair Matteo Politano and Alessandro Buongiorno set to return from injury.

Nestled between Inter and the leading pair are AC Milan, two points from the summit ahead of Sunday night's fixture with struggling Fiorentina who are yet to win in Serie A this season and have Italy striker Moise Kean sidelined with injury.

Milan will be without Christian Pulisic and Adrien Rabiot, with France midfielder Rabiot risking a month-long absence with a calf injury.

Player to watch: Rafael Leao

Once the undisputed star of the AC Milan team, Leao has had a bumpy start to the season, not helped by a calf problem which he picked up just before the start of the campaign.

But the Portugal winger needs to step up for Milan now that Pulisic has suffered a right hamstring injury, with the American set to undergo tests on Friday.

Pulisic could be sidelined for a month after playing in two friendlies despite having an ankle problem, a situation which has irritated Milan as the winger has already scored six goals and set up two more this term.

Leao is set for his first league start of the season after two poor efforts as a substitute against Napoli and Juventus, and coach Massimiliano needs the wing wizard back to his best.

Key stats

5 - Inter's winning run since last-gasp defeat at Juventus last month.

2 - The number of goals conceded by Roma in the opening six rounds of the season.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Saturday

Lecce v Sassuolo, Pisa v Verona (1300), Torino v Napoli (1600), Roma v Inter Milan (1845)

Sunday

Como v Juventus (1030), Cagliari v Bologna, Genoa v Parma (1300), Atalanta v Lazio (1600), AC Milan v Fiorentina (1845)

Monday

Cremonese v Udinese (1845)

Adrien Rabiot will miss AC Milan's next two Serie A fixtures against Fiorentina and Pisa after picking up a calf injury on international duty, the Italian club said on Thursday.

Milan said that tests "revealed a tear to the soleus muscle", adding that Rabiot would be "reassessed in around 10 days".

That timeframe rules the France midfielder out of Sunday's clash with Fiorentina at the San Siro and the trip to Pisa the following Friday.

Rabiot signed for Milan on transfer deadline day after being offloaded by Marseille in the wake of a dressing room brawl with Jonathan Rowe, who is now also in Italy with Bologna.

The 30-year old scored in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan on Friday.

Milan sit third in Serie A on 13 points, two behind league leaders Napoli and Roma.

Juventus defender Gleison Bremer will undergo surgery for a torn meniscus ligament in his left knee, the Serie A club said on Monday.

In a statement Juve said that the centre-back, who missed most of last season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, was diagnosed with the tear in Lyon on Monday morning.

"In the next few hours the player will undergo selective arthroscopic meniscectomy," Juve added.

Italian media report that the 28-year-old could be out for a month, with Juve facing high-flying Como in Italy's top flight on Sunday.

It is a further blow to coach Igor Tudor as Juve were already missing fellow defender Juan Cabal who suffered a thigh injury during his team's 2-2 draw at Villarreal in the Champions League earlier this month.

Juventus are fifth in Serie A on 12 points and have drawn their last five matches in all competitions.

The French players' union (UNFP) on Thursday backed footballer Adrien Rabiot for speaking out about his concerns at Uefa's decision to allow AC Milan to play a league fixture in Australia.

AC Milan midfielder Rabiot branded the decision by European football's governing body to allow a 'home' match against Como to be played in Perth on February 8 as "totally crazy".

Milan's San Siro stadium is out of commission on that date because it is hosting the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on February 6.

Rabiot's criticism incurred the wrath of the CEO of Serie A Luigi De Siervo, who on Wednesday told the player to count his money and be quiet about the decision.

"Rabiot forgets, like all players earning millions of euros, that they are paid to do something, and that is play football," said De Siervo.

"He should have more respect for the money he earns and offer more support to his employer, Milan, who accepted and pushed for this match being played abroad."

However, the UNFP backed Rabiot for voicing his concerns, which they said are "shared by the vast majority of players".

Not all footballers "are able to access the media and express themselves in this way," the UNFP continued.

"However, they should know that as the primary players in the game, they have the right, and even the duty, to make their voices heard.

"Freedom of expression for footballers is a fundamental principle that the UNFP will always defend, like FIFPRO, the world players' union," it added.

Uefa this week said it had "reluctantly" approved the staging of Milan's home match with Como in Perth, as well as a Spanish LaLiga fixture between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami, Florida, on December 20.

European supporters' groups branded the moves "absurd, unaffordable, and environmentally irresponsible", and Rabiot made clear his feelings.

"It's totally crazy. There are financial agreements in order for the championship to have a certain visibility. All of this is beyond us (the players)," he said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro.

"It's crazy to travel so far to play a match between two Italian teams in Australia."

Monaco sacked their Austrian coach Adi Hutter on Thursday and are set to replace him with Belgian Sebastien Pocognoli, sources told AFP.

The 55-year-old Hutter's assistants Christian Peintinger and Klaus Schmidt will also leave the club.

The trio, who were hired just over two years ago, told players about their departure after training on Thursday.

Monaco are fifth in Ligue 1 after winning four and drawing one of their first seven matches, sitting just three points off leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

They lost their opening Champions League match against Club Brugge but then held Manchester City to a 2-2 draw last week.

Sources claim that Monaco tried unsuccessfully to reach an agreement with German coach Edin Terzic, 42, who was previously in charge of Borussia Dortmund.

Instead, they are said to be turning to Union Saint-Gilloise's Pocognoli, 38, a former Belgian international who last season – his only one as a first team head coach – led his club to a first league title in 90 years.

UEFA on Monday said it had "reluctantly" approved the staging of a LaLiga and a Serie A match in the United States and Australia respectively despite fan protests.

"While it is regrettable to have to let these two games go ahead, this decision is exceptional and shall not be seen as setting a precedent," UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement.

UEFA made its ruling after Spain's LaLiga agreed to move a game scheduled for late December between champions Barcelona and Villarreal to Miami, Florida.

Italy's Serie A also decided to stage the encounter between AC Milan and Como on February 8 in Perth, Australia, to avoid a clash with the Winter Olympics opening ceremony at Milan's San Siro stadium.

But that sparked protests from European supporters groups who branded the moves "absurd, unaffordable, and environmentally irresponsible".

In its statement, UEFA said that it had "reiterated its clear opposition to domestic league matches being played outside their home country".

But despite "the widespread lack of support that had already been raised by fans, other leagues, clubs, players and European institutions", UEFA said that it had found no clear regulatory framework in FIFA's statutes that would allow it to oppose the moves.

"The UEFA Executive Committee has reluctantly taken the decision to approve, on an exceptional basis, the two requests referred to it," European football's governing body said in its statement.

NFL, NBA PRECEDENT

While the idea of relocating European football matches to other continents seems shocking to many, other sports – particularly US ones – have been doing something similar for years, even decades.

The NFL has held games in London since 2007 while it also expanded to Mexico and Germany.

Last year it added a game in Sao Paulo and this year there has been one in Dublin for the first time. Another is slated for Madrid in November while Melbourne will play host to a game in 2026.

The NBA, which has relocated regular-season matches since 1990 to Japan and since 2013 to Europe, has already scheduled six games in Berlin, London, Manchester and Paris over the next three seasons.

In rugby union, the French Top 14 club competition took its 2016 final to Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium, while Ireland and New Zealand played an international match in Chicago that same year – with Ireland claiming their first ever victory over the All Blacks.

Last weekend, Argentina played their final Rugby Championship match at home to South Africa at Twickenham in London.

It is not unheard of in football to host matches abroad, but until now those had only ever been glorified friendlies.

The Spanish and Italian Super Cups are already held in Saudi Arabia, after previous editions in China, Morocco, Qatar and Libya, as governing bodies seek to cash in on the global reach of the beautiful game.

LaLiga has been trying for years to host games in the United States, home of its commercial partner Relevent Sports.

Football's world governing body FIFA shifted its hitherto opposition to relocating matches, with a 'working group' launched in May to revise their rules.

That opened the door to UEFA granting LaLiga and Serie A the permission to branch out.

Rasmus Hojlund struck again for Napoli with the winning goal in Sunday's 2-1 victory over struggling Genoa, a strike which alongside AC Milan drawing 0-0 at Juventus lifted the Serie A champions into top spot.

Fresh from his midweek double against Sporting Lisbon, Hojlund was on hand to score on the rebound with 15 minutes remaining as Napoli came from behind to claim three points in Naples.

The 22-year-old pounced after Andre-Frank Anguissa's powerful shot was pushed out by Genoa goalkeeper Nicola Leali, taking his club tally to four goals since moving to Napoli from Manchester United.

Napoli have 15 points from their six league matches and lead Roma, 2-1 winners at Fiorentina, on goal difference.

"It's my job and the team's job to win as many games as possible so it's just important to keep working hard, recovering and focussing on the next match," Hojlund told DAZN.

Coach Antonio Conte had been considering taking off Hojlund before the Denmark striker netted the winner, due to his midweek exertions in the Champions League.

"I think he asked me if I was tired and if I could keep playing and I just said that I had good energy and I was still fresh, and I said 'yeah, just let me play'," added Hojlund.

But Antonio Conte's team had to do it the hard way, with Anguissa bundling in the leveller in the 57th minute after teenager Jeff Ekhator had given Genoa a halftime lead with just his second Serie A goal.

Napoli will stay top through the international break thanks to Christian Pulisic blasting a penalty over the bar as Milan were held by fifth-placed Juve in Sunday's drab headline clash.

PULISIC HOWLER

Pulisic wasted a golden opportunity to put Milan ahead in Turin after Santiago Gimenez was clumsily brought down by Lloyd Kelly seven minutes after halftime.

The USA forward had his head in his hands following his awful effort which ended Milan's winning run at five games and allowed Napoli to reclaim first place.

Substitute Rafael Leao fluffed an opportunity to snatch the points in stoppage time after being put through by Luka Modric, and Milan drop down to third, two points from the leading pair.

"We should have won, we had chances but something was missing. We have to do more," said Adrien Rabiot, who returned to the Allianz Stadium with Milan after five years at Juve.

"It's only the start of the season but winning here would've been significant."

Earlier, Matias Soule and Bryan Cristante struck in the first half in Florence as Roma claimed a third straight win in Italy's top flight, which came after going behind to a Moise Kean rocket in the 14th minute.

Kean almost added to his first goal of the season when he smashed another powerful effort off the post in the 38th minute, not long after Cristante had headed Roma into the lead.

Roberto Piccoli was also unlucky not to level with a volley, which rattled the crossbar in the 74th minute, but Fiorentina remain winless on three points and one place above the relegation zone.

For Roma, it was a fine end to the week following a frustrating Europa League defeat to Lille in which Gian Piero Gasperini's team wasted three chances to equalise late on from the penalty spot.

Roma moved top of Serie A on Sunday after coming from behind to win 2-1 at Fiorentina, throwing down the gauntlet to Napoli and AC Milan.

Matias Soule and Bryan Cristante struck in the first half in Florence as Roma moved three points clear of the champions, Milan and Inter Milan, who thumped Cremonese on Saturday.

Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma are on 15 points after a third straight win in Italy's top flight, which came after going behind to a Moise Kean rocket in the 14th minute.

Kean almost added to his first goal of the season when he smashed another powerful effort off the post in the 38th minute, not long after Cristante had headed Roma into the lead.

Roberto Piccoli was also unlucky not to level with a volley which rattled the crossbar in the 74th minute, but Fiorentina remain winless on three points and one place above the relegation zone.

Napoli and Milan can join Roma at the top of the table later on Sunday, the former hosting struggling Genoa on a high from Wednesday's 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League.

Milan meanwhile face the second test of their Scudetto credentials in as many weeks with Juventus, who sit four points behind Roma in fifth, lying in wait in Turin.

Massimiliano Allegri's team started the weekend in first place on goal difference after winning a thrilling match with Napoli last weekend.