⚽️🇮🇹 Who will triumph in the Milan derby?
⚽️🇮🇹 Who will triumph in the Milan derby?
In this week’s Italian soccer digest, we're looking ahead to the big game at the San Siro this weekend, we're finding out which tennis superstar has amazing soccer skills, and much more!
⚽️ Milan sides face off in high-stakes Derby della Madonnina this weekend
All eyes will be on the San Siro on Sunday, when reigning champions Inter take on rivals Milan in the latest edition of the Derby della Madonnina (2.45pm ET, CBS Sports, FOX Deportes, and SiriusXM FC).
🥊 There’s plenty on the line for each side: Inter is seeking to bounce back from a draw at Monza to potentially reclaim top spot in the league, while Milan needs a favorable result with pressure mounting on coach Paulo Fonseca.
🇪🇺 Inter comes into the match after taking a valuable point at Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday. Milan fell at home to Liverpool in the competition on Tuesday, with USMNT star Christian Pulisic opening the scoring with a superb goal after three minutes.
🤩 Pulisic also bagged a goal and assist in last weekend’s 4-0 win over Venezia, which helped the American clinch Milan’s MVP Award.
👉 There’s plenty of North American interest in the Derby della Madonnina, with Pulisic and Yunus Musah on the books at Milan, and Canada’s Taj Buchanan on Inter’s squad.
🇺🇸 The entire derby is technically an All-American affair, with Milan owned by American investment firm RedBird, and Inter under the control of US asset management firm Oaktree.
⛪️ The Derby della Madonnina takes its name from Milan's Duomo Cathedral - the Virgin Mary statue atop the Duomo is known as the Madonnina.
🔝 Udinese’s journey to the top of Serie A
Last season, Udinese avoided relegation with an away win on the final day of the season. After four matches of 2024-25, the Friulani occupy top spot in Serie A.
💫 After starting the season with a draw on the road at Bologna, Udinese has booked wins over Lazio, Como, and Parma to reach the summit with 10 points.
💪 The key difference-maker for this team might be coach Kosta Runjaić. The German came to Italy this summer from Legia Warsaw, where he won the Polish Cup and Polish Supercup last year. Read more about Runjaić here.
👉 Udinese last reached the upper echelons of Serie A in 2011-12, when they finished third with a stacked team that included the likes of Antonio Di Natale, Medhi Benatia, and Matěj Vydra.
😮 Last season, the team from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region never climbed above 15th place.
🤕 Alexis Sánchez made his return to Udinese this season, after starting his European career with the club in 2006. However, the Chilean has yet to make an appearance and is expected to be sidelined until at least October with a calf injury.
Up next for Udinese 👉 Udinese can stay top of Serie A this weekend if they beat Roma at the Stadio Olimpico (Sunday, 12pm ET on CBS Sports and FOX Deportes). The hosts have made a significant change this week…
🐺 Ivan Jurić replaces Daniele De Rossi at Roma
Daniele De Rossi has been relieved of his duties at Roma, following the Giallorossi’s winless start to the Serie A season.
🗣️ “The club's decision is made in the best interests of the team, to get back on the desired path as soon as possible at a time when the season is still in its early stages,” said an official club statement on Wednesday.
👉 De Rossi, a Roma legend who made 616 appearances across 22 years as a player, replaced Jose Mourinho in January.
👉 He lost only one of his first 11 games in charge, and last season led Roma to a 6th-place finish in Serie A and the final four of the Europa League.
👉This season, Roma has earned three draws on the road and a loss at home to Empoli.
🆕 Ivan Jurić has been appointed as head coach until the end of the season. The Croatian left Torino at the end of last season after three years in charge, and has also managed Genoa, Hellas Verona, and Crotone.
Up next for Roma 👉 As noted above, the Giallorossi are back at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday, when they will host top-of-the-table Udinese (12pm ET on CBS Sports and FOX Deportes). Roma has won its last four home matches against the Friulani.
🥹 Chiellini returns to Juventus!
After concluding his playing career with two seasons in Major League Soccer with LAFC, Giorgio Chiellini has returned ‘home’ to Juventus in an executive role.
💪 Chiellini has traded his jersey for a suit and tie, with his new role focusing on relations with national and international football institutions.
🎓 The 40-year-old’s Masters in Business Administration from the University of Turin will no doubt come in handy in his new position.
🗣️ “Chiellini never truly left the Bianconeri – his heart, soul and values have always remained connected to the club, both on and off the field,“ said a statement on Juve’s website.
🏆 The former defender spent the bulk of his career with the Bianconeri, winning nine straight scudetti between 2012 and 2020.
🏟️ Atalanta complete incredible €100m stadium renovations
Atalanta’s Gewiss Stadium has received the mother of all glow-ups, with an impressive rennovation project that took 1,959 days to complete.
🤝 Gewiss Stadium, which first opened in 1928, was purchased by the club from the local comune in 2017, with the major renovation project beginning in 2019.
🧱 After COVID-related delays, and €100m ($111m) of investment, the stadium now holds 23,500 fans and features improved facilities.
🙌 Atalanta was given special dispensation to play its first three matches of the Serie A season away from home, with the new stadium hosting its first game on Sunday, a dramatic 3-2 win over Fiorentina.
🗺️ The stadium is located in Bergamo, around 40 miles northeast of the San Siro, which may not be getting a glow-up of its own: the latest reports in Italy suggest that Milan and Inter will look to build a stadium together, rather than renovating the century-old venue.
❤️ Tributes pour in for Italy World Cup hero Totò Schillaci
Salvatore ‘Totò’ Schillaci, the star of the Italy national team’s run to the final four of the 1990 World Cup, has died at the age of 59.
🌍 Schillaci, who played as a striker for Juventus and Inter between 1989 and 1994, is best known for winning the Golden Boot (highest scorer) and Golden Ball (best player) at Italia ‘90.
🫡 His six goals led the national team to the semifinals of the tournament, where they were eliminated by Diego Maradona’s Argentina (the game was famously held in Naples, where Maradona was idolized by Napoli fans at the time).
🗣️ "Lega Serie A and all of its Clubs would like to extend their deepest condolences to the family of Salvatore 'Totò' Schillaci, the entire football community, and Italian football fans upon his passing," said Lega Serie A President Lorenzo Casini. "He was a great player, who lit up those 'Notti Magiche' at Italia '90, the tournament in which he was the top goalscorer and best player.”
🗣️ "A football icon leaves us, a man who entered the hearts of Italians and sports lovers around the world,” said Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
👏 Schillaci played for seven seasons with Messina in his native Sicily before joining Juventus, where he won the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup in 1990 - a matter of weeks before his World Cup triumph. He won the UEFA Cup again with Inter in 1994.
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You may have just noticed the term ‘Notti Magiche’ in reference to Schillaci’s incredible summer of 1990.
🤷♂️ What does it mean? You will still hear this expression being used a lot in Italian soccer. It refers to the official song of the 1990 World Cup, by Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini. The song is actually called ‘Un’estate italiana’ or ‘an Italian summer’ but is colloquially known as Notti Magiche or ‘Magical Nights’. It has become an anthem of the national team and enjoyed a new wave of popularity when the Azzurri won Euro 2020 three years ago.
🎵 What’s it got to do with Schillaci? As noted above, the striker was the breakout star of Italia ‘90, coming from the fringe of the national team to finish as top scorer and the Golden Ball for the tournament.
The Notti Magiche of the song, therefore, sum up how the nation felt as the Azzurri went on a thrilling run to the semi-finals. Schillaci scored again to ensure they finished third in the play-off against England, and he is synonymous with the memories of those magical nights.
📺 Essential viewing: Alessandro Del Piero opens up on his incredible career
Serie A legend Alessandro Del Piero is the latest guest on CBS Golazo’s conversational show ‘Kickin’ It’.
🗣️ In conversation with Kate Scott (née Abdo), Clint Dempsey, and Charlie Davies, the six-time scudetto winner discusses his formative years, learning from playing alongside Serie A legends like Zinedine Zidane, and the choices he faced when he hung up his cleats.
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🎾 Genoa fan Stefanos Tsitsipas has impressive soccer skills!
Two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas is pretty handy with a racket… and it turns out he has a very impressive right foot!
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🇬🇷 The Greek star provided the pre-match entertainment for Genoa’s 1-1 draw with Roma at the weekend, when he took to the field at Luigi Ferraris Stadium to attempt a few free kicks. As you can see, the 2022 Italian Open finalist has some serious skills!
🗣️ “I’m very happy to be here, I’ve been supporting Genoa for such a long time, so I am super grateful for the opportunity,” Tsitsipas told DAZN.
🎮 How did Tsitsipas come to follow Genoa? Apparently it came from his childhood days playing FIFA: “When I was young with my brother we were playing a video game, I had to pick a team and saw Genoa, thought the logo was amazing. That’s how we date back.”
📺 This weekend on CBS Sports, Paramount+, FOX Deportes and SiriusXM
Friday, September 20th
Cagliari v Empoli (12.30pm ET)
Verona v Torino (2.45pm ET)
Saturday, September 21st
Venezia v Genoa (9am ET)
Juventus v Napoli (12pm ET, also on FOX Deportes)
Lecce v Parma (2.45pm ET, also on SiriusXM FC)
Sunday, September 22nd
Fiorentina v Lazio (6.30am ET)
Monza v Bologna (9am ET)
Roma v Udinese (12pm ET, also on FOX Deportes)
Inter v Milan (2.45pm ET, also on FOX Deportes and SiriusXM FC)
Monday, September 23rd
Atalanta v Como (2.45pm ET, also on CBS Sports Network)
🇨🇦 Watch ALL Serie A games live on Fubo - and select games with Italian-language commentary on TLN 🇨🇦
🇺🇸 Watch select games with Spanish-language commentary on FOX Deportes and English-language commentary on SiriusXM 🇺🇸
👋 Grazie e arrivederci!
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