🔴 Lecce v Inter | Line-ups: Bonny or Pio, Dimarco and Sottil choices
At the Via del Mare, Matchday 26 of Serie A takes center stage with a clash that carries weight for both sides.
Lecce, reinvigorated by victories over Udinese and Cagliari, has put some distance between itself and the danger zone and now aims for a prestigious result to solidify the survival path started by Di Francesco. On the other side, Inter arrives with very different ambitions: the seven-point lead over Milan fuels their title race, and the Nerazzurri want to notch their seventh consecutive win to give a potentially decisive boost to the Scudetto battle.
🔴 Article constantly updated: for live text coverage, click on the match card above; to comment, click on the speech bubble at the top right.
✅ OFFICIAL LINEUPS
LECCE (4-2-3-1): Falcone; Veiga, Gaspar, Tiago Gabriel, Gallo; Ramadani, Coulibaly; Pierotti, Gandelman, Sottil; Cheddira
INTER (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, de Vrji, Bastoni; Luis Henrique, Frattesi, Zielinski, Sucic, Dimarco; Esposito, Thuram.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
Report: Liverpool have watched £61m centre-back colossus described as a ‘modern defensive artist’
Liverpool have reportedly been paying close attention to a prodigious centre-back who’s currently on the books of a Premier League rival.
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The Reds have already completed deals for several young defenders this year, with the £55m acquisition of Jeremy Jacquet for the first team next season following on from the academy arrivals of Mor Talla Ndiaye, Noah Adekoya and Ifeanyi Ndukwe.
It seems that FSG aren’t quite finished with recruitment in that position, though, judging by reports which have emerged over the past 24 hours.
Liverpool watching Luka Vuskovic
According to Sports Boom, Liverpool have ‘dispatched special representatives throughout the season’ to monitor Luka Vuskovic, the Tottenham Hotspur centre-back who’s currently on loan at Hamburg.
The towering 18-year-old (1.93cm in height) is described as a ‘modern defensive artist’ who’s been said to possess the ‘complete package’, and Spurs’ intention is to build their defence around the Croatian teenager in the long-term, as demonstrated by a contract which runs to 2030.
Although the youngster is said to be regarded as ‘unsellable’, the north London club might potentially be brought to the negotiating table if they were to receive a bid in the region of €60m-€70m (£52.5m-£61.2m).
(Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Could Vuskovic be the next long-term defensive addition at Liverpool?
Liverpool’s interest in Vuskovic is nothing new – scouts from Merseyside had watched him as far back as three years ago when he was starring for Hajduk Split in their run to the UEFA Youth League final, but it was Spurs who ultimately moved to sign him later in 2023.
He’s yet to play a competitive first-team match for the London outfit but has impressed on loan at Hamburg, scoring four goals in 21 appearances and impressing with his use of the ball, as illustrated by statistics from Fotmob comparing him with other Bundesliga centre-backs this season.
Igor Tudor’s side seem intent on keeping hold the Croatian unless an exceptional offer were to be made – a shock relegation could compel Tottenham to flog some of their most valuable assets, and while that scenario seems unlikely, they’ve gone into this weekend just five points above the Premier League drop zone.
While it remains to be seen just how much substance there is to Liverpool’s reported interest in Vuskovic, this latest rumour further underlines FSG’s clear strategy to build a defensive core for the long-term, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson coming towards the end of their careers.
If the Reds do sign the Spurs starlet to join the likes of Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni at Anfield – along with the more established but still young Conor Bradley and Milos Kerkez – we could have a formidable defence in place for the best part of the next decade.
You can watch Slot’s full pre-Nottingham Forest press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
Paulo Fonseca believes he ‘deserved more time’ at AC Milan
In an interview with The Athletic, Olympique Lyonnais coach Paulo Fonseca expressed his belief that he “deserved more time” on the AC Milan bench.
Appointed in the summer of 2024 as Stefano Pioli’s successor at the helm of the Rossoneri, the Portuguese coach, who was coming off a successful spell at Lille OSC, never really managed to impose his style at Milan. So much so that only seven months after settling in, it was already time for him to leave. A premature end to his adventure, but one that does not prevent Fonseca from retaining fond memories of his experience at San Siro.
“Milan is an amazing club and I enjoyed it a lot,” he said. “I’m really sorry I didn’t have time — their proposal was to change the game (to a more expansive style). To change one thing they had for so many years is not easy; you need time, especially in Italy, where it’s even more difficult, almost impossible.”
“We had amazing games, playing really good football. We needed to be more consistent, it’s true, but to change something in Italy is really difficult.”
Eighth in Serie A at the time of his dismissal, Fonseca had only managed 24 matches on the Milan bench, recording 12 wins, six draws and as many defeats.
Sieg gegen Wiesbaden: Regensburg zurück in der Erfolgsspur
Jahn Regensburg hat in der 3. Liga einen Sieg gefeiert. Die Oberpfälzer stellten Aufstiegskandidat Wehen Wiesbaden ein Bein und setzten sich durch den Dreier selbst weiter vom Abstiegskampf ab.[mehr]