Serie A Preview: Atalanta vs Napoli – Team News, Lineups & Prediction
Serie A Preview: Atalanta vs Napoli – Team News, Lineups & Prediction
Atalanta’s European ambitions will be on the line when they take on defending Serie A champions Napoli at the Gewiss Stadium today. Eight points separate the sides ahead of kick-off, with the hosts sitting five adrift of fourth-placed Roma.
Raffaele Palladino’s men have recently hit a purple patch, winning three of their last four league matches (D1), including a crucial 2-0 victory at Lazio a week ago. In doing so, La Dea have rekindled their hopes of securing a third consecutive top-four finish despite an underwhelming start to life without long-serving boss Gian Piero Gasperini.
However, Atalanta’s spirits took a hit in midweek UEFA Champions League action, as Borussia Dortmund beat them 2-0 at Signal Iduna Park in the first leg of their knockout playoff tie. Nevertheless, a return to Serie A action can inspire confidence in Palladino’s camp, with the Bergamo outfit emerging victorious from six of their last eight league games (D2).
On the other hand, Napoli ground out a 2-2 draw in last Sunday’s Derby del Sole against arch-rivals Roma, with Brazilian youngster Alisson Santos scoring on his Serie A debut to help his side avoid defeat. Despite going unbeaten in their last three league games (W2, D1), Napoli’s title hopes are dead in the water, as they already trail table-topping Inter by a whopping 14 points.
Antonio Conte’s main assignment right now is to secure Champions League qualification. Even that’s far from a foregone conclusion, given that fifth-placed Juventus sit only four points behind the Partenopei.
Match Preview
Atalanta
Beating direct top-four rivals would significantly bolster Atalanta’s quest to lock down Champions League qualification, and the Gewiss Stadium could form a perfect backdrop. Indeed, Palladino’s charges have racked up an eye-catching eight wins across their last nine home outings in domestic competition, including five on the trot in the build-up to this showdown.
However, maintaining that imperious run of form would require Palladino to beat Conte for the first time, having lost all three previous managerial clashes against the 56-year-old. That could prove easier said than done, considering Atalanta’s dreadful sequence of six defeats from their last eight meetings with Napoli (W2). It’s also worth noting that those victories came on the road.
On the bright side, Atalanta’s impressive first-half performances have seen them lead at halftime ‘to nil’ in their last six competitive home games across all competitions. With Atalanta failing to win all four home matches in Serie A when falling behind this season, another fast start could be crucial here.
Napoli
If there’s a side capable of matching Atalanta’s standout first-half exploits, it’s Napoli, who bagged 11 first-half goals on the road so far this season, with only Inter (12) scoring more in Serie A. Against this backdrop, Conte’s men have failed to win three of their last four competitive games away from home (D2, L1), including an embarrassing 3-0 loss at fellow top-four rivals Juventus.
Conte will be confident of avoiding another embarrassment here, relying on his outstanding career record against Atalanta (W11, D3, L1). Furthermore, Napoli have won their last four away encounters against La Dea in Serie A, netting at least two goals on each occasion. But it’s worth mentioning that they also failed to keep a clean sheet in any of those meetings.
Napoli must avoid conceding the opening goal if they’re to extend their winning streak in Bergamo. Indeed, they’ve suffered five defeats in seven away league matches when letting in the opener this term (W1, D1), highlighting their vulnerability when forced to chase the game on the road.
Team News
Atalanta cannot count on winter signing Giacomo Raspadori and star forward Charles De Ketelaere. Both are in the pits injured, meaning Palladino is likely to turn to Kamaldeen Sulemana and Nicola Zalewski to fill the void, with out-of-sorts Gianluca Scamacca expected to start from the bench.
Meanwhile, this fixture will come too soon for Napoli’s long-term absentees, Kevin De Bruyne, Amir Rrahmani, and David Neres. Talismanic midfielder Scott McTominay and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo are also ruled out, with Elif Elmas and Miguez Gutierrez expected to take their places in the starting lineup.
Atalanta vs Napoli Potential Starting Lineups
Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Hien, Ahanor; Bellanova, Ederson, De Roon, Zappacosta; Sulemana, Zalewski; Krstovic.
Napoli (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Jesus, Buongiorno; Gutierrez, Lobotka, Elmas, Spinazzola; Vergara, Alisson; Hojlund.
Atalanta vs Napoli Prediction
Failure is not an option for Atalanta here, but with Raspadori and De Keteleere unavailable for selection, scoring could be an issue for the hosts. Napoli, meanwhile, have shown resilience on their travels and boast the greater cutting edge in the final third, which could prove decisive in what promises to be a tightly contested affair.
With both sides aware of the stakes, expect a cagey encounter, but the visitors may just have enough quality to take three points.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/serie-preview-atalanta-vs-napoli-123500008.html
Arsenal loanee set for 2-4 week absence after injury setback
Arsenal loanee set for 2-4 week absence after injury setback
Arsenal loanee Louie Copley has suffered an injury setback and is set to miss the next two-to-four weeks of action with Crawley Town, according to their manager.
Photo via Crawley Town on Instagram
Louie Copley made a positive start to his loan spell with Crawley Town, but an ankle injury is proving problematic for the Arsenal 19-year-old at the moment.
Copley suffered the setback after just two games with Crawley, missing the next three matches through the injury. The teenager then returned to the bench against Cambridge United last week on Tuesday, before playing 45 minutes against Tranmere last Saturday.
Yet it seems Copley wasn’t quite ready to return, and he now faces a further spell on the sidelines with the same problem.
Photo via Crawley Town on Instagram
“He’s probably going to be another two weeks minimum, four weeks maximum,” Crawley Town boss Scott Lindsey said this week. “I know it’s vague but he’s not our player, so we’ve got to be mindful of that.
“We have to be governed by what Arsenal see and say as well. Ricky [McFarlane], my strength and conditioning coach – he’s in touch with them and we’ve built a really good relationship with that side of it as well.
“He’s rolled his ankle and it’s not right yet. It’s the same ankle as the first time, so it’s going to be two to four weeks.”
Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images
As mentioned, Copley had made a strong start in his appearances before this injury setback. Lindsey praised the Arsenal midfielder as “the best player on the pitch by a mile” on his debut.
“Louie Copley was outstanding today,” the manager said then. “I thought he looked brave on the ball, he’s got those long legs to make tackles and I thought he was outstanding. I’m really pleased with him.”
It’s just a shame the youngster hasn’t had many more opportunities to show what he can do since then.
If he’s out for just the next two weeks, he’ll only miss two further games, but a four-week absence could mean five further matches on the sidelines – in addition to the two he’s missed this week.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/arsenal-loanee-set-2-4-123500626.html
Olympic curling scandal like 'foot fault in tennis or traveling in basketball,' Canada official says
MILAN (AP) — The double-touching scandal that plagued his country’s curling team was like “a foot fault in tennis or traveling in basketball,” the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee said on Sunday.
David Shoemaker, who is also the committee’s secretary general, was asked by The Associated Press about the controversy a day after the Canadian men swept aside the cheating allegations to claim gold at the Milan Cortina Games.
He said it “was not cheating.”
“For me it’s like a foot fault in tennis or traveling in basketball,” Shoemaker added. “If LeBron James takes four steps on the way to the hoop, I wouldn’t say LeBron James is a cheater.
“I understand the furor that’s erupted on social media, but that part is not fair and hopefully we will see that go away.”
While there are officials to rule on foot faults in tennis and traveling in basketball, curling is mostly self-umpired. So the sport was sent into turmoil during the round-robin phase when Oskar Eriksson of Sweden accused Canada vice skip Marc Kennedy of touching the rock again after initially releasing it down the sheet of ice. Kennedy responded with an outburst full of expletives.
“Marc Kennedy probably regrets his choice of words,” Shoemaker said. “And he’ll find the time and place to express that sentiment beyond what he’s privately shared with his teammates and his family and the rest of us.”
Footage circulating online appeared to show Kennedy touching the granite stone with his outstretched finger after he had already released it.
Kennedy received a verbal warning from governing body World Curling a day after the feisty back-and-forth with the Swedish team, when fingers were pointed and the Canadian player repeatedly swore.
After receiving his gold medal, Kennedy said that he doesn’t know “if people will ever understand what we went through this week as a team — what I put them through this week as a team.
“I let my emotions get the best of me,” Kennedy added. “I stood up for my teammates. I’ll never back down from that. We moved on, we moved forward and we did something amazing and a weaker team would have fell flat on their face.”
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Dampf reported from Cortina d’Ampezzo.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/olympic-curling-scandal-foot-fault-114225126.html
Sunday Headlines: Kentucky’s slide continues following loss at Auburn
AUBURN, ALABAMA – FEBRUARY 21: Otega Oweh #00 of the Kentucky Wildcats drives to the basket against the defense of Kevin Overton #1 of Auburn Tigers during the first half at Neville Arena on February 21, 2026 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Stew Milne/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Another night, another heartbreaking loss late for the Kentucky Wildcats as they fell 75-74 at Auburn.
Kentucky had control for much of the game and their lead slipped away from them late, only for the Wildcats to regain control of the game and then lose it all again with 1.1 seconds remaining on a third shot-attempt in 14-seconds being successful.
The Wildcats failed to convert another hail-Mary, full-court type inbounds play with Malachi Moreno to seal the defeat. The loss also comes despite a career high 29 points on better than 50% shooting and seven rebounds from Otega Oweh.
Collin Chandler and Denzel Aberdeen didn’t shoot well from the field but did make key shots/plays down the stretch when the team needed them most. It just simply wasn’t enough — which has been the trend as of late with the Wildcats having now lost three consecutive SEC games for the first time since 2021.
While they have a favorable road matchup with South Carolina coming up, they’ll also face Vanderbilt at home before hitting the road again to play Texas A&M before ending their regular season back in Lexington against Florida.
Two of those teams Kentucky has already lost to in SEC play and the other two they’ve not yet played.
Currently sitting as the No. 6 team in the conference standings, the Wildcats need to win at least 2-3 of their final four games and have some luck fall their way in order to have a comfortable entry into the NCAA Tournament and a somewhat favorable seed going into the SEC Tournament.
Tip-off at South Carolina is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 PM ET with coverage on SEC Network.
Tweet of the Day
Good matchup this afternoon.
Headlines
The push-off hurt, but Kentucky’s mistakes hurt more – KSR
No kidding.
Cameron Boozer, No. 3 Duke knock off No. 1 Michigan – ESPN
Heck of a game.
Pope’s brief and fiery press conference after UK’s loss to Auburn – KSR
No fine here.
Suns’ Brooks has broken hand; Booker out one week – ESPN
Injury bug.
Another 10-loss season. That’s four in a row. – KSR
When will it end?
Former Purdue, NFL WR Rondale Moore dies at age 25 – ESPN
Awful tragedy.
UK bats silenced as Evansville avoids sweep in series finale – KSR
Tough day for the offense.
Cowboys agree to three-year deal with RB Williams – ESPN
Pay day.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/sunday-headlines-kentucky-slide-continues-114000804.html
AP photographers pick their favorite photos from the Milan Cortina Olympics
MILAN (AP) — Associated Press photographers have shot thousands of amazing photos during the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The photographers assigned to the Games combed through hordes of photos they shot and were asked to select their favorite. Here’s a look at those magical moments.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ap-photographers-pick-favorite-photos-113833015.html
🚨 Breaking news: Dani Ceballos injured!
🚨 Breaking news: Dani Ceballos injured!
After the defeat against Osasuna, another bad news hits Real Madrid: Dani Ceballos has been injured.
The white team announced this Sunday that the Andalusian, with the mistake in the play of the 2-1, also left the field injured.
This is how Real Madrid announced it in a statement: “After the tests carried out today on our player Dani Ceballos by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a muscle injury in the soleus of the right leg. Pending evolution.”
📸 Aitor Alcalde – 2026 Getty Images
For now, the recovery time of the former Betis player is unknown, but he will miss the match against Benfica.
Even so, Arbeloa was testing Brahim as a midfielder and, for now, keeps that option on the table.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/breaking-news-dani-ceballos-injured-113800435.html
OFFICIAL: Ceballos injury report
Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos suffered a calf injury during the team’s 2-1 loss to Osasuna in LaLiga this Saturday.
After the tests carried out today on our player Dani Ceballos by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a muscle injury in the soleus of his right leg. Pending evolution.
Source: Realmadrid.com
Ceballos will miss some time with this one, especially considering how tricky muscle injuries always are. Madrid have not revealed the extent of this injury.
The midfielder hasn’t been playing a major role for Madrid this season, so Arbeloa should be able to replace him effectively until the Spanish midfielder is able to make his return to the field.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/official-ceballos-injury-report-113728468.html
Records, proposals and controversy: The legacy of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games
The Milan-Cortina Games created a stunning Italian backdrop for an Olympics that saw records fall, golden performances and some Shakespearean-like drama.
Statue outside Lakers’ arena is another first for Pat Riley, the consummate coach
The brains behind the Showtime Lakers guided the team to seven NBA Finals and four titles in nine seasons. Sunday he becomes the first coach to get a statue.
Potential season-ending injury for Bayern Munich defender
LUXEMBOURG, LUXEMBOURG – OCTOBER 08: Cassiano Kiala of Germany U17 looks on before the UEFA Under17 EURO Qualifier between U17 Germany and U17 Luxembourg at Kaerjenger Dribbel on October 08, 2025 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. (Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images for DFB) | Getty Images for DFB
The injury gods can be cruel, even to the most young and innocent of players.
During his time playing with the Germany U-17s in the Algrave Cup, Bayern Munich center-back Cassiano Kiala suffered a syndesmosis tear, which could sideline him for the rest of the season per Tz journalist Philipp Kessler:
Setback for a Bayern Munich gem. As the tz has learned, Cassiano Kiala has suffered a syndesmosis tear. The center-back was substituted after just 32 minutes in the final match of the Algarve Cup with the German U17 team against hosts Portugal (0-1) last Wednesday. Now there is even talk of an early end to his season.
The more common term for a syndesmosis tear is high ankle sprain. Here is a definition from The Steadman Clinic:
A syndesmosis rupture, or “high ankle sprain,” is a serious injury to the ligaments connecting the tibia and fibula, often caused by extreme external rotation or dorsiflexion, frequently during sports. It causes significant pain above the ankle, instability, and inability to bear weight. Treatment ranges from immobilization to surgery if the joint is unstable.
Kessler also noted that Kiala was drawing interest from Premier League clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City. For now, though, Kiala is set for a spell on the sidelines.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/breaking-potential-season-ending-injury-114550534.html
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