Milan bid to hand Juve first Serie A loss

SAN SIRO: AC Milan will look to capitalise on a Juventus injury crisis when they meet at San Siro on Saturday or risk being left behind in the Serie A title race as they trail leaders Napoli by eight points.

Although Milan have a game in hand, a loss against the only unbeaten team in the Italian top flight could cut them adrift in the title race with not even half the season played.

Both sides need victory in a packed leaderboard, with two points separating Napoli at the summit from Juve in sixth. Milan are seventh, six points further back.

Thiago Motta's Juve side will probably be without key striker Dusan Vlahovic who is adding to a growing injury crisis. Arkadiusz Milik, Nico Gonzalez, Juan Cabal and Gleison Bremer are all out with injuries and Douglas Luiz is doubtful.

Milan defender Matteo Gabbia could miss out with a muscle injury, Ismael Bennacer continues his recovery from an calf issue and Alessandro Florenzi is a long-term absentee.

Claudio Ranieri will lead AS Roma for the first time in his third spell as manager in a tough trip to Napoli on Sunday.

Ranieri, the capital club's third coach this season, was appointed after Ivan Juric was sacked following four losses in the last five league matches to leave Roma languishing 12th in the standings. Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay should be fit following an injury scare on international duty with Scotland.

McTominay has played a key role for Antonio Conte's side, contributing two goals and two assists in Serie A this season. Inter Milan head to Hellas Verona on Saturday lying fourth in the table, one point behind Napoli, and they have not lost to their hosts in the last 26 Serie A meetings.

Atalanta, second in the table on 25 points, will look to build on their 10-match unbeaten run on Saturday when they visit Parma. Third-placed Fiorentina travel to Como on Sunday with the visitors on a six-match league winning streak and level on points with Atalanta. Reuters

UEFA orders Kosovo to forfeit NL match

UEFA ruled Wednesday that Kosovo had forfeited their Nations League game in Romania by leaving the pitch in stoppage time and not returning, after hearing pro-Serbia chants.

The Kosovo players walked off in Bucharest last Friday after fans in the crowd shouted "Serbia", leading to the game to be abandoned just before the end with the score 0-0.

In its ruling, UEFA deemed the Kosovo football federation "responsible for the match not being played in full" and said the team would forfeit it 3-0.