Milan are facing a series of difficulties ahead of the derby against Inter, with three key players unavailable for the trip to Udine and the midweek match against Bologna. Mario Gila, Adrien Rabiot and Diego Moreira are all recovering from overuse problems, but have not suffered any injuries. Gila has a sore ankle, while Rabiot and Moreira suffer from calf and flexor strain respectively. The club hopes to get them back into shape for Saturday night's match at the San Siro, where Milan will face Inter in a crucial match for the league table.
Meanwhile, Juventus has renewed Sarr's call-up for the match against Lecce. Luciano Spalletti has included the Senegalese midfielder among the 20 players called up, after having ruled out any injuries thanks to medical tests. However, the team remains without Nico Gonzalez, Zeki Celik, Francisco Conceição, Jeff Ekhator, Kenan Yildiz, Khephren Thuram, Manuel Locatelli and Kamil Grabara, who remain unavailable for the Via del Mare match. Juventus will therefore have to rely on a more solid reserve department to face the challenge at home.
The Serie A standings were redrawn after the eighth matchday. Como, thanks to Douvikas' brace, rose to 17th place with 17 points, moving closer to Roma in third place. Bologna, with goals from Casale and Bernardeschi (penalty), achieved its second victory of the season and reached Sassuolo with 8 points. Cagliari, on the other hand, remains stuck on 13 points after their second consecutive defeat. The ranking remains in evolution while waiting for the next matches, including the match between Napoli and Roma scheduled for 6:00 pm.
In news that surprised fans, former Milan and Sassuolo attacking winger Samu Castillejo has announced his retirement from football at just 31 years of age. The player, who spent the last two years in Malaysia with Johor Darul Ta'zim, published a video on Instagram in which he thanked his teammates, coaches, fans and family, remembering his debut with Málaga and winning the scudetto with Milan. Castillejo defined his career as a passion first and foremost, and decided to close the football chapter for personal reasons. His departure leaves a void for the team and for the fans who followed him with affection.