Simone Inzaghi still expects Inter to put their best foot forward as he anticipates a tough test against struggling Roma on Sunday.

Roma have won just two of their nine games across all competitions this season, though Ivan Juric's side are unbeaten in their last three home outings.

Inter, meanwhile, slipped down to third following Juventus' win on Saturday, and are looking for a fourth win on the bounce following their 2-1 derby defeat to Milan. 

And even though they face a side still in search of their best form, Inzaghi has warned Inter that they cannot let their guard down. 

"We know what kind of opponent we are going to face," Inzaghi told Inter TV on Saturday.

"We've faced [coach Ivan] Juric many times in recent years, he is clearly bringing his philosophy to Roma, and we must be ready to put in a good performance, both with and without the ball. [Achieving] it will take a great Inter."

Inter will be without injured midfielders Piotr Zielinski and Kristjan Asllani, though the pair have featured minimally for Inter so far, with the former only playing 68 minutes in Serie so far this season.

"The international break shouldn't influence us. Before the break we had three wins, we need to continue on our path," Inzaghi said.

"We've got many players who have played many minutes, others like Lautaro [Martinez] and [Mehdi] Taremi who have flown far but come back in quite well, all except Zielinski who returned with a slight injury and will not play.

"Asllani picked up a slight knock to his knee and also won't be available, but [Thomas] Berenbruch will be in the squad, a promising talent from [our under-19 team], so we won't have any issues."

Inter have a busy week ahead of them, returning to Champions League action on Wednesday to face Young Boys before hosting Juventus in Serie A next weekend. 

Despite the packed schedule between the two international breaks, Inzaghi is determined to take it one game at a time.

"We know that we're about to play seven games in 20 days, so we need to do well but at the moment, the only concern for myself and the squad is to prepare well for the game against Roma [on Sunday]," he added.

"We will try to draw on the entire squad knowing that many of the lads try to cause me and my staff trouble on a daily basis when making our selections." 

Paul Pogba's hopes of playing for Juventus again took a hit on Saturday when Bianconeri director Cristiano Giuntoli said that the Serie A side are complete without him.

The 31-year-old midfielder will end his doping ban in March after testing positive for DHEA in September 2023, a banned substance that boosts testosterone levels.

The former France international had his punishment cut earlier this month from an initial four years to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and will be eligible to play for Juve as soon as the ban ends.

Yet Giuntoli suggested Thiago Motta's side are content in coping without the World Cup winner, at least for the time being.

"Our position is clear. Pogba has been a great player, he has been out for a long time and last year we were forced to invest in other players," Giuntoli told DAZN ahead of Saturday's 1-0 win over Lazio.

"So now the squad is complete as it is."

Juventus have not missed Pogba so far this season, remaining unbeaten through their first eight league games after Mario Gila's own goal handed them the narrow win over Lazio.

The club are yet to release any further update on Pogba, whose contract in Turin expires in June 2026.

Girona head coach Michel was left to rue a lack of attacking options but urged his side to cope with injury absences after Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad.

Last season's surprise package Girona have struggled to find form this campaign, slipping to 13th in the LaLiga standings after their fourth defeat in 10 games.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored the only goal of the game on the stroke of half-time as Girona put in another disappointing performance at home.

Michel lamented his side's depleted attack following injuries to forwards Bryan Gil, Yaser Asprilla and Abel Ruiz.

"We have to keep working, the offensive potential of the team without injured players... you lack depth, you always lose somewhere, we don't have any player on the pitch who can play as a winger," the Spanish manager told reporters.

"We need to improve in our final pass, in our one-on-one determination, to get into the box more. These things are the most difficult thing in football, scoring goals.

"Last year we had a lot of goals, this year it's harder for us."

Fans at Girona's Montilivi stadium expressed their frustration after another underwhelming performance, but Michel backed his players in the face of criticism.

"Fans have to understand the process in which the players are. There is no player, because I would not allow it, that does not give his maximum performance in terms of attitude, mentality, illusion, motivation, energy," he said.

"If they say that we play good or not, I respect that, but we try to play good football and mistakes are part of the game.

"It's not easy, we faced a team with 14 internationals and for the first half hour we tried to go for them... you can't say to any Girona player that they don't give their all for this shirt."

Girona will look to bounce back when they Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Paris Saint-Germain scored three second-half goals as they thrashed Strasbourg 4-2 and returned to the top of the Ligue 1 table. 

They leapfrogged Monaco, who drew earlier in the day, thanks to goals from Senny Mayulu, Marco Asensio, Bradley Barcola and Lee Kang-in on Saturday.

PSG midfielder Mayulu, who had struck the post moments before, broke the deadlock in the 18th minute after finding himself unmarked in the box and unleashing a powerful shot that soared into the roof of the net.

Asensio extended the lead just two minutes after the break, standing in the right place to deftly knee in a rebound from goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who had parried Desire Doue's attempt.

While PSG dominated the match, Strasbourg seized their opportunity when Sekou Mara pulled one back in the 58th minute.

Barcola was denied a penalty by a VAR review but stroked in their third goal moments later before Saidou Sow was handed a reprieve after putting the ball into his own net, only for play to be pulled back for an offside in the build-up.

The score still was not done though, as substitute Lee coolly slotted into an empty net before Pape Diong halved the deficit once again from a corner in stoppage time.

Data Debrief: PSG find their groove

Despite going unbeaten so far in the league this season, Luis Enrique's side have still come under criticism for their performances of late, having gone on a three-match winless run in all competitions before this win. 

PSG have won each of their first four home games of a Ligue 1 season for the fourth time in the 21st century though, after 2017-18 (17 under Unai Emery), 2018-19 (15 under Thomas Tuchel) and 2021-22 (seven under Mauricio Pochettino) - they have won the league on each of those occasions.

But Strasbourg certainly put up a fight - they had 16 shots to PSG's 18, with eight of those on target, just two less than their opponents. They also accumulated 2.22 expected goals (xG), while their hosts registered 3.63.

AC Milan head coach Paulo Fonseca praised his team's resilience in overcoming the challenge of playing a man down during Saturday's narrow home win against Udinese.

Milan won 1-0 in the Serie A clash at home after an early goal from Samuel Chukwueze, despite being reduced to 10 men following Tijjani Reijnders' red card at the half-hour mark.

"I must say that the game had two parts. The first one until minute 30 when we received a red card," Fonseca told DAZN.

"We played 30 minutes with great personality and quality. It was close to my idea. After the red card, it was a game made of team spirit.

"We suffered, but we suffered together. If there was any doubt on whether this team was united, today we proved we are."

Fonseca believed his side deserved the win, despite Udinese having two goals disallowed, one from Kingsley Ehizibue and another from Christian Kabasele following a tight offside call.

"It would have been unfair for the team. We had the best chances and it would have been unfair not to win this game. The team deserved these three points," he said.

The former Roma boss also praised midfielder Christian Pulisic for his effort, including an assist and his defensive work, after Reijnders got sent off.

"Christian's game was fantastic. This is the spirit that we must always have," he said.

For Udinese manager Kosta Runjaic, the defeat was a bitterly disappointing affair as his side failed to take the opportunity of their numerical advantage.

"I'm not a referee. I am the coach. It’s senseless to say anything," Runjaic said about the two disallowed goals.

"Even with a man up, it was not easy against a team that defended deep. We needed patience, good passing rhythm and circulation and a bit of luck.

"Surely I don’t like the result because it was possible to go home with a draw." 

Vinicius Junior produced the second-half winner as Real Madrid moved level on points with LaLiga leaders Barcelona after Saturday's 2-1 win over Celta Vigo.

Kylian Mbappe gave Madrid the lead with a brilliant long-range strike in the 20th minute, yet Williot Swedberg equalised for the home side with a first-touch effort from a counter-attack shortly after half-time.

Carlo Ancelotti's side went ahead again when substitute Luka Modric, who became Madrid's oldest player in history, played Vinicius through before the Brazil winger rounded Vicente Guaita to score the winner.

It could have been a different story, however, if not for substitute Tasos Douvikas missing a golden opportunity to level late on.

Madrid held on, though, as victory left the champions second in the LaLiga standings on 24 points, level with leaders Barcelona before their game in hand at home to Sevilla on Sunday. 

Data Debrief: Vinicius the hero on Modric's landmark game

Vinicius has been involved in at least one goal in each of his last six LaLiga games (four goals and three assists), his best such run in the competition.

It proved a landmark game for substitute Modric, too, as the Croatia midfielder became Madrid's oldest player in history, aged 39 years and 40 days.

Modric moved past Madrid great Ferenc Puskas for the club record, while the midfielder has been part of 363 wins for Los Blancos, which is 22 more than nearest rival and former team-mate Karim Benzema.

This was his 547th appearance for the LaLiga champions as well, a tally no player can match since his debut for the club in August 2012.

Mario Gila's late own goal handed Juventus a 1-0 home win against 10-man Lazio in Saturday's Serie A clash.

Gila edged Juventus in front in the 85th minute when he attempted to block Juan Cabal's cross, diverting past his own goalkeeper Ivan Provedel instead.

Lazio had battled hard for over an hour after defender Alessio Romagnoli was sent off for a last-man tackle on Pierre Kalulu.

The referee initially failed to deem Romagnoli's challenge as a foul, though a VAR review saw Juve awarded a free-kick and veteran centre-back Romagnoli dismissed.

Victory leaves unbeaten Juventus second on 16 points, level with leaders Napoli and two points above third-placed Inter Milan, who both have a game in hand.

Data Debrief: Defence key for magic Motta

Motta's strong start to his Bianconeri tenure has been built on a remarkable defence, with Juve only conceding once in the league through their first eight Serie A matches.

That is the fewest goals Juve have ever conceded through as many league matches to start the campaign, bettering the two in the 1966-67, 1986-87, 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.

This win may have come as no surprise, too, considering Juve have beaten Lazio 87 times in the competition, their most against one opponent in history (also level with Inter).

Morgan Rogers saluted Aston Villa's quick response to falling behind early on after his side came back to beat Fulham 3-1.

Rogers scored the equaliser after nine minutes to get the visitors back on level terms after Raul Jimenez had put Fulham ahead early at Craven Cottage.

Ollie Watkins's header and Issa Diop's own goal in the second half secured the win that moved Unai Emery's side into fourth on 17 points, only behind Arsenal and Manchester City on goal difference.

Rogers lauded how important the quick response was to taking all three points in London.

"It was massive to respond how we did so quickly. It helped settle the nerves and we were generally playing well and to get it so quick did help," he told PLP.

"They scored in the first five minutes, but we knuckled down after that and we dominated pretty much most of the game. We should have scored a few more, but in the second half we put our foot on the gas, and we deserved the win.

"After the international break you start fresh with a clean slate and to get the win is massive. We have an important week and it's just the start of it."

While level at 1-1, Emiliano Martinez saved Andreas Pereira's penalty to keep Villa in the game after Matty Cash had handled the ball in the box.

"That's why [Martinez] is the best. That's what he does. If it goes 2-1 anything can happen in the game," praised Rogers.

Fulham's Kenny Tete emphasised the defeat rested on more than the penalty miss on what proved to be a wasteful day for the hosts.

"It happened and you have to push for more - it is what it is. [At] half-time, we changed the game-plan, it was a bit better. Then it goes 2-1 and you know it is going to be difficult," he reflected.

"We could have had a bit more luck, but I don't want to point to that. It wasn't our day and we could have done better. We can look in the mirror and we have to do better and train harder. Frustrated."

Fulham had the better expected goals (xG) total at full-time with 1.78, compared to Villa’s 1.68, though this was impacted by their penalty.

The hosts also had to play 26 minutes of the match with 10 players after Joachim Andersen received his marching orders, while Villa also saw Jaden Philogene dismissed in the 93rd minute.

"Obviously a disappointed feeling. I think we started well. Then we were unlucky with the own goal. But, we get a penalty and we didn't score it. It was going to be a difficult afternoon," added Tete.

William Saliba's red card marked Arsenal's third dismissal in just eight Premier League games, leaving Mikel Arteta frustrated by the mistakes that led to their 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

The France centre-back was sent off following a VAR review in the 30th minute for bringing down Evanilson and denying him a goalscoring opportunity.

Despite digging in, Arsenal were unable to maintain their unbeaten start, as Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert's second-half goals subjected them to a first defeat of the season.

It is the first campaign since 2011-12 that the Gunners have had as many as three players sent off in their opening eight matches of a Premier League season.

In fact, since Arteta's first game in charge of Arsenal on Boxing Day 2019, they have been shown 18 red cards in the top flight, at least five more than any other side.

While they managed to hold onto results against Brighton and Manchester City after going down to 10, Arteta admitted it was going to cost them eventually.

"It's very difficult to win in the Premier League with 10 men for 60-70 minutes, it's just an accident waiting to happen. We have had to go through it in three games and that cost us the game," he told BBC Match of the Day.

"We had the big chance and the moment in the game to score and have a different result, and then we conceded a goal. We try to stick to the rules. The three [red cards] have been different ones and three very different outcomes.

"The team tried, the effort with 10 men was fantastic, but today it was not enough to win the game. It took us a while to understand what we had to do in the first 15 minutes to start with, then we grabbed the game, but after 30 minutes, the game changed."

Bournemouth secured just their second-ever Premier League victory over Arsenal in 15 meetings, and their first since January 2018, when they won 2-1.

Andoni Iraola's substitutes did the damage for the Cherries, with Kluivert both scoring and assisting in a Premier League game for the first time.

Iraola was delighted by the maturity shown in his team's performance as they bounced back from a disappointing loss to Leicester City before the break.

"It was quite a mature win because it is a tricky situation [playing against 10 men]," Iraola told Sky Sports.

"We started well for the first 30 minutes and then the red card changes the game. We had to control the game, attack but not lose our minds, as even with 10 men, set plays, free-kicks they could be a threat. Luckily for us, we took the benefit of having one man more.

"Before half-time, we missed a couple of chances and at the beginning of the second half we managed not to finish, so we had to have patience to take the benefit of having one more player without losing our heads.

"We were playing very well the first 30 minutes. It was a very level game, which is very good when you face this opposition. It became easier with 11 v 10 but everything is not done, you have to finish the job, and we did it."

Girona's indifferent start to their LaLiga campaign continued as they slipped down to 13th following a 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad.

Coming off a gutsy victory over Athletic Bilbao, last season's surprise package Girona have failed to string consecutive wins together this term and have 12 points from 10 league games.

The visitors went ahead when captain Mikel Oyarzabal headed home Ander Barrenetxea's cross from the left for his first goal of the season.

Arnaut Danjuma had some presentable opportunities to restore parity, but the former Villarreal, Tottenham and Everton forward failed to bury any of his three shots.

Indeed, without Bryan Gil and Yaser Asprilla, who were injured, Girona failed to test La Real too much, accumulating only 0.38 expected goals (xG) from their eight attempts as they slumped to a fourth league defeat of the season.

Data Debrief: La Real continue to get the better of Girona

Girona have played more games against La Real without winning (P9 D6 L3) than they have against any other opponent in LaLiga.

Indeed, La Real have not lost any of their last five games against Girona in all competitions (D3 W2).

Girona boss Michel has managed eight games in all competitions against La Real without a win, too.

Harry Kane's hat-trick guided Bayern Munich to a 4-0 victory over visiting Stuttgart on Saturday to snap their three-game winless run across all competitions.

Kane, who had missed a golden chance in front of goal in the 51st minute, broke the deadlock six minutes later, rifling in from outside the box.

The England captain, who had not scored in his previous two Bundesliga games, then drilled in following a goalmouth scramble on the hour.

He secured his hat-trick in the 80th minute with his eighth league goal of the season after Joao Palhinha's shot was blocked, with substitute Kingsley Coman curling in Bayern's fourth goal in the 89th.

The result keeps the Bavarians at the top of the standings on 17 points, with a better goal difference than RB Leipzig, who were 2-0 victors at Mainz earlier on Saturday.

Freiburg are third on 15 with champions Bayer Leverkusen in fourth, one point back after their 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Data Debrief: Goals galore for Kane and Bayern

This marked Kane's third hat-trick of the season for Bayern in all competitions. It brings his tally in the Bundesliga to eight goals this season, topping the charts at Bayern.

Bayern have scored in their last 14 games in the Bundesliga, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 43 games from September 30, 2022 to January 12, 2024.

Bayern are also unbeaten in their seven games so far this season and have scored at least six more goals than any other team in the division (24, Leverkusen have 18).

Ten-man Milan held on to secure a 1-0 home win over Udinese thanks to Samuel Chukwueze's early goal.

Chukwueze struck low into the corner from a Christian Pulisic assist in the 13th minute of Saturday's Serie A contest at San Siro.

Yet the challenge of holding onto that lead was made much tougher when midfielder Tijjani Reijnders was sent off.

Netherlands international Reijnders received his marching orders in the 29th minute after colliding with Sandi Lovric, who was through on goal.

Milan are third in the league standings with 14 points, equal with Inter Milan in second and two behind leaders Napoli.

Udinese pushed to exploit their numerical advantage in the second half and they found the net through Christian Kabasele deep into stoppage time.

However, after a lengthy VAR check, the goal was disallowed for offside, ensuring the win for Milan.

Data Debrief: Captain America

Milan star Pulisic is the only player to have scored 10+ goals (17) and provided 10+ assists (11) from the beginning of last season in Serie A.

In fact, only Chelsea's Cole Palmer (44 – 28G, 16A) has been directly involved in more goals than Pulisic (28 – 17G, 11A) of midfielders in the big five European Leagues from the beginning of 2023-24.

Milan had to do it the hard way following Reijnders' dismissal. Only Bologna (54) have received more red cards than Milan in the last 10 Serie A campaigns (53).

Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert dealt 10-man Arsenal their first Premier League defeat of the season as Bournemouth triumphed 2-0 on Saturday.

William Saliba received his marching orders on the half-hour mark for denying Evanilson a goalscoring opportunity, giving the hosts a glorious opportunity for an upset at the Vitality Stadium.

And midway through the second half, Bournemouth took that chance, with Christie breaking the deadlock in the 70th minute before Kluivert doubled their advantage from the penalty spot.

That calmly taken spot-kick ensured Arsenal could not salvage a result to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign as the Gunners came up short on a frustrating day for Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners stay third, missing the chance to go top with Liverpool and Manchester City not playing until Sunday, while Bournemouth moved up to 10th after collecting their third win of the season.

Data Debrief: Cherries halt Arsenal's unbeaten start

Arsenal were one of just two unbeaten sides left in the Premier League going into the weekend, but a lacklustre performance on the south coast has taken that tally to just one. 

Despite not showing much of a threat at the start, the game turned with Saliba's sending-off - in his 93rd appearance for Arsenal in all competitions, he received his first red card.

But do not let that take away from Bournemouth's second-half showing. Kluivert both scored and assisted in a Premier League game for the first time, while each of his last four goals have come at the Vitality Stadium.

Burnley climbed into top spot in the Championship after defeating Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 at Hillsborough to sit two points ahead of second-placed Sunderland.

The Clarets extended their unbeaten run to seven matches under Scott Parker with goals either side of half-time.

Jaidon Anthony got Burnley off the mark after 37 minutes when he seized on a loose ball in the box to fire into the bottom left corner and open his account for the visitors after signing in August.

Burnley’s leading goalscorer, Joshua Brownhill, secured the three points on 50 minutes, rifling home a volley from the centre of the box.

The Clarets will keep their spot at the top if Sunderland fail to win at Hull City on Sunday.

West Brom scuppered their chance to move level on points with the current league leaders after conceding a 92nd-minute equaliser to draw 1-1 away at Oxford United.

Instead, they now sit fifth, level on points with sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers who beat Swansea City 1-0 to move into the play-off spots.  

Elsewhere, Cardiff City secured a much-needed win in style, defeating Plymouth Argyle 5-0 to move off of the bottom spot, while Portsmouth won 2-1 at Queens Park Rangers.

Luton Town recorded a satisfying 3-0 derby victory against Watford, who had engaged in some pre-match teasing on social media and duly got their comeuppance.

Preston North End and Bristol City also recorded wins, while Norwich City were held to a draw by Stoke City to prevent them moving into the play-off spots. Millwall and Derby County also cancelled each other out in a midtable clash.

Erik ten Hag says Manchester United used Brentford's "unfair" opener as fuel after they fought back for a vital 2-1 Premier League victory at Old Trafford.

United appeared to be heading for another demoralising loss when Ethan Pinnock headed home in first-half stoppage time, amid fury from United's players and fans.

The Red Devils were forced to defend the corner with 10 men as defender Matthijs de Ligt was ordered off the pitch for treatment after bleeding from his head – the result of an earlier collision with Kevin Schade.

While rules say players cannot be allowed to continue while bleeding, Ten Hag was incensed by referee Samuel Barrott asking him to leave the field.

"We didn't know why the referee brought one of our players in a critical moment off the pitch," he told BBC Match of the Day. 

"It was dry blood – it happened before. Then in a critical moment on a corner for them, which is their strength, they bring one of our best headers off and Brentford benefit from it."

However, he hailed United's powers of recovery as second-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund fired them to just their third Premier League win of the season.

"We are happy to win the game. At United, you have to win games but also to bring entertainment," the Dutchman continued. 

"I think for everyone it was an enjoyable game. Especially the way it happened, when you concede an unfair goal. 

"In the second half, we showed we are together, we showed determination and we scored two beautiful goals.

"Everyone was angry. We took that as fuel. We showed with a quick start in the second half that we wanted to put things right and we did with two beautiful goals."

Scored just 89 seconds after the restart, Garnacho's goal was United's quickest after half-time in a Premier League match since October 2022 (Fred versus Tottenham, 76 seconds), and their earliest leveller after the break since February 2014 (Robin van Persie versus Stoke City, 87 seconds).

United have now won all four of their home Premier League games against Brentford, meanwhile, only facing Wigan Athletic (eight), Birmingham City and Portsmouth (seven each) more often at Old Trafford while boasting a 100% win ratio.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.