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• Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan

  Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.

  Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.

  "I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.

  "Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."

  Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.

  Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.

  "I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.

  "This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."

  Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.

  "It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.

  "We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."

  Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.

• Palace at 'top of their game' could compete with anyone, says Richards

  Chris Richards says Crystal Palace could compete with anyone when they are at the "top of their game" ahead of their trip to Aston Villa in the Premier League.

  Palace have won just once in the league this season, a 1-0 home victory against Tottenham, and are yet to win on the road in the English top-flight, drawing two and losing three. However, they did beat the Villans 2-1 at Villa Park in the EFL Cup round of 16 at the end of October.

  Richards acknowledged Palace's poor start to the campaign but remains confident in their ability to go toe-to-toe against anyone they face.

  "[Oliver Glasner] told us from the jump that there was no reason we shouldn't be in a higher spot in the table, no reason why we should lose to any team," Richards told the club's in-house media.

  "We could play a team winning the league – even when we played Manchester City, we were winning.

  "City are City, and we lost the game, but it shows that while we were at the top of our game, we could play with any team in the league."

  Meanwhile, after an impressive start to the season, Villa faltered slightly before the international break, going on a five-match winless run in all competitions, and losing the last three.

  Morgan Rogers, who recently signed a new long-term extension with the club, has been a bright spark for Villa this term, netting three goals and registering two assists in the league, and he believes his form is helped by the faith shown in him by Unai Emery.

  "I think any player would say that trust from a manager is the most important thing, and he gave me that from day one," he said.

  "He threw me in the deep end when people were injured last season and gave me a chance to shine and develop and to become the person I am now.

  "He's the perfect person for me. He demands and pushes me every day, and so do the players. I've got players around me that push me every day to improve and get better."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Aston Villa – Emiliano Martinez

  Emiliano Martinez has the fourth-lowest save percentage in the Premier League this season (60.5%, minimum two games).

  Only Alphonse Areola (-3.6) and Jose Sa (-2.9) have conceded more goals than expected according to Opta's expected goals on target (xGoT) model than the current Yashin Trophy holder (-2.2).

  Crystal Palace – Jean-Philippe Mateta

  Jean-Philippe Mateta has scored more Premier League goals (four) and recorded his joint-most assists (two) in the competition against Aston Villa than any other opponent.

  The Frenchman was directly involved in four of the Eagles' five goals in their 5-0 win over the Villans on the final day of last season (three goals, one assist).  

  MATCH PREDICTION: ASTON VILLA WIN

  Villa have lost just one of their 12 Premier League home games against Palace (W7 D4), never conceding more than once in any of these 12 meetings (six goals conceded in total).

  The away side has won just three of the 24 Premier League meetings between Villa and Palace (D6 L15), with the Eagles' only victory at Villa Park coming in December 2013 (1-0).

  However, Villa have lost both of their last two Premier League games and could lose three in a row in the competition for just the second time under manager Unai Emery, also doing so in February 2023.  

  Meanwhile, Palace have registered just seven points from their opening 11 league games this season (W1 D4 L6), only picking up fewer points at this stage of a Premier League campaign in 2013-14 (four) and 2017-18 (four).

  A repeat of their last meeting would be a welcome sight for Oliver Glasner though. Following their 5-0 win against Villa on the final day of last season's Premier League, Palace are looking to win consecutive league meetings with the Villans for the first time since a run of three between 2005 and 2014.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Aston Villa – 57.2%

  Draw – 22.3%

  Crystal Palace – 20.5%

• Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino

  Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.

  Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season. 

  A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season. 

  "The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.

  The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break. 

  Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September. 

  Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports. 

  The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.