Genoa forward Goran Pandev and Napoli defender Nikola Maksimovic have been hit with two-match bans in today’s Giudice Sportivo verdict.

Pandev is punished for not only receiving a red card during the 2-2 draw with Lecce but also insulting the referee, which in turn saw him fined €12,000.

He will therefore miss Genoa’s final two games of 2019, including the Derby della Lanterna against Sampdoria.

Maksimovic, meanwhile, has avoided a fine but won’t be available against Parma or Sassuolo after being sent off from the bench.

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Merih Demiral has vowed to “fight for his place” at Juventus, who have “the best defenders”, and revealed his good relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Demiral joined Juventus from Sassuolo over the summer but has only played once in Serie A this season.

Nonetheless, the 21-year-old assured he would keep working hard to convince coach Maurizio Sarri of his worth.

“Juventus are one of the best teams in the world,” he told Fanatik.

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President Andrea Agnelli praised Maurizio Sarri’s “ferocity and desire” during Juventus’ Christmas dinner and insisted “we know we can win.”

The former Napoli coach was picked up after a spell in England with Chelsea, and Juve had started the season unbeaten under him until their loss to Lazio on Sunday.

Some criticism has been directed at Sarri during his first few months in charge of the Old Lady, but Agnelli only had compliments for the 60-year-old.

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Leonardo Semplici is set to stay on as SPAL coach, but the team have been placed in a punitive training retreat until the match against Roma.

Semplici’s future looked uncertain after a poor run of form, amidst speculation SPAL had lined up Gianni De Biasi as his possible successor.

However, the latest is that President Walter Mattioli has decided to put the squad ‘in ritiro’ ahead of the match at the Olimpico this weekend.

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Lokomotiv Moscow midfielder Joao Mario admits he’d “rather stay” at Lokomotiv Moscow than return to Inter next summer.

Joao Mario joined Lokomotiv on loan with an €18m option to buy in August, and he says he didn’t hesitate to make the move after realising his opportunities would be limited at San Siro.

“I accepted a move to Russia quite quickly,” he told Sport 24. “At that time, I was in Italy and I knew about Inter’s position.

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Inter are reportedly showing an interest in Marcos Alonso, a player Chelsea signed when Antonio Conte was in charge at the Stamford Bridge.

Transfer expect Alfredo Pedulla claims there is truth in English reports, which suggest Conte could look to bring in Alonso next month.

The fact Chelsea were banned from signing players by FIFA over the summer meant they had to hold on to the players already at the club.

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Rocco Commisso has put pressure on coach Vincenzo Montella after watching Fiorentina go through a difficult spell. "I didn't come here to lose."

The Viola have lost four in a row in Serie A and their last win came against Cittadella in the Coppa Italia, and Commisso warned they now “need to win.”

“We move on,” the club’s President told Tuttomercatoweb reporters during a Christmas dinner with the team.

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Lega Serie A has confirmed the dates and times for Week 18-22 fixtures, among them Napoli clashes with Juventus and Inter, plus the Rome derby.

Serie A sides will resume playing on January 5 this season after it was decided to revert to the traditional winter break, the League having experimented with games over Christmas for the first time ever in 2018-19.

Week 18 fixtures (all times in GMT)

Sunday January 5

Brescia – Lazio 11:30

SPAL – Verona 14:00

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In a sudden development, it is now claimed Napoli will appoint former Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso as early as this week.

CalcioNapoli24 reporter Ciro Venerato claims Gattuso “will be the new Napoli coach from Wednesday”, replacing the beleaguered Carlo Ancelotti.

Venerato explains how super-agent Jorge Mendes has been working as an intermediary to negotiate a deal between the 41-year-old and club President Aurelio De Laurentiis.

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Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis will reportedly meet Gennaro Gattuso later, as Carlo Ancelotti struggles to turn things around at San Paolo.

Tuttosport claims Gattuso is scheduled to hold face-to-face talks with Partenopei President in Rome today.

Napoli are seventh in Serie A after 15 games and just 21 points and have gone nine games without a win.

This has sparked rumours about the former Milan boss possibly replacing Ancelotti, his mentor at San Siro.

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