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Palladino’s Atalanta on the up as Serie A Leaders Inter Visit

Atalanta's Italian head coach Raffaele Palladino looks on during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Genoa Cfc and Atalanta BC at Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 21 December 2025. (EPA)
Atalanta's Italian head coach Raffaele Palladino looks on during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Genoa Cfc and Atalanta BC at Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 21 December 2025. (EPA)
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Palladino’s Atalanta on the up as Serie A Leaders Inter Visit

Atalanta's Italian head coach Raffaele Palladino looks on during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Genoa Cfc and Atalanta BC at Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 21 December 2025. (EPA)
Atalanta's Italian head coach Raffaele Palladino looks on during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Genoa Cfc and Atalanta BC at Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 21 December 2025. (EPA)

Atalanta are on the comeback trail ahead of Sunday night's visit of Serie A leaders Inter Milan, with coach Raffaele Palladino leading the charge for the revitalized Bergamo club.

Since Palladino replaced Ivan Juric last month Atalanta have rediscovered their groove, as witnessed by the way they dealt with Eintracht Frankfurt and Chelsea in the Champions League.

Atalanta sit fifth in the Champions League, level on points with mega-bucks Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, and now they're heading back up the Serie A table.

A last-gasp win at Genoa last weekend put Atalanta back in the top half of Italy's top flight and only three points off the European spots.

"It wasn't one of our better performances but today winning was what counted," said Palladino after the victory over Genoa.

"Those three points were hugely important for us to keep our run going and get us up the right end of the table."

Sunday's clash in Bergamo is the first of three fixtures against direct rivals for Champions League football.

Fourth-placed Roma, who are eight points clear of Atalanta, travel north at the turn of the year before the short journey to Bologna, who sit in the Conference League spot.

Atalanta have won six of their eight matches in all competitions under Palladino, who already looks more like the right replacement for Gian Piero Gasperini than Juric ever did.

However, Palladino will be without key attacker Ademola Lookman and defender Odilon Kossounou who are representing Nigeria and Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations.

"We keep scaling a mountain that a month ago seemed impossible," said Palladino.

"Let's enjoy the moment because we've got three big matches coming up and we can take them on in the right spirit."

Inter lead local rivals AC Milan -- who host Verona -- by a single point at the top of the table with champions Napoli a further point back in third ahead of their tricky trip to Jamie Vardy's Cremonese.

But Inter have been on a trip to Saudi Arabia for a failed attempt to win the Italian Super Cup, a tournament won by Napoli which has further clogged up their schedule and left them, Milan, Napoli and Bologna with a game in hand on Roma and fifth-placed Juventus.

The first two weeks of January each have midweek rounds of matches in store for the Super Cup clubs, with the following two weeks containing the decisive final fixtures of the Champions League's expanded league phase.

Inter coach Cristian Chivu has lost Ange-Yoan Bonny to a knee injury picked up in training, the Frenchman joining Denzel Dumfries, Franceco Acerbi and Hakan Calhanoglu on the treatment table.

Man to watch: Daniele De Rossi

De Rossi will make an emotional return to the Stadio Olimpico on Monday night when his Genoa team travel to the Italian capital hoping to bounce back after two unfortunate defeats to Inter and Atalanta.

The Roma icon and World Cup-winning midfielder took his boyhood club to the 2024 Europa League semi-final but was fired after a poor start last season.

He was sacked following a draw at Genoa in September last year, sparking furious protests from Roma fans, and he will be given a hero's welcome from home supporters.

Genoa sit two points above the drop zone while Roma are three points behind Inter having played a game more.

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Alcaraz Withdraws from Wimbledon with Wrist Injury

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 14, 2024 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses for a picture with the trophy after winning his men's singles final against Serbia's Novak Djokovic. (Reuters)
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 14, 2024 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses for a picture with the trophy after winning his men's singles final against Serbia's Novak Djokovic. (Reuters)
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Alcaraz Withdraws from Wimbledon with Wrist Injury

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 14, 2024 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses for a picture with the trophy after winning his men's singles final against Serbia's Novak Djokovic. (Reuters)
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 14, 2024 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses for a picture with the trophy after winning his men's singles final against Serbia's Novak Djokovic. (Reuters)

Carlos Alcaraz's hopes of regaining his Wimbledon title have been dashed with the two-time champion announcing Tuesday he is withdrawing as he recovers from a wrist injury.

"My recovery is going well and I'm feeling much better, but unfortunately I'm still not ready to play, I am obliged to withdraw from both Queen's and Wimbledon," said Spaniard Alcaraz, who lost to world number one Jannik Sinner in last year's final.

"These are two really special tournaments for me and I'll miss them a lot. We'll keep working to come back as soon as possible."

Alcaraz sustained the injury during the first round of the Barcelona Open and subsequently pulled out of tournaments in Madrid and Rome and then Roland Garros, where he is the reigning two-time champion.

The world number two became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam in January with his triumph at the Australian Open. The 23-year-old holds a 22-3 record this season and also won a title in Doha.

Wimbledon will be only the third Grand Slam that Alcaraz has missed since making his main draw debut at the 2021 Australian Open.

Alcaraz's injury has stopped him continuing his exciting rivalry with Italian Sinner, 24, who is firm favorite to triumph in Paris and London.

Sports

Guardiola Set for Emotional Man City Farewell After Era-Defining Decade

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
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Guardiola Set for Emotional Man City Farewell After Era-Defining Decade

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)

Pep Guardiola is expected to take charge of Manchester City for the final time on Sunday, drawing the curtain down on a decade that has reshaped not only his club but English football itself.

When the Catalan arrived in 2016, he was already regarded as one of the game's great innovators. What followed was something even more profound: a transformational reign that turned City from wealthy contenders into the defining team of an era.

Ten years on, Guardiola leaves City having won 15 major trophies, not including the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.

His trophy cabinet includes six Premier League titles -- including a record four in a row -- and the club's first Champions League crown, a haul that places him among the most successful ‌managers in English ‌football history.

This season alone, he has guided City to both the League ‌Cup ⁠and FA Cup ⁠titles, and pushed Arsenal right to the wire in the Premier League race.

His final match, expected to be Sunday's league game against Aston Villa, will close the book on a story of dominance, reinvention and influence that extended far beyond results.

And the Etihad Stadium crowd will surely soak up every second, singing their tribute song to their beloved manager: "We've got . . . Guardiola!" to the tune of The Dave Clark Five's "Glad All Over".

Guardiola's legacy at City is measured not just in silverware but in the scale of control his teams exerted. At their peak, ⁠they amassed points totals previously unimaginable, winning four straight league titles between ‌2021 and 2024 and forcing rivals into near-perfection just to keep ‌pace.

In 2023, they completed the treble, joining Manchester United's 1999 side as the only English teams to hoist the ‌league, FA Cup and Champions League trophies in the same season.

GAME CHANGER

The 55-year-old is credited with changing ‌the game by imposing a level of control and technical precision rarely seen in English football, turning City into the benchmark for how the game could be played.

His teams did not simply win; they dominated by keeping the ball, dictating tempo and suffocating opponents through positional play and relentless pressing.

Beyond the results, fans will surely miss Guardiola's entertaining, ‌restless presence. Usually dressed in his favored knit jumpers and smart trousers, he prowls the technical area, arms cutting through the air as he ⁠points, waves and barks instructions.

Frustration ⁠flashes quickly, sometimes with a sharp kick at a cooler. He has been known to cushion stray balls with a deft touch of a foot, or turn and encourage the crowd to cheer.

He frequently speaks to opposing players on the pitch after matches, to offer tactical tips or praise a performance.

City's players have praised his impact and marveled at his relentless quest for excellence.

"He changed the way I see football," City captain Bernardo Silva said after Saturday's FA Cup win.

"That winning mentality is nothing like I've ever seen," defender John Stones added.

For all the tactics, Guardiola's greatest legacy will have been cultural. He made style the norm and forced the Premier League to evolve around it.

If Sunday indeed ends his tenure, his influence will not fade.

Sports

Stuttering Sabalenka Seeks to Set Down Marker at Roland Garros

Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka returns the ball to Romania's Sorana Cirstea during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP)
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka returns the ball to Romania's Sorana Cirstea during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP)
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Stuttering Sabalenka Seeks to Set Down Marker at Roland Garros

Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka returns the ball to Romania's Sorana Cirstea during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP)
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka returns the ball to Romania's Sorana Cirstea during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP)

Aryna Sabalenka looked unbeatable when the clay-court season got underway last month, but now as the world number one arrives in Paris for her latest tilt at winning Roland Garros, her dominance of the women's game has started to show cracks.

The four-time Grand Slam champion still holds more than 1,000 ranking points on her closest challengers but foremost on her mind over the next fortnight will be going one better than her runner-up finish last year in the French capital, when she lost in three sets to Coco Gauff.

If her aims ahead of the tournament, which starts on Sunday, mirror that of her men's counterpart, Jannik Sinner who is also hunting a first title on the red dirt in Paris, Sabalenka's stranglehold over her competitors is suddenly a lot less dominant than the Italian's.

When Sabalenka swept to the Sunshine Double at the WTA 1000 hardcourt events in Indian Wells and Miami in March, she had then won three of the four tournaments she had played in this season -- the only blight on that record being a three-set defeat to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final.

And as she jetted into Madrid for the start of the European clay swing on a 15-match winning streak, it had seemed little would stand in her way to claiming a fourth career title at the Caja Magica as she began preparations for the French Open.

But a quarter-final exit at the hands of 30th seed Hailey Baptiste put paid to the Belarusian's ambitions in Spain, before she followed that up by crashing out of the Italian Open against a resurgent Sorana Cirstea in the third round, after which she said she felt like "my body was limiting me from performing on the highest level".

"I guess we never lose; we only learn, so it's OK," Sabalenka mused after exiting a 1000 tournament at the round-of-32 stage for the first time since February 2025.

With the 28-year-old top seed now looking uncertain on the clay, the draw again appears to be wide open.

- 'Big battles' -

Rybakina, who beat Sabalenka in last season's WTA Finals decider and then in Melbourne in January to claim her second major title, will be one of the main contenders despite having never progressed beyond the last eight at Roland Garros.

The Kazakh world number two is the player who has arguably enjoyed the best season on the tour this year, barring Sabalenka, and last month won indoor on the clay in Stuttgart but similarly had disappointing runs in Madrid and Rome.

Iga Swiatek, the erstwhile "queen of clay", has of late shown glimpses of the form that took her to world number one and four Roland Garros titles in the early 2020s.

Since her last triumph in Paris two years ago, the 24-year-old has struggled to find consistency but will be hoping her new collaboration with Rafael Nadal's former coach Francisco Roig can help her re-find her best tennis on the surface she had for so long dominated.

Defending champion Gauff will certainly not cede her title lightly and the world number four enters the fray on the back of a strong run in Rome, which ultimately ended in defeat at the final hurdle to the in-form Elina Svitolina.

The 31-year-old Ukrainian has won two titles already this year, including a first 1000-level crown in eight years at the Italian Open, and will certainly fancy a deep run in Paris, after reaching the final eight for the fifth time in her career last year.

"(Winning Rome) gives me a lot of confidence. Gives me a good look at Roland Garros," Svitolina said.

"But... There are really tough players. You cannot underestimate (them). You need to be ready for the first-round matches, big battles. Everybody's there to beat you."

Alongside Svitolina, Madrid Open winner Marta Kostyuk, rising starlets Mirra Andreeva, Iva Jovic and Victoria Mboko, as well as Amanda Anisimova will be dark horses for a maiden Grand Slam title.