⚽️🇮🇹 Revealed: Serie A's big VAR changes
In this week’s Italian soccer digest, we're also checking in on a new era for Juventus, an unusual Cagliari training session, and much more!
🍿 Juventus face Genoa on the biggest US stage with new coach Igor Tudor
Juventus’ clash with Genoa will take center stage on US television this Saturday (1pm ET) when it is broadcast free-to-air on the CBS Television Network. It will be the first game in charge for the Bianconeri’s new coach Igor Tudor.
👋 Former Juve center-back Tudor has been brought in until end of season after replacing Thiago Motta.
🤗 Tudor is no stranger to Turin: the Croatian won Serie A with Juve in 2002 and 2003 and was an assistant coach to Andrea Pirlo.
😲 Forbes notes that Tudor played at Juventus alongside Antonio Conte, and his path towards managing the team has been similar.
👉 Juventus’ coaching change follows 4-0 and 3-0 defeats to Atalanta and Fiorentina and exits from both the Champions League and Coppa Italia.
🇺🇸 This game has an interesting North American angle: Juventus’ roster includes USMNT stars Tim Weah and Weston McKennie, while Genoa features Mexico National Team star defender (and reigning CONCACAF Nations League champion) Johan Vásquez.
👕 Genoa will be sharply dressed for this game as they debut their gorgeous new fourth kit, which celebrates the 120th anniversary of Argentina side Boca Juniors:
📺 This will be the third Serie A match of the season (and also the third-ever!) to broadcast live on network television, following Parma’s win over Milan in August and Juventus’ draw with Bologna in December.
🥊 Napoli’s battle with Milan could define both teams’ seasons
Second-place Napoli hosts Sérgio Conceição’s Milan on Sunday (2.45pm ET, CBS Sports, FOX Deportes, and SiriusXM FC) in a game that could have huge implications in the scudetto race and the fight for a top-four finish.
⚽ Napoli sits three points behind leaders Inter, while the Rossoneri is currently six points away from achieving an all-important top-four finish.
🗣️ Qualification for the Champions League is clearly important for Conceição, who said this week that the competition motivated his decision to come to Milan: “My dream and objective is to win the Champions League and for this reason, I chose my current club.”
🏴 Midfielder Scott McTominay is enjoying something of an annus mirabilis in Naples, with seven goals on the season. The Scot spoke to the BBC about the benefits of playing in Serie A: "It's opened my eyes to a different style of football. It's opened my eyes to a lot of different things off the pitch as well, which I'm very grateful for.”
👉 The head-to-head between the two sides is pretty even: Antonio Conte’s team earned a 2-0 win at San Siro in October, but Milan earned a 1-0 victory in the prior encounter.
📹 VAR changes coming to Serie A and Coppa Italia
Lega Serie A has confirmed that changes are coming to the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) system over the next week to improve the experience for fans in the stadium and at home.
🏟️ Starting from this weekend’s matches, Serie A will introduce ‘VARDict’, which will show VAR graphics on the big screens inside stadiums, in order to show fans what is happening.
🎤 There will also be a significant change in the Coppa Italia semifinals and final, where the referee will be mic’d up and able to explain VAR decisions on the field after video review.
👉 The first legs of the Coppa Italia semifinals take place next week, with Empoli hosting Bologna on Tuesday and a Milan derby on Wednesday (both 3pm ET on CBS Sports).
🇮🇹 Italy stages incredible comeback against Germany but falters in Nations League
During the international break, the Italy National Team was in action against fabled rivals Germany in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals.
🚀 The Azzurri fell 2-1 at San Siro last Thursday in the first leg, but in the second leg, staged a miraculous comeback from 3-0 down at half time to draw 3-3.
👉 The comeback in Dortmund, however, was not enough to overturn an eventual 5-4 aggregate defeat, which sees Germany advance to the semifinals to take on Portugal in June.
🌎 The result decided Italy’s 2026 World Cup qualification fate: Luciano Spalletti’s side will now join Norway, Israel, Estonia, and Moldova in UEFA World Cup qualifying Group I.
💬 Calcio Conversations
In previous editions of Calcio Conversations, we have explained the roles of the regista, libero, trequartista, and mediano - but what about the mezzala?
🤷♂️ The what? A mezzala is a midfielder who plays outside a single central midfielder (for example, on the right or left in a three-man midfield). They are usually very dynamic players who are good passers, strong technically, and contribute to their team’s attacking game.
For example? The top two teams in the Serie A standings, Inter and Napoli, both use mezzale to devastating effect: Nicolo Barella and Henrikh Mkhitaryan fill the role for the Nerazzurri, while Antonio Conte has used Scott McTominay and Franck Anguissa as his go-to mezzala this season.
📣 Supporters’ Club of the Week: Genoa Club NY
Continuing our tour of some of the most passionate supporters’ clubs in North America, this week we check in with Genoa Club New York - a group that first started meeting in the Big Apple almost 35 years ago!
🤗 Genoa Club NY was originally founded in 1991, before being re-founded in 2017.
🍻 The group currently has around 30 members and watches games at New York’s famous soccer haunt, Smithfield Hall, in Midtown Manhattan.
🗣️ “Many games are on weekdays during working hours for us, so that limits our activities, but when we play on a Sunday or Saturday afternoon, we always put a crew together,” said club president Daniele Savino Ben, who will no doubt be savoring this weekend’s clash with Juventus.
🙌 “The best moment with the club was in the summer of 2023 when we got our promotion to Serie A after only one year of Serie B,” he added. “On a personal level, my favorite moment came in 2009 when we reached the Europa League and I made a trip from NY to Odense in Denmark to watch a game.”
👉 Check out their Facebook and Instagram pages to follow Genoa Club NY and find out about how to get involved!
Want to feature your supporters’ club on Calcio Weekly? Get in touch!
🏖️ Cagliari is on the beach!
When your team is based on the stunning Sardinian coast, why wouldn’t you take the opportunity to get some sand between your toes while training?
⛱️ During the international break, Davide Nicola’s side took their training to the sand to enjoy some sea views while scrimmaging!
Up next for Cagliari 👉 Gli Isolani hosts bottom-of-the-table Monza on Sunday (6.30am ET, CBS Sports), knowing a win will lift them seven points clear of the relegation zone.
🏆 Simone Inzaghi wins the 2023-24 Panchina d’Oro
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi was at the Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano (the Italian federation’s headquarters) this week to receive the Panchina d’Oro, the award that recognizes the best coach of the previous season.
👏 Inzaghi has received the award for the first time on the back of Inter’s scudetto win.
🙋♂️ The award is decided by the votes from coaches in every professional Italian team, Serie A and Serie B femminile, and coaches from the men’s and women’s Futsal leagues, too.
🔝 Inzaghi finished with the most votes, ahead of Atalanta’s Gian Piero Gasperini and Bologna’s Vincenzo Italiano.
👉 Our friends at Football Italia have details on the full list of awards and recognition given out at the FIGC this week.
🎯 Social Post of the Week: Pirlo’s still got it!
In last week’s Social Post of the Week, Andrea Pirlo rated his free kick prowess highly. Days later, at a match between Milan and Tottenham legends, the iconic midfielder put one in the top corner, showing us exactly why…
🫡 And yes, he still looks fantastic in his uniform.
📺 This weekend on CBS Sports, Paramount+, FOX Deportes, and SiriusXM
Saturday, March 29th
Como v Empoli (10am ET)
Venezia v Bologna (10am ET, also on FOX Deportes)
Juventus v Genoa (1pm ET, CBS Television Network)
Lecce v Roma (3.45pm ET)
Sunday, March 30th
Cagliari v Monza (6.30am ET)
Fiorentina v Atalanta (9am ET)
Inter v Udinese (12am ET, also on FOX Deportes)
Napoli v Milan (2.45pm ET, also on FOX Deportes and SiriusXM FC)
Monday, March 31st
Verona v Parma (12.30pm ET)
Lazio v Torino (2.45pm ET)
🇨🇦 Watch ALL Serie A games live on Fubo and select games with Italian-language commentary on TLN 🇨🇦
🇺🇸 Watch select games with Spanish-language commentary on FOX Deportes and English-language commentary on SiriusXM 🇺🇸
👏 Thank you for supporting Calcio Weekly!
If you like this newsletter, you may also enjoy the great work of our friends at Total Italian Football, who bring you daily calcio content, podcasts from Serie A stadiums, Women’s Serie A coverage, and much more.
We’d also like to spotlight Destination Calcio, an essential hub for English-language Serie A news and exclusives, which is now streaming live Serie B games, too.
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Ciao ciao!