06/12/2025

SPORTS SATURDAY | DEC 6, 2025

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Conte, Spalletti face-off in Naples

NAPOLI can deal a blow to Juventus’ hopes of rejoining the title race while bolstering their own Scudetto defence in this weekend’s big Serie A clash that pits Antonio Conte against his former club and brings Luciano Spalletti back to Naples. Conte leads Napoli against the club where he won eight Serie A titles across his playing and coaching careers. Spalletti, meanwhile, returns to Naples on Monday (3.45am) for the first time as an opponent since guiding them to their 2023 Scudetto . Spalletti’s decision to join Juve drew criticism from many Napoli fans, who viewed the move as a betrayal, and the man who delivered Storm clouds gathering over the Riviera BELEAGUERED NICE play Angers at home in Ligue 1 tomorrow (10pm), looking to end a dire run on the pitch and tensions between the team and supporters off it. Last Sunday, following a fourth consecutive league loss for Nice, 200 irate ultras gathered outside the club’s training centre as the players and staff arrived back from their 3-1 reverse at Lorient. The team bus was blocked by the fans as they made the squad get off the bus and walk to the training centre, where some members were “punched, kicked and spat on while being insulted”, according to a complaint made by two Nice players to the police. A subsequent investigation into aggravated assault was opened on Tuesday, and Nice said players Terem Moffi, Jeremie Boga and Jonathan Clauss were victims of physical and verbal assaults. Moffi and Boga were then placed on sick leave by the club. Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe is also the owner of Nice through his Ineos company, which on Thursday hit out at the events that transpired at the weekend. “We firmly condemn the acts of violence that targeted the players as well as the sporting director... and we express our full support for all those affected,“ Ineos Sport chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc said in a club statement. The situation had deteriorated further on Wednesday when French football authorities ordered Nice to play a match behind closed doors after repeated crowd disturbances earlier in the season. The blanket ban on supporters will apply to Nice’s French Cup tie against Saint-Etienne later in December. The French league’s disciplinary committee also imposed a partial stadium closure on Nice for the top-flight game at home to Strasbourg at the start of January. Under-fire Nice coach Franck Haise, on the same day, was reported to have told his players he wanted to stay at the club. “I really thought about breaking my commitment to the club,“ he later told L’Equipe . “That night, I couldn’t sleep, and I told myself that I couldn’t give up... We have to rise to the challenge that this situation presents, and I want to fight.” The first battle in that fightback for Haise will be in stopping the rot of six successive defeats in all competitions when his 10th-placed side welcome bottom-half Angers. Two spots separate the clubs and defeat, coupled with other results going against them, could see Nice, on 17 points, slip to within three points of the relegation zone. – AFP

Spalletti’s triumphant season at Napoli. Milan went top with a home win over Lazio last weekend and will fancy their chances of staying there as they travel to mid-table Torino on Tuesday (3.45am). Torino have the worst defensive record in the league, are on a five match winless run and lost their last two games, including a 5-1 thumping at home by Como. Como have gone 11 league games without defeat and two successive wins have them fifth in the standings, three points off third placed Inter, their next opponents. – Reuters

attempt to win a first Scudetto since 2020. Juve won again on Tuesday, a 2-0 victory over Udinese in their Coppa Italia last-16 tie, but those last two victories came at a cost as Spalletti lost striker Dusan Vlahovic and defender Federico Gatti to injury. Spalletti now comes up against a team from his past and needs to overcome recent history between the clubs in Naples where Juventus have lost on their last six visits, including a 5-1 defeat during

revive faltering Juventus. Second-placed Napoli moved level on 28 points with leaders AC Milan thanks to a 1-0 win at AS Roma last Sunday and, while one point separates the top four in the standings, Juve find themselves five points off top spot in seventh. Spalletti’s tenure began with a win before successive draws against Torino and Fiorentina stalled momentum and although Juventus beat Cagliari last weekend, they remain in catch-up mode in their

them their first league title since the days of Diego Maradona is unsure of the welcome that awaits. “I can already imagine the joy I will feel inside myself when I return to that stadium,“ Spalletti said. “What their reaction will be, I don’t know. “But for me it will be easy, very easy.” Spalletti replaced the sacked Igor Tudor at the end of October, with every intention of battling for the title, but still faces an uphill battle to

In hot pursuit Mbappe chasing Ronaldo record as Real Madrid host Celta

Undav poses biggest threat to Bayern

VFB STUTTGART forward Deniz Undav has lost count of how many goals he has scored in recent weeks but he will be hoping his run continues when Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich pay them a visit today (10.30pm). The 29-year-old has scored nine times in all competitions this term, with most of the goals coming in the past few weeks after he recovered from a knee ligament injury on the second matchday of the season that kept him out for several weeks. In November he scored six of Stuttgart’s eight Bundesliga goals to confirm he was back to his best and a serious contender for Germany’s World Cup squad next year. “I don’t know myself how many I have scored,“ Undav said after netting in Wednesday’s 2-0 victory over VfL Bochum in the German Cup round of 16. “I thought that it was eight goals. What I know is I have to keep going. There will be a phase where I may not be scoring so I must keep at it as long as possible.” Undav, who has not been called up for Germany duty in recent months, knows full well that his current form has thrust him back into the mix for next year’s squad for the tournament that will be co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States. “I have been saying it again and again that the road to March is very long,“ Undav said in reference to Germany’s next international matches as they prepare for the finals. Bayern are firmly in control of the title race, sitting in top spot on 34 points, eight ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig, but have shown they are vulnerable at the back. They lost 3-1 at Arsenal in the Champions League last week before needing late goals to earn a 3-1 comeback win over strugglers St. Pauli. It was the second consecutive Bundesliga game where they had to come from behind to win it. Bayern were also troubled at Union Berlin before earning a nervous 3-2 victory in Wednesday’s German Cup last-16 tie, with the Berliners pushing for an equaliser in the second half, and Undav hopes to take advantage of that weakness today. Leipzig host seventh-placed Eintracht Frankfurt tomorrow (1.30am), while Borussia Dortmund, who are third on 25 points, entertain Hoffenheim in fifth on Monday (12.30am) – Reuters

Kylian Mbappe (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at Real Madrid. – REUTERSPIC

R EAL MADRID’S Kylian Mbappe will have Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record for goals in a calendar year in his sights when Los Blancos face Celta Vigo in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu on Monday (4am Malaysian time). Mbappe, who has scored 55 goals in all competitions in as many matches in 2025, is four goals shy of the 59-goal calendar-year record set by Ronaldo in 2013. With five matches still to play this year, the French forward could surpass the Portuguese great and set a new benchmark. The World Cup winner’s magnificent form continued midweek with two fabulous goals and one assist against Athletic Bilbao in a 3-0 triumph at San Mames, taking his tally for the La Liga season to 16 goals and four assists in 15 games, double the eight goals scored by Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, who is in second place in La Liga’s scoring chart. After a challenging start to his Real Madrid career following his summer move from Paris St Germain in 2024, Mbappe has been unstoppable since the turn of the year. The 26-year-old will have the opportunity to add to his tally in December, with Real also facing Manchester City in the Champions League and domestic rivals Sevilla and Alaves in LaLiga, with a Copa del Rey fixture against an as yet unknown

opponent in between. Yet he will get his first chance to find the net in Monday’s clash against mid-table Celta Vigo. Ronaldo’s 2013 record seemed untouchable for more than a decade, but Mbappe’s meteoric year has brought him within striking distance of the mark. While the Frenchman chases individual milestones, Real remain in pursuit of La Liga leaders Barcelona, who are a point clear of their old rivals at the summit following a crucial 3-1 victory over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. After handing Diego Simeone’s side their first La Liga defeat since August, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona face a tough test against fifth-placed Real Betis on tomorrow (1.30am), as Betis look to build on last weekend’s derby win against Sevilla. Barcelona’s win marked the return of key players Raphinha and Pedri from injury to the starting team – a boost that could prove decisive in the title race. Sitting third in the standings, five points behind Barcelona with a game in hand, Marcelino’s Villarreal have not lost a match in La Liga for two months. They will host Getafe today (9pm), while fourth-placed Atletico, one point behind Villarreal, will try to bounce back from their Nou Camp defeat when they visit Athletic Bilbao tomorrow (4am). – Reuters