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Calcio FC Weekly
The Biggest Derby You’ve Never Heard Of
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Welcome to Issue 10 of Calcio FC Weekly!
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One of Italy's most incendiary derbies returned for the first time in four decades, Lautaro Martinez and Antonio Conte have words and it's goodbye Igor Tudor.
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Don't forget you can get in touch with us on our socials and at newsletter@destinationcalcio.com.
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Here's a taste of what's on the menu today:
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- The biggest Serie C derby of all
- Anger on the pitch and in the TV studio
- So long, Igor Tudor
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The Derby Delle Marche Is Back
Rolling hills, the pristine waters of the Adriatic Sea, picturesque little towns and great cuisine. The Marche region is home to some of Italy's finest natural and culinary offerings. It is also the stage for one of calcio's fiercest but less known derbies.
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Just over 20 miles separate Ascoli, surrounded by the Apennine Mountains and straddled across two national parks from San Benedetto Del Tronto, one of the biggest ports on the Italian side of the Adriatic Sea.
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There is, however, no love lost between Ascoli and Sambenedettese. The Derby delle Marche isn't as high profile as the Derby della Madonnina, the Derby della Lanterna or the Rome and Turin affairs, but it's just as incendiary on a local level.
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"Anyone who has played in the Ascoli vs Sambenedettese derby is afraid of nothing," Carlo Mazzone, a native of Ascoli who played and managed his hometown team, once famously remarked.
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Last year, even the late Pope Francis tried to mend bridges between the two cities.
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In May 2024, the Pontiff united the two dioceses in the Marche region, entrusting both to Bishop Gianpiero Palmieri. "They are different cities due to their geographic location, history, and old rivalries," the latter said in his first homily. "But by the will of the Holy Father, we must set aside all claims to individual identity.”
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Sunday marked the first time in 39 years the two Marche rivals squared off, largely owing to the fact Sambenedettese have regularly found themselves in a lower tier than Ascoli for the past four decades.
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Distance, however, did not make the heart grow fonder. Quite the opposite in fact, so much so that away fans were barred from attending the fixture at Ascoli's Stadio del Duca due to the fear of public disorder.
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Undeterred, Sambenedettese fans channeled their energy into giving their players a stunning send off, with a packed curva and flares going off during an open training session on Saturday.
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It did not yield the result they hoped, as Tommaso Milanese scored the only goal of the game to secure the win Ascoli, keeping the Bianconeri second in Serie C Group B with 27 points, one behind leaders Arezzo.
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Sambenedettese, meanwhile, are 11th with 14 points and their wait for a first win in the Derby delle Marche goes on.
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It's now been 54 years since the Rossoblu got one over their local rivals, but the good news is they get a second chance on Wednesday, when Ascoli travel to San Benedetto for the second round of the Coppa Italia Serie C.
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Don’t Come Here and Play Dad
Napoli went back to the top of Serie A by beating Inter Milan 3-1 at the Stadio Diego Maradona on Saturday night in an explosive and controversial affair.
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The Partenopei opened the scoring courtesy of a dubious penalty in the first half, which was awarded after Giovanni Di Lorenzo tumbled following minimal contact with Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The referee, Maurizio Mariani, saw nothing wrong with it but his assistant Daniele Bindoni did and Napoli were awarded a penalty, which Kevin De Bruyne converted, injuring himself in the process.
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The incident lit the proverbial blue touch paper and the mood quickly turned sour, with Lautaro Martinez and Antonio Conte exchanging insults after a melee erupted between the two benches later in the game.
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The Argentine suggested his former manager was "s****ing" himself and accused him of being a coward, with Conte following the same diplomatic approach by telling the Inter captain to "laugh over this" while pointing at his crotch.
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After the game, Inter president and CEO Beppe Marotta complained the "penalty was decisive to shift the balance of the game", despite acknowledging Napoli's two goals in the second half legitimised the win.
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“I thought this was an ideal situation for VAR to intervene, seeing as the referee had initially evaluated and ignored the situation," he told DAZN Italia.
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"The footage would’ve allowed the referee to view it again and make his own decision.”
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Conte, unsurprisingly, had plenty to say for himself.
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“Leave these things to those who participated in the match,” he thundered, in a not-so-subtle dig at his former boss.
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“I have always defended myself. I have never asked my presidents to play my dad.”
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Time to lay off the espressos, everyone.
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The End of the Tudor Era
And so goodbye, Igor Tudor. After 24 games in charge, the Croat has been relieved of his duties with Juventus in the middle of an eight-game winless run which included three straight defeats over the past week to Como, Real Madrid and Lazio without a single goal scored.
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The latter of those results, a 1-0 loss at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday night, spelt the end of the Croat, who replaced Thiago Motta in March and dragged Juventus to Champions League qualification.
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After Motta's dismal nine months in charge, Tudor stabilised the Bianconeri and hit the ground running this season, winning their first three Serie A fixtures. Juventus, however, have not won since September and sit eighth in the table, six points adrift of league leaders Napoli.
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Massimo Brambilla, the current Juventus Next Gen manager, has been named as interim manager with Luciano Spalletti and former Fiorentina manager Raffaele Palladino topping the list of Juventus' preferences to replace Tudor.
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Pre-Match Buzz or After-Party... the Best Bars Near Rome's Stadio Olimpico
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Heading to Rome to catch a game? We will make sure you don't go thirsty on your trip to the Eternal City, courtesy of Alasdair Mackenzie.
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Modena: The City that Fizzes with Colour, Calcio, Cars and Much More
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This city punches above its weight in terms of contribution to the modern world. Think Pavarotti, Ferrari and, of course, balsamic vinegar. Destination Calcio delves into the wonderful city of Modena.
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My Town, My Team - Bari: A Local's Guide to the Puglian Capital
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We get a local take on what's hot in Bari - where to eat and drink, sights to see and handy hints that might not be in the tourist guides.
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Don’t forget, Destination Calcio will be bringing you live Serie B action during every round of the 2025-26 season on DCTV
- Click HERE to find out the matches we will be showing across the next few weeks.
- Click HERE for the full 2025-26 calendar.
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Things you may have missed this week
Kevin De Bruyne could be out until next year after suffering a hamstring injury while scoring Napoli's opener from the spot against Inter Milan on Saturday night.
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Jamie Vardy scored his first Serie A goal on Saturday night, becoming both Cremonese's oldest goalscorer in the league and the first Englishman to score for the club.
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Igor Tudor is the first Juventus manager to be sacked before November since Luis Carniglia made way for Ercole Rabitti in the 1969-70 season. Back then the Bianconeri went on to finish third and they would probably sign off for a repeat of the scenario.
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Speaking of sackings, worth reminding everyone that Fabio Grosso is Serie A's longest-serving manager. For context, he was appointed in June 2024, when the Neroverdi were still in Serie B.
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Gianluigi Buffon has a contingency plan should Italy fail to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. “[Gennaro] Gattuso is the best choice we could’ve made," he told Corriere dello Sport. "And if it all goes wrong in March, I’ll get the hell out of here too.”
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According to Opta, it's been 34 years since Juventus failed to scored in four consecutive matches in all competitions. The Bianconeri last faced such a drought between February and March 1991 with Luigi Manfredi in charge.
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Remember Stefano Okaka? After two years without a club, the former Roma striker joined Ravenna earlier this season at the tender age of 37. And on Sunday he came off the bench to score a 97th minute winner as the Giallorossi won 1-0 away at Pianese to remain level on points with Ascoli, one point behind league leaders Arezzo.
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Watch the Calcio FC podcast on YouTube and listen on Spotify
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Kit of the week
At every Sampdoria home game, the announcer at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris regularly welcomes them on the pitch by addressing the Blucerchiati as the "team with the greatest shirt in the world".
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And, truth be told, it is a difficult claim to argue with. After all, Sampdoria’s iconic red, blue and white bands against the light blue background are unique in world football and the club have dished out classic after classic.
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Think of the wonderful kit sponsored by Phonola during the early days of Gianluca Vialli's spell at Marassi. Think of just about any strip Roberto Mancini wore during his stay in Genoa.
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And yet, among all those beauties, nothing comes close to this stunning Asics number that was Sampdoria's home kit between 1992 and 1994. The fit is loose as was typical of the early 1990s, as is the button on the collar, which also featured the same pattern of the distinctive bands that adorn the middle of the shirt, just below the ERG sponsor.
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As for the Asics logo, it sits proudly on the right of the upper chest, sleekly stylicised in white against a black background.
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And given a kit is only as iconic as the players who wore it, how about Mancini, Ruud Gullit and David Platt? To top it all off, Sampdoria won the Coppa Italia in 1994, donning this stunning number as they thrashed Ancona 6-1 on aggregate in the final.
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It remains the Blucerchiati's last trophy. Simpler times, better times.
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A reminder that if you spot a classic shirt while you're at the game or out and about, get in touch on our socials or via email and let us know why we should feature it!
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What we are reading this week
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Italy's crumbling stadiums have long dominated the conversation for one reason or another and were thrusted back into the spotlight last month, following news of San Siro's sale to AC Milan and Inter Milan. In this lengthy piece for Forza Calcio, Luke Taylor examines the pros and cons of modernisation and the need to keep Italian football's soul intact.
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Where to watch calcio this weekend
Serie A (times BST/EST)
- Lecce vs Napoli, 17:30/12:30, TNT Sports 1 (UK), DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Atalanta vs AC Milan, 19:45/14:45, TNT Sports 1 (UK), DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Como vs Verona, 17:30/12:30, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Juventus vs Udinese, 17:30/12:30, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Roma vs Parma, 17:30/12:30, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Bologna vs Torino, 19:45/14:45, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Genoa vs Cremonese, 19:45/14:45, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Inter Milan vs Fiorentina, 19:45/14:45, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Cagliari vs Sassuolo, 17:30/12:30, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Pisa vs Lazio, 19:45/14:45, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Como vs Napoli, 17:00/12:00, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Cremonese vs Juventus, 19:45/14:45, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Verona vs Inter Milan, 11:30/06:30, TNT Sports 2 (UK), DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Fiorentina vs Lecce, 14:00/09:00, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Torino vs Pisa, 14:00/09:00, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Parma vs Bologna, 17:00/12:00, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- AC Milan vs Roma, 19:45/14:45, TNT Sports 1, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Sassuolo vs Genoa, 17:30/12:30, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Lazio vs Cagliari, 19:45/14:45, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
Serie B
- Palermo vs Monza, 19:30/14:30, Destination Calcio
- Reggiana vs Modena, 19:30/14:30, Destination Calcio
- Venezia vs Sudtirol, 19:30/14:30, Destination Calcio
- Virtus Entella vs Empoli, 16:15/11:15, Destination Calcio
- Bari vs Cesena, 14:00/11:00, Destination Calcio
- Monza vs Spezia, 16:15/11:15, Destination Calcio
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Random former Serie A/Serie B footballer of the week
Have you heard the story of a striker whose career began at Juventus and eventually petered out in Hungary? If you haven't, allow us to introduce you to Tommaso Rocchi, one of the most reliable Serie A goalscorers in the first decade of the new century. By the time he made his Serie A debut with Empoli in 2000, Rocchi had already bagged 50 goals across Serie B and Serie C and he wasted no time establishing himself in calcio's top tier.
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In 12 seasons in Serie A with Empoli, Lazio and Inter Milan, Rocchi rattled in 102 goals in 323 appearances. An old-school fox-in-the-box striker, he plundered in 105 goals in 292 in all competitions for Lazio, winning the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana in 2009.
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A solitary season at Inter in the 2012-13 campaign did not prove as successful, with Rocchi scoring just three times in 13 appearances before moving to Padova and then on to Hungary, where he ended his career with Haladas and Tatabanya. No, us neither.
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That is all for this week folks. We hope you enjoyed this latest issue of Calcio FC Weekly, make sure you hit the subscribe button to have it landing in your inbox every Tuesday and don't forget to get in touch at newsletter@destinationcalcio.com or on our socials!
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