Serie A Daily Report - 2026-09-17: Milan’s European return ends in defeat to Benfica

AC Milan lost 2-0 at home to Benfica on Wednesday, beginning their Europa League campaign with another disappointing result. Dodi Lukébakio opened the scoring before Jakub Kaminski doubled the visitors’ advantage, leaving the seven-time European champions facing whistles at San Siro. The defeat followed Serie A draws against Juventus and Lazio, meaning Milan had gone three matches without a win in domestic and European competition. Gonçalo Ramos, signed from Paris Saint-Germain for more than €70 million, had now failed to register a shot on target in three consecutive matches and had scored only once for the club.

Ruben Amorim admitted Milan were creating more problems for themselves in possession than their opponents were causing without the ball. The coach said he was willing to adapt his tactics after criticism of the 3-4-2-1 system used since his arrival in June, stressing that the team needed both an identifiable style and victories. Christian Pulisic came on at half-time and produced some of Milan’s more promising attacking moments, according to reports, but could not prevent the defeat. The result intensified scrutiny of Amorim’s methods and increased pressure on a side that missed European football entirely last season.

Juventus beat NEC Nijmegen 5-0 on Thursday to make a dominant start to their Europa League campaign. Nicolás González opened the scoring after nine minutes, while Kerim Alajbegović added a second before Nick Woltemade converted a penalty before half-time. Zeki Celik and Randal Kolo Muani completed the emphatic victory at the Allianz Stadium. Woltemade, a loan signing from Newcastle United, scored his first goal for Juventus, while several new arrivals made their first starts under Luciano Spalletti. The result came only days after Juventus had suffered a 3-2 defeat at Sassuolo in Serie A.

The victory offered Spalletti a timely response after a difficult league opening, described before the match as Juventus’ second-worst start in eight years. González’s opener followed a mistake by NEC goalkeeper Nikolas Polster, but Juventus soon established control and avoided the uncertainty that had marked the weekend defeat. Alajbegović’s goal was his first for the club, adding to the significance of a night shaped by debutants and fresh signings. Juventus entered the Europa League after finishing sixth in Serie A last season, and the scale of the win provided an immediate lift before their league campaign resumes.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City were reportedly interested in signing Roma forward Donyell Malen next year, according to TheHardTackle. The report said Chelsea and City were compiling scouting dossiers, while Arsenal had established informal contact over a possible deal. Roma would reportedly demand between €60 million and €65 million during the winter transfer window, having signed the Netherlands international permanently from Aston Villa for €25 million in the summer after an initial loan. Malen had scored six goals and supplied one assist in five Serie A appearances this season, helping Roma move to the top of the table.

Malen’s resurgence had made him one of the most productive forwards in European football. A separate report said he had scored 20 goals since making his Roma debut on 18 January, more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues during that period. Across 25 appearances for Roma in all competitions, he had 21 goals and three assists. Gian Piero Gasperini had used him in a central striking role, a change from his less influential spell at Aston Villa. Any winter approach would therefore test Roma’s desire to retain a forward whose value had risen sharply in a short period.

Roma host Inter on Saturday in a meeting between two of Serie A’s leading sides, with both clubs’ recent transfer strategies under scrutiny. The fixture was described as the standout match of the fifth round and a contest between teams expected to challenge for the title. Cristian Chivu’s Inter won Serie A last season, while Gian Piero Gasperini led Roma back into the Champions League. Both managers arrived at their clubs a year earlier and achieved their principal objectives in their first campaigns, setting up a meeting shaped by the progress of their squad-building programmes.

An analysis cited by Yardbarker, drawing on figures from La Gazzetta dello Sport, said Roma had overtaken Inter in spending across the previous two transfer windows. The difference reflected contrasting approaches to raising squad quality, with Roma investing heavily to narrow the gap to the champions. That financial shift added weight to Saturday’s encounter, because the match offered an early test of whether Roma’s increased outlay had produced a side capable of competing directly with Inter. The game was scheduled for 6pm at the Stadio Olimpico, with both clubs among the season’s most impressive performers.

Inter confirmed that John Stones suffered a muscle strain to the flexor muscles in his left thigh earlier this week. The England centre-back was forced off after an hour of his first start for the Italian club during Inter’s 5-3 victory over Udinese at San Siro on Monday. Stones had joined Inter after being released by Manchester City in June, completing the first move abroad of his career. The injury was expected to rule him out of England’s forthcoming Nations League fixtures, with the defender’s condition due to be reassessed after clinical and diagnostic tests at the Istituto Humanitas in Rozzano.

The setback came after Stones had started three of England’s eight matches at the recent World Cup, including the quarter-final win over Norway and the semi-final defeat by Argentina. His move to Inter had created an opportunity to establish himself in a new league, but the thigh problem interrupted that beginning after only one start. England were due to announce their next squad on Friday, while the expected absence of the 32-year-old would remove an experienced option from Thomas Tuchel’s defence during a four-match international period.