News about Dejan Stankovic

For the first time in history, Manchester City threwsted the Champions League trophy into the air for the first time in history, but the competition has slowed back down again, with the group stage set to begin next month. The very best clubs in European football will eagerly await the outcome of the draw in Monaco on Thursday evening, with the glitz and glam of the occasion's glitter firing the starting pistol at the final. For the group stage draw, 32 teams will be seeded into four pots as usual. They will then be divided into eight teams of four players. The first set of fixtures will begin on September 19/20, later than last season due to a World Cup break, but no World Cup qualifier will be held in February and March. Mail Sport has the inside scoop on all of the participants in the tournament, which will begin at 5 p.m. UK time, as well as the identification of their key players and danger ratings.

Sampdoria is expected to appoint Andrea Pirlo as their new boss immediately, as the club seeks a return to Serie A. Sampdoria's new owners, according to Sky Sport, dejan Stankovic, who left the club following their demotion to Serie B. Pirlo was the second option for the role, with fellow 2006 FIFA World Cup winner Fabio Grosso turning down the job.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO IN ITALY: Napoli took a step closer to winning their first Serie A title in 33 years thanks to a late Giacomo Raspadori winner over Juventus on Sunday night. Both Milan clubs won, as they continued their quest for a top-four finish, but Lazio lost to a shocking home loss to Torino. Alvise Cagnazzo addresses ten things we learned from another exciting weekend of Italian football.

On Matchday 30 of Italy's biggest clubs, ALVISE CAGNAZZO: On Weekend 30 of the Serie A season, it was a frustrating weekend for some of Italy's top teams. Napoli, AC Milan, and Inter Milan were among those keeping an eye on the second leg of their Champions League quarter-finals this week, which may have resulted in points deferred. Rivals Roma and Lazio, on the other hand, lifted their hopes of Champions League qualification by 3-0 victories over Udinese and Spezia respectively. Alvise Cagnazzo of Mail Sport has dissected the weekend's events and taken a closer look at ten things we learned from the Italian top flight.

The Portuguese, 60, joined Roma in 2021 and has been with the Serie A giants until 2024. However, there have been controversies surrounding transfers and annoyances with Roma's results this season. Mourinho has now been approached by 'top leadership' to head the Saudi Arabian national team, with his future still uncertain at the Italian club. According to Corre dello Sport, the contract includes €60 million each year and two options for Mourinho. He will be able to finish the job or prolong it until 2026, the year of the North American World Cup.

Following a 3-0 win, Roma boss Jose Mourinho stepped in following racist chants from his team's supporters against Sampdoria boss Dejan Stankovic. Following Jeison Murillo's dismissal when the teams were level at 0-0, Stankovic was furious at Sampdoria being reduced to ten men. Some Roma fans reacted angrily to Stankovic's Serbian roots.

Pedro Goncalves added his name to a long list of 'where were you?' On Thursday night, there were wondergoals on the show. In the Europa League, the 24-year-old Sporting Lisbon player broke Arsenal hearts by lobbing a 46-yard kick over Aaron Ramsale to equalize, a tie that would have been decided on penalties. Fans responded to Goncalves' goal by announcing it as a contender for the season's championship, but he is by no means the first to make history with a spectacular blast from distance.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO IN ITALY: It was another action-packed weekend in Italy as Serie A saw many more twists and turns. Napoli lost just their second league match of the season against Lazio on Friday night, while Roma displaced AC Milan in the top four positions after Jose Mourinho's side defeated Juventus. Sportsmail delves into Serie A's weekend action, offering you ten things we learned.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO: The league's heavyweight sides all won significant victories, including Napoli, who maintained their ascendancy at the top of the table, over the weekend. After beating Sassuolo 2-0, the Naples team is now 15 points ahead of nearest rival Inter Milan, who are expected to win their first Scudetto since 1990. Meanwhile, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Roma all won, while Salernitana plightened despite new boss Paulo Sousa's arrival.

Following Roberto Mancini's funeral on Monday, Italy coach Roberto Mancini, as well as former Lazio players Attilio Lombardo and Dejan Stankovic, were among those who carried Sinisa Mihajlovic's coffin out into a crowd of supporters. In addition, a delegation from Red Star Belgrade, the team that Mihajlovic helped win the European Cup in 1991, as well as the Bologna team, whom he coached for three years in his final position. Mihajlovic, the former standout player who became a popular coach in Italy, died on Friday after a long battle with leukaemia. He was 53 years old at the time.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO: It was another big weekend of Serie A football, with Napoli continuing to pull away as unbeaten league champions, chased by Atalanta and Udinese. After a 2-0 victory over Juventus, who looked below par and now languish in eighth, AC Milan remained close to the leaders. Alvise Cagnazzo of Sportsmail takes a look at ten things we learned from this weekend's events in Italy.

Ismaila Sarr (inset) stunned everyone on Monday night with a spectacular goal from his own half that opened the scoring against West Brom. Sarr trapped the ball dead before transferring it out of his feet and displaying his courtesy by a brilliant lob from inside his own half and across the field to Button's head. The finish was so good that many pundits and followers said afterwards that the Championship's goal of the season award may as well have been given to the Senegal national. However, it isn't only Sarr who can summon the spectacular from the halfway line. There have been plenty of jaw-dropping goals from similar range down the years and we salute some of the best here including David Beckham (top right), Patrik Schick (bottom right) and Wayne Rooney (main) who did it three times!