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Lazio are preparing to host Empoli at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in what will be their final fixture before the October international break. The match kicks off on Sunday, 15:00 local time.
The Biancocelesti are riding a three-match winning streak in all competitions, while the Azzurri sit in surprisingly sixth place in the Serie A standings, as they currently boast the second-best defense in the league.
Lazio Team News, Injuries, Suspensions & Probable Lineup
With Samuel Gigot joining the fold, Marco Baroni will have a full squad to choose from. Following the usual Europa League rotation, the manager will revert to his original starters for the domestic encounter. Ivan Provedel will return in goal, along with Manuel Lazzari and Nuno Tavares in the full-back slots. Alessio Romangoli should regain his starting spot at the expense of Patric, thus reuniting with Mario Gila at the back.
In the middle of the park, Nicolo Rovella should take over from Matias Vecino, while Matteo Guendouzi maintains his spot in the double-pivot. Taty Castellanos is coming off a sensational display against OGC Nice but he’ll have a different supporting crew this time, with Gustav Isaksen, Boulaye Dia and Mattia Zaccagni all starting behind him.
Lazio (4-2-3-1): Provedel; Lazzari, Gila, Romagnoli, Tavares; Rovella, Guendouzi; Isaksen, Dia, Zaccagni; Castellanos.
Empoli Team News, Injuries, Suspensions & Probable Lineup
Roberto D’Aversa will have to do without influential midfielder Szymon Zurkovski, right-back Tyronne Ebuehi and defender Saba Sazanov who are all out with injuries. Nevertheless, he will count on his fabulous defensive unit consisting of Devis Vazquez, Saba Goglichiddze, Adrian Ismaijli and Mattia Viti.
The young Jacobo Fazzini could be handed the keys in the middle of the park supported by Alberto Grassi and Chelsea loanee Tino Anjorin, while Emmanuel Gyasi and Giuseppe Pezzella will be looking to inflict the damage on the flanks. Finally, Sebastiano Esposito and Lorenzo Colombo are gradually emerging as arguably the most exciting young attacking pairs in Serie A.
Empoli (3-5-2): Vasquez; Goglichidze, Ismaijli, Viti; Gyasi, Grassi, Fazzini, Anjorin, Pezzella; Esposito, Colombo.
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Former Yankees Outfielder Rips Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman
The New York Yankees have been having a rough couple of months, losing their once-dominant lead of the AL East. Now, both Yankees manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman are on the receiving end of some tough words by a former player, outfielder Clint Frazier. Boone has been criticized by a number of analysts (not to mention Yankees fans) for lineup and mid-game moves that range from head-scratching to downright bizarre, especially for a team that has been having a hard time securing wins. Cashman has repeatedly defended Boone, arguing that is knowledge of the players' capabilities is driving his decisions. To Frazier, Cashman's defense of Boone is self-serving because Cashman is the person who is responsible for Boone's tenure as manager. “When Cashman comes out and gives support to Boone, lowkey, I kind of feel like that’s self-preservation,” Frazier said on his podcast. “I know his resume is insane, but when he gives the confidence boost to Boone, I was saying ‘he’s got to, because Booney is the frontline of defense for him. I brought this guy in, and I have to support him, because he’s my guy.' Boone is Cashman’s shadow a little bit." Frazier, who played for the Pinstripes from 2017 to 2021, went on to discuss the Yankees' playoff chances, criticizing Boone for his lineup and mid-game decisions, which he claims will impact the team negatively during the post-season. “You need to make sure that you aren’t walking into it with bad decisions, because these are the decisions they’ll be doing in the playoffs,” he said. “They’re going to be way more under the microscope in the playoffs... You’ve got to make sure that you’re buttoned up and ready to go. If you start firing from the hip, it becomes a mockery of what every guy is trying to do.” While the Yankees are doing better now than they were at the time of Frazier's comments, surpassing the Boston Red Sox for second place in the AL East and securing the top spot in the AL Wild Card standings, they still aren't consistent. For New York to secure a trip to the World Series for the second year in a row, they're going to have to play better, which requires Boone to make better decisions. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Yankees Have Advantage in Cody Bellinger Sweepstakes Former Yankees Pitchers Swap Places On NL Contender Hall of Famer Explains Leaving Red Sox for Yankees Mariano Rivera's Injury End of Yankees Old-Timer's Game? Four Yankees Among MLB's Top 25 Free Agents
Commanders flaw exposed in blowout preseason loss to Ravens
The Washington Commanders have a potentially significant problem on special teams. During Saturday's 30-3 preseason Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, kicker Matt Gay missed a 53-yard field goal wide left at the end of Washington's first offensive possession. Gay finished the preseason 3-of-5 on field goal attempts. He also missed a 49-yarder wide left in preseason Week 1 against the New England Patriots. Gay's struggles continue the chaotic journey for the Commanders at kicker. Last season's Week 1 starter, Cade York, went 0-of-2 in the opener and was promptly released. His replacement, Austin Seibert, was in the midst of a fantastic season through Week 9, going 25-of-27 on field goals and 22-of-22 on extra points before missing two weeks with a hip injury. He was later placed on injured reserve after missing three kicks in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, including a would-be tying extra point following a wild 86-yard touchdown with under a minute remaining. Zane Gonzalez and Greg Joseph combined to go 7-of-10 on field goals the rest of the season, including each missing a 50-yard attempt. Overall, Commanders kickers struggled from long distance, with the four combining to go 2-of-8 on attempts of 50 yards or more. Only the Philadelphia Eagles had a worse percentage (14.3%) on attempts of at least 50 yards, per Pro Football Reference data. Washington signed Gay to a one-year, $4.25M fully guaranteed contract in late April following the 2025 NFL Draft. Per CBS Sports, it's the largest guaranteed contract for a kicker on a one-year deal in NFL history. Last season while with the Indianapolis Colts, Gay was 3-of-9 on 50-yard field goals. The Commanders have the talent on offense to be one of the league's top scoring units, so they might not need to convert many tries from over 50 yards. Still, having a kicker who can reliably hit from that distance is an undeniable asset, particularly late in close games or on possessions that stall after crossing midfield. Washington largely has a roster capable of contending for a Super Bowl. But following its final tune-up before the regular season, kicking is a notable flaw.
49ers pull off trade for disgruntled Commanders star
Brian Robinson‘s tenure with the Washington Commanders is coming to an end as expected. The fourth-year running back will spend the coming season in San Francisco. The San Francisco 49ers and Commanders agreed to terms on a Robinson trade Friday, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. A 2026 sixth-round pick will head the other way as a result of the swap. San Francisco had been in the market for a backfield addition, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Efforts to pull off a move have now paid off ahead of roster cutdowns. Washington will retain a portion of Robinson’s 2025 salary ($3.4M), Garafolo adds. It recently became clear Washington was looking to move on from Robinson, who did not dress in the team’s second preseason game, with a trade looming. The team’s Dan Quinn-Adam Peters regime has been open to a trade since last year, and with a swap now agreed to it will proceed with its other in-house RB options. Washington has veteran Austin Ekeler in the fold along with 2023 draftee Chris Rodriguez and seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who has enjoyed a strong training camp. Quarterback Jayden Daniels led the Commanders in rushing last year, and today’s deal indicates he will once again be counted on as a central element of the team’s ground game. Expectations are high after Washington made a surprise run to the NFC title game during Daniels’ rookie campaign. Robinson will not play a role in the team’s efforts to duplicate that success, though. Racking up 570 carries across his three seasons in the nation’s capital, Robinson was a key figure on offense with the Commanders. The former third-rounder saw his touchdown total and yards per attempt figure increase with each passing campaign. That included eight scores and 4.3 yards per carry in 2024. Instead of retaining Robinson on the final year of his rookie pact, however, Washington will proceed with a less expensive backfield. The Commanders will recoup draft capital in this swap, something which is needed given the number of veterans on their roster. For the 49ers, meanwhile, today’s deal marks another addition on offense for the 2025 season. A trade was worked out on Wednesday for Skyy Moore, giving San Francisco a healthy receiver option. Moore, like Robinson, is a pending 2026 free agent. The 49ers have Christian McCaffrey atop the RB depth chart, and all parties involved will aim for a healthier season this time around than 2024. After trading away Jordan Mason, the team was in position to have 2024 fourth-rounder Isaac Guerendo handle backup duties. Now, he and Robinson will compete for playing time in the backfield (although using McCaffrey and Robinson on the field together could be an option, per Garafolo). Robinson’s market will of course be dictated in large part by the level of success he has with his new team. San Francisco entered Friday with nearly $49M in cap space. Taking on Robinson will eat into the figure, and it will be interesting to see how much Washington retained on his pact to finalize the trade. The Commanders, meanwhile, should see partial cap savings and thus add to their roughly $17M in available funds ahead of cutdowns. As both NFC teams prepare for the campaign in the coming days, they will do so with differences in their backfields.
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Yankees' late implosion against Red Sox reveals bigger issues
If the New York Yankees are going to stay in contention for a postseason berth, the issues that surfaced in the ninth inning of Saturday's 12-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox must be resolved. Trailing 5-1 heading into the final frame at Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox jumped on reliever Paul Blackburn for seven runs to turn the game into a laugher and put Boston in position for a sweep of the four-game series on Sunday. While the immediate reaction would be to point to Blackburn as the cause of New York's late struggles, a deeper look into the game reveals that the 31-year-old right-hander's teammates did little to help him escape from what became a 71-pitch outing. Playing right field, Giancarlo Stanton became an easy target for the aggressive Red Sox, taking extra bases when possible against the lumbering slugger. Playing just his ninth game in the outfield this season, Stanton showed that, at this stage of his career, his legs aren't going to get him to base hits quickly. Knowing Stanton would be slow to get to any kind of hit, Boston runners took advantage, including Trevor Story's ninth-inning single to right with Jarren Duran already on first base. With Stanton having to come up to field the ball, Duran didn't hesitate, going from first to third and beating Stanton's throw to the bag. What the Yankees saw from Stanton on Saturday should be an immediate reminder and warning sign that his days of doing anything productive outside of hitting are likely past him. Another problem in the ninth was a wild overthrow from Anthony Volpe on David Hamilton's grounder. While Volpe's throw went way over the head of first baseman Ben Rice, a closer look at the replay showed that Volpe hesitated and might have had a play at second base had Jazz Chisholm Jr. been covering the base. The loss was the third consecutive win by the Red Sox in the Bronx, a problem in and of itself for a Yankees team that is battling with Boston in the American League wild-card race. But the bigger problems are the optics of that ninth inning as well. With Yankees fans already frustrated with manager Aaron Boone, watching their arch-rival play fundamentally sound baseball while the Yankees botch the small things that become big innings will only make the temperature rise in the Bronx. While Yankees batters may have hit an MLB-leading 210 home runs this season entering Saturday's action, it's not just about the long ball. As Saturday showed, if New York can't do the little things right, not even the big hits may be able to keep the Yankees alive in the postseason hunt.
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