Serie A still has no clear front-runner with Napoli and Roma level on top

ROME (AP) — Nearly a quarter of the way through Serie A there’s still no clear front-runner.

Defending champion Napoli and Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma are level on top, three points ahead of the two Milan clubs.

Nobody is counting out Inter Milan, which has a deeper bench than any of the other contenders, or AC Milan, which isn’t competing in Europe and will be more rested as the season wears on.

The parity is nothing new.

Serie A has become the most unpredictable of Europe’s five biggest domestic soccer leagues with four different champions over the last six seasons, with last season marking the second time in four years that the title race went down to the last round.

Sunday’s meeting between Milan and Roma at the San Siro could add some clarity to the title race.

Napoli could be tested, too, with a visit by fifth-placed Como on Saturday.

With Luciano Spalletti expected to be hired to replace the fired Igor Tudor at Juventus, the former Napoli and Italy coach could make his debut with the Bianconeri at Cremonese this weekend.

Juventus ended an eight-match winless run by beating Udinese under interim coach Massimo Brambilla on Wednesday.

Facing Cremonese could be complicated. The promoted club is exceeding expectations in eighth place — with only one loss.

Meanwhile, Stefano Pioli at winless Fiorentina and Patrick Vieira at last-placed Genoa risk losing their jobs if their clubs can’t beat Lecce and Sassuolo, respectively.

The arrival of former Leicester striker Jamie Vardy attracted attention to Cremonese at the start of the season. But it’s been Federico Bonazzoli who has emerged as the club’s leading forward.

Bonazzoli scored twice in a 2-0 win at Genoa on Wednesday, his first coming with a bicycle kick, to raise his total to four goals this season.

Hakan Calhanoglu leads the league with five goals for Inter after his brace in a 2-0 win over Fiorentina.

Napoli midfielder Kevin De Bruyne could be out until March after undergoing surgery to repair his injured right thigh.

He joins Belgium teammate Romelu Lukaku on Napoli’s long-term injury list.

Lukaku injured his left thigh in a preseason game and could return in December.

Serie A is still waiting for the Asian Football Confederation to approve holding a game between Milan and Como in Perth, Australia, in February.

Both Milan and Como fans have voiced opposition to traveling so far for a game between clubs situated less than an hour apart.

Also recently, Serie A president Ezio Simonelli said he supports moving evening matches to 8 p.m. starts instead of the current 8:45 p.m. kickoff times.

“Let’s allow kids,” Simonelli said, “the chance to watch an entire game.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Roma's Gianluca Mancini vies for the ball with Plzen's Rafiu Durosinmi, right, during the Europa League opening phase soccer match between AS Roma and Viktoria Plzen in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pisa's Idrissa Toure kicks the ball in front of AC Milan's Alexis Saelemaekers during the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Pisa in Milan, Italy, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Inter Milan's Petar Sucic celebrates with his teammate Alessandro Bastoni after scoring his side's second goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Fiorentina in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Singapore has banned the two core members of British band Massive Attack from reentering the country after they displayed a Palestinian flag and expressed support for the Palestinian cause during their concert in the city-state last week.

Singapore police said in a recent statement that the two men were investigated over their actions during the July 29 concert, including the unfurling of a foreign flag and one member shouting “Free Palestine” on stage.

They were issued stern warnings and blacklisted from returning to the city-state, it said.

“The police take a serious view of acts which could potentially harm the racial and religious harmony in Singapore and urge the public, including foreigners, to refrain from importing foreign politics as this can undermine our social cohesion and the rule of law,” it said.

The police did not identify the men involved, but footage shared on local media showed it to be Robert “3D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall.

Massive Attack responded in a statement on Instagram, saying the band was “surprised and disappointed” by the decision.

The group said large sections of the auditorium had chanted “Free Palestine” before the start of their show and at the end of it. The group said they didn't expect that merely holding up the flag would violate any law, but that they were proud to have made the “impromptu expression” with their fans in Singapore to show solidarity for the Palestinian cause.

They urged the Singapore government to allow their citizens “the expressions of conscience without fear of state persecution.”

FILE - Robert Del Naja of the British Trip Hop collective Massive Attack performs on the Lake stage during the 58th Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF), in Montreux, Switzerland, July 15, 2024. (Valentin Flauraud/Keystone via AP, File)