Napoli and Como drew 0-0 in Serie A on Saturday in a result that did little to further either of their ambitions for this season. The draw will likely disappoint hosts Como the more as they now trail Juventus in the final Champions League spot by two points and the Old Lady can grow that advantage when they host Verona on Sunday. Second-placed Napoli know their Serie A title defence is over with leaders Inter Milan, now nine points clear, needing just a draw from their remaining four fixtures to win the league.

Inter can claim the Scudetto on Sunday with three games to spare when they play mid-table Parma at the San Siro.

Napoli coach Antonio Conte admitted Como had given them quite a challenge.

“It was certainly a good performance, as without that you don’t emerge unscathed from a game where both Napoli and Como had a lot at stake,” Conte told DAZN.

“Como probably had more at stake with Champions League qualification.”

But after the stalemate, third-placed AC Milan can draw level with Napoli on 70 points should they win at Sassuolo on Sunday.

The first big chance came to Como inside the opening 10 minutes as Anastasios Douvikas managed to round Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, only for two defenders to scramble back and block his effort on the goal-line.

At the other end Scott McTominay responded for Napoli with a towering leap at a corner on 18 minutes but his header went over with the Como ‘keeper Jean Butez lost in a melee.

Como’s Martin Baturina bent wide four mins later and then Milinkovic-Savic came out well to deny Assane Diao on a swift counter and the match went into half-time goalless.

Napoli appealed vainly for a penalty early in the second period, however, the referee adjudged Rasmus Hojlund had manufactured the contact close to the byline and chose not to point to the spot.

A deflected effort from just inside the box from Baturina then required a desperate claw away from the goal by a wrong-footed Milinkovic-Savic.

McTominay passed up the best chance of the second period on 80 minutes after galloping onto a lofted through-ball but his steered finish nestled in the side netting.

Matteo Politano nearly won the match five minutes later with a spectacular curling effort from distance, which came back off the post with Butez well-beaten.

Elsewhere, Udinese climbed to 10th following a 2-0 win at home to Torino and seventh-placed Atalanta played out a goalless draw at home to Genoa.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has admitted that the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) most high-profile rivalry is not between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) anymore. The two heavyweights produced a not-so-engaging encounter at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, on Saturday, May 2, after a comfortable eight-wicket win for the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side in the end.

The legendary sides, who have ten titles between them, and have faced each other in the finals four times, are nowhere near the top of the table. Referred to as the IPL’s El Clásico, drawing inspiration from the iconic rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona, it has not been the same over the last few years.

Since 2023, MI have only managed to record one win over their rivals in seven matches. The majority of the contests have been one-sided, including both fixtures in IPL 2026, with CSK securing massive wins by 103 runs and eight wickets, away and home, respectively.

Manoj Tiwary opined that the clashes between CSK and MI should no longer be referred to as the El Clásico, given the quality of the recent matches between the two sides, and their current state in general.

“Surya is not performing on a daily basis, Tilak Varma scored in one match, and now his runs are also not coming. If there is this level of inconsistency from the players, then how will you get results? We always talk about this match as the El Clásico, this is no more El Clásico; you can remove the Clásico word now. This has now become so one-sided. So, I think it would be wrong to say that this is an El Clásico rivalry now,” Manoj Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.

Overall, these two sides have faced each other 43 times, where MI have a slender advantage after recording 22 wins.

“There is now a belief that they can win matches without MS Dhoni” – Manoj Tiwary on CSK’s growing confidence after rough start to IPL 2026

CSK had endured a horror start to the campaign, losing each of their first three matches. After their last-placed finish in IPL 2025, there was a fear that the ongoing campaign could prove to be an extension, despite a massive mid-season revamp.

However, the team has picked up some momentum in recent games, and have lost only two of their last six matches.

“The confidence is back now, especially when MS Dhoni is not there in the playing XI. There is now a belief that they can win matches without MS Dhoni. That was difficult at one time, but the confidence has now been built up. If they maintain this momentum, and play with this blueprint, play with this process, they have a good chance,” Manoj Tiwary said.

CSK, placed sixth and involved in the mid-table muddle, will next face the Delhi Capitals (DC), at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, on Tuesday, May 5.