Italy's Berardi at risk of missing Euro 2024 with Achilles injury

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Domenico Berardi is at risk of missing Euro 2024 with Italy after suffering an Achilles tendon injury on Sunday during Sassuolo's 1-0 defeat at Serie A relegation rivals Verona.

Karol Swiderski ensured that Verona stayed one place above the relegation zone with the only goal in his team's 1-0 win over 19th-placed Sassuolo, who lost their first match under Davide Ballardini and are in free fall.

New coach Ballardini said after his team's seventh defeat in eight matches that he feared Berardi, who made his first start after nearly two months out injured, had torn his Achilles tendon.

That is an injury which, if confirmed, would end the winger's season and also mean he misses Italy's European Championship defence in Germany this summer.

Cagliari are still just inside the bottom three but level on 23 points with Verona after Jakub Jankto netted the decisive strike in a 1-0 win at Empoli.

Jankto struck in the 69th minute to hand Empoli their first defeat since they hired relegation escape specialist Davide Nicola in mid-January.

Empoli are only two points above the drop zone in 14th in a crowded battle against the drop, level with Lecce who drew 1-1 at fellow strugglers Frosinone.

Later, Atalanta will try to snatch Serie A's final Champions League spot from Bologna while champions Napoli host Juventus in the weekend's headline fixture.