Genoa hire former Italy coach Prandelli

GENOA, Italy (AP):

Genoa hired former Italy coach Cesar Prandelli yesterday to replace Ivan Juric, who was fired by the club for a third time following poor results.

Genoa made the announcement a day after the team was knocked out of the Italian Cup by third-division club Virtus Entella, losing on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

Prandelli steered Italy to the final of the 2012 European Championship, where they lost to Spain. He resigned after the Italians were knocked out of the group stage at the 2014 World Cup.

The 61-year-old Prandelli's career has slowed since, and he had brief stints at Galatasaray, Valencia, and Al-Nasr.

Juric secured an improbable point at Juventus in his first match in charge but failed to win any of his eight matches as coach, with two more draws and five losses.

It is the sixth coaching change of the season. Chievo Verona have also had three coaches, while Empoli and Udinese have had two.