SPAL have acted quickly after the firing of Leonardo Semplici by appointing former Italy Under-21 boss Luigi Di Biagio as their head coach until the end of the season.

Di Biagio, 48, spent six years in charge of Italy's Under-21s before resigning last June and was caretaker boss of the country's senior team for two friendlies in 2018.

He will take his first SPAL training session on Monday and be formally presented at a media conference on Tuesday.

SPAL sacked Semplici – who led them to two promotions – earlier in the day, as they sit bottom of Serie A having lost five of their last six league matches.

His last game was a 2-1 home loss to Sassuolo, with Di Biagio's first fixture to be an away clash with Lecce on Saturday.

Di Biagio won 31 caps in a playing career that saw him represent the likes of Roma and Inter at club level.