Serie A remains tight both at the head and the foot of the table, and this weekend sees important matches in the race for the title, for Europe, and to avoid the drop to Serie B. Here’s some key things to look out for in Week 32.
Inter must capitalise vs. Atalanta
Luciano Spalletti’s Inter make the short journey to Lombardy neighbours Atalanta on Saturday evening, knowing a win is certain to put them in the top four with rivals Roma and Lazio due to play each other on Sunday. The Nerazzurri will have to do without midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, the Croatian displaying superb form of late after having been deployed in a deeper role. Borja Valero will likely pair up with Roberto Gagliardini in his absence with Ivan Perisic, Rafinha and Antonio Candreva supporting striker Mauro Icardi in front of them in the 4-2-3-1.
Meanwhile, Atalanta have problems of their own with key man Josip Ilicic out injured. Andreas Cornelius will come in for the suspended Andrea Petagna up front as La Dea battle with Fiorentina and Sampdoria for a Europa League spot for 2018/19.
“We’ve got three important games coming up in just over a week, so we’ve got to churn out the points and show confidence to achieve our objective of European qualification,” said Atalanta Coach Gian Piero Gasperini in his pre-match press conference. “It’s an important game for both teams. Beating Inter would give us a real boost and we are highly-motivated, but so are they. This is the kind of fixture that is eagerly awaited all year in Bergamo and on top of that we’ve got targets to aim for as well.”
Milan-Napoli a last-chance saloon
A loss in this key clash on Sunday afternoon at San Siro would be disastrous for Milan or Napoli, signalling either the end of any chance of a Champions League place for the Rossoneri or hope of winning the title all-but-gone for the visitors. Each side is missing key players, Gennaro Gattuso’s men without both first-choice centre-backs – with Leonardo Bonucci suspended and Alessio Romagnoli injured – and Maurizio Sarri forced to shuffle his full-backs.
Faouzi Ghoulam remains on the sidelines after a lengthy layoff and Mario Rui is suspended for the Neapolitan outfit, forcing the Coach to switch Elseid Hysaj to the opposite flank and bringing in Christian Maggio for the right-hand side. After scoring two late goals to secure a win versus Chievo last weekend, striker Arkadiusz Milik and midfielder Amadou Diawara look set to go back to the bench, however the former could be brought on later in the game to provide the Partenopei with a different option up front.
Juventus back to domestic action
After a comeback and major controversy versus Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, Juventus must not allow such disappointment to affect their domestic form versus Sampdoria on Sunday. They sit just four points ahead of Napoli at the top of Serie A and will host their title rivals next weekend with a midweek round sandwiched in between. Coach Max Allegri may shuffle his lineup versus opponents who are gunning for a European place, but don’t expect Juve to take their foot off the gas here.
“We’ve got a lot still to play for,” said Allegri in his pre-match press conference. “We have to bring home the Scudetto and Coppa Italia, because so far this season we’ve won nothing.”
Rome derby set to be a thriller
Lazio will be the nominal home side in Sunday night’s Derby della Capitale, with both teams having wildly opposite fortunes in the Europe during midweek. While Roma mounted a seemingly impossible comeback versus Barcelona in the Champions League, Lazio let a 4-2 first leg lead slip to Red Bull Salzburg in the Europa League, the German side winning 4-1 on home soil last Thursday night.
Reports suggest that Giallorossi boss Eusebio Di Francesco could continue with the 3-4-1-2 formation that proved so effective versus the Catalan giants on Tuesday night, with stakes increasingly high in this crucial match. After 31 games already played, both capital clubs sit level on 60 points with Inter lurking behind them in fifth with 59 as the race achieve a Champions League berth for next season hots up.
