La Juve he no longer knows how to win. The Bianconeri, after the draw with Empoli and defeats with Inter e Udinese, they also stop at Verona and they also put second place at risk: if this evening the Milan were to win Monza, in fact, would make an overtaking that was unthinkable until a few weeks ago. The Lady's performance, however, is in free fall, much to speak of of Inter it even becomes senseless, as Allegri himself admitted in the press conference. Today we will see if the Devil will be able to take advantage of it and climb to second place, as well as who between Lazio and Bologna will make the loudest voice in the Champions League, in pursuit of an increasingly dynamic Atalanta (3-0 over Sassuolo, goal by Pasalic, Koopmeiners and Bakker and penalty saved by Carnesecchi in Pinamonti), without forgetting Roma, on stage in Frosinone. On the train that leads to the Europe that counts, at the moment, there is no Mazzarri's Napoli, stopped by Genoa and 9 points behind the fourth-placed Dea.
Verona – Juventus 2-2, Allegri: “We need to reorganize our ideas. Inter? From today it must no longer affect"
The result that causes the most discussion is undoubtedly that of Juventus, stopped at 2-2 from Verona of Barons. The Bianconeri have not won since the 0-3 in Lecce on January 21st, when they seemed to be able to challenge Inter for the scudetto until the end of the championship. Since then, however, there have been two draws and two defeats and what's worse is that, apart from the direct clash at San Siro, the calendar was anything but prohibitive. Allegri had asked for greater attention to detail and an immediate return to victory, but his team didn't understand the lesson. Hellas, very much alive despite the club's difficult situation, took the lead after just 11', although it is right to underline Folorunsho's masterpiece goal. Juve slipped, but in the 28th minute they found a penalty for Tchatchoua's arm and took the score to 1-1 with the usual Vlahovic. It could have been the start of the comeback, but the approach in the second half was terrible and Verona regained the lead again with Noslin (52'), throwing the Bianconeri back to the bottom of the abyss. Rabiot took care of getting his head out with the goal to make it 2-2 (55'), however the result never changed again also because Montipò saved a sure shot from Chiesa in full injury time, forcing the Lady to make count on yet another flop this February to forget. “A match like this could have been lost despite two or three situations in our favor at the end – confirmed Allegri -. We need to reorganize our ideas and clarify the objective, at the moment we concede goals too easily. This draw will have to help us get going again and better prepare for the match against Frosinone. The separation from Inter? From today it must no longer have an impact, we must reset, the attitude however is not wrong: it takes a long time to build and a short time to destroy everything. After two points in four games we need to give ourselves a general tidy up, it seemed that Verona could score in any situation and that shouldn't be the case. Already from the draw with Empoli we didn't have the right head, we must not believe or think that we are already in the Champions League."
Napoli – Genoa 1-1, Mazzarri bitter: “Everything is going badly for us. Osimhen? I hope to have him with Barça."
A misstep also for Mazzarri's Napoli, held to a draw by Gilardino's Genoa. The 1-1 final cannot satisfy the Azzurri, despite Ngonge's goal in full injury time at least avoiding defeat: the rossoblu, in fact, were very close to winning it, confirming their depth (especially against the big teams), but also the enormous difficulties of the hosts, dragged more by the force of desperation than by legs and game ideas. Mazzarri returned to the 4-3-3 in the hope of regaining some attacking edge, but there was no change of pace compared to the matches against Verona and Salernitana. The only difference, unfortunately for him, was the lack of victory, because this time the comeback remained halfway. Right from the start it was clear that the match could go either way, because if Napoli looked like they could score at any moment, the same was true for Genoa, who were very dangerous on two occasions with Retegui. At the start of the second half the rossoblu took the lead with Frendrup (47') and the azzurri found themselves chasing for the umpteenth time. Mazzarri's substitutions (Traoré and Politano out, Lindstrom and Ngonge in) gave a small shock, but Napoli's push wore off as the minutes passed. In the 90th minute, when the 3 points now seemed to be Genoa's, Ngonge's equalizer revived Maradona, at least until the referee's final whistle, which certified a draw that felt like a wasted opportunity. “We are all doing our best, but things are going badly – the bitter comment of the Italian coach -. We have to work even harder and keep quiet, we score goals at the first yawn, we create a lot and we don't score any: it's something difficult to explain. The team is with the coach and demonstrated it with the attack in the second half, otherwise they could have behaved differently. Fortunately, Barcelona will not come to Maradona to set up barricades, in fact we will have other worries than having to attack the opponent's fort with the bus in front of the goal. Osimhen? According to him and the doctors he had several contractures, I preferred to let him rest well and let him recover energy, but I hope to have restored him for the Champions League. I had very little access to him even before the Africa Cup of Nations, we hope to be able to use him more between now and the end."
Monza – Milan (20.45pm, Dazn)
Attention shifts to today's matches, starting with the one in Monza where Milan will try to win to overtake Juve and take second place. The Rossoneri are going through a good moment of form and show up at the Brianteo with confidence, even more so after the round success against Rennes, but their European efforts could have an impact on the match. Palladino's team, in fact, had the whole week to prepare, while Pioli's team only started doing so on Friday. This is the main unknown, but for the rest the Devil is undoubtedly the favourite, also because 8 wins and 2 draws in the last 10 matchdays (to which we must add the 3-0 on Thursday) are not achieved by chance. Pioli is marching at the same pace as in 2021/22 and there is no need to remember that that season ended with the scudetto on his chest: this one, barring sensational twists, will not have the same amount of glory, both due to the objective superiority of Inter than for that "black hole" between October and November, but the current pace still pleases the owners. The manager's position, in fact, has returned to stability, but confirmation comes from an up-to-date finish, both in the championship and in the Europa League. In short, Monza is a stage not to be missed, because winning helps to win and Pioli is enjoying it.
Monza – Milan, the lineups: rest time for Giroud and Pulisic, it's up to Jovic and Okafor
The Europa League takes away physical and mental energy, so Pioli will try to dose it as best as possible in view of the return to France (quite well, given the 3-0 at San Siro) and the subsequent match with Atalanta. The turnover will mainly affect the attack, with the coach intending to rest, at least initially, both Pulisic and Giroud, by virtue of Okafor and Jovic. His 4-2-3-1 will thus see Maignan in goal, Florenzi, Thiaw, Gabbia and Theo Hernandez in defence, Bennacer and Adli in midfield, Okafor, Loftus-Cheek and Leao in the attacking midfield, Jovic in attack. Classic 3-4-2-1 instead for Palladino, who will respond with Di Gregorio between the posts, Izzo, Pablo Marì and Carboni in the defensive department, Birindelli, Pessina, Bondo and Zerbin in the midfield, Colpani and Mota Carvalho behind the only Colombo tip.
Lazio – Bologna (12.30 pm, Dazn and Sky)
The most fascinating match on Sunday is that of Rome, where Lazio and Bologna will give life to an unprecedented direct clash for the Champions League. Both achieved this very well: the Biancocelesti swept away the bad mood by beating Cagliari and, above all, Bayern Munich, the Rossoblu took 6 points between Lecce and the recovery against Fiorentina, showing truly impressive levels of play. The challenge between Sarri and Thiago Motta is a further reason not to miss this lunch match, a real calling card for football "gamers". The ranking puts more pressure on Lazio, trailing by a few points and forced to win to reduce the distance, but Bologna has taken a liking to it and wants to continue to amaze Italy by stopping another big team away after Inter (twice, considering also the Italian Cup), Juventus and Milan. The points of interest, obviously, do not only concern the benches: players from various clubs will be on the pitch, starting with Zirkzee and Ferguson, two of the brightest jewels of this European format Bologna.
Lazio – Bologna, the lineups: Sarri dealing with several absences, waiting for the Immobile-Zirkzee duel
In terms of lineups, Bologna is certainly better off, given that Sarri will have to do without the injured Zaccagni, Rovella and Hysaj and the suspended Romagnoli and Vecino. His 4-3-3 will still be competitive with Provedel in goal, Lazzari, Patric, Gila and Marusic in defense, Guendouzi, Cataldi and Luis Alberto in midfield, Isaksen, Immobile and Felipe Anderson in attack. Thiago Motta will not be able to count on the suspended Freuler, for the rest he will have everyone available in a 4-1-4-1 which will see Skorupski between the posts, Posch, Beukema, Calafiori and Kristiansen in the defensive department, Aebischer in the midfield, Orsolini, Ferguson , Fabbian and Saelemaekers behind the lone striker Zirkzee.
Frosinone – Rome (18pm, Dazn)
Work on Sunday also on the Giallorossi side of the capital, with Roma awaiting the regional derby in Frosinone. Match similar to that of Milan in Monza, in the sense that De Rossi's team is favored just like Pioli's, but with the unknown of the post-Europa League. In this case, then, it is a real effort, given that the trip to Rotterdam was certainly expensive; Furthermore, the final 1-1 leaves everything wide open for the return leg, which could have an impact at least on a subconscious level. The values, in any case, tilt the stock market towards Roma, especially since the De Rossi era has freed up the creativity and imagination long suppressed by Mourinho, who was decidedly more interested in the character aspect. DDR found players like Pellegrini and El Shaarawy, and on Thursday they were also able to celebrate Lukaku's goal, brought back to the cause after the criticism he suffered against Inter. The climate is positive, but now we need the points to climb the rankings, otherwise the Champions League dream would risk evaporating even sooner than expected. Former Di Francesco's Frosinone, after a sparkling start, is going through a dark period, in which it has only collected 4 points in 8 days, so Roma will have to be able to overcome it, one way or another.
Frosinone – Roma, the lineups: Dybala on the bench, first as a starter for Baldanzi
De Rossi, yesterday in press silence just like Pioli and Sarri, will limit the turnover to a few elements, but one will be excellent: Dybala will be left to rest, also to preserve his physical conditions in view of the match against Feyenoord. In his place there will be Tommaso Baldanzi, his first start after the stints played so far: a great opportunity for the young talent purchased from Empoli, certainly a special observer of the afternoon. The Giallorossi 4-3-3 will thus see Rui Patricio in goal, Celik, Mancini, Llorente and Angelino in defence, Cristante, Paredes and Pellegrini in midfield, Baldanzi, Lukaku and El Shaarawy in attack. Same game system also for Di Francesco's Frosinone, who will respond with Turati between the posts, Gelli, Monterisi, Okoli and Valeri in the defensive department, Mazzitelli, Barrenechea and Brescianini in the midfield, Soulé, Kaio Jorge and Harroui in the attacking trident.
