A Christmas gift. There Serie A is staged on the day before Christmas with the hope of receiving some nice gifts, i.e. 3 points that would make the holidays go well. The problem, for obvious reasons, is that not everyone will be satisfied, especially in direct clashes Roma e Bologna, both valid for the Champions League. And so, after yesterday's appetizers which saw the same of Milan a Salerno (2-2) and the victory of Lazio a Empoli (0-2), it's time to focus on today's matches, starting with those of Inter e Juventus, ready to give another chapter of this exciting championship duel.
Previews: Milan stumbles in Salerno (2-2), Lazio defeats Empoli (0-2)
The pre-Christmas shift, as we know, always offers surprises and this too did not escape the rule. The draw of the Milan a Salerno, moreover in full recovery, is a result as sensational as it is unexpected, which definitively closes the doors of the Scudetto (assuming they were still open) and reshuffles the Champions League zone. The Devil was looking for continuity, but instead he stumbled again in the presence of a small one, showing that he had major technical and character limitations. L'accident emergency then it is becoming downright dramatic, with Pioli proceeding quickly towards the unenviable record of two players lost per match: yesterday it was the turn of Kjær e Tumor, leaving 18-year-old Simic as the only defender available. The difficulties can also be explained in this way, after which the advantage of can be reassembled Tumor (17') from Fazio (42') and Candreva (63', Maignan's duck) is truly unforgivable. In full recovery Jovic he at least avoided defeat (90'), but the disappointment for the points lost remains enormous. It went well instead Lazio, emerging victorious from the challenge of Empoli with a 2-0 scored by Guendouzi (9'), Weather in Zaccagni (67'), and super Provedel, as decisive with his saves as his aforementioned teammates. The ranking remains at a deficit, but the first step towards recovery has begun: the victory of Fiorentina a Monza (0-1, goal by Beltran) doesn't help and who knows if today's direct clashes will be able to improve the situation.
Inter – Lecce (18pm, Dazn and Sky)
THEInter returns to the field approximately 70 hours after the defeat with Bologna, a rather unprecedented fact this season: the Nerazzurri, in fact, had only been beaten by Sassuolo last 27 September. However, the calendar helps, given that the home match against Lecce, at least on paper, shouldn't prove too complicated. The elements for a worry-free victory are all there, even if Captain Lautaro, stopped due to a muscle strain and forced to miss today's match (the next one against Genoa is also at risk). The Argentine, 17 goals in the season (15 in the championship, 40% of the 39 scored overall), represents the weapon par excellence of the Nerazzurri attack, which will force Inzaghi to hope for arnautovic, up to now almost non-existent also due to injuries. The desire for revenge for what happened on Wednesday should do the rest, but be careful not to underestimate it Lecce di D'Aversa, who has proven to be a tough nut to crack for almost all the big teams, as demonstrated by the excellent twelfth place in the rankings.
Inter – Lecce, the lineups: Lautaro and Dimarco out, in their place Arnautovic and Carlos Augusto
Compared to the turnover of the Italian Cup, theInter owner, with the exception of injured Lautaro e Marco's, stopped by muscular resentments and almost certainly out in Genoa too. Inzaghi will still be able to deploy a respectable 3-5-2 with Sommer in goal, Bisseck, Acerbi and Bastoni in defence, Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan and Carlos Augusto in midfield, Thuram and Arnautovic in attack. D'Aversa, still without Almqvist (he could return next week to Bergamo), will respond with a 4-3-3 with Falcone between the posts, Gendrey, Pongracic, Baschirotto and Gallo in the defensive department, Gonzalez, Ramadani and Oudin in the midfield, Strefezza, Piccoli and Banda in the offensive trident.
Frosinone – Juventus (12.30 pm, Dazn)
It will instead be the one to open the dance Juventus, for the fifth time on the pitch before Inter. Unlike previous weeks, however, a possible victory in Frosinone it wouldn't give any record, given that the Nerazzurri extended their lead to 4 points, taking advantage of the Bianconeri's misstep in Genoa. Allegri, net of the refereeing errors, he will have to raise the general level of performance, otherwise his team could struggle quite a bit against a highly confident opponent, even more so after the sensational poker defeat against Napoli. The paradox is that this spectacular Frosinone is the result not only of the work of By Francesco, of the loans arrived from Juventus, with barrenechea, Soulé e kaio George now undisputed protagonists. From Turin they hope that the three will take a day off, but it is likely that they want to stand out even more in front of the parent company, even if for some (Soulè) the January transfer window could be a harbinger of surprises.
Allegri: “Treacherous away match, but we want to have a good Christmas. Vlahovic? He misses the goal."
“It's a treacherous trip for several reasons – he underlined Allegri at the press conference -. It's the week before the holidays, there's always a different climate; instead, we must play a careful and concentrated match. And then we face a team that in 8 home games has only lost the first against Napoli, and they also played a great match on Tuesday, they are experiencing a moment of great exaltation: especially from a mental point of view, you need to play a serious game to have a nice Christmas . Vlahovic? Let's not forget that he is 23 years old. In the last few games he has done well technically, he missed the goal but I am very happy with him."
Frosinone – Juventus, the lineups: Allegri loses Chiesa, Rabiot starts again
The Lady's Eve was ruined since Chiesa's injury, who stopped in the last training session due to a patellar tendon problem. Allegri will thus have to do without one of his best men, even if he will find himself compared to Genoa refill, available again after missing the trip to Marassi. His 3-5-2 will thus see Szczesny in goal, Gatti, Bremer and Danilo in defense, Cambiaso, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot and Kostic in midfield, Milik and Vlahovic in attack. Classic 4-3-3 instead for Di Francesco, who will respond with Turati between the posts, Lirola, Lusuardi, Romagnoli and Monterisi in the defensive department, Brescianini, Barrenechea and Gelli in the midfield, Soulé, Kaio Jorge and Ibrahimovic in the attacking trident.
Rome – Naples (20.45pm, Dazn)
Completing the round will be the postponement of the Olimpico between Rome and Naples, even more delicate after the latest results of the two. The Giallorossi are fresh from the defeat in Bologna (by the way: at 15pm there will be a direct clash between the Emilians and Atalanta), the Azzurri from the sensational defeat against Frosinone, which forces both to seek redemption this evening. The points up for grabs are very heavy, also because a flop would create enormous problems for both Mourinho that Mazzarri. The former is looking for a renewal that depends above all on results (this, at least, seems to be the Friedkin line), the latter is looking for a clear qualification for the Champions League which would allow him to remain in the saddle also next year. Both are well aware of the weight of this challenge, which is why we are unlikely to see unbalanced teams, barring episodes that could change the course of events.
Mourinho reiterates: "There were doubts about my will, I wanted to clarify things"
“There were doubts about my choice to stay at Roma or not; therefore, I made my position clear – reiterated the Special One -. After the Europa League final I spoke to the owners about the offer I had received from Saudi Arabia and I decided to stay. Now, with the same sincerity, I say that I would like to stay and fight with all the difficulties, conditions and positive and negative things that there will be, I have no doubts and I no longer want to return to the issue. Now let's think about Napoli, they are the reigning champions, they lost one player but they gained many, in fact it is the same team. They lost a very good coach but they got one with a lot of experience. But it's the same team, the same people, the same powerful bench with many solutions."
Rome – Naples, the lineups: what a challenge between Lukaku and Osimhen!
At the level of formations Napoli are better off, given that Mourinho will have to do without again Dybala: the Special One finds himself again Lukaku, ready to give an absolute level challenge against osimhen. The Giallorossi 3-5-2 will thus see Rui Patricio in goal, Mancini, Llorente and Ndicka in defence, Kristensen, Cristante, Paredes, Bove and Spinazzola in midfield, El Shaarawy and Lukaku in attack. Classic 4-3-3 instead for Mazzarri, who will respond with Meret between the posts, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Natan and Mario Rui in the defensive department, Anguissa, Lobotka and Zielinski in the midfield, Politano, Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia in the attacking trident.
