Successful hookup. The Monza victory (0-1, McTominay's goal), although much more tiring than expected, allows the Napoli di reach Inter at 71 points, making the match even more interesting Bologna. This evening, in fact, the Nerazzurri will be forced to conquer the Dall'Ara, in a very delicate challenge also in terms of Champions (18pm). The race for fourth place is equally uncertain and intricate: waiting for Bologna v Inter, Milan-Atalanta (20.45) and the races of Juventus, Lazio e Fiorentina (all tomorrow), Roma got very close, thanks to the narrow victory over Verona (1-0, goal by Shomurodov).
Monza – Napoli 0-1: the Azzurri struggle, then the usual McTominay takes care of it
Mission accomplished, but what an effort! Napoli started the match with the handbrake on, without managing to immediately establish rhythm and intensity. In the first minutes he even gave too much space to the counterattacks of Monza, taking a big risk. He created his first notable opportunity with a free kick from McTominay, but Turati he was ready and blocked with confidence. As the minutes passed, Conte's team tried to raise the tone: Rrahmani he came close to scoring from a corner, missing the target by a handful of centimetres. Then he tried Lukaku with his head, but his header was deflected over the crossbar. But it was Monza who came close to making the big move: in the 29th minute Castrovilli he had a golden ball after an insertion on the right, but he kicked weakly and spared Meret. From then on, the Neapolitans danced a lot. Speck he almost took the lead with a close-range deflection that made everyone tremble Meret, and shortly after he also tried a backheel, which however did not have the right strength to surprise the Azzurri goalkeeper. The first half thus ended 0-0, with Napoli clearly in difficulty.
In the second half, Conte changed the cards by throwing into the fray Anguissa in place of gilmour, but the music didn't change. Napoli continued to struggle to find spaces and offensive outlets, remaining predictable and not very incisive. Half an hour from the end, the Italian coach decided to take a risk, switching to 4-2-4 with the entry of Breakers. And it was him, in the 69th minute, who invented the best chance of the evening: a perfect ball in depth for politan, who however was hypnotized by an extraordinary Turati, missing the 1-0. The goal, however, was in the air and arrived shortly after. Raspadori was once again the protagonist, this time with a remote-controlled cross for the head of McTominay, who headed it into the net taking advantage of the first real inattention of the Monza rearguard. Napoli had to grit their teeth until the final whistle, but in the end they took home three fundamental points. An important victory, which relaunches the championship ambitions and keeps the pressure on Inter alive.
Conte: “I am open to staying, but here they ask me to win and I don't know if there are the means”
“We had studied a game plan to take control of the match, at the beginning with the double play we did it but we were not able to fill the area enough – the analysis of Tale -. In the second half, with the entry of Anguissa and Raspadori, we changed some situations, taking advantage of another type of plan. They started off easy on paper, but the stakes are so high that the pressure is very strong and I can feel it. For many guys, it's the first time they've experienced a head-to-head, being there is something unexpected and extraordinary for everything we're doing. Honor to these guys, it's thanks to them if we continue to be a nuisance. I'm very happy in Naples, my family has integrated very well, the food is great, there's always sun and the fans are fantastic. We have to live in the present knowing that on my part there are all these favorable things, but the people want to win, they have ambition. On my part, there's great openness, here I've found a place that gives me emotion and for me it's very important, but whoever takes me knows that I bring expectations and you have to fight to win the championship. I can act as a guarantor for everything, but I'm not stupid if there aren't the necessary means to do this".
Roma – Verona 1-0: Shomurodov decides, Giallorossi 2 points away from Champions zone
La Roma doesn't stop anymore. At the Olimpico, in front of over 62 thousand delirious spectators, a goal by Shomurodov in the first half was enough for them to get the better of a good Verona and continue to cherish the Champions League dream. The Giallorossi returned to victory after the two draws with Juve and Lazio, have extended their streak of consecutive useful results to 17 (Ranieri has equalled Spalletti's record from 2015-16 and Garcia's from 2013-14) and have temporarily moved to -2 from the fourth place occupied by Tudor's team, awaiting tomorrow's challenges. Ranieri has focused on Shomurodov (preferred to Dovbyk), supported in the three-quarter line by the "jugglers" Soulé e Baldanzi.
On the other side, Zanetti deployed on the wings Thatchoua e bradaric, recovering Sarr forward. And Sarr himself immediately had the good ball: launched in depth by Doubt, he found himself alone in front of Silker, but he kicked the ball to the outside of the net. No big deal for Roma: referee Pairetto had signalled offside anyway. Having escaped the danger, Roma immediately found the lead: Soulé, inspired by Crystalline, he slipped into the area, tried a touch under Montipo, and he pounced on the loose ball in the middle of the area Shomurodov, which he bagged between Coppola e Ghilardi, culpably late (4'). Seventh goal of the season for the Uzbek, the fourth in the championship. Roma continued to push, and at a certain point Ranieri even centralised Baldanzi as a false nine to exploit the slowness of the Verona central defenders.
Before the break, the Giallorossi had another chance: on a cross from the left by Saelemaekers, Mancini missed the target with a header from a few steps away. In the second half, Verona started strong, while Roma struggled to regain control of the game. Zanetti it inserted Serdar e Suslov, in support of Sarr e flycatcher. Ranieri responded with pisilli to raise the team's center of gravity. The duel in the middle of the field became heated, with Koné e Doubt protagonists of an intense and male confrontation. To change the inertia, Sir Claudio has decided to throw into the fray also dovbyk, deploying it in pair with Shomurodov. Zanetti responded with Livramento, while the Giallorossi entered Rensch ed El Shaarawy. In the final minutes, Roma closed up to protect their lead and took home three very important points. The Champions League remains difficult, but since last night, perhaps, Ranieri also believes in it a little more.
Ranieri: "The Champions League is a dream, we will try. The future? I will not stay and that is right"
“It was a very difficult match, just as we imagined it would be,” he explained. Ranieri -. We knew that they are a steamroller, that they play forward and then come to press you, but good for us because we managed to unlock the result immediately. Good Soulé and Cristante's change of play which was wonderful. Good Shomurodov too, all of them, I don't like to make rankings. We wanted the three points, they arrived and now we and the fans have a happy Easter. The Champions League? I accept bets, I have the piggy bank, give me the money (laughs, ed.). We'll try, there's the dream, great, there's the thought and then there's the action. Now we have to work because we have some beautiful matches, it won't be a walk in the woods. The future? I'm not staying because that's enough, it's right like this. We need to give the new coach time to understand the group, shape it and start climbing the rankings. Another year with me would be wasted and I don't want Roma to waste any more time. We have a lot of work to do, so it's right that I step aside and let a new coach come in who knows what he wants and how to get it."
Bologna – Inter (18pm, Dazn and Sky)
A challenge that could decide the season. Bologna v Inter It's not a final, but it looks a lot like one. There are important points at stake, both for the Scudetto and the Champions League, because if it's true that the Nerazzurri are playing for a good chunk of the tricolor, the same goes for the Rossoblu, forced to earn points so as not to lose ground in the fight for fourth place. There will be many eyes on the Dall'Ara, starting with those of Conte: the coach is relying on Italiano to stop, or at least slow down, the run of the league leaders, momentarily caught up after the success in Monza. The away game, after all, has a rather high difficulty coefficient, both for the value of Bologna and for the post-Bayern fatigue, inevitable after a Champions League night of that kind. Inter knows they are facing a real "trap", but also that they are superior to their opponent. Of course, their legs are starting to weigh a lot and their heads, beyond the superficial declarations, are undoubtedly tired. Recharging your batteries every three days is not easy at all, especially when faced with teams that have been able to prepare all week. On the other hand, the defeat of Bergamo has shown that this Bologna, however captivating, is not unbeatable, indeed it could suffer the pressure of having to get points at all costs, otherwise it risks having to "settle" for the minor cups. Inter, forced to give up Thuram due to muscle fatigue (he could also miss Wednesday's derby), he will not be able to rely on the usual rotation, at least not in the massive doses of recent times. The coach will mix the cards without upheavals, changing only two players compared to the eleven against Bayern: these are Marco's, just returned from injury and, indeed, Thuram. In their place, space for Carlos Augusto e Correa, for an Inter on the pitch with the best possible formation.
Bologna – Inter, probable formations
Bologna (4-2-3-1): Ravaglia; Holm, Beukema, Lucumì, Miranda; Freuler, Aebischer; Orsolini, Odgaard, Ndoye; Dallinga
In bench: Bagnolini, De Silvestri, Lykogiannis, Erlic, Moro, El Azzouzi, Fabbian, Pobega, Cambiaghi, Dominguez, Pedrola, Castro
CoachItalian
Unavailable: Calabria, Ferguson, Skorupski, Casale
Disqualified: Nobody
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Carlos Augusto; Correa, Lautaro
In bench: Martinez, Di Gennaro, De Vrij, Bisseck, Zalewski, Dimarco, Asllani, Frattesi, Arnautovic, Taremi
Coach: Inzaghi
Unavailable: Thuram, Dumfries, Zielinski
Disqualified: Nobody
Milan – Atalanta (20.45 pm, Dazn)
A question of perspective. Milan and Atalanta are approaching today's challenge with opposing points of view. If for the Goddess, in fact, it is a very important turning point in terms of the Champions League, for the Rossoneri it is above all a test in view of April 23, the day of the return leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter. Not just a derby, but also the easiest way to return to Europe through the main door. In the championship, in fact, the Devil has complicated their life to the point of having to chase a feat: eight points away from fourth place, the one that is worth qualifying for the next Champions League, the minimum objective declared at the beginning of the season. A gap that, with six days to go, seems almost unbridgeable. And not even the positions useful for the Europa League or Conference are currently within reach: Roma sixth is six points away, Lazio seventh five. The story is different in Coppa Italia, where two victories would be enough to secure the European pass. On paper it seems simple, but the obstacle of Inter (leaders in Serie A and in the running for the Champions League final) requires another feat. And yet, so far, the seasonal balance of the derbies smiles on the Rossoneri, who have managed to rein in the Nerazzurri with both Fonseca and Conceiçao. In Udine, the Portuguese coach has decided to change the score and successfully experiment with the 3-4-3, a system that will be proposed again this evening, in what seems to all intents and purposes a dress rehearsal for the derby: should positive responses arrive, it will be difficult to go back and restore the old back four.
On the other front, Atalanta arrives at San Siro with only one objective: to get important points in view of the Champions League. The focus of Gasperini's team is all on today's challenge, because the future of the Goddess will also pass through here. The success against Bologna has given certainties to a group that was looking for confidence: the couple Retegui-Pasalic has rekindled the offensive engine and, above all, the team seems to have found the mental strength needed to hold out until the end. The seasonal objective (net of the dream of the Scudetto that vanished in the direct clash with Inter) remains qualification for the European Cups. Once the mathematical certainty has been reached, the club will be able to plan the next season with greater serenity. However, the main issue remains to be resolved, namely the future of Gian Piero Gasperini. The coach still has a year left on his contract and the parties will soon sit down to discuss. It is not excluded that it will continue until the natural expiration, but first it will be necessary to find an agreement on the vision and common objectives.
Milan – Atalanta, probable formations
Milan (3-4-3): Maignan; Tomori, Cage, Pavlovic; Jimenez, Fofana, Reijnders, Hernandez; Pulisic, Jovic, Leao
In bench: Sportiello, Torriani, Terracciano, Florenzi, Thiaw, Bartesaghi, Bondo, Musah, Chukwueze, Joao Felix, Sottil, Abraham, Gimenez
Coach: Conception
Unavailable: Walker, Loftus-Cheek, Emerson Royal
Disqualified: Nobody
Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Carnesecchi; Toloi, Hien, Djimsiti; Bellanova, Ederson, De Roon, Zappacosta; Pasalic; Retegui, Lookman
In bench: Rui Patricio, Rossi, Kossounou, Ruggeri, Samardzic, Sulemana, Cuadrado, Brescianini, Maldini, Vlahovic
Coach: Gasperini
Unavailable: Scalvini, Scamacca, Kolasinac, Posch, Palestra, De Ketelaere
Disqualified: Nobody
