Mission accomplished, albeit with a few worries too many. Juventus beat Ferencvaros and qualifies for the round of XNUMX with two rounds to spare, Lazio does the same with Zenit and sees the goal close at hand. But the Biancocelesti's evening, paradoxically, was much more serene than that of the Bianconeri and this regardless of the final result. In fact, the lady he struggled a lot to beat the Hungarians, recording a clear step back from the point of view of the game compared to Saturday, when he had offered a convincing and flawless performance. The opposite of yesterday and woe to be fooled by opportunities, evidently superior to rivals: those, in the presence of a much weaker team, are almost obvious.
On the other hand, the right approach and the result are not, achieved only in full recovery thanks to a header from Morata (replaced for a dull Dybala), moreover with the kind collaboration of Dibusz (92 '). The victory makes the evening enough, no more, because the worries of the first half (Ferencvaros even ahead with Uzuni in the 19th minute, equalized by Ronaldo in the 35th minute) remain, as do the efforts of the second half, albeit with the posts hit by Bernardeschi and Morata and a very occasional Ronaldo himself.
“The goal was to enter with a different attitude – he admitted Pirlo – When you play these games, which apparently seem simple, you can run into difficulties and so it was. We were too superficial and then we had to catch up. Dybala? He hasn't done very well, it's true that he comes from a period of inactivity but he has to go beyond his threshold if he wants to recover ”.
Evening without shadows instead for the Lazio, able to outclass Zenit well beyond the final 3-1. The usual Immobile is the great protagonist, who after the two forced stop games for Covid has returned to roaring even in the Champions League. The attacker unlocked the match with a great shot from distance in the 3' minute, then, after Parolo doubled his lead (22', also with a torpedo from outside the area) and the momentary goal from the Russians (25' Dzyuba), the he definitively closed with the penalty of 3-1, moreover procured by himself (55 '). Qualification, unlike Juve, is not yet mathematical, but certainly the 4 points over Club Brugge (defeated 3-0 by Borussia) and the 7 over Zenit almost sound like a sentence, so much so that next week's away match in Dortmund will serve above all the first place.
"We played a great game, we knew how important it was and the boys were very good, congratulations to them - he exulted Inzaghi – The break did us good, we are recovering players and fitness: we have been through difficult moments and this victory means a lot”.
Today, however, the ball passes to Inter e Atalanta, expected from two decidedly more demanding races against Real Madrid e Liverpool. For Conte's Nerazzurri, in particular, tonight's match is almost decisive: failing it, i.e. not winning it, would reduce the hopes of qualifying to a flicker, at that point hanging only on a chain of events that is difficult to predict.
"It certainly represents a final for us, after the defeat in Madrid and the two draws we don't have many ways out - he admitted Tale in the press conference – A difficult match awaits us, we will have to play a great match. There is an important result to be achieved, we know that if we want we can, we proved it in the first leg. We can play it and if we pay attention we can win the game ”.
Opposite there will be a Real that is anything but impervious, as demonstrated by the two games following the one in Madrid: a defeat (4-1 in Valencia) and a draw (1-1 with Villarreal), demonstrating a defensive fragility to exploit. The problem is that even Inter are unable to resolve their shortcomings, even if this time, compared to the first leg, there will be one more Lukaku. Conte will choose the usual 3-4-1-2 with Handanovic in goal, Skriniar, De Vrij and Bastoni in defense, Hakimi, Barella, Gagliardini and Young in midfield, Vidal in the trocar, Lautaro Martinez and Lukaku in attack.
Zidane, grappling with internal controversies (relations with some senators are precarious and even with Florentino it is certainly not a honeymoon) and external (the Madrid press, as we know, is not the softest), will try to close the game with a 4-3-3 that will see Curtois in goal, Carvajal, Varane, Nacho and Mendy in the back, Modric, Kroos and Odegaard in the midfield, Asensio, Mariano and Hazard in the offensive trident.
Very delicate race also for Atalanta, awaited from the away game at Anfield against the English champions. Compared to the first leg, the pressure has increased dramatically, partly due to the 0-5 which complicated the qualification plans, partly due to the championship results, far below expectations. “It will be a very difficult match, we are meeting a team of great value – he explained Gasperini – At the moment it is a huge achievement for us to have managed to play in the Champions League, it will still be an opportunity, but we would like to put in a good performance, the conditions are there".
The undertaking is difficult, but the Nerazzurri coach will try relying on a 3-4-1-2 with Gollini in goal, Toloi, Palomino and Djimsiti in defence, Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler and Gosens in midfield, Gomez behind the offensive couple composed by Ilicic and Zapata. Klopp, who yesterday reiterated his esteem for Atalanta ("it's a threat"), will respond with the usual 4-3-3 made up of Alisson in goal, Milner, Fabinho, Matip and Robertson in the back, Jones, Wijnaldum and Jota in the midfield, Salah, Firmino and Mané in attack.
