Fiorentina-Inter and Torino-Napoli are today's key challenges. Milan smiles again. For Juve and Lazio, tricky away games

Two big matches on Sunday football. Napoli wants to defend the first in Turin but watch out for Fiorentina-Inter: it will be the test of truth. Lazio goes to Parma and Juve, decimated, to Lecce. Morata opens the way to a large victory for Milan against Empoli

Il Milan he smiles again, waiting for all the others. The Serie A Saturday, in addition to the success of the Bologna on Venice (3-0, double by Ndoye and goal by Orsolini) and the draw between Como and Monza (1-1, goals by Engelhardt and Caprari) saw the victory of Milan vs Empoli, a 3-0 that confirms the progress of the Devils both in terms of results and defense. Looking at the standings, however, makes little sense, at least until this evening: today, in fact, almost all the competitors for the noble zone will take to the field, from the leader Napoli, awaited by the treacherous transfer of Torino (15pm) at Lazio, engaged in the field of Parma (15), passing through the direct clash between Fiorentina and Inter (18) to the postponement of the Juventus in Lecce (20:45). Roma and Atalanta will still be missing from the roll call, as they will be playing tomorrow night on Monday Night, but this way we will already be able to have a much clearer picture of the situation.

Milan – Empoli 3-0: Morata and Reijnders (double) make Fonseca smile

Milan needed to win and, possibly, convince. Mission accomplished, in the face of an Empoli much less solid than what has been shown so far: the credit goes almost entirely to the Devil, author of one of the best matches of the season. Of course, Inter and Real Madrid remain untouchable and no one even dreams of making comparisons, but Fonseca was called upon to give answers even in the daily routine of the championship, so far the real Achilles heel of his reign. The coach, as expected on the eve, opted for a more compact formation with Musah in place of Chukwueze and the result proved him right. For the final verdict, many more tests will be needed, in the meantime however we are at two consecutive games (in Serie A, of course) without conceding a goal, but if against Juve the offensive phase was totally lacking, against the unfortunate Empoli they saw themselves in all their splendor, dragged by a Morata finally scoring and, above all, by an even more sparkling Reijnders. They were the protagonists, in a match played in an old-fashioned climate (a fog like this hadn't been seen since the 90s) with Empoli as non-paying spectators, except for a header by Colombo and a shot by Maleh that hit the crossbar. Morata broke the balance in the 19th minute, after which Reijnders took over, scoring a brace (44' and 69') that earned him a standing ovation at San Siro. The defensive phase, as previously mentioned, held up well, which authorizes us to prepare for the week (Sassuolo in the Coppa Italia and Atalanta in the championship) with greater optimism.

Fonseca: “A great match, we were balanced both up front and back”

“We played a great game both offensively and defensively,” Fonseca exulted. “We were balanced at all times, we didn’t just attack well, but we also showed confidence in defense: the 3 goals scored could have been 6th or 7th if we hadn’t made the wrong final choices. Like against Juventus, I felt safe, we were never in danger at the back: this balance is needed to attack better. Does Musah give us more solidity? I’m really enjoying him in that role… Empoli play a lot of long balls and it was important to have him there to help the team, but I was also very satisfied with how Chukwueze came in, this module gives us balance. Morata scoring again? I’ve never been worried about him, I know him well and I know what he can give us.”

Fiorentina – Inter (20:45 pm, Dazn and Sky)

Sunday's spotlight is first and foremost on Florence, the scene of a Fiorentina-Inter at the top of the table. To find a similar context, in fact, we need to go back many years, when Batistuta and Rui Costa's Viola even dreamed of the Scudetto. Today it is still too early to talk about it, but Palladino's path at least authorizes us to dream and forces Inzaghi to play a game of great attention. The Nerazzurri coach, after the missteps at the beginning of the season, seems to have engaged the right gear, but now comes the Fiorentina test and the answers, in one sense or another, will be rather indicative. Conquering the Franchi would send a signal of strength to the entire championship, while a misstep, in addition to fueling Viola dreams, would risk costing dearly in terms of the table. The game promises fireworks, even if it is good to remember how Florence, in recent years, has become a land of conquest for the Nerazzurri. The last six precedents between the league and the Italian Cup, in fact, have seen Inter win and Inzaghi hopes that the trend can continue tonight. Both teams are coming into this match well, after the large European turnovers and the long series of positive results in Serie A, which have transformed the challenge into a real clash at the top.

Inzaghi: “We will need a great Inter, even if we have some absences”

“They are coming off seven consecutive victories, we are undoubtedly facing a tough opponent,” Inzaghi underlined. “We have a few defections, but we will go to Florence to play a good game, even if a lot will depend on our approach. We know that both we and they are coming off cup matches, we will need a great Inter: rotations are not a limit, in fact we are able to manage all the players well. We have been working well since July 13 and we are happy with the latest results, we have played excellent games, but we know it will be a difficult match. We are working in both phases, both defensive and offensive, and we are doing it as a team, the goal is always to improve together. We need to think game by game, focus on each individual commitment and try to always be ready.”

Fiorentina – Inter, probable formations

Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Adli, Cataldi; Colpani, Beltran, Bove; Kean

On the bench: Terracciano, Martinelli, Pongracic, Quarta, Moreno, Kayode, Parisi, Biraghi, Rubino, Mandragora, Sottil, Gudmundsson, Ikoné, Kouamé

Coach: Palladino

Unavailable: Richardson

Disqualified: none

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Lautaro

On the bench: Martinez, Di Gennaro, Palacios, Darmian, Asllani, Zielinski, Frattesi, Buchanan, Taremi, Arnautovic, Correa

Coach: Inzaghi

Unavailable: Pavard, Carlos Augusto, Acerbi

Disqualified: none

Turin – Naples (15pm, Dazn)

Among the many spectators of Fiorentina-Inter there will also be Antonio Conte, but his state of mind will depend on the afternoon match against Torino. A victory would allow him to extend his lead over one of the two (or perhaps both), a false step, on the other hand, could cost him the top of the championship. Better to focus on the match at the Olimpico and on a wounded Toro, forced to earn points to get out of a deep and worrying crisis. The Granata, after the sparkling start that had made the fans dream, have literally fallen, losing six of the last eight games (only one victory), so much so that they have dropped to eleventh place, just 5 points from third-last Como. A trend that is making Vanoli's bench waver (rumours say Cairo is very thoughtful about it) and infuriating the Torino fans, increasingly in dispute with the ownership. During the week, the president opened up to a possible sale of the club (there is talk of Red Bull, but also of the Arabs), in the meantime however he will have to face the league leaders Napoli, determined to win to continue their run. Conte has survived the mini-cycle with Milan, Atalanta, Inter and Roma collecting 7 points, enough to confirm himself at the top of the table and now, awaiting the double confrontation with Lazio between the Coppa Italia and the championship, he absolutely wants to conquer Turin and continue his ride.

Conte: “The standings will get longer, Turin will need to be very careful”

“We have to be realistic and know that we are only at the thirteenth matchday and within a few points there are 6 teams – Conte's thoughts -. It has been a balanced championship so far, in my opinion I don't think it will remain like this until the end. Already at the end of the first half of the season it will start to stretch out a bit, but we are pleased, it shows that the work we are doing is good and I am happy, day after day we are laying important foundations and I see continuous growth both as a team and as individuals. It makes me think when victories are underestimated: Roma is a great team, they showed it at Tottenham who I know very well, they have a really strong squad to fight for the Premier League. Now let's think about Torino, we will have to be very careful, it is a match to be faced in the best possible way, with respect for their quality, the environment we will find and their history”.

Torino – Napoli, probable formations

Turin (3-5-2): Milinkovic-Savic; Walukiewicz, Coco, Masina; Pedersen, Vlasic, Ricci, Gineitis, Lazaro; Adams, Sanabria

On the bench: Paleari, Donnarumma, Vojvoda, Maripan, Karamoh, Tameze, Linetty, Dembelé, Sosa, Njie, Ciammaglichella, Bayeye, Balcot, Gabellini

Coach: Vanoli

Unavailable: Zapata, Schuurs, Savva, Ilkhan, Ilic

Disqualified: none

Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Lukaku, Kvaratskhelia

On the bench: Caprile, Contini, Juan Jesus, Marin, Folorunsho, Simeone, Ngonge, Neres, Gilmour, Raspadori, Zerbin, Spinazzola

Coach: Conte

Unavailable: Mazzocchi

Disqualified: none

Lecce – Juventus (20:45 pm, Dazn)

A delicate away game also for Thiago Motta's Juventus, playing in Lecce against Giampaolo's Salento. The draws with Milan and Aston Villa were well-rated by critics, partly due to the objective value of the opponents, and much due to the injury emergency that is gripping the Bianconeri world. At the Via del Mare, however, it is necessary to return to winning ways, otherwise the standings risk becoming worrying. It must also be said that the list of unavailable players remains very long: from the long-term absentees Bremer, Milik and Cabal to the muscular Nico Gonzalez (out since 2 October), Douglas Luiz, Vlahovic, McKennie and Savona, the latter injured during the away game in Birmingham. The situation is complicated, yet beating Lecce would be part of the natural order of things: Giampaolo's team, which recovered in the last round against Venezia, is clearly inferior and must be dismantled, one way or another. Juve's draws, after all, are a problem that has been going on for a long time, as demonstrated by the nineteen Xs collected in 2024. Bringing up Allegri doesn't make much sense, but talking about Motta's management does: the draws came even before the chain of injuries, as well as the matches with few (or no) goals.

Thiago Motta: “Difficult situation, we all have to give something more”

“We need to give continuity and provide a great performance in all aspects of the game,” explained Thiago Motta. “Vlahovic and Mckennie will not be with us, but I have total confidence in my players: whoever is there will play a great game, it is necessary to face this situation by everyone giving something extra. The injury emergency? Everyone is having it, but my opinion certainly won’t change things. The path we have taken is the right one, we work every day to make progress. Lecce is coming from a victory with the new coach, when you change there is always something new, a different enthusiasm, an environment is created in which positive aspects are generated, as already seen in Venice. The market? There is full harmony with the club, but at the moment my focus is only on the pitch.”

Lecce – Juventus, probable formations

Lecce (4-3-3): Falcone; Guilbert, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Gallo; Coulibaly, Ramadani, Rafia; Dorgu, Krstovic, Samson

On the bench: Fruchtl, Samooja, Borbei, Pelmard, Jean, McJannet, Helgason, Kaba, Berisha, Hasa, Marchwinski, Morente, Oudin, Rebic, Pierotti

Coach: Giampaolo

Unavailable: Banda, Bonifazi, Burnete, Pierret

Disqualified: none

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Perin; Danilo, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Weah

On the bench: Di Gregorio, Pinsoglio, Rouhi, Pagnucco, Montero, Fagioli, Papadopoulos, Owusu, Mbangula, Pugno

Coach: Thiago Motta

Unavailable: Adzic, Milik, Bremer, Cabal, Nico Gonzalez, Douglas Luiz, McKennie, Vlahovic, Savona

Disqualified: none

Parma – Lazio (15pm, Dazn)

Parma-Lazio will also round out the hot Sunday of Serie A, for a similar head-to-head that is worth a lot for both Baroni and Pecchia. The Biancocelesti coach, despite the slight slowdown with Ludogorets, is literally flying and certainly doesn't want to stop at the best moment, while the Ducal coach, on the other hand, is not doing well at all and is called to a wing move like those with Milan and Juventus. These precedents should raise the antennas of Lazio, an offensive and fun team, but sometimes a little too cheerful in the defensive phase: at the Tardini they will have to pay attention, otherwise Parma's counterattacks could prove rather problematic. The Biancocelesti, for obvious reasons, are the favorites and the European efforts should not change the prediction, given that Baroni has allowed himself the luxury of a large turnover, thus being able to count on fresh forces for this afternoon. The championship has rightly become a priority for the team, coming off 7 victories in the last eight games (11 in 13 also considering the Europa League) that have given rise to dreams of glory; how big we will only understand in some time, in the meantime however Lazio does not want to stop and has all the credentials to continue the golden moment even today.