Where were we? The championship restarts with Juventus leaders at the expense of Inter, by virtue of a Derby d'Italia which earned them overtaking in the standings. In short, from today we return to the recent past, therefore with the Lady in the lead and the pursuers to keep up with her, in the hope of a misstep. The first appointment is Lazio-Atalanta (15 pm, an interesting match for the Champions League zone), then we continue with Napoli-Verona (18 pm), finally ends with Juventus-Bologna: on paper the most balanced challenge is undoubtedly that of the Olimpico, but woe to anyone making the mistake of underestimating Juric and Mihajlovic's men.
It's not just a technical question, but also, if not above all, fatigue: the only time Juve haven't won in this championship, in fact, was after the international break in September. At the time, the calendar pitted Fiorentina against each other, away from home, and the commitment, seen like this, seemed much more complicated, but if you look closely, however, the Viola at the time were still on 0 points, defeated by both Napoli and Genoa, as well as that without victories since last February. The current Bologna, as the draw with Lazio has shown, is certainly no less, which is why it is necessary to keep the antennas straight and find the right continuity right now.
“It's never easy when the national teams return, some played until Tuesday, others luckily finished on Sunday and have some leg training – sighed Sarri -. Bologna is one of the teams I liked the most at the start of the season, he's very dangerous to deal with: we'll have to be careful." What is certain is that if Juve were the one seen in Milan, or in the Champions League against Leverkusen, then there would be no problems: many, including us, had finally seen the hand of the Tuscan coach, not surprisingly covered in praise after the criticisms early season.
“As I've always said, skepticism towards me is an aspect I've lived with for many years, so it doesn't affect me that much – glossed over the person concerned. – We're not interested in the standings at the moment, the goal is to continue to provide good level performances because then the result will come as a consequence”. Under whose turn it is, therefore to Bologna. Sarri finds Ramsey and Danilo again but not Douglas Costa, whose return, perhaps, will be postponed until Tuesday against Lokomotiv Moscow: today's 4-3-1-2 (or 4-3-3 depending on the interpretation) will see Szczesny in goal, Cuadrado, Bonucci , De Ligt and Alex Sandro in defense, Khedira, Pjanic and Matuidi in midfield, Bernardeschi, Higuain and Ronaldo in attack.
Usual 4-2-3-1 also for Mihajlovic, who will respond with Skorupski in goal, Mbaye, Danilo, Bani and Krejci in the back, Poli and Dzemaili in the midfield, Orsolini, Soriano and Sansone behind the lone striker Palacio. A match not to be missed even for Napoli, called to beat Verona in order not to risk saying goodbye to their hopes for the Scudetto. It seems incredible but the Azzurri, who started with the acclaim of critics and fans, are already at a point of no return: the ranking sees them less than 6 from the leaders and another misstep, evidently, could prove fatal. But the results aren't the only source of tension in the blue world, on the contrary: De Laurentiis' statements about Insigne ("he's an uncomfortable character, decide what he wants to be when he grows up"), Mertens and Callejon ("if they want to go to China go ahead") created further confusion, making today's race almost secondary.
“And instead this challenge is a matter of life and death – Ancelotti retorted in no uncertain terms. – For the rest, I won't comment on the president's words, they were strong but they came from the heart. Insigne? You made an excellent start to the season, then you slipped up for a moment and De Laurentiis pointed it out. Mertens and Callejon? We have been talking about it for some time and will do it again: the club has made a weighted offer and wants to keep them, then it will be up to them to accept it or not, even if it must be said that so far they have both had an excellent performance". In short, her embers continue to burn and only a victory against Verona could put it out.
Ancelotti seems oriented towards deploying the 4-4-2 type (if there is one) with Meret in goal, Di Lorenzo, Manolas, Koulibaly and Ghoulam in defense, Callejon, Allan, Fabian Ruiz and Insigne in midfield, Milik and Mertens in attack. Juric, refreshed by the victory over Samp before the break, will respond with the usual 3-4-2-1, therefore Silvestri between the posts, Rrahmani, Kumbulla and Gunter in the back, Faraoni, Amrabat, Veloso and Lazovic in the midfield, Pessina and Come behind the lone striker Di Carmine.
