Scudetto match point. For Inter of Inzaghi this recovery with Atalanta it smacks of a final, in the sense that a victory would definitively close the title game. At that point, in fact, only mathematics would divide the Nerazzurri from the second star, but with twelve games ahead of her she too would put her mind at peace, aware of having only surrendered to the strongest. The Bergamo players, however, will not come to San Siro to be sacrificial victims, both for reasons of ranking (there are very precious Champions League points up for grabs) and of opportunities, in light of Gasperini's atavistic (and never hidden) antipathy towards Inter. To complete the picture of this unusual Wednesday in Serie A there will also be Sassuolo-Napoli: two teams in crisis, forced to win so as not to complicate their respective objectives.
Inter – Atalanta (20.45pm, Dazn)
Attention, for obvious reasons, will be focused above all on San Siro, where Inter will be chasing a victory that would take them +12 over Juve and +16 over Milan. A good and good mortgage on the scudetto, even if almost no one questions it regardless: the Nerazzurri are too strong and constant to collapse and shuffle the cards by virtue of the pursuers. However, Inzaghi does not want a drop in tension, aware that there are still 13 games (including this one) and many points available. Nobody seems capable of taking away his second star, but he goes straight on his path of good play, goals and series victories. In 2024 his Inter have only won, and in all competitions: the championship (7), the Italian Super Cup (2) and the Champions League (1), demonstrating an excellent state of form, even exceeding the most optimistic expectations. A sensational roadmap, which ended up taking away the pathos from this recovery too, obviously from the point of view of the pursuers: whether Inter win, draw or lose, at the moment, makes very little difference, at least in terms of the Scudetto. The situation changes completely if we focus on the Champions League area, where many hope that Inzaghi doesn't play pranks. A coup by Gasperini, in fact, would extend the ranking and change the prospects of Bologna, Roma, Fiorentina, Lazio and Napoli, at that point clinging almost only to the UEFA ranking and the possibility of bringing five teams into the next edition.
Inzaghi in press silence, Gasperini: "We have little to lose, we will play our game"
Inzaghi, as often to be honest, preferred to avoid the press conference the day before, Gasperini instead appeared in front of microphones and notebooks, reiterating his desire to attempt a very complicated mission. “If we want we can say that we have little to lose – underlined the Orobic coach -. Inter is a complete team, Inzaghi did a great job: rarely have we seen a team with this quality play, both in Italy and in Europe. We will have to go and play our match, just like in the first leg when there was a substantial balance, before our mistake that changed things. Furthermore, we have never managed to win against them at San Siro, we will certainly try."
Inter – Atalanta, the lineups: Inzaghi finds the starters again, Gasperini focuses on Scamacca
Compared to the turnover in Lecce, which proved to be extremely effective, Inzaghi will return to focus on the very starting players with the exception of the injured Thuram, Acerbi and Calhanoglu, whose recoveries are focused on Madrid. The Inter 3-5-2 will thus see Sommer in goal, Pavard, De Vrij and Bastoni in defence, Darmian, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan and Dimarco in midfield, Lautaro and Arnautovic (favourite over Sanchez) in attack. A few more doubts for Gasperini, starting with Scalvini: the defender, who came out battered against Milan due to a shoulder problem, will be evaluated again this morning, but Hien is already warming up his engines. The 3-4-2-1 from Bergamo should be made up of Carnesecchi between the posts, Djimsiti, Hien and Kolasinac in the defensive department, Holm, Pasalic, Ederson and Bakker in the midfield, Koopmeiners and Lookman behind the lone striker Scamacca, favored over De Ketelaere.
Sassuolo – Naples (18 pm, Dazn)
The other match this Wednesday is the one at the Mapei Stadium between Bigica's Sassuolo and Calzona's Napoli. The presence of the two coaches is enough to explain the state of crisis of the two teams, given that on January 21st, the starting date of the match, no one thought of questioning Dionisi and Mazzarri. But then things took a turn for the worse and the clubs tried the classic move of desperation, in an attempt to reinvigorate two extremely disappointing league tables. But if the 20 points of Sassuolo, fresh from four defeats and a draw in the last five games, are impressive, the 37 of Napoli leave you speechless. In fact, no Italian champion team had ever done worse in the history of our football, even finding themselves 28 points less than the year before. A disaster that Calzona is trying to remedy, for now with poor results: the draw in Cagliari, although mocking, has more or less the value of a defeat. The Champions League zone, Atalanta permitting, is now 11 points away, which however could become 8 in the event of victory in Reggio Emilia. The mission would remain very complicated, but at least possible: this is why the Azzurri simply cannot make mistakes for any reason. However, Sassuolo will not be able to concede anything, indeed the trend of the last few weeks makes them an ideal candidate for relegation. On Sunday Bigica's men, promoted by Primavera while awaiting final decisions, will go to Verona for a truly fiery direct clash and arriving there with an advantage would change the prospects quite a bit.
Calzona doesn't speak, Bigica introduces himself: "We will be aggressive, we want to score points"
No press conference for Calzona, dealing with an almost irreversible crisis, but first words for Bigica, determined to play his cards best as first team coach. “I am grateful to this club, I am ready to lend a hand in this difficult moment – explained the former Neroverde Primavera coach -. We face a strong opponent, with many champions, who will certainly try to get a full result, but on the other side there will be a fierce team that wants to get back to scoring points, because the league table demands that and we owe it to the fans and the club. We must have that competitive fury to play every match as if it were our last. I tried to establish a relationship of trust with the players by talking a lot, they know that the moment is not easy and that we need to do our best to achieve the salvation we deserve, both for technical and moral values. If we work as a team, I am convinced that quality will emerge."
Sassuolo – Napoli, the lineups: turnover for Calzona, Bigica starts again from 4-2-3-1
Calzona knows he has to win at all costs, but the big match against Juventus on Sunday requires him to have a bit of turnover, also to give some elements who are running out of fuel to catch their breath. His 4-3-3 will see Meret in goal, Di Lorenzo, Ostigard, Rrahmani and Mario Rui in defense, Anguissa, Lobotka and Zielinski in midfield, Politano, Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia in attack. Bigica's first Sassuolo will start again from the 4-2-3-1 of his predecessor Dionisi, waiting to once again embrace the Berardi beacon (perhaps already on Sunday in Verona), therefore Consigli between the posts, Pedersen, Kumbulla, Ferrari and Doig in the defensive department , Thorstvedt and Mateus Henrique in midfield, Volpato, Bajrami and Laurienté behind the lone striker Pinamonti.
