Everyone wants to finish second. Inter di Conte, capable of beating Napoli in the big match at San Siro, but also Atalanta of Gasperini, good at doing the same in Parma. The appeal is still missing Lazio, expected from the home match against Brescia (19.30 pm), but the certainty is that the fight for the silver medal will last until the end of the championship, given that the calendar will pit Atalanta and Inter right against each other, in what will be all effects the final bang. Both teams have shown determination and desire to win, despite the good performances of Napoli and Parma, capable of creating various problems.
But the motivations, as we know, make the difference and so here is the 2-1 of the Bergamo players (goals from Malinovskyi and Gomez after the initial advantage of Kulusevski) and, above all, the 2-0 of the Milanese, ruthless in freezing Gattuso's Azzurri with goals from D'Ambrosio (11') and Lautaro Martinez (74'), despite the opportunities they had with Insigne, Elmas and Politano. Now, still waiting for Lazio, the ranking sees Inter at an altitude of 79 and Atalanta at 78: in short, the direct clash in Bergamo promises to be really hot.
"We faced a strong team, the only one capable of annoying Juventus in recent years, so thanks to us for the good victory because it wasn't easy, above all due to the pressure put on us by those who were behind us - the words of Tale – In Bergamo we won't make calculations, we will face a team that today is an important reality in our championship, it will be a good test to understand where we are: nice to finish with a match like this…”.
The race for second place will continue today too, with Lazio receiving the already relegated Brescia. “We come from an excellent performance in Verona, now we will have to repeat ourselves and then play the last one in Naples in the best possible way – the thought of Inzaghi – Now, however, I'm not thinking about the Azzurri but only about Brescia: these two remaining matches help me consolidate the standings and try to improve it".
The Biancoceleste coach will line up a 3-5-2 with Strakosha in goal, Patric, Luiz Felipe and Acerbi in defense, Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Parolo, Luis Alberto and Jony in midfield, Immobile and Correa in attack. Lopez will try to get at least one satisfaction with a 4-4-2 that will see Joronen between the posts, Sabelli, Papetti, Mateju and Mangraviti in the back department, Spalek, Tonali, Bjarnason and Zmrhal in the midfield, Ayé and Torregrossa as an offensive couple.
The other Wednesday main course they take Rome and Milan, engaged in the long-distance fight to go to the Europa League without preliminaries. The Rossoneri will be the first to take the field against Sampdoria (19.30 pm), but it is the Giallorossi who have the ball in hand: if they beat Torino (21.45 pm), in fact, the European place would be theirs, by virtue of the 4 points ahead of rivals.
“We have to believe in it and try to win them all, even if unfortunately it no longer depends only on us – he sighed Pioli – Let's start playing a great game, then we'll see what the others will do: in the meantime we're focused and ready, even though we know that Samp are doing well, as we saw against Juve".
For Milan in short, it is the last chance to avoid the triple preliminary round of the Europa League, not exactly a detail given that next season promises to be clogged as never before. The Rossoneri coach has to do without Conti and Romagnoli, for a 4-2-3-1 that will thus see Donnarumma in goal, Calabria, Kjaer, Gabbia and Hernandez in defence, Kessié and Bennacer in midfield, Saelemaekers, Calhanoglu and Rebic in shoulders of the lone striker Ibrahimovic. Usual 4-4-2 also for Ranieri, who will respond with Audero in goal, Tonelli, Yoshida, Colley and Augello in the back, Depaoli, Linetty, Bertolacci and Jankto in the midfield, La Gumina and Quagliarella in attack.
"The boys are motivated, even a little tired, it's true, but for us it's an important match and mentally we'll get there very well: when you win, you work in the best way". The speech of Fonseca leaves no doubts about Roma's desire to get the 3 points to reach the goal. Indeed, the Giallorossi have every interest in closing it here, so as to transform the last one with Juve into a sort of friendly: an ideal scenario in view of the match against Sevilla, the real watershed of the season, but feasible only in the event by 3 points against Taurus.
In fact, the Giallorossi coach will rely on the 3-4-2-1 type with Pau Lopez in goal, Mancini, Smalling and Kolarov in defense, Bruno Peres, Veretout, Diawara and Spinazzola in midfield, Carles Perez and Mkhitaryan behind the lone striker Dzeko. 3-4-1-2 instead for Longo, who will try to celebrate salvation with Ujkani in goal, Lyanco, N'Kolou and Bremer in the back, Singo, Meité, Lukic and Ansaldi in the midfield, Verdi in the frontline, Belotti and Millico in attack.
For the Juventus instead it will be just an evening of celebration, moreover on the field of another team with no more goals like the Cagliari (21.45). In addition to the desire to celebrate the Scudetto just won, however, there is also the need to prepare in the best possible way in view of Lyon, for that Champions League at the top of Andrea Agnelli's wish list. Sarri's great worm, silent yesterday, concerns Dybala, who stopped against Samp due to a muscle problem: the tests showed a non-serious extension, but his presence against the Lyon it is however in doubt. In any case, the Juventus coach will let several players take a breather (Szczesny, De Ligt and the suspended Rabiot), relying on a 4-3-3 with Buffon in goal, Cuadrado, Bonucci, Rugani and Alex Sandro in defense, Ramsey, Bentancur and Muratore in midfield, Bernardeschi, Higuain and Ronaldo in attack. Gala evening also for Zenga, who will try the coup with a 4-3-1-2 that will see Cragno between the posts, Pisacane, Walukiewicz, Klavan and Lykogiannis in the back, Rog, Ladinetti and Ionita in the midfield, Pereiro behind the offensive couple composed by Joao Pedro and Simeone.
