First place, the race starts again. Inter and Juventus are back in the league after the parenthesis of the Champions League, ended well for the bianconeri and decidedly worse for the nerazzurri. In Serie A, however, the roles are the opposite, with Conte's team in command at 38 and Sarri's chasing with 2 points behind. Today's round, at least on paper, would seem to smile at the latter, who is playing at home against Udinese (15 pm), while the leaders will have to overcome the treacherous away game in Florence (20.45 pm). Furthermore, post-Champions nervousness could play its part in the eternal duel, especially since yesterday there was a first sign of it.
Inter, annoyed by a letter from an anti-Conte fan published by Corriere dello Sport, complete with a reply from Italo Cucci, decided to cancel the press conference on the eve, in an attempt, according to the club's press release, to give a signal to the media "that they must guarantee respect for people". Leaving aside the sterility of this controversy, however, it is clear that Conte is not having a good week, marked by an elimination in the Champions League that hurts, especially for those who, like him, experience the defeat as an almost personal drama. And given that even in Florence we certainly don't laugh, today's match takes on a very important meaning, perhaps more than one might expect.
This is especially true for Inter, with a position in the standings well above all expectations, while for Montella it really is a last resort. Commisso, after the confidence expressed on several occasions since this summer, has recently cooled down a lot on his coach, aware that only a miracle could save him from the annoying (even financially) exemption. Prandelli is there waiting, but in the meantime there is a game to play and perhaps a place to win back. “When you come from 4 defeats you have to blame yourself for something but in revolutions, like the one Fiorentina has done this season, there are various phases, and this is the one of difficulty – retorted the coach. – It's part of the journey, but we all need to do more. Now comes the first in the class and there is no lack of motivation, Florence understands us and will help us".
In short, regardless of the Champions League, it is Inter who get better at this challenge even if the absences continue to give the torment. Conte has not recovered any of his injuries and therefore, in the Franchi basin, he will be once again forced to deploy an emergency 3-5-2 with Handanovic in goal, Bastoni, De Vrij and Skriniar in defense, D'Ambrosio, Vecino, Borja Valero, Brozovic and Lazaro in midfield, Lautaro Martinez and Lukaku in attack. An emergency also for Montella, who lost Ribery for at least two months during the week (ankle surgery, he will return in February) and who will therefore have to give up his best man. The purple 3-5-2 will see Dragowski between the posts, Milenkovic, Pezzella and Caceres in the back, Lirola, Pulgar, Badelj, Castrovilli and Dalbert in the midfield, Chiesa and Vlahovic as an offensive duo.
Juve will be an interested spectator, hoping to enjoy the postponement at the top of the standings, albeit awaiting the response of others. The victory against Udinese is almost mandatory, especially after the last matches which yielded only one point, with the logical consequence of having lost the lead in the championship. A response of character arrived in Leverkusen above all by the highest quality men, which is why, in the following days, there was a lot of talk about the "Dygualdo", that is to say the Dybala-Higuain-Ronaldo trident that drives the fans crazy. Sarri however, despite a not indifferent media campaign, does not seem to have changed his mind on a solution he himself, in unsuspecting times, branded as "for bars".
“Certain conditions are needed for Ronaldo, Higuain and Dybala to play together – he reiterated at the press conference. – Udinese is also a dangerous team, we will have to be very careful. Champions League matches take away energy especially from a mental point of view, we've already had to pay for it three times. We need to take a step forward from this point of view”. This time however, thanks to a ranking that no longer sees her in the lead, Juventus shouldn't have any lapses in concentration, also because the calendar does not allow for errors: on Wednesday it will already be time to think about Sampdoria after which the year will end with the Super Cup final against Inzaghi's Lazio.
Sarri must therefore give up the disqualified Cuadrado and Pjanic he will rely on a different 4-3-1-2 than usual with Szczesny in goal, Danilo, Bonucci, De Ligt and Alex Sandro in defense, Emre Can, Bentancur and Matuidi in midfield, Bernardeschi in the frontline, Dybala and Ronaldo in attack. Gotti will respond with a 3-5-2 that will see Musso in goal, De Maio, Troost-Ekong and Nuytinck in the back, Ter Avest, Fofana, Mandragora, De Paul and Larsen in the midfield, behind the offensive duo made up of Okaka and Lasagna.
