Now it's getting serious. The championship restarts after the break for the national teams and thus enters its hottest phase, the one in which European titles and positions are assigned. In short, there is no margin for error, even if the classification inevitably does not see everyone on an equal footing. Conte's Inter, for example, begins this final rush with a 6-point lead over Milan and 10 over Juve, but only the latter are "real": compared to the Rossoneri, in fact, there is still the match against Sassuolo from recover, which could bring the distances back to a much greater amount. However, the Nerazzurri coach doesn't like all of this, much more at ease when it comes to keeping the team on the tightrope, especially after a long break (in his case, the last match dates back to the 2-1 win over Turin on 14 March) and on the eve of an apparently affordable match like the one with Bologna (20.45).
“The mistake not to make right now is to talk, you have to keep quiet, head down and work – he warned in the press conference -. The pressure? It's normal for a team like Inter, we'll need to be very careful, we're facing an excellent team led by a very good coach”. In short, woe to relaxation, also because the week that begins today can be decisive for the purposes of the Scudetto: in fact, with 9 points between Bologna, Sassuolo and Cagliari, the goal would be really close. The triptych in question, combined with the commitments of the national teams and a few too many ailments (Perisic stopped due to muscle fatigue, De Vrij has just recovered from Covid), will induce Conte to a pinch of turnover and therefore to a 3-5-2 with Handanovic in goal, Skriniar, Ranocchia and Bastoni in defense, Hakimi, Barella, Brozovic, Eriksen and Young in midfield, Lautaro and Lukaku in attack.
Classic 4-2-3-1 also for Mihajlovic, who will respond with Ravaglia in goal (Skorupski is positive), Tomiyasu, Danilo, Soumaoro and Dijks in the back, Schouten and Svanberg in the midfield, Skov Olsen, Soriano and Sansone behind of the single point Barrow. The Nerazzurri will take the field last, therefore already knowing the results of Milan and Juventus. The Rossoneri, on the other hand, will open the day at San Siro against Sampdoria (12.30), with the goal of winning and shortening again, albeit partially, on the leaders. “The decisive moment arrives – Pioli confirmed – All the matches will be difficult and we have to give our best, we want to get to the end of the season without regrets, playing for Milan. The threshold to reach the Champions League is 75 points, but we totally believe in what we do and we don't set ourselves limits". The Rossoneri believe in it, but they know they can no longer make mistakes: a comeback, as well as some missteps by Inter, depends on an almost perfect Filotto, starting today.
Pioli will have to do without Romagnoli, Calabria, Leao and the usual Mandzukic, but the accident emergency, compared to the death a few weeks ago, can be considered archived. His 4-2-3-1 will thus see Donnarumma in goal, Saelemaekers, Kjaer, Tomori and Hernandez in defense, Kessié and Bennacer in midfield, Castillejo, Calhanoglu and Rebic behind the lone striker Ibrahimovic. 4-4-2 also for Ranieri, who will rely on Audero between the posts, Bereszynski, Colley, Tonelli and Augello in the back, Candreva, Thorsby, Adrien Silva and Damsgaard in the midfield, Quagliarella and Gabbiadini in attack. However, the most captivating match of the day will be staged in Turin, where Nicola's grenades will receive Juventus (18 pm). For the first time in years, the Mole derby is worth a lot for both, given that if the hosts are in desperate need of salvation points, even the black and whites are no joke.
The defeat against Benevento left many aftermaths, they did the rest the rumors about Lippi's return (never denied by anyone), the problems with Covid (Bonucci and Demiral positive) and, above all, the unfortunate party in which McKennie, Arthur and Dybala took part, punished by both the carabinieri and the company. “The three players involved are not called up, they will return to the group over time – explained Pirlo -. It wasn't the time to do something like this, we are examples and it's not right that we behave like this. Now we only have to think about the derby, it will have to be faced with anger and the desire to win even to cancel Benevento. My future? I think game after game and doing my job, then it's clear that if you lose 10 out of 10 it's right to go home…”. In reality it would be enough to lose two, i.e. this one and the one on Wednesday with Napoli, to risk the turnaround: in fact, despite having by now familiarized with the idea of giving up the Scudetto after 9 years of triumphs, the Lady really cannot afford to stay out of the Champions area.
That's why the derby, in the light of all this, becomes heavy for her too, forced to win despite the numerous absences, intentional and otherwise. Pirlo will set aside the pre-break super offensive system by virtue of a more balanced 4-4-2 with Szczesny in goal, Cuadrado, De Ligt, Chiellini and Danilo in defence, Ramsey, Bentancur, Rabiot and Chiesa in midfield, Morata and Ronaldo in attack. Nicola, on the other hand, will respond with a 3-5-2 that will see Sirigu in goal, Izzo, Bremer and Buongiorno in the back, Ansaldi, Mandragora, Rincon, Linetty and Murru in the midfield, Belotti and Sanabria as an offensive couple.
