A Saturday at high altitude. Apart from Juventus, engaged in Bologna tomorrow, all the top teams in our league will take to the field starting with leaders Inter, the first to open matchday 17. The match between the Nerazzurri and Udinese in fact will kick off (15 pm), closely followed by Turin-Naples (18 pm) and Rome-Cagliari (20.45 pm), for a Saturday that will not give definitive sentences but still important indications in the fight for the Scudetto. Races that are not prohibitive but certainly interesting, also because the three big names in question are veterans of slightly bouncy trials. Inter in league format has never disappointed, on the contrary, the one in the Coppa Italia version has, while Napoli and Roma are returning from two rather opaque draws and must necessarily win again.
Let's also assume that today's opponents are all in very good form and the picture is done: victories are possible but not discounted. "Against il Pordenone I made a mistake, I changed too much but now I want to restart from our certainties – the thought of Spalletti. – We want to confirm our lead in the standings and keep it for as long as possible, up against us we will find a Udinese team that has strength and quality and that's why I can't sleep notte but I trust my Inter a lot”. The imperative is to erase the suffering (in any case with a good end) of the Cup and find the solid and concrete championship team again, therefore the coach will repeat the 4-2-3-1 seen at Juve's home with Handanovic in goal, D'Ambrosio, Skriniar, Miranda and Santon on defense, Vecino e Borja Valero in midfield, Candreva, Brozovic e Perisic behind the sole point Icardi.
“Let's not be fooled by what happened with Pordenone, this will be another story – Oddo replied. – Hardly Spalletti misses two games in a row, even though the law of large numbers says that sooner or later, perhaps, he will lose a game…”. The Udinese coach hopes it will be this, especially since his team, since he arrived, has slipped three victories out of four races, including the Italian Cup. At San Siro the Friulians will take the field with 3-5-2 with Bizzarri between the posts, Nuytinck, Danilo and Larsen in the back department, Widmer, Barak, Fofana, Yankee e Adnan in the median, A wig and Lasagna up front. Soon after it will be the turn of Naples, which depending on what will happen in Milan will be able to fight to regain first place or to keep second. The away match in Turin is insidious, also because it comes at the most difficult moment of the Azzurri season. The last period in fact has somewhat dirtied the perfect picture drawn in the first two months, especially the last week that saw the team of Sarri lose to Juve, exit the Champions League and draw at home with Fiorentina. All with the misery of a single goal scored, testifying to an unprecedented situation for those who, until recently, traveled by inflating the goals of all of Italy.
Finding the door will be essential starting today and Sarri he hopes that Insigne's return will help solve the problem: after all, with Lorenzinho in the field, the music is definitely different. In Turin we will see the 4-3-3 type with Queen in goal, Hysaj, Albiol, Koulibaly and Mario Rui in defense, Allan, Jorginho and Hamsik in midfield, Callejon, Mertens and Insigne in attack. Be careful though ai grenade, who after the victory over Lazio have returned to dreaming of Europe and absolutely do not want to surrender to Naples without a fight. Mihajlovic he will play it with the same system as the Azzurri relying on Sirigu between the posts, De Silvestri, N'Kolou, Burdisso e Molinaro in the back department, Rincon, Valdifiori e Baselli in the median behind the offensive trident Iago Falque-Belotti-Ljajic. Il postponement in the evening, on the other hand, Roma will be on stage Di Francesco, who will host Diego Lopez's Cagliari at the Olimpico. Thorny match and not only for the value of the Sardinians, definitely reinvigorated by the care of the Uruguayan coach who brought 11 points in 7 days. The Giallorossi in fact they will then have the Coppa Italia and, above all, the pre-Christmas away match at Juve, important commitments that could affect their heads and legs.
“I pretend to get to the bottom of all competitions, if you will improve ourselves we must be ambitious – replied Di Francesco. – Those who are satisfied fall, you always have to play to win and think game after game”. In short, there will be turnover, but nothing transcendental. The big name that could be left out is that of Nainggolan, if only because he is warned and therefore at risk for Turin. The remaining 4-3-3 however will be quello type with Alisson in goal, Florenzi, Manolas, John Jesus e Kolarov in defense, Pellegrini, De Rossi and Strootman in midfield, Perotti, Dzeko e Schick in attack. Classic 3-5-2 instead for Diego Lopez, who will try the coup with Rafael between the posts, Pisacane, Andreolli and Romagna in the back department, Padoin, stretcher, Cigars, Ionite and Van The Wiel in the median behind the offensive pair formed by Pavoletti and Joao Pedro.
