Juventus and Milan they get up again. The two wins on Udinese and Monza, both away, allow Thiago Motta and Fonseca to breathe some fresh air after the poisons of the last few days, they also put a bit of pressure on the competition, both in terms of title is Champions. Today the menu will be quite rich, starting with the lunch match between Naples and Atalanta (12 pm), a real head-to-head clash for the top spot, passing through Turin-Fiorentina (15) Verona-Rome (18) and Inter-Venice (20: 45).
Udinese – Juventus 0-2: the Bianconeri return to winning ways and see the Champions League again
A convincing victory for the Lady, who returned to smile after the ups and downs of the last few weeks. Udine was expected to be a difficult pitch, but the Bianconeri conquered it without too much effort, thanks to an excellent approach that translated into a double advantage already in the first half. Thiago Motta chose to relaunch Yildiz and Koopmeiners from the first minute, as well as confirming Vlahovic at the center of the attack, with Thuram and Locatelli doing the heavy lifting in the middle of the pitch. Winning moves, given that in the 19th minute it was the Frenchman who caused Okoye's own goal with a shot that first hit the post, and then went in thanks to a deflection by the Friulian goalkeeper. Runjaic's team reacted and created a couple of good chances, but found the response of an excellent Di Gregorio, in particular on Davis' close-range shot. In the 37th minute, Juventus doubled their lead with Savona, good and precise in hitting the net a sensational post hit by Yildiz, for a goal that gave confidence to the whole team. The result remained the same in the second half, despite both teams having had their chances: Juve with Vlahovic, Conceiçao and Koopmeiners, Udinese with a crossbar from Lucca with Di Gregorio beaten. Thiago Motta's men thus return to victory after the draws with Inter and Parma, reviewing the Champions League zone while waiting for today's matches. The hope is that someone among Napoli, Inter, Atalanta, Fiorentina and Lazio loses points, otherwise the games will go back to exactly how they were before.
Thiago Motta: “Team victory! The January market? We will do what is necessary”
“We achieved a great team victory, interpreting the match in the best way – Thiago Motta's satisfied comment -, In the first half we could have played a bit more, but we lacked depth especially with the wingers, even if we shouldn't forget that Udinese had always done well at home. In the second half, after the 2-0, we were able to reunite the team, defend well, counterattack... Thuram? I really liked his match, he was very careful in the defensive phase and arrived with great quality in attack. He has this characteristic of knowing how to hold his position, but at the same time to carry the ball, he is a very interesting guy. He scored a nice goal, but I have to underline the performance of the whole team. The January transfer market? When the time comes we will do the best thing together”.
Monza – Milan 0-1: a goal from Reijnders is enough for the Devils
Milan also returns to winning ways, pirates in Monza of “cortomuso”. The 0-1 at the U-Power Stadium should not deceive, because both the Rossoneri and the Brianza team had several opportunities to score and only chance meant that the score remained so meagre. The victory allows Fonseca to breathe and return to the edge of the Champions League zone, because if it is true that the competitors still have to play, it is also true that he too is missing the match in Bologna. A performance of chiaroscuro for the Devil, in light of a wrong approach (here we go again!) that could have given a very different direction to the match: Monza, in fact, had three very clear opportunities in the first half hour (two with Maldini and one with Pedro Pereira), in addition to scoring a goal disallowed by the referee for a foul by Bondo on Theo Hernandez. The Rossoneri also had their chances, confirming a first half without too many tactical schemes, in which the details proved decisive. Just before half-time, the decisive episode came courtesy of Reijnders, who was quick to deflect a ball blocked by Izzo on Morata into the goal: the Dutchman, returning from suspension, thus reaffirmed his centrality in Fonseca's eleven. In the second half, there was less spectacle and more competitive spirit, with Milan legitimizing the victory with good management, as well as with some sensationally wasted opportunities, Leao (who came on in the 63rd minute) above all. The Rossoneri thus achieved an important victory, perhaps even fundamental for the rest of the season: on Tuesday, there will be the "mission impossible" at Real Madrid's home and these three points allow them to face it with less suffering, regardless of how it ends.
Fonseca: “Important and deserved success. Leao? He came in well, ready for Madrid”
“Winning was very important, we had great moments during the match and I think we deserved to score more goals based on what we saw in the second half – Fonseca's analysis -. In the first half we were not very aggressive in the duels, but in the second I don't remember any opportunities from Monza. They had 2-3 chances to score with merit, at half-time we talked about things to correct defensively and then we controlled. I liked many of them, but I want to focus on Morata: he had his opportunities, but what he does for the team is magnificent. Without a doubt he was the man of the match, he had chances to score and didn't score, but he will do it soon. Leao? He came on well and that's the most important thing, I want to see reactions like that from someone like him. I think he's ready for Madrid and I am too, challenges like that galvanise me”.
Napoli – Atalanta (12:30, Dazn)
Let's now look at today's matches, starting with the Maradona match between Napoli and Atalanta. This is undoubtedly the big match of the day and not only because they will face the first and third in the class. The feeling, in fact, is that the Goddess seen in the last period could create problems for the Azzurri, or at least play on equal terms, which makes the comparison decidedly interesting. Conte comes from six consecutive victories, which become nine in the last ten: very important numbers, just like the 25 points collected out of 30 available. The city is dreaming, but Bergamo is no exception. In fact, Gasperini, after the usual complicated start (especially due to the comings and goings on the market), has found the "old" Atalanta capable of causing difficulty for anyone, as demonstrated by the five victories in the last six games between the league and the Champions League. The coach does not want to hear about a direct clash, but the standings say otherwise: the Goddess, in the event of a coup at the Maradona, would go just three points behind the leaders, officially putting themselves in the race for the Scudetto. The match comes at a very important moment of the season, given that next Sunday there will be Inter-Napoli: the Azzurri could create a void and really go on the run, or even end up losing the lead.
Conte: “Challenge for the Scudetto? They play in the Champions League, we don’t…”
“Atalanta is a strong team that won the Europa League last year, they should be counted among the strong ones – Conte thought -. I saw them with Arsenal, they should be complimented, but credit should be given to Gasperini, who has done an extraordinary job in recent years and who I respect. He was my coach when, injured, I asked to play in the Juventus Primavera. Atalanta is a reality, we must be careful and not underestimate them, they have a Champions League structure, those who don't play in the cups can have an advantage, but our squad is different from those who play in the cups. Maybe, thinking about last year, they will be the ones to underestimate Napoli... I don't know if it's a challenge for the Scudetto, for me it's not a problem and if so I'll leave it to you to decide, it's certainly a race between those who want to go to Europe and those who are already playing this year. Us for the Scudetto? I am a believer and a practicing believer, there have been football miracles in the past, but only one person can do them. I always pray and in my prayers there are the footballers so that they are well, I say this sincerely. Then it is always said that God sees and provides…”.
Napoli – Atalanta, the probable lineups
Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera; Anguissa, Gilmour, McTominay; Politano, Lukaku, Kvaratskhelia
On the bench: Caprile, Contini, Mazzocchi, Juan Jesus, Marin, Spinazzola, Zerbin, Folorunsho, Neres, Ngonge, Simeone, Raspadori
Coach: Conte
Unavailable: Lobotka
Disqualified: none
Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Retegui
On the bench: Rui Patricio, Rossi, Toloi, Palestra, Godfrey, Zappacosta, Pasalic, Samardzic, Cuadrado, Sulemana, Zaniolo, Kossonou, Brescianini
Coach: Gasperini
Unavailable: Scalvini, Scamacca
Disqualified: none
Inter – Venezia (20pm, Dazn)
In the evening it will be Inter's turn, awaiting the home challenge against Venezia. Needless to say, the Nerazzurri consider this round as favorable, in the hope that Atalanta will take points away from Napoli and transform the direct clash next Sunday into an opportunity to overtake. However, all this could only make sense in the case of a victory against Di Francesco's men, who are also coming from four points in the last two games against Monza and Udinese: a misstep, evidently, would only cause damage, which is why it should be avoided at all costs. From a technical point of view there should be no danger, but this year's Inter has already shown several problems of "concentration": only in this way can the 13 goals conceded in just 10 games be explained, 4 more than in the entire first half of last year. The slip against Juve, however, seems to have acted as a wake-up call, at least looking at what happened in Empoli, with Inzaghi's men so on point that they beat the Castellani with a clear 3-0. The coach wants his team to repeat themselves this evening, regardless of the result at the Maradona, and then face the week with a very high coefficient of difficulty that is coming (Arsenal will be on Wednesday and Napoli on Sunday, as previously mentioned).
Inter – Venezia, probable formations
Inter (3-5-2): Martinez; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Frattesi, Zielinski, Barella, Dimarco; Thuram, Lautaro
On the bench: Sommer, Di Gennaro, Palacios, Acerbi, Dumfries, Pavard, Calhanoglu, Asllani, Berenbruch, Mkhitaryan, Buchanan, Correa, Taremi, Arnautovic
Coach: Inzaghi
Unavailable: Carlos Augusto
Disqualified: none
Venice (3-5-2): Stankovic; Candela, Svoboda, Idzes; Zampano, Nicolussi Caviglia, Duncan, Busio, Haps; Pohjanpalo, Oristanio
On the bench: Joronen, Bertinato, Grandi, Carboni, Altare, Schingtienne, Sagrado, Sverko, Ellertsson, Doumbia, Crnigoj, Yeboah, El Haddad, Gytkjaer, Raimondo
Coach: Di Francesco
Unavailable: Bjarkason
Disqualified: none
Verona – Rome (18pm, Dazn and Sky)
Between Naples and Milan, we will have to connect with Verona, the scene of a Verona-Roma for strong hearts. No one can afford to make a mistake: not Hellas, coming off three consecutive defeats (six in the last seven days) and with Zanetti at high risk of dismissal, but not even Roma, called upon to provide continuity after the success over Torino. At stake, needless to say, is also Juric's bench, far from solid despite the 3 points of the midweek round. The coach, in fact, is still precarious and only a streak between the championship and the cup would allow him to remain in the saddle after the break, although the Friedkins' eventual plan B (or C, given that it would be the third coach) are far from clear. Verona, Union Saint-Gilloise and Bologna will decide his future, but they will also be very important for the club, determined to return to fighting for the top positions. The dressing room problems, made public by Juric himself, dominated the scene for days and days, but then came the success against Torino and the atmosphere relaxed a bit, as always after victories. The Croatian coach knows well that this is the only medicine to cure the patient, which is why he will seek continuity against an opponent who is anything but irresistible, but the only one capable of beating Napoli at the start of the season.
Juric: “We have to win, otherwise beating Torino will have been for nothing”
“We played a good game against Torino, but without the result tomorrow it will have been for nothing – confirmed Juric -. I expect the same mentality to overcome the away fever, the environment at Bentegodi pushes Verona a lot, and they also have fast and technical players. They have alternated good performances with bad ones, they will be mean, with a desire to redeem themselves and get a result. It will be very difficult. Dovbyk? We will see based on the last training session, who has recovered and who hasn't, then I will choose. They are all technical choices, he didn't train on Friday, he hasn't done anything since the last game. Dybala? On a human level, he understood the importance of showing up on the pitch and playing well. The game must be prepared to win: it's our key concept. He played the false 9, but also in other games he has always had greater freedom than others”.
Verona – Roma, probable formations
Verona (5-3-1-1): Montipò; Faraoni, Ghilardi, Coppola, Bradaric, Suslov; Serdar, Duda, Lazovic; Mosquera; Tengstedt
On the bench: Perilli, Berardi, Sarr, Okou, Daniliuc, Magnani, Kastanos, Dani Silva, Cisse, Alidou, Livramento, Lambourde, Harroui
Coach: Zanetti
Unavailable: Cruz, Frese, Dawidowicz
Disqualified: Tchatchoua, Belahyane
Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Angelino; Celik, Koné, Cristante, El Shaarawy; Pellegrini, Dybala; Dovbyk
On the bench: Ryan, Marin, Sangaré, Hummels, Abdulhamid, Le Fée, Dahl, Pisilli, Zalewski, Baldanzi, Paredes, Soulé, Shomurodov
Coach: Juric
Unavailable: Saelemaekers, Hermoso
Disqualified: none
