Tour de force, first act. The championship starts again and, above all, a very busy period of matches begins, especially for those who will have to divide their forces also on the European cups. This is the case of Juventus and Napoli, the first to take the field on this third day precisely by virtue of the midweek appointments, which will see them engaged against Sevilla and Dinamo Kiev. However, we will only think about the Champions League from tomorrow: in fact, today is the day of the championship and our heads will have to be focused on Sassuolo and Palermo, otherwise we risk running into some trap. The most difficult match would seem to be that of Juve (18 pm), if only because Di Francesco's black and greens, without the penalty by the sports judge, would have the same points as him. Instead it won't be like this but it doesn't matter: Sassuolo will have nothing to lose and will try to have their say. “It's a solid reality, I expect a hard-fought match – thought Massimiliano Allegri. – I am attached to that team and to president Squinzi, having said that we will try to win because it would be important to start this complicated cycle in the best possible way”. Juve, already overwhelmed by their own (as against anyone, after all), will be able to benefit from Higuain and Pjanic, finally ready to take the field from the start, as well as the heavy absences of Di Francesco, who will have to give up the unavailable Berardi and Defrel . Allegri will bet on a 3-5-2 with Buffon in goal, Benatia, Bonucci and Chiellini in defense, Lichtsteiner, Khedira, Pjanic, Asamoah and Alex Sandro in midfield, Higuain and Dybala in attack, Sassuolo will respond with the usual 4-3 -3: Consigli between the posts, Gazzola, Cannavaro, Acerbi and Peluso in the back department, Biondini, Magnanelli and Duncan in the midfield, Ragusa, Matri and Politano in the offensive trident.
At 20.45 instead it will be Napoli's turn, called to take the 3 points in the insidious away game in Palermo. The rosanero, already good (and lucky) in stopping Inter before the break, will try to exploit the surprise factor represented by De Zerbi, who arrived during the week in place of the outgoing Ballardini. “It's a match that hides great dangers for us – admitted Maurizio Sarri. – Last year, after the away breaks against medium-level teams, we often achieved bad results. It will be a test to see if, on a mental level, we have grown". The coach really hopes so, also because from today the margin of error is greatly reduced. The 7 matches in 22 days represent both a physical and mental obstacle and this regardless of the difficulty of the calendar, all in all affordable. “It's the madness of the current calendar – repeated Sarri -. With all these commitments and the breaks for the national teams, it's not possible to train the players, I really think we should reflect and take a step back". To date, however, things are like this (throughout Europe) and the coach will have to come to terms with it and face the tough period in the best possible way. However, at least for now, there should be no trace of turnover. In fact, at Barbera we will see the classic blue 4-3-3 with Reina in goal, Hysaj, Albiol, Koulibaly and Ghoulam in defense, Allan, Jorginho and Hamsik in midfield, Callejon, Milik and Mertens in attack. De Zerbi (in the grandstand due to disqualification) will attempt the coup with a mirror form that will see Posavec between the posts, Rispoli, Goldaniga, Vitiello and Aleesami in the back department, Hiljemark, Bruno Enrique and Gazzi in the midfield, Embalo, Diamanti and Bentivegna in the offensive trident .
