There will be only one left. Juventus-Milan (20.45 pm), already important regardless, takes on even more value after the victory of Napoli yesterday, which projects the Azzurri into the full Champions League area. And given that one place already belongs to champion Inter and that Atalanta are playing against the already relegated Parma (15 pm), it is clear that the match in Turin is a sort of play-off, even if not definitive given that there will still be no other three games. However, the feeling is that tonight's result could almost completely direct the two teams' race, so much so that the fear of losing could even be greater than the desire to win. The pressures are very high, for two clubs forced to win the Champions League at all costs: Juve in order not to sink in terms of budget, Milan in order not to further postpone their technical and economic relaunch.
And then there are the troubles that come from outside, especially for the Lady, ended up on the UEFA blacklist together with Real Madrid and Barcelona for not having yet abandoned the Super League, unlike the other 9 (including, for example, there is also the Devil). The tug of war with the highest European football institution is very tight, so much so that it cannot be excluded that Nyon uses a heavy hand, disqualifying the three aforementioned from the next cups, regardless of the results on the pitch. Scenario to be demonstrated (the court of Madrid, the registered office of the Super League, has already defined any provision of this type as illegitimate), but impossible to exclude: further irons in the fire on an already boiling eve of him. “Our goal is to qualify on the pitch, we don't look at what happens off the pitch – glossed over Pirlo, before talking about the match -. It was a week full of enthusiasm after Udine, that victory boosted our morale. I've seen the lads on the spot, I'm convinced they'll play the challenge well, there's a great desire to do well”.
An inspiration could come from the first leg, one of the best of the black and white season: that evening, after the 3-1 win at San Siro, there was talk of a Scudetto-worthy Juve, ready to contend for the title against Milan. One group later, however, everything changed and the two teams find themselves at fight for a place in the Champions League, with the awareness that, barring a few twists, only one of the two will be able to enter it. “The whole journey we've made must be useful to us, we have the possibility of demonstrating that we have become a mature team, attentive in reading situations and moments – Pioli's analysis -. It could be the turning point, we can beat the stadium taboo: we have the energy to complete this championship in the best way". In fact, the cabal says bad things to the Rossoneri, who in the previous 13 in this stadium have only obtained 2 draws, both in the Italian Cup, and 11 defeats: in short, a disaster, so much so that the last success at Juve dates back to 2011 ( 0-1, goal by Gattuso), the year of the last Scudetto won.
Milan will have to wake up on the most important night, the one that can decide the season, in the presence of a team that will however have exactly the same stimuli. Pirlo has recovered all the men, so he will be spoiled for choice: his 4-4-2 will see Szczesny in goal, Danilo, De Ligt, Chiellini and Alex Sandro in defense, Cuadrado, Bentancur, Rabiot and Chiesa in midfield, Morata and Ronaldo in attack. Surprise move instead for Pioli, oriented to leave both Leao and Rebic on the bench: the Rossoneri 4-2-3-1 will be made up of Donnarumma between the posts (by the way, the goalkeeper will be the special observer given the market rumours) , Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori and Hernandez in the back department, Bennacer and Kessié in the midfield, Saelemaekers, Brahim Diaz and Calhanoglu behind the lone striker Ibrahimovic. Atalanta could add further fuel, who want to beat Parma and take back second place, currently held by Napoli. The mission doesn't seem particularly prohibitive, especially since the ducals are already arithmetically relegated to Serie B, provided however that they don't take the challenge lightly and think they've already won it without even taking the field.
“We must have the utmost respect for Parma: relegated teams have already created problems for those who had goals in the past – warned Gasperini -. The motivations for us are very high, but the risk is to meet a team that is mentally free and stress-free, and therefore dangerous". The coach therefore doesn't trust him, which is why he won't think about the midweek match with Benevento, thus fielding the best formation, net of the suspended Gollini and the injured Toloi: the Nerazzurri 3-4-2-1 will see Sportiello in goal, Djimsiti , Romero and Palomino in defense, Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler and Gosens in midfield, Pessina and Malinovskyi behind lone striker Zapata. No goal for D'Aversa, however, who will try to get a small satisfaction with a 4-3-3 with Sepe in goal, Busi, Bruno Alves, Osorio and Pezzella in the back, Sohm, Grassi and Kurtic in the midfield, Kucka , Cornelius and Gervinho in attack.
No particular ranking ambitions instead for Rome and Crotone, one already cut out of the race for the most important cups, the other relegated to B together with Parma. On Friday, however, the Giallorossi ultras clamored to finish the season with dignity, partly to stimulate the team in view of the derby with Lazio, partly to follow up on the enthusiasm unleashed during the week after Mourinho's arrival . The Special One will certainly be in front of the TV, not so much for the result itself, but to get an idea of who can be part of his Rome. All of this interests Fonseca of little interest, but he too does not want to make up for another fool, which is why, after the mega turnover of the last few weeks, we will return to seeing a competitive 4-2-3-1 (at least on paper) with Fuzato in goal, Karsdorp, Kumbulla, Ibanez and Santon in defense, Darboe and Cristante in midfield, Pedro, Pellegrini and Mkhitaryan behind Borja Mayoral. Classic 3-5-2 instead for Cosmi, who will attempt the excellent scalp with Cordaz between the posts, Djidji, Magallan and Golemic in the back department, Molina, Messias, Cigarini, Benali and Reca in the midfield, Ounas and Simy in attack.
