Il Derby some great disappointments. Juventus-Milan It's never a match like the others, but this act number 241 (178 in Serie A) is certainly one of the saddest in recent years. In fact, the Rossoneri and Bianconeri will not compete for a trophy, but for a much less attractive second place, even more so in the week that saw Inter become Italian champions. Even the two coaches are not going through easy times, on the contrary: Pioli, in fact, already knows that his AC Milan experience is coming to an end and even Allegri, despite having just won the Italian Cup final, is more outside than inside the Juventus project. Win today it would change little for both of them, yet it becomes fundamental for the dignity of their respective seasons: it would already be something, waiting to turn the page and dream of better times.
Juventus – Milan (18pm, Dazn)
Last October 22nd, the day of the last precedent, Juventus and Milan dreamed of winning the scudetto, or at least bothering Inter until the end of the championship. Six months later, however, everything is different, starting with the stimuli of the two teams. The many points behind the Nerazzurri weigh heavily, but they are not the only element that impoverishes this match between the Bianconeri and the Rossoneri. Juve comes from a very complicated period, in which they only collected 12 points in as many championship matches, while Milan crisis it began more recently, but it is no less serious for this. L'elimination from the Europa League by Roma he literally picked Pioli's certainties, the Derby lost last Monday, with the delivery of the Scudetto to Inter, he did the rest. Both must find motivation to finish the season well, otherwise the month of May will be a real agony.
In this sense it seems to be better there Juventus, both because the Champions League qualification, although close, is not yet safe, both for one final of the Italian Cup (15 May against Atalanta) which could bring back a trophy after three years of absolute lean. Milan, on the other hand, cannot cling to external factors, but only to the pride of those who do not want to destroy even the last remnants of the Pioli era, now at the end of the credits: the coach of the Scudetto, who has come into the sights of De Laurentiis (but first he will have to reach an agreement with Via Aldo Rossi), he will leave after five years of lights and shadows, while what will happen next, at the moment, is still to be written. The names circulating are all foreign and do little to warm the hearts of the fans, perhaps even that of Ibrahimovic, who is determined to have the last word on the issue, under penalty of leaving his seat after less than six months of presence. The climate at Juventus is less stormy, but there is just as much uncertainty: Allegri, tied by another year of contract (at figures decidedly higher than those of Pioli), knows that Joints would gladly open a cycle with Thiago Motta, which doesn't help him to face the next matches in the best possible way.
Allegri: “Head to the Champions League goal. Inter are the strongest, I said it and they called me crazy"
“It's always Juventus-Milan, a beautiful and important match – he underlined Allegri -. Nice to play, because it's a direct clash, Milan is a strong team, well trained and with quality players. Certainly the passage to the Italian Cup means that we have partially achieved an objective and gives us the possibility of playing in a final, now there are three important matches to try to enter the Champions League. When you are at Juventus everyone must have the ambition to win, then if the others are better, you have to work to improve. For an Italian club the important thing is to qualify for the Champions League, for us reaching our goals would be a success, then everyone likes to win, but we have to reach our goal. Did Pioli say that Inter are the strongest in recent years? I don't know, I just know that when I said it I was thought to be crazy... I can only say that we are focused on our goal which is the Champions League, which is important both from a sporting and economic point of view. The last word hasn't been said yet, there are 15 points up for grabs: we have to get back to winning ways and it won't be easy."
Pioli: “We have to get up. Inter? It has been the strongest for four years, but has only won two championships..."
“We cannot stop at these negative results, we must have the desire for redemption – he explained Pioli -. Of course we must have the pride and strength to remain united to win the remaining matches between now and the end of the championship, we are professionals, we are attached to what we do. We suffer from this situation, but we have the duty to have broad shoulders, to get up and then put our best possible performances on the field. Inter have been the strongest team in the championship for 4 years and have only won two championships, but we have never been the best team: we tried to fight for the top positions, sometimes we succeeded and sometimes less so. We gave everything mentally, but we weren't always able to raise our level of play. In these almost 5 years there have been no middle ground, or very positive or very negative moments. I can't say if this is the worst, but it is the closest and therefore also the most painful. If I could change the outcome of the derbies I would give everything I have, but it can't be done anymore."
Juventus – Milan, the probable lineups
- Juventus (3-5-2): Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Weah, Cambiaso, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Vlahovic, Church
- Coach: Allegri
- Disqualified: none
- Unavailable: Pogba, Beans
- Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Musah, Gabbia, Thiaw, Florenzi; Bennacer, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Giroud
- Coach: Pioli
- Disqualified: Calabria, Theo Hernandez, Tomori
- Unavailable: Caldara, Pobega, Kalulu, Kjaer, Jovic
Lazio – Verona (20.45pm, Dazn and Sky)
The spotlight is also on at the Olimpico, where the Lazio of Tudor will try to make up for the Cup disappointment against Verona. Here too, just as in the case of Juventus-Milan, there is work to be done first and foremost from a psychological point of view, given that the Italian Cup was the last remaining major objective. There would still be a fifth place to try to achieve, but Roma's victory in Udine and the presence of Atalanta make it really complicated. To date the most concrete objective for the team Tudor is undoubtedly theEuropa League, even if the scenarios for the next Europe are still very fluid: the possibility of bringing six teams into the next Champions League exists (one between Roma and Atalanta must win the cup and not be in the top four in the championship) and Lazio has the duty to try. Up front there will be a fierce Verona, determined to consolidate a decidedly unlikely salvation in January, but which has become possible thanks to the excellent work of Baroni, very good at rebuilding a competitive team despite the dismantling decided by the owners. For Tudor, who moved to Hellas in the 2021/22 season (ninth place and just missed the points record), this is not a match like the others, but his interest goes beyond the current ranking. The Croatian coach is doing general rehearsals for the next season, therefore they are all under examination: the final of the championship, in short, will also give important indications for the future and it is clear that entering Europe would have its weight.
Tudor: “We can't influence other people's results, but winning is fundamental”
“We only had one day of training to prepare for a super important match, it's the most difficult because it closes a cycle of many matches in just a few days – the thought of Tudor -. We can't make mistakes, all the points are important, we have to win: Verona is a tough team and on track, it will be very complicated for us also because they are playing for survival, and in any case in Italy there are no easy matches. The balance after my first month in Lazio? The difficulties are always linked to the few days of training and the knowledge of the team which is still missing, the good thing however is the availability of the players, I found them all very willing to not make any mistakes. If I believe in fifth place? At this moment all the points are important, then we cannot influence the other matches, there is no point thinking about it and wasting time: the energy must be spent on our team and our matches."
Lazio – Verona, the probable lineups
- Lazio (3-4-2-1): Mandas; Patric, Romagnoli, Casale; Marusic, Guendouzi, Cataldi, Hysaj; Luis Alberto, Felipe Anderson; Castellanos
- Coach: Tudor
- Disqualified: none
- Unavailable: Provedel, Gila
- Verona (4-2-3-1): Montipò; Centonze, Coppola, Magnani, Cabal; Serdar, Duda; Suslov, Folorunsho, Lazovic; Noslin
- Coach: Baroni
- Disqualified: none
- Unavailable: Cruz
