Judgment day. The 27th round of the championship won't decide anything at a mathematical level but it will certainly direct the continuation of the championship in a lot. Naples-Rome, Lazio-Juventus and the Milan derby: even an alien landed from Mars would immediately understand that this is a top-level weekend, which projects Serie A to the top of all European tournaments. The Scudetto and the fight against the Champions League intertwine in a breathtaking two days, with the awareness that after that, whatever the results, nothing will be the same again. It starts from the Olimpico and from a Lazio-Juve (18 pm) that no one can make a mistake: the bianconeri, forced to win in order not to give Napoli the chance of a "real" escape (the current one, in fact, is in any case linked to the match to be recovered against Atalanta), the biancocelesti, entangled in a crazier Champions race than ever.
Difficult to go overboard in predictions of all kinds, even considering the variants that revolve around the match. Juve has the advantage of being fresher than a Lazio back from 120' more penalties on Wednesday, but also the "burden" of the imminent London match against Tottenham, as well as some important absences. “Stimuli cancel everything – Allegri glossed over. We are ready and they will surely be too. They have grown a lot, they concede little, they are technically good and physically strong. We will have to be very careful."
In short, the Champions League will only be thought of from tomorrow morning, also because the absences (Cuadrado, Bernardeschi, De Sciglio and, above all, Higuain, whose presence in London is still at risk) do not allow for a particular turnover. Allegri will field a 4-3-3 with Buffon in goal, Lichtsteiner, Benatia, Barzagli and Alex Sandro in defence, Khedira, Pjanic and Matuidi in midfield, Douglas Costa, Dybala and Mandzukic in attack. On the Lazio front, there is a great desire for redemption after the bitter disappointment on Wednesday, which saw the elimination from the Italian Cup at the end of a 120' battle. A double mockery for Simone Inzaghi, who decided to get back up against that Lady already beaten twice this season, once in the Super Cup and the other in the league.
“They were two great companies and, if we want to repeat ourselves, we'll need another one – the coach's words. – When you lose a semi-final like that, there can be disappointment but I'm sure my parents will have recovered all their energies to the maximum". Compared to the match against Milan the injured Caceres and the suspended Marusic will be missing, for the rest, however, it will be a regular 3-5-1-1 with Strakosha in goal, Wallace, De Vrij and Radu in defence, Basta, Parolo, Lucas Leiva, Milinkovic-Savic and Lulic in midfield, Luis Alberto in support of the sole tip Immobile.
Shortly after (20.45 pm) the San Paolo will turn on the spotlights, for a Napoli-Roma match that will be even more important in the light of what happened at the Olimpico. Sarri hopes to have the chance to really detach Juve, Di Francesco to take back third place at the expense of Lazio. The week was very different for the two coaches: serene and full of compliments for the blue, also promoted internationally after the spectacular 5-0 in Cagliari, full of tensions and controversies for the Giallorossi, catapulted out of the Champions League area by the internal debacle with Milan and criticized for some drafts coming out of Trigoria, which would have seen him rather confused in relating to the players on formations and training choices. “I always listen to the boys but then the decisions are mine and they are required to respect them – snorted Di Francesco. – It annoys me when availability is exchanged for lack of character”.
Maybe, but certainly the match against Napoli is not ideal for recovering from a defeat. The Azzurri are going through a magical period, made up of 10 consecutive victories, with 25 goals scored and only 5 conceded. Impressive numbers, which really authorize you to aim for the Scudetto. Sarri can also count on weeks free from any commitment, which is why his 4-3-3, now more than ever, is that of the very titular players with Reina in goal, Hysaj, Albiol, Koulibaly and Mario Rui in defense, Allan, Jorginho and Hamsik in midfield, Callejon, Mertens and Insigne in attack. The same game system also for Di Francesco, who will respond with Alisson in goal, Florenzi, Manolas, Fazio and Kolarov in the back, Nainggolan, De Rossi and Strootman in the midfield, Under, Dzeko and Perotti in the offensive trident.
