The Champions League is held in Milan, at least until today. Inter and Milan they beat Udinese and Monza and keep second and third place, but if in the case of the Nerazzurri the result is already definitive (for this round, of course), the same is not the case for the Rossoneri, who will have to hope for a possible misstep by Rome and Atalanta, or at least one of the two. In fact, Mourinho and Gasperini, in the event of victories with Verona and Lecce, would hook Pioli at an altitude of 44, without forgetting Sarri's Lazio, delayed but still in the running and engaged today in Salerno.
Inter–Udinese 3-1, Inzaghi: “Victory very important, I'm very satisfied”
Inter can therefore smile, even if the match against Udinese it was far from easy, much less than the 3-1 final says. In fact, until the 73rd minute the result was still 1-1 (Lukaku penalty and equalizer by Lovric) and San Siro began to smell the wrong step, but then, a moment after having risked going under and probably compromising the game, here was the billiard shot by Mkhitaryan to resolve the situation, before that Lautaro closed everything with the solo of 3-1. Mission accomplished and second place secured, albeit with a few worries too many: a good encouragement to better prepare for the arrival of Porto, expected on Wednesday at the San Siro for the first leg of the round of XNUMX of the Champions League. "We knew it would be a difficult game, Udinese are a physical team that puts you in great difficulty, but we had an excellent first half, with the only drawback being the outgoing goal – the comment by Inzaghi -. We should have been a bit more protected on that occasion, but overall I'm very satisfied, it's an important victory that keeps us going. Lukaku? He is improving every day, we have great faith in him, he is putting a lot of effort into it, if he is playing as a starter it is because he is in good condition, even if he can certainly still improve".
Monza - Milan 0-1, Pioli: "It was a very positive week, we must continue like this"
Third consecutive victory for the Devil, now specialized in the "short muzzle". Even in Monza, just like with Turin and Tottenham, a goal (this time from Messias) was enough to take the full stake, confirming a newfound defensive solidity resulting from the new game system. The team, albeit in this new guise of so much struggle and little government, seems to have overcome the state of crisis, but to have definitive answers it will be better to wait for next Sunday, when Atalanta will arrive in San Siro in a real direct match for the Champions League. “We played a very good second half in the first half, then we had to overcome the pressure from Monza with more incisive movements from our forwards – Pioli's analysis -. We absolutely have to continue with this compactness, they were three very important victories, even if the Champions League one doesn't allow us to be too serene. If we continue not to concede goals we have the qualities to win, we start from here with great strength, only by continuing like this we can return to having great results".
Spezia – Juventus (18pm, Dazn)
One of the highlights of Sunday will certainly be that of Spezia, where the hosts, fresh from the exemption of Gotti (tomorrow Semplici will be made official, while today Lorieri will be on the bench), will receive Juventus. It goes without saying that both need points, because if it is true that the bianconeri, although they do not currently have a real goal in the standings (a lot will depend on the Coni Guarantee College, which will remove or confirm the current minus 15), they must win at all costs, it is also that the Ligurians, fourth from last and closely followed by Verona, have the same obligation. In addition to the public at the Peak, the Europa League will take care of rebalancing the values on the pitch a bit, both from an athletic and mental point of view, even if Allegri does not want to hear about distractions.
Allegri: "Let's only think about the pitch and our mini-goals"
“We have to continue following our mini-objectives – reiterated the Juventus coach -. We have Turin, Udinese and Monza on equal points, the goal is to catch up with the teams in front of us. The match against Spezia is complicated, on a difficult pitch, against a team that creates a lot and has also done well against Napoli and Atalanta. A fair performance will be needed, made up of great attention, determination and good technique, we need to climb as many positions as possible in the standings, regardless of what happens off the pitch. We have to work on the points made, otherwise we lose touch with reality".
Spezia – Juventus, the formations: Chiesa not called up, in front it's up to Kean
However, past and future European efforts forced Allegri to shuffle the cards at his disposal, also in order not to risk new injuries. This is the case of Chiesa, who will be left to rest in view of Nantes, but also of Vlahovic and Szczesny, both on the bench to recover their energy. The Juventus 3-5-1-1 will thus see Perin in goal, Rugani, Bonucci and Danilo in defence, Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot and Kostic in midfield, Di Maria behind lone striker Kean. Lorieri, interim coach of Spezia, will respond with a 3-5-2 with Dragowski between the posts, Amian, Caldara and Nikolaou in the back, Gyasi, Bourabia, Ampadu, Agudelo and Reca in the midfield, Nzola and Shomurodov in attack.
Rome – Verona (20.45 pm, Dazn)
The rest of Sunday will live on the Champions-salvation cross-fight, starting with the postponement between Rome and Verona. The Giallorossi come from the defeat in Salzburg and have a great desire for redemption, also because the first goal of the season remains fourth place. However, they will face one of the most fit teams in the championship, given that the yellow and blues have only lost against Inter since the beginning of 2023, managing to reopen the race to stay in Serie A. A match to be taken with a grain of salt in short, also because Mourinho will have to do without Dybala, who came out battered from Salzburg and rested in view of the return leg. The Giallorossi 3-4-2-1 will thus see Rui Patricio in goal, Mancini, Smalling and Ibanez in defense, Celik, Cristante, Bove and Zalewski in midfield, El Shaarawy and Volpato in the frontline, Abraham in attack. The same game system also for Zaffaroni, who will respond with Montipò in goal, Magnani, Hien and Coppola in the back, Depaoli, Tameze, Duda and Doig in the midfield, Ngonge and Lazovic behind the lone striker Gaich.
Atalanta – Lecce (12.30, Dazn and Sky sports)
Similar prerogatives also for the match in Bergamo, with one significant difference: Atalanta don't make cups, so they will be fresh, rested and concentrated for today's match against Baroni's Lecce, their avengers in the first leg. The Nerazzurri are doing well and have all the credentials to take back the Champions League after a year's "break", the Giallorossi have a calm standings and can play it head-on, trying to further enhance an already very positive season. Gasperini knows well that these are points that weigh and will try to get them with the best possible formation, net of the absences of Hateboer (season over) and Zapata, therefore 3-4-3 with Musso in goal, Toloi, Palomino and Djimsiti in defense , Maehle, Ederson, Koopmeiners and Zappacosta in midfield, Boga, Hojlund and Lookman up front. 4-3-3 also required for Baroni's Lecce, who will attempt the coup with Falcone between the posts, Gendrey, Baschirotto, Umtiti and Gallo in the back, Askildsen, Hjulmand and Blin in the midfield, Strefezza, Colombo and Di Francesco in the offensive trident.
Salernitana – Lazio (15 pm, Dazn)
Very interesting match also at the Arechi, where Sarri's Lazio, back from the victory in the Conference against Cluj, will face Paulo Sousa's Salernitana, making their debut after taking Nicola's place. The grenades, sucked into the fight for salvation after the knockout in Verona, promise battle but Lazio, dry of victories since the 4-0 defeat of Milan on 24 January (since then two draws with Fiorentina and Verona and the defeat against Atalanta), he must start running again, on pain of saying goodbye to his Champions League ambitions. However, Sarri will have to do without two very titular players such as Zaccagni (suspended) and Romagnoli (injured), so his will be a different 4-3-3 than usual with Provedel in goal, Marusic, Casale, Patric and Hysaj in defense, Milinkovic- Savic, Cataldi and Luis Alberto in midfield, Felipe Anderson, Immobile and Pedro in attack. The same game system for Paulo Sousa's first Salernitana, who will attempt the coup with Ochoa between the posts, Sambia, Lovato, Bronn and Bradaric in the back department, Coulibaly, Bohinen and Vilhena in the midfield, Candreva, Piatek and Bonazzoli in the offensive trident.
