Looking for the third. Milan e Juventus they look for another win after the ones obtained with Genoa e Salernitana, both met last week, albeit with reversed fields. Today, however, the bar is raised, because the Rossoneri will visit Udinese under the new interim coach Cioffi (20 pm), while the Bianconeri will visit Zanetti's Venice (45 pm).
Two trips to the north-east, not impossible but still insidious, especially after the efforts of the Champions League which, as everyone knows, produced opposite results. In fact, for a Juve that qualified even earlier, there is a Milan eliminated from everything, who now however want to make up for it immediately in the league, to guarantee themselves the lead in the standings regardless of what they will do tomorrow Inter e Napoli.
Pioli would have reiterated it, in all probability, in the classic conference on the eve, but the flu knocked him out and the meeting with the press was skipped: the malignant ones would say that it is the umpteenth injury of the season, if it weren't for the quick recovery of the coach, who regularly took to the field to direct training. However, his thought is known to all, also because it was reaffirmed in the post Liverpool, and consists in gritting his teeth until the Christmas break, therefore tonight in Udine and next Sunday in the big match against Napoli, to then take advantage of the holidays to recover someone and, perhaps, wait for help from the transfer market.
The latest news tell of a Caldara, currently on loan to Venice, ready to return to the base, at least to buffer the central emergency on a numerical level, without however forgetting the candidacies of young people Badiashile of Monaco e Omeragic of Zurich. The top of the standings, therefore, does not change the young project of Maldini and Massara, oriented to shore up the squad, not to overturn it, also because the same, once the infirmary has been emptied, is perfectly capable of holding up the season, especially now that the European commitments are over. First, however, there are two games not to be missed, starting with this one in Udine, which the Rossoneri will try to win with the usual 4-2-3-1 with Maignan in goal, Florenzi, Tomori, Romagnoli and Hernandez in defence, Tonali and Bennacer in midfield, Saelemaekers, Diaz and Krunic behind the lone striker Ibrahimovic.
Cioffi, who took over from Gotti after the exemption decided by the Pozzos, is aware that his role is temporary, but also that a good performance could lead the owners to confirm him until the end of the season: the opportunity is tempting and the coach will try to exploit it relying on a 4-4-2 with Silvestri in goal, Nehuen Perez, Becao, Nuytinck and Udogie in the back, Soppy, Walace, Arslan and Deulofeu in the midfield, Success and Beto in attack.
A little less than three hours before, however, it will be the turn of Juventus, called to clear the not simple field of Venice. The lagoon players are one of the surprises of this Serie A and at Penzo, despite all the limitations of a squad built to save themselves, they have always had their say, beating two decidedly more popular teams such as Fiorentina e Roma and also putting Inter and Verona in difficulty.
In short, the test seems more serious than the last ones with Salernitana, Genoa and Malmoe, where the black and whites did indeed win, but always with rather limited differences. "We have to do better in the scoring percentages, we're way below average, we need to be more lucid and bad at goal sills - he confirmed Allegri -. With Venezia it can become a game at risk if we don't interpret it well, but I think the lads have understood the difficulties and will certainly do well. We'll have to play on an equal footing both in terms of mentality and physically: if we put ourselves on the same level, technical qualities will make the difference."
The road plan, moreover, provides for a clear route up to the Christmas stop, in the hope that someone up there will lose a few points, thus trying to re-enter the Champions League fight, but also not to lose contact with Fiorentina and the two Romans, all piled up in just a few points.
Venice can thus become a very important match and Allegri, to win it, will confirm the 4-2-3-1 of the last outings with Szczesny in goal, De Sciglio, Bonucci, De Ligt and Alex Sandro in defence, Bentancur and Locatelli in midfield, Cuadrado, Dybala and Bernardeschi on the trocar, Morata in attack. Classic 4-3-3 instead for Zanetti, who will attempt the feat with Romero between the posts, Mazzocchi, Caldara, Svoboda and Molinaro in the back department, Crnigoj, Ampadu and Busio in the midfield, Aramu, Henry and Johnsen in the offensive trident.
