All together passionately. The Serie A, thanks to commitments Europeans just passed and the imminent ones of Super Cup, focuses on the challenges of the big teams all on Sunday, with the exception of Gasperini's Roma, the only one not to participate in the Riyadh event. And then, after a Saturday who saw the victories di Lazio (in nine!), Atalanta e Turin on Parma (0-1, Noslin), Cagliari (2-1, Scamacca's brace) and Cremonese (1-0, Vlasic), we start again with AC Milan-Sassuolo (12.30 pm), Udinese-Napoli (15) Genoa v Inter (18) and Bologna-Juventus (20.45pm), without forgetting the very delicate challenge for salvation between Fiorentina and Verona (15). A day that recalls times gone by, in short, waiting to complete the picture with Rome-Como tomorrow night.
Milan – Sassuolo (12:30 p.m., Dazn)
The Super Cup can wait. At least in the mind of Massimiliano Allegri, who wants to give top priority to the match against Sassuolo. For the Livorno-born coach, the real "final" is the one against Fabio Grosso's Neroverdi, because winning would mean flying to Riyadh with the certainty of first place in the league, perhaps alone (Napoli permitting). That's why Milan won't make any calculations or rotate any players. The starting lineup will be their first choice. Including Luka Modric, who at forty continues to dictate the tempo and playmaking as if the calendar didn't exist. The Croatian is the symbol of a Milan that Allegri wants focused, fierce, impervious to the distractions of December and the Super Cup eve atmosphere. Fofana and Leao won't be in the match, but they will still travel to Saudi Arabia: two key absences against Sassuolo, two crucial recoveries ahead of the semifinal against Conte's Napoli. At Milanello, the message was clear: no lapses in concentration. AC Milan has already paid the price against small and medium-sized teams, dropping seven points against Cremonese, Pisa, and Parma. Allegri doesn't want a fourth chapter in the saga and is preparing a strike team. Modric will once again be the playmaker, flanked by Loftus-Cheek and Rabiot, chosen for their physicality and impact in duels. Saelemaekers and Bartesaghi will operate on the flanks, while Pulisic will return to the starting lineup after scoring a decisive brace as a substitute alongside Nkunku, still chasing his first Serie A goal. Sassuolo remains a historically difficult opponent: they've been almost perfectly balanced in recent meetings, with three wins each and two draws, including the 3-3 draw in April 2024. The exception is the resounding 6-1 Rossoneri thrashing in the Coppa Italia last December. One final curiosity: the only time AC Milan-Sassuolo was played at San Siro at lunchtime, it was the Neroverdi who celebrated with a resounding 5-2 victory.
Allegri: "We need to turn things around with the newly promoted teams."
"We have to try to turn things around against the newly promoted teams; the numbers aren't in our favor," Allegri emphasized. "Sassuolo is a good team, they're in an excellent position in the standings. They're one of those opponents against whom the games never end; they're much more balanced than they were at the start of the season. It'll be a game we need to play with great respect and order. We had a good second half in Turin, but in the first 15 minutes we conceded two goals that could have cost us the three points. We hope not to concede against Sassuolo. We need to take another small step up the table: we have 31 points, but we still need a lot to reach our seasonal goal of returning to the Champions League. Nkunku? He needs to be more relaxed; he's arrived in an environment where we wanted everything from him. His teammates, the coach, and the club have full faith in him. I told him he needs to smile a little more; if he smiles a little more, things will go well. He has excellent technique; between now and the end of the year, he'll do great things."
Udinese – Napoli (15pm, Dazn)
Napoli arrives in Udine with a clear obligation to win to stay in touch with the top spot, but also to erase the terrible night in Lisbon. Da Luz's performance revealed fatigue and tension: normal in a hellish cycle that forces the Neapolitans to play every three days, even without the possibility of rotation. This time, however, something will change. Vergara hopes for his first league start, while Spinazzola and Politano are pushing to regain a starting spot. Gutierrez will be managed with caution after two weeks out, while in defense, the idea of giving Buongiorno a rest with Juan Jesus has fallen through due to the Brazilian's calf injury: therefore, the defensive block seen in recent matches is likely to continue. Regarding the Super Cup, Lobotka and Lukaku will leave for Riyadh on Tuesday. The Slovakian playmaker will return to lead the midfield in Thursday's semifinal against AC Milan, while the Belgian's return will be gradual. Udinese, on the other hand, are seeking redemption in front of their home crowd after two consecutive home defeats against Bologna and Genoa. Runjaic spoke of a "great opportunity to improve" and is aiming to capitalize on every detail, but recent history weighs heavily on Napoli's side. The numbers, in fact, show that the Neapolitans are unbeaten in 18 Serie A matches against Udinese, with 14 wins and four draws. The Bianconeri's last win dates back to April 3, 2016. These statistics don't appear on the pitch, but they provide the backdrop to a match in which Napoli knows they can't afford to slip up.
Genoa vs. Inter (18 p.m., Dazn and Sky)
Marassi will be a testing ground, and not just for pride. After their European setback against Liverpool, Inter will return to Genoa with the goal of getting back on track immediately. The Nerazzurri are third on 30 points, just one behind the top pair of Milan and Napoli, and the match against De Rossi's Rossoblu is a key step towards staying in the Scudetto race. Chivu's team arrives at the Ligurian match with ten wins from their first 14 matchdays, a slightly lower tally than last season at the same time, but still significant. The challenge, if anything, is providing consistency on a historically challenging pitch, where Inter have often encountered more resistance than expected in recent years. For the match at the Ferraris stadium, some lineup changes are expected, including forced selections and targeted rotations. Chivu has limited margins in defense: the Bisseck-Akanji-Bastoni trio will be called upon to perform overtime, given Acerbi's injury. In midfield, the playmaking role will shift to Zielinski, who will replace Sucic in the injured Calhanoglu's role in front of the defense, with Barella and Mkhitaryan alongside him. On the flanks, Luis Henrique will remain on the right, with Carlos Augusto on the left and Dimarco taking a breather. Up front, the only certainty is Lautaro Martinez; alongside him, the odds are still open between Pio Esposito (the favorite) and Bonny to complete the attacking duo. Genoa, in fourteenth place with 14 points, will look to capitalize on home advantage and the heat of the Marassi stadium to try and secure a win. The overall record clearly favors Inter (35 Nerazzurri wins versus 10 Rossoblu in 64 previous Serie A matches), but the most recent matches in Liguria tell a different story. Genoa's last three league games at the Ferraris have ended in draws, including a 1-1 draw in December 2023 and a 2-2 draw in February 2025. Genoa's last home win against Inter dates back to February 2018.
Chivu: "At the start of the season they said we were bankrupt, but instead we're there."
"The Marassi pitch has never been easy for Inter, we'll need a perfect performance," Chivu warned. "I really appreciate De Rossi; he's made himself available to the Genoa team, and I've always appreciated his extraordinary intelligence; I respect him. I think we're having a great season, contrary to what people say. Some said we were finished and bankrupt, but we're still there. It's fair to talk about the head-to-head matches we didn't win, but we also need to talk about how the team was perceived at the start of the season. Who am I angry at? I have nothing to complain about, but we can't judge our growth solely by wins and losses. I don't like labels, and sometimes Inter are labeled a bit too much... In these 21 matches, not counting the Club World Cup, we've messed up two halves but never the match. We've had our ups and downs, and in fact, we're working to eliminate the downs, given that we can improve."
Bologna – Juventus (20.45pm, Dazn)
Juventus arrives in Bologna torn between the present and the future: on the one hand, corporate issues, with Tether's €725 million offer for a 65,4% stake rejected by Exor; on the other, a match weighing heavily on their top-seeded ambitions. At the Dall'Ara, crucial points are at stake, with Bologna fifth and Juve seventh, separated by just two points (Como is in between), making this a crucial clash for the Champions League. The Bianconeri are primarily looking for a breakthrough away from home. Recent away games have revealed a fragile performance, with three defeats in the last five matches, and require an immediate response. Luciano Spalletti is working on a major change, starting with the formation: the idea is a back four to provide greater offensive thrust. The big question mark remains Bremer, who has recovered from injury but is expected to make a gradual return. The tactical horizon is clear: a fluid 4-2-3-1, capable of transforming into a 4-3-3 depending on the situation, but with the risk of exposing a team that has yet to regain full defensive solidity. Up front, David's presence is confirmed. Bologna, on the other hand, is relying on the strength of the Dall'Ara and a positive run involving several players. Odgaard, Orsolini, and Cambiaghi guarantee quality and unpredictability, former player Bernardeschi comes in fresh from a brace in Vigo, and Castro remains the point of attack. This mix makes Italiano's team anything but a comfortable opponent. The overall history of the match, however, clearly favors Juventus: 79 victories against Bologna's 23 and an ongoing streak of 22 league games without a defeat against the Rossoblu. But the present situation suggests caution. The last five Serie A matches between these two teams have all ended in draws, an anomaly that suggests balance and adds uncertainty to a match that, for Juve, is worth almost a chunk of the season.
John Elkann: "Juventus, our history and values are not for sale."
“Juve has been part of my family for 102 years, it is part in the true sense of the word, because over the course of a century, four generations have made it bigger, made it strong, looked after it in difficult times and celebrated it in many happy moments,” he explained. John Elkann But not only that: Juve is part of a much, much larger family, the Bianconeri family, made up of millions of fans in Italy and around the world, who love Juve as they love their loved ones. Precisely because of this passion, this love story that has united us for over a century, as a family we continue to support our team and look to the future, to build a winning Juve. Juventus, our history, our values, are not for sale.
Spalletti: "I'm still convinced this team can achieve great things."
"It's nice to once again feel the strength and passion of John Elkann and his family for this club," Spalletti said. "Clearly, it's up to us to give substance and concreteness to this passion, honoring the past and building a future at the same level or better, as he told us when he came to visit us. As for the change of formation, I'm surprised we're still talking about schemes and positions on the pitch because football has changed and you don't win by changing positions, but by occupying spaces. I'm thinking of setting up the team in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation, but that's just a starting point because the game forces you to make so many changes on the fly. No one will convince me that these players aren't good; on the contrary, I'm convinced that we will be able to overcome these limitations. I accepted this role because I believe in it. I've been doing this job for years and I know it's not easy: I'm obsessed with the idea of being able to change and improve this group. I see the guys who are interested and available, and for this reason I always communicate with them to find the right solution."
