Verdict Sunday. After tonight nothing will be the same again for Milan, Naples and Juventus, who are called upon to conquer a place in the next Champions League, with all that follows. The problem is that there are only two passes left, so one of the three will stay and watch the others celebrate, mulling over what could have been and what won't be. Yes, because in their own way all three deserved to go all the way to fight for the goal, some scoring more points first and some later, but in sport there is always a moment of no return, in which only the result counts , and here we are, presenting a final day that promises to be hotter than ever. Everything would seem to revolve around Atalanta-Milan, given that, at least on paper, Naples-Verona and Bologna-Juventus they appear less inclined to reserve surprises, even if last Sunday's match between the Rossoneri and Cagliari should have been taken for granted and instead, as everyone knows, it wasn't.
However, it is clear that a lot will be decided in Bergamo, between Gasperini's team, already qualified but eager to finish second (both for prestige and economic reasons) and Pioli's, forced to win so as not to have to depend on anyone and, above all, not find himself out of the Champions League after a season in which he even cherished (for 22 days) the dream of the Scudetto. “The final classification will give the verdicts but we know that, after having talked about fundamental matches all year, we are facing the turning point – explained the Rossoneri coach -. It's been a particular week, until Wednesday there was disappointment, then it turned into concentration and motivation, a mixture of feelings, including tension. Milan must believe in it because they have shown all year that they are one of the best in the league, we have never given up and we never lost faith. Milan must believe in it because they have the qualities to be a great team, but now we need a last-ditch effort”.
That is, to beat Atalanta, a mission impossible up to now, at least with this technical management: in the last three matches, in fact, Pioli has only collected one point, against two very heavy defeats (5-0 and 3-0). Furthermore, the cabal does not smile at Milan Bergamo people are scary, although Wednesday's defeat in the Coppa Italia against Juve showed that they are not unbeatable. “I'm sorry I didn't win it, but next season we will have the Champions League in Bergamo in front of our fans, these are the trophies for us – retorted the CEO Luca Percassi, son of the president Antonio -. But now we're only thinking about Milan and second place, Atalanta will make Atalanta…”. It will therefore be a battle at the Gewiss Stadium, with the Nerazzurri fielding the best 3-4-1-2 with Gollini in goal, Toloi, Romero and Djimsiti in defence, Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler and Gosens in midfield, Malinovskyi behind the duo offensive composed by Zapata and Muriel.
Problems in attack instead for Pioli, who in addition to Ibrahimovic will also have to give up Rebic, who is struggling with a calf problem. The Rossoneri 4-2-3-1 will thus see Donnarumma between the posts, Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori and Hernandez in the backline, Kessié and Bennacer in the midfield, Saelemaekers, Diaz and Calhanoglu in the frontline, Leao in attack. The center is Bergamo, but woe to forget Naples and Bologna. In fact, two equally decisive matches will be staged at Maradona and Dall'Ara, with only one big difference: the Azzurri will only need to win to cross the finish line, while the Bianconeri, in addition to taking the 3 points, will have to hope for the results of others. Not an easy condition for Pirlo, who however, after winning the Italian Cup and making up ground in the league, is looking to the future with greater optimism. “We believe in it a lot, after the defeat against Milan we were dead but they made us get up again, together with our results – the Juventus coach said -. Let's think of ourselves trying to win and play a great game, the important thing is not to have any regrets. As far as I'm concerned, I've always given 100%, I'll be on the bench with my head held high, I don't think my future depends on the result of the last game, the club will have already made its decision…”.
Probable, even if many are beginning to think that qualifying for the Champions League, combined with the Italian Cup and the Super Cup, can overturn a destiny that seemed already written. Juve knows that it won't just depend on her, but in the meantime we need to start from a victory in Bologna, against a team without objectives which, however, at least in words, has no intention of rolling out the red carpet for them. “I dreamed that Dybala was about to take a penalty for Juve at 0-0, then I don't know how it ended, they woke me up – joked Mihajlovic -. What if we play it all in one game? From a certain point of view yes, by winning we would end the season on the left side of the ranking which would mean a lot to us, it was one of the goals of the season. If we were to win anyway, it would be for us, for the city and the fans, not as a favor to others”. Even in Bologna, in short, the match promises to be hot, with Pirlo who will rely on the now canonical 4-4-2 with Szczesny in goal, Danilo, De Ligt, Chiellini and Alex Sandro in defense, Cuadrado, McKennie, Rabiot and Chiesa in midfield, Kulusevski and Ronaldo in attack.
Classic 4-2-3-1 also for the rossoblu, who will respond with Ravaglia in goal, Mbaye, Tomiyasu, Soumaoro and De Silvestri in the back, Schouten and Svanberg in the midfield, Orsolini, Vignato and Barrow behind the lone striker Palace. Final climate also in Naples, where Gattuso's Azzurri can win the precious pass for the Champions League, provided they beat Juric's Verona. A result within reach, yet sensational if one thinks of the difficulties of this winter, when many were talking about a bankruptcy season, to be attributed entirely to the coach. Instead, once he found his best men, he began to grind points after points, despite a separate atmosphere at home with De Laurentiis that has never changed, net of a few compliments via Twitter. Barring sensational twists and turns, this will be Gattuso's last match on the Napoli bench and the coach is keen to finish on a high note, meaning with a Champions League qualification that would give him a lot of satisfaction, as well as an impetus for the next one adventure (they talk about Lazio with insistence, but watch out for Juve).
To hit the target we will rely on the 4-2-3-1 type with Meret in goal, Di Lorenzo, Manolas, Rrahmani and Hysaj in defense, Fabian Ruiz and Bakayoko in midfield, Lozano, Zielinski and Insigne on the trocar, Osimhen in attack. Juric will respond with a 3-4-2-1 formation that will see Pandur in goal, Ceccherini, Gunter and Lovato in the back, Faraoni, Tameze, Ilic and Lazovic in the midfield, Salcedo and Zaccagni behind the lone striker Kalinic. The Champions League will therefore be the highlight of the evening, with the race for seventh place (the last profit to enter Europe, albeit from the back door of the newly formed Conference League) between Rome (in Spezia) and Sassuolo (at home with Lazio ) And the celebration of the Inter championship (at 15pm against Udinese) as a side dish.
