Forbidden to make mistakes. The fight for the Champions League area has come alive and now as never before the margin of error is reduced to a minimum, otherwise we risk moving away from the goal of a season. Spal-Inter (12.30), Roma-Sampdoria (20.45) and, above all, Milan-Lazio (18) will tell us a lot about the new balance in this race that sees three teams for just two places: someone, inevitably, will remain with a match in hand, now we just have to see who it will be. The key match is certainly that of San Siro, where Inzaghi's very active Lazio will visit Gattuso's rediscovered Milan. It goes without saying that the fight for fourth place isn't about the Rossoneri, but also that they certainly can't afford missteps right now that things seem to be starting to turn around. “They have technical and physical qualities, we will have to play a great game – thought Rino. – We are in a good moment but we need to raise the bar, just think that so far we have never won against the teams above us in the standings. We have prepared well, now we will see what the field will say”.
“I think we evaluate the players individually only Juve has more quality than them – replied Inzaghi. – We're talking about a great team that took longer than the others to insert the new ones but who now understand what their coach wants. If we want to win at San Siro we have to do a feat”. In short, a show in sight, with two teams ready to face each other head on and with no holds barred. Gattuso will confirm the victorious eleven against Cagliari, with the exception of the disqualified Rodriguez. So it will be 4-3-3 with Donnarumma in goal, Antonelli, Bonucci, Romagnoli and Calabria in defense, Kessie, Biglia and Bonaventura in midfield, Suso, Kalinic and Calhanoglu in attack. Inzaghi, on the other hand, will have to do without Immobile again, who will be saved for the next match against Milan, that of the Italian Cup on Wednesday. The white-blue coach will line up a 3-5-1-1 with Strakosha between the posts, Bastos, De Vrij and Radu in the back, Marusic, Parolo, Lucas Leiva, Milinkovic-Savic and Lulic in the midfield, Luis Alberto supporting the lone striker Nani (ahead of Felipe Anderson and Caicedo). However, Luciano Spalletti's Inter will open Sunday football, awaiting the away match in Ferrara at Spal. It goes without saying that the goal is to regain victory after 6 games of abstinence, on pain of officially opening the folder of the crisis.
“I've seen some improvements over the past few days, I feel pretty calm – the Nerazzurri coach said. – We need to go back to winning and show something different than before, in recent times there have been some steps backwards”. In short, conquering Ferrara seems to be the only thing to do and Spalletti, waiting to understand if the market can still give him something, is ready to confirm the usual 4-2-3-1 with Handanovic in goal, Cancelo, Skriniar, Miranda and D'Ambrosio in defense, Vecino and Borja Valero in midfield, Candreva, Brozovic and Perisic in the frontline, Icardi in attack. An orderly 3-5-2 also for Semplici, who will attempt the illustrious scalp with Gomis between the posts, Cionek, Vicari and Felipe in the back department, Lazzari, Kurtic, Viviani, Grassi and Mattiello in the midfield behind the offensive duo made up of Floccari and Antenucci. Finally, in the postponement, it will be the turn of Roma, engaged in a strange dejavu against that Sampdoria already faced on Wednesday in Genoa. There it was about the recovery of the third day, here instead we are on the 22nd but it doesn't matter: just the midweek draw relegated the Giallorossi to fifth place and a negative result would further complicate things.
The good news is that Dzeko, contrary to what one might have thought until a few hours ago, has not (yet) been sold to Chelsea, so Di Francesco will be able to count on him, who was already decisive on Wednesday with the goal that avoided defeat. “There is a negotiation in progress and you know it, but I have no constraints on the use of him and Emerson – explained the coach. – I have chosen to coach this team even in difficulties, I hope that Dzeko can stay but regardless of this we must find victory again ". To do this, he will line up a 4-3-3 with Alisson in goal, Florenzi, Manolas, Juan Jesus and Kolarov in defense, Pellegrini, Strootman and Nainggolan in midfield, El Shaarawy, Dzeko and Gerson in attack. Classic 4-3-1-2 also for Giampaolo, who will respond with Viviano between the posts, Bereszynski, Silvestre, Ferrari and Murru in the back, Barreto, Torreira and Linetty in the midfield, Ramirez in the trocar to support the Caprari-Zapata offensive duo .
