Answer Sunday. From Milan and Naples afirst of all, forced to win to respond to Inter who returned menacingly to minus 1 after the 2-0 in Venice, but also Rome and Lazioor, called to give continuity to their respective championships, especially afterwards the victory of Atalanta on the Juve field, which further raises the Champions League quota.
In short, it will be a day full of commitments, starting at 15 pm when the Rossoneri host Sassuolo at San Siro, continuing at 18 pm with the Giallorossi against Turin, and then ending in the evening with the big Maradona match between Spalletti's Azzurri and the Biancocelesti by Sarri (20.45 pm).
Inevitably, everyone's eyes are focused on the first in the class, in a shift that, at least on paper, would seem to be in favor of Milan fresh from the Madrid feat and from Stefano Pioli's contract renewal. “The club and I have the same goals, the same ambitions, we want to bring Milan back to the competitions it deserves, to be competitive again to win the Scudetto and reach the top in Europe – explained the coach with satisfaction -. But now we have to think only of Sassuolo, the small and medium-sized teams are satisfied after a great game, face the next match with superficiality, while the big ones take advantage of the positive moment to go even faster”.
The success of the Wanda Metropolitano has erased the post-Florence worries, but the Rossoneri have an obligation not to rest on their laurels, especially with Inter at minus 1. Compared to Wednesday Pioli will be able to count on Maignan, able again and enlisted a month early on the initial schedule, and on Leao, while Tomori is not ready yet and Giroud will have it for at least two weeks. The emergency has thus shifted from defense to attack, given that in addition to the French Rebic is also missing, so we will only talk about it after Christmas.
Today's 4-2-3-1 will thus see Maignan in goal, Florenzi, Kjaer, Romagnoli and Hernandez in defense, Bennacer and Bakayoko in midfield, Saelemaekers, Diaz and Leao in the frontline, Ibrahimovic in attack. The same game system also for Dionisi, who will respond with Consigli between the posts, Toljan, Ayhan, Ferrari and Rogerio in the back department, Frattesi and Lopez in the midfield, Berardi, Raspadori and Traoré behind the lone striker Scamacca.
Sunday's cartel challenge is though Napoli-Lazio and not only for the always suggestive return of Sarri to Maradona. In fact, the last week was very difficult for Spalletti, who in addition to losing two matches against Inter and Spartak Moscow had to collect the injuries of Osimhen and Anguissa, by all accounts key men of the team. The blow, physically and psychologically, was very strong, which is why Napoli are called to react, to demonstrate that they are still capable of fighting for the title.
“The squad is of a certain level, Mertens was already out in the first games due to the operation, there were few players in midfield for three games and we did what we wanted – Spalletti retorted -. It is clear that from these answers one will give an imprint on the path we want to take, but we don't have to prove anything, get nervous or have things to overturn, we have to work seriously every day, this is the solution".
Even at Lazio, despite the victory (complete with qualification) over Lokomotiv, there have been difficult days, at least according to Sarri, who has once again attached the “palace” for the calendar. In fact, Napoli had an extra day off, but this was inevitable: both played in Moscow and the UEFA regulation prevents matches from being held in the same city (whoever has the lowest ranking postpones 24 hours). Furthermore, it was not possible to move today's match to tomorrow, given that the midweek shift starts on Tuesday, and thus the mystery is explained. The Biancoceleste coach will therefore have to make a virtue of necessity, trying to find the right energies to try to break the Maradona.
In terms of men, moreover, he is better off than Spalletti, given that Immobile, unlike Osimhen, will be regularly on the pitch. The blue coach though recovers Insigne and Fabian Ruiz, which will allow him to field a competitive 4-3-3 with Ospina in goal, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Koulibaly and Mario Rui in defense, Fabian Ruiz, Lobotka and Zielinski in midfield, Lozano, Mertens and Insigne in attack.
The same game system also for Sarri, who will respond with Reina in goal, Lazzari, Luiz Felipe, Acerbi and Hysaj in the back, Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi and Luis Alberto in the midfield, Felipe Anderson, Immobile and Pedro in the offensive trident.
To take advantage of the challenge, in addition to the aforementioned Milan and Inter, it could be Mourinho's Rome, who will receive Juric's Turin at the Olimpico. Very interesting match, also because the grenades are growing rapidly and have no intention of acting as sparring partner. The Giallorossi will therefore have a much more difficult task than the latter, when they have regained victory and serenity with Genoa and Zorya, but they will have to deal with it somehow, otherwise they will fall back into the vortex of controversy. “It will be a difficult match, Toro are a team that defends very well with his style – Mourinho said-. We will need a game of great offensive quality to be able to score”. The Special One has now embarked on the path of 3-4-3, which in the last week has allowed them to score 6 goals and not concede any.
So even today, despite the emergency in midfield (absent Cristante, Villar and the suspended Veretout) this will be the tactical outfit of his Roma, who will take the field with Rui Patricio in goal, Mancini, Smalling and Ibanez in defense, Karsdorp, Pellegrini, Mkhitaryan and El Shaarawy in midfield, Carles Perez , Abraham and Zaniolo in attack. Juric will respond with a very similar game system, i.e. a 3-4-2-1 with Milinkovic-Savic between the posts, Djidji, Bremer and Buongiorno in the back, Aina, Lukic, Pobega and Vojvoda in the midfield, Linetty and Brekalo at shoulders of the sole striker Belotti.
