Win to get back in the race. Scudetto or Champions makes little difference, what is certain is that Naples and Rome just can't be wrong, otherwise the Saturday of the championship will be transformed into the day of surrender. The blues, the "Inter hope" faded, they have to take the 3 points to stay at minus 8 in the standings, not the best, God forbid, but still something, the yellow-reds instead have a desperate need to shorten towards fourth place, the last goal left after this unfortunate glimpse of the championship.
It starts with Naples-Frosinone (15pm), a match that, on paper, shouldn't hold any big surprises. The Azzurri are obviously superior, provided however that they don't take the opponent lightly: the previous one with Chievo two weeks ago is still fresh, which is why the head must be well connected in today's match and not in Liverpool on Tuesday , in which Napoli will play the qualification in the Champions League.
Thoughts that hover in Ancelotti's head, called upon to work above all on the psychological aspect, starting from the training choices. A too large turnover would give the wrong signal, a non-existent one would risk weighing on the Anfield challenge: Carletto will therefore have to act with all his experience to send the most suitable eleven onto the field.
The big news in the blue 4-4-2 will be in goal, where Meret will finally make his debut as a starter: it is probable that Ospina will return to Liverpool, but in the meantime the former Udinese player is ready to make the so-called "service". For the rest we will see a defense with Malcuit, Maksimovic, Koulibaly and Hysaj, a midfield with Callejon, Rog, Diawara and Zielinski and an attack with Milik and Insigne. Longo will try to fight back with a 3-4-1-2 with Sportiello in goal, Goldaniga, Ariaudo and Capuano in the back, Zampano, Chibsah, Maiello and Beghetto in the midfield, Ciano behind the Ciofani-Campbell offensive duo.
Shortly after the San Paolo match the spotlights will move to Cagliari, where Di Francesco's Roma will try to cancel the post-Inter controversies and, above all, to find a victory that has been missing for almost a month now. That 4-1 against Sampdoria seemed to have given the Giallorossi a new shine, but from then on came two defeats (Udinese and Real Madrid) and Sunday's draw against Inter, who went down in history more for the (wrong) use of the Var that for the result.
“Certain mistakes can be avoided and I hope they won't happen again in the future, especially to us – reiterated Di Francesco. – Cagliari is a possibility to demonstrate that we have made a mental leap, for the rest the best thing I can do is a beautiful prayer, it is no coincidence that before coming to the conference I went to the sanctuary of Divino Amore”. The reference, more than to the referees, is to the injuries: in fact, to the already known ones of De Rossi, Dzeko, El Shaarawy, Karsdorp and Pellegrini, the annoyance of Manolas has also been added, whose presence at the Sardinia Arena is in strong doubt. THE
However, the Giallorossi coach will still have to try to win, otherwise he risks losing further ground from Milan (tomorrow against Turin) and Lazio (tonight against Sampdoria, 20.45 pm) and complicate, perhaps completely, the race for the Champions League zone. The anti-Cagliari plan consists of a 4-2-3-1 with Olsen in goal, Florenzi, Fazio, Marcano (or Manolas should he make it) and Kolarov in defense, Cristante and Nzonzi in midfield, Under, Zaniolo and Kluivert in the trocar, Schick in attack. The usual 4-3-2-1 instead for Maran, who, even if without the suspended Barella, will attempt the coup with Cragno between the posts, Srna, Klavan, Ceppitelli and Padoin in the back department, Faragò, Bradaric and Ionita in the midfield, Joao Pedro and Farias behind the lone striker Pavoletti.
