THEAtalanta rises again, Lazio e Rome holds each other back. Sunday with the Champions League in sight smiles above all on the Goddess, victorious in the friendly walls of Gewiss (after three and a half months!) and once again in third place, ahead of Juventus and Bologna. The faces were tense, however, at the end of the derby in Rome, which ended with a draw that was of little use to either team, at least in terms of third/fourth place. This evening we will return to talking about the Scudetto and salvation, with a Napoli-Empoli (20.45 hours) very heavy both for the upper area that for that bottom of the ranking. Inter, Lecce and Venezia will be watching with interest, but it is clear that the ball will be hot especially for the Azzurri, who are forced to win in order not to lose, perhaps definitively, the tricolor train.
Lazio – Roma 1-1: Soulé responds to Romagnoli, the Romans fail to catch up with the Champions League
A draw that leaves everything unchanged. Lazio and Roma ended up cancelling each other out, getting a point enough to breathe, certainly not to smile. The Biancocelesti remain in sixth place, 3 points behind fourth-placed Juve, the Giallorossi are right behind: Champions race gets complicated for both, although not enough to consider it unattainable. More competition than spectacle, more errors than technical plays, more tension than fluidity in the maneuver. The 1-1 on points was too little for Lazio who, despite the Nordic fatigue during the week, was able to keep up a good pace throughout the match, ending up complaining about the evening absolute protagonist of Svilar, author of at least four decisive interventions.
La Roma she took to the field with a 4-2-3-1 which surprised Baroni from the first minute, forcing the Biancoceleste coach to sort out his defensive and offensive movements a bit.Lazio's approach was more convincing and already in the 7th minute Romagnoli, from the small area following a lateral free kick, highlighted the reflexes of SilkerThe Giallorossi goalkeeper repeated the feat on Isaksen even before the break, denying the goal to the Dane on two occasions and literally saving the result. The tie was broken immediately after returning from the locker rooms by Alessio Romagnoli, who clearly anticipated Mancini and the first post has been reached taking advantage of Luca Pellegrini's assist. Roma's reaction came around the hour mark, first with Mancini, who almost got his revenge by forcing Mandas to perform a real miracle, then with Soulé,author of a destined Eurogoal, perhaps, to change his story in yellow and red (69'). Before and after, however, the protagonist was always Svilar, best on the field, attentive and reactive in closing the door first to Guendouzi, then to Pedro and Dia. The draw, as previously said, is tighter for Lazio than for Roma, but all in all it can happen and allows both to stay alive.
Baroni: “We deserved the win, too bad… Now let's focus on the Europa League, we can do it”
"The team created a lot, too bad because it gave everything I asked for – the analysis of Baroni -. These are matches where you also need a bit of luck, which we didn't have because we deserved this victory. The boys found energy from our wonderful crowd, it's a shame... The group is young, is growing and has energy, we want to be protagonists all the way through the game and in my opinion we will do it. We were holding the field well, maybe we should have kept the ball more, but the team always remained compact. Now we will think about the Europa League, I don't have to ask our fans anything: on Thursday we all have to believe together and the energy of the Olimpico will help us. We believe in going through to the next round, our performance will be important but also thehelping people. We found, even if I don't like to find excuses, the worst match on a synthetic pitch and against a team playing their second game of the championship. At home it will be a completely different game: I believe in it, the team too and we have to play it. You mustn't make any mistakes, but the team has the chance to qualify”.
Ranieri: “Lazio are better on points, I'll take the draw and the unbeaten run in derbies”
“At the beginning we always went back and I don't like that, I asked the boys to put the ball further forward and instead they did the opposite – the thought of Ranieri -. In the end it was a nervous derby as it usually is. Lazio did a little more in terms of occasions, we a little less, but it's a draw that I'll take. my unbeaten run in derbies? I am a man of few words, I keep what I experience to myself. It is certainly a beautiful thing, as a Roma fan I wanted to end with another victory, but it was not possible. Football is like this, it gives you beautiful things and less beautiful things and you have to know how to accept them. The thing that I will miss the whole Olympic Stadium full the most, but as all Roma players lack, it fills you with pathos, sensitivity, the desire to do, to always do more. Soule? He's a boy who has shots, who finds the goal, the future is his because he has everything to explode."
Atalanta – Bologna 2-0: Gasperini rises again with Retegui and Pasalic, the rossoblù drop to fifth place
In difficulty after three consecutive defeats and without De Ketelaere, Gasperini played it safe and relied on Pasalic and Lookman in attack in the attacking midfield behind Retegui. Hunting for the big score, Italian Instead he reinforced the right lane with De Silvestri, placed Pobega in midfield next to Freuler and deployed Orsolini, Fabbian and Ndoye up front behind Dallinga.
At a high pace and with the teams short, the match immediately got into the swing of things. On one side Carnesecchi came out well on Ndoye, on the other side instead Retegui he attacked the near post with the right timing on a cross from Bellanova and unlocked the dish race, anticipating Lucumì and Beukema (3'). A flash of a striker that gave a boost to the game and complicated the rossoblù plans. A bit packed on the outside and having difficulty building from the back and serving Dallinga centrally to get the team going, Bologna struggled to maneuver in a dangerous manner and attack the depth with the right timing. Short and compact, the Goddess growled instead in defense with Kolasinac, attacked high in the midfield and attacked with many men looking for Lookman between the lines. On one side a deflection in the area by Miranda ended just wide, on the other Retegui duelled with Lucumì on the wing and served Pasalic gets the ball to double the lead in the centre of the area (21'). An encore that concretised the Nerazzurri's push and forced Bologna to raise their centre of gravity and react.
The second half began with the entrances of Casale, Dominguez and Cambiaghi in place of Lucumì, Orsolini and Fabbian and with Bologna trying to change the inertia of the game with the substitutions. More dynamic and quick in construction, Italiano's team raised the center of gravity, increased the rotation of the ball and attacked with more nastiness. The Goddess instead covered the passing lines, created density at the edge and played on the counterattack looking for the forwards in depth. Moves that have the lanes were sealed off and the finale was anesthetized, giving the Bergamo team their first home win of 2025 in the league, but above all a breath of fresh air in the race for the Champions League, which for many was at serious risk, at least until yesterday.
Gasperini: “We are happy, but the performances had already arrived before”
“Winning such a delicate match always gives a sense of great satisfaction – comment satisfied with Gasperini -. These three points are worth double, for morale and the standings, especially after a series of games in which we collected less than we deserved. We are happy, we have recovered what had slipped away from us in recent weeks. Scoring early certainly allowed us to express our football at its best, however I don't think that we were negative in the last few games: we were simply more effective and concrete in front of goal. Are you following? He knows well how important he is for the team, he played a practically perfect match. It was decisive not only for the goal and the assist, but also for how he worked on a physical and technical level. I don't think he could have done better than this, It was certainly his best performance in this season".
“They were smarter, now let's put the defeat behind us and start again”
"Atalanta started strong, we were unprepared for the first situation, we didn't understand each other for the second, we were wrong to stop, they were shrewd and clever and directed the game in their direction – he sighed Italian -. I liked how we started again after the 2-0, unfortunately we didn't find the goal to reopen it, those twenty minutes directed the match. We can't give away those two goals so easily, but we hadn't lost for months and we stayed in the game, we could have found the goal and reopened it... In any case, I'm not one to feel sorry for myself. We did the performance, now we'll put it away like the big teams do, we'll go and face Inter, Juve, Fiorentina with a different approach".
Naples – Empoli (20.45 pm, Dazn)
Vjust wax. Antonio Conte's Napoli has no excuses, called to face Empoli with only one result available, otherwise the dream of the Scudetto would be damned complicated. Inter's victory over Cagliari has extended the gap to 6 points and the Salento coach absolutely must reduce the gap, in order to then prepare for the Easter weekend, which on paper is very favorable. While his Napoli will face bottom club Monza, in fact, the Nerazzurri will visit Italiano's Bologna, who also have the time factor in their favor. In short, failing to close the gap today would be truly unforgivable, especially since they will be facing an Empoli in great difficulty, without a win since December 8th. Since then, the D'Aversa's team, excluding the incredible victory over Juventus in the Coppa Italia, has collected only five points in as many draws, against eleven defeats and only 10 goals scored. Relegation numbers, who cannot scare Napoli, at least in theory.
Practice, in fact, is another thing and involves several external factors, starting with pressure. The Azzurri are certainly not going through a great moment of form, as can be seen from the only two successes (also hard-fought) collected in the last nine days. However, Conte is convinced that having put the worst behind you, both in terms of the calendar (the direct clashes are over) and injuries and is ready to attack Inter. mission starts tonight, in an exhausted and hopeful Maradona: disappointing him would be truly unforgivable, as well as almost decisive in terms of the championship.
Conte: "It's a war of nerves with Inter, we have to enjoy it because we deserved it"
"The There are pitfalls in every race, because at the end of the season most of the teams involved in the championship have objectives to achieve – the warning of Tale -. Who must be saved?, some are fighting for a place in the Champions League, some for the Scudetto, the Europa League, the Conference, each team will have its own objectives… There are 7 games left, we know that we have to face 7 opponents with important objectives, Empoli is fighting to avoid relegation and will arrive with a knife between their teeth. The second part of the championship is much more difficult, in the first one everyone is playing for better or worse, the second is more about strategy, even a point for some is life, salvation. The pressure war that is going on with Inter It must be a beautiful thing, we earned it and we have to enjoy it, we are fighting for something important. The injury emergency? We have to face it at chest out, no alibi. We will do it with our strengths and weaknesses, there are no perfect years and therefore you have to be good for these situations".
Napoli – Empoli, probable formations
Naples (4-3-3): Meret; Mazzocchi, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Olivera; Gilmour, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Lukaku, Neres
On the bench: Scuffet, Turi, Marin, Spinazzola, Billing, Hasa, Okafor, Raspadori, Simeone, Ngonge
Trainer: Tale
Unavailable: Contini, Good morning.
Disqualified: By Lorenzo, Anguissa
Empoli (3-4-2-1): Vasquez; Goglichidze, Marianucci, Viti; Gyasi, Henderson, Grassi, Pezzella; Esposito, Cacace; Colombo
On the bench: Brancolini, Saws, De Sciglio, Ebuehi, Tosto, Sambia, Bacci, Kovalenko, Solbakken, Konate, Fazzini, Campaniello
Trainer: D'Aversa
Unavailable: Ismajli, Maleh, Anjorin, Kouamé, Sazonov, Haas, Pellegri, Silvestri, Zurkowski
Disqualified: Nobody
