A Sunday of other times. The highlight of the championship, after yesterday's advances (among which the 1-1 of Atalanta-Torino and the 2-0 of Bologna on Como stand out), returns to take place on the seventh day of the week, just like in football of the past. The main dish of the menu will be the Milan derby (18pm), followed by a Roma-Napoli (20:45) perhaps less glamorous, but equally interesting. All this without forgetting Juventus-Empoli (12:30), with Thiago Motta's team called to win to stave off the crisis. As if the Serie A matches were not enough (to complete the picture there is also Fiorentina-Genoa of 15pm) the market gets going, increasingly hot: theMilan has finally welcomed Gimenez, but the dancing will continue until tomorrow night.
Milan – Inter (18pm, Dazn and Sky)
Another gala event at San Siro, which after the Champions League will host the derby number 242 (204th in the championship) between Milan and InterIt is useless to reiterate that the two teams present themselves in a diametrically opposed way: Conceiçao's is bad, who after having overturned Parma, made a fool of themselves in Zagreb, compromising their qualification for the round of 16, Inzaghi's one was very good, fresh from two beautiful and convincing victories against Lecce (4-0) and, above all, Monaco (3-0). The Nerazzurri are therefore the favourites, as long as we don't forget the two previous seasonal matches with Milan. In fact, even in the first leg and Super Cup derbies, the scenario was almost identical, and yet it was the Rossoneri who prevailed, taking both victories. To enrich the themes of the derby, then, there is the market, with the Rossoneri protagonists of a real revolution. Waiting for Gimenez, the Milanese people will observe the Walker's starting debut, called to bring quality and leadership. Conceiçao will however have to fare without the suspended Fofana and Morata, now very close to a transfer to Galatasaray, with Abraham called to repeat what he did last January, when his goal earned him the Super Cup. At Inter, waiting to have Calhanoglu back at full service (but the Turk will still be on the bench), space for Zielinski and the Thuram-Lautaro attacking duo, the latter in great shape.
Milan arrives at the derby with the chance of getting three consecutive victories against Inter, a result that hasn't happened since 2011, under Allegri. The Rossoneri, in fact, have won the last two direct matches against the Nerazzurri in all competitions, and they have achieved the same number of successes in the previous 13 matches (with 2 draws and 9 defeats). TheInter, for its part, is the team that has beaten Milan the most times in Serie A (70 victories), as well as being the team that has scored the most goals against the Devils in the competition (259).
Conceiçao: “I read a lot of lies, but we must stay focused on work”
"It is important to have balance, thinking about the opponent's strengths and our own – the thought of Conceiçao -. I have faced Inter several times also with Porto, they have players who know each other well and have played together for a long time, moreover with the same coach. We have to understand how to counteract their dynamics and identify their weaknesses. I'm not talking about what happens within the group, we just have to stay focused to play a good game and win. Definitely it's a delicate period, where there is a lot of talk about the market and other things, then if there are negative results like in the Champions League everything is amplified. I accept criticisms of the game and I work to make you change your mind, other things interfere and are not the truth. I have already said that in January a month of market is too much, especially for the players' minds. Surely something has moved and it has not been positive with so many games so close together. However, we continue to work on the game, in the meantime I read so many lies about what happens in the locker room... It's not an easy time like this, with the market and with so many false news, but I have to stay focused on my group".
Inzaghi: “I was hoping for a different calendar, but we have to redeem the other two derbies”
“We know what a derby represents, It will be a heartfelt match full of pitfalls because they are a great team, with a lot of quality – he explained Inzaghi -. We'll need a great Inter, determined and aggressive: we know the value of Milan, the other two derbies went badly. The first one of the championship was deservedly lost, in the second one in the Italian Super Cup we should have managed the incidents better. Their first goal was tainted by a foul by Asllani, at 2-1 we missed the goal of 3-1 several times, we must be better in the decisive moments of the match that can turn against you. I thought that in February we could train more peacefully, instead with the recovery of Florence and the Coppa Italia I can't give the right rest to the players, who deserved it. I heard that everyone in the League agreed to play on the first available date since both we and they are already qualified: I didn't know, but we'll adapt".
Milan – Inter, the probable lineups
Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Walker, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Musah, Bennacer; Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao; Abraham
On the bench: Sportiello, Torriani, Terracciano, Cage, Jimenez, Bartesaghi, Zeroli, Okafor, Chukwueze, Morata, Jovic, Camarda
Trainer: Conceiçao
Unavailable: Florenzi, Loftus-Cheek, Thiaw, Emerson Royal
Disqualified: Nobody
Inter Milan (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Lautaro
On the bench: Martinez, Calligaris, Bisseck, Acerbi, Darmian, Carlos Augusto, Frattesi, Zielinski, Calhanoglu, Taremi, Arnautovic
Trainer: Inzaghi
Unavailable: By Gennaro, Correa
Disqualified: Nobody
Rome – Naples (20pm, Dazn)
THEanother big challenge of Sunday is that of Rome, where the Ranieri's Giallorossi will host league leaders Napoli. Needless to say, the match will gain even more importance after the Milan derby, which could give Conte the chance to extend his lead over Inter, or allow Ranieri to close in on Milan. But the match at the Olimpico is important regardless, as both teams are going through a great moment and have no intention of stopping. Napoli, in particular, is coming off seven consecutive victories, the last two with Atalanta and Juventus: prestigious opponents that have given further confidence to the environment, increasingly convinced that they can regain the Scudetto. Conquering Rome would give a lot of awareness, especially since Inter will begin an iron cycle that could put them to the test. The Azzurri, moreover, have the advantage of playing one match a week and are presenting themselves to the match with decidedly fresher legs of the opponent, who is instead returning from the European commitment against Eintracht. What happened on Thursday, however, gives confidence to Ranieri's team, author of one of the best matches of the entire season.
La Rome, by reaching the playoffs, has taken a big weight off its shoulders and is ready to take advantage of the inertia already this evening, with the awareness that the standings, although compromised by a horrible first half of the season, are still relatively short. The Giallorossi they don't lose in the championship since the away match in Como on December 15th: since then four wins and two draws, demonstrating a quality squad, capable of causing difficulty to anyone, even the league leaders.
Conte: “Kvara has not been replaced, I have to make a difference with what I have at home”
" Rome has grown so much, I read that at home, between the league and the Europa League, he is coming off 7 consecutive victories, 23 goals scored and only 3 conceded – the warning from Tale -. It is a testimony to the strength of the team, of what it expresses at the Olympic Stadium, in front of a cheering crowd that carries you away, like ours. We will have to be very careful and we know it, we prepared it in the right way, also knowing that last year they arrived before us. The market? We need to wait until the end and draw conclusions from your side. We have lost an important player and to date he has not been replaced. Everything is fine, but we must not throw smoke in our eyes. Objectively, a champion has come out of the squad who has played the first part of the championship anyway, it is right to keep this in mind, just as it must be underlined that these kids have grown significantly, otherwise the 53 points, the same as last year at the end of the season, could not be explained. I have to make a difference with what I have at home".
Roma – Napoli, probable formations
Rome (3-5-2): Svilar; Mancini, Hummels, Ndicka; Rensch, Koné, Cristante, Pisilli, Angelino; Dybala, Dovbyk
On the bench: Gollini, De Marzi, Dahl, Sangaré, Abdulhamid, Soulé, Baldanzi, Zalewski, Celik, Shomurodov, Pellegrini, El Shaarawy, Paredes, Saelemaekers
Trainer: Ranieri
Unavailable: Marine
Disqualified: Nobody
Naples (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Spinazzola; Anguissa, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Lukaku, Neres
On the bench: Scuffet, Contini, Mazzocchi, Marin, Good Morning, Gilmour, Hasa, Simeone, Ngonge, Raspadori, Billing
Trainer: Tale
Unavailable: Olive
Disqualified: Nobody
Juventus – Empoli (12:30, Dazn)
Eyes also on the Allianz Stadium, the scene of a challenge less obvious than it might seem. In other times Juventus-Empoli it would have flown away without too many problems, but today there are clouds hovering over the Lady that at least induce us to keep our antennas well raised. 0-0 in the first leg, moreover, confirms how the black and whites struggle a lot to win the matches, with the aggravating circumstance that lately they can't even draw them. last two defeats with Napoli and Benfica they have the climate has worsened around Thiago Motta, for many the main culprit of this situation: critics accuse him of unrealistic choices, but above all a game system that shows no signs of taking off. He continues to go his own way, strong in a rather deep corporate trust (in particular from Giuntoli), but with the awareness that he must start winning, otherwise the scenario could change. A misstep against Empoli would cause the protest to explode, but above all it would risk move away from fourth place, a conditio sine qua non to continue next year.
February looks set to be a decisive month: in the league (Empoli, Como, Inter and Cagliari), in the Champions League (first leg and second leg against PSV) and also in the Coppa Italia (Empoli again). Commitments not to be missed, given that Juventus has already played away several bonuses. To further complicate Motta's life there are the usual injuries, who continue to hit the defensive department. Many were waiting for the move that could make up for Bremer's absence, perhaps financed by an excellent transfer, but to date only the “bets” Alberto Costa e Renato Veiga, beyond that kolo muani who risks eclipsing Vlahovic, who is awaiting a divorce in June that is practically a given.
Thiago Motta: “I feel the trust of the club, I see improvements”
"I want to see a victory – he exclaimed Thiago Motta -. We have an important match ahead of us and we need a high-level performance, we are the first to not be happy with the results, especially the last two. I wish the situation were different, but that's part of the game. We know that the last few games haven't been good, but we're all working hard to get to the top, that is, to win. With Empoli we have a great opportunity to put in another great performance, we've always gone out there to win, sometimes we haven't succeeded and that makes us angry. Improvements are visible, even if when we concede goals there are many situations to deal with differently. We need to be more compact and aggressive, I think it is necessary to move forward and maintain a certain solidity, we must limit errors and acquire continuity to reach certain levels. The championship says that we have had too many ups and downs. Have I had a confrontation with the company? No, but I still feel the same confidence".
Juventus – Empoli, probable formations
Juventus (4-2-3-1): DiGregorio; Costa, Gatti, Veiga, McKennie; Locatelli, Thuram; Yildiz, Koopmeiners, Nico Gonzalez; Kolo Muani
On the bench: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rouhi, Savona, Douglas Luiz, Fagioli, Adzic, Weah, Conceiçao, Mbangula, Vlahovic
Trainer: Thiago Motta
Unavailable: Milik, Bremer, Cabal, Cambiaso, Kalulu
Disqualified: Nobody
Empoli (3-4-2-1): Vasquez; Goglichidze, Ismaili, De Sciglio; Gyasi, Henderson, Maleh, Cacace; Esposito, Fazzini; Colombo
On the bench: Silvestri, Saws, Sambia, Anjorin, Tosto, Zurkowski, Marianucci, Bacci, Bembnista, Konaté
Trainer: D'Aversa
Unavailable: Solbakken, Brancolini, Viti, Sazonov, Ebuehi, Haas, Pellegri
Disqualified: Nobody
