Scudetto holders Inter, scuffling with accidents and coming off a tricky Champions League loss, face a pivotal take a look at at Lazio as they battle to remain in contact with Serie A leaders Atalanta.
Atalanta high the standings on 34 factors, two forward of Antonio Conte’s Napoli, with Inter and Fiorentina each one level additional again on 31.
Reeling from Tuesday’s 1-0 loss at Bayer Leverkusen, Simone Inzaghi’s facet stay with out injured defensive pillars Francesco Acerbi and Benjamin Pavard forward of Monday’s go to to his former membership.
Inter’s 573-minute run with out conceding a objective within the Champions League ended when Nordi Mukiele scored for Leverkusen within the ninetieth minute on Tuesday.
That capped a depressing journey to Germany for Inter, who didn’t report a single shot on course in a Champions League recreation for the primary time since February 2022 (versus Liverpool), and for the primary time on report (since 2003-04) within the competitors’s first spherical.
Lazio, in the meantime, have racked up consecutive victories over Napoli in league and cup, with the Biancocelesti going through Ajax within the Europa League on Thursday earlier than returning to Serie A motion.
Inter might be six factors off the highest by the point they take to the sector for that headline fixture, with Atalanta concentrating on a bit of historical past at Cagliari on Saturday.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s Dea facet have gained 9 straight Serie A video games to equal their membership report, having additionally gained 9 in a row between February and July 2020. One other victory would make this their best-ever profitable run within the competitors.
That is solely the second time that Atalanta have topped the desk on the finish of a Serie A matchday because the competitors returned to twenty groups in 2004-05, having solely managed to take action after the fifth matchday in 2022-23.
Till now, Atalanta had by no means led the top-flight desk as many as 15 matches right into a marketing campaign.
They’re huge favourites to take care of their profitable streak in opposition to Fifteenth-placed Cagliari, with Gasperini having no new damage issues. Giorgio Scalvini is out, having sustained a shoulder damage forward of Tuesday’s Champions League 3-2 loss to Actual Madrid, whereas Gianluca Scamacca and Juan Cuadrado are longer-term absentees.
Whereas each Inter and Atalanta had been crushed in Europe this week, Juventus claimed an enormous end result by beating Manchester Metropolis 2-0, courtesy of targets from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie.
The Bianconeri’s triumph got here regardless of them solely having 31% of possession – solely as soon as beforehand on report (since 2003-04) have they gained a Champions League recreation whereas having a decrease share of possession (27% versus Chelsea in September 2021).
In Serie A, nonetheless, it has been a case of possession with out goal for Juventus, who stay unbeaten however have drawn 9 of their 15 matches, together with every of their final three, to take a seat sixth.
“Nothing bothers me. I completely settle for all sincere judgements, however I gained’t enter this story,” Juve coach Thiago Motta mentioned, when requested about criticism of their home kind.
“I’m solely targeted on my work: bettering the staff and serving to my gamers. The remaining doesn’t rely a lot.”
With last-placed Venezia travelling to Turin on Saturday, Motta must be assured of sustaining the feel-good issue in-built midweek.
Juventus have dominated this fixture traditionally, profitable 10 of their final 12 Serie A matches in opposition to the newly promoted facet.
Shock package deal Fiorentina, in the meantime, are using excessive on an eight-match profitable streak in Serie A, and so they may make historical past after they journey to Bologna – led by former Viola boss Vincenzo Italiano – on Sunday.
Victory for Raffaele Palladino’s guests would set a brand new membership report for successive victories in Serie A, overhauling their long-standing mark from 1960.
