Rome (AFP)
Lazio-Juventus and Atalanta-Inter: the 7th day of Serie A offers Sunday a double confrontation between the four Italian representatives in the Champions League, while leader, AC Milan, will host Hellas Verona in closing.
The day begins Friday evening with Sassuolo who can temporarily take the lead and Fiorentina moves for its part to Parma on Saturday.
- Juve want to confirm -
Juventus Turin, the only Italian team victorious in C1 this week, has the opportunity to confirm in Rome the best glimpsed since the return of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Against modest opponents, Spezia (4-1) in the league and Ferencvaros (4-1) in C1, Alvaro Morata has regained his efficiency and Paulo Dybala has chased away the spleen, thanks to his "goal and a half" in Hungary (the second was awarded by UEFA to defender Ferencvaros Dvali, much to the dismay of the Argentine).
But the Turinese (3rd in Serie A) are still looking for their game, too often depending on their individualities.
What their coach Andrea Pirlo recognized in Hungary: "We could do better in terms of the game, we have to improve".
- Lazio wants Motionless -
In Rome, Lazio (10th) awaits Juve with a staff still reduced but a morale of steel.
After overthrowing Torino in added time (4-3) in the league, the Laziali snatched a point from energy in the Champions League in Saint Petersburg, equalizing at the end of the match against Zenit (1-1) .
The question of the day is the presence or not of Ciro Immobile, at the heart of an imbroglio on Covid tests.
The Italian striker, positive in the eyes of UEFA, has missed the last two matches of the Champions League.
But he has played in the meantime against Torino because Lazio deemed him fit in the light of tests carried out by another laboratory, as part of the Serie A protocol.
In an attempt to see more clearly, the Italian Federation has been investigating since the beginning of the week a possible "violation" of health protocols by Lazio.
"We did the tests properly," Lazio sporting director Igli Tare said Wednesday, estimating that Immobile would be able to play on Sunday.
But other tests are planned by the match, for which the Romans could also recover midfielder Luis Alberto, who has announced that he is now negative for the coronavirus.
- Inter wants to take off -
Atalanta-Inter will oppose the two great Italian disappointments of the week in C1.
Inter in the first place: the cruel defeat in Madrid against Real (3-2) leaves the Nerazzurri last in their group.
It confirms above all the poor passage of the men of Antonio Conte, with only one victory in seven matches.
In the league too, Inter is late (6th).
The Milanese coach, once a fan of rants, remains however faithful to his new civilized and serene tone, by evoking simple "details" to be settled.
These settings concern more the defense, guilty of an unusual laxity, than the attack, where Lautaro Martinez, who found the net in Madrid, could again be deprived of his sidekick Romelu Lukaku, still uncertain after his injury to the adductors.
- Atalanta wants to plug -
A deluge of goals sanctioned the naivety of Atalanta against Liverpool in C1 (5-0 defeat in Bergamo).
But beyond an evening without, the "Dea" (4th in the league) lost a little of her going after a fanfare debut.
The absences (De Roon, Gosens) and the ghost Josip Ilicic's poor form do not explain everything.
"We have to think about the tactical aspect to overcome the current difficulties, we take too many goals, we score less and we cover fewer kilometers," regretted coach Gian Piero Gasperini, perplexed.
- AC Milan wants to forget -
A simple accident or a sudden stop?
After the lesson received Thursday evening at San Siro against Lille (0-3), the leader AC Milan welcomes Hellas Verona (7th).
"I have a young but mature team, we will know how to react," assured Rossonero coach Stefano Pioli, after the defeat in the Europa League, the very first since early March, before confinement.
Program of the 7th day:
Friday
(8:45 p.m.) Sassuolo - Udinese
Saturday
(3:00 p.m.) Cagliari - Sampdoria Genoa
(6:00 p.m.) Benevento - Spezia
(8:45 p.m.) Parma - Fiorentina
Sunday
(12:30 p.m.) Lazio Rome - Juventus Turin
(3:00 p.m.) Genoa - AS Rome
Atalanta Bergamo - Inter Milan
Torino - Crotone
(6:00 p.m.) Bologna - Naples
(8:45 p.m.) AC Milan - Hellas Verona
Ranking: Pts JGNP bp bc dif
1. AC Milan 16 6 5 1 0 14 5 9
2. Sassuolo 14 6 4 2 0 18 9 9
3. Juventus Turin 12 6 3 3 0 14 5 9
4. Atalanta Bergamo 12 6 4 0 2 17 13 4
5. Naples 11 6 4 0 2 14 7 7
6. Inter Milan 11 6 3 2 1 15 10 5
7. Hellas Verona 11 6 3 2 1 8 3 5
8. AS Rome 11 6 3 2 1 13 10 3
9. Sampdoria Genoa 10 6 3 1 2 11 9 2
10. Lazio Rome 10 6 3 1 2 10 12 -2
11. Fiorentina 7 6 2 1 3 10 12 -2
12. Cagliari 7 6 2 1 3 12 15 -3
13. Bologna 6 6 2 0 4 11 12 -1
14. Benevento 6 6 2 0 4 10 17 -7
15. Parma 5 6 1 2 3 8 13 -5
16. Genoa 5 6 1 2 3 6 12 -6
17. Spezia 5 6 1 2 3 8 15 -7
18. Torino 4 6 1 1 4 12 16 -4
19. Udinese 3 6 1 0 5 6 11 -5
20. Crotone 1 6 0 1 5 6 17 -11
Editor's note: Naples received a penalty point due to his forfeit on the 3rd day for the match against Juventus.
Match that the Turinese won 3-0 on the green carpet.
© 2020 AFP