Rome (AFP)

Empty in Europe but brilliant in Italy, Inter Milan and Lazio will try to forget their continental eliminations by continuing their performances in Serie A, with Juventus in ambush and a bubbling derby of poorly classified in the background.

Just eliminated from the Champions League by FC Barcelona (2-1), who had yet aligned a team bis, Inter will in principle not have too much trouble getting back on the national stage.

The leader of the Italian Championship (38 points) will indeed challenge Sunday the Fiorentina, 13th and in full doubt: the Viola, deprived of Franck Ribéry, remains indeed on four consecutive defeats in Serie A.

Same issue for Lazio, third (33 pts) in the championship and just eliminated from the Europa League after their defeat at Rennes (2-0).

Worn by their striker Ciro Immobile, "capocannoniere" (top scorer) of the championship with 17 achievements, the Romans remain on an impressive series of seven consecutive victories, including the last against Juventus (3-1) who had not lost the season.

But the trip has everything of the perfect trap. The Laziali will go to Sardinia on Monday to challenge the astonishing fourth Cagliari, undefeated in 14 games in all competitions.

There remains Juventus, for whom the problem is quite different. Imperial in the Champions League, the eight-time defending champion sees her place on the throne of Italy threatened for the first time in a long time.

It is against Udinese, in the fight for maintenance, that the Old Lady (2nd, 36 pts) of Cristiano Ronaldo will try Sunday to recover from his fall in Rome last Saturday against Lazio.

The hottest poster, however, concerns two teams struggling to maintain. Because Genoa, the first relegation, welcomes its enemy brother from Sampdoria on Saturday, one more point and just above the waterline, for a Genoa derby whose defeated player will have serious problems.

In the other matches, AS Rome (5th, 29 pts), just qualified for the round of 32 of the Europa League, welcomes SPAL on Sunday. Naples (7th, 21 pts) receives Parma (8th, 21 pts) on Saturday and AC Milan (10, 20 pts) faces Sassuolo (14th, 15 pts).

The program for the 16th day of the Italian Football Championship which will be played on Saturday 14, Sunday 15 and Monday 16 December (in Paris time):

Saturday December 14

(3:00 p.m.) Brescia - Lecce

(6:00 p.m.) Naples - Parma

(8:45 p.m.) Genoa - Sampdoria Genoa

Sunday December 15

(12:30 p.m.) Hellas Verona - Torino

(3:00 p.m.) Bologna - Atalanta Bergamo

Juventus Turin - Udinese

AC Milan - Sassuolo

(6:00 p.m.) AS Rome - SPAL

(8:45 p.m.) Fiorentina - Inter Milan

Monday December 16

(8:45 p.m.) Cagliari - Lazio Rome

© 2019 AFP