Rome (AFP)

The Roman derby opens on Friday, the clash between the two big favorites for the title, Inter Milan and Juventus, on Sunday and a possible winter championship title for AC Milan on Monday: the 18th day of Serie A s ad rich in posters.

For this penultimate day of the first leg, the absence of the supporters will probably be felt a little more than usual.

At the Stadio Olimpico, first, for the usually hot derby boiling in the stands between a Lazio back to the wall (8th), after a mixed start to the championship due to the energy given up in the Champions League, and a Roma determined to defending dearly his beautiful third place, as it showed by snatching the draw (2-2) against Inter Milan.

"It will be an abnormal derby, without tifosi, but we know that they will be there with the heart, the same that we will have to put on the ground", launched the Laziale coach Simone Inzaghi.

"But football has changed, for us and for others."

This will be a first for new US Roma owners Dan Friedkin and his son Ryan, who arrived this summer.

In San Siro too, the supporters will be the big absent from the Inter-Juve clash, between the second and the first of the last championship, but above all the two best armed teams on paper to win the scudetto at the end of the season.

A real gala evening with on the pitch the best attack (Inter, 43 goals) and the best defense (Juve, 16 goals) and the two current top scorers in Serie A (Cristiano Ronaldo, 15 goals, and Romelu Lukaku, 12).

"We are facing the strongest team in absolute terms, which have dominated for nine years in Italy. It will be very motivating, to measure how much the gap has been reduced on the pitch," said ambitious Antonio Conte, arrived in 2019 on the bench of Nerazzurri precisely to bring the Lombard club to the top.

- AC Milan winter champion?

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Inter (2nd, 3 pts behind leaders AC Milan) is currently four lengths ahead of the Bianconeri (4th, one match less).

But the statistics - Inter have not won against Juve since September 2016, that is to say seven matches - as the dynamics of the beginning of the year are in favor of the Turinese.

Juve has just chained three victories in three matches, including that against Milan (3-1) on Sunday, already at San Siro.

Inter, on the contrary, lost their solidity at the end of 2020 which had allowed them to string together eight consecutive victories.

And has just dropped five points in his last two matches, against Sampdoria (1-2) and Roma (2-2).

The Nerazzurri, too crumbly in defense, still had to fight 120 minutes Wednesday in the round of 16 of the Italian Cup to dominate Fiorentina (2-1 ap).

A consolation, however: Juventus did not do better, also trained in overtime by Genoa (3-2 ap).

In the event of Inter's misstep, AC Milan can be crowned winter champion on Monday, a completely honorary title but which would come to greet the Rossonero renewal for a year.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will regain his starting place in an orphan attack by Rafael Leao (suspended), and his teammates move on the lawn of Cagliari (16th), a sick team that remains in ten matches without a win (4 draws, 6 losses).

It is the first time that AC Milan have taken the lead at mid-season since the 2010-2011 championship, which is also the last won by the Rossoneri.

The program for the 18th day (in GMT hours):

Friday

(19:45) Lazio Rome - AS Rome

Saturday

(2:00 p.m.) Bologna - Hellas Verona

(5:00 p.m.) Torino - Spezia

(7.45 p.m.) Sampdoria Genoa - Udinese

Sunday

(11.30am) Naples - Fiorentina

(2:00 p.m.) Sassuolo - Parma

Crotone - Benevento

(5:00 p.m.) Atalanta Bergamo - Genoa

(19:45) Inter Milan - Juventus Turin

On Monday

(7.45 p.m.) Cagliari - AC Milan

© 2021 AFP