WILD WEEKEND IN ITALY

This weekend is featured by a lot of big matches on the main domestic Italian league. Juventus’ domination for the last few years have been evident, but that could change this season, as Inter Milan is looking stronger than ever. Even if La Vecchia Signora has a better squad than their current rival, the arrival of Antonio Conte drastically changed the dynamic of the Nerazzurri, as he acquired a few quality players along the way. Romelu Lukaku, Diego Godin and Aléxis Sanchez have turned Inter into one of the top teams in Italy, and Conte’s guidance in the process is key as well, a coach that’s been nicknamed as the best in the World by some of his former players. The Top 5 teams in the standings along Napoli, who’s currently in 8th due to their poor start to the season, play against each other this weekend, as the Serie A table could suffer major changes.

1. LAZIO v NAPOLI

The first matchup opposes Lazio and Napoli. Both clubs are going through a very different situation at the moment, as the Laziale is coming from an unexpected win for the Italian Super Cup against Juventus and a road win in the last minutes on Brescia’s home soil. Their confidence is sky high, and they’re the rightfully favourites for this match. Ciro Immobile can’t stop scoring, netting two more goals in their last match, leading the Serie A Top Scorers table with 19 goals. On the other hand, Napoli just can’t get their act together. The change of managers, nearly a month ago, has not brought new results to the Gil Azzurri. Gennaro Gattuso hasn’t been able to win 2 fixtures in a row, and things could get tough when they travel to Stadio Olimpico on Saturday night. It will be interesting to see if they’re active on this current transfer window in order to improve their squad.

2. INTER MILAN v ATALANTA

The second fixture is between league leaders Inter Milan and Champions League main surprise, Atalanta. Like mentioned above, Antonio Conte’s team is a different beast from the last few years. The board has put together a very competitive team to compete with Juventus for the Serie A title. The duo of Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku is wreaking havoc amongst every team they play against, participating in almost every goal Inter has scored so far. The hiring of Conte has also been an extremely smart move by Inter’s board, as he achieves results in every place he goes. However, they’ll face an outstanding team on Saturday night. Atalanta has a different brand of football than every other team of Serie A. Much more technical, they like to control the tempo of the match with their own possession, remembering at times the likes of Barcelona and Manchester City. They already collect some impressive wins this season away from home, against the likes of AS Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk, and will try to do the same in Giuseppe Meazza. Although a good team, a win here for Inter could put extra pressure on Juventus, as they travel to Roma to take on Paulo Fonseca’s team on Sunday.

Romelu Lukaku goals in 32 Premier League games last season: 12



Romelu Lukaku goals in 18 Serie A games this season: 14 pic.twitter.com/qyAufB7FSE — B/R Football (@brfootball) January 6, 2020

3. AS ROMA v JUVENTUS

Paulo Fonseca has been deemed as one of the best coaches in the Serie A at the moment, due to his excellent work at Roma. The manager, when still at Shakhtar Donetsk, was inquired from various European powerhouses, but ultimately, decided to opt for the Giallorossi. They sit in 4th place with 35 points, a spot that grants them direct access to next year’s Champions League. The Portuguese implemented an offensive mindset to this team that wasn’t seen there in a long time and brought the best out of some players that were underperforming last season. The club they’re going up against also has a new manager. Maurizio Sarri left Chelsea and packed his bags to Turin to team up with Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala. However, things have not been going so smoothly as people were expecting. Their level of play has not been great, and with the squad Sarri possess, the fans demand a more attractive type of football, something that the 61-year-old was known for when working at Napoli. The good thing for La Vecchia Signora is that Cristiano Ronaldo looks like his old self once again. With a hattrick in his last game, he made the alarms sound for every other team not named Juventus, as he definitely looks healed from his knee problem. An entertaining weekend coming for all the football and Serie A fans in the World.