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Sat 20 May 2023 9:22 am - Jerusalem Time

Italian Championship: A summit between champion Napoli and Inter, who are high on reaching the Champions League final

The 36th stage of the Italian Football League, Sunday, will witness a summit between champion Napoli and Inter, as the first celebrates winning the title for the first time since 1990, and the second reaching the Champions League final for the first time since 2010.


"Nerazzori" travels to southern Italy after defeating its neighbor Milan (2-0 in the first leg and 1-0 in the return) in the semi-finals of the main continental competition, while the Naples fans are still celebrating their team's victory in the Scudetto for the third time in its history and the first after its double with the late Argentine legend Diego. Maradona in 1987 and 1990.


And Napoli had settled the struggle for the title by drawing with Udinese 1-1 on the fourth of this month (stage 33), before winning a match and losing another, while success was the ally of coach Simone Inzaghi’s men, as Inter is going through a wonderful stage in terms of results by achieving 8 successive victories. In various competitions, including 5 in the league.


There is no doubt that the fans of the two teams will forgive coaches Luciano Spalletti and Inzaghi for diverting their focus towards other goals, as Inter is also fighting on the domestic cup front, as it meets Fiorentina in the final match in the middle of next week.


It is expected that coach Inzaghi will rotate among his players to avoid the factor of fatigue against the southern club, which has only lost one of the last six matches in "Serie A", by resting its brilliant Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez and Bosnian veteran Edin Dzeko.


And while a tie or loss does not affect Naples, a similar result for Inter will put it in the crosshairs of its rivals seeking a seat in the Champions League, as Nerazzurri ranks third with 66 points, a point ahead of fourth Lazio and 5 ahead of Milan fifth, and is also behind by a difference. 3 points for Juventus II, 3 stages before the end.


The numbers tend in favor of Inter, who won six of their last nine league matches against the armed Napoli, being the team that won the most matches this season against competitors in the first seven positions, with 8 wins in 11 games (losing in three).


And Napoli must regain its scoring success, led by Nigerian top scorer Victor Osimhen (23 goals in 29 matches) and Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (12 goals), as he has only scored an orphan goal since winning the title in a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina.


For its part, Juventus will visit Empoli on Monday at the end of the competitions of this stage, hoping to compensate for the disappointment of its exit from the European League “Europa League” in front of the king of this competition, Seville, Spain, in the semi-finals (1-3 on aggregate).


"You have to put the goals in the net when you get the chances," said the coach of the "Old Lady" Massimiliano Allegri after losing to the Andalusian club 2-1 after the extension on Thursday. "The players had a good game, but it was in the semi-finals of the European Cup, and we had to give more." ".


He added, "What were we missing? Putting chances in the net... It is a team that lacks experience at the continental level and these physical matches require a lot... A lot of things are changing at the European level... I am happy that the Italian clubs (Inter, Fiorentina and Roma) "I reached the finals in European competitions. We didn't succeed today? Yes, and we will continue to work."


Allegri's men must ensure their participation in the Champions League through the league, in light of talk of a tendency to settle part of the 15 points that he recovered in his appeal of the penalty related to financial manipulation.


And the local federation of the game had reported on Wednesday that the Italian sports justice would review Juventus’ penalty on the current 22, which was suspended on April 20, for re-evaluation.


In turn, Lazio seeks to consolidate its last, fourth position, qualifying for the continental competition, when it is a guest on the twelfth Udinese on Sunday, armed with not losing to it in its last nine matches in the league (6 wins against 3 draws).


Udinese failed to score in 11 of its last 16 matches against “Bianculisti” in the league, but it is self-defeating by not losing at home in its last eight matches, achieving 3 wins against 5 draws.


On the other hand, Milan hopes to put behind him the disappointment of leaving the Champions League when it receives Sampdoria, relegated to the second division, on Saturday, while its coach, Stefano Pioli, is likely not to make radical changes to the starting line-up.


And the “Rossoneri” finds itself facing a difficult task, which is to finish the season in the first four places, or at least in fifth place, awaiting a new penalty for Juventus.


Sampdoria visited the "San Siro" stadium, and was disappointed, as it did not achieve a victory in a series of 8 matches, while its host was not in a better condition, as it did not collect the three points only once in its last four matches in the league, to decline in the standings.


Roma will host Salernitana on Monday, after reaching a European final for the second season in a row, led by Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, in the Europa League on Thursday, after he led him last year to win the Conference League competition.

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Italian Championship: A summit between champion Napoli and Inter, who are high on reaching the Champions League final

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