Nineteen points! That’s Napoli’s lead at the top of the Serie A standings. Luciano Spalletti’s team is having a fantastic season. The future champions of Italy, Napoli also continue in the UEFA Champions League, where they have qualified for the quarterfinals. In this round, Napoli receives the visit of defending champions AC Milan. It will be the first of three meetings scheduled in April between the two sides, who will also be opponents in the Champions League quarterfinals. Napoli already has one win against the Milanese devil on their record this season. In the first match at the San Siro it was 2-1 for Napoli. AC Milan is still in fourth place, the last place that guarantees a place in the next season of the UEFA Champions League group stage but is going through a difficult period: only one point in the last three rounds. Milan is just one point ahead of fifth-placed AS Roma, 47 points, and three ahead of sixth-placed Atalanta.
Roma plays at home this weekend against 19th-placed Sampdoria, the second-bottom side. Sampdoria beat Verona 3-1 at home last time out, ending an incredible run of ten games without a win (three draws and seven defeats). Roma is coming off a 1-0 Derby della Capitale defeat to Lazio, their third loss in the last four Serie A matches.
Inter, in third place with 50 points, also has three defeats in the last four rounds. Inter is coming off two consecutive defeats: 1-2 away loss at Spezia and a 0-1 at home against rivals Juventus. In this round, Inter, also Champions League quarterfinalist, will play at home to ninth-placed Fiorentina, who have won four of their last four games. The first match at the Stadio Artemio Franchi was a total show – Inter won 4-3, with Mkhitaryan scoring the winning goal in the fifth minute of the extratime!
After the 3-1 home win over Empoli, the first after four rounds in which they only collected one point, Atalanta will play away at Cremonese, last place of the Serie A table with 12 points, condemned to Serie B relegation. One of Cremonese’s 12 points this season came against Atalanta in the first match at the Gewiss Stadium – a surprising 1-1.
Second place in Serie A with 52 points, Lazio is still not sure of a Champions League ticket for the next season because they are only five points ahead of fifth place city rivals AS Roma. Maurizio Sarri’s team is unbeaten in the last five matches – four wins and one draw. Lazio plays this round at Monza, at “Stadio Brianteo”. In the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico, Lazio won 1-0, with the goal being scored in the 69th minute.
In the relegation zone, the gap between 17th place, the place that guarantees salvation (occupied by Spezia), and 18th place, the place below the relegation line (occupied by Verona), is five points. For Verona a win in this round should be mandatory. Unfortunately, Verona will play away to Juventus, a team that has recovered from the 0-1 defeat against Roma three rounds ago.
Spezia plays at home to Salernitana. The match is one of the most interesting of this weekend’s round. There are only three points between the two sides. Salernitana, in 16th place with 27 points, has four games without defeat (one win and three draws), while Spezia, after three games unbeaten, lost in the last round, 0-1 at Sassuolo.
