Inter Milan resume their Serie A title march with a match against Napoli on Sunday night as both teams lick their wounds following painful Champions League eliminations.
Wednesday’s crushing penalty shootout defeat to Atletico Madrid was a blow to Inter, who, in addition to qualifying for the league championship, were aiming for another deep run in Europe’s most sensible club competition.
Last year’s runners-up were more level-headed after the first leg in Italy, after lacking chances, and then squandered a two-goal aggregate lead after taking the lead in Madrid through Federico Dimarco.
The point of sadness in the face of defeat, the first game Inter won out of the 14 played in 2024 in all competitions, is probably to make an almost inevitable Scudetto triumph look like an anti-climax.
Inter looked like a real contender for the Champions League after dominating the first leg and the defeat left a bitter taste in the Italian champions’ mouth.
“We are disappointed for the whole Inter family, but the boys are proud of what they have done this year in the Champions League,” insisted coach Simone Inzaghi.
“Tonight we did better in the key moments. We made a lot of mistakes and unfortunately in those games that makes the difference. “
But there’s still a lot to play for, as with a 16-point lead over AC Milan with 10 games remaining, Inter want just five more wins to seal the name and propel their local rivals to 20 league crowns.
The title win could even come against Milan, whose headquarters were raided by police on Tuesday as part of an investigation into its 2022 sale to U. S. fund RedBird, as next month’s derby is the fifth of Inter’s next five league games.
This would only rub the faces of their local rivals, but it would also allow Inter to equal Napoli and Juventus’ record of winning the league with five games remaining.
Napoli are Inter’s only genuine brake between now and the derby, and the champions’ dismal season took a nasty turn with their elimination at the hands of a lackluster Barcelona.
Francesco Calzona’s side are in seventh place and 31 adrift of Inter, while they also have seven behind Bologna, who continue their bid for a Champions League debut when they travel to struggling Empoli on Friday without injured star striker Joshua Zirkzee.
“It would be a signal for Italian football,” Bologna CEO Claudio Fenucci told public broadcaster RAI on Monday.
“It would show that with an organization within the club, the right people in the organization and an organization of players who exceed expectations, you can do anything different. “
Fourth-placed Bologna’s chances of clinching next year’s revamped Champions League will increase if Serie A maintains its lead over the other primary leagues in the race for fifth place.
With no Italian groups in this year’s edition with Inter and Napoli eliminated, Roma and Atalanta will have to go far in the Europa League.
A fifth-place finish in the Champions League for Italy would be a big challenge for this pair as Bologna leads three and four points respectively ahead of their matches against Fiorentina and Sassuolo on Sunday.
Player to watch: Dusan Vlahovic
Vlahovic returns from a suspension for Juventus, who host Genoa on Sunday lunchtime, after losing to Napoli a fortnight ago.
Serbian striker Vlahovic was so concerned about his missed chances at Napoli that he apologised to his supporters for his capricious end in a post-match interview.
Juve have won just one of their last seven games and are 17 times behind Inter in third place after looking for serious contenders at the start of the year.
Key Stats
5 – The number of wins Inter want to secure the title.
19 – Inter and Milan are tied on 19 league crowns.
Calendar (GMT hours)
Friday
Empoli – Bologna (19:45)
saturday
Monza vs Cagliari, Udinese vs Turin (14:00), Salernitana vs Lecce (17:00), Frosinone vs Lazio (19:45)
Sunday
Juventus vs Genoa (11:30 a. m. ), Verona vs AC Milan (2:00 p. m. ), Atalanta vs Fiorentina, Roma vs Sassuolo (both 5:00 p. m. ), Inter Milan vs Napoli (7:45 p. m. ). )
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