Milan: One point is all Juventus need. Even if second-place Lazio beat Atalanta on Sunday, a draw against Sampdoria on Saturday would leave Juventus 12 points clear with four matches remaining and the better head-to-head record.
Sealing the title would be the first step of a possible treble for Juventus, who also face Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals and will play Lazio in the Italian Cup final.
"Our goal is in sight, let's go and get what we deserve Saturday and then we'll try and follow dreams which are even more beautiful," Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said on Twitter.
Allegri faces a difficult decision on whether to rest some players this weekend, with the first leg of the Champions League semifinals against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Also, Roma host Genoa on Sunday, with the capital side hoping to remain in the Champions League spots, while a resurgent Napoli welcome AC Milan, which could have a new coach and a new owner.
Here are some things to know about this weekend's games:
SAME OLD JUVE
Juventus were rocked when Antonio Conte quit in the offseason and further stunned when he was replaced by Allegri, who had been fired by AC Milan several months earlier and appeared to be the antithesis of the beloved former coach.
However, little has changed in the league as Juventus are once again storming to the title, while Allegri has steered Juventus into the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2003.
"Allegri has given us a lot," said Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who is also the team's captain. "He inherited a great group, with good moral values and skills, a very difficult job was made easier. Whoever would have taken Conte's place would have found a very arduous path."
TEVEZ ON FIRE
One of the main orchestrators of Juventus' success this season has been Carlos Tevez.
The Argentine scored another two goals on Wednesday to help Juventus to a 3-2 win over Fiorentina and take his tally to a league-leading 20 Serie A goals, 28 in all competitions.
Tevez has been transformed into a leader on and off the field, a far cry from his arrival two years ago when he was perceived as a risky signing following a bad time at Manchester City, which had seen him suspended for refusing to come on as a substitute.
"He's fantastic," Buffon said. "From the start of the season he's helped us win games. He's dragging us to the title. We'll be forever grateful."
Tevez could be playing his last few matches for Juventus. There is speculation that he could return to Boca Juniors, although the forward insists he has not decided yet whether he will do so this year or next.
ALL CHANGE AT MILAN
AC Milan could travel to Napoli with a different person in charge of the team amid reports Filippo Inzaghi is set to be fired.
Milan was expected to wait until the end of the season to replace Inzaghi - who is in his first season of management - with a more experienced coach but could act sooner after Wednesday's 3-1 loss at home to Genoa.
"I never quit. I'll go forward with my head held high because I have given my all," Inzaghi said. "The club will reflect on things and take the best decision for Milan. We will know soon. Whatever happens Milan will remain in my heart."
Youth team coach Cristian Brocchi could take over for the final five matches of the season.
The future of Milan off the field will also be clearer after former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi met Thai businessman Bee Taechaubol on Wednesday to discuss the sale of the club, which he has owned for almost 30 years.
"In our 29 years we have taken the club to the top of the world," Paolo Berlusconi, Silvio's brother, told local newspaper Il Giorno. "We need to take stock of things now, with the advent of oil magnates who have radically changed the rules of the transfer market.
"To continue this marvellous adventure called Milan we needed to invest several hundreds of millions. And today, with the economic crisis in our country, I think that would have been immoral. It's wiser to pinpoint a group which has great economical resources to return Milan to its past glory days, while maybe continuing to be part of the shareholders."
Comments
0 comment