There are four matches to go in what has been an absorbing Serie A campaign with the Scudetto already in Naples after Luciano Spalletti led I Partenopei to a first title since the days of the great Diego Maradona.
But there’s plenty more to play for with a fierce race for Champions League places and a dog-eat-dog battle to avoid relegation. Juventus are in second place with 66 points, then we have Lazio on 64, Inter Milan 63, AC Milan 61 and Atalanta and Roma both in the hunt on 58.
At the bottom Sampdoria are already doomed and then it’s two from four. Cremonese are in serious trouble on 24 points while Spezia, on 27 has Hellas Verona (30) and Lecce (31) in their sights. The Serie A 2023 results on Matchday 35 will have a huge impact on the outcomes at the top and bottom of the league, so let’s look at the fixtures to watch out for.
Lazio host Lecce on Friday night in the weekend’s curtain raiser and it’s a game the Romans will expect to win, which would be good news for Spezia in particular. Lazio had a setback last week, losing to AC Milan while Lecce lost at home to Hellas Verona. All eyes will be on I Biancoceleste midfield ace Sergej Milinkovic-Savic who has had a tremendous season and is admired by Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal.
On Saturday, Salernitana vs Atalanta will see a clash between two red hot strikers, Boulaye Dia of Salernitana comes up against Atalanta hot shot Ademola Lookman. They have 15 and 13 goals respectively and sit third and fourth in the top scorers list. Salernitana aren’t mathematically safe yet so they will give La Dea a stiff test.
Spezia vs AC Milan is another clash which involves two teams with plenty to play for. I Rossoneri have a Champions League semi-final clash with Inter on Wednesday night, a mega match which we are reporting on here at SBOTOP,and then they only have three days to prepare for their trip to Liguria. Spezia’s tight ground with a 11,500 capacity is a far cry from the San Siro and this is another potential banana skin for a big hitter.
Inter Milan have made a recent surge into the top four and the latest Serie A 2023 betting odds reckon they will stay there. They can further cement their place with a win over mid-table Sassuolo but, like Milan they have limited preparation time. Star striker Lautaro Martinez has 19 goals and is four behind Napoli’s Victor Osimhen in the race for the Capocannoniere, while Sassuolo’s Azzurri star Domenico Berardi made it nine goals for the campaign when he scored in a 1-1 draw with Bologna last week and, with six assists this season he is Sassuolo’s most dangerous player.
On Sunday Title winners Napoli are away to the over-achievers Monza who are sitting pretty in 12th place and already looking forward to another campaign among the elite of Italy. Rumours are circulating that some of Europe’s biggest clubs are considering a move for Osimhen, but a price tag of £150m will rule plenty out, and I Partenopei are still hopeful they can keep hold of their crown jewel. He has recently become the highest African scorer in Serie A with 47, having beaten a record long held by AC Milan legend George Weah and Osimhen seems happy in Naples.
But it will be a long summer for Napoli fans.
Juventus can cement their second place with a match at home to Cremonese, while deepening the relegation mire their visitors find themselves in. But Cremonese are fighting for their lives, with three wins and two draws from the last six games. Whether they can keep Juve hit man Dusan Vlahovic quiet though remains to be seen. But I Bianconeri have a tough Thursday night Europa League clash against Sevilla to play before they return to Serie A, and centre back Gleison Bremer is sidelined. This is not a guaranteed home win.
Seventh placed Roma are hoping to end a run of four league games without a win when they travel to Bologna on Sunday. Paris Saint-Germain have been reported to be showing a tentative interest in Roma boss Jose Mourinho as their next head coach but he has plenty of work to do to ensure Roma’s campaign doesn’t fizzle out. Finally, 17th placed Hellas Verona can ease their relegation worries if they can see off mid table Torino on Sunday at lunchtime. With two wins, two draws and one defeat each from the last five games, these two teams have identical recent records, but Verona will want to repay their fans after they fell to a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Inter Milan on their last home game.
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