All the Serie A teams were involved on the same match day after the players returned from international duties. The most eye catching fixture of the Italian top flight last week was the game in Rome as AS Roma played host to Benitez’s Napoli.
Rudy Garcia’s side picked up all three points as the match at Stadio Olimpico ended 1 – 0 in favor of the hosts. Pjanic’s 25th minute goal was enough to sink Rafael Benitez’s Napoli. The Naples based club has now plummeted to the sixth spot on the table and their chances of playing in the Champions League next season are becoming grim with each passing week. Fiorentina leapfrogged Napoli and Sampdoria to take on the fourth place on the league table. Mohammed Salah was again on target for Fiorentina as they won 2 – 0 at home against Sampdoria. It is believed that Fiorentina would be making a move for Salah, who is currently on-loan from the West London club, Chelsea. With 9 games to go, the tussle between Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Napoli will get only fiercer.
AC Milan won 2 – 1 at Palermo, thereby climbing up to the eighth spot. The Italian giants are still very far away from the European spot and it is highly unlikely that they would be able to make it in the shortlist for Champions League. Inzaghi’s side can realistically finish above their arch rivals Intermilan and also challenge for the Europa League spot. Roberto Mancini’s Inter dropped points at the weekend against the troubled Parma side. Nerrazzuri drew 1 – 1 at the San Siro on Saturday, with Guarin’s goal allowing them to grab one point. Inter finished fifth in last year’s campaign, but presently they are ninth in the Italian top division and their performances are not getting better as we’re nearing the end of this season.
Lazio are maintaining their impressive run in the league. They traveled to Cagliari at the weekend and returned back home with all three points. Lazio are keeping pace with last year’s runners-up AS Roma and with only point distance between them they would be looking to capitalize if Roma slips.
The reigning Italian champions have a very realistic chance of winning the treble this year. Juventus are miles ahead of every other team in the league. Their 2 – 0 win in Turin against Empoli allowed them to keep a fourteen point gap between them and Roma. On April 15th, Juve will play host to Monaco in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League. They certainly have the quality to go past the Ligue 1 outfit and may be go all the way if they keep it together till the end. Allegri’s team are also in the Coppa Italia final in which they play the Serie A side Lazio on June 7th.