The ninth matchday began with Friday’s early games: Udinese secured a 2-0 home win against Cagliari, with goals scored by Lucca and Davis, one in each half. Later in the evening, Torino defeated Como with a late goal from Nije, but the true standout was goalkeeper Milinkovic Savic, who made at least three crucial saves.
Today’s Serie A action will open with league leaders Napoli hosting Lecce, who are currently second to last in the standings after a crushing 0-6 home defeat to Fiorentina. Postponed due to bad weather and the resulting unavailability of the Dall’Ara stadium: Bologna-Milan.
The highlight match of the ninth round will take place at 18:00 on Sunday at San Siro, featuring Inter against Juventus in what has historically been known as the Derby d’Italia. This title was coined in the past because these two teams were the only ones never relegated to Serie B, and it has persisted even after Juventus was relegated in 2006 due to the Calciopoli scandal. Inter comes into the match off a European victory against Young Boys, clinched by a last-minute goal after dominating the game against a weaker opponent. Conversely, Juventus suffered a painful home defeat to Stuttgart, also ending with a last-minute goal from Touré.
The day will conclude with Sunday evening’s late match in Florence between Fiorentina and Roma. Both teams come off European victories against lower-tier teams, but in the league, Fiorentina recently dominated their last match against Lecce, while Juric’s Roma suffered a home loss to Inter, facing boos from their fans who have long been protesting against the ownership and players.
