Before even taking a moment to assess the outcomes of the ninth round, which concluded with Sunday night’s match between Fiorentina and Roma, it’s already time to turn the page. The midweek matches of the 10th round of Serie A kick off today. At 6:30 PM Italian time, Gotti’s Lecce will face Zanetti’s Verona. Both teams have experienced heavy defeats in their last two outings, with Lecce losing 6-0 at home to Fiorentina in the eighth round, while Verona suffered a 6-1 loss away to Atalanta in the last round. Neither team is in great form or confidence, although Lecce put up a fight against league leaders Napoli in their last match, despite ultimately losing. Lecce’s biggest issue has been their offense, managing only three goals in their first nine matches, which explains their last-place standing, tied on points with Venezia.
In terms of relegation battles, Cagliari’s match at 6:30 PM against Bologna is crucial. The visitors are coming off a forced break due to the postponement of Bologna-Milan because of bad weather, while the islanders are reeling from a poor defeat at Udinese. Speaking of forced breaks, the atmosphere surrounding the Rossoneri is unanimous in agreeing that it hasn’t benefited Morata and his teammates, as Fonseca will have to cope without injured players Gabbia, Bennacer, Jovic, Abraham, and Florenzi, as well as suspended players Theo Hernandez and Reijnders, who were supposed to serve their bans in the postponed Bologna match.
Napoli arrives at San Siro in excellent form, sitting at the top of the table, four points clear of second-placed Inter. They know they can afford two results from three: even a draw would keep a competitor at bay and allow Conte to maintain a healthy margin over the chasing pack, while a victory would send a strong message to the league. This matchup has become a classic in Serie A, with fiery encounters in the 1990s, fueled by the Dutch influence and Sacchi’s tactics, alongside Maradona’s exploits. More recently, during Spalletti’s title-winning year, Milan handed Napoli a painful 0-4 defeat in April 2023, which was a precursor to their heart-wrenching elimination in the Champions League quarterfinals at the hands of the Rossoneri.
