Thursday , November 7 2024

Serie A: Lazio hosts Juventus

Saturday 7 November
16:00: Cagliari v Sampdoria
19:00: Benevento v Spezia
21:45: Parma v Fiorentina

Sunday 8 November
13:30: Lazio v Juventus
16:00: Atalanta v Internazionale
16:00: Genoa v Roma
16:00: Torino v Crotone
19:00: Bologna v Napoli
19:45: Milan v Hellas Veron

Milan, Italy | THE INDEPENDENT | As far as Italy is concerned, the top clash this weekend sees Lazio host Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on the afternoon of Sunday 8 November. Le Aquile looked like title contenders last season but fell away after lockdown, while their form has been patchy so far in 2020-21.

Yet a win over the champions would go a long way in putting Lazio back into the title conversation, though manager Simone Inzaghi is – as ever – downplaying expectations. “We need to show humility against a strong opponent,” he explained. “A game of collective sacrifice will be needed.”

Inzaghi also addressed speculation over his position, saying that he has an open and honest relationship with Lazio owner and president Claudio Lotito: “I always speak to the president, there are no problems. I’ve had him as a president for the last 15 years, so I don’t know if other presidents are different! He wants to know everything that’s going on and to keep well-informed, quite rightly, as he is the owner.”

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The weekend will also feature a black-and-blue striped derby when Atalanta host Internazionale in Bergamo, with La Dea hoping to get back to their best form at home after succumbing to Sampdoria in their last domestic clash at the Gewiss Stadium.

Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini says he needs to balance out his squad rotation and the blooding of new players into his tactical system: “On the one hand, we do need to get the new players settled as soon as possible, but on the other we must balance it out with not performing too many experiments when we need to get points in the early rounds of the season.”

The round also features Parma and Fiorentina facing off at Stadio Ennio Tardini, as well as Milan – led by the seemingly ageless Zlatan Ibrahimovic – welcoming Hellas Verona to the San Siro to close out the weekend’s action on Sunday night.

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SOURCE: DSTV

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