Sassuolo threatens Inter and coach Conte … and Napoli seeks victory (for Maradona)

Inter are visiting the brilliant Sassuolo runner-up in a match that could be fateful for coach Antonio Conte at the opening of the ninth leg of the Italian Championship today, which will see a match between Napoli aspiring to honor its Argentine legend Diego Maradona when hosting Roma, while leaders Milan will test her strength in the absence of the injured Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Inter and enter the match after losing at home (2-0) in the Champions League to Real Madrid on Wednesday, which put him on the verge of exiting the first round for the third consecutive season. In an attempt to make up for the continental disappointment and take away some pressure behind Conte, Inter clashes with Sassuolo, a surprise of the season, which has become one of the three teams (with Milan and Juventus) not yet lost in the league.
Inter are fifth, 3 points behind Sassuolo, so a victory will put them in a position to get closer to the command, in search of the first championship title since 2010. But if they lose, compared to the victory of their rivals and neighbors Milan over Fiorentina, will find themselves 8 away points ahead. “We have to work to close the gap and be an impressive force again,” Conte said after the defeat to Real Madrid. Inter and Sassuolo each have the best attack of the league this season, with 20 goals each in 8 games, so the confrontation promises to be fun on the pitch. The Belgian Romelu Lukaku has brought 7 with Inter, while Francesco Caputo has scored 5 the Sassuolo top scorer and has made 3 assists in 6 league games this season, but it is not clear if he will be present in the clash after having missed the 2-0 win. Host Verona in the stage before a groin injury. Inter had gone from (0-2) last week to win (4-2) against Torino.
Milan awaits a cautious confrontation tomorrow in front of their fifteenth host Fiorentina, who will test his skills by competing and scoring in the absence of Ibrahimovic, the league’s top scorer, who suffered an injury to his left thigh muscle during the 3-1 victory against Napoli in the previous phase, during which he scored two goals, and lost the draw (1-1) against Frenchman Lille in the European League (Europa League) on Thursday.
Ibrahimovic, 39, who talks to his country’s manager about the possibility of his return from retirement in the national team, has scored 10 of Milan’s 19 league goals this season and has found his way onto the net in all six the games played. However, the team of coach Stefano Pioli proved to be able to cope with the absence of «Ibra», after missing two games due to the infection of the new Corona virus. As for Fiorentina, they will seek their first victory with coach Cesare Prandelli, who failed at the beginning of his second career with the team, losing at home to Benevento (0-1) in the previous phase.
As for Napoli, anguished by the departure of its legend, Maradona, tomorrow at 15 will host Roma, with a strong emotional confrontation at the San Paolo Stadium, whose name will be changed to Diego Maradona or San Paolo – Maradona Stadium, after the calls for this rosa, first of all the mayor of the city, Luigi De Magistres. “I think it’s right that we call San Paolo your name to stay with us,” said club president Aurelio de Laurentiis.
Before the start of the match against Rijeka, the Croatian, on Thursday, in the European championship, won (2-0), the players from the south wore the No. 10 shirt bearing the name of Maradona, who died Wednesday of a heart attack.
“Maradona means a lot, not just for me, but for all Napoleons,” said team star Lorenzo Insigne. He has always defended us and always carried us in his heart, and we should do the same. Napoli VI hopes to come out with the three points against the team of the Capital, to strengthen its hopes of contending for the title by aspiring to win it for the third time, after Maradona took it to its only titles in its history, in 1987 and in 1990.
And Roma enter in a good mood after the victory over Romania’s Cluj in the European championship, and after 3 consecutive victories in the league, the last of which was 3-0 in Parma.
Juventus (the defending champion) in the last nine seasons will visit the newly promoted Benevento this season in today’s top flight, after having booked his seat for the final price round of the Champions League, after the victory over the Hungarian Francois ( 2-0) Tuesday. However, the “Old Lady” club are not offering convincing levels off their home turf this season after settling for a 3-draw league win. But coach Andrea Pirlo’s players returned to the winning streak last week, beating Cagliari (2-0). Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is looking to use Ibrahimovic’s absence to solidify his goal record, having scored 8 league goals this season and 29 in 2020, and is on track to score 30 league goals in a year for the ninth season of his career.
Argentine Paulo Dybala scored a hat-trick in Juventus’ only previous match in Benevento in the season (2017-2018), which saw his genius and scored 22 league goals.
However, the striker of the Argentine national team suffers this season, as he has played only 4 games in the league, and only a complete one, after suffering from injuries and health problems, as a result of which he has not regained the level and confidence of the coach Andrea Pirlo.
In the other prominent matches Atalanta, fresh from the victory over Liverpool at Anfield (2-0) Wednesday in the Champions League, will host Verona, which in January won their last away win in the league. As for Lazio VIII, they will host Udinese, while Torino will be guests of Sampdoria.