With six games to go, Inter just needs to hold on
With six games to go, Inter just needs to hold on
By Mirko Corli
Inter has to defend its lead for just six more games in order to secure its 5th consecutive Serie A title.
On Saturday all the three teams playing for the Scudetto won. It was quite unusual to see them playing all at the same time, but the huge pressure that was shared among them did not overwhelm.
Inter won 3-0 at home against Bologna with no trouble (double from Thiago Motta and goal for Balotelli, who was back in the squad). Roma won 1-0 in Bari thanks to Mirko Vucinic, and Milan won 2-3 in Cagliari (wonderful goal by Huntelaar) with a little bit of luck (it was an own goal by Astori that gave Milan 3 points).
Inter still has a one point advantage on Roma and a three point advantage on Milan. The Champions now have to be perfect for every remaining match and cannot afford to make a mistake. But despite the little lead and Roma’s 22nd good result in a row, Inter look to be well aware of their own strength.
Besides these three teams at the top of the league, the race for the last Champions League spot is an open fight between Palermo (2-0 defeat in Catania for the rosanero), Sampdoria (2-1 victory in Verona against Chievo), Napoli (1-1 in Rome against Lazio) and Juve (3-0 defeat in Udine).
It’s difficult to predict who will be the team to go into the Champions League. Considering that Juve has to overcome both Napoli and Palermo to secure the place, my pick is still Palermo. They performed badly against highly motivated Catania but still have the best quality between the four teams.
In the relegation zone, Atalanta got a breathtaking victory 2-0 at home against rivals Siena and now have a 5 points advantage on both Siena and Livorno (1-1 away against Genoa). Lazio and Udinese got important points to help their cause to stay in Serie A, but are not yet safe. It will be a tough race until the end.
And now, the best goals of the matchday: AC Milan’s Jan Klaas Huntelaar against Cagliari, Atalanta’s Jaime Valdes against Siena, Lazio’s Sergio Floccari against Napoli.
Serie A will come back on Saturday when Inter will face Fiorentina for the big match of the week. Happy Easter to you all!
