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DPA
Rome
Serie A front-runners Juventus don’t feel indebted to their Tuesday opponents AC Milan, who helped them extend their advantage by hammering second-place Lazio.
The Laziali lost two of the four games played since the restart after the coronavirus lockdown and sit now seven points behind the Turin champions with eight games left.
Inter also lost ground and lag 11 points from the top after losing 2-1 to Bologna.
“We only want to be the arbiters of our future,” the Devils’ boss Stefano Pioli said after Saturday’s 3-0 win against the Romans. “Whoever we meet, we have the chance to display our quality.
“We know that the next games, just as (last Saturday’s), will be very difficult. We need to recover all the energy we can.
“Playing every three days takes a lot of energy, mostly mentally, and we need them all to stay focused on our performance on the pitch, on our standing and our situation.” Milan are in a Europa League berth given their current seventh spot as sixth-placed Napoli qualified by winning the Italian Cup.
Beside the Juve affair, however, the Devils have more tough encounters with Napoli on Sunday and Atalanta two weekends later.
They had veteran star Zlatan Ibrahimovic back from injury for part of the Rome game, where he converted a penalty, and the Swede looks forward to tackling Juve, who in 2004 offered him the first Italian contract in his maverick career.
Pioli, however, could miss the injured Hakan Calhanoglu, also on target in Rome, and Samuel Castillejo.
Juve beat Torino 4-1 and will miss defender Matthijs de Ligt and Paulo Dybala, who scored in the past five outings, to suspension.
“They are two players who have being doing very well in this period, but bookings can happen,” coach Maurizio Sarri said. “They are crucial absentees, but certainly there will be two strong players in their place.” Dybala’s Argentina compatriot Gonzalo Higuain should start next to Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored in all of the last four games, with either the recovering veteran Giorgio Chiellini or Daniele Rugani playing next to centre back Leonardo Bonucci as he goes into his 401st game as Bianconero.
Lazio visit struggling Lecce in Tuesday’s opener and Inter close matchday 31 at Verona late Thursday, after SPAL v Udinese.
Fourth-place Atalanta moved one point behind Inter and have the last Champions League spot virtually secured as Roma and Napoli sit 15 points adrift.
Atalanta welcome Sampdoria in a Wednesday programme also featuring Genoa v Napoli, Roma v Parma, Fiorentina v Cagliari, Bologna v Sassuolo and Torino v Brescia.A ninth successive Serie A title is in Juventus’ sights after slip-ups from their chasers allowed them to open a gap that appears hard to bridge in the eight remaining rounds
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07/07/2020
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