KAMPALA: No more ifs. Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri must begin winning games, starting with Saturday’s Serie A match at Lecce to prevent Italian football’s most successful club from degenerating into a laughing stock. The Old Lady has won only four out of their last twelve matches in all competitions, with the latest setback taking place at Benfica’s Stadium of Light where they fell 3-4 to leave their European season in peril.
Unless Juventus better Maccabi Haifa’s Champions League result at home to Paris Saint Germain next Tuesday, they will altogether be eliminated from European competitions. The goodwill generated from Allegri’s six straight Scudettos in his first spell at the Allianz Stadium is to soon evaporate if the record Serie A champions don’t force their way into a Top Four position that guarantees entry into the lucrative Champions League.
Juve are currently tenth, a good ten points behind leaders Napoli. Luciano Spalletti’s red hot Neapolitans underlined their title credentials by wiping the floor with Glasgow Rangers 3-0 on Wednesday to win their group with a game to spare. It was perfect prep work for Saturday afternoon’s date with Sassuolo at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli’s will have one eye on Wednesday’s winner takes all Champions League encounter with RB Salzburg when the champions travel to Torino on Sunday. Reigning Serie A player of the year Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud are expected to make way for Brahim Diaz, Ante Rebic and Divock Origi as Pioli juggles his options to keep the Rossoneri fresh.
Elsewhere, Romelu Lukaku is pushing for a starting slot in Inter Milan’s home encounter with struggling Sampdoria after stepping off the bench to score in the Nerazzuri’s 4-0 whitewash of Viktoria Plzen, Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio welcome back lead striker Ciro Immobile when they host unpredictable Salernitana, Atalanta face a difficult trip to Empoli and Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma are at Hellas Verona on Monday night.
SATURDAY
Napoli v Sassuolo,
Lecce v Juventus,
Inter Milan v Sampdoria
SUNDAY
Empoli v Atalanta,
Cremonese v Udinese,
Spezia v Fiorentina,
Lazio v Salernitana,
Torino v AC Milan
MONDAY
Hellas Verona v AS Roma,
Monza v Bologna