The fight in the Champions League becomes fierce

When the dissipated smoke of San Siro and the Derby Della Madonnina were completely digested by the morning papers, the attention turned to the race at the Champions League. With Inter, Napoli and Lazio, remarkably the only two teams to rank among the top eight this weekend, the Serie A chart offered a vision of things to come. The first four places certainly seem to be contested until the last and the battle to achieve this will be forged by key moments.

The Inter will ride the Derby victory wave and hope it will be useful as Lazio will be next after the international break. They beat them 3-0 in Rome at the start of the campaign with Mauro Icardi twice. It seems that their missing striker may be back for this meeting and that they need all the firepower they can benefit since Lazio has captured some form in recent times.

After winning the Derby Della Capitale 3-0, the Romans also drew against Milan and Fiorentina, before beating Parma last weekend. This match could be crucial to allow Inter to gain momentum, or to keep the package closed.

The beginning of April will be crucial for the Rossoneri, who have strong ties on April 6th and 13th. If they manage to get results against Sampdoria and Udinese, they will have to face Juventus and then Lazio back to back. Perhaps the fact that 'The Old Lady' will play Ajax in the Champions League matches just four days after their Milan match will have an effect.

The Turin giants have everything but the Serie A tied and can choose to let the players prepare for the crucial first leg. Facing L'Aquile after that will really show if the Milanese have the ability to stay in phase with the group and if they can sail in this period, they could find themselves in an excellent position towards the end of the campaign.

Roma are currently in fourth place and it is fair to see that the "rebound of the new coach" is well and truly over. They fought for form, lost the Derby, were out of the Champions League and were beaten by SPAL last weekend. The clash between them will cause concern, as they still have to face Napoli, Sampdoria, Fiorentina, Inter and Juventus.

Perhaps the game against the Nerazzurri at the end of April will be one of the most interesting, as it will take place at a critical moment of the season. The only team that tends to be more "Pazza" than Inter is the Giallorossi. If the results do not materialize, it could put an end to the hopes of the Romans to reach the highest European competition.

It is widely accepted that Napoli has secured its place in the Champions League, but it will still have an influence on the race. At the end of April, they will play against Atalanta, who has offered enough to really qualify for one of the spots. Napoli will test them in April, before the reception of Inter in San Paolo in May, always under the sign of the epic.

Atalanta has six points in fourth place and will have an eye on May 4th. They will travel to Rome to face Lazio, match that they had won 1-0 earlier in the season. The Bergamo team was superb with Gian Piero Gasperini during this campaign and it would not be too much of a surprise if they managed to make the most of the mistakes of the Roman and Milan teams.

Turin should perhaps also receive an external mention, as its form has been good recently, that is to say until they fall in love with Bologna. They have the opportunity to gain ground, but even if they manage to surprise the world of Italian football, an extremely difficult race, which includes the Derby Della Mole and a visiting Milan team, can make everyone forget about it. a miracle.

The Scudetto may have already been decided, although not yet mathematically, but that does not mean that the Champions League race can not provide enough entertainment. Perhaps there is an argument that Juventus, Naples and the two Milanese teams would give Italy the best possible chances to perform in the most prestigious elite, but Rome would certainly have some something to say about it. With the approach of the last two months of the campaign, any mistake in these crucial games will certainly be expensive.