Online Reporter
Napoli are on the brink of claiming their second Serie A title in three seasons as they head into the final weekend of the campaign leading Scudetto rivals Inter Milan by a single point.
Antonio Conte’s team host Cagliari in front of what will be a packed Stadio Diego Armando Maradona tonight, at the same time as Inter kick off at in-form Como.
Last weekend’s dramatic goalless draw at Parma has left Napoli needing to match or better Inter’s result at Como in order to secure a fourth league crown.
After that Conte’s future at Napoli is still in doubt, with Italian media widely reporting that he will return to Juventus, where he spent the majority of his trophy-packed playing career and won three league titles as coach.
“Winning the Scudetto would repay all of the effort that I’ve put in this season. I know that I’m very tired and that I’m just about OK to get to the end of the season,” said Conte after Sunday’s stalemate.
Neither Conte nor his Inter counterpart Simone Inzaghi will be in their respective dugouts tonight after both were sent off in a tempestuous penultimate round of matches, which ended with Napoli and Inter drawing.
Inzaghi was enraged at the penalty from which Lazio’s Pedro equalised for the second time on Sunday, a 90th-minute spot-kick netted following a Yann Bisseck handball which so angered Inter that no one spoke to media after the 2-2 draw at the San Siro.
Meanwhile, Conte nearly came to blows with Parma’s assistant manager Antonio Gagliardi, Conte’s match analyst with the Italian national team a decade ago, in the final moments at Parma, just as Napoli fans were celebrating Pedro’s spot-kick.
Former Spain international Pedro became an instant hero in Naples as the 37-year-old’s 14th goal of the season kept Napoli top of the division heading into the final weekend.
Napoli and Inter’s matches have been scheduled for tonight to give Inter adequate time to prepare for the Champions League final on 31 May, even in the unlikely event that the two teams finish level on points and leave the title to be decided by a playoff on Monday.
The threat of a playoff has complicated the season finale, in particular for Inter, whose showdown with Paris Saint-Germain in Munich is now the priority with their league title defence as good as over.
An eventual playoff had originally been scheduled for next week, but that is now untenable for Inter and for Serie A, a league which hasn’t had a European champion since Jose Mourinho guided the Milan giants to the treble 15 years ago.
The league had earmarked yesterday as the new date for Napoli and Inter’s matches so that a play-off could be scheduled for the weekend, but Napoli and broadcaster DAZN were reportedly against the idea and that led to the choice of tonight for their final league matches and Monday for any play-off. − SuperSport.
Mathew Masinge