The Japan Times - Inter turn attentions to fading Serie A title defence after Barca triumph

No-one was thinking about the three-point gap separating Inter from league leaders Napoli on Tuesday night when Inter showed extraordinary guts and determination to get past Barcelona, Lamine Yamal and all, and into the Champions League final.

Inter's run to the final in Munich has come at the expense of their title defence, whether coach Simone Inzaghi wishes to say it or not, as the coach has had to fight on three fronts with resources dwarfed by those of his continental contemporaries.

The reigning Italian champions have three matches to pull back Napoli before heading to Germany for their date with destiny, against Paris Saint-Germain, later this month.

"Inter have never chosen to prioritise one competition over another," said Inzaghi on Tuesday.

"To sit down and say, 'I'll play for that competition and not that one' is nonsense. We've given our all in everything."

However, it looks like Napoli are well on their way to a fourth Scudetto as Sunday's match with Genoa is one of three fixtures against teams in the bottom half of the table.

Antonio Conte's team also face Parma and Cagliari, neither of whom are mathematically safe with clashes against relegation rivals coming up in the next fortnight.

But Parma are six points clear of the drop zone with Cagliari a further point ahead in 14th, meaning both could have their top flight status secured by the time they face Napoli.

And Napoli's last four wins have all come without conceding a goal, giving the impression that the title is a good as wrapped up, especially as Inter face Champions League chasers Lazio and red-hot Como after Torino.

If anything it's the crowded battle for a place in next season's Champions League that is where the real entertainment lies, with fourth-placed Juventus, Roma and Lazio all locked on 63 points.

Juve are at Lazio on Saturday evening, while Roma are in Bergamo on Monday to take on Atalanta, who are five points ahead of Juve in third and could bag qualification for Europe's top club competition at the Gewiss Stadium.

Roma are on a 19-match unbeaten run in Serie A and have only dropped 10 points since they last lost, at Como in mid-December.

Bologna are a point behind Juve and the two Rome clubs in seventh and take on AC Milan at the San Siro on Friday, a few days before facing the seven-time European champions in the Italian Cup final.

Vincenzo Italiano's team are hoping to both reach the Champions League for the second straight season and break a 51-year wait for a major trophy in Rome next week.

Player to watch: Mile Svilar

If Roma are in the hunt for a top four place it is in part down to some heroic goalkeeping performances from Serbia international Svilar, who has shone since being made a first team regular by Daniele De Rossi last season.

Claudio Ranieri's team have only conceded eight times in Serie A since the turn of the year, with Svilar making the difference between the sticks with 111 saves, 57 from shots inside the penalty area.

Last week's single-goal win over Fiorentina came in a match in which Svilar made a series of fine saves to stop the Viola, and he is likely to be crucial against Atalanta's attacking trident of Ademola Lookman, Mateo Retegui and Charles De Ketelaere.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

AC Milan v Bologna (1845)

Saturday

Como v Cagliari (1300), Lazio v Juventus (1600), Empoli v Parma (1845)

Sunday

Udinese v Monza (1030), Verona v Lecce (1300), Torino v Inter (1600), Napoli v Genoa (1845)

Monday

Venezia v Fiorentina (1630), Atalanta v Roma (1845)

Y.Ishikawa--JT