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With Inter looking to push for a top-three Serie A finish—and an all-important Champions League spot—in the second half of the season, let’s check-in on how the Nerazzurri’s rivals fared this weekend.
Round 27
Inter Milan entered Round 27 of Serie A in sixth place, just one point ahead of city rivals, AC Milan, and six points adrift in the race for a Champions League spot. While the 5-1 domination of Cagliari was a much needed result, Inter didn’t quite get the help they needed elsewhere to move up the table, with the Napoli-Roma match ending in the worst possible way the Nerazzurri.
Up next is a crucial match against Atalanta, the most surprising team in Serie A. While Roma and Napoli have very winnable fixtures this weekend, Lazio have a difficult home match and Milan have the dreaded reality of facing Juventus away. This weekend is very important for Inter, and should end with the club recapturing fourth place if all goes according to plan.
Here’s a recap of the Round 27 results, and what’s on the horizon in Round 28 for Inter’s rivals.
AC Milan
Result: 3-1 win over Chievo Verona
Points behind Inter: 1
Up next in the league: Juventus away on Friday
Atalanta
Result: 0-0 draw against Fiorentina
Points ahead of Inter: 1
Up next in the league: Inter at the San Siro on Sunday (bring it!)
Lazio
Result: 0-2 win over Bologna
Points ahead of Inter: 2
Up next in the league: Torino at home on Monday
Side note – My goodness, Andrea Belotti. Eight-minute hat trick!
Napoli
Result: 1-2 win over Roma
Napoli winning this fixture was the worst possible outcome for Inter. A draw or Roma win would’ve be much more beneficial.
Points ahead of Inter: 6
Up next in the league: Crotone at home on Sunday
Result: 1-2 loss to Napoli
Points ahead of Inter: 8
Up next in the league: Palermo away on Sunday
Juventus
Result: 1-1 draw against Udinese
Points ahead of Inter: 16
Up next in the league: AC Milan at home on Friday
Table
Here’s how the table looks entering Round 28:
Con il posticipo #BolognaLazio si è chiusa la 27ª giornata di campionato: ecco la nuova classifica della #SerieATIM! pic.twitter.com/XcIpIe5amK
— Serie A TIM (@SerieA_TIM) March 5, 2017
Inter’s Champions League dream isn’t dead yet, but they desperately need Roma and Napoli to drop points soon. Both sides have just three remaining matches against teams in the top seven; though they each have to play Juve again. Inter’s home match against Napoli at the end of April is looking ever-more like a must-win fixture.