Author: The Cult of Calcio Staff

Rifinitura: Chancy Away Tests for Inter and Napoli

AC Milan, Atalanta, Benevento, Bologna, Cagliari, Chievo Verona, Crotone, Fiorentina, Genoa, Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Parma, Rifinitura, Roma, Sampdoria, Sassuolo, Serie A, Spal, Torino, Udinese
Round 14 of Serie A will not feature any big match. Yet, top ranking Inter and Napoli should better not underestimate their away games in Cagliari and Udine. A recent coach change did bring some benefits to the Islanders, whereas Udinese will see their new trainer Massimo Oddo debut tomorrow. Juventus have good chances of reducing their gap with the lead as they face Crotone at home.
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Assi di Coppe: Atalanta Advances by Playing Pokerissimo

AC Milan, Assi di Coppe, Atalanta, Champions League, Europa League, European Cups, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Roma
We are running out of adjectives to describe Atalanta’s sensational European campaign: Gian Piero Gasperini’s Nerazzurri had started their run in Europa League Group E with a clear 3-0 home win against Everton. Last night, they secured their presence in the Round of 32 after humiliating again the Toffees with a fabulous pokerissimo – five goals scored at Wayne Rooney’s home.
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Insigne Inspires, Zielinski Zaps: Napoli Tops Milan 2-1

AC Milan, Napoli, Serie A One comment
As soon as he stepped foot on the pitch again, Lorenzo Insigne didn’t wait a minute to spark more regrets at his missed deployment in the Italy-Sweden World Cup Playoff. The boy from Frattamaggiore scored the first goal last night, before Piotr Zielinksi doubled the lead to help Napoli top Milan 2-1 and retain their Serie A lead, regardless of the outcome of the remaining matches from Round 13.
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Rifinitura: Rome Derby, Napoli-Milan in Post-Apocalypse Weekend

AC Milan, Atalanta, Benevento, Bologna, Cagliari, Chievo Verona, Crotone, Fiorentina, Genoa, Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Rifinitura, Roma, Sampdoria, Sassuolo, Serie A, Spal, Torino, Udinese
Now that the worst has happened – to quote Federcalcio President Carlo Tavecchio, who a few weeks ago had prophetically cautioned that failing to qualify for the World Cup would be comparable to an apocalypse – it’s up to Serie A to alleviate the pain of a Country which suddenly woke up with the nightmare of having to make alternate plans for next Summer. Calcio lovers will have a rich program in Round 13 to drown their pain in.
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Serie A Recap: Juve Gets Closer as Napoli, Inter Slow

AC Milan, Atalanta, Benevento, Bologna, Cagliari, Chievo Verona, Crotone, Fiorentina, Genoa, Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Roma, Sampdoria, Sassuolo, Serie A, Spal, Torino, Udinese
The first third of Serie A 2017-18 ended with Juventus reducing the gap versus capolista Napoli, and surpassing Inter to catch the second position in the table. This looked like a simple round on paper for the three leading forces, yet both Napoli and Inter were forced to halt their march and settle for a draw. Juventus did get the three points, but suffered much more than expected against Benevento.
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Rifinitura: Spotlight on Genoa’s Derby della Lanterna

AC Milan, Atalanta, Benevento, Bologna, Cagliari, Chievo Verona, Crotone, Fiorentina, Genoa, Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Rifinitura, Roma, Sampdoria, Sassuolo, Serie A, Spal, Torino, Udinese
With no dangerous crossings between the main Scudetto contenders, the 12th Round of Serie A will feature the Derby della Lanterna (Lighthouse Derby) between Genoa and Sampdoria as main course in the menu. Rossoblu and Bluecerchiati will face each other on Saturday night to set their rule over the Italian port city, starting with opposite moods and perspectives.
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Serie A Round Recap: Crotone, Spal Gain Key Points

AC Milan, Atalanta, Benevento, Bologna, Cagliari, Chievo Verona, Crotone, Fiorentina, Genoa, Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Roma, Sampdoria, Sassuolo, Serie A, Spal, Torino, Udinese
In a weekend that saw all the leading teams making full score quite easily – including Juventus, which captured a convincing 0-2 away win in the big match against Milan – the most interesting exploits came from Crotone and Spal. Both teams cashed two very important victories to move away from the danger zone.
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Rifinitura: Juve Visits Milan to Test Montella’s Grip

AC Milan, Atalanta, Benevento, Bologna, Cagliari, Chievo Verona, Crotone, Fiorentina, Genoa, Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Roma, Sampdoria, Sassuolo, Serie A, Spal, Torino, Udinese
They both passed their mid-week test scoring four goals, and now Milan and Juventus will square off in San Siro Stadium tomorrow at 18.00 for the main event of Serie A Round 11. The Bianconeri, which are on pursuit of top ranking Napoli, will constitute a crossroads in the season of Rossoneri coach Vincenzo Montella, who has been struggling so far to keep his side on track.
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