Napoli missed their first chance to clinch the Scudetto Sunday. Salernitana striker Boulaye Dia silenced the crowd with a stunning goal late in the game, leading to a 1-1 draw. Since Lazio had lost to Inter earlier in the day, the Azzurri would have celebrated had they won. The match against the Granata was postponed from Saturday to Sunday for such reason and to avoid public order-related problems.
The Partenopei need very little to mathematically secure their third title in the upcoming midweek round. They will face Udinese Thursday night. Juventus can no longer catch them having tied with Bologna in the past matchday, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs.
Even if Lazio beat Sassuolo Wednesday, Napoli would be champions by sharing the spoils with the Friulani. Instead, they would be crowned before taking the field if the Bianconcelesti failed to succeed in their own fixture.
Therefore, only a loss against the Zebrette, and the Biancocelesti prevailing against the Emilian side, would prevent them from sealing the title in Round 33. The Azzurri will then face Fiorentina Sunday. Lazio will square off against Milan over the weekend.
Udinese-Napoli was originally scheduled for Tuesday. It was delayed following the decision about the Salernitana tilt. Kick-off is currently set for 8.45 pm. The authorities are considering moving it up to earlier in the day. That would allow the team to head home early to participate in the celebrations, which wouldn’t start late at night. However, as was the case for the encounter with the Granata, it might take a while to finalize the decision, Sky informs (via Goal).
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |