The Italian top-flight will give fans one of the most exciting weekends of the year in the upcoming days, with the clash between Milan and Inter being the cherry on top of theis interesting Matchday 12.
The rossoneri and the nerazzurri sides will lock horns in similar conditions as they did during the earlier days of 2021. Back then, Inter claimed the win in what became a turning point in their season, which ended with the Scudetto going to Inter's cabinets. Nowadays, Milan are seven points ahead of the defending champions, and a win over their bitter rivals could be decisive for both of their title chances in the ongoing campaign.
Napoli, the other team at the top, will try to keep their unbeaten run after a busy week, while teams such as Roma and Atalanta fight to keep their position among the top five before the start of the last international break of 2021.
Let's have a look at some key points ahead of this weekend's matches.
League standings ahead of Matchweek 12 in the Italian Serie A
Napoli and Milan are level at 31 points, but Napoli's goalscoring prowess have handed them the top spot up until this point of the season. Inter have fallen behind due to a string of unfortunate results, but their chances of success could improve with a win against Milan. Further behind, José Mourinho's Roma are fourth thanks to their better goal difference compared to Atalanta's, the other team with 19 points in the competition.
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Top games to watch in Matchweek 12 of the Italian Serie A
Juventus vs Fiorentina: The bianconeri have been impressive in the UEFA Champions League, but their run in the domestic tournament has been quite baffling. Their next match against Fiorentina could be key for their fortunes, as the Viola side lays three points ahead of Juventus before this weekend. Either way, a win for any of these teams may cement their hopes for a top five finish this season, and judging by what we've seen of them so far, we could be in for quite a thrilling game.
Napoli vs Hellas Verona: The league leaders will return to Diego Maradona Stadium with a golden chance to keep the top spot all to themselves if Milan drop the ball. In previous seasons, Hellas Verona were kind of a pushover team, but this time around, the the Gialloblúare in the mix for a spot in European competitions, which means that Luciano Spalletti's men will not have an easy outing next Sunday.
Milan vs Inter: The Derby della Madonnina has delivered some of the best matches in Serie A in recent seasons, and this one should follow suit. Stefano Pioli's men seem to be the favorite to win this game, but that was the same thing most experts thought back in January and Inter not only prevailed, but they also thrived from that win and went all the way to win the title. Will the rossoneri confirm themselves as title contenders, or will Inter be thrown right back into the mix to defend their title by cutting the current seven-point gap between them and the leaders?
Serie A - Who's in and who's out of Matchday 12?
Atalanta - Injured: Hans Hateboer, Matteo Pessina, Robin Gosens. Suspended: Federico Mattiello.
Inter - Injured: Gabriel Brazao. Ineligible: Christian Eriksen.
Juventus - Doubtful: Mattia De Sciglio, Moise Kean.
Lazio - Injured: Mattia Zacagni, Bobby Adekanye.
Milan - Injured: Ante Rebic, Junior Messias, Samu Castillejo, Mike Maignan, Alessandro Plizzarri. Doubtful: Pietro Pellegri. Suspended: Theo Hernández.
Napoli - Injured: Konstantinos Manolas, Fabián Ruiz, Kevin Malcuit. Suspended: Kalidou Koulibaly. Doubtful: Lorenzo Insigne, Victor Osimhen.
Roma - TBD
Serie A - Matchday 12 broadcast info
