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- Jan 17, 2005
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10 years of FIF
Nostradamus
Most Passionate Member
Teams schedule
in bracket means it's different competition, in Italics is unconfirmed fixture
Lazio: Torino H, Inter A, Sassuolo H, Milan A, Lecce H, Udinese A, Cremonese H, Empoli A
Juventus: Napoli H, [Inter A], Bologna A, Lecce H, Atalanta A, [Sevilla H], Cremonese H, [Sevilla A], Empoli A, [Coppa Italia Final], Milan H, [Europa League Final], Udinese A
Roma: Atalanta A, Milan H, Monza A, Inter H, [Leverkusen H], Bologna A, [Leverkusen A], Salernitana H, Fiorentina A, [Europa League Final], Spezia H
Milan: Lecce H, Roma A, Cremonese H, Lazio H, [Inter H], Spezia A, [Inter A], Sampdoria H, Juventus A, Verona H, [Champions League Final]
Inter: Empoli A, [Juventus H], Lazio H, Verona A, Roma A, [Milan A], Sassuolo H, [Milan H], Napoli A, [Coppa Italia Final], Atalanta H, Torino A, [Champions League Final]
Atalanta: Fiorentina A, Roma H, Torino A, Spezia H, Juventus H, Salernitana A, Verona H, Inter A, Monza H
2. Lazio - 61
3. Juventus - 59
4. Roma - 56
5. Milan- 53
6. Inter - 51
7. Atalanta - 49
Lazio has the easiest Serie A schedule. And due to not having extra games, they also have the smoothest ride and that 8 point cushion from 5th place is very comfortable. Or the potential 10 point cushion in case Juventus gets a proper punishment in the near future after the -15 pts disgrace.
Lazio effectively can collect 18 points out of 24 without sweating. And they can cause damage in both big games in Milano as it comes at a relatively bad time for both. Facing us right after the Coppa semi which realistically is our best shot at winning a trophy this year and they play Milan just before the first CL encounter and their minds will definitely be there.
Juventus' tough games include a currently troubled Napoli at home who want to return to winning ways, an outing at Bergamo where anything could happen and they host Milan in what could be a very stacked schedule if they advance to both their cup finals, where they'd either be safely in the top 4 and provide Milan with 3 free points, or give it all to seal their CL spot without requiring to win the potentially upcoming final.
Roma possibly has the toughest schedule of them all. And knowing Mourinho, he'll put it in the minds of the players that they must win the Europa League, so games around the Leverkusen matches may be harder to prepare for. And till then, they have to play at Bergamo where Atalanta will seek to remain in the Top 4 conversation, play Milan who want to reach Roma's points, then play at Monza who gets free pussy when they win big games and then they play us in Rome where we both tend to struggle to win, so not easy to get more than 1 point there. By the time they face Leverkusen, it's likely that they get something like 5 points.
Milan's schedule is rather balanced. Relatively easy game, followed by a tough one. It's very likely that they'll focus on the CL derby and we may see signs of complacency against Lecce, Cremonese and Spezia were you'd expect them to get 9 points. But playing against Roma, Lazio and Juventus in their last 8 games isn't a treat.
Atalanta's outside chances rely on having the teams ahead of them miss out on wins whenever they play each other and hope they can beat us in Milano and both Roma and Juventus at home. That's going to be a tough run and they seem to be struggling as much as we are in relatively easy games and their grit in bigger matches seems to be diminishing. Shouldn't be a top 4 contender but may very well shape the fortune of a couple of the contenders.
Now, Inter. We kinda suck at getting three deserved points. We kinda suck at getting anything out of games we should be losing. We somehow cannot score anymore. Now's really the time to shine, if we were saving it for something. Toughest run of fixtures we've had in over a decade.
We have four outings in grounds we always struggle to get 3 points at. Empoli, Verona, Roma, Napoli, Torino. Not easy. We're just lucky that apart from Verona (and Roma, mentioned earlier), everyone else may have nothing to play for. And I cannot really vouch for Verona's fate by the final game of the season as they're just 3 points shy of remaining in Serie A.
We also have three home games against teams that we tend to struggle to beat at home. Lazio Sassuolo and Atalanta were never automatic three points, let alone this season.
The struggle is real and we have to come up with at least 15 points out of 18 if we want to secure a top 4 spot. The teams we're chasing are effectively Roma and Milan as we'd need to see something miraculous to reach Lazio or Juventus, from all sides. And it's just a race for 1 spot amongst 3 teams, potentially 4 if Atalanta gets rolling. Lazio and Juventus should be able to secure their status as top 4 sides by mid May.
