🇮🇹 Five reasons you must watch Serie A this weekend
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With the Supercoppa Italiana concluding and seeing Milan pick up the first piece of silverware of the year, attention now returns to focus on a full slate of Serie A action.
Here are five reasons you can't miss this weekend's action.
Motta feeling pressure in derby
The Derby della Mole between Torino and Juventus headlines the weekend action from Serie A, with the underdogs hoping to strike another blow to Thiago Motta's position and reputation.
As we hit the halfway point in the season, you would be forgiven for being surprised that Juventus are still unbeaten in the league given the growing criticism for their performances and style of play.
That undefeated run doesn't quite tell the whole story though as they have won only seven of their 18 games (drawing 11) and fans and pundits have become increasingly unimpressed at Motta being unable to replicate the exciting brand of football his Bologna side were renowned for.
Their attacking statistics rank squarely mid-table, their signings have flattered to deceive and injuries have hit them hard. A rare derby defeat to the Granata could stoke the fires further - or buy the boss some time and goodwill.
Conceição makes league bow
Sérgio Conceição pulled out the same cigar celebration he made famous at Porto after winning his first trophy with AC Milan 💨🕺 pic.twitter.com/10kuEiGKYB
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 7, 2025
New Milan boss Sergio Conceição couldn't have wished for a better start to his career in the San Siro dugout.
In his first week in charge, he took his team to Saudi Arabia and came from behind against both Juventus and city rivals Inter to claim Supercoppa Italiana glory - and celebrated in his own signature style too.
Now, attention turns to the bread and butter of domestic action and a clash with Cagliari at San Siro, where there will be a much greater sense of optimism than their last outing there - a lacklustre and toxic 1-1 draw with Roma.
Signs are already encouraging under the new boss. Rafael Leão and Theo Hernández seem set for key roles again, Christian Pulisic's form remains sparkling and Yunus Musah seems prime for a breakout. How will things begin for the new man?
Is Lautaro back?
Dopo 249 giorni Lautaro torna a urlare a San Siro! 🔊♉️ #InterVenezia pic.twitter.com/pVW8nkoFCz
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA) November 4, 2024
By his own admission, Inter captain Lautaro Martínez is coming out of the other side of the 'worst period' of his career.
After going almost three months without a goal, he netted in the Nerazzurri's last Serie A outing against Cagliari and again in his side's ill-fated Supercoppa Italiana final loss to Milan.
The good news is that this is exactly the kind of fixture to get him firing on all cylinders again. The Argentine has been involved in 25 goals in his last 25 games against newly-promoted opposition.
In addition to those 20 goals and five assists, he is also one of only two players in the last two seasons in Europe's top five leagues to hit at least 20 goals in away fixtures (Kylian Mbappé being the other).
Enjoy Kvara while you can
✨✨✨𝐊𝐕𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐒𝐎✨✨✨
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia vince il premio "𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧" con questo gol P-A-Z-Z-E-S-C-O in #NapoliAtalanta! 👏🏆⚽ #GOTS | @cryptocom pic.twitter.com/S0TX1FsAa7— Lega Serie A (@SerieA) June 23, 2023
If reliable reports in recent days are anything to go by then this could be one of the last opportunities for fans of Napoli, Serie A or just dazzling dribblers to watch one of the best in the business strut his stuff.
Media stories in Italy, France and his homeland Georgia have claimed that star man Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has refused to sign a new deal at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and, with PSG strongly interested, Napoli are seriously considering selling him this month while he still commands a sizeable fee.
Whether or not the deal ultimately goes through remains to be seen and with a title challenge ongoing, it would seem foolish to part ways with such a key component when they could keep him until the summer.
But it certainly seems to be a possibility so enjoy him in the famous blue jersey while you still can.
Can Roma build on derby win?
🎻©️ ⚽️ #ASRoma pic.twitter.com/hre3rRPIx9
— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) January 6, 2025
For all that has gone wrong this season for Roma, everything clicked in the Derby della Capitale last time out with victory over Lazio.
Artem Dovbyk was a nuisance, their defence stood firm when called upon and captain Lorenzo Pellegrini justified his pleas to play with a superb early goal in the 2-0 win.
But too often this season the Giallorossi have failed to build on successes and in fact, have followed up a league win with another just once all season.
Even then, the streak was snapped at two. It is time to start showing some consistency and give hope for better days in 2025.
📸 MARCO BERTORELLO - AFP or licensors