Juve face key month as Serie A restarts under Covid cloud

Milan (AFP) – Juventus start off a vital thirty day period for the period with the visit of aged rivals Napoli as Serie A returns to action on Thursday, with a Covid-19 resurgence looming significant in excess of fixtures.

Dozens of players amid the major division’s 20 golf equipment are out of motion with the virus, with Juve captain Giorgio Chiellini 1 of those sidelined immediately after screening good and 15 new cases among the Verona and Udinese’s squads introduced on Tuesday.

And the immediate distribute of the virus has led to stadium capacities becoming cut back again to 50 per cent as the Italian government tries to maintain the lid on yet another wave of the pandemic.

Napoli coming to town marks the start of a run of tough fixtures for Massimiliano Allegri’s aspect, who are fifth, a full 12 factors guiding league leaders and reigning champions Inter Milan.

They also have to get on Roma, AC Milan and Atalanta — who are 4 details in advance of Juve in the ultimate Champions League location — all right before mid-February.

Chiellini’s absence and personal injury to his club and Italy defensive partner Leonardo Bonucci leaves Juve shorn of two of their most influential gamers, when in assault Paulo Dybala and Federico Chiesa will be on the bench soon after recovering from injuries.

Napoli will arrive in Turin with a extensive absentee record, mostly thanks to gamers at the Africa Cup of Nations and Covid scenarios, with coach Luciano Spalletti established to continue to be at property with Covid after tests good on Tuesday.

Star striker Victor Osimhen, who has previously skipped a chunk of fixtures with facial fractures, is also beneficial together with Hirving Lozano, Eljif Elmas, Kevin Malcuit and Mario Rui, who is nevertheless suspended for Thursday’s match.

Spalletti’s side have a seven-level hole to make up on Inter just after a disastrous December in which they ceded leading place and dropped down to 3rd following three straight dwelling defeats, and are also without defensive lynchpin Kalidou Koulibaly and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, both of those at the Cup of Nations.

Ready to pounce are AC Milan and Roma, who face off at the San Siro hoping to acquire ground in their respective title and Champions League races.

2nd-positioned Milan can prolong the 3-issue gap concerning them and Napoli though Jose Mourinho’s Roma are two behind Juve in sixth.

Worst hit by the virus are Salernitana, who with 9 gamers favourable have asked for their match with Venezia — their 1st since their put in Serie A was saved — to be postponed just after wellbeing authorities all over again blocked their gamers from taking part in.

Businessman Danilo Iervolino stepped in at the previous minute to make absolutely sure that Salernitana, base of Serie A, ended up not booted from Italy’s leading flight above the New Calendar year by acquiring the club and ending Lazio president Claudio Lotito’s reign as owner.

The club experienced been in limbo immediately after the Italian Football Federation refused to lengthen right up until the stop of the year the December 31 deadline for appointed unbiased administrators to offer the club and stop a double possession banned by federation regulations.

Salernitana have not played a match considering that staying hammered 5- by Inter on December 17, their final match of 2021 abandoned following nearby wellbeing authorities banned them from travelling to Udinese 4 days later, and the rash of virus conditions at the southern club signifies Thursday’s match is likely experience the exact fate.

Participant to observe: Dusan Vlahovic

All eyes are on Fiorentina forward Vlahovic with the January transfer window beneath way. The Gazzetta Dello Activity have reported that Arsenal were being planning a 70 million-euro bid to get their arms on 1 of Europe’s most popular youthful abilities halfway by way of the year.

Italy’s major scorer with 16 objectives, the 21-12 months-aged would reportedly want to keep in Florence until the end of the campaign but with interest hotting up in England and Spain, this could be 1 of the previous occasions lovers get to see him turn out in Viola.

Important stats

68 – the selection of gamers out with Covid-19 infections as of Tuesday evening, in accordance to an AFP depend.

16 – Vlahovic leads the Serie A scoring charts with this total, three in advance of Italy striker Ciro Immobile.

Fixtures (all instances GMT)

Thursday

Bologna v Inter Milan, Sampdoria v Cagliari (both of those 1130), Lazio v Empoli, Spezia v Verona (both equally 1330), Atalanta v Torino, Sassuolo v Genoa (both of those 1530), AC Milan v Roma, Salernitana v Venezia (both of those 1730), Fiorentina v Udinese, Juventus v Napoli (1945)