Campioni d’inverno: A preview on how this weekend’s Serie A games can impact the race for the statistical title

The term “campioni d’inverno” is Italian for winter champions. It is a purely statistical title given to note the club on top of the standings after the “girone d’andata” (after the first 19 games). It is important to track it as a predictor of the eventual Scudetto winner in May, as in at least one-third of the 89 seasons of the current format of Serie A that the “campioni d’inverno” has not gone on to win the Scudetto at the end of the season. This weekend’s games will tell us more about who will end up this season’s “campioni d’inverno” In the most anticipated game of the weekend, defending champions Juventus, currently in second place, face off against fourth place Roma, who have a game in-hand against Sampdoria to be played in January. Juventus seek to continue their good run of form after their tidy 2-0 win against Genoa in the Coppa Italia where both Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain scored and they are both expected to be selected by manager Max Allegri against Roma. Their opponent is coming off a 2-1 home defeat against Torino in the Coppa Italia where they dominated possession and had created double the chances than Torino. This game against Juventus could be a way for Roma to impose themselves on the Scudetto race while having the advantage of playing one less game than their competitors. This game could also be used by Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco to make a statement to prove to Roma’s critics that have charged that the Giallorossi’s attack has stalled, as they have only scored 9 goals in 7 games, including 3 goals in one game. In another important game this weekend, Sampdoria travel to Naples to face league-leaders Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo. The Blucerchati are fresh off a 1-0 home loss to Sassuolo and would like to rebound with a positive result against the league-leaders. Sampdoria manager Marco Giampaolo will be without Karol Linetty and Duvan Zapata is a doubt to start the match after recovering from his recent injury. Meanwhile, Napoli have started to show a resurgence in form following their 1-0 home loss against Juventus. After showing that their fighting spirit had returned during their 0-0 home draw against Fiorentina, Napoli played well in their 1-0 home win against Udinese in the Coppa Italia where manager Maurizio Sarri most of his depth players. The Partenopei must give it their all if they want the full 3 points to guarantee another week on top of the standings, as Sampdoria have proven that they are pushovers in their fight for the European spots. In the final game involving a top 4 team, Sassuolo hosts Inter at the Mapei Stadium. The hosts are coming off a 2-1 away loss against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia, but they started many depth players with one eye on their Serie A game with Inter. The Nerazzurri seek to rebound after their 3-0 home loss to Udinese. They should look to advantage of the fact that they have had a full week off and maintain full concentration against Sassuolo, as in their last Serie A game beat Sampdoria 1-0 at the Marassi. Inter cannot afford another embarrassing loss to a lower table team, as it would damage their Scudetto hopes and put their Champions League spot at risk. The statistical title of “campioni d’inverno” is factually meaningless, but nevertheless it is an important indicator of things to come at the end of the season, as the “campioni d’inverno”, whoever it may be, will have a 66 percent chance to finish the season as the Scudetto winner.