Tomorrow is a big day in the Serie A. Along with the Derby Della Capitale between Lazio and Roma, Gennaro Gattuso's AC Milan take on Maurizio Sarri's Napoli, in what should be a thrilling and decisive match for both sides.
Milan currently sit in 6th position with 52 points behind the likes of Lazio (60), Roma (60), and rivals Inter (59) and want to battle for a 'for sure' chance at European competition, while Napoli, though leading the league for the majority of the season have now fallen 4 points behind Juventus into 2nd.
If Milan fail to obtain victory tomorrow, many believe their hopes of finishing in a better position then 6th, are very slim, especially with Fiorentina, Sampdoria, and Atalanta right behind them, and the gap from 5th place potentially becoming larger. On the other hand, Napoli will look to keep the Scudetto battle alive with three points, and put pressure on the bianconeri to obtain victory.
Gattuso took to the microphones today to talk about the match: "Playing with grit won't be enough tomorrow. It will take a great performance to win against Napoli. We need to play well tactically and technically. There are many things we will need to do right to win this match".When you face great coaches like Sarri, Allegri, and Eusebio Di Francesco, you only need to watch their games and learn. I study them a lot. Napoli play the ball so well. They are great at passing the ball around and keeping possession and know where exactly they want to attack and how to do it. Their defensive line is impressive, they handle the ball so well too. If we make one mistake, we will regret it - tactically, we will need to be very disciplined".
This week was also a week to remember for Italians, as in the Champions League, Roma overcame a score of 4-1 at the Stadio Olimpico with a 3-0 victory over Spanish side Barcelona to move onto the semi-finals. Following this, Juventus travelled to Madrid 3 goals down themselves after the first leg, and managed to pull all 3 goals back, to only be shot down in the last minute off a penalty call from Referee Michael Oliver on Mehdi Benatia, which saw the legendary Buffon sent off for protesting. This lead to back-up keeper Szczesny having to come on to try and save Juventus. However, Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take the penalty, and he put the ball in the back of the net calmly, securing Real Madrid's continuation in the Champions League. Gattuso had this to say about the events that took place: "I'm proud of what the Italian teams did this week. They have done well to our football. We had not seen performances like these in years. Buffon? I'm nobody to judge him. It's not easy when you lose that way. I have a huge respect for Gigi."
On goalkeeper Donnarumma: "I'm proud of Gigio. The most special things for him begin now. In the last few years, he has played 100 matches and that's incredible. Now he has the obligation to become the best in the world and work with serenity. I care a lot about him.
In terms of the defenders on the team: "We have been practicing with Zapata and Musacchio in the back. I trust them. Cristian will play the World Cup in two months and Mateo is a real professional. I'm calm. They have always given their all."
Reina to Milan?: "Reina? I don't care. I only think about Donnarumma and the players I have in my squad. Pepe represents Napoli right now. If and when he arrives we will welcome him with open arms. Now we are focused only on us - on Milan."
On their tight situation within the league: "We don't have an 8 or 9-point advantage over those chasing us. We have tough games ahead of us. We have the duty to try our best until the end, but we can't afford to underestimate anyone."
On the current injuries: "Kalinic had a little pain this week, but nothing to worry about. I saw him well, like our other two strikers. Tomorrow we'll decide who to play from the start. Kalinic and Suso both had some minor problems, but everything should be fine now."
