Zürcher Nachrichten - Inter ready to pounce for Serie A title glory as Milan host Juve

Cristian Chivu's players lead both reigning champions Napoli and second-placed Milan by 12 points with five matches remaining in the league season.

And they will know if they can seal a 21st league crown for Inter this weekend by Friday night, when Napoli host relegation strugglers Cremonese.

Anything but a win for Napoli will allow Inter to take on Torino in Turin knowing that a win could give them the Scudetto with four matches to spare.

But they would then have to wait for the result of Milan's headline clash with Juventus at the San Siro, which is also key for those two teams' hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

Winning the league with four matches to spare would be quite a feat as before the most recent international break Inter were wobbling and both Napoli and Milan looked ready to knock them off their perch.

But a maximum nine points, and 12 goals scored, in the three matches since club football reconvened have turned things back in Inter's favour, and now it's just a matter of time before the discussion is officially over.

Inter come into the match with a domestic double in their sights after a thrilling win over Como booked them a place in next month's Italian Cup final, where they will face Lazio.

And regardless of how Napoli and Milan do, Inter know that four points from their remaining fixtures will seal the deal.

Milan find themselves in the odd position of potentially being able to hand the title to their local rivals, although that wouldn't be worse than two years ago, when they allowed Inter to win it by losing the Milan derby.

But Massimiliano Allegri's side are close to securing a return to the Champions League thanks to the eight-point gap separating them from fifth-placed Como.

Milan should finish in the top four even if they lose on Sunday, while Juve's situation is more precarious as they sit fourth and lead Como and sixth-placed Roma by five points.

Como, who threw away a two-goal lead before being knocked out of the Cup by Inter, have no easy task this weekend as they travel to an in-form Genoa team who could secure safety this weekend.

Player to watch: Adrien Rabiot

France midfielder Rabiot faces his old team on Sunday and will be the driving force behind Milan's efforts against Juve alongside Luka Modric.

Rabiot has fully repayed Allegri's faith in him with six goals and four assists in 25 league appearances, his latest strike at Verona last weekend showcasing his powerful running and finishing ability.

The 31-year-old was snapped up by Milan, in large part due to Allegri's insistence, after he was dumped by Marseille in August following a violent bust-up with teammate Jonathan Rowe.

Rabiot was a midfield lynchpin for Juve's last Serie A title in 2020 and he went on to play four more seasons for the Turin giants before moving to Marseille.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Napoli v Cremonese (1845)

Saturday

Parma v Pisa (1300), Bologna v Roma (1600), Verona v Lecce (1845)

Sunday

Fiorentina v Sassuolo (1030), Genoa v Como (1300), Torino v Inter Milan (1600), AC Milan v Juventus (1845)

Monday

Cagliari v Atalanta (1630), Lazio v Udinese (1845)

S.Scheidegger--NZN