Inter Milan and Salernitana faceoff today
The Inzaghi brothers will not face off at San Siro when Inter Milan welcome Salernitana in Serie A‘s gameweek 25 action.
Friday’s battle is first against bottom, with the home side keen to open an even wider margin at the top of the table, while the Salerno outfit look for an unanticipated result to avoid falling further away in the battle for survival.
With the first leg of Inter’s European tie against Atletico Madrid to be played next week, the Nerazzurri hope to avoid the trap of looking too far forward when they face a side in dire straits this week.
Salernitana are undoubtedly in disarray after yet another defeat in the relegation six-pointer against Empoli last weekend, resulting in Filippo Inzaghi being relieved of his duties after four months at the helm. Inzaghi has been replaced by Fabio Liverani, becoming Salernitana’s third head coach of a season that seems to be heading for relegation from the top flight.
Points are desperately needed for Liverani, who hopes to hit the ground running despite the mammoth task of ending Inter’s six-game winning league run at San Siro.
Despite the managerial change at Salernitana, any response to Liverani’s appointment must wait, with Inter expected to secure a routine victory over the struggling visitors at San Siro.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Man City, Chelsea renew acquaintances at the Etihad Stadium
Three months on from their riveting 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge, Manchester City and Chelsea renew acquaintances at the Etihad Stadium for a Premier League showdown on Saturday evening. Chelsea’s frustratingly inconsistent form has been the catalyst behind their mid-table mediocrity so far this season.
While the Citizens endeavour to chase down Liverpool at the summit, their West London counterparts are seeking to boost their hopes of securing a top-seven finish.
Fixtures continue to come thick and fast for Man City as they continue their pursuit of another historic treble, but Pep Guardiola‘s men have had few problems establishing another one of their trademark winning runs during a crucial period in the second half of the campaign.
Indeed, the Citizens have won each of their last 11 matches across all tournaments, a run which began with success at the Club World Cup in mid-December and was most recently extended courtesy of a 3-1 away victory over Copenhagen in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.
Clean sheets have been hard to come by for the Citizens this season, though, as Guardiola’s side have conceded in 11 of their last 13 Premier League games, and they can ill-afford to show any defensive frailties this weekend against a Chelsea side who fired four goals past them in the reverse fixture and have since netted eight times in their last three games this month.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Arsenal seek perfect run as they square off with Burnley
Six days on from a history-making six-goal victory, Arsenal seek to prolong their perfect Premier League record in 2024 when they travel to Lancashire to square off with Burnley on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta‘s men obliterated London rivals West Ham United 6-0 in gameweek 24, whereas the Clarets’ trip to league leaders Liverpool ended in a 3-1 defeat.
Burnley may no longer roll over at Turf Moor as they did in the opening months of the campaign, but faced with a defensively-sound Arsenal side who have also rediscovered their potency up front, the Clarets faithful should be in for a chastening afternoon.
Even with their impending Champions League trip to Portugal playing on their minds, a ruthless, free-flowing and aerially dominant Gunners contingent should etch their name into Arsenal folklore in Lancashire, although any supporters praying for another six-goal success may be left disappointed.
Only once before have Arsenal won their first four league games of a calendar year, when George Allison led the Gunners to title glory in 1934-35, and should the North London giants prevail at Turf Moor this weekend, it will mark the first time in their history that they have triumphed in their opening five league matches in a calendar year.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Inconsistent Barcelona travel away to face Celta Vigo
Barcelona crosses northern Spain to Celta Vigo on Saturday, four days before it travels to Napoli in the Champions League round of 16.
Xavi stunned Barcelona less than three weeks ago when he announced he would not continue as coach after this season. He cited “mental fatigue” and said he hoped his announcement would release the tension he felt on his team. But Barcelona still looks like a side ill-equipped to make a deep run in Europe’s elite competition.
After wins over Osasuna and Alaves, Barcelona had to endure jeers from its fans last weekend when it struggled to salvage a 3-3 draw against a relegation-threatened Granada. “Our defensive errors are killing us and have marked our season,” Xavi said after being irate at his team’s mistakes. “We cannot have any more slips.”
At first glance, the game against Rafa Benítez’s Celta looks like just what Barcelona needs. Celta is one spot and three points above the drop zone and has lost four of its last five games across La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
But Balaidos Stadium has proven to be one of the toughest grounds for Barcelona in recent years. Barcelona has won only one of its last eight visits to Celta since 2020.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
FIXTURES
Premier League
SATURDAY 17TH FEBRUARY
Brentford12:30Liverpool
Burnley15:00Arsenal
Fulham15:00Aston Villa
Newcastle United15:00AFC Bournemouth
Nottingham Forest15:00West Ham United
Tottenham Hotspur15:00Wolverhampton Wanderers
Manchester City17:30Chelsea
SUNDAY 18TH FEBRUARY
Sheffield United14:00Brighton & Hove Albion
Luton Town16:30Manchester United
Spanish La Liga
FRIDAY 16TH FEBRUARY
Villarreal20:00Getafe
SATURDAY 17TH FEBRUARY
Atlético Madrid13:00Las Palmas
Osasuna15:15Cádiz
Celta Vigo17:30Barcelona
Valencia20:00Sevilla
SUNDAY 18TH FEBRUARY
Rayo Vallecano13:00Real Madrid
Granada15:15Almería
Mallorca17:30Real Sociedad
Real Betis20:00Alavés
Italian Serie A
FRIDAY 16TH FEBRUARY
Torino18:00Lecce
Inter Milan20:00Salernitana
SATURDAY 17TH FEBRUARY
Napoli14:00Genoa
Hellas Verona17:00Juventus
Atalanta19:45Sassuolo
SUNDAY 18TH FEBRUARY
Lazio11:30Bologna
Empoli14:00Fiorentina
Udinese14:00Cagliari
Frosinone17:00Roma
Monza19:45AC Milan
