Inter press on with Serie A championship chase before Italys showdown for World Cup qualification
Inter Milan push forward in their pursuit of the Serie A title on Sunday evening as they travel to Fiorentina aiming to hold onto their substantial advantage in the standings prior to the focus shifting to the national squads effort to qualify for the World Cup.
In pursuit of a 21st domestic title Inter benefited greatly last weekend when their nearest competitors AC Milan fell to defeat against Lazio enabling Christian Chivus team to extend their lead to eight points.
A faltering Inter face a stern challenge from Fiorentina who are riding a wave of confidence after establishing a four point buffer from the drop zone and will enjoy fervent backing from fans in Florence.
Chivu has enjoyed considerable success in his inaugural season managing Inter and the teams dominance over opponents stands out particularly as this marks his debut full term leading any senior squad much less one of Europes most storied institutions.
However the past two weeks have somewhat tarnished Inters aura of domestic dominance following a loss in the Milan derby and a lacklustre performance versus Atalanta which has given their profligate city foes an opportunity to close in.
Compounding this is the embarrassing elimination from the Champions League in the last 16 round at the hands of Bodo Glimt with the home leg loss at San Siro especially bitter considering the Norwegian sides five goal thrashing by Sporting Lisbon midweek.
A convincing performance from Inter holds added significance considering numerous squad members are vital to an Italian national side frantic to avoid a third straight World Cup absence.
Alessandro Bastoni Nicola Barella Federico Dimarco and Pio Esposito all feature prominently for Italy and are expected to line up against Fiorentina.
Italy face Northern Ireland in the playoff semi finals next week and the mood around the Azzurri could scarcely be more subdued amid the poor showings by Italian clubs in the Champions League and the teams ongoing struggles.
On Wednesday Italys football governing body FIGC unveiled a fresh initiative for youth development nationwide designed to align the organisation with other European counterparts by centralising youth coaching under a single technical overseer.
Milan aim to refocus on securing Champions League qualification when they welcome Torino on Saturday trailing fifth placed Juventus by seven points with the latter hosting Sassuolo in Turin.
Napoli sit just one point adrift of Milan before the defending champions journey to Cagliari on Friday.
Juve Roma and Como persist in their tight contest for the last berth in Europes premier club tournament with Como tipped to retain fourth spot by overcoming bottom tier Pisa.
Player to watch: Pio Esposito
Praised extensively in Italian press as the national squads emerging forward star Pio Esposito has delivered a reliable first campaign with Inter since earning a regular spot.
He could prove crucial to Italys playoff aspirations especially with Moise Kean freshly back from injury and limited alternatives up top for manager Gennaro Gattuso.
Esposito boasts a humble total of eight goals for Inter where Chivu often deploys him from the bench yet he has netted in three of his four caps for Italy.
One such strike occurred during the heavy loss to Norway last November that relegated Italy to the playoffs and Gattuso requires him in top shape for Thursdays clash regardless of whether he enters as a late game changer.
Fixtures GMT
Friday
Cagliari v Napoli 1730 Genoa v Udinese 1945
Saturday
Parma v Cremonese 1400 AC Milan v Torino 1700 Juventus v Sassuolo 1945
Sunday
Como v Pisa 1130 Atalanta v Verona Bologna v Lazio 1400 Roma v Lecce 1700 Fiorentina v Inter 1945