Blow for Milan as Juve put their feet up
A planned full midweek programme in Serie A was disrupted by the adverse weather currently affecting northern Italy, with four fixtures falling victim to the elements.
Wednesday’s clashes between Atalanta and Genoa, Bologna and Fiorentina, and Siena and Catania were all postponed amid concerns over heavy snow and freezing temperatures.
But more significantly, Juventus’ game at Parma on Tuesday was also called off, giving Milan a chance to move above the Old Lady at the top of the table as they were cleared to take on Lazio.
However, it was a chance the Rossoneri spurned, falling to a 2-0 defeat at Stadio Olimpico which keeps the Romans’ slim hopes of winning the title alive as they now trail the champions by four points.
There were no such problems for Udinese, though, who cashed in on Juve’s inactivity by edging to a 2-1 home victory over struggling Lecce, with Antonio di Natale on the scoresheet yet again.
Inter’s clash with Palermo went ahead despite concerns about the weather – the lines were painted pink at the San Siro – and a pulsating 4-4 draw which does the Nerazzurri no favours was the amazing result.
Question marks remain over how many of this weekend’s matches will take place, but Inter’s trip to Roma, Juve’s clash with Siena, Udinese’s visit to Fiorentina and the clash between Milan and Napoli could all be at risk.
Either way, the disruption could well play into the hands of Antonio Conte’s leaders, who are not competing in Europe and as a result have less to worry about in terms of fixture congestion than most of their rivals.
