By Tommy Lund
(Reuters) – Champions AC Milan face a tough challenge when they travel to in-form Monza in Serie A on Saturday seeking a third win in a row as they bid to turn round their season.
Milan are fifth in the standings and the pressure has eased on coach Stefano Pioli after back to back wins in Serie A and the Champions League following a poor start to the year.
Victory over 10th-placed Monza would lift them back into a Champions League qualification spot.
“This is a performance that will boost our confidence, but we have to be energetic and dynamic because that is our way of playing. It was a difficult month, we are trying to overcome those difficulties and I continue to believe I am working with a truly special group,” Pioli said after his team’s 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League last-16 first leg.
Milan beat Monza 4-1 in October, but Raffaele Palladino’s side are on their longest unbeaten run in Serie A with four wins and four draws.
Leaders Napoli, on course to end a 33-year wait for the Serie A title, head to Sassuolo on Friday 15 points clear of second-placed Inter Milan.
Much of Napoli’s success can be attributed to Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen who has netted in his last six league matches and could become the first Napoli player to score in seven league matches in a row since the three points for a win rule was introduced in the 1994-95 season.
Simone Inzaghi’s Inter have turned the San Siro into a fortress, keeping seven Serie A clean sheets at home this season, and conceding only five goals in 11 matches on their own turf.
Inter have been heavily dependent on Lautaro Martinez’s blistering recent form with the Argentine striker scoring their last five league goals.
Martinez will become the first Inter player to net six in a row in 40 years if he scores against Udinese on Saturday.
Inter were on a three-match winning streak before being held to a goalless draw at Sampdoria on Monday, allowing Napoli to extend their lead.
“I keep saying we need to focus only on ourselves. We were coming off three consecutive victories without conceding, including the Coppa Italia, so the result is not satisfactory,” Inzaghi said.
Atalanta have made a good start to the year, with only Napoli picking up more points in Serie A, and Gian Piero Gasperini’s side will hope to keep their momentum going when Lecce visit on Sunday.
Lazio travel to a Salernitana side in turmoil on Sunday.
Salernitana sacked head coach Davide Nicola for the second time in a month on Wednesday, bringing in former Portugal midfielder Paulo Sousa as his replacement.
Fourth-placed AS Roma host Hellas Verona and Juventus travel to Spezia on Sunday, hoping to extend their two-match winning streak.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond)
