Juventus, Napoli clash in Serie A title blockbuster

Maurizio Sarri PicAFPNapoli coach Maurizio Sarri warned his side are heading to Turin on Sunday determined to end Juventus long reign as the kings of Italian football Juventus could have sealed a seventh consecutive title at home this weekend but for a 11 draw at lowly Crotone and Napolis 42 fightback against Udinese midweek which reignited the Scudetto title raceYou are stronger but we will come to Turin to play the game Sarri warned Juventus as his side look to add to their titles in 1987 and 1990I saw the team playing with great sharpness again We are mathematically second the goal is reached now we can have fun Napoli have reduced the deficit to four points on Juventus with five games to play But history does not favour Sarris side who have always lost in the Allianz Stadium Despite attempts to minimise the scope of Sundays direct clash the game should decide the championship with a sevenpoint advantage probably meaning a seventh consecutive Scudetto for JuventusA Napoli win would reduce the gap to just one point with Juventus having a difficult runin to the season against Inter Milan and Roma both fighting for Champions League places It will be an important match that will significantly influence the end of the season said Napoli captain Marek HamsikBig leap forwardJuventus coach Massimiliano Allegri concedes his side must win to defend the domestic title which is their main focus after being dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid There is a bit of regret for the match but we know that the championship would not have been decided Wednesday under any circumstances and will not be closed even Sunday said AllegriBy winning we could take a big leap forward Allegri hopes to have Mario Mandzukic gastroenteritis and Miralem Pjanic muscular problem available as alternatives to the inconsistent Paulo Dybala and bolster the Juventus midfield Midfielder Stefano Sturaro is also struggling with an inflamed Achilles tendonElsewhere in the race for the two remaining Champions League places AS Roma travel to lowly SPAL on Saturday with Lazio equal on points with their Roman rivals hosting eighthplaced Sampdoria who are challenging for a Europa League berth AC Milan are effectively out of the running for a top four finish and may even have to look over their shoulders with Atalanta just two points behind in seventh before their game against midtable TorinoSampdoria are three points off the Europa League places along with Fiorentina who travel to Sassuolo Its going to be a battle for the Europa League spots and weve got the Italian Cup final with Juventus to play too May 9 said Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso AC Milan without Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu who has damaged knee ligaments host Benevento who could be relegated this weekend Gattuso will be conscious that his reign as Milan coach began last December by becoming the first team to fail to beat Benevento when goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli scored in injurytime In the scramble against relegation Udinese host Crotone and Verona travel to GenoaCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever