The meeting between AC Milan and Juventus is less than two weeks away, but the two clubs are already doing battle.
Juve’s hard-fought win over Atalanta and Milan’s devastating home defeat against Udinese mean the Bianconeri are eyeing third place, while the Rossoneri need to manage their decline and cling onto a Champions League spot.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport write, for the first time Juventus finds itself in a situation where qualification for next season’s Champions League depends solely on the results that they manage to achieve.
With three points to make up on Milan, but a direct clash to be played at San Siro on April 26, Luciano Spalletti would only need to beat Massimiliano Allegri in the big match and then earn the same number of points in the remaining five matches to ensure a top-four finish.
If the Bianconeri and Rossoneri arrive tied, Juve would have then have the head-to-head advantage if they won, given the first meeting ended 0-0. It all depends on Como too, but it’s clear that for both teams that the approximately €70m guaranteed by UEFA will be crucial in shaping the mercato.
Common goals
Both Allegri and Spalletti have cited international experience and leadership as the qualities needed to strengthen their squads next summer. Both are desperately searching for a striker, considering the issues in that area of the field.
Therefore, the first mercato battle will be for Robert Lewandowski. The Pole, whose contract with Barcelona expires in June, has yet to decide his future and the Italian clubs are poised, but so are big offers from Saudi Arabia and MLS.
Spalletti and Allegri are waiting and hoping, fully aware that participation in next season’s Champions League could be a decisive factor in the choice of the 38-year-old striker. Then, of course, there are other obstacles to overcome.
The same goes for Leon Goretzka, who was named by Allegri as an ideal signing for the midfield, while Spalletti likes him too. For him too the jingle of Europe’s top competition – which he’s been hearing for eight seasons straight – is a prerequisite for choosing his next career destination.
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