Moratti refuses to accept second best

A look ahead to the weekend's action in the Italian Serie A.

Last Updated: 13/12/12 at 17:54 Post Comment    Bet with SkyBet  Italian Serie A. Click here to bet.

Massimo Moratti: Focusing on winning next two games

Massimo Moratti: Focusing on winning next two games

Second place is not good enough for Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti as the Nerazzurri look to close the gap on Serie A leaders Juventus with victory at Lazio.

Inter have recovered from a slight wobble to win two consecutive games, including a decisive 2-1 victory over title rivals Napoli, but Moratti is still worried about the current four-point gap on Juve.

He told Gazzetta.it: "Winning the next two league games could be enough for us to have a happy Christmas. But they won't be easy.

"Here at Inter we need to keep winning everything over the coming months so we can have a splendid summer.

"We're doing what I think is within our power and we will see if we are better than all the other teams come the end of the season.

"(Head coach) Andrea Stramaccioni has proved that he can handle the situation very well and he has proved to be more mature than I expected he would be."

Lazio are unbeaten in five, taking 11 points from the last 15 on offer to move into fourth place and Champions League contention.

Meanwhile, third-placed Napoli are hoping to bounce back from defeat at Inter with a positive result against Bologna, which could see them leapfrog Inter into second depending on Saturday's result.

Azzurri striker Lorenzo Insigne said: "We are focused on the championship and taking it match by match.

"We did our best in Milan and we will make up for what happened against Bologna. Even though we were beaten at the San Siro, we played a great game."

Antonio Conte returns to the Juventus Stadium touchline for a league game for the first time since his four-month suspension ended, with his former club Atalanta the visitors.

The Juventus boss was in charge in Turin for a 1-0 Coppa Italia victory over Cagliari and said: "It's emotional and it's always nice to see displays of affection from the fans.

"We want to challenge in every competition."

Recent trailblazers Fiorentina have slipped down to sixth following a dramatic 4-2 loss at Roma, with a Tuscany derby against bottom side Siena beckoning at lunchtime on Sunday.

La Viola's conquerors find themselves in fifth place courtesy of four straight wins but Roma have not won at Chievo in their last two attempts. The Flying Donkeys, however, have not beaten the capital club since 2003.

AC Milan welcome relegation-threatened Pescara to the San Siro in a week which saw summer signing Nigel de Jong ruled out for six months with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Elsewhere, Luigi Del Neri's future as Genoa boss is under threat as Torino travel to the west coast. The former Juve boss is desperate for a win to correct a run of eight defeats from nine games.

Udinese - who brought just one fan to Sampdoria last week - host 17th-placed Palermo with Samp visiting Cagliari as Parma host Cagliari, who are winless in six.


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