(Reuters) - Juventus and Atalanta are set to collide in a blockbuster Serie A showdown with high stakes on Sunday as they aim to close the gap on leaders Inter Milan in the title race.
Fourth-placed Juve were the only top-four team to win in the last round, cutting the deficit to the leading trio who were held to draws and sparking fresh hope of a title charge.
With Juventus trailing Inter by six points and second-placed Napoli by five, the Turin side's hopes of mounting a title challenge are growing with 11 rounds to go. They are also now only three points behind third-placed Atalanta.
Thiago Motta’s Juve are on a five-match winning streak in Serie A and a victory at home to Atalanta would put them firmly in the title conversation.
However Juve's iron-clad defence - the stingiest in Serie A - will be put to the test against Atalanta’s relentless attacking duo of Mateo Retegui and Ademola Lookman, who have combined for a formidable 33 league goals this season.
Atalanta are also the league’s strongest away side. Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have not tasted a Serie A defeat on their travels since a crushing loss to Inter in August.
STRUGGLING NAPOLI
Napoli, recently knocked off top spot, will look for their first win since late January at home to Fiorentina on Sunday.
With David Neres and Andre-Frank Anguissa sidelined due to calf injuries, manager Antonio Conte continues to struggle in adapting the team to a new reality without exciting winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who joined Paris St Germain in January.
Fiorentina forward Moise Kean, recovering from a serious head injury suffered in late February, is back in their squad as the Florence side balance the demands of their Conference League trip to Panathinaikos on Thursday and the Napoli fixture.
Inter welcome Monza in a top-versus-bottom clash on Saturday that offers Simone Inzaghi the chance to rotate his squad, with one eye firmly on their Champions League last-16 second leg at home to Feyenoord three days later when they defend a 2-0 lead.
With Matteo Darmian, Carlos Augusto, and Federico Dimarco still sidelined, fresh faces should get a chance to step up.
CONCEICAO'S CRISIS
Milan boss Sergio Conceicao is feeling the heat with his team languishing in ninth place, 11 points off the top four.
It is a world unrecognisable from the jubilant scenes of early January, when the Portuguese basked in the glory of an Italian Super Cup triumph.
A bruising Champions League exit and three straight Serie A defeats have sparked speculation in Italian media about his future. However, Conceicao recently dismissed any rumours.
"Resignation? All I care about is not seeing the disappointment on the players' faces after a match," he said.
"If it helps, I'm willing to work even harder. Therefore, I am not planning to resign, especially since I have the full support of the players."
Anything short of victory at 16th-placed Lecce on Saturday will pile even more pressure on Conceicao.
Milan have to cope without goalkeeper Mike Maignan and defender Strahinja Pavlovic, both hit with one-match bans.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
