Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Inter Milan v Arsenal - San Siro, Milan, Italy - January 20, 2026 Inter Milan coach Cristian Chivu reacts REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
Jan 22 (Reuters) - Inter Milan will expect to stretch their lead atop Serie A when they host second-bottom side Pisa on Friday with a fixture that on paper offers a clear chance to put pressure on their rivals who face each other in some mouth-watering matches.
While Inter kick off the weekend with an easy game, on paper at least, Sunday sees a couple of blockbuster clashes as title-chasers AC Milan visit AS Roma and Napoli travel to Juventus.
Interlead Milan by three points, while Napoli, who are third having returned to winning ways after a run of draws, are six points off the pace and Roma a further point back in fourth.
Juve are now 10 points adrift of top spot in fifth after a surprising 1-0 defeat at struggling Cagliari last time out.
Cristian Chivu's Inter side suffered a 3-1 home defeat by Champions League pacesetters Arsenal on Tuesday but they have won eight of their last nine Serie A matches.
Pisa have only one league victory this season.
Chivu's main challenge will be managing the demands of a congested schedule while ensuring his key players remain fresh.
Denzel Dumfries and Hakan Calhanoglu are expected to remain unavailable for selection, while several other first-team regulars could be rotated with another crucial Champions League fixture looming on Wednesday at Borussia Dortmund.
Inter are 14th in the Champions League table and have guaranteed a playoff spot with only a slim chance of finishing in the top eight to go straight into the last 16.
MILAN FACE UNPREDICTABLE ROMA
In Rome on Sunday, rivals Milan face a far sterner test against an unpredictable Roma side led by Gian Piero Gasperini.
Massimiliano Allegri's team are in impressive form, with one defeat in 21 Serie A matches, and genuine title contenders.
One worry is the fitness of midfielder Alexis Saelemaekers, who has an adductor problem and remains a doubt for the match.
The Belgian could be a significant absentee after his influential display in Sunday's 1-0 home win over Lecce in which his assist for Niclas Fuellkrug secured all three points.
The other standout fixture comes in Turin, where Juve welcome champions Napoli in a game that will be shaped as much by fatigue and player availability as current form.
Antonio Conte’s Napoli are showing signs of the physical strain that can derail a title challenge, which Inter saw last season when a congested schedule eroded their consistency.
Inter's fall-off came at the decisive stage of the campaign, culminating in the loss of the Serie A crown and an embarrassing 5-0 defeat by Paris St Germain in the Champions League final.
Napoli’s 1-1 draw at FC Copenhagen in their midweek Champions League clash highlighted the growing difficulty of sustaining performance across competitions.
A mounting injury crisis is restricting their rotation options. With key absences piling up, the margin for error is shrinking at a time when the schedule demands peak intensity.
Matteo Politano and Amir Rrahmani are the latest to enter the treatment room, joining Alex Meret, Billy Gilmour, David Neres and Kevin De Bruyne, leaving Conte with limited scope to manage workloads during a demanding run of fixtures.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
