March 19 (Reuters) - After recent stumbles, Inter Milan travel to Fiorentina on Sunday, determined to reinforce their Serie A title challenge, while AC Milan and Napoli look to capitalise on any mistakes as the season's final stretch approaches.
Inter currently hold an eight-point lead at the top, with nine games remaining and 27 points still up for grabs.
Despite their advantage, a 1-1 draw with Atalanta last Saturday, following a 1-0 defeat to rivals Milan the week before, has added pressure to Cristian Chivu's side heading into their visit to the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Inter were fortunate that second-placed Milan suffered their first away loss in the league this season, falling to a 1-0 defeat at Lazio on Sunday.
Yet Chivu, who will watch from the stands after receiving a one-match suspension following his red card against Atalanta, knows he cannot rely on fortune alone as the season winds to a close.
Inter face a resurgent Fiorentina who have lost only once in their last six league outings after a poor start to the campaign.
Inter captain Lautaro Martinez is back in light training, but remains a major doubt, according to Italian media reports. If he is not risked, the goal-scoring burden will fall on Marcus Thuram, who returns after illness.
MILAN RESET
AC Milan's setback last weekend left manager Massimiliano Allegri needing to refocus his side ahead of Saturday's home match against Torino. Allegri has urged his players to "press the reset button" as Napoli have crept to within one point of second place.
Milan forward Rafael Leao was visibly frustrated after his substitution in their match against Lazio, while Christian Pulisic is still looking to end his 11-game goal drought.
Santiago Gimenez is still working towards full fitness after his recovery from ankle surgery and could miss the match against Torino.
NAPOLI SET SIGHTS ON SECOND
Napoli manager Antonio Conte insists his players must view the season's climax as a "mini-tournament," starting with a trip to Cagliari on Friday.
"I always tell the players we must try to consider these last matches as a mini-tournament where the Scudetto, Champions League, and Europa League places will be assigned," Conte said.
"We are sailing in an open sea, but we’re not getting off the boat. We want to fight with all our strength, knowing that we are living in an almost unbelievable situation."
Napoli faceseveral selection issues as defenders Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Amir Rrahmani are still out, while Stanislav Lobotka is a doubt for the next match.
The returns of Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku have bolstered Napoli's options ahead of the final games of the season.
Riding high after a 2-1 comeback victory over AS Roma, Cesc Fabregas’ Como have established themselves in fourth place. As they host relegation-threatened Pisa this Sunday, three points would tighten their grip on that final Champions League spot and bring an improbable European dream one step closer.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in GdanskEditing by Toby Davis)
