April 16 (Reuters) - Inter Milan can move closer to a 21st Serie A title with a win against lowly Cagliari this weekend while a frantic race for the Champions League qualifying places begins to heat up.
The Nerazzurri have 75 points, nine points above second-placed Napoli with six matches remaining.
Inter are heavy favourites to beat visiting Cagliari, who still need points to confirm their safety as they sit in 16th spot six points clear of third-from-bottom Lecce.
Inter are set to be without injured captain Lautaro Martinez (calf) and centre-back Yann Bisseck (muscle strain), Cristian Chivu’s men have shown they can succeed in their absence.
In the last round, Inter recovered from two goals down to win 4-3 at Como, overcoming what was arguably the final major hurdle in their pursuit of the title.
Sardinian club Cagliari have not beaten Inter since 2019, while their record at the San Siro is even bleaker, with their last win there coming nearly a decade ago in October 2016.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RACE HOTS UP
While Inter seem to be heading for the title, the battle for the Champions League qualifying places is intensifying.
Defending champions Napoli have an edge with a three-point lead over third-placed AC Milan and a six-point cushion over Juventus in fourth but much can change with six rounds left.
Napoli host mid-table Lazio on Saturday looking to protect their advantage, though manager Antonio Conte must navigate a growing injury list and uncertainty surrounding Romelu Lukaku.
Local media reports suggest a rift between the Belgium striker and the club following a recent training dispute after the international break, which could see him excluded from the first-team squad.
A season-long injury crisis continues to plague Napoli as they give late fitness tests to captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Amir Rrahmani, while winger David Neres also remains a doubt.
Conte is still clinging to the hope that they could win the title despite a 1-1 draw at Parma in the last round.
“The dream is not extinguished, there are still six games for us to play," Conte said. "It was a dream tied exclusively to what those ahead of us do, and looking at Inter’s statistics so far it was always going to be an audacious dream."
MILAN LOOK TO CONSOLIDATE TOP-FOUR SPOT
Milan travel to second-from-bottom Hellas Verona on Sunday aiming to consolidate third place and erase the memory of their dismal 3-0 home defeat by Udinese last time out.
Max Allegri’s side have dominated this fixture in recent years, winning their last 10 league meetings against Verona.
They will be buoyed by the return to full training of forward Rafael Leao, as Allegri seeks a solution to a goal drought for Christian Pulisic so far this year.
However, the margin for error has narrowed significantly for Milan in the scramble for a Champions League spot with Juventus, surprise package Como and AS Roma all in the mix.
Sitting three points above Juve, who host Bologna on Sunday, any further slip-up could put Milan under pressure with a clash against the Turin side looming in the following round.
Como also remain in the hunt for a historic European berth despite losing to Inter. They sit fifth on 58 points, two points behind Juventus, before visiting Sassuolo on Friday. Roma, a further point back, host seventh-placed Atalanta on Saturday.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
