Serie A takes centre stage in Italy
As Italian fans exhale and brace for playoff drama after the latest chapter of World Cup qualifying torment, their attention swings back to Serie A where the Milan derby takes centre stage and could prove pivotal early in the title race.
Leader Inter meet third-placed AC Milan on Monday with the two eternal rivals separated by two points in a high-stakes match that could carry the weight of something larger than just an early-season checkpoint.
With no more international breaks until March, managers will be happy to keep their squads together in the coming months, none more so than two new coaches in Inter's Cristian Chivu and Milan's Massimiliano Allegri.
After hiccups early in the season, Inter has hit its stride to win its last three league games, including a 2-0 victory over Lazio top of the standings.
They are not getting carried away, however,
"Being top right now doesn't count for anything. There is a long way to go," wing back Federico Dimarco said.
A cloud also lingers over wing back Denzel Dumfries after the Dutchman suffered an ankle injury on international duty.
Neighbour Milan is showing signs of being a team that could be serious Serie A contender without European commitments cluttering its calendar as Allegri's side boasts an 11-match unbeaten run across all competitions.
Three draws in its last four Serie A games, however, cost it the chance to claim an outright lead in the Scudetto and squandering a two-goal lead against a struggling Parma side last time out, a 2-2 draw, revealed frailties.
Milan is expected to welcome back Adrien Rabiot from injury and Allegri will be happy to add steel in midfield after it conceded only one goal in the five matches the Frenchman was involved in.
Champion Napoli is fourth, two points behind Inter, but weighed down by injuries to key players and a manager in open revolt against his own team's spirit.
A fuming Antonio Conte did not mince words after his side's 2-0 defeat by Bologna prevented Napoli from going top, saying his team lacked "heart, desire and hunger".
It was Napoli's third league defeat of the season and fifth in all competitions.
"Everyone has to take responsibility. I'm the first to be held accountable. Heart transplants aren't an option. Each of us needs to rediscover our spirit and our grit," Conte said.
Atalanta looks a shadow of the free-scoring team built by Gian Piero Gasperini, who is now orchestrating Roma's remarkable rise to new heights this season as it sits second, level on points with Inter.
Roma is away at Cremonese, which has won only one of its last nine matches to sit 11th.
Sixth-placed Juventus, still searching for a new identity under Luciano Spalletti, travels to face a Fiorentina outfit still seeking their first win of the season.
