Clubs in Serie A have returned to full training this week as a restart of football in Italy within three weeks becomes a realistic proposition.
Slowly but surely sport is climbing back onto the agenda as countries worldwide strain to keep a tight grip on the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
In Spain, England and Italy, scientists have mercifully reported the lowest death figures since mid-March.
Italy was the European epicentre of the virus in its early stages, but progress is such that the government has permitted Serie A to resume full training.
It’s the first time players have been allowed to train without restrictions since the league was put on hold in early March after prime minister Giuseppe Conte gave the go-ahead.
Players have been training in isolation for over a week now, but the restrictions have been removed and, while there is no fixed date for a return, 16 of the 20 top-flight clubs voted to play on 13th June at a league meeting last week.
Fans desperate to hear positive Serie A 2020 news have reasons to be cheerful, particularly those with realistic aspirations of a league triumph.
Lazio’s tilt at the title
For much of the first half of the season, Inter Milan jostled with Juventus for the top spot, but while Inter have fallen away, Lazio have been on a phenomenal run to climb to within a point of Juve at the top of the Serie A table.
With 16 wins and two draws since the end of October, including an impressive victory over Juventus, Lazio had incredible momentum which was stopped in its tracks by the coronavirus outbreak.
Simone Inzaghi’s team had a score to settle with Inter and they will be more than happy to wave Antonio Conte’s team goodbye in the run-in.
Back in 2018, the Roman side just needed to draw with I Nerazzurri in the final fixture of that campaign to secure a Champions League place. With just over 10 minutes remaining they seemed to have it in the bag, 2-1 up and coasting.
Conceding a penalty, which Mauro Icardi converted, and having two players sent off as Inter struck a late winner has given Lazio fans nightmares ever since. But a 2-1 win at home to Inter in February will have helped.
This time, Lazio turned the game around after Ashley Young had given the visitors a first-half lead. A penalty converted by top scorer Ciro Immobile and a second from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic put an end to Inter’s title hopes while keeping Lazio’s well and truly alive.
But they still have to stop the mighty Juventus.
The champions will do all they can to hold off Inzaghi’s team, and the latest Serie A 2020 betting odds here at SBOBET backed another Bianconeri Scudetto before the lockdown, but when we get back in action is sure to be a battle to the finish.
While Lazio clearly have the momentum, the Old Lady has the experience in terms of how to handle league climaxes, winning 35 titles and the last eight in succession.
Lazio have some big game players, but Juve’s stars are on a different level in terms of experience. Gigi Buffon’s return to Juventus came as a surprise to some but he will be invaluable in the run-in as will Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won league titles in England, Spain and Italy.
And there was good news for Old Lady fans when the Italian press reported that one of their players has beaten the virus. Bianconeri forward Paulo Dybala has finally recovered from COVID-19 a month after being diagnosed with the illness.
The club has announced the player has tested negative and will no longer be subjected to the home isolation regime.
Good news all round.
Relegation battle set to resume
At the bottom end of the table, there is a six-team fight between Fiorentina in 12th and Lecce in 18th to avoid the drop.
SPAL in 19th and Brescia in 20th look doomed, but only five points separate the six teams above them and with Lecce and 17th placed Genoa both winning three of the last six the heat is really on the teams between 12th and 16th.
Torino, down in 15th, will be particularly twitchy, without a point from the last six games and just two points above the drop zone; the break may just have stopped the Turin giants free-falling into Serie B.
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