Serie A had a week off last weekend in preparation for the international break, during which Italy drew 1-1 with Spain before narrowly beating Macedonia 3-1 in their World Cup qualifiers.
All players must now return to their weekly club work, and round eight of the 2016/17 Italian football season has lots to offer.
There are huge ties between the league’s heavyweights, crucial matches for the minnows at the bottom of the table, a new coach faced with a tough start, and intriguing meetings between the big guns and the strugglers across three days.
Here is what to look out for when watching Serie A this weekend.
1. The two chasing parties
Juventus are top of the table by four points and already look on their way to securing a historic sixth-straight Scudetto.
This leaves an interesting battle for second place and guaranteed Champions League qualification next year, as well as a slight opportunity of a league title should the Bianconeri uncharacteristically slip up.
The two clubs in question are Napoli and Roma, while Lazio and surprisingly Chievo are on equal points.
It’s the first two who provide the most intriguing encounter this weekend, however, when the Giallorossi travel to the Stadio San Paolo on Saturday afternoon, knowing a win for either side will not only get them closer to the top, but also give them a strong foothold in the chase for European competition.
Incidentally, Juventus host Udinese, who have stolen points from the likes of AC Milan and Fiorentina so far this season, so there is hope for Roma and Napoli yet.
2. Life without the star man
We have just discussed the critical meeting between Napoli and Roma, but there is one major hinderance for the hosts going into the game.
International duty proved unfortunate for Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik, who tore a ligament against Denmark and will therefore miss up to six months of action for the Partenopei, putting their title race in serious doubt.
Milik was brought in this summer as a replacement for Gonzalo Higuain, and has so far succeeding in filling his boots, scoring four goals in seven Serie A matches and a further three in the Champions League.
He will be on the bench this weekend, though, and will no doubt be seriously missed.
3. Another key battle a the top
In a similar vein to the first pointer, the aforementioned surprising Chievo have a big match coming up this weekend.
Thirteen points from their opening seven games, including just two losses, have seen the Mussi Volanti fly up to fifth place, ahead of Milan by just one goal.
On Sunday night, the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi plays host to a visit from the Rossoneri, who will need to pick up at least a point or risk going into the winter season not even in contention for the European spots.
They have picked up form recently, though, and so this weekend’s tie will be an excellent watch for the neutral, and a tension-filled 90 minutes for the ultras.
4. A new coach
The second side to make a coaching change this season, Udinese will travel to the Juventus Stadium on Saturday night in Luigi Del Neri’s first game as Zebrette boss since replacing Giuseppe Iachini.
Iachini was sacked on October 2 after the 3-0 loss to Lazio before the international break, and Del Neri will hope a week off has done his side good to make a good first impression.
Del Neri is no stranger to taking charge of big matches, having coached all of Roma, Sampdoria and Juventus in the past, but a match with La Vecchia Signora is potentially the worst place to begin.
5. Flirting with the relegation zone
After a very positive start to the season, Sampdoria failed to pick up any points during September and drew at home to Palermo before the international break.
Meanwhile, Pescara‘s disastrous start to the campaign, (excluding a draw with Napoli on the opening day), contradicts their recent form, which has seen them claim two draws from their last three games.
Yet, just one point separates these two sides going into week eight, and they are both floating dangerously close to the relegation zone.
They face each other this weekend and the resulting 90 minutes is therefore very important, given the fact that a loss for either side could see them plummet into the bottom three by Monday night.
They both have huge matches against the likes of Milan, Inter, Juventus and Fiorentina over the next few weeks, so will want a positive result to give themselves the best chance of remaining in the middle of the table by Christmas.
