MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan could be Serie A champion before it even kicks a ball against Parma on Sunday.
Cristian Chivu’s team has a 10-point advantage over second-placed Napoli and 12 over AC Milan, with four rounds remaining.
A home win on Sunday night would guarantee Inter the title. A point could even be enough depending on the results of Napoli’s and Milan’s matches.
But the Nerazzurri would also be champions if Napoli loses at Champions League-chasing Como on Saturday and Milan fails to beat Sassuolo about four hours before Inter kick off at San Siro.
It would be a first managerial trophy for Chivu, whose only previous senior coaching experience before the Inter job was 13 matches in charge of Parma at the end of last season.
“I know what players go through, how they experience these situations and what it means to play for Inter,” said Chivu, who was part of Inter’s famous treble-winning team in 2010. “You have to embrace them, always tell the truth and remain consistent without abandoning your ideas. I can try to play my part, but in the end everything depends on the players.
“I’ve been fortunate because these boys bought into it straight away. We’ve had a strong season: 25 wins, 80 league goals and more than 100 in total. That’s not easy to achieve, and the credit goes to them for embracing everything we asked of them.”
Inter could win the league and cup double as it faces Lazio in the Italian Cup final on May 13.
Key matchups
Behind Inter, the battle for the other three Champions League qualifying spots is heating up.
Fourth-placed Juventus is only three points above Como and Roma. Juve also trails third-placed Milan by just three points.
Juventus hosts relegation-threatened Hellas Verona on Sunday, while Roma welcomes Fiorentina on Monday.
At the other end of the table, Pisa will be mathematically relegated if it fails to beat Lecce, which is in the last place of safety in Serie A.
Cremonese is just a point below Lecce and hosts Lazio on Monday. The other team in the relegation zone is Verona, which is 10 points below Lecce.
Players to watch
Inter midfielder Federico Dimarco broke the record for most assists in a single Serie A season when he set up both goals in a 2-2 draw at Torino.
That took his tally to 18 this campaign. Teammate Lautaro Martínez will be hoping to get on the end of one of Dimarco’s trademark, pinpoint crosses as he makes his return from injury.
Lautaro has missed eight of the past nine league matches with a calf problem, playing less than an hour of the match against Roma, where he scored twice. The World Cup winner returned to training on Wednesday.
Out of action
Milan midfielder Luka Modric will miss the final four rounds after breaking his cheekbone against Juventus last weekend. The Croatia captain, who has been one of Milan’s best players, underwent surgery on Monday and faces a race to recover for the World Cup.
Off the field
Italian soccer is being rocked by another refereeing scandal.
Gianluca Rocchi, the head of referees in Serie A and Serie B, has been placed under criminal investigation for alleged sports fraud. Also under investigation is VAR supervisor Andrea Gervasoni, who was appearing in court in Milan on Thursday.
It is alleged that Rocchi influenced VAR decisions and assigned referees favored by Inter for some games in 2024-25.
No players or directors from Inter or any other Serie A club have been implicated.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Daniella Matar, The Associated Press
