Serie A returns from the international break with Roma, Inter and Lazio level at the summit, a crowded table behind them and an October programme that will quickly test each club’s depth. The coming weeks bring league fixtures, European commitments and, at the end of the month, the Milan derby: a demanding stretch in which Inter may see the clearest route to establishing daylight at the top.
The leaders resume their race
- Inter begin on Saturday at San Siro against Alberto Gilardino’s Parma, before travelling to Bologna.
- Chivu’s side then host Fiorentina, visit Venezia at the Penzo and meet Milan in the derby on 31 October.
- Between those domestic dates, Inter face Club Brugge in the Champions League next week and Shakhtar on 21 October.
The calendar is full, but Inter’s sequence appears less forbidding than those facing several direct rivals. Their objective before the derby will be to turn a shared lead into a more substantial advantage.
Roma, also at the top after the break, face a more awkward run across Serie A and the Champions League.
- Gasperini’s team restart away to Como.
- They then welcome Genoa, a fixture carrying extra significance should Daniele De Rossi remain in charge of the Rossoblu.
- Roma travel to Napoli for a major meeting at the Maradona, then host Cagliari and go to Udinese.
- In Europe, Roma receive Mourinho’s Real Madrid next Wednesday before Slovan Bratislava visit the Olimpico the following Tuesday.
Lazio have an important practical advantage over their fellow leaders: Rino Gattuso’s side have no European competition to navigate. Their October league schedule begins at home to Monza on Sunday and continues with Juventus away, Parma at the Olimpico, Sassuolo away and Cagliari.
Milan and Juventus face Thursday demands
Europa League football adds another layer to Milan’s month, requiring careful management from Ruben Amorim alongside a substantial domestic schedule.
- Milan return at Sassuolo in Reggio Emilia on Sunday.
- They host Atalanta, travel to Udinese and welcome Bologna.
- The derby against Inter completes their October league programme.
- Europa League trips to Salzburg this Thursday and Bournemouth the following Thursday are also on the agenda.
Juventus face a comparable balancing act, with European Thursdays taking them to Vigo for Celta and bringing Rennes to Turin. Their league route is far from straightforward.
- Juve open away to surprise package Cagliari on Sunday.
- Lazio then visit the Stadium.
- Back-to-back away matches at Lecce and Genoa follow.
- The home match with Napoli opens November.
Como and Napoli carry different burdens
Como’s league opponents appear more manageable, yet their Champions League commitments are severe. After receiving Roma at the Sinigaglia, Fabregas’s side travel to Fiorentina, host Sassuolo, go to Torino at the Olimpico and then welcome Venezia. In Europe they must take on Villarreal and Bodo/Glimt, with the Spanish trip sparing Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri a journey to Norway.
Napoli’s domestic fixture list begins more gently before becoming markedly more demanding.
- Napoli host Frosinone at the Maradona on Saturday.
- They then travel to Venezia.
- Roma arrive in Naples before successive away fixtures against Monza and Juventus.
- Champions League meetings with Villarreal and Bodo/Glimt sit alongside those league commitments.
With the top of the table still compressed, October offers no single decisive afternoon. It does, however, give every contender a sequence capable of shaping the next phase of the championship: Inter seeking momentum, Roma and Milan managing European pressure, Lazio benefiting from open midweeks, and Napoli and Juventus approaching increasingly difficult league roads.
