The Serie A title competition begins the New Year with five teams contending.

The Serie A title competition begins the New Year with five teams contending.

The New Year begins with a mere four points distinguishing the top five teams in the Serie A standings, where Inter Milan, AC Milan, Napoli, AS Roma, and Juventus all possess a legitimate chance at claiming the title.

Inter currently occupies the top position following a successful four-match winning streak, and on Sunday, they will host Bologna, who recently thwarted their aspirations for the Italian Super Cup with a semi-final victory on penalties. Bologna has experienced a downturn in league performance, failing to secure a win in their last four matches, which has caused them to drop to seventh place, now ten points behind Inter, who are still missing the injured Denzel Dumfries, Francesco Acerbi, and Ange-Yoan Bonny. Inter leads the league in scoring, having netted 35 goals in 16 games, and this season's top scorer in Serie A, Lautaro Martinez, with nine goals, will spearhead the attack at the San Siro alongside Marcus Thuram.

Milan, sitting second in the standings and just one point behind their city rivals, will travel to Cagliari on Friday. Massimiliano Allegri's team remains unbeaten in 16 league matches, while Cagliari has managed to win only two out of their eight home games.

Rafael Leao is a doubt due to injury for Milan; however, Allegri will have striker Niclas Fullkrug at his disposal following his recent loan from West Ham United.

The German forward is expected to start on the bench, with Christian Pulisic and Christopher Nkunku likely to lead the front line as Milan seeks to ascend to the top of the table when they commence the weekend's fixtures and apply pressure on Inter.

HOJLUND REVIVAL UNDER CONTE

Napoli returned from their Super Cup triumph with a victory at Cremonese, maintaining their position in third place and remaining two points behind the leaders ahead of an away match against Lazio on Sunday. In this encounter, the league champions will face their former manager, Maurizio Sarri, who recently underwent a minor heart procedure but is anticipated to resume his regular responsibilities shortly.

Napoli has rejuvenated the career of Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay following his transfer from Manchester United last season, and Antonio Conte appears to be achieving similar results with Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund.

Hojlund has scored six league goals for Napoli, with four of those coming in the last three matches. His loan from United is expected to be converted into a permanent deal after his remarkable start at the club.

Roma currently sits in fourth place, three points behind Inter, having played one additional game. Gian Piero Gasperini will face his former team, Atalanta, in an away match on Saturday.

Gasperini managed Atalanta for nine seasons and has made an impressive start in his inaugural campaign at Roma. His team boasts the best defensive record in the league, having conceded only 11 goals in 17 matches.


Despite suffering three defeats in their last five games, Roma remains in contention for the title and has yet to draw a match this season across 23 competitions.


Juventus, trailing Roma by one point in fifth place, will host the struggling Lecce on Saturday. The visitors are currently positioned 16th in the league, four points clear of the relegation zone.

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