PREVIEW - Juventus may have to celebrate title in front of television
MILAN (Reuters) - Juventus could wrap up the Serie A title in the next round of matches but the league's habit of spreading games over several days mean they will celebrate in front of the television rather than on the pitch.
Juventus, aiming for a fifth successive title, visit out-of-sorts Fiorentina on Sunday holding a nine point lead over Napoli with three games more to play after the weekend.
If Juventus win or draw, then Napoli, who have a tough match away to bitter rivals AS Roma, will have to match their result to keep the title race going for another week.
A defeat for Juventus will mean they have to put the champagne on ice for at least one more week.
The Roma-Napoli match, however, will be played at the unusual time of 1500 on a Monday afternoon.
"We need to play really well at Fiorentina, and I don't mind if we have to celebrate in front of the television," said Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri.
Serie A kickoff times are a constant source of criticism and bewilderment.
Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri recently complained that his team almost invariably played after Juventus, putting them at the psychological disadvantage because they were continually playing catchup as their rivals enjoyed a winning streak.
Sarri is also among the coaches who dislike the Sunday lunchtime kickoff slot.
Inter Milan chief executive Mike Bolingbroke, on the other hand, believes that the 20.45 Sunday night kickoffs are "disastrous" for Serie A, as they leave stadiums half-empty and are poorly-timed for Asian viewers.
Juventus appeared to be out of the title race at the end of October when a defeat to Sassuolo left them 12th in the table and 11 points behind AS Roma, the leaders at the time.
But 23 wins and a draw in their 24 league games since then have allowed them to take the championship by the scruff of the neck.
"Our heads were under the water but we didn't drown," said Allegri after Wednesday's 3-0 win over Lazio. "We're just a little bit short of completing an historic journey."
Alex Sandro, signed from Porto in the close season, said he never doubted that Juventus would bounce back.
"I believed right from the start that we would have a successful season one way or another," the Brazilian told Juve's television channel.
"Whenever I have spoken about our prospects, I have always said that we have the quality to win the league. Now it is up to us to give our all and make sure we become champions as soon as possible."
A defeat for Napoli on Monday would also leave them only two points ahead of Roma in the battle to avoid having to play a two-leg playoff to qualify for next season's Champions League.
(Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne; Editing by Gareth Jones)