Serie A and European cups non-stop, fans will have to put up with 27 days and 68 slots of televised football offerings. Reasoned guide to survive in the crazy calendar of modern football.
Mark your cooking calendar: Monday 26 October and Friday 30 October. The only two evenings free from football matches in the next monththe bridge between the national team’s maxi break which celebrated Roberto Mancini’s debut and the traditional one, in mid-November, which will close the first phase of the Nations League. An unprecedented tour de force, a football binge that will overwhelm the habits and customs of Italian fans and beyond. How to defend yourself? Selecting, at least to avoid home discussions.
From 10 October to 8 November, exactly 29 days, Italian football has a staggering 81 matches scheduled between Serie A and European cups. Not everyone will have to get involved with the same intensity, the stress of overwork only concerns the top clubs that also play the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, but the overall involvement will be a marathon because not only the evenings will be sacrificed (all except the two indicated), but also lunches, afternoons and aperitifs.
Grab your calculator and resign yourself. It will be played seamlessly between the championship (from Friday to Monday except the midweek round of 27-28-29 October) and cups with the Champions League positioned on Tuesday and Wednesday and Europe and Conference League on Thursday. The broadcasters’ programming dictates and so the Italians’ commitments, between Serie A and UEFA tournaments, will be spread over a total of 68 time slots from the lunch match on Sunday to the postponements (9pm in Europe), passing through 3pm, 6pm or 6.30pm (Serie A on Monday) or 6.45pm (European cups).
There is a risk of indigestion or, perhaps, a crisis of rejection after twenty days spent regretting the clubs for the nostalgics who see the Nations League as smoke, ignoring that the new format of the maxi break decided by FIFA and filled by UEFA has nevertheless guaranteed a dose of uninterrupted matches from 24 September to 6 October with the exception of 30 September.
How to survive? Here is a short reasoned guide to the events not to be missed, obviously leaving everyone with the sensitivity to consider the commitments of their favorite team as a priority. Serie A has a handful of big matches scheduled for the next few weeks: Como-Roma (11 October at 12.30pm), Juventus-Lazio (18 October at 8.45pm), Napoli-Roma (24 October at 6pm), Milan-Inter (31 October at 8.45pm), Juventus-Napoli 81 November at 8.45pm), Napoli-Lazio (8 November at 12.30pm) and Inter-Como (8 November at 6pm).
For the Champions League, note Roma-Real Madrid (14 October at 9pm), Como-Manchester United (21 October at 9pm), Manchester United-Roma (3 November at 9pm) and Porto-Napoli (4 November at 9pm). For Europa League fans, Milan’s two consecutive away games to Salzburg (15 October at 6.45pm) and Bournemouth (22 October at 9pm) are worth keeping in mind. The rest? Interesting anyway, but if you really have to make a choice…
