Serie A legend Paolo Di Canio believes Inter and Juventus will be in the Scudetto race to the bitter end, but warns ‘Milan could get back into the running too.’
The Nerazzurri are top of the table with a two-point advantage over the Old Lady going into this weekend’s fixtures.
Milan managed to close the gap on the leading pair, sitting on 29 points, so six adrift of their city rivals.
“Inter and Juventus will fight to the bitter end for the Scudetto, considering the quality and the strength in depth at their disposal,” Di Canio told Radio 24.
“The Nerazzurri are the side who ought to win the title, although Juve will continue to cause problems for them, even if the gap at the top does wide.”
While many expect this to be a two-horse race, there is a reason that Di Canio will not rule Stefano Pioli’s men out of the hunt for the trophy.
“We are not even halfway through the season and Milan could get back into the running too. However, they are only to be considered an option if they are eliminated from all European competition, because this squad is not deep enough to handle multiple tournaments.”
That is an entirely plausible scenario, because they currently sit joint third with Newcastle United in their Champions League group.
If they win at St. James’ Park and Paris Saint-Germain also lose to Borussia Dortmund, then Milan can continue in this tournament.
They also risk dropping down into the Europa League play-offs or in fourth place being eliminated from Europe altogether.
Napoli are on the verge of qualifying for the Champions League Round of 16, but despite the arrival of new coach Walter Mazzarri, Di Canio has little hope of a repeat Scudetto success.
“I think they are out of the running now and can only challenge for a top four spot.”