By the end of Matchday 12 we should have an idea as to whether this Serie A season will be a two-horse race for the title, or whether there’s a third contender that can enter the conversation. That latter verdict will be handed down by the latest edition of the Milan derby.
With just 11 of 38 matches played thus far, Napoli and AC Milan have jumped out in front with a staggering run of 10 wins in 11 matches that has left many of the other hopefuls in their dust. Only Inter Milan seems to have what it takes to challenge, but a loss in Sunday’s derby against intra-city foes AC Milan would take the deficit to double digits.
Napoli (1st, 31 points) will face a tough home test against a Hellas Verona team (8th, 15 points) that is humming along nicely after the managerial change made a few matches into the season. The expectation is that the Partenopei will come away with the full three points, putting the pressure on the two Milan clubs a few hours before their highly anticipated derby match at 2:45 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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While it hasn’t been able to muster many successful results in the UEFA Champions League, AC Milan (2nd, 31 points) has shown exceptional form in league play, going 10W-0L-1D in its first 11 matches. But Sunday’s derby against defending Serie A champions Inter Milan (3rd, 24 points) will prove its toughest test of the season so far. Inter will be desperate to win, but even a draw would likely be acceptable this early in the season to maintain any hope of retaining its title.
The other big match of the weekend involves another Italian football rivalry: Juventus (9th, 15 points) hosts Fiorentina (7th, 18 points) with an opportunity to catch the Viola in the standings. If the top three do break away from the chasing pack, the scrap for fourth place and the final UEFA Champions League berth will be intense and these two teams will expect to be in the running with the likes of AS Roma, Lazio and Atalanta.
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How to watch Italian Serie A in the USA
The 2021-22 Italian Serie A season is the first league campaign to be carried exclusively by CBS Sports through its CBS Sports Network linear TV channel and the Paramount+ streaming platform. All 380 Serie A matches will be streamed on Paramount+.
The network will also produce pregame and postgame studio shows titled “Calcio e Cappuccino” (“Football and Cappuccino”) around select matches.
- Dates: Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021, through Sunday, May 22, 2022
- TV channels (USA): CBS Sports Network (select matches)
- Streaming: Paramount+
For televised matches, CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) is streamed on fuboTV, which offers a free seven-day trial for new users. The channel is also available on major cable, satellite and telco providers, as well as streaming providers YouTubeTV, DirecTV and Hulu.
Serie A schedule: Matchday 12
(Home clubs listed first)
Friday, Nov. 5
| Matches | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Empoli vs. Genoa | 3:45 p.m. | — | Paramount+ |
Saturday, Nov. 6
| Matches | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Spezia vs. Torino | 10 a.m. | — | Paramount+ |
| Juventus vs. Fiorentina | 1 p.m. | — | Paramount+ |
| Cagliari vs. Atalanta | 3:45 p.m. | — | Paramount+ |
Sunday, Nov. 7
| Matches | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Venezia vs. AS Roma | 6:30 a.m. | — | Paramount+ |
| Sampdoria vs. Bologna | 9 a.m. | — | Paramount+ |
| Udinese vs. Sassuolo | 9 a.m. | — | Paramount+ |
| Napoli vs. Verona | 12 p.m. | — | Paramount+ |
| Lazio vs. Salernitana | 12 p.m. | — | Paramount+ |
| AC Milan vs. Inter Milan | 2:45 p.m. | — | Paramount+ |