Juventus-Inter Among 5 Serie A Games Rearranged Amid Coronavirus Fears

Juventus' pivotal game with Inter Milan in the Serie A title race is the standout fixture among a group of matches rescheduled for May 13 amid fears about the potential spread of the coronavirus.

The reshuffled fixture list will mean moving the Coppa Italia final to May 20, according to Football Italia.

Juve and the Nerazzurri were supposed to play behind closed doors this weekend to safeguard against the dangers of an outbreak in the northern regions of the country. Yet the Juventus official website noted there had been a "backlash" to the decision to play in an enclosed space.

As well as the Derby d'Italia, Inter's city rivals AC Milan will also host Genoa on May 13, while Udinese's game with Fiorentina, Parma vs. SPAL and Sassuolo against Brescia have also been reset for the final day.

Football Italia detailed a crisis meeting involving both the Italian football authorities and the government. The same source also reported how moving the matches, rather than cancelling them altogether, means clubs have avoided losing a lucrative payday, with Juve set for €5 million for hosting Inter.

Yet while the games will still go ahead at some point, there is the potential for some major fixture congestion. Specifically, Inter qualifying for the Coppa Italia final would take away one more option to play the Nerazzurri's game with Sampdoria, per Football Italia.

The fixture has already been postponed once. However, Inter's chances of competing in the showpiece round of the cup look strong, with Antonio Conte's team facing Napoli in the semi-final second leg on Thursday hoping to overturn a 1-0 aggregate deficit.

Antonio Calanni/Associated Press

It's a similar story for the Bianconeri, who host AC Milan on Wednesday with the tie evenly balanced at 1-1.

Away from the cup, the domestic title could well come down to the outcome of Inter and Juve's meeting. The latter are top of the table, six points ahead of third-place Inter, who have a game in hand.

Serie A is responding to the spread of a virus that has infected over 300 people in the north, according to Daniele Verri BBC Sport, who noted how games in Serie B have been called off, while Inter and Milan have closed their offices and asked staff to work from home.