The Euro Preview: Serie A plays through the holidays, Old Firm derby key to Scottish title

For the first time in history, Serie A is forgoing its annual Christmas break and taking a page from the Premier League by playing though the holidays.

Serie A

While most leagues across Europe already closing up shop for the holiday break, Italy’s top flight will keep going with a slate of matches on Saturday. It’s a first for Serie A in the modern era. Instead, the league will shut down for a month after this weekend.

League games will resume Jan. 20 with matchday 20.

League President Ezio Maria Simonelli called it “a historic decision” this past summer when the league schedule was made public. The league tested the waters last season by holding Coppa Italia matches during the traditional break.

After midweek games, league leaders Juventus host Sampdoria, while second-place Napoli are also at home against Bologna.

Third-place Inter Milan, meanwhile, also have a favorable round when they play at Empoli. Inter are riding high after defeating Napoli 1-0 on Wednesday following a last-gasp goal at the end of the game.

"“I saw a strong Inter tonight from start to finish. In some ways, we deserved the victory, as we pushed hard,” Inter manager Luciano Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia. “At the same time… we could’ve lost, as that was a tough situation to get out of. It was more importantly a very entertaining game between two teams who moved the ball with pace, played good football and in a way, both deserved the points.”"

Napoli, however, complained that racist chants from Inter fans, primarily targeting Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly, tarnished the match.

In other games to watch on Saturday: AC Milan, who have not scored in four straight league matches, are at home against Spal, while Parma-Roma, a game between two struggling clubs, offers fans a flavor of ghosts of successful teams of Christmas past.

Serie B

Italy’s second division play a full slate of fixtures on Sunday, following in the footsteps of England’s Premier League, Scotland and Italy’s first division, before their winter break.

Palermo, Brescia and Lecce, clubs with past Serie A pedigree, occupy the top three positions in the table going into matchday 19.

Games to keep a close eye on include Palermo traveling north to play at Cittadella, another team in the promotion fight, while Brescia are also on the road at Benevento, who was relegated from Serie A at the end of last season after a shock promotion.

Lecce are also away from home, playing at Spezia before the second division shuts down for the winter break and resumes on Jan. 19.

Scottish Premier League

Matchday 21 closes out the calendar year and is highlighted by one of the biggest rivalries in world soccer: Rangers versus Celtic.

The game is the highlight of the season at the halfway mark in what has been one of the tightest title races in years. Celtic hold just a three-point advantage over Rangers ahead of Saturday’sOld Firm derby at Ibrox Stadium.

After failing to make the Champions League and struggling on the road (compounded by the long-term absence of striker Leigh Griffiths), the team managed by Brenden Rodgers has a golden opportunity this weekend to take a big lead and a giant step towards the league title.

With former Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard at the helm, Rangers, who have been plagued by injuries, remain a work-in-progress, but the enthusiasm around their new manager has lifted spirits on and off the field in Glasgow.

A victory at home against Celtic would make it one of Europe’s tightest races as Scotland heads into its winter break. The league resumes on Jan. 23.

Former Colombia Under-20 star Alfredo Morelos, who has tallied 19 goals this season has become a fan favorite. Gerrard made headlines in recent days, saying Morelos is “going nowhere” come next month’s transfer window.

“He’s a top-class finisher,” said Gerrard. “He comes alive in the box and at big times and big moments he has stepped up for us. So we’re really pleased with him. All good players around the world receive interest and bids. That’s football.”