Inter won in Serie A and lost in Europe, Milan drew twice last week, Fiorentina won
twice and Juventus won then had the middle of the week off.
Wins for Sampdoria, Lazio, Empoli, Palermo
and Udinese set smiles off in Genoa, Rome, Empoli, Palermo and Udine.
Losses for Genoa, Catania, Roma, Napoli, Atalanta, Cagliari
and Reggina means tears in Genoa, Catania, Rome, Naples, Bergamo, Cagliari and
Reggio Calabria.
Draws for Parma, Siena, Torino mean scratched heads in Parma,
Siena and Turin.
Shock of the week, Empoli handing it to Napoli in Naples.
Non shock of the week, Inter wins, again.
FIXTURES
Reggina V Juventus
A week without the hullabaloo of Europe
will be good for the Bianconeri, time to relax and plan for a second place
challenge. Reggina have had some soul
searching to do on the back of four losses, it looks bleak for the Amaranto.
Reggina were hammered by four in their last meeting.
The firepower at home is weak (if not AWOL) and Juventus
have an awful lot of talent.
Milan V Palermo
A tough trip to London
and a laundry list of injuries will be tough for the Rossoneri to overcome and
bring their all to the Stadio Meazza against tough but fragile opposition. Palermo may
have turned a corner but will be wary of the Milan side at home and be in a cautiously buoyant
mood.
Palermo
beat Milan Palermo earlier this season.
Inconsistent form is the bane of both clubs with a lot to
play for this could be a cracker or a tight and tense draw. Managers and players will decide the outcome;
fresher legs may play a part. Europe beckons.
Torino V Parma
Neither side scored in the last round of Serie A. The Toros are in more ebullient form than the
Gialloblu although neither side is yet free of relegation worries.
Parma beat Torino in Parma.
The forwards aren’t firing particularly well for either club
but expect the home side to be less cautious.
Has all the makings of a defensive draw so it’ll probably be hugely one
sided or something.
Atalanta V Sienna
Comfortably mid table versus uncomfortably close to the
bottom three. Sienna comes into the game
with one loss in their last three while Atalanta has one win in five.
The Zebrette and Nerrazzurri drew in Siena.
Siena
play well but struggle to finish and Atalanta are much too inconsistent
recently. Best possible game would ensue
if Sienna scored first and early.
Cagliari
V Lazio
Finally the Romans won whilst the Sardinian side looks
mournfully upwards at the other nineteen Serie A sides. Things aren’t all that bright in Rome though with poor
form amidst the ruins of high expectations.
The Rossoblu got well beaten by the Biancocelesti in Rome.
Neither side has it easy finding the net although Lazio do
better away than do Cagliari
at home. This could go either way but a
lot will depend on how much fight the Sardinians actually have; there are still
fourty five points to win.
Empoli V Catania
Wow and unexpected stuffing of the Azzurri leave the Azzurri
in grand fettle. Catania’s loss last week has them only a
point above Empoli but they generally play better football. This still has the makings of a relegation
six pointer.
Last time out the Elefanti beat Empoli.
Form is with Empoli on the back of two wins as opposed to
four losses. Neither side scores many
with Pozzi being the standout forward; an injury means though that neither side
really has any edge in that department.
Home form will probably tell but the points will be hard fought
for.
Livorno V Napoli
The loss to Inter is part of an Amaranto spiral downwards,
they want a few wins though to haul into themselves back into the mid table
melee. Two losses for the Azzurri is
uncreditable, given their weapons and defensive minded coach.
The home side lost in a tight one earlier this season.
Formation and personnel is crucial for Napoli,
stars are out and a choice between 352 and 443 is tough. Livorno will
look to take on a weakened team with verve and vim at home, the wrong result
will see them in the bottom three come Sunday night.
Roma V Fiorentina
Winning in Europe is
good. The legs don’t feel so tired and
the heart and mind are full of fire and confidence. The Giallorossi still have a task in the
second leg and La Viola contemplates the Blues.
Both sides have three domestic wins in the last five with Fiorentina
edging a point closer to Roma on the back of one loss less.
Florence
saw a combustible score draw last time the two sides met.
Roma have Juventus breathing fire from below and the smell
of old age liniment is wafting up from Milan. European football next year is a must, the
name of the Cup is more vital than life itself; if you were to believe the
media.
Should be a cracking game with two sides that have plenty of
weapons, decent stoppers and solid back lines.
Mutu has more goals than Totti, take away the penalties and it’s only
one more though, expect big things from both players.
Sampdoria V Inter
Licking his hand and combing it through his coiffure as
opposed to licking his wounds and criticizing referees. A Sampdoria starlet and a Scudetto winning
manager. Europe
and Anfield was a blow, the derby d’lanterna was also a blow but the goal and
the madman were magical.
Inter still seem to be unstoppable in the league and
vulnerable in Europe whilst a Cassano inspired
Sampdoria keep climbing the table.
The Blucerchiati were soundly thrashed in a one sided
Nerrazzurri mauling in Milan.
The midfield is getting out of it’s mess and now the defence
has just slipped into one, an abundance of strikers and goals is the key for
Inter. Cassano grows into the
inspiration for Sampdoria whilst Belluci keeps ban ging in the goals. Expect some fireworks, some histrionics and
possibly a cracking game and an Inter loss.
Of course Mancini might have kicked his players and himself so hard on
the flight back from England that Inter’ll be superkeen to stomp all over
Cassano and co.
Udinese V Genoa
The uns exy side in Serie A have started getting back to
winning ways now that the spotlight is turned elsewhere. The Grifani continue to stay in the middle of
the pack with some up and down play and results. The side from Udine boasts the only cappocannoniere in
waiting who does it without the spot.
Genoa
star Borriello bagged a hat trick earlier in the season.
Udinese have some potent weapons and a mean defence, Genoa’s are less potent
and mean though not without merit. The
home side would be favoured although Derby
results can be misleading. Could be
anyone’s a Genoa
goal early would be a nice start.
My Games of the Week.
Sampdoria V Inter is trumped (just) by Roma V Fiorentina
(keep your eye on a bounceback thrashing from Napoli)
What’s On FSC?
Reggina V Juventus (Sat)
Roma V Fiorentina (Sun)
Milan V Palermo (Sun)
Expect at least one Game Summary and another episode of
SERIE A IN BRIEF IN PICTURES.
"F. U. C. K. OFF YOU TOSSER, I HOPE YOU BREAK YOUR LEG!" "I HAD YOUR WIFE LAST WEEK!" THE PRE GAME PLEASNATRIES IN THE ENFORCED SERIE A HANDSHAKE CEREMONY!
EASIER THAN SCORING WITH TOTTI'S WIFE!
EH LADS! ANYONE GOT A DUMMY (COMFORTER) FOR THAT MISERABLE SMEG TOTTI!
GILARDINO COULDN'T SCORE WITH TOTT'IS WIFE!
SUPERPIPPO COULDN'T EITHER!
1000 MALDINI APPEARANCES CAN'T HIDE MILAN'S AWFUL PERFORMANCE AGAINST PARMA!
DAVID, THEY ARE SO SOFT! JUST WHAT DO YOU USE ON YOUR HANDS? PIG FAT AND DUCK LIVERS - WORKS A TREAT!
EY-UP! SPIN TWO THREE! TURN TWO THREE! LEAVE THESE TWO FAT GENOANS IN THE DUST TWO THREE! ITALIAN MADMAN LIVENS UP AN OTHERWISE AWFUL GAME WITH SOME STUNNING SKILLS!
BABY! YES! OH YES! IT WENT IN! MAGGIO SCORES AFTER SO MANY BEAUTIFUL SET UPS!
Inter####onale are in top spot. Consistently winning; even whilst playing
poorly; is a feature of most of their campaign to date. The title is theirs to lose. The restart of European competition will have
a big impact on the UEFA Cup and Champions League places. Juventus, Udinese and Palermo don’t have any European football to
look forward to or provide a distraction.
Inter, Milan
and Roma have the Champions League and Fiorentina have the UEFA Cup as a
distraction.
SERIE A TRANSFERS
ATALANTA
Out: Zampagna (A, Vicenza)
CAGLIARI – some
strengthening of their goalkeeping and looking for goals in order to avoid
Serie B next season.
FIORENTINA – even more depth in attack to
maintain their UEFA Cup spot.
In: Cacia (A, Piacenza)
GENOA – help at the
back and in attack, to help push for a UEFA Cup place.
In: Criscito (D, Juventus), Masiero (A, Central
Espanol), Wilson (A, Corinthians)
INTER – bolstering the injury hit midfield
with creativity and experience.
In: Maniche (M, Atletico Madrid)
Out: Adriano (A, Sao Paulo)
JUVENTUS
Out: Criscito (D, Genoa),
Olivera (M, Penarol)
LAZIO
LIVORNO – strengthening the
defence to avoid relegation trouble.
In: Sidny (D, Nautico)
MILAN – bagging the
most talked about Brazilian eighteen year old in years to help them in Europe and take them to a Champions League place.
In: Pato (A, Internacional)
NAPOLI
Out: Gatti (M, Modena)
PALERMO
Out: Brienza (M, Reggina)
PARMA – last season he
bagged 20 goals for Livorno, he’ll help them
avoid becoming embroiled in a relegation battle.
In: Lucarelli (A, Shakhtar Donetsk)
Out: Cardone (D, Cesena), Paponi (A, Cesena)
REGGINA – defensive help and proven young
goalscorer in their battle to stay up.
In: Cirillo (D, Levante), Stuani (A, Danubio)
ROMA
SAMPDORIA
Out: Foti (A, Messina)
SIENA – two more
attacking options, to help balance their goal difference.
In: Porta (A, River Plate Montevideo),
Rigano' (A, Levante)
Out: Bucchi (A, Bologna)
TORINO
UDINESE
Out: Sivok (M, Sparta Prague)
FIXTURES
Fiorentina V Torino
A midweek cup trouncing might not get any better in Florence. La Viola is strong and coming of####ood win and
with Europe coming up and the European spots
up for grabs they have plenty to play for.
The manager also seems to be right back in the game. The Gigliati are at full strength and Granata
are struggling with injuries. Last week
Fiorentina won and Torino lost.
The Nerrazzurri scraped a win last week but expect a
different side at the Stadio Meazza.
Maniche is unlikely to get an outing as will Parma’s new signing Lucarelli. Expect a home win but don’t be surprised if
Lucarelli returns to Serie A with a ####.
Parma hasn’t
won away from home yet and a loss won’t help their slide into the relegation
quagmire. Both sides are at less than
full strength but Mancini’s charges have plenty of depth. Last week Inter won and Parma lost.
Genoa V Atalanta
Great result for Genoa
last week and they’ll need to play just as well to leapfrog Atalanta in the
race for a UEFA Cup place. Expect a home
win but this could be a cracking game. Genoa loses their top
Honduran and Doni is back for Atalanta.
Last week Genoa
won and Atalanta lost.
Juventus V Sampdoria
A draw for the Bianconeri; a lucky one at that; will need to
be erased by a home win. Juventus can’t
lose their position but they will not want to slip any further behind Roma or allow
Udinese and Fiorentina to catch up. Sampdoria
were on fire last week and will relish this tough away challenge despite having
a less than stellar form on the road.
Sampdoria don’t have a full compliment of strikers and Juventus are a
touch short in defence. Tiago may
start. Last week Juventus drew and
Sampdoria won.
Livorno V Empoli
Already a relegation six pointer and a local derby will make
this fixture shine (although last season it remained goalless). Livorno is
unbeaten in five and playing well under a new manager and Empoli are
struggling, with their last win coming in 2007.
Empoli are at less than full strength and poor on the road. Last week Livorno
won and Empoli drew.
Napoli V Lazio
Napoli needs to regain
their early season form if they are to mount a challenge on a European
place. The strikers and goalkeepers are
kept busy in Naples
so expect a few goals; from either team.
Lazio continue their poor form.
Gargano will be a loss to Napoli but
Lazio has plenty of injury worries. Last
week both teams lost.
Palermo V Siena
Palermo
come off an erratic run of form but are still riding high in Serie A, another
loss will dent their UEFA Cup ambitions and could see them drop places. Siena
are in deep trouble and really struggle on the road; one win in eight. This must be the start of the Bianconeri’s
relegation dogfight, particularly as they showed so well against Inter last
week. Expect goals with both teams
wanting the win. Last week Palermo and Siena
lost.
Reggina V Cagliari
Reggina are struggling but Cagliari is awful. A huge game for both teams. Another loss and Cagliari will be playing for pride, a Reggina
loss helps them not a jot. Amaruso will
be the difference maker and will want to shine so as to stake a place in another
Serie A side next season. History is
with the home side and the visitors have their share of injury woes. Last week Reggina grabbed a point and Cagliari lost;
again.
Roma V Catania
Second place needs defended and the visit of Catania is an almost certain three points, last season Catania got thrashed
7-0. Catania hasn’t won on the road this season
and nothing is likely to change here, Mancini is in a good run of form and
Spinesi is wearing his shooting boots.
The result against Juventus will give the Sicilians heart for this
fixture. Last week Roma won and Catania were robbed of
three points.
Udinese V Milan
Possibly the biggest game of the weekend. Milan is
certainly going to be tested by a very strong Udinese side that has only lost
once in Udine. Milan’s
away form is better than their play in the Stadio Meazza though. Pirlo’s absence will be a tough blow to
overcome; Gattuso is fiery but doesn’t have the ball skills that Pirlo
has. The three Brazilians will face a
tougher test against a tough Udinese back line than they did against Napoli. The Azzuri
have some injury and suspension problems but Quagliarella is in form, history
favours the Rossoneri. Last week both
these teams won and will be looking to continue the trend to solidify their
European aspirations for the home side and to climb the table for the
visitors.
