Fiorentina vs Reggina

Fiorentina are back home to host Reggina in a battle between two clubs that are coming off of losses in week 31 of Serie A. Fiorentina dropped 3 points on the road to Udinese and are now involved in a real fight for 4^th place, while Reggina lost away to Genoa and now are in a lot of trouble at the bottom of the league table.

The viola enter week 32 in 4^th place with 53 points for the present campaign. They are 5 points behind 3^rd place Juventus and 3 points ahead of 5^th place Udinese. It was their 3-1 loss away to Udinese last week at the Stadio Friuli which saw their lead shrink from 6 to points in the coveted 4^th slot of the league table which grants access to the Champions League. Manager Cesare Prandelli has now seen his squad lose 3 straight road matches after having been one of the best road sides in Italy during the early portion of the year. There are 2 players ruled out this week in Semioli and Ujfalusi. Sensing that his squad can expose Reggina’s defensive failings, Prandelli looks ready to go with a 4-3-3 featuring Adrian Mutu, Pazzini and Papa Waigo in attack.

This match away to Fiorentina will be the second straight on the road for the relegation threatened Reggina. Last week they fell away to Genoa by a score of 2-0 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. With the loss Reggina are now 19^th in Serie A with 27 points and sit 2 points back of 18^th place Cagliari and the other 3 clubs tied at 29 points. If the season ended today they would make the drop to Serie B. Manager Orlandi’s squad are now winless over their last 3 games and have won just 5 points from the last 15 played for. There is only one injury concern reported for this game and it involves Montiel who has been ruled out. Brienza has been cleared to play and will start just behind lone striker Amoruso in a 4-4-1-1 formation.

It is hard to find a way for Reggina to get the job done this week. While Fiorentina have had their problems on the road this season, they have been steady at home for the most part having produced 9 wins and 3 draws in 15 games. Meanwhile, Reggina have yet to win a single match away from home and Fiorentina need this match just as much as the visitors do. Look for the purple side to hold serve at home.

Prediction: Fiorentina (2-0)

Palermo vs Juventus

Palermo face-off with Juventus at home after having lost away in week 31. Juventus will be playing for the first time in 2 weeks in week 32 as their Round 31 match at home to Parma was postponed as a result of the tragic events in the run up to that contest.

Palermo lost on the road to SS Napoli last week by a score of 1-0 at the Stadio San Paolo. The loss leaves the side now managed by Colantuono in 13^th place of the Serie A with 36 points on the season. They sit just behind 12^th place Siena on goal difference and hold a 2 point edge on 14^th place Torino. Palermo are now losers of 2 straight and 3 of their last 4 matches with just 4 points to show from their last 5 games. There are 3 players ruled out at this time and they are Capuano, Miccoli and Cavani. Look for Palermo to go with a 4-2-3-1 featuring Amauri as the lone striker.

Juve come into this match in 3^rd place of the Serie A with 58 points on the year. That leaves them 7 points back of 2^nd place AS Roma but with a match still in hand over them. They also still maintain a 5 point edge on 4^th place Fiorentina as well as a match in hand. The side from the Stadio Olimpico di Torino last played in round 30 when they upset Inter Milan by a score of 1-2 in the derby. They are unbeaten over their last 4 games with 3 wins along the way. In addition, they have conceded just 1 goal over that stretch. This week manager Claudio Ranieri will not be able to count on Andrade or Zanetti, while Del Piero, Nedved and Trezeguet will be in the starting eleven.

Palermo could be in trouble this week. They have been struggling of late and will be going up against a well rested vecchia signora who have been playing a very consistent brand of football over the last month. With Nedved, Del Piero and Trezeguet in attack they possess the firepower to win on the road, not to mention a first class defense.

Prediction: Juventus (0-2)

Atalanta vs Inter Milan

Atalanta face a Milan club for the second straight week in Round 32 of Serie A as they host Inter Milan at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri D’Italia. Last week they were able to score an improbable victory over AC Milan and will be looking to make it two for two this week. Inter Milan have been struggling a bit of late but remain in first place of the league table as the season enters the final stretch.

Atalanta came up with a most unexpected win on the road last week as they surprised AC Milan by a score of 1-2 at the San Siro. With the victory the side managed by Gigi Del Neri are now in 9^th place of the league table with 41 points on the year. They sit 1 point behind 8^th place Genoa and 1 point ahead of 10^th place SS Napoli. Atalanta are now unbeaten over their last two games and have posted 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw over their last 5. There is bad news on the injury from this week for the bergamaschi as defender Rivalta has been ruled out for the next 3 weeks due to injury. He will be replaced by either Belleri or Capelli. Costinha, Muslimovic and Talamonti round out the rest of the injured list while Carrozzieri will sit out suspended.

The neroazzurri are currently going through one of their toughest stretches of the season but remain in first place with 69 points, 4 ahead of 2^nd place AS Roma. In their last match, Inter Milan played to a 1-1 draw away to Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico. The draw extends the league leaders’ winless run to 3 matches. The side managed by Roberto Mancini have obtained 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss over their last 5 games. On the injury front, Dacourt, Samuel and Cordoba remain out. Figo and Cambiasso are set to start while Ibrahimovic, Suazo and Cruz are likely to start this away day on the bench.

Atalanta will have a hard time trying to top themselves after last week’s effort. Even with all of Inter Milan’s recent struggles, Atalanta’s home record is still not as good as Inter’s road record. This one has stalemate written all over it.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Roma vs Genoa

Roma will face off against Genoa at the Stadio Olimpico with the pressure of knowing they must win in order to ensure that they keep pace with the league leaders of Inter Milan. The two clubs are coming off of positive results in week 31 as Roma drew away from home while Genoa held serve at home.

Roma played to a 1-1 draw away to Cagliari at the Stadio Sant’Elia and that result cancelled out Inter Milan’s draw in their match away to Lazio. The side managed by Nedo Spalletti are now in 2^nd place of Serie A with 65 points on the year. They are 7 points ahead of 3^rd place Juventus- but having played 1 more match – while trailing 1^st place Inter Milan by 4 points. Roma have won 3 of their last 5 matches while drawing once and losing the remaining match. The club suffered a bad result this week in the quarter finals of the Champions League as they lost at home to Manchester United by a score of 0-2 in the first leg. The injured list has some important players on it this week including club captain Francesco Totti along with defenders Juan and Ferrari. The absence of Totti in attack will be filled by Vucinic with Taddei and Giuly starting on the wings. Tonetto will start at left fullback with Panucci sliding over to the center back position to partner with Mexes.

Genoa come into this match in 8^th place of the Serie A table with 42 points on the season. They are 7 points back of 7^th place Sampdoria and 1 point ahead of 9^th place Atalanta Bergamo. Last week il grifone were able to hold serve at home over Reggina by a score of 2-0 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. The win was the second straight for the side managed by Gasperini and their unbeaten run has now reached 3 consecutive games. There are only 2 injury absences expected this week with Paro and Santos having been ruled out, while midfielder Milanetto came down with an infection in his leg earlier this week but is not expected to have to miss out. Look for Genoa to go with their 3-4-3 standard formation featuring Sculli, Borriello and Leon in attack.

Morale in the Roma camp is certainly low this week following the slip up at home to Manchester United. Spalletti will need to decide if he wants to rest any regulars this week in hopes of pulling off a miracle in Manchester next week. At this point it appears they have a better chance of challenging for Serie A but there is no telling what type of formation he will go with and the fact that Totti is out is a huge absence both in terms of talent and mental strength. Genoa have a quality side that just could pull off an upset or in the very least pull out a point.

Prediction: Draw (0-0)

AC Milan vs Cagliari

AC Milan are back at the San Siro to host a resurgent Cagliari side who are fighting for their very survival as Serie A enters week 32. Both sides are coming off of tough results a week ago as Milan lost at home while Cagliari dropped 2 points at home.

The rossoneri suffered through a discouraging loss at home last week when they fell to Atalanta Bergamo by a score of 1-2 at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The result leaves the side managed by Carlo Ancelotti on the outside looking in with respect to a Champions League qualifying slot in the league table. AC Milan are now in 6^th place of the league table with 49 points. They are 1 point back of 5^th place Udinese but still 4 points behind 4^th place Fiorentina which is the club they must catch in order to qualify for the Champions League. They are just ahead of 7^th place Sampdoria on goal difference. Milan have now hit a rough stretch over their last 4 games which has seen them lose 3 times. For this week’s match against Cagliari Ronaldo, Emerson, Serginho, Oddo and Jankulovski have been ruled out, while Nesta is out suspended for the next two games. Kaka’ is expected to be in the starting eleven this week.

Cagliari are coming off of a 1-1 draw at home to AS Roma last week at the Stadio Sant’Elia. That draw extended Cagliari’s positive run to 4 straight games without a loss. Over that stretch the sardi have posted 2 wins and 2 draws while outscoring their opponents 6-2. After spending much of the season in last place, Balardini’s squad are now in 18^th place of the league table and just behind the 3 clubs tied for 17^th place- Catania, Livorno and Parma on goal difference. Still, if the season were to end today, they would make the drop which makes every remaining match vital for the rossoblu. There will be 3 absences due to injury this week in Marchini, Shala and Bianco while Agostini returns to the starting eleven at left fullback.

On paper AC Milan should win this one without breaking a sweat but the current form of the two sides seems to indicate a much closer pairing. While Cagliari have won just once away from home this season, they have been playing with an urgency over the last month that was not present earlier in the year. Meanwhile, Milan’s injuries to Kaka’ and Seedorf of late have crippled their attack. If Kaka’ is not able to play to his normal production this week, Cagliari’s determination might be enough.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Weekly Comic 02/04/08

UEFA cup quarter final first leg: Bayern vs. Getafe

Getafe like the title of giant killers and they are making quite a name for themselves both in their domestic league and in the UEFA cup. This season they have beaten the likes of Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, Barcelona, and Sevilla in La Liga and have beaten Tottenham Hotspur, Anderlecht and Benfica (twice). Now they go into their toughest match yet. On paper Bayern are the clear favorites, and I doubt very much whether Getafe will have the experience or fresh legs to try and change the fact. If this match had come a couple of months before I might have given Getafe a chance, but as it is with the season almost over, Getafe’s players really need a rest. Unfortunately that is going to be impossible, as after this game they travel to the Nou Camp to take on Barcelona in the league, then the second leg of this match when they receive Bayern at their Coliseum stadium, then after playing Zaragoza they take on Valencia in the final of the King’s cup, and all in sixteen days!

As for Bayern, their main aim this season is to get back in the Champions League competition. This they will do as they are currently leading the Bundesliga and have lost just two games from the twenty six matches played. What’s more, they have only conceded fifteen goals in the league and have a seven point cushion over second placed Hamburg. They lost their last UEFA cup match by two goals to one against Anderlecht, but the first leg ended in a clear five nil win for the Germans and coach Ottmar Hitzfeld wanted to reserve his top players.

In team news, Getafe coach Michael Laudrup won’t be able to call on Lucas Licht as he is suspended, but Pablo Hernandez and David Belenguer should be fit on time, which leaves just the Argentinean defender Cato Diaz as the only injured player in the squad.

Bayern could be without Lukas Podolski after he picked up an ankle injury in their away draw at the weekend against Nuremberg, but Frenchman Willy Sagnol will almost certainly miss the game after suffering from a slipped disk.

Bayern will be clear favorites to win here, but it won’t be a five nil thrashing like the Anderlecht game. Getafe are very well composed at the back and will probably wait to attack on the break. A narrow win then for the home side, with the tie being decided in the second leg.

Prediction: Home win (2-1)

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