AC Milan vs Udinese

AC Milan close out their 2007-2008 campaign at home to Udinese needing a victory and some help in order to finish in 4^th place of Serie A and qualify for the Champions League. This is a direct confrontation between two clubs that are coming off of losses in week 37.

AC Milan were beaten on the road in week 37 when they fell to SS Napoli by a score of 3-1 at the Stadio San Paolo. The loss, coupled with Fiorentina’s victory over Parma, dropped Milan out of 4^th place and into 5^th place where they now sit with 61 points, 2 points behind them. In order to qualify for the first round of the Champions League the rossoneri will need to win and hope that Fiorentina lose their match. The loss to Napoli snapped a 3 game win streak for the side managed by Carlo Ancelotti. At this time Ronaldo, Maldini, Dida and Emerson have been ruled out because of injury, while Nesta and Gattuso are out suspended. Milan are expected to feature a 4-3-2-1 with Seedorf and Kaka’ just behind Pippo Inzaghi.

Udinese are in 7^th place of the league table and are guaranteed a place in the UEFA Cup for next season. They have 57 points which leaves them 2 points back of 6^th place Sampdoria and 7 ahead of 8^th place Napoli. Last week they fell at home to Cagliari by a score of 0-2 at the Stadio Friuli. The loss snapped a 2 match win streak for the side managed by Marino. On the injury front Udinese will be missing a significant number of players as Obodo, Asamoah, D’Agostino, Felipe, Ferronetti, Isla and Siqueira have been ruled out. Pinzi is set to replace D’Agostino in midfield with Di Natale, Quagliarella and Pepe starting upfront in 4-3-3.

While AC Milan have not exactly played like world beaters at home- having won just 7 matches from 18 with 7 draws and 4 losses- they have to be favored this week as they have something to play for. Win or lose, Udinese are playing the UEFA Cup next season. If AC Milan win this week, they have a chance at the Champions League. Look for the rossoneri to take care of business at home.

Prediction: AC Milan (1-0)

Parma vs Inter Milan

Parma face the most difficult of tests in the last week of the season as they play host to league leaders Inter Milan at the Stadio Ennio Tardini needing a victory and some help to avoid the drop. Making matters worse for Parma is that Inter need to win this match as well in order to win the Serie A league title.

Parma are coming off of a crushing loss away to Fiorentina by a score of 3-1 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. That loss resulted in the sacking of Argentine manager Hector Cuper and leaves Parma in 18^th place of the league table with 34 points, 2 back of 17^th place Catania. In order to avoid relegation Parma must defeat Inter Milan and hope that Catania do not defeat AS Roma. Failure to win by Parma will see them fall to the Serie B. The gialloblu have now lost 4 of their last 5 matches and this will be their first and possibly only match under new manager Manzo. At this time Moreo and Falcone have been ruled out due to injury while Rossi, Dessena and Mariga are out suspended. Parma are expected to go with a 4-3-2-1 featuring Lucarelli in attack with Budan and Reginaldo just behind them.

Inter Milan are in a must win situation as a draw could see AS Roma leap-frog over them with a victory in their match and give them the title. The neroazzurri sit in 1^st place with 82 points, just 1 point ahead of Roma after having been held to a 2-2 draw at home by Siena in their meeting at the San Siro. This contest away to Parma is their moment of truth as failure to win the league title would result in their campaign going down as one of the biggest collapses ever. The injured list remains cluttered for the side managed by Roberto Mancini as Dacourt, Samuel, Ivan Ramiro Cordoba, Luis Figo, Solari and Cambiasso are all out and Ibrahimovic is not expected to be able to start. Inter should go with a 4-3-2-1 with Julio Cruz as the lone striker with Balotelli and the Brazilian Cesar just behind him.

Inter Milan have been one of the best clubs in Serie A when playing away from home and for this reason have every chance of coming up with a win. Parma have posted 7 wins and 6 draws from 18 home matches. Their backs are against the wall and they surely will give a phenomenal effort. However, Inter Milan cannot under any circumstances fail to win this match as it would taint the club forever should Roma get the result they needed. Look for Inter to find a way to pull it out.

Prediction: Inter Milan (1-2)

Catania vs Roma

AS Roma will be hoping to complete their miracle finish to the 2007-2008 Serie A season when they visit Catania at the Stadio Angelo Massimino. A victory for Roma coupled with an Inter Milan draw or loss will see them win the league title after being down by as many as 14 points a couple of months ago.

Roma come into this contest in 2^nd place of the league table with 81 points and they sit 1 point behind the league leaders Inter Milan. They also hold a 9 point edge on 3^rd place Juventus. Last week Roma held serve at home by a score of 2-1 over Atalanta at the Stadio Olimpico di Roma and were able to pull within 1 point of first place thanks to Inter’s draw at home. Roma are unbeaten over their last 5 games and have won 4 of them to give themselves a chance in this last game. The injured list consists of Pit, Totti, Taddei and Ferrari so look for manager Spalletti to go with a 4-2-3-1 featuring Perrotta and Mancini on the wings with Aquilani just behind the lone striker Vucinic.

Catania also need a victory in the worst way this week as it is the only result that will guarantee that they do not make the drop. As it stands now Catania are in the last safe spot of the league table- 17^th place- with 36 points and hold a 2 point edge on 18^th place Parma. Last week they picked up a huge point on their visit to Juventus by holding out for a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino. With their draw the side managed by former Italian national side keeper Walter Zenga snapped a 2 match losing streak. For this week’s match at home to Roma, Catania will be missing Spinesi and Mascara to injury while Izco is out suspended. Expect Catania to go with a 4-4-2 with Colucci and the Uruguayan Gonzalo Martinez in attack.

One of Roma’s many strengths has been their strong play on the road where they have won 9 out of 18 matches while drawing 6 and losing only 3. Only league leaders Inter have lost fewer matches on the road. The only reason Catania are not in the drop zone at this time is that they have been fairly tough at home with 8 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses in 18 games. With their backs against the wall they should be good enough for a draw at home which could kill Roma’s title hopes.

Prediction: Draw (0-0)

Sampdoria vs Juventus

Juventus are on the road to visit Sampdoria as they close out the 2007-2008 Serie A season at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Sampdoria are coming off of a win on the road in week 37 while Juventus were held to a disappointing draw at home.

Sampdoria come into this contest in 6^th place of the league table with 59 points for the year. They sit 2 points back of 5^th place AC Milan and 2 points ahead of 7^th place Udinese. Given that the blucerchiati sit 4 points back of Fiorentina they can no longer qualify for the Champions League and instead will participate in the UEFA Cup next season. Sampdoria scored a 0-2 victory away to Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo in their last match. The victory over Napoli was Samp’s first in 3 games. This week manager Mazzari is expected to be missing Castellazzi, Volpi, Kalu, Lucchini and Bellucci. Look for the Sampdoria to go with a 3-5-2 featuring Bonazzoli and Cassano in attack.

Juventus played to a 1-1 draw at home to Catania in their week 37 match at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino. The draw leaves the side managed by Claudio Ranieri in 3^rd place of Serie A with 71 points on the season. They sit 8 points ahead of 4^th place Fiorentina and 10 back of 2^nd place AS Roma. Juventus will finish this season in 3^rd place and will play the qualifying round of the Champions League next season. The vecchia signora have now won just 1 point from their last 2 games and come into this contest with a number of absences including starting keeper Gigi Buffon along with Andrade and Iaquinta who are injured. Grygera, Nocerino and Mauro German Camoranesi are the players out suspended this week. One incentive Juventus have coming into this game is that they will want to help David Trezeguet score a goal as that could help him win the Serie A golden boot.

With the clubs having their final positions in the Serie A league table set this could promise to be a very open and entertaining match. There will not be any pressure to speak of, and with Trezeguet so close to the scoring title you can expect him to take a lot of shots at the net along with any penalty kick possibilities that could arise.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Roma vs Atalanta

AS Roma are back at the Olimpico needing to win against Atalanta and also needing help from other results to keep their faint title hopes alive. This is a direct clash between clubs coming off of offensive explosions last week as both Roma and Atalanta scored 3 goals in winning efforts.

AS Roma scored a surprisingly lopsided 0-3 win away from home last week when they beat Sampdoria at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in week 36. That win, coupled with Inter Milan’s loss to AC Milan in the derby allows the giallorossi to move to within 3 points of the league leaders as they now sit in 2^nd place of Serie A with 78 points. Roma are also 8 points up on 3^rd place Juventus. Nedo Spalletti’s side were also able to take care of business in their Coppa Italia this week and advanced to the final where they will take on Inter Milan. Roma are unbeaten over their past 5 matches and have won 5 over that stretch. 3 players are confirmed injury absences this week in Pit, club captain Totti and Taddei.

Atalanta held serve at home in week 36 with a 3-2 win over Livorno at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri D’Italia. With their win the bergamaschi are now 11^th in the league table with 45 points for the season. They sit 1 point back of 10^th place Palermo and 3 points ahead of 12^th place Siena. The victory helped the side managed by Gigi del Neri snap a 4 match winless run. The injury list is extensive this week with Costinha, Forsyth, Carrozzieri, Langella, Tissone and Manfredini all having been ruled out. Meanwhile, Guarente is out suspended. Look for Atalanta to go with a 4-4-2 featuring Muslimovic and Ferreira Pinto on the wings with Floccari and Doni in attack.

Roma have to be considered favorites in this contest both because they are very strong at home and they have everything to play for this week. In 18 matches at home this season Roma have posted 14 wins, 3 draws and just 1 loss. At the other end of the spectrum Atalanta have won just 4 road games with 5 draws and 9 losses. Roma have to have this match to keep their title hopes alive into the final week.

Prediction: Roma (2-1)

Napoli vs AC Milan

SS Napoli are home to take on AC Milan in the next to last round of Serie A hoping to bounce back from their defeat on the road to Torino in week 36. AC Milan scored a huge win at home in their big derby match and currently control their destiny in the race for 4^th place which grants a spot in the first round of the Champions League.

Napoli currently sit in 9^th place of the Serie A table with 47 points on the present campaign. Their last match saw them fall by a score of 2-1 away to Torino at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino. With their 47 points Napoli are now 1 point back of 8^th place Genoa and 1 point ahead of 10^th place Palermo. Napoli had gone into that contest unbeaten over their last 3 games. This week manager Reja will be missing Rullo and Zalayeta to injury while Santacroce and Blasi will each be serving a 1 match suspension. Reja is expected to go with a 4-4-2 featuring the Argentine duo of Lavezzi and Roberto Sosa in attack.

The rossoneri are coming off of what might possibly have been their biggest win of the season when they scored a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in the derby at the San Siro. Thanks to their win AC Milan are in 4^th place of the league table and if the season ended today they would be on their way to the Champions League. AC Milan are now winners of 3 games in a row and 4 of their last 5 overall. They have 61 points on the year and hold a 1 point edge on 5^th place Fiorentina while sitting 9 points back of 3^rd place Juventus. On the injury front manager Carlo Ancelotti will again be missing Ronaldo, Maldini, Dida, Guorcoff and Emerson to injury while Andrea Pirlo will sit out suspended. Look for Pippo Inzaghi to start as the lone striker with Seedorf and Kaka’ behind him as usual. Alexandre Pato starts on the bench.

The result of this match is pretty wide open. Napoli have been a quality club at home this season with 10 wins but Milan have been equally impressive with 10 road victories. With AC Milan needing these 3 points a lot more than Napoli, they just might have enough in the tank to pull out the 3 points.

Prediction: AC Milan (0-1)

Juventus vs Catania

Juventus return home to face-off against Catania in week 37 of Serie A. The two sides are coming off of losses in their last match and this spells loads of trouble for Catania as they are right back in the relegation race as a result.

Juventus dropped the 3 points on their visit to Siena last week by a score of 1-0 at the MPS Arena. Going into that game the bianconeri had scored 15 goals over the last four contests but were simply unable to score this time around. With the defeat the vecchia signora will finish the 2007-2008 Serie A season in 3^rd place. Juventus currently have 70 points for the year and sit 8 points back of 2^nd place AS Roma while holding a 9 point edge on 4^th place AC Milan. Manager Claudio Ranieri will be missing 4 players this week with Andrade, Iaquinta and Zanetti out injury, while Molinaro sits out suspended. Juve are expected to go with a 4-4-2 featuring Trezeguet and Del Piero upfront with Nedved and Camoranesi on the wings.

Catania lost a terrible match at home in week 32 when they fell to Reggina by a score of 1-2 at the Angelo Massimino. This was a devastating result for Catania as it allowed Reggina to leap-frog over them in the league table from the drop zone. Catania are now in 17^th place of the log with 35 points on the year. This places them just 1 point on top of 18^th place Parma and the relegation zone while trailing the aforementioned Reggina who are now in 16^th place by 1 point. That makes this contest away to Juventus a must win for the side managed by for former Italy national side keeper Walter Zenga if they are to avoid falling into the drop zone with only 1 week left to play. Catania have picked the worst stage of the season to go through a bad spell as they have now lost 3 of their last 4. The lone bright spot this week is that only 1 player has been ruled out because of injury.

While normally Juventus would be expected to win this match going away, Catania have shot. Juve cannot affect their league position in any way over the last 2 games of the season. They are going to finish in 3^rd place and will play the first round of the Champions League. However, Catania are playing for their very survival and for this reason have a decent shot. A draw is not out of the question.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Inter Milan vs Siena

Inter Milan get yet another crack at clinching their 3^rd consecutive Serie A title when they host Siena at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in week 37. The two sides are coming off of very different results last week with the neroazzurri having lost on the road while Siena took care of business at home. With the title quest stretching from week to week Inter will be looking to finally lock it down once and for all.

Inter Milan lost their derby match on the road last week as they dropped the 3 points to AC Milan by a score of 2-1 at the San Siro. With AS Roma having won their match over Sampdoria, their lead has now been sliced to 3 points. Inter Milan currently sit atop the league table with 81 points while Roma have 78. That defeat against AC Milan snapped Inter’s current win streak at 4 games. It wasn’t all bad news last week however as the side managed by Roberto Mancini were able to advance to the final of the Coppa Italia thanks to their win over SS Lazio. The injured list remains extensive for the defending champions as Dacourt, Walter Samuel, Ivan Ramiro Cordoba, Luis Figo, Christian Chivu and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are expected to miss out injured. Look for youngster Balotelli to join Julio Cruz in attack.

Siena are coming off of an impressive victory in week 36 as they held serve at home over Juventus by a score of 1-0 at the MPS Arena. The results leaves Siena in 12^th place of the league table with 42 points on the present campaign. They are currently 3 points back of 11^th place Atalanta and hold a 2 point edge on 13^th place SS Lazio. The side managed by Beretta have been playing very well defensively of late and have conceded just 1 goal over their last 3 games while posting 1 win, 1 loss and 3 draws over their past 5 matches. At this time there is just one confirmed injury absence at the club and it is Bertotto. Look for manager Beretta to go with a 4-3-2-1 featuring Maccarone as the lone striker.

Inter Milan should take care of business in this match. While they did suffer a temporary setback against AC Milan last week they were still able to rebound nicely against SS Lazio and their overall depth cannot be compared with Siena’s. Siena have put together a very respectable season but if Inter are on their day this match should be no contest.

Prediction: Inter Milan (2-0)

Cagliari vs Fiorentina

Cagliari and Fiorentina will meet in a clash between clubs which still have loads to play for in the final stretch of the Serie A season. Cagliari are too close for comfort with regard to the drop zone of the league table while Fiorentina are being challenged by both AC Milan and Sampdoria for the final Champions League spot.

I sardi had been playing very well of late but ran into league leaders Inter Milan last week and fell by a score of 2-1 at the Giuseppe Meazza. With that loss Cagliari remain in 15^th place of Serie A with 35 points. They are just behind 14^th place Catania on goal difference but sit just 2 points ahead of both Empoli and Reggina who are tide for a relegation slot. The side managed by Ballardini simply cannot afford a loss at this time and this game at home to Fiorentina is a final. The injury list this week consists of Marchini, Parola, Magliocchetti and Acquaresca. Look for the home side to employ a 4-3-1-2 with Matri to start along with Jeda upfront.

Fiorentina are in 4^th place of the league table with 60 point on the present campaign. Last week they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Sampdoria. That result hurts Cesare Prandelli’s side as it allowed AC Milan to pull to within just 2 points of them at 58. Fiorentina have now posted 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw over their past 5 games. The rest of the week was no better for the viola as they lost to Glasgow Rangers in the semi final round of the UEFA CUP. This match away to Cagliari is all they have left to play for at this time. The lone injury concern for this contest is Christian Vieri who is finished for the season while Montolivo will sit out due to suspension. Prandelli will continue to utilize the 4-3-3 with Mutu, Pazzini and Semioli in attack.

Despite the loss to league leaders Inter Milan last week there is no question that Cagliari have responded to new manager Ballardini. They are much more competitive and defensively the tactics appear to have been sorted out to a point where they are now not an easy club to score upon. Fiorentina could have a very tough time against a club that is playing for its survival and the impact of the loss to Rangers could still linger in their heads.

Prediction: Cagliari (1-0)

Siena vs Juventus

Siena are back at the Mps Arena to play host to the impressive Juventus who have been absolutely on fire of late. Siena’s balanced play of late has allowed them to enter the final matches of the season in a safe, middle of the table position while Juventus are winners of 4 straight.

In their last match Siena were able to hold out for a 0-0 draw away to SS Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo. With their points Siena now sit in 13^th place of the Serie A table with 39 points for the year. They are 1 point behind 12^th place SS Lazio and 2 points up on Catania. The draw however, extended Siena’s winless run to 5 matches during which time they have scored only 2 goals. Manager Beretta will not be able to count on Bertotto or the suspended Coppola this week. The good news is that Rossettini returns from suspension and will take over at right fullback in a 4-3-1-2 with Maccarone and Frick in attack.

The bianconeri have been on fire of late with a potent attack that has seen them win 4 games in a row while scoring 15 goals over that stretch. Those 4 wins have Juve in 3^rd place of Serie A with 70 points. They sit 5 points back of 2^nd place AS Roma and sit 10 ahead of 4^th place Fiorentina. In their last match they held serve over Lazio by a score of 5-2 at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino. The side managed by Claudio Ranieri have just 2 injury concerns for this match in Andrade and Iaquinta so look for Nedved, Del Piero and Trezeguet to be able to start. In the case of Trezeguet he is currently tied for 1^st place in Serie A with 19 goals on the year.

It is hard to make a case for Siena in this contest despite the fact that they are the home side. Siena have won just 5 of 17 home matches this season while Juve have won 8 matches away from home. Only Inter Milan and AC Milan have won more games on the road. In addition over the last 4 games Siena have produced a grand total of 2 goals while Juve have amassed 15. Look for Juve to continue to bulldozer over the competition.

Prediction: Juventus (0-2)

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