Napoli vs Atalanta

Napoli and Atalanta will face-off in a battle of clubs separated by just one point in the Serie A league table in week 33. Both sides are coming off of ugly losses a week ago.

Napoli come into this contest in 10^th place of the league table with 40 points on the present campaign. They currently sit 1 point back of 9^th place Atalanta making this match their best opportunity left this season to leap-frog over them in the standings. The partenopei also hold a 1 point edge on 11^th place SS Lazio. Last week they suffered a very bad loss on the road at the hands of Catania by a score of 3-0. They have now posted 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw over their last 5 contests. There is only one name on the injured list this week and it is Uruguayan striker Marcelo Zalayeta. Santacroce is out suspended at this time and his place will go to Contini as manager Reda keeps his 3-5-2 formation. In attack Argentine striker Lavezzi will be joined by Calaio as fellow Argentine Roberto Sosa is not ready for 90 minutes and will start on the bench.

Atalanta were losers at home last week to league leaders Inter Milan by a score of 0-2 at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri D’Italia. The result continued a dry spell for the bergamaschi which has seen them score just 2 goals over their past 4 games. They are now in 9^th place of the league table with 41 points and sit 1 point back of 8^th place Genoa. They have obtained 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses from their last 5 games. Manager Del Neri will have to deal with some important absences this week as the club’s most important player Doni is out suspended for the next 2 games while the Argentine Rivalta is out injured. Rivalta is joined by Costinha, Muslimovic, Talamonti and Langella. On the bright side, Carrozzieri returns to the first eleven.

Napoli appear to have the edge this week. Not only will they be at home, but Atalanta will be missing the heart and soul of their club in Doni- not to mention Rivalta. Couple these absences with Atalanta’s alarming inability to score goals of late and the stage is set for the side from the Stadio San Paolo to move into 9^th place.

Prediction: Napoli (1-0)

Juventus vs AC Milan

Juventus and AC Milan face-off in the big match of week 33 in Serie A. The two sides come into the derby under very different circumstances as the rossoneri were able to hold serve at home last week while Juventus suffered and unexpected defeat away from home in a lively match against Palermo.

Juve are currently in 3^rd place of the league table with 58 points on the year. They sit 10 points back of 2^nd place AS Roma while maintaining a 2 point edge on 4^th place Fiorentina. They have one match in hand on both clubs. Last week, the side managed by Claudio Ranieri came away with 2-3 loss from their visit to Palermo at the Renzo Barbera. The loss snapped a 4 match unbeaten run for the vecchia signora which had seen them concede just 1 goal over that span. This week Andrade and Zanetti have been ruled out due to injury but the rest of the squad is available for the derby. Look for Sissoko, Nedved, Trezeguet and Alex Del Piero to start.

The rossoneri are coming off of an important win at home over Cagliari by a score of 3-1 at the San Siro. It was a huge victory for Milan as it allowed them to keep pace with 4^th place Fiorentina and they remain alive in the chase for the final remaining Champions League slot. AC Milan now sit in 5^th place of the league table with 52 points and sit just ahead of 6^th place Udinese on goal difference. The win was only the second in 5 matches for Carlo Ancelotti’s squad. AC Milan have been hard hit by injury during this recent poor stretch and this week there will be a number of absences as well including the injured Ronaldo, Oddo, Jankulovski and Pato while Nesta and Kaladze are suspended. The suspensions will force Ancelotti to go with veteran Paolo Maldini and Bonera at the center back positions while Pippo Inzahgi and Kaka’ will be in the striker positions.

While a derby is usually hard to call given all the factors that come into play when club’s of this stature face-off, Juventus seem to have a big advantage in terms of personnel this week. Not only are they at home following a loss, but AC Milan will be missing key players from their back line and the likes of Del Piero and Trezeguet could have a field day for the home side.

Prediction: Juventus (2-1)

Palermo vs Catania

Palermo are home to open up week 33 in Serie A against Catania in a battle of clubs coming off of wins last week, and they will be looking to make it two straight at the Stadio Renzo Barbera following their big win over Juventus last week. Catania are also coming off of a big win at home and win look to extend their unbeaten run on the road.

Palermo come into this contest in 12^th place of Serie A with 39 points on the season. They sit just behind 11^th place SS Lazio and 2 points ahead of 13^th place Siena. Last week Palermo won a very exciting match at home over Juventus by a score of 3-2 with top scorer Amauri having a big match. The win snapped what had been a very bad stretch for the side managed by Colantuono as they had lost 4 straight games. This week the squad will be missing Capuano and Simplicio to injury while Cassani is out suspended. On a positive note Palermo will have both the aforementioned Amauri and Miccoli in the first eleven this week.

Catania held serve at home over Napoli in week 32 by a score of 3-0 at the Stadio Angelo Massimino. Catania are now in 15^th place of the league table with 32 points for the season. This leaves them 2 points back of 14^th place Torino and 2 points up on 16^th place Parma. It was the club’s first victory under new manager Walter Zenga and they looked extremely good in the process. The win also snapped a 4 match winless run which had seen them score just 2 goals over that stretch. This week Morimoto will be the only confirmed absence as it looks as though Colucci will be available off of the bench. Catania are set to go with a 4-4-2 featuring Mascara and Spinesi in attack.

Catania will be hard pressed to repeat their performance of a week ago when they visit Palermo. While the appointment of Zenga was uplifting in the short run, this is still the same Catania outfit who have failed to win a single road match in 16 matches. Meanwhile, despite their less than ideal league position, Palermo have won 7 of 16 games at home to go with 6 draws. Look for Palermo to pull it out.

Prediction: Palermo (1-0)

Sampdoria vs Livorno

Sampdoria are back at Marassi hoping to continue their strong play of late when they play host to Livorno in Round 32 of Serie A. Sampdoria are coming off of an away win last week while the struggling Livorno were held to a frustrating draw at home which leaves the perilously close to the drop zone of the league table.

Sampdoria’s 49 points for the season have them even on points with AC Milan but they sit in 7^th place just behind Milan on goal difference. The blucerchiati hold a 7 point edge on 8^th place Genoa. Samp scored a great triumph away from home last week when they bested Empoli by a score of 0-2 at the Carlo Castellani. This latest result extends Samp’s unbeaten run and they are winners of 4 of their last 5 matches including their last 3 contests away from home. This week manager Mazzarri will not be able to count on Montella, Campagnaro or Mirante who have been ruled out because of injury. However, this match will feature the return of Antonio Cassano after serving a 5 match suspension. He will start alongside Delvecchio in a 5-3-2.

Livorno played to a 0-0 draw at home against Siena last week at their Stadio Armando Picchi. That result leaves Livorno in the middle of a 4 way tie for 15^th place with Parma, Catania, and Cagliari. At this time Livorno have a better goal difference than Cagliari and that is the only factor keeping them out of the relegation zone. The side managed by Camolese are having a hard time scoring these days. They have produced just 2 draws with 3 losses over their last 5 games and have scored only 2 goals over this stretch. The injured list for the visit to Sampdoria consists of Giannichedda, Volpe and Vidigal. Camolese will match Sampdoria’s 3-5-2 formation with Rossini and Tavano making the start in attack.

This is a direct clash between two sides going in opposite directions. Livorno simply cannot produce a consistent attack, while Sampdoria have scored 10 goals over their last 5 matches. Couple that with the fact that Livorno have managed just 3 wins away from home while Samp have lost just 1 time in 15 games at home and this match doesn’t look too promising for the road side.

Prediction: Sampdoria (2-0)

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)

Udinese vs Fiorentina

Udinese and Fiorentina face-off in a match up between clubs that are coming off of victories at home in week 30. This home match for Udinese represents their last remaining chance to make a move on Fiorentina’s coveted 4^th place spot in the league table.

Udinese held serve at home over Livorno last week by a score of 2-0 at the Stadio Friuli. The victory leaves Udinese in 6^th place of Serie A with 47 points. They are 1 point ahead of 7^th place Sampdoria and 2 points back of 5^th place AC Milan. However, a victory over Fiorentina in this contest would see them move to within 3 points of 4^th place. Fiorentina are the club that Udinese would need to catch in order to have a shot at the Champions League. With their victory over Livorno the side managed by Marino have won 2 straight without conceding a goal and are unbeaten over their last 5 games with 3 wins and 2 draws. The problems this week for Marino is that there are a number of injury concerns at the back. Udinese usually employee a 3 man back line and this week both Zapata and Felipe are out. Therefore, look for Lukovic, Zapotocny and Ferronetti to start in defense as well as 3 strikers upfront in Di Natale, Quagliarella and Pepe.

The visiting Fiorentina were winners at home last week as well when they held serve by a score of 1-0 over Lazio at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. That win leaves the side managed by Cesare Prandelli in 4^th place of Serie A with 53 points. They are 5 points back of 3^rd place Juventus and 4 points ahead of AC Milan. Fiorentina have now won 3 matches to go with 2 losses over their past 5 games. Now they hit the road where they have lost their last 2 against Siena and Napoli while not scoring a goal. Fiorentina have important absences in attack this week where Adrian Mutu and Liverani are both out suspended while Gamberini and Semioli are injured. The viola look set to maintain their 4-3-3 as Jorgensen returns to the right back position. Montolivo and Donadei will start in midfield with Pazzini, Osvaldo and Santana upfront.

Udinese come into this contest as the most in form squad of the two. Fiorentina were one of the top sides playing away form home for much of the season but have begun to struggle of late. Udinese have always been consistent at home despite not having had the Colombian Zapata in defense for much of the last month and a half they have still played strong defensively. The absence of Mutu and Liverani could prove more costly to Fiorentina.

Prediction: Udinese (2-1)

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