Juventus vs Napoli

Juventus return home to the Stadio Olimpico di Torino looking to repeat their strong showing of a week ago when they won on the road. Napoli are at the other end of the spectrum having blown 3 points at home in their last match and they now find themselves closer to the relegation zone that they are to UEFA Champions League slot.

The vecchia signora scored a 0-2 victory away to Genoa in their week 27 match at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris at Marassi. This leaves them in 3^rd place of the Serie A table with 51 points for the season. They sit 7 points back of 2^nd place AS Roma and 4 points up on 4^th place Fiorentina. It was a great way for Juve to rebound after having lost a tough match at home to Fiorentina and they snapped a 3 match winless run at the same time. This week manager Claudio Ranieri will be missing Andrade, Marchionni and Zanetti. In addition to these three Zebina, Legrottaglie and Camoranesi will be out suspended. These suspensions will open up spots for Grygera, Molinaro, and Salihamidzic while Nedved will start on the left side of midfield. Striker David Trezeguet is currently tied atop the league scoring table with 16 goals along with Borriello of Genoa.

Napoli were playing their second consecutive home match last week but they were unable to hold serve as they were beaten by Roma, 0-2 at the Stadio San Paolo. Napoli had gone into the contest on a high note after having become the first team this season to beat Inter Milan 7 days earlier. The loss leaves the partenopei in 12^th place of Serie A with 33 points leaving them just behind 11^th place Lazio and 2 points ahead of 13^th place Torino. Even worse than the loss however is the fact that Napoli lost Marcelo Zalayeta, their top scorer, for the rest of the season with a ligament tear. This week Zalayeta is joined by Cupi and Iezzo on the injured list while Mannini and Blasi are out suspended. Zalayeta’s spot in the starting eleven is going to be taken by Calaio who will start alongside Lavezzi.

Juventus have not been perfect at home this season as they have managed to draw 4 matches while losing 2 and at times have been guilty of failing to have a killer instinct to finish off matches. Meanwhile, Napoli have been extremely poor on the road with just 2 wins to go with 3 draws and 8 losses. Their inconsistency on the road will be their downfall in the end.

Prediction: Juventus (2-1)

Genoa vs Juventus

Juventus are on the road to take on Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris looking to recover from a terrible loss at home to Fiorentina and finally put an end to their current 3 match winless run. As for Genoa, they fell on the road to last place Cagliari in a match that halted the wonderful momentum they had been building over the last month.

The side managed by Gasperini were beaten away to last place Cagliari by a score of 2-1 at the Stadio Sant’Elia. The loss was as painful as unexpected for il grifone and leaves them in 8^th place of the league table with 35 points. They are now 1 point back of 7^th place Sampdoria and just ahead of 9^th place Palermo on goal difference. The loss snaps their two match win streak and they have now posted 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses over their last 5 matches. Genoa will be missing Wilson, Paro, Bovo, Santos and Rubinho because of injury this week while Juric sits out suspended. There is some good news with regard to Serie A leading good scorer Borriello as his condition has improved and he should at least be available off of the bench.

The vecchia signora also lost last week when they were surprised at home by Fiorentina in a match that ended 2-3 at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino. It was Juventus second loss in their last 3 matches and they have won only 1 point from the last 9 they have played for. With the loss the side managed by Claudio Ranieri are now in 3^rd place of league table with 48 points on the year. This leaves them 7 points back of 2^nd place AS Roma and 1 point up on 4^th place Fiorentina. This week Andrade, Marchionni, and Molinaro remain out, while Nedved will serve the second of a 2 match suspension. Look for Ranieri to once again go with Zanetti and Sissoko in midfield.

Genoa looked simply awful last week against Cagliari but the way Juventus have played of late they don’t appear capable of winning away to any side. Look for Genoa to bounce back and extend Juve’s misery another week.

Prediction: Genoa (1-0)

Juventus vs Fiorentina

Juventus and Fiorentina will face off in a direct clash between clubs in the top 4 of the Serie A league table. The vecchia signora are coming off of a frustrating draw in their midweek match while the purple side were able to secure a big win that helped them jump right back into the UEFA Champions League zone.

Juventus played host to Torino in the Turin derby and were held to 0-0 draw. It was a wasted opportunity for Juve as they could have gained ground on both Roma and Inter Milan who had played to a draw in their match. Instead, Claudio Ranieri’s side are stuck in 3^rd place of the league table with 48 points. They are 4 points back of Roma while maintaining a 4 point edge on Fiorentina. They have now won just 1 point from their last 2 matches. There will be a few absences this week and one is major as Pavel Nedved will be serving the first of a 2 match suspension. In addition, Chiellini is also out suspended while Andrade and Marchionni are out injured. Ranieri will go with Zanetti and Sissoko on the inside of midfield.

Week 25 saw Fiorentina defeat Livorno at home by a score of 1-0 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. Thanks to the victory Cesare Prandelli’s club were able to jump ahead of AC Milan in the Serie A league table and now sit in 4^th place. They have 44 points for the season which leaves them 2 points up on Milan and 4 points back of Juventus. Should i viola be able to secure the 3 points against Juventus, they would cut their deficit to 1 point. This week 3 players have been ruled out due to injury and they are the club’s top striker Adrian Mutu of Romania, Semioli and Liverani. This robs Prandelli of 3 important attacking players. Therefore, the 3 man attack will be composed of Pazzini, Jorgensen and Santana.

This promises to be a close one. Juventus have hit a low point in their season in terms of offensive production and while Trezeguet and Del Piero are set to start, the loss of Nedved will hurt. Meanwhile, despite losing Mutu Fiorentina will still feature 3 strikers and give Juventus a lot to worry about. A draw would not be surprising.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Juventus vs Torino

Juventus return home to host Torino in the Turin derby as week 25 gets underway in Serie A. Juve are coming off of a crushing loss in week 24 when they lost away to the lowly Reggina in a match that delivered a devastating blow to their title chances. Torino come into this contest after drawing at home to Parma in what may have very well been the most exciting match of the round.

La vecchia signora come into this contest in 3^rd place of Serie A with 47 points for the season. They are 4 points back of 2^nd place Roma and 6 points ahead of AC Milan after losing ground to both of them following their loss away to Reggina by a score of 2-1 at the Stadio Oreste Granillo. It was a most unexpected loss given that Claudio Ranieri’s side were on a 14 match unbeaten run heading into the match and Reggina were in the relegation zone. However, Juve were at less than 100% strength as top scorer David Trezeguet missed the match. The good news this week is that the French international will once again be available. Out injured for this match are Andrade, Marchionni and Iaquinta, while Zanetti is out suspended.

Torino came up with a spectacular second half effort in their match at home to Parma and erased a 1-4 deficit to pull off a 4-4 draw. The draw extends Toro’s current unbeaten run to 4 matches and they now sit in 12^th place of the league table with 26 points. They are 4 points back of Napoli and just ahead of Lazio on goal difference. This week the side managed by Francesco Novellino will continue to have a number of injury concerns as Rubin, Fontana, Oguro, Dellafiore, and Bjelanovic have all been ruled out.

While on paper this match should be easy for Juve the two sides come into this contest in opposite frames of mind. Juve suffered a stinging defeat and Torino pulled off an exhilarating come back. Now that they meet in a derby match- anything can happen though Juve will have the boost of Trezeguet returning to the starting eleven.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Reggina vs Juventus

Reggina and Juventus face off in a meeting of two sides going in opposite directions. Reggina are losers of 4 straight matches while Juventus visit the Stadio Oreste Granillo in the midst of a 14 match unbeaten run.

The side managed by Renzo Ulivieri are in serious danger as they prepare to host the mighty Juventus. Not only did their 1-3 loss at home to Udinese last week extend their winless run, but they are now in 19^th place of Serie A with 18 points. They are 3 points back of 18^th place Parma and 3 points ahead of last place Cagliari. A loss this week to Juve coupled with a Cagliari victory could land them in last place. An even more disconcerting fact about Reggina’s current woes is that 3 of their 4 losses have been at home. The injured list this week includes Garcia, Joelson, Missiroli and Ceravolo. Ulivieri has confirmed two changes to the starting eleven with Cirillo and Tognozzi coming on for Vigiani and Cozza.

Juventus won a big match last week when they took care of AS Roma in the derby by a score of 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino. With the win the vecchia signora have climbed to within 1 point of Roma in 3^rd place of Serie A. This week while Reggina do appear to be a club that Juve should be able to handle, manager Claudio Ranieri will be missing a number of players. The list of unavailable players includes Buffon, Andrade, Marchionni, Zebina, Iaquinta and Trezeguet. In the case of Trezeguet, he is the club’s and Serie A’s leading scorer with 15 goals to date. Look for Grygera, Sissoko, Del Piero and Palladino to come into the starting eleven.

Juventus are currently in superb form having gone unbeaten since the month of October while Reggina don’t appear capable of beating anyone these days. However, Juve will be missing key players at many different positions including their top striker and their starting keeper. In addition, la vecchia signora have won only 5 of 11 matches away from home and a prone to drawing. Therefore, Reggina should at least be able to keep it close though Juventus overall class should get them the three points.

Prediction: Juventus (1-2)

Juventus vs Roma

The big match of week 23 in Serie A will take place at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino as Juventus host AS Roma in a clash between the 2^nd place and 3^rd place sides. A loss or draw for Juventus in this match would pretty much eliminate them from any hope of a miracle run at the title. It is a must win for Roma as well given that Inter Milan simply refuse to lose.

The side managed by former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri are in 3^rd place of Serie A with 44 points for the season. This leaves the bianconeri 4 points back of 2^nd place AS Roma and 6 points in front of Fiorentina. A victory in this match would see them close the gap with Roma to 1 point and perhaps gain ground on Inter Milan. Last week the vecchia signora picked up a 1-2 away against Udinese which stretched their unbeaten run to 13 matches. This current streak is second only to first place Inter. On the injury front, there are important changes this week as Italy 2006 world cup winner Mauro German Camoranesi has been cleared to play and will start on the right flank of the midfield. Andrade, Marchionni and Vanstrattan remain sidelined. Juve have lost just one match at home this season while winning 7 and drawing 3. David Trezeguet continues to lead the league with 15 goals scored.

Roma bounced back nicely form their shock defeat of a week ago at the hands of Siena to score a 2-0 victory over Reggina at the Stadio Olimpico. With that victory the giallorossi have reached 48 points in the year and remain 8 points back of 1^st place Inter Milan. While they are having a very good season, they must continue to win as Inter just seem incapable of losing. Nedo Spaletti’s side have been a quality club away form home this season with 6 wins to go with 4 draws and only 1 loss. Therr is some positive news for them as well on the injury front as Brazilian defender Juan has been cleared to play and is expected to be starting at the back. The only injury concerns are Julio Sergio and Curci. Expect Spalletti to go with the usual 4-2-3-1 featuring Totti in attack.

This contest appears to have draw written all over it. These are two very evenly matched sides and usually a derby of this magnitude in Serie A tends to resemble a chess match more than football. Look for both sides to go home with a point.

Prediction: (1-1)

Udinese vs Juventus

Udinese face a stern challenge at home in Round 22 as they will take on a Juventus outfit who are unbeaten in their last 12 matches. The friuliani were beaten on the road week ago while Juve come in off of a tough draw at home.

Udinese’s last match saw them lost out to Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo by a score 3-1. With the loss the side managed by Marino have fallen to 6^th place in the Serie A league table with 33 points on the present campaign. They are even on points with 5^th place AC Milan and sit just behind them on goal difference. Udinese’s winless run has now reached 3 consecutive matches during which they have scored just 1 goal. There will be a number of players missing this week due to both injury and suspension. De Martino, Pinzi, Asamoah, Obodo and Mesto are all out, while Pepe and Felipe are out suspended. Coda is expected to come in to the back line along with Lokovic and the Colombian Zapata. Floro Flores will come on for Pepe in attack.

Juve were extremely frustrated last week as they failed to take the points at home to last place Cagliari and were held to a 1-1 draw. Coupled with Roma’s loss at Siena, the bianconeri could have gained ground on the second place squad. Instead, Claudio Ranieri’s club remain in 3^rd place with 41 points. They are 4 points ahead of 4^th place Fiorentina and 4 points back of AS Roma. On the injury front, Andrade, Marchionni and Vanstrattan have been ruled out, while Stendardo is suspended. The good news is that top keeper Buffon is expected to return to the starting eleven from his long absence due to injury.

These are two evenly match clubs for the most part, but Juventus seem to have the edge this week in terms of fitness and availability of players. Playing with a 3 man back line away to Juve certainly seems risky especially with Trezeguet leading the league in scoring with 15 goals.

Prediction: Juventus (1-0)

Juventus vs Catania

Juventus and Catania will meet at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino for their week 21 match. The two sides are coming off of draws in their last contests but while Juve are at least coming home, Catania are being asked to recover the points they lost at home last week against one of the most in form sides in Serie A.

The side managed by former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri are coming off of a big 1-3 victory away to Livorno in week 20 at the Stadio Armando Picchi. It was another commanding performance by the vecchia signora which extended their current unbeaten run to 11 consecutive matches. Also impressive is the fact that they have allowed only 4 goals over their past 8 matches during the unbeaten run. Despite the strong run however, Juventus are finding it hard to move up the Serie A table. Through 20 rounds they sit 3^rd in the league table with 40 points for the year. They are 5 back of 2^nd place AS Roma and 10 behind league leaders Inter Milan. There will be a couple of notable absences again this week as starting keeper Gigi Buffon remains out while Zanetti and Iaquinta are suspended. The good news is that Mauro German Camoranesi and the club’s newest signing Sissoko will be available off of the bench. Belardi should spell Buffon once more in the net.

Catania played to a 0-0 draw last week when they hosted Parma at the Angelo Massimino. It was an extremely frustrating result for the side managed by Baldini given that it is at home where they have been able to earn the lion’s share of their points this season. In fact, they have yet to win a single match away from home through 10 matches. The draw leaves them in 12^th place of the league table with 23 points. They are one point back of 11^th place Napoli, and 2 up on 13^th place Livorno. The club will be without the services of the injured Sabato this week while Vargas and Edusei will be sitting out as they server their respective suspensions.

This match is leaning towards Juventus. Not only are they unbeaten in their last 11 matches, they have lost just 1 match at home this season and a loss to Inter Milan which eliminated them from the Coppa Italia earlier this week will only serve to motivate them even more. The fact that Buffon will not be in goal did not seem to hurt them much last week at Livorno. Catania are a nice club but it is not likely that they will be getting their first road win of the season away to Juventus.

Prediction: Juventus (2-1)

Livorno vs Juventus

Livorno are up against the wall this week as they will host the mighty Juventus in Round 20 of Serie A when the two sides face off at the Stadio Armando Picchi. Livorno won a big match at home last week to continue their rise up the league table, while Juventus continue their strong unbeaten run despite not winning.

Livorno were able to pick up a very much needed 3 points in week 19 when they defeated Empoli by a score of 1-0. With the 3 points they now have 21 points on the present campaign and that leaves them in 13^th just 1 point back of 12^th place Catania, and 2 points up on 14^th place SS Lazio. They are now unbeaten over their 9 matches. That is the 4^th best run at present in the Serie A with only Inter, Roma and Juventus have performed better over the last 2 and a half months. On the injury front this week for Livorno Giannichedda, Volpe and Bergvold have all been ruled out at this time while there are no suspension concerns. Manager Camolese has just one doubt at this time with regard to the starting eleven and that is whether to go with Pulzetti or Vidigal in midfield.

Juventus were unable to defeat Sampdoria at home last week and were instead held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino. With the draw the side managed by Claudio Ranieri are now in 3^rd place of the Serie A table with 37 points. They sit 5 points behind 2^nd place Roma and 3 points up on 4^th place Fiorentina. Despite not winning they continued their impressive defensive run of late which has seen them conceded just 3 goals in their last 7 contests. There are 3 main injury concerns this week. In addition to the usual Zebina and Mauro German Camoranesi, starting keeper Gigi Buffon has been ruled out altogether for this match. He will be replaced by Belardi while Palladino will get the start for Camoranesi on the right flank. David Trezeguet is currently tied atop the Serie A league scorers table with 13 goals.

While on paper Livorno are serious underdogs, Camolese’s club is playing very good football of late. The same can be said of the vecchia signora and that could bode well for a very tight affair. This one could turn out to be a draw.

Prediction: Draw (0-0)

Juventus vs Sampdoria

Juventus return home to the Stadio Olimpico di Torino to host Sampdoria needing to win to keep pace with both Roma and Inter Milan at the top of the Serie A table. They will host a Sampdoria outfit who have been fairly consistent this season but not too impressive when playing away from home.

Claudio Ranieri’s club are currently in 3^rd place of the Serie A table with 36 points on the season. They are 3 points back of 2^nd place Roma and 10 points back of Inter Milan while holding a 4 point edge on Udinese. They had two matches over the last week, first drawing away to Catania, 1-1, in their last league match and then defeating Empoli 5-3 midweek to advance in the Coppa Italia. David Trezeguet continues to pace the club with 13 goals scored. The vecchia signora are on a very strong run at this time which has seen them go 9 matches without a loss thanks to a superb defensive record evidenced by the 3 goals they have conceded over their last 6 games. There is some good news this week on the injury front with Italy international Mauro German Camoranesi finally resuming training. Meanwhile, Grygera will replace the injured Chiellini in the back line while Birindelli spells Zebina.

Sampdoria are just outside the UEFA Cup zone of the Serie A table with 24 points. They sit one point back of Palermo and 1 point ahead of Napoli in 7^th place. Manager Mazzari’s side are coming off of a strong performance last week which saw them run out deserved winners over Palermo by a score of 3-0 at the Luigi Ferraris. Things are so good at Marassi these days that even Antonio Cassano of all people indicated a change of heart and he is now willing to stay at the club. Unfortunately for Cassano, a muscle problem will keep him out of the match at Juve with Bonazzoli and Bellucci starting in attack. Montella and Kalu are also out this week.

While Samp are certainly capable of giving any Serie A side a good fight, their road record leaves a lot to be desired having lost 7 of 9 matches. Juventus are playing confident football and the 5 goals against Empoli confirmed that they can score in high numbers when needed. Look for Juve to get the job done at home this week.

Prediction: Juve (2-0)

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