Livorno vs AC Milan

Livorno return to the Armando Phichi to face a stern test at home to AC Milan in their week 35 contest in Serie A. The two clubs are coming off of positive results in the last round as Livorno were able to hold out for a point away from home while AC Milan held serve at home with a lop-sided result.

Livorno were able to hold out for a draw from their most important match away to AS Roma. Roma had everything to play for in that contest as they needed to win to keep pace with Inter Milan and Livorno certainly put a dent in those hopes and plans by earning a point. At this time Livorno are in the relegation zone with 30 points, in 18^th place of the log, 1 point behind 17^th place Parma which is the club they need to catch to avoid the drop. The side managed by Camolese have 30 points and sit just ahead of Empoli and Reggina on goal difference. This week Camolese will be without Vidigal and Volpe because of injury and looks likely to go with a 4-4-1-1 featuring Tavano as the lone striker with Diamanti just behind him.

AC Milan scored a big triumph at home at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in the last round thanks to a 5-1 win over relegation battlers Reggina. With their victory the side managed by Carlo Ancelotti remain in 5^th place of Serie A with 55 points, 4 behind 4^th place Fiorentina for a spot in the Champions League and just ahead of 6^th place Sampdoria on goal difference. The emphatic nature of their win did little to wipe away the bitter taste of the club’s defeat against Juve in their derby match one week earlier but at least it keeps their faint hopes of qualifying for the Champions League alive. On the injury front, the rossoneri will continue to be without Ronaldo, Paolo Maldini and Dida. The rossoneri look set to go with a 4-3-2-1 featuring Kalac in goal with Pato as the lone striker and Seedorf and Kaka’ playing just behind him.

This could pretty much be Livorno’s last stand in their race to avoid relegation. A loss at home to Milan could conceivable see them fall into last place of the league table with just 3 games left. Expect Livorno to play as tough a match as they can against an AC Milan outfit who have actually won more matches away from home this season. A draw could be Livorno’s best bet.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

AS Roma vs Livorno

AS Roma and Livorno will clash in a David vs Goliath battle at the Stadio Olimpico featuring the number 2 side in Serie A against the club that is in last place. The two sides are going in totally opposite directions with Livorno having blown a terrible match at home last week that was vital for their survival prospects while Roma scored a big victory at home.

Roma are currently in 2^nd place of the league table with 64 points on the season. They sit 4 points back of first place Inter Milan and hold a 7 point edge on 3^rd place Juventus. Being 4 points behind Inter for the race for the Serie A title with just 5 matches left on the season makes every remaining point up for grabs vital. Roma are currently winners of 2 straight games and have won 3 of their last 4 during which time they are undefeated. Last week the side managed by Nedo Spalletti scored a big win away to Udinese by a score of 1-3. This week Roma will be without the injured Aquilani, Ferrari, Pit and Cassetti but there is good news on the injury front as Vicinic has a good chance of making the start on the left flank.

Livorno are currently in last place of the Serie A with 29 points. They sit 1 point back of both Empoli and Reggina and 2 points back of 17^th Parma which is the club that they must catch in order to stave off relegation. They are coming off of a terrible 1-2 loss at home to Cagliari at the Stadio Armando Picchi that allowed Cagliari to pull away and jump out of the relegation zone. The side managed by Camolese are now winless over their past 5 games with just 2 goals scored over that period. They have managed just 2 draws to go with 3 losses over that stretch. This week Roma will be missing Giannichedda, Volpe, Balleri and Vidigal so look for Camolese to go with the Tavano Rossini partnership upfront in a 3-4-1-2.

This will be a very difficult match for Livorno. While the club has managed 3 wins and 3 draws in 16 road games this season they will be going against a Roma outfit that has dropped just 1 match at home all year long. In addition, Roma have absolutely everything to play for and unlike Inter Milan, the Serie A is the only tournament that they are currently participating in. Look for Roma to be fresh and focused and to take care of business at home.

Prediction: Roma (2-0)

Livorno vs Parma

The battle to stave off relegation from Serie A to Serie B heats up this week when Livorno host Parma at the Stadio Armando Picchi. The two sides are coming off of losses last week making this contest very much a must win for both. It will be the debut in the dugout for new Parma boss Hector Cuper.

Livorno were away to SS Lazio last week and fell by a score of 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. The loss keeps Camolese’s side at 26 points which are good enough for 16^th place in the league table. They are 1 point back of 15^th place Catania and just 1 ahead of their rivals this week, Parma. They are going through a terrible stretch at this time which has seen them lose 4 of their last 5 matches. The injured list is extensive this week with Bergvold, Giannichedda, Rossini, Pulzetti and Volpe out, while Grandoni and De Vezze are out suspended. The lone bright spot is that the clubs 2 best strikers, Tavano and Tristan, are confirmed starters this week.

Parma come into this contest in 17^th place of the league table with 25 points. They are 1 point back of Livorno and just ahead of Empoli- who are in the relegation zone at this time- on goal difference. They were beaten at home last week by Sampdoria, 1-2 at the Stadio Ennio Tardini. Parma have now posted just 1 win in their last 5 matches to go along with 2 draws and 2 losses. This stretch finally forced the board to take action and manager Di Carlo was fired. He was replaced by former Inter Milan and Valencia boss Hector Cuper of Argentina. As Cuper only had 3 days in charge of the squad this week it is unlikely that he will make wholesale chances though it looks as though Lucarelli will be on the bench. The injured list consists of Morfeo, Coly and Couto while Falcone is out suspended. Look for Budan to be the lone striker.

Parma should be able to do well this week. When clubs switch managers, more times than not they do receive an emotional lift in that first match and that could help Parma immensely this week. Despite the fact that they have not won a single match away form home this year, Parma could very well come away with a point. After all, Livorno have won just 3 of 13 at home this season.

Prediction: Draw (0-0)

Lazio vs Livorno

Lazio return home after a good effort away to AC Milan last week and will host Livorno at the Stadio Olimpico. Livorno will be looking to continue where they left off last week after holding serve at home to Catania.

Lazio were in the unenviable position of playing away to AC Milan in week 26 but they more than held their own to come away with a point from a match that ended 1-1 at the San Siro. The point leaves the laziali in 12^th place of the Serie A table with 30 points for the year. They sit 3 points back of 11^th place Napoli and 2 points up on 13^th place Torino. The draw away to Milan extended their modest unbeaten run to two matches after having won at home to Reggina the week before. For this week’s match at home to Livorno manager Delio Rossi has confirmed that he will be going with a 3 man attack comprised of Brocchi, Goran Pandev and Bianchi. The injured list this week consists of Zauri, Mutarelli and Del Nero with De Silvestri and Mudingayi sitting out due to suspension. At the back, Sivigilia is expected to start despite an injury scare earlier in the week. Should he not be able to go, Rozenhal would come in.

Livorno are in 15^th place of the league table at this time. They are 2 points behind 14^th place Siena and 1 point ahead of 16^th place Parma. In their last match they defeated relegation plagued Catania by a score of 1-0 at the Stadio Armando Picchi and that was a huge result given that Catania are a direct rival in that relegation battle. The win snapped a 3 match losing streak for the side managed by Camolese. This week the squad will once again be missing Bergvold, Giannichedda, Rossini and Volpe but the good news is that Tavano has been confirmed to start in attack. The only question at this time for Livorno is whether Tristan or Diamanti will accompany him at the top of the 3-5-2.

Lazio have been playing better of late at home and despite their poor league position the Olimpico can still be intimidating. Livorno are separated by only 4 points from Lazio a victory would represent a major step forward. However, the 3 pronged attack from Lazio could cause them problems especially since they are expected to feature a 3 man defense.

Prediction: Lazio (2-0)

Fiorentina vs Livorno

Fiorentina are home in week 25 to host Livorno at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in a match up between clubs that are coming off of losing efforts in week 24. The results obtained last week costs both sides dearly in the Serie A league table.

With their loss away to AS Roma the side managed by Cesare Prandelli have now dropped out of the top 4 of the league table and now sit in 5^th place with 41 points. This leaves them just behind 4^th place AC Milan on goal difference and 5 points up on 6^th place Udinese. The viola are currently going through a very tough stretch of their fixture list which has seen them lose 2 of their last 4 matches with the other loss coming against AC Milan. There is some harsh news for Fiorentina this week on the injury front as their talented striker Adrian Mutu of Romania will be out of action for about 4 weeks after picking up a knock in the match against Roma. Out suspended for this match is Christian Vieri but Prandelli looks to maintain the 4-3-3 with Semioli, Pazzini and Santana in attack.

Livorno suffered a real setback at home in week 24 as they lost to a struggling Napoli outfit by a score of 1-2 at the Stadio Armando Picchi. It was a particularly stinging loss for Livorno given that Napoli’s match winner was scored late in the contest. They have just 2 points to show from their last 5 matches. The loss leaves Livorno in 16^th place of the Serie A league table with 23 points. They are just behind 15^th place Catania on goal difference but only 1 point ahead of 18^th place Parma who are in the relegation zone. The news is not much better in terms of injuries as top scorer Tavano as he has a muscle strain that will keep him out of this match. Manager Camolese is expected to go with a 3-5-1-1 with Diamanti playing right behind Tristan. Bergvold, Giannichedda, Volpe and Rossini round out the injured list.

Given Fiorentina’s recent struggles and the loss of Adrian Mutu, Livorno are exactly what the doctor order for the purple side. Livorno cannot buy a victory with the way things are going for them at this time and the loss of Tavano severely hampers them in attack. Fiorentina should bounce back this week with a positive result.

Prediction: Fiorentina (2-0)

Livorno vs Napoli

Livorno face off at home against the struggling Napoli looking to take advantage of the visitors current poor run of form in Serie A. Meanwhile, the partenopei need at least a draw in the worst way to keep what was once a promising season from spiraling out of control.

Livorno come into this contest in 15^th place of the league table with 23 points on the season. They are just behind Catania on goal difference while sitting one point ahead of 16^th place Empoli. Last week they dropped all 3 points with a 2-0 loss away to Inter Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza. Livorno’s winless run has now reached 4 matches with 2 losses along the way. This week they are severely hampered by a number of injury concerns. Among the players ruled out are Bergvold, Giannichedda, Volpe, Rossini and top scorer Tavano. This will leave manager Camolese to go with a 3-5-2 featuring Bogdani and Tristan as the two strikers.

Napoli have not played much better relative to Livorno over the past few weeks. Last week the club hit another low point in their season when they lost at home to Empoli by a score of 1-3 at the Stadio San Paolo. They also lost top striker Marcelo Zalayeta to suspension and he will now miss 2 matches. The loss left the club managed by Reja in 11^th place of Serie A with 27 points on the present campaign. They are 2 points back of 10^th place Genoa and 1 ahead of 12^th place SS Lazio. In addition to Zalayeta’s absence this week Domizzi is also out suspended while Cupi and Iezzo are out injured. In a surprise move, Calaio is the player to be selected to start in attack for Zalayeta alongside Lavezzi, while Roberto Sosa will be on the bench. Napoli are winners of just one of their last 5 matches with 3 losses over that stretch.

Things are not trending well for Napoli. Not only are they going through their worst stretch of the season, but they have been awful away from home all year long with just 1 win and 3 draws to show from 7 matches. However, Livorno have played like anything but world beaters at home this season and are missing some very important players this week. This has stalemate written all over it.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Inter Milan vs Livorno

The Inter Milan express continues to march on without hesitation and this week the neroazzurri open up week 23 at home to Livorno in a most favorable match up at the Giuseppe Meazza. They will be looking to extend their current unbeaten run to 23 straight matches. Livorno have been better of late but are still within reach of the sides in the relegation zone.

There are not enough superlatives to describe how Inter Milan have played this season. Manager Roberto Mancini has his club in 1^st place of Serie A with 56 points from their 22 matches. They hold an 8 point lead over 2^nd place AS Roma. They have been almost perfect at home with 10 wins from 11 matches while posting and awesome 27 goals scored and 7 conceded. Last week they scored another impressive win on the road by a score of 0-2 at Catania. It was their third straight contest without conceding a goal. This week Patrick Vieira is out suspended, while Dacourt, Walter Samuel and Cesar are out due to injury. Meanwhile Maicon and Stankovic have improved and have a chance of being included in the squad list.

Livorno were held to a disappointing 1-1 tie at home in week 22 by Geona at the Armando Picchi. That makes it 2 draws in a row for Livorno and they now sit in 15^th place of the league table with 23 points on the season. They are just behind Catania on goal difference and 3 points ahead of 16^th place Siena. The side managed by Camolese have now gone 4 matches without a victory. Ironically, Livorno actually have more wins on the road with 3 to their 2 home wins but the task appears quite difficult this week as they will be taking on a bonafide juggernaut. Making matters worse, their top scorer Tavano is not expected to be available.

It is asking a lot from Livorno to win away to Inter Milan this week. They do not have the overall depth of talent from top to bottom of the squad to seriously challenge a world class squad like Inter Milan and it will take an absolutely perfect match from them to pull off a victory. That would have been the case even if Tavano were able to start. Look for Inter Milan to continue to roll.

Prediction: Inter (2-0)

Palermo vs Livorno

A struggling Palermo return home to host Livorno looking to snap a poor run of results that has seen them slide down the Serie A table. Livorno will be trying to start a new positive run after having their 9 match unbeaten run snapped last week.

The side managed by Francesco Guidolin are now in 9^th place of the Serie A league table with 25 points for the season. They are 1 point back of 8^th place Atalanta and just ahead of 10^th place Genoa. Last week saw Palermo lose away to AS Roma by a score of 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico di Roma. It was their 3^rd straight loss and extended their unbeaten run to 4 consecutive matches. In fact, they have not won a match since 2007. There are no injury concerns this week for Palermo with just Rinaudo out due to suspension. Top scorer Amauri who leads the club with 8 goals will be the lone striker in their 4-3-2-1 system.

Livorno had their very positive 9 match unbeaten run snapped by the mighty Juventus in week 20. They were soundly beaten by a score of 1-3 at home and the loss drops them to 13^th place in the league table with 21 points. They sit 2 points back of 12^th place Catania and 1 point ahead of SS Lazio. There are a number of injury concerns this week for the side managed by Camolese and this includes the usual suspects Bergvold, Giannicheda, and Volpe along with Rezaei and Grandoni. Pavan is expected to cover for Grandoni in the 3 man back line featuring Galante and Knezevic.

This match is pretty much a toss up. Palermo have played like anything but world beaters at home with just 3 wins from 10 matches, while Livorno have been very strong away from home of late and save for the loss to Juventus have been quite impressive. It is very important for Livorno to avoid losing a second straight match as their league position is such that they could fall right back into relegation trouble with a defeat. A split of the points is quite possible.

 

Prediction: Draw (0-0)

 

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)

Livorno vs Empoli

Livorno and Empoli clash in a match featuring two clubs that got off to very slow starts but have been improving of late. In the case of Empoli a positive result is of utmost importance for them given that they are just hanging on to their position above the pack fighting in the relegation zone.

Livorno have quietly gone about their business in climbing back up the Serie A table and are currently on an 8 match unbeaten run. The side managed by Camolese are in 14^th place of the league table with 18 points. They are just behind Parma on goal difference and just ahead of SS Lazio. If there is any knock against Livorno at this time it is that they don’t play particularly well at home with just 1 win, 4 draws and 3 losses in 8 matches. Livorno are coming off of a superb victory away from home last week by a score of 1-2 over Torino. In addition to the suspended Filippini, Bergvold and Giannichedda are both out injured. Neither player is expected to be back before late March or early April. Tavano paces the club with 8 goals.

Much like Livorno, Empoli have slowly begun to put their season back together on the strength of a 4 match unbeaten run. Their last match saw them play to a 1-1 draw against Reggina at the Stadio Carlo Castellini. The trouble for Malesani’s side has been their form away from home where they have managed just 1 wins from 9 matches to go along with 2 draws and 6 losses. They are coming off of a spirited 5-3 loss against Juve in the Coppa Italia this week which did wonders for morale despite not winning. There are 2 players unavailable for this match in Mchedlidze and Marchisio, while Guillermo Giacomazzi is suspended. It has been confirmed at this time that Luca Saudati is not well enough to start and will only be used off of the bench in the second half. Malesani will go with a 4-3-2-1 with Pozzi, the club’s top scorer, playing as the lone striker.

Livorno may very well be the best side in Italy at this time that no one knows about. The fact that they are on such a good run, coupled with Empoli’s inability to win on the road tilts this match in favor of Livorno. Look for them to extend their unbeaten run to 9 matches.

Prediction: Livorno (1-0)

Next Page »