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)

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)

Sampdoria vs Roma

Time is beginning to run out for both Sampdoria and AS Roma when they face-off at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in week 36 of Serie A. Samp must win if they are to stay alive in the race for a Champions League spot, while Roma need a victory and lots of help from AC Milan if they are to remain alive in the race for the Serie A title

Sampdoria come into week 36 in 6^th place of the league table with 56 points. They sit 2 points back of 5^th place AC Milan and 2 points ahead of 7^th place Udinese. Last week the side managed by Mazzari missed a golden opportunity to really close the gap with 4^th place Fiorentina when they played to a 2-2 draw at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. That result makes this home match to AS Roma a must win for the blucerchiati. There are a number of injury absences expected this week as Castellazzi, Campagnaro, Kalu and Lucchini have been ruled out because of injury while Maggio is out suspended. Zenoni will start on the right side of midfield.

The giallorossi were winners at home last week with a 4-1 rout over Torino at the Stadio Olimpico. With their win AS Roma were at least able to extend the title chase one more week but at this point it is pretty much out of their hands. Roma are in 2^nd place with 75 points, 6 back of 1^st place Inter Milan and a 5 ahead of 3^rd place Juventus. Their only hope is to win all their remaining matches and to see Inter Milan fail to win any. With their victory over Torino, Roma remain unbeaten over their past 5 games with 3 wins during that stretch. There are once again important injury absences for Nedo Spalletti’s squad as Ferrari, Totti and Taddei are out injured while Juan serves a suspension. Look for Mexes and Panucci to cover at the back while Vucinic starts as the lone striker.

While Sampdoria should have the edge at home this week, Juventus are a very strong side at home. The difference in this match could be that fact that Roma are without Totti as he certainly bring the club another dimension. These clubs are very evenly matched and with the stakes so high it could be hard to find a winner.

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)

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)

Roma vs Empoli

Roma will try to rebound at home in week 30 when they play host to the struggling Empoli at the Stadio Olimpico. Roma suffered a demoralizing loss in the Roma derby, while Empoli were held to a draw at home by the mighty Juve and need points by any means necessary at this late stage in the campaign.

Roma are in 2^nd place of the Serie A table with 61 points. Roma sit 7 points behind league leaders Inter Milan, and 6 up on 3^rd place Juventus. Their last match saw them lose to SS Lazio by a score of 3-2 and instead of moving to within 4 points of Inter who lost; they lost a point and fell 7 behind. Now, given how Inter Milan have played this season, the giallorossi must pretty much win all of their remaining matches to have realistic chance of catching them. The disheartening loss also snapped Roma’s 3match win streak. This week manager Spalletti will be missing Mexes and Aquilani as they are out suspended. Ferrari and Panucci will start at the back.

Empoli were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Juventus and their fixture list doesn’t get any easier this week away to Roma. The side managed by Malesani are in 19^th place of the Serie A table with 26 points. They are just behind 18^th place Reggina on goal difference and just 2 points up on last place Cagliari. If the season were to end today they would be making the drop to the Serie B. Their draw to Juve snapped their losing streak at 4 matches but extended their winless run to 5. Empoli have scored just 2 goals over those 5 games. Mchedlidze, Pozzi and Adani are out injured while Saudati will be serving the 2^nd match of a 3 game suspension. Vannucchi and Volpato are set to start in attack.

Empoli look to be in a lot of trouble this week. Not only are they facing their 2^nd major European force in 4 days, but they are having trouble scoring and that makes a victory away from home even more unlikely at this time. Meanwhile, Roma will be extra focused and mad after what transpired in the derby and will be looking to repay their supporters with a strong effort at home. Look for Roma to win this one going away.

Prediction: Roma (2-0)

Lazio vs Roma

Lazio and Roma face off in yet another edition of the Roma derby at the Stadio Olimpico in what will be the final match of week 29 in Serie A. The two sides are coming off of positive results over the weekend with Lazio having held out for a point on the road in their last match, while Roma scored an impressive come from behind victory at home over none other than AC Milan.

Lazio come into the derby in 11^th place of the Serie A table. They have 34 points on the present campaign and this leaves them 1 point behind 10^th place Genoa and 1 point up on 12^th place Napoli. Last week they were able to return from their visit to the Stadio Friuli with a point following a 2-2 draw against Udinese. Delio Rossi’s side are on a 4 match unbeaten run which includes 2 victories. Rossi is well aware that a victory in this match would go a long way towards salvaging Lazio’s season in the eyes of their supporters, while at the same time dealing a devastating blow to Roma’s title hopes. There are some important injury concerns including Zauri, Mutarelli, Del Nero and Firmani who have all been ruled out but Lazio are still expected to go with an attacking style. The biancocelesti are set to start in a 4-3-1-2 with Pandev just behind Rocchi and Bianchi.

Roma are currently playing some of their best football of the season and are still alive in both the league title chase and the Champions League. The giallorossi are coming off of a dramatic, come from behind win over AC Milan at home last week by a score of 2-1. Thanks to that result, Roma were able to keep pace with Inter Milan. They sit in 2^nd place with 61 points, 6 behind the league leaders. Nedo Spaletti’s side are winners of 3 straight and 4 of their last 5 games. They have outscored their opponents by 10-2 over this stretch. The club also seems to be peaking in fitness at just the right time as there is a very good chance that Spaletti will have his entire squad available for the derby. While Totti is confirmed to start in attack, it will be interesting to see who gets the call on the left wing- Mancini or the impressive Vucinic.

While on paper Roma should be the favorite due to their impressive form when compared with Lazio’s season overall, you just never can tell with the Roman derby. In fact, over the last 8 derby matches between the two clubs, each side has won 2 while the other 4 ended in draws. The derby is different from any other match and this contest has all the makings of all out war.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Roma vs AC Milan

AS Roma return home needing to continue to win if they are to keep pace with league leaders Inter Milan and retain at least a glimmer of hope of catching them in the table. AC Milan are coming off of a victory of their own and this contest has all the makings of an electric derby.

Roma scored a huge victory away from home in week 27 when they defeated Napoli by a score of 0-2 at the Stadio San Paolo. With the 3 points the side managed by Nedo Spaletti are now in 2^nd place with 58 points on the year. This leaves them 6 points back of 1^st place Inter Milan and 7 ahead of 3^rd place Juventus. The giallorossi have now extended their unbeaten run to 4 matches. During that stretch they have won 3 of the 4 with 1 draw with 8 goals scored and 1 conceded. This week Roma are expected to have everyone available with Totti, Mexes and Juan confirmed starters.

Much like Roma, AC Milan scored a huge win on the road as they defeated Empoli by a score of 1-3. Milan are in the running for a UEFA Champions League spot and now sit in 5^th place of the Serie A table with 46 points. They are 1 point back of 4^th place Fiorentina and 6 points ahead of 6^th place Udinese. Thanks to their strong victory, the side managed by Carlo Ancelotti have now extended their unbeaten run to 10 consecutive matches. This week the injured list consists of Dida, Ronaldo, Cafu, Serginho and Inzaghi. The good news is that Kaka’ is back in the starting eleven and will start alongside Seedorf just behind Pato.

With both sides coming into this contest playing so well it promises to be a tough match. It will be interesting to see how much turnover Spaletti decides to employ given that Roma are still in the Champions League and will be playing again in 4 days time as this is a double week in Serie A. AC Milan are also playing in 4 days time but don’t that the Champions League baggage that could play a factor in Roma’s fitness. Also, Milan have played better on the road than they have at home and that should make them good for at least a point against Roma.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Napoli vs Roma

Napoli pulled off the result of the season last week when they became the first side to defeat first place Inter Milan and will now have the honor of taking on 2^nd place Roma. The giallorossi are coming off of a big win in the Champions League over none other than Real Madrid and morale is sky high in their camp as well.

Everything fell into place for Napoli in week 26 as they did what many thought would be impossible this season and hand Inter Milan their first loss. A superb all around defensive effort made a 3^rd minute goal from Marcelo Zalayeta stand up. In fact, Napoli were even afforded the luxury of having Zalayeta miss a penalty shot later in the match. The victory was only the 2^nd in 5 matches for the partenopei and leaves them in 11^th place of the Serie A table with 33 points. They are 1 point back of 10^th place Atalanta and 3 points ahead of Lazio. This week manager Reja will be missing Cupi, Garics, Iezzo and Pazienza to injury but the rest of the squad is available. Napoli look set to go with their normal 3-5-2 with the aforementioned Zalayeta joined by Lavezzi in attack.

Roma are in 2^nd place of the league table with 55 points which leaves them 6 back of first place Inter Milan and 7 points ahead of Juventus. Last week they scored a convincing 4-0 win over 2^nd Parma which helped them gain 3 points on Inter after their unexpected loss. The side managed by Spaletti then outdid themselves by defeating Real Madrid at the Bernabeu to advance to the quarter finals of the Champions League. They will go into this contest at the San Paolo with a lot of confidence. Given that Roma will be playing their 3^rd intense match in 8 days some turnover is expected. At this time the only two players not available are Curci and Cassetti who are both out injured. Totti and the impressive Vucinic are expected to start.

Napoli are certainly not getting any help from the fixture list this month. Back to back home matches to Inter Milan and then Roma can be quite a nightmare but they are half way through it and looking pretty good so far. The fact that Roma will be playing for the 3^rd time in 8 days could play a factor.

Prediction: Napoli (2-1)

Champions league: Real Madrid vs. Roma

It is going to be interesting to see how Roma go into this match. They won the first leg of this Champions League tie at their stadium in Rome by two goals to one, but traveling to the Bernabeu will prove a much tougher task for the Italian side.

Real Madrid go into this match knowing that they need to score at least once. At the weekend they won three very important points away to Recreativo de Huelva, and are now five points clear at the top of La Liga. They had more problems than predicted to overcome struggling Recreativo, and it was Brazilian sensation Robinho that proved the key ingredient. He came on in the second half and scored two vital goals for the Meringues, his first just thirty seconds after he had entered the field of play. Robinho had missed the last three matches which curiously all ended in defeats for Real Madrid, including the first leg tie against Roma. Coach Bernd Schuster will also be able to count on Portuguese defender Pepe (a wall with legs) and Guti is back after missing the Recreativo game, but it isn’t all good news for the German coach. He has some very important absentees for this match. Van Nistelrooy is still out through injury and wasn’t able to recuperate on time. Also out is Sergio Ramos through suspension which will be a great blow for Real Madrid. Robben will be unable to play for a month due to an ankle injury he picked up after an awful challenge in the Recreativo game, while Christoph Metzelder, Javier Saviola and Wesley Sneijder all have longer recovery times.

For Roma this game could not really come at a better time. They are still second in the Serie A of the Italian league, and have been able to cut the lead between leaders Inter to six points. The weekend saw them crush Parma by four goals to one at home and now they travel to the Bernabeu stadium with an almost full squad. The only injury is to defender Marco Cassettia, but this could prove costly. I imagine seeing Real Madrid going for all out attack from the first minute before Roma have had time to settle into the game, and with Gago and Diarra in midfield ready to lay off the ball to Guti to pick out either Raul or Robinho, the goals will come.

I’m going for a Real Madrid victory here. With the Bernabeu full to the rafters and the fans playing their part, I doubt if Roma will be able to hold out for the full ninety minutes without conceding at least one goal.

Prediction: Home win (2-0)  

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