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)

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)

Juventus vs Siena

Juventus return home to host bottom dwellers Siena at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino hoping to continue to keep pace with the league leaders Inter Milan. Siena have been anything but brilliant during the first half of this season but there is some light at the end of the tunnel for Beretta’s side as they are unbeaten over their last 3 matches.

Juventus come into Round 17 in 3^rd place of the Serie A table with 32 points on the season. They are just 1 point behind 2^nd place AS Roma. They picked up a superb road win in their last outing when they defeated SS Lazio by a score of 2-3 at the Stadio Olimpico di Roma. That result extended their current unbeaten run to 7 matches of which that last 2 have been victories. Even more impressive is the fact that Claudio Ranieri’s boys have conceded just 2 goals in their last 4 matches. In attack, David Trezeguet continues to pace the club and the entire Serie A with 12 goals for the season. Mauro German Camoranesi remains out due to injury and Salihamidzic looks set to take over his spot on the right flank once again while Tiago should get the call in place of Nocerino who is suffering from the flu.

Siena are currently in 16^th place of the league table with 14 points and find themselves 2 points back of Genoa. In their last match they were held to a disappointing draw by a score of 1-1 at home to Napoli at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. The result did stretch their unbeaten run to 3 matches but what is worrisome is that they continue to drop points at home. In fact, they actually play better away from home. On the injury front this week it has been confirmed that Chiesa remains out due to injury while Vergassola will return to his place on the right side of midfield after serving suspension last week. Beretta will keep the 4-3-1-2 formation with Locatelli as play maker behind Maccarone and Frick.

Despite the fact that Siena are on a 3 match unbeaten run and have played better on the road than at home, it is still extremely hard to pick against Juventus. They are playing some very intelligent football at the moment and players such as Nedved and Trezeguet still make a difference. The bianconeri have won 19 out of a possible 24 points at home.

Prediction- Juventus (2-0)

AC Milan vs Juventus

AC Milan host Juventus in the big match of Round 14 at the San Siro. Both sides come into this match off of big wins in the previous week but Juve have been by far the more consistent of the two clubs. For AC Milan it will be their final Serie A match before traveling to Japan for the World Club Championship.

Claudio Ranieri’s side were outstanding last week when they hammered Palermo by a score of 5-0 at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino. That victory leaves them just behind Inter Milan in 2^nd place of the Serie A table with 25 points, 3 points back. It must be pointed out however that both 3^rd place Roma and Inter Milan have a match in hand on Juve. A big factor behind the vecchia signora’s superb form in this their first season back in top flight football has been the play of David Trezeguet. He is going through perhaps his best season ever in Italy and currently leads the Serie A in scoring with 11 goals. Together with strike partner Iaquinta they have combined for 17 goals.

Carlo Ancelotti’s club were also successful last week as they scored a 1-2 victory over the struggling Cagliari at the Sant’Elia. Milan have been a very impressive side away from home and that was their 4^th win. The problem for Milan is that those are the only matches they have managed to win this year. At home they have posted just 4 draws and 2 losses. This leaves them in 9^th place of Serie A with 17 points, 1 point behind 8^th place Palermo.

On the injury front, Ancelotti will be without both Jankulovski and Ronaldo for this match. Therefore, the rossoneri will stick with the 4-3-2-1 with top scorer Kaka’ playing alongside Clarence Seedorf just behind Gilardino. Juventus will be without Italy world cup winning winger Mauro German Camoranesi and right back Grygera. Ranieri will go with either Marchionni or Palladino on the right flank for Camoranesi, and Jonathan Zebina of France will cover for Grygera.

While AC Milan should certainly be up for this match they will be taking on a very rugged Juve side who know how to obtain results. Juventus should be able to hold out for the result they are looking for.

Prediction: Draw 1-1

Parma vs Juventus

Parma are off to a rough start this season and their struggles continued in Round 11 when they were held to 2-2 draw at home by the lowly Siena. It was the second time in 3 days that Parma have blown a lead late and have had to settle for a draw. Parma’s failure to capture the 3 points at home leaves them in 14^th place of the league table with just 11 points form 11 matches. It also put manager Di Carlo’s spot in jeopardy as Parma are getting closer and closer to the dreaded relegation zone. However, hopes are high this week that the side from the Ennio Tardini will be able to rise to the occasion against the mighty Juve. The only problem is that the back line continues to leak goals and inspires very little confidence.

While the Vecchia Signora were unable to defeat Inter Milan at home in Round 11, they are still off to a more than acceptable start in this their first season back in top flight Italian football. They have 21 points from 11 matches and sit just 4 points back of the league leaders, Inter Milan. Former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri has done a great job after taking over for Didier Deschamps and the club has not missed a beat so far. The two biggest absences for Juve this week are Nedved and Mauro Camoranesi, Nedved is suspended while the Italian international is recovering from injury and expected to start on the bench. The Argentine Almiron will be in Nedved’s spot just behind David Trezeguet and Alex Del Piero while Salihamidzic will cover for Camoranesi. Trezeguet currently leads the league in scoring with 10 goals.

Despite Juve’s absences in this match, they still possess a ton of fire power both in attack and midfield. Parma have not played particularly well at home all season long and after two disappointing draws, including one at home, they are being asked to beat one of the best clubs in Europe, let alone Serie A. Their bright spot this season has been center forward Bernardo Corradi while Juventus are full of superstars. Even if they were at full strength Parma do not appear to be in position to cause Juventus too many problems these days.

Prediction: Road win (0-2)

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