Sunday January 11th, 2009

9:00am/et LIVE
Fiorentina vs. Lecce

2:30pm/et LIVE
Roma vs. Milan


Fanatics Kickback

Every once in a while it’s good to see a referee have enough humility to ask for help from his assistants and admit to having made a mistake. The situation occurred in the 2nd half of the Reggina-Lecce game today...

Alf De Blasis – Soccer Fanatic



Response to: Let Lippi Restore Pride to Azzurri

Alf your comments as always are insightful and well thought out. I agree the EURO was a disaster for Italy and Donadoni should be replaced with Lippi. They were lucky to even make it to the quarters, Lippi will restore the pride in the Azzuri jersey…

Comment from: Sylvester


Serie A Week 17
Please click on a game to jump to:


Atalanta - Juventus | Cagliari - Reggina | Catania - Roma | Chievo - Genoa | Lazio - Palermo | Lecce - Bologna | Milan - Udinese | Sampdoria - Fiorentina | Siena - Inter | Torino - Napoli

Serie A Week 17
Atalanta - Juventus
Stadio Azzurri d'Italia


Having emerged as Inter’s main Scudetto rivals, Juventus are looking to end 2008 on a high, but they face a testing trip to an Atalanta outfit on decent form.

After a slight slump, Atalanta are back on track and sitting proudly in seventh place. The Orobici bounced back from their shock defeat at Reggina with wins over Udinese and Lazio and would’ve added Genoa to that list were it not for a late equaliser last weekend.

Gigi Del Neri’s men are firmly in the UEFA Cup qualification race and their success has been based on their excellent record in Bergamo. La Dea have only conceded four goals on home soil all season and will look to remain resilient to grab a prestigious point when Juventus come to town.

Juventus can legitimately claim to be Inter’s main Scudetto rivals after beating Milan 4-2 last weekend. The Old Lady are six points behind the leaders but are alone in second place, three points ahead of Milan. While Alex Del Piero insists it’s too early for title talk, Turin is buzzing and starting to believe Inter aren’t invincible.

However, anything less than three points in their final game of a superb year would be a huge anti-climax and would allow Inter to build a formidable lead. The Bianconeri have four wins from their last five and are strong favourites, but canny Claudio Ranieri knows better than to take anything for granted.

Juve thrashed Atalanta 4-0 last year and the history books are emphatically stacked in their favour. Atalanta’s last League win over the Old Lady was back in February 2001 and Juve have triumphed over them eight times in Serie A since.

Antonino D’Agostino, Luca Cigarini and Alessio Cerci are injured for Atalanta. Gianpaolo Bellini and Claudio Rivalta are suspended.

Juventus have been excelling without a huge number of players. David Trezeguet, Jonathan Zebina, Gigi Buffon, Hasan Salihamidzic, Dario Knezevic, Christian Poulsen, Tiago Mendes and Mauro Camoranesi are all absent. However, there’s good news for Pavel Nedved who has overcome his injury worries.

Keep an eye on: Amauri (Juventus) – The Brazilian’s prolific form with the Old Lady continues. Juve’s new Zlatan Ibrahimovic sank Milan with a brace last weekend and has scored 10 Serie A goals already.

Last season: Atalanta 0-4 Juventus

Form guide: Atalanta (W L W W D) Juventus (W L W W W)

Atalanta (probable): Coppola; Garics, Talamonti, Manfredini, Pellegrino; Ferreira Pinto, Guarente, Padoin, Valdes; Doni, Floccari

Juventus (probable): Manninger; Grygera, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Molinaro; Marchionni, Sissoko, Marchisio, Nedved; Amauri, Del Piero

Udinese (probable): Manninger; Grygera, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Molinaro; Marchionni, Sissoko, Marchisio, Nedved; Amauri, Del Piero


Serie A Week 17
Cagliari - Reggina
Stadio Sant'Elia


Cagliari may have had a positive spell, but they will treat Reggina’s visit to the Stadio Sant’Elia as a relegation six-pointer.

Despite losing out to Roma last weekend, Cagliari have enjoyed an amazing revival of fortunes of late. Serie A novice Massimiliano Allegri seems to have found his feet and three wins in five lifted the Sardinians from the foot of the table to the mid-table security of 13th place.

Allegri must have been proud of the Isolani’s showing in Week 16’s 3-2 defeat at Roma. The Giallorossi needed a last-gasp Mirko Vucinic goal to see off a spirited Cagliari, who had led until the last quarter of an hour. However, Allegri will be well aware that points are what counts in the battle against relegation and three here would be so precious.

Reggina have a new face at the helm in former Chievo man Giuseppe Pillon after the dismissal of Nevio Orlandi on Monday. A 2-0 defeat against Sampdoria left Reggina in penultimate place and spelled the end for the hapless Orlandi, who was unable to repeat last season’s success at the Stadio Granillo.

Pillon has a daunting task ahead and must try and reawaken the Amaranto, who haven’t won in three since their twin triumphs over Atalanta and Udinese. What’s more, the new man must ease Reggina’s travel sickness – they haven’t won away so far this season, scoring just twice on the road and conceding 20.

This fixture ended 2-2 last year. Strangely, Cagliari haven’t beaten Reggina since a Serie B clash way back in November 1997.

Cagliari’s big absentee is influential midfielder Daniele Conti, who is suspended. Michele Ferri, Alessandro Matri and Daniele Magliocchetti are out injured.

The visitors leave the mainland without injured men Carlos Valdez, Antonio Giosa, Emmanuel Cascione and reserve goalkeeper Christian Puggioni. Key striker Bernardo Corradi is suspended.

Keep an eye on: Jeda (Cagliari) – The former Rimini striker is starting to show his potential in Serie A and will be full of confidence after netting at the Stadio Olimpico.

Last season: Cagliari 2-2 Reggina

Form guide: Cagliari (W D W W L) Reggina (W W L D L)

Cagliari (probable): Marchetti; Pisano, Lopez, Bianco, Agostini; Fini, Parola, Biondini, Cossu; Acquafresca, Jeda

Reggina (probable): Campagnolo; Cirillo, Lanzaro, Santos, Costa; Barreto, Carmona, Vigiani; Cozza, Ceravolo, Brienza



Serie A Week 17
Catania - Roma
Stadio Massimino


Mention Catania to Roma fans and you’re likely to get a one-word answer. Bittersweet. The Giallorossi put seven past the Rossoblu two years ago, laying a marker down for the Scudetto. In May, that dream almost became reality when Roma travelled to Catania on the final day of the season, needing a win and results to go their way to end the club’s seven-year title drought.

After eight minutes, Mirko Vucinic gave Roma the lead and the Giallorossi overtook Inter at the top of Serie A. Then, with just 28 minutes of the season remaining, Zlatan Ibrahimovic popped up for Inter, rifling two goals past Parma to secure the points and the championship for the Nerazzurri. Roma collapsed and ended up drawing with the Sicilians, who needed a point to be safe in the top flight.

The Giallorossi have found that summer afternoon in Catania difficult to get over. Roma started the 2008-09 campaign in terrible fashion, losing six of their opening 10 League games. They have since turned a corner, winning each of their last five matches in Serie A and look like returning to the upper echelons of the Italian game.

Against Cagliari at the weekend, Luciano Spalletti’s side went 2-1 down after 69 minutes yet never gave up. Simone Perrotta equalised through a beautiful bicycle kick before Vucinic pulled a winner out of the bag in injury time to give Roma the three points.

La Gazzetta dello Sport hailed the Giallorossi’s ‘temperament, character and feeling’ but Spalletti insists that his team must improve if they are scale the seven-points between tenth and fourth place.

Meanwhile, Catania fell behind Roma for the first time this season following their 2-0 defeat at Fiorentina. Walter Zenga’s men deserved something out of the game, though, and should have taken the lead in the 24th minute only for Gianvito Plasmati to waste a glorious chance.

The Sicilian side have not won in four games, but have plenty to feel confident about going into Sunday’s match.

The team has a wonderfully creative central midfield unit composed of Pablo Ledesma and the underrated Mariano Izco. Recent results may suggest that Catania are a bit creaky at the back, however, Matias Silvestre, Lorenzo Stovini and Cristian Silvestri have made the defensive line difficult to break down.

Keep an eye on: Mirko Vucinic (Roma) – The Montenegrin star bagged Roma’s winner at the weekend and promptly began shedding his clothes under the Curva Sud. The club’s fans will be wishing Vucinic to score again on Sunday, although not for his stripping tendencies. They want him to emerge as a prolific hitman. He still only has three goals to his name this season.

Last season: Catania 1-1 Roma

Form guide: Catania (W L D L L) Roma (W W W W W)

Catania (probable): Bizzarri; Silvestri, Stovini, Terlizzi, Silvestre, Sabato; Ledesma, Carboni, Tedesco; Paolucci, Martinez

Roma (probable): Doni; Cassetti, Mexes, Juan, Riise; Perrotta, De Rossi, Brighi; Baptista; Totti, Vucinic


Serie A Week 17
Chievo - Genoa
Stadio Bentegodi


Genoa will not be taking their trip to bottom placed Chievo lightly this Sunday. Mimmo Di Carlo’s side may prop up Serie A, but they gave leaders Inter a real scare at the weekend, getting themselves back into a game that seemed dead and buried at 2-0 by scoring a couple of goals early in the second half.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic came to the rescue and ultimately gave Jose Mourinho’s side a 4-2 victory, but the message was clear for all to see. The Flying Donkeys have fire in their bellies and while they may still be three points adrift at the foot of the table, they are fighters capable of coming back.

As if confidence wasn’t high enough in the camp, Chievo can draw positives from Genoa’s woeful away form. The Rossoblu have won just once on the road this season and have lost six of their eight games outside of Marassi.

Unfortunately, the Flying Donkeys have the worst home record in the League. They have been victorious on just one occasion at the Bentegodi this season and that came on the opening day of the campaign against fellow strugglers Reggina.

Having scored just five goals in front of their own fans in 2008-09, Chievo supporters will finally get a look at a real scorer this Sunday. Diego Milito is Italy’s Capocannoniere and has found the net in 12 of his 14 starts in Serie A. The Argentine striker is - by his standards - going through a bit of a drought at the moment. He didn’t score against Atalanta at the weekend and the Grifone are understandably worried.

More perturbing is the fact that while Genoa are unbeaten in their last four games, they have only won one of them. Despite their prowess in the penalty area, the Rossoblu have failed to score more than one goal in each of their last five matches, making them appear Milito dependant and a tad toothless. They have found the net in all but two of their 16 Serie A fixtures so far this season, though, while Chievo have only kept one clean sheet.

Keep an eye on: Diego Milito (Genoa) – Europe’s top clubs are still scratching their heads, wondering just how they let the Argentine striker leave Real Zaragoza and rejoin Genoa this summer. The 29-year-old currently leads the Serie A scoring charts, having struck 12 times in 14 starts for the Grifone and is spearheading the club’s drive for a top six finish and qualification for Europe.

Last season: Not played

Form guide: Chievo (L L W L L) Genoa (L D D W D)

Lazio (probable): Carrizo; Lichtsteiner, Diakite, Rozenhal, Radu; Brocchi, Ledesma, Dabo; Rocchi, Zarate, Pandev

Palermo (probable): Amelia; Cassani, Bovo, Carrozzieri, Balzaretti; Nocerino, Lverani, Bresciano, Simplicio; Cavani, Miccoli


Serie A Week 17
Lazio - Palermo
Stadio Olimpico


After their sparkling comeback against Udinese when they were 3-0 down, Lazio take on another mid-table side in the form of Palermo. Although their Friuli point was greatly received, it didn’t exactly improve their results which have now seen them go five games without a win.

There is little doubt that these are difficult times for Coach Delio Rossi. That is something of a surprise when you consider that Lazio’s struggles seemed to coincide with the return of Tommaso Rocchi, their key man who is now being linked with a January move to Genoa.

The Eagles will be without the injured Sebastiano Siviglia, a vital defender whose absence will be felt at the back. The good news is that Under-21 international and rising star Lorenzo De Silvestri is available again after fitness issues but may still only start from the bench.

The major doubt for Lazio will be on how they line up in attack. If Rossi goes for the trident of Rocchi, Mauro Zarate and Goran Pandev then Pasquale Foggia will start on the bench. If he opts for the silky skills of attacking midfielder Foggia then either Rocchi or Pandev will be sacrificed.

Meanwhile, inconsistent Palermo are in good spirits after their win over Siena last weekend and tactician Davide Ballardini will be pleased that star man Fabrizio Miccoli is back after suspension. He’ll partner a re-born Edison Cavani in attack.

Keep an eye on: Edison Cavani (Palermo) – A clever striker in the box, the Uruguayan has linked up well with Miccoli this term and has five Serie A goals to his name so far in 2008-09.

Last season: Lazio 1-2 Palermo

Form guide: Lazio (L D L D D) Palermo (L D W L W)

Lazio (probable): Carrizo; Lichtsteiner, Diakite, Rozenhal, Radu; Brocchi, Ledesma, Dabo; Rocchi, Zarate, Pandev

Palermo (probable): Amelia; Cassani, Bovo, Carrozzieri, Balzaretti; Nocerino, Lverani, Bresciano, Simplicio; Cavani, Miccoli


Serie A Week 17
Lecce - Bologna
Stadio Via Del Mare


It’s another relegation encounter at the Via Del Mare as Lecce take on Bologna. Yet the latter will fancy their chances following the appointment of boss Sinisa Mihajlovic. Unbeaten under the Serb, the Rossoblu picked up their first win last week after five draws with a 5-2 thumping of a sorry Torino side.

This game, particularly for the hosts, has the potential to be a decisive step in their fight to avoid the drop – especially as Mario Beretta’s fighters haven’t won a match in 10 rounds of the championship.

New joint Serie A top scorer Marco Di Vaio, thanks to his 12 goals, will look to underline his re-birth by again rippling the net. He’ll be assisted up front by former Ascoli striker Marco Bernacci, a player who Mihajlovic considers vital for his offensive system.

Lecce began this week with a spot of tension between themselves and their demanding fans who have called for an improvement in results. Coach Beretta has defended his players from criticism, but he has been in this game long enough to know that his position is under threat.

He is likely to give former Fiorentina striker Daniele Cacia a game from the start, alongside the imposing figure of Simone Tiribocchi. Andrea Ardito and Alberto Giuliatto are out, but Fabio Caserta is fully fit and will play.

Keep an eye on: Marco Di Vaio (Bologna) – OK, it might be obvious, but the former Genoa striker has been rejuvenated and appears to be an unstoppable clinical finisher this term. Lecce defenders will be scared of the threat he poses.

Last season: Lecce 0-0 Bologna

Form guide: Lecce (L L D L L) Bologna (D D D D W)

Lecce (probable): Benussi; Polenghi, Fabiano, Stendardo, Esposito; Giacomazzi, Zanchetta, Ariatti; Caserta; Tiribocchi, Cacia

Bologna (probable): Antonioli; Terzi, Moras, Britos, Lanna; Mingazzini, Mudingay, Volpi; Valiani; Bernacci, Di Vaio


Serie A Week 17
Milan - Udinese
Stadio Meazza


Milan will be desperate to pick up all three points on home soil with their Scudetto bid hanging by a thread, while San Siro visitors Udinese are struggling to emerge from their recent slump.

The Rossoneri’s 4-2 defeat to Juventus last Sunday hurt more than just their pride, as it saw them slip to nine points behind League leaders and city rivals Inter. It also meant that Napoli and Fiorentina could catch them in the race for a top-four finish, meaning there could be a turning point for Milan’s season just around the corner.

However, the immediate concern for Coach Carlo Ancelotti and his team will be to get into the Christmas break without losing any more ground on Juve and the Nerazzurri in the title race.

A lengthy injury list will be causing Ancelotti some sleepless nights ahead of this game. As well as long-term absentees Marco Borriello, Alessandro Nesta and now Gennaro Gattuso, he will also possibly have to leave Daniele Bonera, Mathieu Flamini and Kaka in the treatment room.

Add in the suspensions to Massimo Ambrosini and Gianluca Zambrotta after the fiery tempered match against the Bianconeri and the Diavolo line-up will have a makeshift look against Udinese, with Mathias Cardacio in line to make his Serie A debut in midfield.

Pasquale Marino’s selection problems are much less severe. Central defender Cristian Zapata still isn’t ready to make his League return after a lengthy series of injury problems, although there are no concerns over the continued return of defensive partner Dias Felipe.

There are some doubts over the fitness of Damiano Ferronetti and Mauricio Isla, but both will face late tests to determine their availability and Christian Obodo is waiting in the wings to make his first start of the season after injuries of his own.

It is form, not injuries, that will be worrying Marino most in the run up to this match though. Despite making an impressive start to 2008-09, the Zebrette have been far from their best in recent weeks. A run of five consecutive defeats, during which they scored in just one match, finally came to a halt last week.

However, the way Udinese surrendered their 3-0 lead to only manage a draw at home to Lazio highlighted their problems as much as any loss. The Bianconeri now find themselves languishing in mid-table a massive eight points behind the top four and desperate to halt their run of poor results with a memorable win at San Siro.

Keep an eye on: Antonio Di Natale (Udinese) – The Zebrette star has struggled with fitness problems all season, but signalled his return with a brace against Lazio last week.

Last season: Milan 4-1 Udinese

Form guide: Milan (W D L W L) Udinese (L L L L D)
Milan (probable): Abbiati; Favalli, Kaladze, Maldini, Jankulovski; Cardacio, Pirlo, Emerson; Seedorf, Ronaldinho; Pato

Udinese (probable): Handanovic; Motta, Coda, Felipe, Lukovic; Inler, D’Agostino, Obodo; Pepe, Quagliarella, Di Natale

Serie A Week 17
Sampdoria - Fiorentina
Stadio Ferraris


Sampdoria are in real need of points after finding themselves closer to the relegation zone than European qualification, while Fiorentina will visit the Stadio Luigi Ferraris intent on banishing their disappointing away form to the history books.

The Viola have struggled to carry their momentum on the road with them, having lost five games on their travels already this term, but there have been signs of improvement.

A 4-1 demolition of Torino in their last away trip will have added confidence to the squad and Coach Cesare Prandelli will be hoping his players can now start to show the same relaxed style in Genoa as they have been demonstrating in Tuscany so far.

Last week’s 2-0 win over Catania, combined with Milan’s loss at Juventus, means Fiorentina are right back in the Champions League hunt and only one point off the top four.

Prandelli will be further pleased by the news from his physios, as he has a mostly injury-free squad to play with. The only problems are in his back-line, where captain Dario Dainelli and converted full-backs Massimo Gobbi and Martin Jorgensen are all still unavailable. However, the Viola should have more than enough options to cover those issues, especially in the wide positions.

Samp boss Walter Mazzarri will be equally pleased with his almost empty treatment room, although his only absence is a big one. Midfield enforcer and skipper Angelo Palombo has been a vital figure for the Blucerchiati in recent years and they have struggled to replace his presence during his lengthy injury problems this season, which start way back in Week 5 when he was forced off against Juventus.

After a couple of false starts, Mazzarri will be hoping that last week’s 2-0 win over Reggina really did see his team turn the corner. However, that’s what he thought after back-to-back thrashings of Lecce and Catania, before they were followed by two lacklustre defeats including the painful derby loss to Genoa.

Antonio Cassano and Claudio Bellucci are starting to rekindle their partnership, but things need to improve dramatically if Samp are to keep up their European ambitions.

Keep an eye on: Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina) – Alberto Gilardino can’t stop scoring and now that his Romanian strike partner is back and firing on all cylinders it’s no wonder Cesare Prandelli is getting so excited about his ‘Goal Twins’.

Last season: Sampdoria 2-2 Fiorentina

Form guide: Sampdoria (W W L L W) Fiorentina (L W L W W)
Sampdoria (probable): Castellazzi; Lucchini, Gastaldello, Accardi; Padalino, Delvecchio, Sammarco, Franceschini, Pieri; Bellucci, Cassano

Fiorentina (probable): Frey; Comotto, Kroldrup, Gamberini, Vargas; Kuzmanovic, Melo, Montolivo; Santana; Gilardino, Mutu


Serie A Week 17
Siena - Inter
Stadio Franchi


Inter return to the scene of a previous Scudetto triumph and could take another decisive step towards a fourth consecutive Serie A title, but Siena are tough to beat on home turf.

The Nerazzurri remember fondly that day on April 22, 2007, when a Marco Materazzi brace mathematically made them Campioni d’Italia. Now they are on track for a fourth on the trot, going six points clear of Juventus and nine above Milan thanks to seven straight domestic victories.

However, as shown in the Champions League losses to Panathinaikos and Werder Bremen, as well as dropping a 2-0 lead to Chievo before eventually sneaking it with two late Zlatan Ibrahimovic goals last week, complacency can set in.

One of the stars back in 2007 was Dejan Stankovic, but he won’t be able to take part after picking up a ban. Materazzi is also out with a fractured cheekbone, while Nelson Rivas, Patrick Vieira, Victor Obinna and Julio Cruz have played their last game of 2008.

Adriano may well have worn the Inter shirt for the last time ever, as the official line of a muscular problem and early return to Brazil to recover in the warmer climate isn’t convincing many people. L’Imperatore has been told to “think long and hard about what he wants” by Jose Mourinho, who became frustrated by his attitude.

The shortage means Hernan Crespo could be in with a rare start, although Mario Balotelli is back in Jose’s good books too. Luis Jimenez or Luis Figo could get the nod in the trequartista role. Chilean Jimenez has managed just 79 minutes of football this season and his last appearance was against Napoli on November 30.

Inter have won their last two visits to the Stadio Franchi, but meetings with this side have rarely been easy. That 3-2 result in January was hard-fought, while Siena famously stalled the Scudetto celebrations with a shock 2-2 draw at San Siro in May. Houssine Kharja and Massimo Maccarone were on target and hope to repeat the trick.

It must also be noted that Siena are still unbeaten on home turf this season, winning four and drawing three. Only two goals have been scored here by Catania and Bologna, while Mario Beretta’s men have lost three of their last four Serie A matches, all with a 2-0 result. Expect solid and frustrating tactics from Robur, who have beaten Fiorentina and Roma at the Stadio Franchi.

Changes are forced in defence, as Luca Rossettini is out for the season following surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Romanian international Cosmin Moti fills the gap, while Juan Zuniga has been impressive in recent weeks. Beretta has a choice of forwards, as Abdel Ghezzal, Emanuele Calaiò or Mario Frick could comfortably partner Maccarone.

Keep an eye on: Douglas Maicon (Inter) – Thought we were going to say Ibrahimovic? The truth is the full-back has been if anything more influential this season with his goals, assists and the constant pressure he exerts on defenders.

Last season: Siena 2-3 Inter

Form guide: Siena (D L W L L) Inter (W W W W W)

Siena (probable): Curci; Zuniga, Moti, Portanova, Del Grosso; Vergassola, Codrea, Galloppa; Kharja; Ghezzal, Maccarone

Inter (probable): Julio Cesar; Maicon, Cordoba, Samuel, Maxwell; Zanetti, Cambiasso, Muntari; Jimenez; Ibrahimovic, Crespo

Serie A Week 17
Torino - Napoli
Stadio Olimpico


Walter Novellino had the worst possible debut and now risks another humiliating experience when third-placed Napoli come to town.

The Coach took over after a 4-1 home defeat to Fiorentina caused the axe to drop on Gianni De Biasi. It had all been going so well on his opener away to Bologna, twice taking the lead, but confidence suddenly crashed and Toro were hammered 5-2.

Francesco Pratali was the worst offender and his red card in that match means he is thankfully suspended for this tie. Matteo Sereni will also have to take a long look at himself after giving away a penalty when he tried to dribble in his own box.

“We are trying to work on our mistakes in defence, but above all to rediscover this team on a psychological level, working on their minds,” said Novellino. “Now we need to find the belief in our capabilities to emerge from this tunnel, but at the moment all we can see is darkness.”

It’s all sweetness and light for Napoli, as back-to-back home wins over Siena and Lecce put them level third with Club World Cup holders Milan. “A place in the Champions League is our objective, we cannot deny it,” confessed Ezequiel Lavezzi. He won’t be able to contribute his lightning pace in Turin, as he picked up a ban along with captain Paolo Cannavaro.

It’ll still be an all South American front pairing, as the powerful duo of Argentina’s German Denis and Uruguayan Marcelo Zalayeta try to batter down the Granata. Leandro Rinaudo should take Cannavaro’s place alongside Fabiano Santacroce and Matteo Contini. Marek Hamsik may require a late fitness test after limping off with a groin strain last week.

There are precious few options for Novellino thanks to the suspended Simone Barone and Pratali. Eugenio Corini, Elvis Abbruscato and Aimo Diana are all fitness doubts, but the 4-4-2 tactics will never change. Ignazio Abate and Matteo Rubin can do real damage down the wings, while Blerim Dzemaili has been a midfield revelation. Alessandro Rosina may again be shoved on to the bench.

Keep an eye on: Ignazio Abate (Torino) – The Milan-owned Under-21 international’s injury spell coincided with Toro’s downturn, but now the zippy winger is back and suits Novellino’s 4-4-2 to a tee.

Last season: Torino 2-1 Napoli

Form guide: Torino (L D L L L) Napoli (L D L W W)

Torino (probable): Sereni; Colombo, Natali, Di Loreto, Pisano; Abate, Dzemaili, P Zanetti, Rubin; Bianchi, Amoruso

Napoli (probable): Iezzo; Santacroce, Rinaudo, Contini; Maggio, Blasi, Gargano, Pazienza, Mannini; Denis, Zalayeta


* Courtesy of Soccer Italia