Serie A Review of Week 18
Week 18 housed some good results. The match between Catania Calcio and AS Roma was postponed due to heavy rainfall in Sicily. Udinese Calcio fell to a 3-2 loss to hosts Genoa at the Marassi Stadium. Juventus FC put in a sub-par performance tieing Cagliari Calcio 1-1 in Turin. Bianconeri winger Milos Krasic could have had the winner but missed a sitter in front of the net scuffing his shot well wide. The derby of Milan goes to Internazionale FC as they came out winners, 1-0. Diego Milito pounced on an Ignazio Abate miss cue to put the Nerazzurri back in the hunt for another Scudetto. The Rossoneri dominated this encounter from start to finish, but could not capitalize on their chances.
Serie A Preview of Week 19
Welcome to the end of the first round in the Serie A where the three top teams – Juventus FC, AC Milan, and Udinese Calcio – will be tussling for the Winter Champions title! Records show that in the past 7 years, the side that is leading at the half way mark of the Seria A season goes on to become the Scudetto champions. Who will it be?
First, we preview Atalanta v Juventus. Bianconeri boss, Antonio Conte, returns to Bergamo with nothing but the 3 points in mind as the Old Lady are a win away from being crowned winter champions. Juventus is still undefeated in the Serie A. Atalanta boasts a solid home record having only lost to AC Milan.
Parma FC v Bologna FC – the Derby of Emilia Romagna. Parma star Sebastian Giovinco is looking to bounce back to the form he was in before the Christmas break.
Cagliari Calcio will host ACF Fiorentina at the Stadio Sant’Elia. The Sardinians are coming off a hard fought tie against Juventus and will be aiming to obtain four points in two matches. The Viola fell to a shocking defeat at the hands of lowly US Lecce and will want to rebound immediately.
Speaking of Lecce, they will aim to secure their first home win of the season against Chievo Verona.
AC Milan travels to Novara. The Rossoneri are in the middle of an injury crisis at the moment. Kevin Prince Boetang and Alexandre Pato add to the long list of injured players which has caused the Diavoli to ask Genoa to send back midfield player Alexander Merkel who was on loan. AC Milan’s new signing Djamel Mesbah will most likely get the nod to start in this fixture. It will be slim pickings for coach, Max Allegri.
Next, Internazionale FC is involved with yet another top of the table clash as they will host SS Lazio at the San Siro in Milan. The Nerazzurri kept their winning streak alive to 6 games with a big win against cross-city rivals AC Milan. They will be seeking to close the gap at the top of the table. It will not be easy though, as the Biancocelesti usually do very well against Inter. Miroslav Klose is in fine form. Lazio also has one of the best road records in the Serie A.
Udinese Calcio is looking to return to winning ways against visiting side Catania Calcio. Udinese is very strong on home turf, while the Sicilians tend to struggle on their travels. With an Udinese win, a Juve loss, and a Milan tie or loss, the bianconeri of Udine will be crowned Winter Champions for the first time in the club’s history. It is a long a shot though. Personally as a Milan fan, I would love to see Udinese be crowned as winter champs.
…and that is the last word.
| Week 18 | 15 Jan 2012 | |
| Catania | P – P | Roma |
| Cesena | 3 – 1 | Novara |
| Chievo | 1 – 0 | Palermo |
| Fiorentina | 0 – 1 | Lecce |
| Genoa | 3 – 2 | Udinese |
| Juventus | 1 – 1 | Cagliari |
| Lazio | 2 – 0 | Atalanta |
| Milan | 0 – 1 | Inter |
| Napoli | 1 – 1 | Bologna |
| Parma | 3 – 1 | Siena |
| Week 19 22 Jan 2012 (14.00 UK) | ||
| Atalanta | Preview | Juventus(Sat 19.45) |
| Bologna | Preview | Parma(11.30) |
| Cagliari | Preview | Fiorentina |
| Inter | Preview | Lazio(19.45) |
| Lecce | Preview | Chievo |
| Novara | Preview | Milan |
| Palermo | Preview | Genoa |
| Roma | Preview | Cesena(Sat 17.00) |
| Siena | Preview | Napoli |
| Udinese | Preview | Catania |
| FIXTURES | ||
| Week 20 29 Jan 2012 | ||
| Catania | – | Parma |
| Cesena | – | Atalanta |
| Chievo | – | Lazio |
| Fiorentina | – | Siena |
| Genoa | – | Napoli |
| Juventus | – | Udinese |
| Lecce | – | Inter |
| Milan | – | Cagliari |
| Palermo | – | Novara |
| Roma | – | Bologna |
