Review of week 19 and week 20

REVIEW WEEK 19

One of the main matchups from last week was the encounter between Atalanta and Juventus FC at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia. Once again La Vecchia Signora imposed her strength and was victorious becoming the second team this year to defeat the Bergamaschi on home turf. In addition to that statistic, Atalanta became the 19th team that could not stop the Bianconeri whom remain undefeated. With that win, Juve became Winter Champions. AC Milan cruised by Novara 3-0 to keep pace with league leaders Juventus. The Derby of Emilia Romagna between Bologna FC and Parma FC ended in a scoreless draw, but both teams wasted numerous quality scoring chances. Udinese Calcio returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Catania Calcio. Italian International Antonio Di Natale scored a sensational volley.  The bianconeri of Udine, therefore, kept pace with Juve and Milan. Diego Milito and Giampaolo Pazzini helped Internazionale FC jump to fourth place with a win against SS Lazio, the team that currently holds Serie A’s best road record. Finally, at the Stadio Olimpico di Roma, history was made – Francesco Totti’s brace not only helped AS Roma obtain 3 valuable points against Cesena Calcio with a 5-1 thumping, he surpassed Gunner Nordahl’s goal record of 210. Congratulations to World Cup winner and Italian International Francesco Totti!

Preview of week20

Let’s get right to it! ACF Fiorentina welcomes Siena FC in the Tuscan derby. The return leg in Florence is promising to be better than week 1 which ended in a draw. The Viola have been inconsistent, but at playing home and in a derby, it is expected they will put forth their absolute best (my pick – Fiorentina).

Chievo Verona v SS Lazio.  Chievo is looking for a huge win which will propel the Flying Donkeys to 6 points behind the Biancocelesti for an Europa league spot. Lazio is looking for a rebound game coming from a loss to Inter last week and a Coppa Italia loss to AC Milan in mid-week. They will be hungry for the win. Rumour stemming from the Lazio camp is that the Laziai is willing to release Djibril Cisse to go on loan and then acquire the services of Pippo Inzaghi from AC Milan (my pick is Lazio).

US Lecce v Internazionale FC. Inter boss Claudio Ranieri is on the verge of matching former boss Jose Mourinho’s best run of form against Lecce. Diego Milito has found his form once again and Giampaolo Pazzini has also found his form scoring in last weekend’s match (my pick is Inter). Also some news out of the Inter camp Thiago Motta is on the verge of signing with PSG.

AC Milan v Cagliari. Massimiliano Allegri’s squad has been falling apart with injuries. Who will feature in the midfield for Milan this week- end? Merkel was sent on loan to Genoa in September, but the Rossoneri asked for him back due to all of the injuries. However, Merkel picked up an injury in the Coppa Italia win in mid-week and is therefore out of this fixture. Allegri is expected to start Stephan El Shaarawy against his old squad. El Shaarawy has shown a lot of patience for a 19 year old boy and is maturing quickly. Milan’s holding on to the Italian International has paid off. He will be the future of Milan and the future of Italy (my pick – Milan).

AS Roma v Bologna FC. The Lupi are looking for their fifth consecutive win in the Serie A. But will the defeat they suffered in the Coppa Italia mid-week affect their confidence? Bologna has struggled to

score goals all season, especially on the road, and playing in Roma will not be any easier for them (my pick – Roma).

Finally the game of the week! The 6-point match between Juventus FC v Udinese Calcio. Juventus remains undefeated. The Old Lady have played very well all season. Antonio Conte has brought back heart to the Bianconeri camp. They provide tough competition in the New Juventus Stadium. La Vecchia Signora will want to win this encounter which will distance these two sides by 6 points in the standings. Udinese has not made it easy for Juve at home in the past, and a battle is expected in this match-up. The bianconeri of Udine will be determined to show that they are not a fluke (my pick is a tie).

Thats the last word!

Week 19		22 Jan 2012
Atalanta	0 – 2	Juventus
Bologna	0 – 0	Parma
Cagliari	0 – 0	Fiorentina
Inter	2 – 1	Lazio
Lecce	2 – 2	Chievo
Novara	0 – 3	Milan
Palermo	5 – 3	Genoa
Roma	5 – 1	Cesena
Siena	1 – 1	Napoli
Udinese	2 – 1	Catania

 

Week 20 29 Jan 2012 (14.00 UK)
Catania	1 – 1	Parma(Sat 17.00)
Cesena	Preview	Atalanta
Chievo	Preview	Lazio
Fiorentina	Preview	Siena(11.30)
Genoa	Preview	Napoli
Juventus	Preview	Udinese(Sat 19.45)
Lecce	Preview	Inter
Milan	Preview	Cagliari(19.45)
Palermo	Preview	Novara
Roma	Preview	Bologna