Serie A – Weeks 6 and 7

Serie A Review of Week 6

Week 6 of the Serie A provided very exciting football indeed. Claudio Ranieri fell to his first defeat since taking control of the reigns of FC Internazionale to an exuberant SSC Napoli at the San Siro. The Partenopei dominated the game from start to finish defeating the Nerazzurri 3-0 with goals from Campagnaro, Maggio, and Hamsik. Though is must be noted that the referee committed an error when he pointed to the spot for a foul that was made outside of the 18-yard box which resulted in Inter being reduced to 10 men. The Napolitani have beaten two of their main Scudetto rivalries so far this season.

SS Lazio finally bounced back with a come-from-behind 1-0 win over ACF Fiorentina in Florence. This was a must win for the Laziali who have been struggling since the beginning of the season.

The match of the day was between serious title contenders Juventus FC and AC Milan at the new Juventus Stadium in Turin. The Bianconeri put in a great performance in the 2-0 victory (both goals from the on-form Claudio Marchisio) defeating a very slow Rossoneri side. The Juventini were very hyped and well prepared for this match as they expressed their dominance throughout the entire 90 minutes. Had it not been for AC Milan’s goalkeeper Christian Abbiati and Juve’s lack of effective finishing, many more goals could have been conceded.

Euro 2012 Qualification

Euro 2012 qualification took the stage as the final games of the qualification round took place. Germany, Russia, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Greece, England, Denmark, and Spain all qualified in first place and have thus claimed their spots for the tournament in June 2012. Sweden qualified as runners-up with the highest points among the second place finishers of all of the groups. Hosts Ukraine and Poland are automatically included. Portugal, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland, Turkey, Croatia, Bosnia, Estonia, and Montenegro will have to face off in a 2-game home and away playoff to determine who will enter the finals.

Serie A Preview of Week 7

This weekend, Internazionale FC travels to Catania to play against former Roma star Vincenzo Montella’s side that boasts an impressive home record. This will be a tough task for the Nerazzurri who have struggled this season earning only 4 points from 5 games. Claudio Ranieri hopes to recuperate Wesley Sneijder for this fixture.

AC Milan takes on Palermo at the Giuseppe Meazza. The Rossoneri have been inconsistent of late collecting 5 points from 5 games.  Ac Milan Head Coach Massimiliano Allegri will welcome back Robinho for this match-up as he returns to the line-up after a long injury layoff which will hopefully add more speed and creativity to his side. Phillippe Mexes should also make his season debut with his new team after sustaining a knee ligament injury 6 months ago. Antonio Cassano will look to continue his fine form this season after scoring 2 goals in the Azzurri win over Northern Ireland in Euro 2012 qualifying action.

All eyes will be on the derby of the Eternal City between SS Lazio and AS Roma. This fixture has always been played with high intensity on both the field and in the stands. These sides experienced rough starts to their Serie A campaigns and will be looking for a morale-boosting win. Bad news for Roma fans as Francesco Totti will miss the derby. Giallorossi head coach Luis Enrique will experience his first derby of Rome.

Here are the results from week 6 and the fixtures for week 7…