Last week in the Italian top flight, Parma FC were beaten 2-0 at home by league leaders AC Milan at the Stadio Tardini in Parma. The Gialloblù were simply outclassed by the Rossoneri who played with ease throughout the 90 minutes. Zlatan Ibrahimovic converted a penalty on 17 minutes for a handball offence in the box by Christian Zaccardo. Urby Emanuelson popped in the second with an incredible solo effort from midfield! The Rossoneri continue to lead the table with 60 points.
Dubbed by Juventus head coach, Antonio Conte, as the best performance thus far this season, the Old Lady absolutely demolished Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence 5-0! The fans jeered the home side and also left the stadium early as a protest for the club to sack Director General, Pantaleo Corvino. Juventus had five different goal scorers on the night. The Bianconeri are in second place with 56 points.
The match of the day ended in a 2-2 draw between Udinese and Napoli at the Stadio Friuli. The bianconeri took the lead on 28 minutes with Giampiero Pinzi. Napoli-born Udinese captain, Antonio Di Natale, added a second in the second half. Udinese forward, Diego Fabbrini received a red card, reducing the bianconeri to 10 men and sparks a Napoli comeback. Edison Cavani bagged a brace in 4 minutes in order to give his side a crucial point in the race for the final Champions League spot!
Other results: Bologna 2-2 Chievo; Cagliari 3-0; Catania 1-0 Lazio; Inter 0-0 Atalanta; Lecce 1-1 Palermo; Roma 1-0 Genoa; Siena 0-2 Novara.
Review of Week 29
On Saturday, AC Milan welcomes AS Roma to the San Siro. In recent years, the Giallorossi has been the Diavoli’s black beast as the the Rossoneri have lost 4 out of the last 5 encounters at home against Roma. Having an injury-plagued season certainly does not help Milan at this time as they need the 3 points to continue to sit comfortably on top. Kevin Prince Boateng is back for this fixture but will Allegri risk him knowing that Barcelona is coming to town in 4 days? Roma desperately needs to win to keep stay in the running for 3rd place. Tough match here for both clubs!
Genoa will take on rivals Fiorentina at the Marassi Stadium. Both clubs will be aiming to stay clear of relegation. Genoa currently 2 points clear of 4th last while the Viola are only 1 point above Parma who occupies the final relegation drop. Very important match for both clubs.
The Battle for the 3rd and final Champions League spot continues as Lazio take on Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico, Napoli welcome Catana to the San Paolo, and Udinese travel to Sicily to play Palermo. These are very crucial fixtures for Lazio, Napoli, and Udinese as no club can afford a defeat at this point of the season with only 10 games remaining.
Finally and absolutely not least, the Derby d’Italia will be played this Sunday afternoon between rivals Juventus and Inter. It seems though that these sides have reversed roles between this season and last as both clubs are fighting for different objectives. The Bianconeri are in the running for the Scudetto currently in second just 4 points away from first whereas the Nerazzurri are in seventh and look desperate to at least remain in a position that guarantees the side European competition. Both Nerazzurri patron Massimo Moratti and Juve coach Antonio Conte have declared this game to be ‘the match’ as it is an opportunity for Inter to get a morale-boosting win against a rival. Juve has a lot to play for and it will not be easy to defeat the Old Lady at the Juventus Stadium. Looking at the form both sides are currently in, Juve may prove to be too strong for their counterparts.
Other fixtures: Atalanta v Bologna; Cesena v Parma; Chievo v Siena; Novara v Lecce
…and that’s the last word!
