Review of week 12 and week 13

Serie A  Review of Week 12

Last weekend in Serie A, there were few exciting games to watch. Firstly, Udinese Calcio lost their first place status with a 2-0 defeat to Parma at the Tardini. Juventus FC absolutely pummelled Palermo 3-0 in Turin and now leads the league 1 game in hand which the Bianconeri will recover on Tuesday, November 29 against SSC Napoli at the San Paolo. Internazionale FC defeated Cagliari at the San Siro 2-1 while ACF Fiorentina and AC Milan ended in a 0-0 draw. It must be noted though that the Rossoneri took the lead through a Clearance Seedorf goal which was mistakenly called offside. The other notable fixture featured SSC Napoli v SS Lazio. Ezequiel Lavezzi had numerous very good quality scoring chances but the Partenopei were still held to 0-0 tie. Biancocelesti keeper Federico Marchetti made several remarkable saves to deny Napoli the 3-points.

Preview of Week 13

This week there will be many early matches to accommodate Coppa Italia coming up in mid-week as well as a rescheduled Serie A match-up. On Friday, Udinese Calcio defeated AS Roma 2-0 at the Stadio Fruli with goals from Antonio Di Natale and Isla. The Bianconeri of Udine are currently top of the table. AC Milan hosts the flying donkeys of Chievo Verona. The Veronese side seem to like the San Siro pitch as they tend to always perform well there. The Rossoneri ended their 5-game winning streak in the Seria A with a draw against the Viola. Internazionale FC will face Siena in the stadium where the Nerazzurri clinched their last Scudetto. This time around, the Interisti are at the back of the pack and trying to get back into the race. Siena has proven to be a difficult team to break down at home this season. Fiorentina travels to Palermo. The Sicilians provide tough competition when playing at the Renzo Barbera Stadium boasting a very strong home record this season. The last encounter between these two sides was an exciting game that ended 4 -2 for the Viola. Palermo will be seeking revenge for that defeat and will be up against ex-coach Delio Rossi who is now in command of Fiorentina. Juventus FC travels to Rome to take on SS Lazio in a game which places the current second- and third-placed teams in what is being called a Scudetto showdown. The Biancocelesti have been a stubborn team to break down this season especially at the Stadio Olimpico, but have also been inconsistent. New boys Miroslav Klose and Djibril Ciise will provide stiff competition for Giorgio Chiellini and Co. on Saturday afternoon. The Old Lady might have an few issue in the middle of the park as Andrea Pirlo is struggling with a minor knee injury sustained in training this week. The midfield mastermind has been the back bone of Juve’s early success. It will be interesting to see whether head coach Antonio Conte will keep the currently used 4-3-3 formation or return back to 4-2-4 giving the exiled Milos Krasic another chance on the right or re-introducing summer signing Elijero Elia (the 9 million Euro signing who has only played 45 minutes) a chance to prove himself. How will Juventus cope with a Pirlo-less midfield? It will be an exciting match to watch indeed!

Here are the Week 12 results…

Week 13 fixtures

That is the last word on the Serie A

by Frank Luciano Giuliano