Giornata 26 Review

Match of the Week:
Juventus - Palermo 0-2: Miccoli 60 (P), Budan 81 (P)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL-kTc_K6JQ
--Miccoli with one of the best of many great goals this week. Palermo showing they've got the potential for Champions League spot this year. Juve still needing so work under Zac.
(My Prediction: 3-3... Again, too optimistic and underestimated each's defenses. Juve just can't score consistently.)

Catania - Bari 4-0: Ricchiuti 4 (C), Llama 40 (C), Morimoto 81 (C), Martinez 91 (C)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89BNJs0SofM
--Where has Catania been all season? About time they showed up. Surprised it came against Bari though.
(My Prediction: 2-0 Catania... Whenever I'm doing predictions for Catania, I always have the thought of their capability to score four in a match. They did it a few times last year and have been wondering where it's been this season.)

Lazio - Fiorentina 1-1: Siviglia 7 (L), Keirrison 92 (F)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_Sf7pc1EAs
--This might've been the first time I watched Lazio this season. They deserved more from this one and its hard to think they're 3 points off the drop. Well done to Fiorentina to squeeze out a point.)
(My Prediction: 1-4 Fiorentina... Way too optimistic to think Fiorentina would put in 4. They've got Bayern in 2 short weeks.)

Milan - Atalanta 3-1: Pato 29, 40 (M), Valdes 56 (A), Borriello 62 (M)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tm-BYIOu9Q
--It was only a few months ago that Ronaldinho was nobody to me any more but now I can't think of a reason why he isn't in the latest Brasil squad (I think Dinho and Kaka' hold each other back which is why Brasil in '06 and Milan last year way underachieved. But wouldn't he even be able to give Kaka' a rest for 30 minutes??). Atalanta put in a strong showing but Milan keep dreaming of the scudetto.
(My Prediction: 4-2 Milan... The game played out as I expected with Milan giving some to Atalanta but taking control overall.)

Genoa - Bologna 3-4: Suazo 8, 38 (G), Busce' 11 (B), Sculli 18 (G), Adailton 28, 56, pen 79 (B)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45W10vrcfXE
--This has to be one of the best games of the season. Genoa's chances of getting back into the Champions League race took a fatal hit. Bologna are a big three points closer to survival.
(My Prediction: 3-1 Genoa... Underestimated Bologna's capability. Genoa a bit off from the team they were last year.)

Chievo - Cagliari 2-1: De Paula 33 (Ch), Astori 51 (Ca), Granoche 78 (Ch)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTVfYkLhBCA
--Might be a bit too soon but it seems like Cagliari may have peaked the same way Parma did and could fall into a nasty little slump. Well done by Chievo, maybe we'll see them making a run at the Europa League if they can get some consistency going.
(My Prediction: 1-1... I expected Cagliari to fall off but not lose two straight.)

Udinese - Inter 2-3: Pepe 2 (U), Balotelli 6 (I), Maicon 21 (I), Milito 45 (I), Di Natale pen 52 (U)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR1Zgt0S0kU
--Inter is so damn good. Even with all their injuries, suspensions, and Udinese totally up for it today, they scored some quality goals and managed to come away with the points.
(My Prediction: 1-3 Inter... Udinese gave a stronger effort than I expected but Inter are just in their own league.)

Napoli - Roma 2-2: Baptista pen 56 (R), Vucinic 65 (R), Denis 75 (N), Hamsik pen 90 (N)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7OP7JhhjqQ
--Slow moving first half but eventful 2nd. Well done by Napoli to come back from a 0-2 deficit.
(My Prediction: 1-1... These two teams didn't seemed too strong for each other, in that either would be able to pull away. It seemed like Roma was on their way but Napoli wouldn't have it.)

Parma - Sampdoria 1-0: Zaccardo 54 (P)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUvA3bVnVFc
--Hell of a goal by Zaccardo, it deserved 3 points in itself. Very big upset for Parma. Sampdoria dropped by to reality.
(My Prediction: 1-2 Sampdoria... one of the many surprises this week.)

Livorno - Siena 1-2: Lucarelli pen 10 (L), Calaio' 79 (S), Maccarone 91 (S)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEj5fxwhewI
--Siena showing heart and desire to stay up. There's still plenty of time to pull off a great escape. I'd love to see them pull it off.
(My Prediction: 0-0... Didn't expect much from this one but glad to see it turned out to be a good match.)

Giornata 26 Preview/ 25 Review

Apologies for missing out on so much this week, other obligations took priority.

Soooo much to recap, lets start off with the Champions League:

Inter - Chelsea 2-1: Milito 3 (I), Kalou 51 (C), Cambiasso 55 (I)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjOKqcDJjxA
If I have to name my favorite player in Serie A right off the top of my head, it is Diego Milito (and I'm a Milan fan). For the sake of Italy, its great to see Inter get a good result in the CL. Should be great to see if they can finish the job in a few weeks.


In Serie A...

Fiorentina - Milan 1-2: Gilardino 14 (F), Huntelaar 81 (M), Pato 92 (M)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu6AmLDyV9o
Every review I read says Milan had no business walking away with points from this one.

Udinese - Cagliari 2-1: Jeda 2 (C), Sanchez 68 (U), Di Natale 70 (U)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlEgdiqh3do
Cagliari missed a beautiful opportunity to go alone to 4th, how incredible would've that been?? Udinese continuing to show the ability to beat any top team in Italy.


Giornata 26 Preview

Match of the Week
#4 Juventus @ #6 Palermo: SUN 2:45PM EST
Champions League implication all over the place. I find myself asking the question, which one of these teams has the better chance of qualifying if they lose this match? Juve are definitely on the up but who know how long that will last. Palermo has been the much hotter team this half though.
--My Prediction: 3-3

#17 Catania @ #11 Bari SAT 12:00PM EST
Bari on an ugly little skid while Catania has been respectable as of late. The edge would have to go to the home team, plus they're in a tight little relegation battle.
--My Prediction: 2-0 Catania

#16 Lazio @ #10 Fiorentina SAT 2:45AM EST
Lazio just seems to be absent from this entire season. I feel like they're literally not even in the league because of how poor they've been. Fiorentina have also underachieved in the league and some poor referring both home and abroad would have to make some sparks fly.
--My Prediction: 1-4 Fiorentina

#2 Milan @ #19 Atalanta: SUN 9:00AM EST
There are not many more teams that Milan struggles against more than bottom 5 teams. No clue why but you would have to imagine its a mix of taking the team lightly (which they may be doing purposely with a trip to Manchester not too far away) or simply lower clubs wanting a shot against the big dogs.
--My Prediction: 4-2 Milan

#9 Genoa @ #14 Bologna: SUN 9:00AM EST
I don't want to settle this game based on the location, but Luigi Ferraris is where Genoa simply get results. Bologna hasen't been on too bad of form lately too so this would be my "under the radar" match up.
--My Prediction: 3-1 Genoa

#12 Chievo @ #8 Cagliari: SUN 9:00AM EST
Only four places apart but much further distance between season objectives for each club. Chievo just chillin mid table while Cagliari gettin dangerously close to CL spot.
--My Prediction: 1-1

#15 Udinese @ #1 Inter: SUN 9:00AM EST
Udinese could be Inter's cushion to stop their little fall. Should be interesting how the Serie A/Champions League play mash together for them. Brief little note, DiNatale is a monster and can change the game whenever he wants.
--My Prediction: 1-3 Inter

#5 Napoli @ #3 Roma: SUN 9:00AM EST
Match of the Week #2. However, for some reason despite how good these teams have been, I don't feel like this will be an outstanding match. Kind of like both teams will sit back and lack agressiveness while that's exactly what both teams will need if they want all 3.
--My Prediction: 1-1

#13 Parma @ #7 Sampdoria: SUN 9:00AM EST
There might not be two more opposite teams in the league right now. Parma can't get a win and Samp have regained their excellent form. Can't see this one going any other way than Samp's.
--My Prediction: 1-2 Sampdoria

#18 Livorno @ #20 Siena: SUN 9:00AM EST
Florentine derby: take 2. Except this one could get ugly. Its a little too early for a relegation battle this early but this absolutely carries implications with it.
My Prediction: 0-0

Giornata 25 Review

Genoa - Udinese 3-0: Acquafresca 30, pen 53 (G), Palacio 64 (G)

Inter - Sampdoria 0-0

Roma - Catania 1-0: Vucinic 17 (R)

Atalanta - Chievo 0-1: Pellissier 44 (C)

Bologna - Juventus 1-2: Diego 4 (J), Busce' 48 (B), Candreva 65 (J)

Palermo - Lazio 3-1: Hernandez 1 (P), Miccoli pen 28 (P), Nocerino 75 (P), Kolarov 78 (L)

Fiorentina - Livorno 2-1: Rivas 36 (L), Vargas 63 (F), Gilardino 79 (F)

Siena - Napoli 0-0

Cagliari - Parma 2-0: Zaccardo og 6 (C), Matri 39 (C)

Bari - Milan 0-2: Borriello 43 (M), Pato 69 (M)

Serie A v La Liga: Observations

I just watched highlights of Real Madrid and Barcelona who both won by 4 goals each this weekend (6-2 and 4-0). This should come as no shock to anyone but it help by think of La Liga as a league of two New York Yankees. I know the league structures in Europe are extremely different from the US in that each league is absolutely dominated throughout its history by only 4 teams. Certainly Serie A is no exception but at least the title race is remotely competitive with the two Roman clubs every now and then. And as we see this week (with a review to come tomorrow), the race is still not closed by February, especially if Milan win midweek which would cut the lead to 4. I'm not trying to say La Liga is the Scottish PL, but when your two main clubs are drubbing opponents with milti-goal wins week in and week out, the legitimacy of the league has to come into some kind of question.

Giornata 25 Preview

Disappointing week for Italian clubs in European competitions this week. We'll see if these results can be brushed off. Milan heads to Bari, who has been outstanding at home. Fiorentina hosts one of the Tuscan derbies by welcoming Livorno. Juve heads to Bologna and Roma plays host to Catania.


Match of the Week:
#1 Inter - #5 Sampdoria: SAT 2:45 EST Live on FSC and RAI
Round 6:
Parma and Napoli gave Inter all they had in order to hand them a rare loss and it might be Sampdoria to do the season double. No doubt a difficult task, especially at the San Siro. Inter, who were playing out of their minds after the derby, have lacked the scoring touch and a revitalized Sampdoria might be a handfull.
--My Prediction: 1-2 Sampdoria


#9 Genoa - #16 Udinese: SAT 12:00 EST Live on ESPN 360 and RAI, 5:00p on FSC
Round 6: 2-0 Udinese
Genoa still fighting for a European place while Udinese just trying to stay away from the relegation zone. Both teams on similar form with Genoa taking 8 from their last 5 and Udinese 7 from 5.
--My Prediction: 2-0 Genoa

#7 Palermo - #15 Lazio: SUN 9:00 EST
Round 6: 2-0 Lazio
Both teams headed in opposite directions as Lazio seems to be pulling away from the bottom of the table and Palermo slipping away from Champions League 4th spot. Both teams at this point are so inconsistent and unpredictable so it should make for a good match.
--My Prediction: 1-1

#20 Siena - #4 Napoli: SUN 9:00 EST
Round 6: 2-1 Napoli
With Napoli still in fourth, I was shocked to see they have only 1 win from their last 5 Serie A matches, which you would think would be a call for concern but I think if you watched the Inter match, it shows they've deserved more. I wrote Siena off harshly last week, saying they would get killed by Chievo, only for them to go on and win 1-0. I hold my tongue this week.
--My Prediction: 2-2

#19 Atalanta - #13 Chievo: SUN 9:00 EST
Round 6: 1-1
Not the most exciting week in Serie A and is Exhibit A. Chievo is glued to the middle of the table which Atalanta is relegation bound. Don't see much more than a draw this week.
--My Prediction: 1-1

#14 Bologna - #6 Juventus: SUN 9:00 EST Live on ESPN360
Round 6: 1-1
This is quietly one of the better matches this week. Bologna unbeaten in six while Juve finally regaining form both last week and against Ajax. The fact that it is at Bologna makes it even more even, should be great.
My Prediction: 3-2 Bologna

#2 Roma - #17 Catania: SUN 9:00 EST Live on ESPN360
Round 6: 1-0 Roma
Also a quietly good match, with another two teams on great domestic form. Catania slowly inching away from relegation while Roma will try to brush off their European heartbreak and stay second.
--My Prediction: 3-1 Roma

#8 Cagliari - #12 Parma: SUN 9:00 EST
Round 6: 0-2 Cagliari
Parma playing like they want to go back to Serie B while Cagliari have begun to fade back to normalcy. Considering how good these teams were earlier, there would have to be some potential for a great match.
--My Prediction: 1-2 Parma

#11 Fiorentina - #18 Livorno: Sun 9:00 EST
Round 6: 0-1 Fiorentina
Zero wins between these two teams over the last five rounds. Somebody has to win this one, right?
--My Prediction: 2-0 Fiorentina

#10 Bari - #3 Milan: Sun 2:45 EST Live on FSC and RAI
Round 6: 0-0
Milan disappointingly looking like the team from the first few weeks of the season. A loss here throws them into a bit of a crisis mode. At Bari is no joke so who knows what's in store for them if they don't get it done here.
--My Prediction: 3-1 Bari

USA Update

Charlie Davies back in France

http://www.fcsochaux.fr/fr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1536&Itemid=106

Europa League Round of 32: Leg 1 Preview

Only two Italian clubs left in the Europa League. I definitely don't know enough about the foreign clubs in the EL so I'm not going to pretend I have expectations but I'll at least comment on the Italians. For a more proper preview, see (http://uefa.theoffside.com/europe/sizing-up-the-last-32.html).


Panathanaikos - Roma
--Arguably the hottest side in Europe. As I said, don't know much about the Greek club but I'd put my money on Roma against just about anyone at this point.


Ajax - Juventus
--Who knows what's around the corner for Juve after finally winning a game. Should be interesting to see how they do in the Europa League. If they end up winning the whole thing, I wonder if their season would still be considered a flop.

Champions League Ro16 Review: Fiorentina

Bayern Muchen - Fiorentina 2-1: Robben pen 45 (B), Kroldrup 50 (F), Klose 89 (B)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3EQYpA9XTA

Painful loss for Fiorentina. I only got to see the goal highlights but judging from other reviews, they were robbed of this one. Frey did make a big mistake with the first goal and they were rightly punished. Regardless, a 2-1 score is not difficult to overturn at home and the away goal is massive for their effort. Could be better but still within reach.

(My Prediction: 2-0 Bayern... I expected Bayern to be too much for them but it seems like Fiorentina were well capable of a draw or even winning. I hate blaming the ref but its hard to say this game should have ended any way else but 1-1.)

Champions League Round of 16 Preview & Review: Fiorentina / AC Milan

Bayern Muchen - Fiorentina @ Allianz-Arena: 2:45p EST Live on Setanta, Delayed on FSC

If only one Italian team progresses, it would have to be Fiorentina. Obviously the main storyline here is the UEFA coefficient for both leagues and how close the Bundesliga is to leap frogging Serie A for the 4th CL spot. Unfortunately, these teams could not be on more contrasting form, as Bayern has taken 5 wins from 5 matches while la Viola posts four losses and a draw. Hopefully they'll be encouraged by the fact that they're solely responsible for knocking Liverpool out of this tournament and by doing so, are capable of knocking anyone out. If they can get kicking on all cylinders, I'll have no trouble believing they can get through.

--My Prediction: 2-1 Bayern


REVIEW: AC Milan - Manchester Utd 2-3: Ronaldinho 3 (Mi), Scholes 37 (MU), Rooney 66, 74 (MU), Seedorf 85

Milan got off to a FLYING start, regardless of the goal. They pounded the life out of the Man U defense for the first 30 minutes, with the score being a poor a reflection of their play. As Leo said afterward, it could have very easily been 3-0 by halftime, and that's the most painful thing about this loss: both of these legs should have been over by halftime. But perhaps that's soccer, if you cannot put away your chances, you will get punished. No doubt about it, Huntelaar had the most open chance only a minute before Scholes' all time greatest fluke of a goal. One of the biggest shames is that Milan truly gave up after Rooney's goals. A totally different team on the field and in the stands, and this was highlighted when Seedorf scored his beauty and all of sudden we're right back in the Champions League. Nothing is more painful than an endless list of "what ifs". Now Milan have the tall task of going to Old Trafford for the multi-goal win, with a 3-2 win will sending them to extra time and any lead after 3-2 will also give them the win. I'm faithful they can pull this out. I think home field advantage is primarily hype and so there's no reason they can't go out and dominate on the field like they did yesterday.

(My Predicton: 1-2 Man Utd... I expected a more conservative game but Milan threw that out the window from the start. I thought Man U would've had control for the majority but the it was quite the opposite with the scoreline not reflecting the play.)




(Thank you to Football-Italia.net for scorelines http://www.football-italia.net/news.html)

Champions League Round of 16 Preview: AC Milan

AC Milan - Manchester Utd: 2:45 EST Live on Comcast network, delayed on FSC


I like to think of the 2007 semi final match up as the day I became a fan of Milan, and a certain individual by the name of Kaka. The Champions League was really the only exposure of European soccer than kids in America could get, much different from now, only three years later, with digital cable being very common in each household. As for the match-up, without dwelling too much in the past, this current match up can really go either direction. Man U has obviously been the team to beat in the CL for the past few years but Milan are the kings of Europe. It's a whole different game from Serie A for them however it will be interesting to see how they do in their first KO match without Kaka.
--My Precition 2-1 Man Utd

http://order.uefa.com/op/Lang=EN/Live/loginFree.html?lang=en&CC=--&i=2000467000001&c=1&s=2010&m=2000467&bc=085&aId=4&affiliation=E&r=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.uefa.com%2FVideo%2FCompetitions%2FUCL%2FSeason%3D2010%2FMatchday%3D7%2FMatch%3D2000467%2Fppv_freePopupFlash.html%3Fbc%3D085%2616-9%3Dy%26pubPoint%3Ds_1_M2000467B085C001L%26item%3D2000467000001

Giornata 24 -- Review

Because links to the matches have not been posted yet, I'm just going to leave you with scores and comments from the matches I did watch. Sorry, hopefully this won't happen again.

(http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/2009-2010/regular-season/tables/)

Match of the Week:


Milan-Udinese 3-2: Huntelaar 6, 57 (M), Pato 39 (M), Floro Flores 45 (U), Di Natale 86 (U)
Great first half by Milan, unlucky to let in the goal at the end of the 1st half. Nice to put their ghost of Udinese behind them and get back on track.
(My Prediction: 2-1 Milan... I thought they would pull it out but this has been a strange season where they would drop 3 to a mid-to-lower table club.)

Roma-Palermo 4-1: Brighi 33, 62 (R), Baptista 54 (R), Miccoli pen 80 (P), Riise 83 (R)
Roma is the best team in Serie A at the moment and have been of 2010. I expected a win but not to brush a team like Palermo like they're nobody. Such a shame they're not in the Champions League this season.
(My Prediction: 2-0 Roma... Like I said, expected a win, but not a manhandling.)

Sampdoria-Fiorentina 2-0: Semioli 17 (S), Pazzini 40 (S)
(My Prediction: 3-2 Sampdoria...)

Livorno-Bologna 0-1: Di Vaio 22 (B)
(My Prediction: 2-1 Livorno...)

Juventus-Genoa 3-2: Rossi 16, 63 (G), Amauri 42 (J), Del Piero 61, pen 77 (J)
(My Prediction: 2-2...)

Catania-Atalanta 0-0
(My Prediction: 4-1 Catania...)

Parma-Lazio 0-2: Stendardo 68 (L), Zarate 88 (L)
(My Prediction: 0-2 Lazio...)

Chievo-Siena 0-1: Reginaldo 75 (S)
(My Prediction: 3-0 Chievo...)

Cagliari-Bari 3-1: Conti 13 (C), Nene' 29 (C), S Masiello 52 (B), Cossu 53 (C)
(My Prediction: 2-1 Cagliari...)

Napoli-Inter 0-0
One of those great 0-0 games. Both teams had their chances, with Pandev putting the best of the bunch right into De Sanctis' hands. Inter did have some legitimate claims for a PK but wasn't to be.
(My Prediction: 1-3 Inter... I thought Napoli would have cooled off after their first loss but they definitely looked like the better team overall. As for Inter, they just had their hands full the whole time leaving little time to commit forward.)

Giornata 24 -- Preview

After a midweek draw between Inter and Parma, the gap is now 9 points. Round 24 is looking very interesting as many teams close in the table are squaring off, specifically #4 Napoli-#1 Inter, #2 Roma-#5 Palermo, and #7 Juve-#8 Genoa. Milan and Udinese play a rare Friday evening match, which will be conveniently televised live on FSC. Also, to any other RAI subscribers, two Serie B matches will be aired Saturday morning with Gallipoli-Sassuolo at 9:00 followed by Torino-AlbinoLeffe at 10:15.

(http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/2009-2010/regular-season/tables/)

Match of the Week:
#2 Roma - #5 Palermo: SAT 12:00pm EST Live on FSC, ESPN 360, and RAI
Round 5: 3-3
As mentioned, there are some great matches this week but Roma and Palermo have been the two most exciting teams of the second half. Roma is on fire and Palermo is coming off an emotional win. Should be a phenominal match.
--Prediction: 2-0 Roma... With Roma on their form and at home, I don't think anyone can beat them.

#3 Milan - #15 Udinese: FRI 2:45p EST Live on FSC and RAI
Round 5: 0-1 Udinese
Udinese has beaten Milan by a score of 1-0 twice but I can't imagine that will happen for a third time. At the same time, Milan is not on good form, making this very difficult to predict.
--Prediction: 2-1 Milan

#6 Sampdoria - #11 Fiorentina: SAT 2:45p EST Live on FSC, ESPN 360, and RAI
Round 5: 0-2 Fiorentina
Another great match up. The fact that Sampdoria after their slump is back up to 6th after three straight wins. Fiorentina lost a late one to Roma last week and need this win to get back into the running for Europe.
--Prediction: 3-2 Sampdoria

#17 Livorno - #14 Bologna: SUN 9:00a EST
Round 5: 0-2 Bologna
Relegation implications here. I would expect to see one of these two, if not both, relegated at the end of the season so survival hangs highly on this one.
--Prediction: 2-1 Livorno

#7 Juventus - #8 Genoa: SUN 9:00a EST Live on ESPN 360, FS en Espanol, and RAI
Round 5: 2-2
I have no clue when Juve will finally win a match. Genoa on the other hand is on decent form and looks likely to keep Juve's winless streak going.
--Prediction: 2-2

#16 Catania - #19 Atalanta: SUN 9:00a EST
Round 5: 0-0
Another relegation match. Different from Livorno-Bologna, these two seem more than capable of staying up, despite being in just as bad, if not worse, positions in the table.
--Prediction: 4-1 Catania

#12 Parma - #18 Lazio: SUN 9:00a EST
Round 5: 2-1 Parma
Lazio has been shocking this season and the fact that they're in the relegation zone in week 24 is even more incredible. However currently, both teams have strung equally bad winless streaks together so hopefully this is the spark for the one of the two teams to get it together.
--Prediction: 0-2 Lazio

#13 Chievo - #20 Siena: SUN 9:00a EST
Round 5: 0-0
Siena looks like they've already resigned to dropping down. Chievo will be using this game to cement themselves in Serie A for another year.
--Prediction: 3-0 Chievo

#9 Cagliari - #10 Bari: SUN 9:00 EST
Round 5: 1-0 Cagliari
Both teams have had great individual seasons so far. However both are beginning to slide a bit. Should still be a great mid-table match.
--Prediction: 2-1 Cagliari

#4 Napoli - #1 Inter
Round 5: 3-1 Inter
You've got to be a fool to pick against Inter any Serie A team. They've just been too good despite a midweek draw against Bari. Napoli has been good, but I question if their defense, which has been seamless lately, can withhold Milito, E'eto, and Balotelli.
--Prediction: 1-3 Inter

Giornata 22 Review

Match of the Week:

Fiorentina-Roma 0-1: Vucinic 82

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwVb90i-Wo0&feature=youtube_gdata

--Considering how many chances Fiorentina had, they deserved to walk away with nothing. Roma, on the other hand, took care of one of their few opportunities and now sit alone in 2^nd.

(My Prediction: 2-3… If two of the best keepers in Serie A weren’t in action today, my prediction would look a bit more relevant.)

(http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/2009-2010/regular-season/tables/)

Goals and Highlights

Palermo – Parma 2-1: Cavani 62 (Pal), Biabiany 73 (Par), Simplicio 86 (Pal)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAuuOLqMd0c

--Three quality goals, and a great game. Business as usual for both Palermo and Parma in this second half of the season.

(My Prediction: 3-0 Palermo… Parma was too good to let 3 in but a 2 goal deficit was not out of reach. Their only goal looked to come via counter anyway.)

Livorno – Juventus 1-1: Filippini 26 (L), Legrottaglie 41

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9NiK5sU0AA

--Juve just isn’t one of the powerhouses you would expect them to be. Livorno quietly stringing together respectable results and making a run away from the bottom 3.

(My Prediction: 0-2… A 0-2 Juve win would be expect any other season, and I even warned myself in the preview that Livorno was more than likely to take something from this.)

Genoa – Chievo 1-0: Rossi 64 (G)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycBQeVar5dE&feature=youtube_gdata

--Not a whole lot in this game. Genoa in control for the majority and looked to take all 3. Just more ups and down for Chievo.

(My Prediction: 1-1... The score may not have been accurate but the way they played was about a 1-1 game.)

Siena – Sampdoria 1-2: Gastaldello 3 (Sa), Pozzi 77 (Sa), Maccarone 82 (Si)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCSwSlWDtTs&feature=youtube_gdata

--9 straight points from a possible 9 with Cassano on the bench for Sampdoria. Siena might only be weeks away from relegation.

(My Prediction: 2-3 Sampdoria… My scoreline definitely hadn’t bought into Cassano-less Samp but I might be convinced after this one.)

Milan – Bologna 0-0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C3NH682RtI&feature=sub

-- +1 for Bologna, -2 for Milan. Their Scudetto run is over and they simply do not deserve to be champions for in inability to win games late. Bologna continuing to pester Milan as well.

(My Prediction: 1-1... I didn’t think Milan was going to win no matter who they played and it didn’t help that it was Bologna who’s been a bit of a thorn in their side since being promoted.)

Udinese – Napoli 3-1: Di Natale 7, 91, 93 (U), Maggio 21 (N)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5zbD9XIbUs&feature=youtube_gdata

--You have to love Antonio DiNatale, he has to be the most underrated player in all of Italy. A hell of a way to end Napoli’s impressive unbeaten run.

(My Prediction: 1-3 Napoli… maybe is Maggio stayed on the field longer Napoli may have at least pulled out a tie but as mentioned above and in many previews, Toto is walking game-changer.)

Lazio – Catania 0-1: Maxi Lopez 63 (C)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9uNGjVIoCE&feature=youtube_gdata

--Catania not submitting to relegation yet. Lazio looked more like the more relegation bound club.

(My Prediction: 4-2 Lazio... Catania had been scoring and Lazio have been winning so I figured a high score.)

Atalanta – Bari 1-0: Tiribocchi 82 (A)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ_UIOtV4Gw&feature=youtube_gdata

--Second half was all Atalanta’s and deservedly got their 3 points by a beautiful goal. Surprise slump from Bari after a massive win last week.

(My Prediction: 2-3 Bari… I expect Bari to fly out of the gates and maybe if they had converted their early chances they might have scored 2 or 3 but they left it late and got punished.)

Inter – Cagliari 3-0: Pandev 6 (I), Samuel 19 (I), Milito 47 (I)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLDrExnbzIU&feature=youtube_gdata

--If Inter doesn’t make it to at least the semis of the CL, what a disgrace they would be. This team is playing so incredibly well with absolutely no challenges coming out of Serie A.

(My Prediction: 1-0 Inter… As far as an actual game went, I expected a more exciting match lasting a full 90. However Inter took care of business in half that time.)