Looking Ahead: Inter, Roma, and Milan

The scudetto race is at it's tightest for as long as I've been around. With 7 matches remaining for all teams, let's take a look at what's ahead for the remainder of each contender's season and title hopes.

Internazionale (Home Record: 11W-0L-4D//Away 7-4-5)
--Still alive in both Champions League and Coppa Italia

vs Bologna (Bologna Away: 3-8-4)
@ Fiorentina (Fiorentina Home: 8-6-1)
vs Juventus (Juventus Away: 7-6-2)
vs Atalanta (Atalanta Away: 2-10-3)
@ Lazio (Lazio Home: 4-6-5)
vs Chievo (Chievo Away: 5-8-3)
@ Siena (Siena Home: 3-6-6)

AS Roma: -1 (Home Record: 13W-2L-1D//Away: 5-3-7)
--Still competing in Coppa Italia

@ Bari (Bari Home: 9-2-4)
vs Atalanta (Atalanta Away: 2-10-3)
@ Lazio* (Lazio Home: 4-6-5)
vs Sampdoria (Sampdoria Away: 4-9-3)
@ Parma (Parma Home: 9-3-3)
vs Cagliari (Cagliari Away: 4-9-2)
@ Chievo (Chievo Home: 5-5-5)
* = Derby match, so home/away is based on fan contingency, rather than stadia

AC Milan: -3 (Home Record: 10W, 2L, 4D//Away: 7-3-5)
--Eliminated from all other competitions

@ Cagliari (Cagliari home record: 7-4-4)
vs Catania (Catania Away: 2-7-6)
@ Sampdoria (Sampdoria Home: 9-0-5)
@ Palermo (Palermo Home: 11-0-5)
vs Fiorentina (Fiorentina Away: 4-7-4)
@ Genoa (Genoa Home: 10-2-4)
vs Juventus (Juventus Away: 7-6-2)

When comparing all three, Inter looks to have the easiest road. However, the Champions League could provide as a great distraction, which no doubt they would rather win than a 5th* straight scudetto. It wouldn't shock me to see them pull them both off.

Roma definitely has the next best shot, although they will really need to ride the excitement from their big win over Inter as they travel to Bari next, who have been a brick wall at home.

Milan, who have been trying as hard as possible to not win the scudetto, face the toughest path. 5 of their remaining 7 currently sit in the top 10 and will be traveling to 3 of them.

Giornata 31 Review

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

Match of the Week:
Inter @ Roma 1-2: De Rossi 17 (R), Milito 66 (I), Toni 73 (R)
Exciting stuff at the top with Roma pulling within 1 point from the top. Refer to my upcoming post about the scudetto race.
(My Prediction: 2-1 Roma... Nailed it!)

Bologna @ Palermo 1-3: Miccoli 10, pen 43, 79 (P), Adailton 38 (B)
Why isn't Miccoli in the national team again?
(My Prediction: 3-2 Palermo...)

Parma @ Chievo 0-0
Not a whole lot to say here. Chievo loves to draw.
(My Prediction: 1-0 Parma...)

Udinese @ Fiorentina 1-4: Vargas 36 (F), Pepe 40 (U), Gilardino 55 (F), Santana 67 (F), Jovetic 84 (F)
Fiorentina roller coaster continues. Udinese is lucky there's a big gap between them and 18th place.
(My Prediction: 0-2 Fiorentina...)

Atalanta @ Juventus 1-2: Del Piero 30 (J), Amoruso 45 (A), Felipe Melo 82 (J)
Nice late win for Juve. Still don't know if they can pull out 4th though.
(My Prediction: 1-1 draw...)

Bari @ Livorno 1-1: Allegretti 24 (B), Tavano 85 (L)
Too little, too late for Livorno. Relegation bound.
(My Predicition: 2-1 Bari...)

Catania @ Napoli 0-1: P Cannavaro 51 (N)
Napoli scraped this win out by the skin of their teeth. Nice to see them keeping the race for 4th tight and plentiful.
(My Prediction: 2-3 Napoli...)

Cagliari @ Sampdoria 1-1: Guberti 48 (S), Nene' 81 (C)
Missed opporunity for Sampdoria to really make some noise. Cagliari seems to have been totally fine with earning security by round 23 because they haven't done a thing since going 4th.
(My Prediction: 1-4 Sampdoria...)

Genoa @ Siena 0-0
Nada.
(My Prediction: 0-1 Siena...)

Lazio @ Milan 1-1: Borriello pen 18 (M), Lichtsteiner 33 (L)
Who wants to win the scudetto anyway? Right Milan?
(My Prediction: 0-3 Milan...)

Giornata 31 Preview//Giornata 30 Review

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

Match of the Week:
#1 Inter @ #2 Roma: SAT 1:00PM EST Live on FS+ and RAI
(My Prediction: 1-2 Roma)

#15 Bologna @ #4 Palermo: SAT 3:45PM EST Live on FSC, ESPN360, and RAI
(My Prediction: 2-3 Palermo)

#11 Parma @ #13 Chievo: SUN 10:00AM EST
(My Prediction: 1-0 Parma)

#17 Udinese @ #10 Fiorentina: SUN 10:00AM EST
(My Prediction: 0-2 Fiorentina)

#18 Atalanta @ #7 Juventus: SUN 10:00AM EST Live on FSC, ESPN360, and RAI
(My Prediction: 1-1 draw)

#9 Bari @ #20 Livorno: SUN 10:00AM EST
(My Prediction: 2-1 Bari)

#14 Catania @ #6 Napoli: SUN 10:00AM EST Live on ESPN 360
(My Prediction: 2-3 Napoli)

#12 Cagliari @ #5 Sampdoria: SUN 10:00AM EST
(My Prediction: 1-4 Sampdora)

#8 Genoa @ #19 Siena: SUN 10:00AM EST
(My Prediction: 0-1 Siena)

#16 Lazio @ #3 Milan: SUN 3:45PM EST Live on FSC and RAI
(My Prediction: 0-3 Milan)



Giornata 30 Review----

One of the first times AiC has taken the backseat in favor of school work, hence the lack of predictions. I'm sure you coped. Results and highlights below.


Match of the Week:


Sampdoria @ Bari 1-2: Cassano 19 (S), Meggiorini 58 (B), Barreto 85

Roma @ Bologna 2-0: Riise 48 (R), Julio Baptista 82 (R)

Fiorentina @ Catania 0-1: Mascara 1 (C)

Palermo @ Genoa 2-2: Hernandez 34 (P), Bocchetti 74 (G), Pastore 77 (P), Kharja pen 96 (G)

Chievo @ Udinese 0-0

Milan @ Parma 0-1: Bojinov 89 (P)

Cagliari @ Atalanta 1-3: Tiribocchi 53 (A), Valdes pen 64, 72 (A), Conti 91 (C)

Livorno @ Inter 0-1: Eto'o 35, 41 (I), Maicon 61

Siena @ Lazio 0-2: Lichtsteiner 6 (L), Cruz 72 (L)

Juventus @ Napoli 1-3: Chiellini 7 (J), Hamsik 51 (N), Quagliarella 72 (N), Lavezzi 88 (N)

Some Words on MLS, Season Opener Tonight

I don't believe I've ever mentioned MLS on this blog in it's brief existence. There's tuns to say about it and with the beginning of another season, it is definitely appropriate that I share some thoughts.

First off:
Philadelphia Union @ Seattle Sounders FC: 9:30 PM EST Live on ESPN2 and ESPN360


MLS is like local music. It's good, but not great. There's shitty bands and then there's good bands. Why do I waste time to dedicate time to an inferior league when I can just talk about Serie A? Because it has great potential. Because, quite frankly, I'm American and this is my league. Not only that, but I'm from Philadelphia and so with the induction of MLS' newest franchise being placed in my hometown, I definitely have legitimate interest.

Perhaps the main reason why MLS matters so much to me is that because the success of the US national team depends so much on the league's success. No doubt that as the popularity of the sport has risen, so has the league, and so has the quality of American players. My love and much of the love of soccer rises out of the World Cup and the success of the US every four years is massively important.

So give the league a chance. I admit that I watch maybe a total of 300 minutes of MLS each season (excluding All-Star and Finals). However, with each season the quality rises and with the inclusion of Philly, I think I'll be shifting more attention to the league.

Midweek Giornata 30 Preview/Giornata 29 Review

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

Quick mid-week Giornata 30 preview then Giornata 29 recap below. This season's ending is getting more exciting each week!

Giornata 30 Preview (All matches Wed 3:45PM EST except Juve-Napoli)

Match of the Week:
#4 Palermo @ #8 Genoa: Wed 3:45PM EST

#5 Sampdoria @ #11 Bari

#3 Roma @ #14 Bologna Live on ESPN360

#9 Fiorentina @ #15 Catania

#13 Chievo @ #16 Udinese

#2 Milan @ #12 Parma Live on ESPN360

#10 Cagliari @ #18 Atalanta

#20 Livorno @ #1 Inter Live on RAI, 6:00pm delay on FSC

#19 Siena @ #17 Lazio

#6 Juventus @ #7 Napoli THURSDAY 3:45pm EST Live on FSC

---------------------------------------------

Match of the Week:
Inter @ Palermo 1-1: Milito pen 10 (I), Cavani 24 (P)
Very exciting game between two of the top sides. Although Lucio is one of the few players I hate in soccer, he showed why he's on Inter's backline by causing such a hastle to Palermo's own defense and straight up earned that penalty. Cavani showed some class of his own with a great finish that your typical striker would have put right into Julio Cesar's arms.
(My Prediction: 2-2)

Livorno @ Atalanta 0-3: Padoin 13 (A), Chevanton 55 (A), Ferreira Pinto 54 (A)
Wow, where's this been all year for Atalanta? They piled it on Livorno who seemed to have none of the shape they had against Roma last week. Unfortunatelty for both of them, Lazio is opening up a gap that may have already doomed both of them.
(My Prediction: 3-0 Livorno)

Parma @ Bari 1-1: Zenoni 36 (P), A Masiello 85 (B)
A nice match between two promoted teams who'll be sticking around after this season. Crespo looks like he still has some juice in the tank as well. Also interesting to see two linesWOMEN working this match. I wonder if players' protests would be different if they have to take it up with a female.
(My Prediction: 2-2)

Lazio @ Cagliari 2-0: Rocchi 4 (L), Floccari 37 (L)
Both Rocchi and Floccari absolutely shredded Cagliari's backline and 18 yd box. To pile on the pain, I don't believe there is one offensive highlight for Cagliari in the linked video. Overall a big, big win for Lazio. Cagliari meanwhile is succumbing to mid-table normalcy.
(My Prediction: 2-1 Cagliari)

Catania @ Chievo 1-1: Pellissier 64 (Ch), Maxi Lopez pen 74 (Ca)
How many licks does it take for Sergio Pellissier to get the center of a friggin tootsie pop? apparently 64 minutes of chance after chance. And as we all know, when you give up that many chances, all it takes is a stupid mistake by your defender to give up a PK and along with it, 2 precious points.
(My Prediction: 1-0 Catania)

Genoa @ Fiorentina 0-3: Santana 4 (F), Gilardino pen 73 (F), Babacar 86 (F)
Fiorentina dismantles Genoa as they have nothing left to look forward to except a possible Europa Cup spot. With no other distractions aside from a distant Coppa Italia 2nd leg, I would imagine they will be an extremely difficult team to play from here on out.
(My Prediction: 2-1 Fiorentina)

Napoli @ Milan 1-1: Campagnaro 13 (N), Inzaghi 26 (M)
Opportunity blown for Milan to go top. Although Napoli was no push over, they let up an embarrassing goal and squandered many chances of their own. Nice to see Super Pippo get on the scoresheet though.
(My Prediction: 2-2)

Udinese @ Roma 2-4: Toni 15 (R), Vucinic 24, pen 65, 82 (R), Di Natale pen 38, 61 (U)
What kind of teams come back to win after blowing early 2-goal leads? Those in a scudetto hunt. Mirko came up massive plus a little help the ref with Menez's dive to go up 3-2. Udinese are falling back into the relegation pack. Di Natale is still such class.
(My Prediction: 3-1 Roma)

Juventus @ Sampdoria 0-1: Cassano 76 (S)
Samp simply handled Juventus. I can't help but think that Juve is struggling from a lack of youth as Milan has been over the past few years. Trezequet and Del Piero just can't seem to be able to cut it. As for Cassano, nice to see him making a difference and testing a third-string keeper like that. Now they're right up in the thick of the Champions League race.
(My Prediction: 3-1 Sampdoria)

Bologna @ Siena 0-1: Larrondo 10 (S)
For all the chances Siena had, you would think Bologna would have punished them after only being able to put one away. Nonetheless, everything outside of finishing looked very sharp as was their goal. Bologna still sits 6 points above the drop though.
(My Prediction: 0-2 Bologna)

Giornata 29 Preview

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

Remaining Previews to come...

Match of the Week:
#1 Inter @ #4 Palermo: SAT 3:45PM EST Live on FSC and RAI
Round 10: 5-3 Inter
Inter riding some huge momentum after beating Chelsea midweek. However it's a different story in the league as they're lead is down to 1 point ahead of Milan. Palermo dropped a big opportunity to put some space between them and Juve for 4th.
(My Prediction: 2-2)

#7 Genoa @ #10 Fiorentina: SAT 1:00PM EST Live on ESPN360, FS+, and RAI
Round 10: 2-1 Genoa
Genoa is coming off the winning end of the most exciting game of the year. Fiorentina, though underwhelmingly average, are still capable of picking up a win over anyone in the league. Should be a great one.
(My Prediction: 1-2 Fiorentina)

#16 Udinese @ #3 Roma SAT: 3:45PM EST Live on ESPN360
Round 10: 2-0 Roma
Don't let Udinese's standing fool you, they can be a very big challenge for Roma. Without a win here and Roma's title challange could be looking bleak.
(My Prediction: 1-3 Roma)

#15 Catania @ #13 Chievo: SUN 10:00AM EST
Round 10: 2-1 Chievo
It's a shame for Catania that there's only 10 matches left because they're really starting to pull things together. Maxi Lopez established himself last week with a beauty of a goal to it up against Inter. Chievo were hard done to take nothing away from the other club from Milan last week.
(My Prediction: 1-0 Catania)

#8 Napoli @ #2 Milan: SUN 10:00AM EST Live on FSC and RAI
Round 10: 2-2
Napoli claim to have been hard-done last week against Fiorentina last week but nonetheless, they've still only taken 3 points from their last 5 matches and are currently outside of European qualification. Milan's never gotten luckily, as it took magic from Seedorf to close the gap to 1 point. You would think they'll put in a great performance but last week's has me hesitant.
(My Prediction: 2-2)

#18 Livorno @ #19 Atalanta: SUN 10:00AM EST
Round 10: 1-0 Livorno
Gettin to the bottom of the barrel here. Livorno showing fighting spirits last week (or maybe just Lucarelli). Atalanta are just looking hopeless.
(My Prediction: 2-0 Livorno)


#14 Bologna @ #20 Siena: SUN 10:00AM EST
Round 10: 2-1 Bologna
Siena still fighting to see another season in Serie A. Bologna however have not be easy lately. Should be a well-fought out match.
(My Prediction: 2-0 Bologna)

#12 Parma @ #11 Bari: SUN 10:00AM EST
Round 10: 2-0 Parma
Two teams that don't have a whole lot left to play for. Should still be good as both teams have had great seasons after being promoted. Maybe there's some bragging right to fight for.
(My Prediction: 2-3 Bari)

#17 Lazio @ #9 Cagliari: SUN 10:00AM EST
Round 10: 1-0 Cagliari
Time is running out for Lazio. They've been simply pitiful this year and if they do have the ability to string together a few points, it has start soon. They might have a bit of a lifeline with #18 Livorno and #19 Atalanta going at it this week but points are points. Cagliari, though not doing well as of late, should provide a great challenge.
(My Prediction: 1-2 Cagliari)

#5 Juventus @ #6 Sampdoria: SUN 3:45PM EST Live on FSC, ESPN360, and RAI
Round 10: 5-1 Juventus
Juve got the wind knocked out of them two more times this year with a draw against Siena after leading 3-0 after 10 minutes and then blowing a 3-1 agg lead against Fulham, only to lose 4-1 (4-5), even after scoring the first goal of the match!!! Ugly, ugly times. I can't believe they're even in 5th! Sampdoria let some points slip last week against Bologna. They'll be up for it at home though on Sunday night.
(My Prediction: 1-3 Sampdoria)

Champions League Round of 16 Leg #2 Review

Inter @ Chelsea 1-0 (3-1 on aggregate): Eto'o 79 (I)
For the sake of Italy, well friggin done by Inter. So nice to see them take out one of the big boys of the Premiership. Based on the highlights and various recaps, it seems like Chelsea took the first half while Inter pulled away with the second. Mourinho certainly gets props for this one. The draw for the next round is likely this Friday. Expect to hear about it in the preview.
(My Prediction: 2-0 Chelsea... I'm glad to see the script was rewritten. Glad to take this personal loss.)