There isn’t a week of Italian football that does not throw up exciting contests. And week 11 is no different!
Palermo travel to the San Siro to take on Milan. Milan were jolted by Juventus in their last home game. This was the Rossoneri’s first home loss in months. However, they bounced back from that loss with a 3-2 win away at Bari. Milan were able to shrug off a late surge from the home team.
Palermo’s form has been very patchy off late, and they haven’t been helped by off-field issues. The Sicilian side is on the verge of losing their sporting director Walter Sabatini, who stepped down due to personal reasons. On the other hand, President Mauro Zamparini is itching to exercise his seasonal ritual of firing a coach. Delio Rossi is under immense pressure as Palermo’s form in Italy as well as Europe has been awful .
Vucinic scored the winning goal in the Rome Derby
Fiorentina travel to Rome, to take on Roma in the other key clash. The Lupi have three important fixtures in this period. Last weekend they faced Lazio in what is known to be one of the most volatile derbies in Europe. Proving once again that form is immaterial in a derby, Roma won the match 2-0, with two spot kicks.
Roma face Juventus next weekend, so it’s crucial for them to not lose their momentum. Fiorentina celebrated the return of Adrian Mutu by earning 2 wins in their last 3 games. However, their joy was cut short as dependable ‘keeper Frei was sidelined for six months.
Juventus were unconvincing against Cesena last week, but they still managed to win 3-1. Giorgio Chiellini is expected to return for this match. Former Juventus right-back Jonathan Zebina will line-up for Brescia in this tie.
Brescia’s form has been in shambles since defeating Roma in September. That result was followed by five back-to-back losses. There were some signs of improvement last weekend, when Brescia took a shock lead at the San Siro against Inter and looked good for 3 points. Unfortunately for the struggling side, they were undone by a dodgy Samuel Eto’o penalty. Brescia have beaten the likes of Palermo and Roma at home. An injury-hit Bianconeri is perhaps their best chance of notching another win at the Mario Rigamonti Stadium.
A shadow of himself….
Inter travel to relegation candidates Lecce in search of a confidence boosting win. Defending champions Internazionale find themselves in a spot of bother after a recent slump. The squad is yet to adapt properly to Benitez’s tactics. Maicon’s disastrous form has been one of the key factors in the team’s poor form; he was twice schooled by Bale in the Champions League.
Speculations suggest that Maicon’s failed transfer move to Real Madrid may have affected his morale. The Nerazzuri will be bolstered by the unstoppable form of Samuel Eto’o, who has been scoring for fun this season.
A week before the notorious Sicilian derby kicks off, Catania welcome in-form Udinese. Catania–Palermo is one of the most violent derbies in Italy. These clashes at times make ‘Millwall–West Ham’ game look like a school backyard fight. Sicilian teams are always difficult to beat at home, and likewise, Catania are unbeaten at home till now. Facing them will be an Udinese team that has won 4 out of their last 5 matches.
Table-toppers Lazio suffered a loss in the Rome derby last week. They travel to Cesena in order to get back to winning ways.
For a complete list of fixtures click here.