After a rather short break, the Italian Serie A resumes today with a round of entertaining fixtures. In my opinion, the highlight of these fixtures will be the Parma vs Juventus Fixture. 5th place Parma host 2nd place Juvenus at the Stadio Ennio Tardini at 2145hrs local time tonight in a match that Juve have to win to keep up with both the Milan teams.
Juventus have a slim 2 point advantage over Parma and another negative result will leave club president Jean Claude Blanc with no option other than sacking head coach Ciro Ferrara. Ferrara has had a run of bad luck ever since Bayern Munich thrashed them 4-1 in Turin to bundle them out of the Champions League. Read more... (358 words, 2 images, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)
Saturday proved to be an important day for local rivals Genoa and Sampdoria in the Serie A. After the final whistle, the score line was 3-0 in favor of Genoa and yet this was not to be a precise reflection of the match. Three red cards and two penalties later, Genoa gained the victory that propelled them into position 5 in the table standings.
Although Genoa beat Sampdoria, they are still trailing their rivals albeit with a slim margin. Sampdoria are currently in 4th place just a point above Genoa. You can now understand just how important this game was to both these teams. Read more... (344 words, 2 images, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)
Nickname(s): The Red-Blues, The Griffin
All-Time Ranking: 12th
2007/2008 Finish: 10th
2008/2009 Position (as of 04/07): 4th
Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini
Key Players: Marco Rossi, Rubinho, Alberto Diego Milito
History:
Genoa is the oldest active soccer club in Italy, having been founded in 1897. The squad established the first dynasty of Italian soccer prior to the formation of Serie A by winning nine national championships against a small handfull of teams. Since 1911, the team has played in the historic Stadio Luigi Ferrais, one of Italy’s best fields. Read more... (212 words, 3 images, estimated 51 secs reading time)
Genoa, this season’s Serie A surprise, can all but end the Italian title race if they beat Juventus at home on Saturday.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side only arrived back in the top flight last term but shrewd signings such as striker Diego Milito and Brazilian Thiago Motta have propelled them to the fourth Champions League qualifying spot with eight games left.
Second-placed Juve were held 3-3 at home by a resurgent Chievo last weekend, dropping them nine points behind leaders Internazionale, and need a win to keep their slim hopes alive. Read more... (183 words, 3 images, estimated 44 secs reading time)
