Serie A Preview Week 35.

After Juventus secured victory at Cesena on Wednesday, they remain on course for the Scudetto. Champions AC Milan are still close enough to wreck the Turin dream but Juventus have looked rock solid as they have met the key challenges of recent weeks with victory after victory. They are unlikely to falter at Novara. If they do, AC Milan will hope that 3 points against Siena puts them back in the driving seat. Inter have shown some form in recent weeks and have given themselves an unlikely shot at Champions League qualification. They are at home to Cesena while the most fascinating match of the weekend is probably Udinese v Lazio on Sunday evening. Good luck with your fantasy football selections and other bets. The first games are at 5 pm BST Saturday.

Cagliari v Chievo is the early game in Sardinia. It’s not worth taking risks here. I marginally favour Cagliari after their convincing win over Catania on Tuesday but Chievo are higher in the table and there’s little or nothing in it. It’s the other Saturday early game that really will have passion. Palermo v Catania is of course the Sicilian derby and should be one hotly contested game with a packed house and lots of local fervour and zeal. Catania have been the more accomplished team this season and have won the last 2 clashes with their island rivals but those games were in Catania. With Palermo now at home they will be thirsting for revenge. The result could be a passionate game with more bookings and goals than normal.

Later on Saturday the Derby of The Sun takes place as Roma play Napoli at the Olimpico. Both clubs have shown signs of fatigue and have dropped their earlier intensity to the point where Roma can forget about a top 3 finish and Napoli need to be very careful. This has been a ding dong rivalry for a few seasons now and as both teams seem unable to produce top football on a consistent basis despite having such talented players, I will chance a draw here.

After such a calamitous season, it’s amazing that Inter have any chance of a Champions League spot but they face Cesena knowing another 3 points would strengthen their position as the likes of Napoli, Udinese and Lazio have not been able to pull clear of the Nerazzuri. Inter have been awful as well as unreliable all season but I suppose we judge them by their own high standards and relatively speaking , they are still a useful side with great experience and talent, even though the age profile is all wrong at the club. They should not have any serious problems with Cesena who will finish in last place.

It’s premature to say Juventus are Champions elect but if they haven’t faltered by now, they’re not going to falter at all. Juventus now travel to another soon to be relegated club, Novara and they should make it 7 successive wins. They have been magnificent in recent weeks and should they remain at the top after 38 games undefeated it will be some achievement for Antonio Conte’s men.

In Tuscany Siena will line up against the other Scudetto contender, AC Milan. The Champions have only themselves to blame for blowing a lead. It’s true that Juventus have been great in March and April but Milan have thrown away a good lead and have dropped points from seemingly easy home games at bad times. They have been very poor since their deserved Champions League elimination at the hands of Barcelona and Siena have realistic hope in this one. The head to head makes for painful reading for Siena fans but Milan will know that the Burlesconi axe will be wielded in the summer and half the squad will be dispensed with. I doubt it’s a happy camp at present. Siena may be overpriced at at 5/1 but it’s 3/1 for a draw that I like best.

Bologna v Genoa is pretty much a non entity between 2 teams just marginally too good for relegation. It’s possible to unearth a player from the game but I’ll likely look elsewhere. Lecce are struggling along with Genoa down in the pits and they have a key home game with Parma. The visitors have been superb lately and have shot up the table as a result. Lecce share an identical home record with Parma’s away record. It’s 3 wins, 6 draws and 8 losses so if Sunday is a draw this curious coincidence will be maintained. Lecce need everything they can get at this stage. Another poor game from the outset would appear to be Atalanta v Fiorentina where little is at stake for 2 teams who have not lit up Serie A this season.

A far better prospect of a good game with plenty at stake is Udinese v Lazio. Both clubs are right in there with a chance of making the coveted top 3. Lazio currently sit 3rd while Udinese’s loss to Inter sees them out of the top 4 for the first time all season. Neither side is in particularly good form and collectively they should have shut out any hope for Inter by now but Udinese have been poor in 2012 with 8 losses to go with their 4 wins. That’s not the standard of Champions League qualifier. They need to arrest their slump right now or they will lose out on the big money of the CL. Lazio have a 3 point advantage over their hosts but only lead Napoli by 1, so they too will have to go for it. It goes against the defensive nature of many Italian sides when they have to attack and to win- both at the same time. But it sure can make for excitement.

April 27, 2012 at 4:22 pm | Serie A