5 Storylines to Follow in Serie A for Weekend of 31 January-1 February
There's plenty to look forward to this weekend in Serie A. Juventus will be hoping to extend their lead at the top of the table as they travel to Udinese, while Roma will want to get back on track at the Olimpico against Empoli.
It could also be a crucial weekend for those clubs with aspirations of playing in Europe next season. Both Inter and AC Milan look forward to potentially tricky encounters.
Clash of the Clubs in Crisis
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Milan host Parma this weekend in what will almost certainly be a turgid affair.
The Rossoneri have won just two games in their last 13, while the Crociati have just three victories all season.
Both Pippo Inzaghi and Roberto Donadoni could soon be unemployed, and the pair desperately need something positive from this fixture.
Unfortunately, a draw suits neither side, and if Milan fail to beat one of the few sides in the league in worse shape than them, it will almost certainly be game over for the 41-year-old ex-striker on the San Siro bench.
Tuesday's loss to Lazio in the Coppa Italia was seen by many in the Italian media as the final straw, but Silvio Berlusconi has apparently assured the manager that his position is safe for now. In his press conference after the game, Inzaghi took the opportunity to remind journalists that it took Alex Ferguson seven years to bring success to Manchester United.
"If I'm afforded the time," he said, "I can get Milan back to what they were."
Parma's Donadoni, who knows well what Milan once were because he won six Scudetti and three European Cups with them as a player, will be hoping that his side can raise their game and put in the kind of performance that saw them beat Inter and Fiorentina earlier in the campaign.
They will be without Antonio Cassano, who sensationally rescinded his contract earlier this week. The Bari Brat, as he's known in Italy, left the club in a dispute over unpaid wages and is currently in the midst of a bitter feud with Donadoni in the media.
This is just the latest crisis to engulf the 1999 UEFA Cup winners, who missed out on this year's Europa League because of financial irregularities at the club. There is new ownership at the club, but their money problems continue, and they've already been docked a point for failing to pay wages this season.
If results on the pitch don't change soon, they'll be relegated—a fate that will almost certainly have dire consequences for a club already in such a fragile state.
Strikerless Roma Need a Result
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With Mattia Destro departed for Milan, per Gazzetta dello Sport, Roma are now without a striker—unless you count forgotten man Marco Borriello—and in desperate need of goals.
Destro, who started just eight games this term, delivered a respectable five goals in the league, scoring every 163 minutes on average.
Rudi Garcia will be hoping that the club's sporting director, Walter Sabatini, can deliver the new forward they need before the end of the January transfer window, but until then, he'll have to make do with Juan Iturbe, Adem Ljajic and Francesco Totti up front, as Gervinho is still away with Cote d'Ivoire at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Their home fixture with Empoli should be a straightforward affair for the Giallorossi, but with just one win in their last five league games, nothing is a given at the Olimpico.
At his press conference before their last match against Fiorentina, in English via Football Italia, Garcia acknowledged that their current form is a cause for concern:
"It’s true we aren’t particularly consistent, even during the course of the same match. It’s only normal that when we don’t do as well the media will criticise, but this has to be balanced and objective.
We have been drawing too many games recently and that is a problem, but I always think positive to achieve victory.
The season is a marathon and every weekend you must be at 100 per cent, do everything and more to win. So for us there is only Fiorentina, Fiorentina and Fiorentina.
"
It's the second time these two sides have met in recent weeks, with the Lupi winning 2-1 in a controversial Coppa Italia fixture. Giallorossi fans will be hoping that their side doesn't need a debatable penalty this time around to beat the Tuscans.
Time for Revenge at Sassuolo
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When Inter hosted Sassuolo back in September, Walter Mazzarri's Nerazzurri produced one of the displays of the season, hammering the Nerovderi 7-0.
It turned out to be one of the few highlights in Inter's season, and now neither Mazzarri nor man of the match Dani Osvaldo is at the club.
Sassuolo are going through a difficult period right now, with just one win in their last seven, but things haven't been perfect for their opponents either.
Roberto Mancini's return to the San Siro has shown some promise, but their last two games have ended in disappointing results, drawing with Empoli and losing dramatically in the dying seconds of their game with Torino.
Simone Zaza, Domenico Berardi and Nicola Sansone are all dangerous in front of goal when on form, and Eusebio Di Francesco will be hoping that his side can avenge September's humiliation and return to winning ways in front of their fans at the Mapei Stadium.
An Upset in Udine?
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It's been something of a transitional season at Udinese since Andrea Stramaccioni took over, but the Zebrette have proved capable of big results.
Italy's second-oldest club have beaten Inter, Lazio and Napoli this season but have somehow managed to drop points against struggling sides such as Cagliari and Cesena.
This weekend, in a clash of Serie A's two Bianconeri, Udinese will host Juventus. The Turin giants won the corresponding fixture 2-0 in September, but don't rule out an upset at the Stadio Friuli.
Stramaccioni, who was born in Rome and who began his coaching career at Roma, can do his former employees a big favour by getting a result against Juve. But more importantly from his perspective, three points against the league leaders would put his side back in contention for European qualification.
The Battle for Third Place Continues
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All of the main contenders for Serie A's final Champions League spot will play away at the weekend, as just five points separate third to sixth in the table.
Lazio and Napoli will face Cesena and Chievo Verona, respectively, and they can't afford a slip-up against relatively easy opposition. The Aquile currently trail the Partenopei by two and will have to manage without either Felipe Anderson or Filip Djordjevic, who have been among their best performers.
Elsewhere, Fiorentina travel to Genoa, who are without a win in their last six games. A win for the Viola could see them leap Sampdoria in fifth if the Blucerchiati fail to beat Torino on Sunday.
What game are you most looking forward to? Let me know on twitter @ColliOBrien.
