Week 36 of Serie A action could see Milan win the Scudetto, and another relegation casualty.
Milan can win the Scudetto with just a draw against Roma on Saturday, and even if they don't manage that, if Inter drop points against Fiorentina, Milan will be crowned champions.
With just three games remaining in the season, Milan are an imposing eight points ahead of second place.
Sampdoria, Lecce and Brescia, meanwhile, fight the other fight at the lower reaches of the table. They have three rounds left to save their season, and it is the possible casualty of Sampdoria that is really shocking. A club that was in the Champions League qualifying rounds this season finds itself in a relegation scrap.
Juventus take on Chievo on Monday in the round's late game. The Bianconeri will be hoping to make some ground on fourth place. If Lazio and Udinese draw, and Roma lose, Juventus will be only two point away from what was once an unlikely fourth placed finish.
Bari know that they will be playing their football in Serie B, but that didn't stop them from almost claiming a point against Roma last weekend.
They have played the role of upstarts on more than one occasion, beating Juventus and drawing Milan on the 25th anniversary of Silvio Berlusconi's ownership of Milan. However, their season was decided in the other, less glamourous games.
Palermo, meanwhile, enter the game with an outside chance of qualifying for the Europa League. They too, like Bari, have given the bigger teams a tough go this season, beating Milan and almost defeating Inter in a 3-2 thriller.
It is unclear whether Rosanero coach Delio Rossi will still be at the club next season, or whether players like Abel Hernandez and Javier Pastore will be sold during the summer despite what the owner Maurizio Zamparini says.
A fairly inconsequential match awaits, but if Palermo do lose, Zamparini may reprise yet another performance of 'sack the coach, but not really.'
Prediction: Palermo 3-1 Bari
See my full preview here:
https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/156272/as-roma-vs-ac-milan/#_article
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Team news
Roma- Coach Vincenzo Montella may start with Marco Borriello and Francesco Totti together. Indeed, it was Borriello, still owned by Milan, who scored the winner in the reverse fixture. Mirko Vucinic and Rodrigo Taddei will play behind the forwards, and Simplicio may come in for the suspended Simone Perrotta. Daniele De Rossi is also suspended, so Matteo Brighi and Claudio Pizarro will be in midfield. Cassetti, Juan, Burdisso, and Riise will line up in defence in front of Doni.
Roma won a bizarre encounter with Bari last weekend by scoring in the last seconds of the match. Totti scored a brace and missed a penalty, while De Rossi and Perrotta were sent off. Roma's ability to self-destruct seldom disappoints, but they somehow managed to salvage a point from a critical match.
Milan- Zlatan Ibrahimovic returns for Milan after serving a ban for insulting an official, and Gennaro Gattuso and Alexandre Pato are back in contention having recovered from injuries. Though Pato resumed training with the team, Allegri is more likely to bring him on as a substitute, opting instead for Ibrahimovic and Robinho. Kevin-Prince Boateng will be the playmaker behind them, while Gennaro Gattuso, Mark van Bommel (who is also returning from suspension) and Clarence Seedorf will comprise the midfield. Goalkeeper Christian Abbiati will play behind Ignazio Abate, Alessandro Nesta, Thiago Silva, and Gianluca Zambrotta.
Milan have won five of their last five, but their last outing against Bologna could easily have been a draw. Allegri will want his side to keep focus, and take the many chances they always manage to create and miss.
Stats since May 2, 2004
Milan clinched their last Scudetto on May 2, 2004 by beating Roma at the San Siro. However, since then, both teams have played each other thirteen times, and Roma have won six of the encounters, and Milan have only managed to win three. Four games have ended in a draw. Tomorrow's game, therefore, is likely to be arduous for Milan.
Prediction
Milan want to win the Scudetto in style and not just with a draw. They also have most of their players back. 1-0 Milan
A local derby pits two teams with contrasting fortunes against each other. At one stage of the season it seemed Bologna had done enough to stay in Serie A. The home stretch of games looked like a formality.
Five straight losses, however, have mired them in the relegation struggle.
Parma, meanwhile, were in free-fall at one stage, but three consecutive wins have reinvigorated them, and they look like one of the favourites to avoid relegation.
Bologna will start with Marco Di Vaio and Ramirez in attack. If Di Vaio can take a hold of this match, Bologna, despite their abysmal form, can take three points from this game. The veteran striker is fourth in the top scorers list with 19 goals, which is a remarkable achievement for someone his age and for someone who is playing in a team struggling with relegation.
Parma will start with one of their own veterans, namely Hernan Crespo. Sebastian Giovinco will play behind him, and Amauri could come on to give them a late boost.
Prediction: Bologna 1-1 Parma
Napoli are still in contention for second place as they lie just a point behind Inter. Lecce, meanwhile, are fighting to avoid what looks like a very likely relegation.
One point in their last three games has put a dent in Lecce's season, and they now occupy the third from last spot.
Napoli have revived their season with a win last weekend, which followed two consecutive defeats.
Ezequiel Lavezzi, Marek Hamsik and Edinson Cavani will prove to have too much for Lecce.
Prediction: Lecce 1-3 Napoli
Brescia look like they are headed for Serie B, and only a minor miracle can save them.
Catania still have some work to do to avoid relegation. They are on 40 points, nine points ahead of their opponents.
A key game for Brescia that will probably end in a draw.
Prediction: Brescia 0-0 Catania
Inter host Fiorentina in the hope that a win and a Milan slip may, just may, give them a small opening to get back in the Scudetto race.
Eight points behind Milan with three games to go seems an insurmountable gap. An Inter slip-up will give Milan the title regardless of what the Rossoneri do in their remaining games.
Fiorentina boss Sinisa Mihajlovic recently said that he would only leave Fiorentina if he were fired. Under him, Fiorentina have enjoyed an ultimately disappointing season, but seven points in their last three games has allowed them to get a respectable fourty-nine points.
A win against Inter will be a major boost for a team that has never really gotten going this season.
Prediction: A Viola win looks difficult, but they could sneak a point. 1-1.
Cesena must be kicking themselves for squandering a sure three points at home to Inter last weekend.
With just minutes left, Cesena collapsed, allowing two goals, one of them deep in injury time.
Cagliari are safe from relegation, so Cesena will be the ones applying most of the pressure to grab the three points.
Prediction: Cagliari 0-1 Cesena
A Champions League spot play-off between two teams who have had successful seasons. Udinese are on 39 points, while Lazio sit on 40. It will be a gripping encounter not least because both teams have lost their last two encounters, so this clash is going to be evenly poised.
At one stage of the season, Udinese were leaving a blistering trail to fourth place, but their progress has been checked by both injuries and a dip in form.
Alexis Sanchez has still not recovered enough to start, but he will come off the bench at some point. Antonio Di Natale is set to start.
Lazio will start with Zarate and Sergio Floccari. They know that Roma, who are just a point behind, have designs to pip them to fourth place, so the pressure is on Lazio.
Prediction: Udinese 2-1 Lazio
To think that Sampdoria could be playing in Serie B next year seems unpleasant but realistic as just a point separates the club from Lecce, the unwitting hinge of the relegation trapdoor. Since Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini departed, nothing has gone right for Sampdoria. Their loan signing of Federico Macheda from Manchester United promised to offset the departure of the two players, but he has not managed to find the net once since his arrival. Massimo Maccarone, meanwhile, has netted a grand total of three. Nicola Pozzi seems the most promising forward not because he has been especially prolific but rather because his goals have been timely. He scored last and this weekend to allow Sampdoria's fans not to plunge completely into despair.
Startlingly, Sampdoria were sixth after fifteen rounds of play this season. Remember, too, they came within tantalizing distance to qualify for the Champions League proper this season. Serie B is still not an inevitability by any means, but the derby della lanterna could not come at a worse time.
Though Genoa are safe, they will relish sending their despised rivals down to Serie B. This is one of the biggest Genoa derbies ever.
Prediction: Sampdoria may rally and win 2-1.
Juventus are still somehow in the race for Champions League football. They take on Chievo Verona, knowing that a win will take them just three points away from their goal.
Alessandro Matri and Alessandro Del Piero, who recently signed an extension with Juventus, will start in attack. Milos Krasic, Claudio Marchisio, Felipe Melo and Alberto Aquilani will be in midfield. Gianluigi Buffon will be in goal behind Motta, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli, and Fabio Grosso.
Chievo are a fair distance from relegation but they will want to get something from this game.
Prediction: Juventus will come out with purpose and win 2-1.
With just three games remaining in the season, Milan are an imposing eight points ahead of second place.
Sampdoria, Lecce and Brescia, meanwhile, fight the other fight at the lower reaches of the table. They have three rounds left to save their season, and it is the possible casualty of Sampdoria that is really shocking. A club that was in the Champions League qualifying rounds this season finds itself in a relegation scrap.
Juventus take on Chievo on Monday in the round's late game. The Bianconeri will be hoping to make some ground on fourth place. If Lazio and Udinese draw, and Roma lose, Juventus will be only two point away from what was once an unlikely fourth placed finish.
Bari know that they will be playing their football in Serie B, but that didn't stop them from almost claiming a point against Roma last weekend.
They have played the role of upstarts on more than one occasion, beating Juventus and drawing Milan on the 25th anniversary of Silvio Berlusconi's ownership of Milan. However, their season was decided in the other, less glamourous games.
Palermo, meanwhile, enter the game with an outside chance of qualifying for the Europa League. They too, like Bari, have given the bigger teams a tough go this season, beating Milan and almost defeating Inter in a 3-2 thriller.
It is unclear whether Rosanero coach Delio Rossi will still be at the club next season, or whether players like Abel Hernandez and Javier Pastore will be sold during the summer despite what the owner Maurizio Zamparini says.
A fairly inconsequential match awaits, but if Palermo do lose, Zamparini may reprise yet another performance of 'sack the coach, but not really.'
Prediction: Palermo 3-1 Bari
See my full preview here:
https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/156272/as-roma-vs-ac-milan/#_article
-----
Team news
Roma- Coach Vincenzo Montella may start with Marco Borriello and Francesco Totti together. Indeed, it was Borriello, still owned by Milan, who scored the winner in the reverse fixture. Mirko Vucinic and Rodrigo Taddei will play behind the forwards, and Simplicio may come in for the suspended Simone Perrotta. Daniele De Rossi is also suspended, so Matteo Brighi and Claudio Pizarro will be in midfield. Cassetti, Juan, Burdisso, and Riise will line up in defence in front of Doni.
Roma won a bizarre encounter with Bari last weekend by scoring in the last seconds of the match. Totti scored a brace and missed a penalty, while De Rossi and Perrotta were sent off. Roma's ability to self-destruct seldom disappoints, but they somehow managed to salvage a point from a critical match.
Milan- Zlatan Ibrahimovic returns for Milan after serving a ban for insulting an official, and Gennaro Gattuso and Alexandre Pato are back in contention having recovered from injuries. Though Pato resumed training with the team, Allegri is more likely to bring him on as a substitute, opting instead for Ibrahimovic and Robinho. Kevin-Prince Boateng will be the playmaker behind them, while Gennaro Gattuso, Mark van Bommel (who is also returning from suspension) and Clarence Seedorf will comprise the midfield. Goalkeeper Christian Abbiati will play behind Ignazio Abate, Alessandro Nesta, Thiago Silva, and Gianluca Zambrotta.
Milan have won five of their last five, but their last outing against Bologna could easily have been a draw. Allegri will want his side to keep focus, and take the many chances they always manage to create and miss.
Stats since May 2, 2004
Milan clinched their last Scudetto on May 2, 2004 by beating Roma at the San Siro. However, since then, both teams have played each other thirteen times, and Roma have won six of the encounters, and Milan have only managed to win three. Four games have ended in a draw. Tomorrow's game, therefore, is likely to be arduous for Milan.
Prediction
Milan want to win the Scudetto in style and not just with a draw. They also have most of their players back. 1-0 Milan
A local derby pits two teams with contrasting fortunes against each other. At one stage of the season it seemed Bologna had done enough to stay in Serie A. The home stretch of games looked like a formality.
Five straight losses, however, have mired them in the relegation struggle.
Parma, meanwhile, were in free-fall at one stage, but three consecutive wins have reinvigorated them, and they look like one of the favourites to avoid relegation.
Bologna will start with Marco Di Vaio and Ramirez in attack. If Di Vaio can take a hold of this match, Bologna, despite their abysmal form, can take three points from this game. The veteran striker is fourth in the top scorers list with 19 goals, which is a remarkable achievement for someone his age and for someone who is playing in a team struggling with relegation.
Parma will start with one of their own veterans, namely Hernan Crespo. Sebastian Giovinco will play behind him, and Amauri could come on to give them a late boost.
Prediction: Bologna 1-1 Parma
Napoli are still in contention for second place as they lie just a point behind Inter. Lecce, meanwhile, are fighting to avoid what looks like a very likely relegation.
One point in their last three games has put a dent in Lecce's season, and they now occupy the third from last spot.
Napoli have revived their season with a win last weekend, which followed two consecutive defeats.
Ezequiel Lavezzi, Marek Hamsik and Edinson Cavani will prove to have too much for Lecce.
Prediction: Lecce 1-3 Napoli
Brescia look like they are headed for Serie B, and only a minor miracle can save them.
Catania still have some work to do to avoid relegation. They are on 40 points, nine points ahead of their opponents.
A key game for Brescia that will probably end in a draw.
Prediction: Brescia 0-0 Catania
Inter host Fiorentina in the hope that a win and a Milan slip may, just may, give them a small opening to get back in the Scudetto race.
Eight points behind Milan with three games to go seems an insurmountable gap. An Inter slip-up will give Milan the title regardless of what the Rossoneri do in their remaining games.
Fiorentina boss Sinisa Mihajlovic recently said that he would only leave Fiorentina if he were fired. Under him, Fiorentina have enjoyed an ultimately disappointing season, but seven points in their last three games has allowed them to get a respectable fourty-nine points.
A win against Inter will be a major boost for a team that has never really gotten going this season.
Prediction: A Viola win looks difficult, but they could sneak a point. 1-1.
Cesena must be kicking themselves for squandering a sure three points at home to Inter last weekend.
With just minutes left, Cesena collapsed, allowing two goals, one of them deep in injury time.
Cagliari are safe from relegation, so Cesena will be the ones applying most of the pressure to grab the three points.
Prediction: Cagliari 0-1 Cesena
A Champions League spot play-off between two teams who have had successful seasons. Udinese are on 39 points, while Lazio sit on 40. It will be a gripping encounter not least because both teams have lost their last two encounters, so this clash is going to be evenly poised.
At one stage of the season, Udinese were leaving a blistering trail to fourth place, but their progress has been checked by both injuries and a dip in form.
Alexis Sanchez has still not recovered enough to start, but he will come off the bench at some point. Antonio Di Natale is set to start.
Lazio will start with Zarate and Sergio Floccari. They know that Roma, who are just a point behind, have designs to pip them to fourth place, so the pressure is on Lazio.
Prediction: Udinese 2-1 Lazio
To think that Sampdoria could be playing in Serie B next year seems unpleasant but realistic as just a point separates the club from Lecce, the unwitting hinge of the relegation trapdoor. Since Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini departed, nothing has gone right for Sampdoria. Their loan signing of Federico Macheda from Manchester United promised to offset the departure of the two players, but he has not managed to find the net once since his arrival. Massimo Maccarone, meanwhile, has netted a grand total of three. Nicola Pozzi seems the most promising forward not because he has been especially prolific but rather because his goals have been timely. He scored last and this weekend to allow Sampdoria's fans not to plunge completely into despair.
Startlingly, Sampdoria were sixth after fifteen rounds of play this season. Remember, too, they came within tantalizing distance to qualify for the Champions League proper this season. Serie B is still not an inevitability by any means, but the derby della lanterna could not come at a worse time.
Though Genoa are safe, they will relish sending their despised rivals down to Serie B. This is one of the biggest Genoa derbies ever.
Prediction: Sampdoria may rally and win 2-1.
Juventus are still somehow in the race for Champions League football. They take on Chievo Verona, knowing that a win will take them just three points away from their goal.
Alessandro Matri and Alessandro Del Piero, who recently signed an extension with Juventus, will start in attack. Milos Krasic, Claudio Marchisio, Felipe Melo and Alberto Aquilani will be in midfield. Gianluigi Buffon will be in goal behind Motta, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli, and Fabio Grosso.
Chievo are a fair distance from relegation but they will want to get something from this game.
Prediction: Juventus will come out with purpose and win 2-1.
