Phalanx Prophecy: Forget The Milan Clubs, Italy Needs To Worry About 'Lesser' European Ties - 7M sport

Phalanx Prophecy: Forget The Milan Clubs, Italy Needs To Worry About 'Lesser' European Ties

Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 by Goal.com

The glamor ties might say less than the runs of the less fancied in Europe for the Serie A. Zac Lee Rigg explains before previewing the weekend's upcoming action.

It says here Internazionale will win a double this year. Fiorentina (Inter's opponent in the Coppa Italia) fans better cross their little violet hearts that Jose Mourinho overcomes his former employer, Cheslea, in the Champions League Round of 16.

While Italian hopes for lifting the Champions League trophy for the first time in three years rest solely on Inter, and though AC Milan participated in the glamor tie with Manchester United, the other three Serie A teams still in Europe may have more impact on the future of the league.

Fiorentina come toe-to-toe with the real rival: Germany. Should Bundesliga clubs outperform Italian ones this year, Germany could snatch Italy's fourth Champions League slot. All of the sudden the most exciting race in the Serie A, the melee that is the battle for fourth, would be meaningless.

In the only direct clash with a German club, Fiorentina provides the best chance to keep Serie A in the ascendancy. A tight and competent display in Munich left Florence devastated following a cataclysmic referee error which allowed a blatantly offside goal by Bayern's Miroslav Klose in the 89th minute to stand.

Now Viola will need to figure out how to win in the return leg, which could prove harder than first glance. Fiorentina hasn't won in six games. Fans' faces may match their violet jerseys if Bayern manages to embarrass the team in Florence.

Nearly out of the public spotlight, Bundesliga clubs outnumber Italian ones four to two in the Europa League. There, it's up to Juventus and Roma to keep pace with whatever Hertha Berlin, Hamburg, Wolfsburg, or Werder Bremen can muster. Only Hamburg won in the first leg of the Round of 32 of the four German representatives.

Juventus, fully re-juve-nated under Alberto Zaccheroni, rode an inspired performance from evergreen Alessandro Del Piero and two headed goals from Amauri to a win over Ajax. Roma, meanwhile, lost for the first time since October, despite taking the lead twice over Panathinaikos.

As the (English-speaking) media cauldron bubbles over into a heated foam about the two Milan teams, fans of Serie A may want to keep a close eye on a handful of lesser ties across Europe.

Centurion – Sampdoria @ Internazionale
2:30 p.m. EST, Saturday, Feb. 20
Fox Soccer Channel

Of the two league games Inter lost this season, Sampdoria supplied exactly half. Always one to bitterly hold a grudge (Mourinho still occasionally mutters and whines about the so-called "phantom goal" Liverpool scored against his Chelsea side back in 2005), the Special One's indignation should be enough to make this a juicy tie.

Sampdoria coach Luigi Del Neri, however, isn't taking any cues from the fiery Portuguese tactician. "It seems like an unfair tie on paper, but never say never in football,” a meek Del Neri whimpered to the press. His Samp side will march into the match much more confidently than Del Neri lets on. Since dropping Antonio Cassano (or losing him to injury), Doria has notched four consecutive wins, buoying the side up to fifth place in the league.

Inter, on the other hand, is in a slump, at least considering the team's standards: the last two games ended in unexpected draws. Napoli in particular took the game to the Nerazzurri last week, matching the reigning champs all across the pitch.

Key man: Dejan Stankovic (Inter) returns from injury and will likely replace Davide Santon (facing a late fitness test) in the lineup, with Javier Zanetti sliding back into the defense. The Serb supplies some often lacking creativity from deep and has a knack for showing up big with important goals.

Prediction: Inter win. When Mourinho gets feistiest, his team plays the best. Expect one hell of a pregame speech from him.

Optio – AC Milan @ Bari
2:30 p.m. EST, Sunday, Feb. 21
Fox Soccer Channel

Since October, Bari has dropped a miserly two points at home -- to Inter on Jan. 16. Recent form, however, doesn't look as promising. Sans the help of defender Andrea Ranocchia, Bari lost three out of its last four.

Milan come into this one reeling from the 3-2 loss to Manchester United. Previously, when Milan lost demoralizing big battles to Inter, the club followed up with tame draws in the league both times. Leonardo looks a very promising coach, but his inexperience peeks out both in tactical naivety in the huge games and his inability to inspire his club to bounce back immediately.

Key man: Marco Borriello (Milan) missed the Manchester clash through injury, leaving Milan fans to idly wonder what could have been if the powerful Italian started ahead of the Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, doing his best impression of Harry Potter wearing an invisibility cloak. Milan has come to rely on Borriello's powerful play in the box to lure defenders away from Ronaldinho and Pato.

Prediction: Draw. Expect Milan's half-hearted reactions to big losses to continue.

Decurion – Catania @ AS Roma
9:00 a.m. EST, Sunday, Feb. 21
Fox Sports en Espanol

Two goals in the last ten minutes from Panathinaikos condemned Roma to its first loss since October of 2009. Regardless, Roma return to Italy on a six-game winning streak in the league. “We suffered a black-out against the Greeks,” Roma coach Claudio Ranieri said, according to football-italia.net. The team waiting in the stadium as Roma turns back on the lights is Catania.

Like Ranieri, Sinisa Mihajlovic rejuvenated his side when he joined. The Serb has posted a 4-3-2 record with Catania since joining, lifting the club out of the relegation zone and making the Sicilian club quite the resolute outfit.

Key man: David Pizarro (Roma) doesn't get the credit he deserves, what with Daniele De Rossi overshadowing him in midfield. Subtle and suave compared to the bombastic Italian, Pizarro controls much of the tempo of Roma games. With Luca Toni and Francesco Totti injured for this one, the Peruvian playmaker's offensive dictation will come to the fore even more against Catania.

Prediction: Roma win. Ranieri should return to grinding out wins in the league.

Legionary – Udinese @ Genoa
5:00 p.m. EST, Saturday, Feb. 20
Fox Soccer Channel

Don't expect to see very many happy campers on the Genoa team in this game. Last week, Ale Del Piero won a penalty outside the box to score the winning goal against Genoa, bringing to a screeching halt the team's four game unbeaten run.

It was the cruelest of sucker punches, one which will rile up the (increasingly few) fit corps left at Gian Piero Gasperini's disposal.

Visiting the Stadio Ferraris is a stuttering Udinese squad. Despite boasting the league's top goalscorer in Antonio Di Natale, Udine can't find a shred of good form and now linger a point above the relegation spots.

Key man: Marco Rossi (Genoa) captains and epitomizes the Genoa squad. Slightly shy on the talent front (Genoa lacks a star presence since the sale of Diego Milito to Inter), Rossi compensates with experience, versatility, and bitter resolve. The 31-year-old scored a brace in the losing effort against Juventus and consistently out-runs most players on the pitch.

Prediction: Genoa win.

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