It Comes Down to AC Milan and Juventus in the Race for Serie A

Serie A Week 33 Review

Week 33 took place in midweek as a recuperation round from the postponed weekend which marked the tragic death of Piermario Morosini.

Let’s start off in Cesena where Juventus came to town looking for 3 points. The Bianconeri were awarded a spot kick in the 12^th minute for a controversial handling offence as the Cesena defender was on the edge of the area. Andrea stepped up and missed his second consecutive pk. In the final stages, Marco Borriello finally broke his duck as it was perfect timing for the ex-Roma striker to score his first goal in a Juve jersey to snatch three points from Cesena. The Seahorses are now officially relegated. Juventus remains undefeated and continue to lead AC Milan by three points.

In Milan, the Rossoneri hosted Genoa in their first game since the incident that included the Genoa Ultras who demanded the players to take off their jersey because they are not worthy of it. Milan welcomed back Kevin-Prince Boetang who entered the match as a substitute in the second half and scored to give Milan the 1-0 win with a beautiful strike in the 86^th minute.

ACF Fiorentina challenged the AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in the nation’s capital. The Viola came out surprise winners with 2-1 victory which significantly hinders the Giallorossi’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League.

Inter travelled to Udinese to take on Udinese. The men in black and white struck first with Danilo at the 6^th minute. Inter quickly came roaring back with the equaliser 4 minutes later with a wonderful Wesley Sneijder strike. The Dutchman then scored his second which gave the Nerazzurri the 2-1 lead. Alvarez ended any hopes of an Udinese come back as he bagged the third goal for the visitors – 3-1. This win propels Inter back into the race for the final Champions League spot.

Other results: Novara 2-1Lazio; Lecce 0-2 Napoli; Siena 1-1 Bologna; Palermo 1-2 Parma.

Preview of Week 35 matches

The title race remains the same with Milan trailing Juventus by three points with four games left. AC Milan travels to Siena to try keep pace with Juve. The Rossoneri are in a very bad position they do not hold their destiny in their hands anymore. The Diavoli will aim to continue to put Juventus under pressure.

Juventus travels to Novara which will mark the derby of Piemonte as both clubs play in the same region. On paper, this encounter looks as if it should be an easy win for the Bianconeri. Novara earned a confidence-boosting win over Lazio in mid week action and will be motivated to mark the end of the Old Lady’s current undefeated streak in Serie A.

Udinese welcomes Lazio to the Stadio Friuli for yet another decider for the third and final Champions League spot. With an Udinese win, Francesco Guidolin’s men will tie Lazio for that position. This will most likely be a physical match up.

The Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo also takes place this weekend at the Renzo Barbera in Palermo which is always a heated affair. Both teams’ seasonal objectives are simply over so the bragging rights will be up for grabs.

Roma will take on Napoli in Rome. This was expected to be a Champions League spot clash, but the Giallorossi have fallen apart. It will be very difficult to rebound from this crisis against a motivated Napoli side.  Cavani and Co. are still fighting for third and will be keeping an eye on Udinese and Lazio.

Inter is currently three points out of the Champions League spot and will host Cesena. The Nerazzurri are quietly climbed up the table and entered the race. Inter should win with no issues and are hoping the other key fixtures fall in their favour.

Other match ups: Cagliari v Chievo; Bologna v Genoa; Atalanta v Fiorentina; Lecce v Parma

…and that’s the last word.