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Post by arover on Mar 17, 2008 13:21:42 GMT
Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Inter Milan 28 13 2 0 34 9 7 5 1 20 8 37 67 2 Roma 28 11 2 1 31 14 7 5 2 19 11 25 61 3 Juventus 28 9 4 2 27 7 6 5 2 22 17 25 54 4 Fiorentina 28 8 3 3 26 15 6 5 3 17 12 16 50 5 AC Milan 28 4 7 2 15 10 8 3 4 27 13 19 46 6 Sampdoria 28 8 5 1 26 11 4 1 9 13 24 4 42 7 Udinese 28 6 4 4 22 22 5 4 5 14 16 -2 41 8 Atalanta 28 6 6 2 31 20 3 4 7 13 22 2 37 9 Palermo 28 6 6 2 19 14 3 3 8 17 29 -7 36 10 Genoa 28 6 3 5 17 18 3 5 6 15 22 -8 35 11 Lazio 28 7 2 5 20 16 1 8 5 13 19 -2 34 12 Napoli 28 7 3 4 19 15 2 3 9 18 28 -6 33 13 Torino 28 4 7 2 17 13 1 9 5 13 22 -5 31 14 Siena 28 4 7 3 18 13 3 3 8 13 25 -7 31 15 Catania 28 6 4 3 14 9 0 5 10 10 27 -12 27 16 Livorno 28 3 6 5 15 20 3 3 8 13 22 -14 27 17 Parma 28 5 5 4 22 19 0 6 8 11 25 -11 26 18 Reggina 28 5 4 6 18 17 0 6 7 7 24 -16 25 19 Empoli 28 4 5 5 15 16 2 2 10 8 25 -18 25 20 Cagliari 28 5 3 6 14 16 1 3 10 11 29 -20 21
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 18, 2008 4:25:33 GMT
MILAN, March 17 (Reuters) - AS Roma captain Francesco Totti has taken some of the heat out of Wednesday's city derby with Lazio by stating he would prefer to win the Champions League this season rather than Serie A.
Second-placed Roma remain six points behind leaders Inter Milan after last weekend's action, although they cut the gap to three on Saturday by beating AC Milan 2-1 before Inter defeated Palermo by the same score on Sunday.
With 10 games remaining, the title race is very much on, especially given Inter's recent problems including Roberto Mancini announcing he would be leaving at the end of the season before changing his mind.
However, Totti is thinking about April's Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United and possibly overall European glory.
'Certainly if I could choose, I would prefer the Champions League to the scudetto, but even if the title came along it wouldn't be bad,' Totti told reporters.
The striker is a proud Roman though and despite his patchy form this season, he will be desperate to produce a winning performance against Lazio in the 2015 GMT kick off.
Roma won the first derby of the season in October 3-2.
Inter travel to Genoa for a 1930 kick off with Marco Materazzi suspended after another booking against Palermo.
All is still not well within the camp after striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic reacted angrily to being substituted on Sunday, but their general resolve is strong following the Champions League exit to Liverpool last week.
Third-placed Juventus, who beat Napoli 1-0 on Sunday thanks to Vincenzo Iaquinta's late strike, visit struggling Empoli with three players including Mauro Camoranesi set to return from suspension.
Fiorentina are four clear of Milan in the race for the fourth Champions League spot after Adrian Mutu returned from injury to inspire them to a 3-1 win over Genoa on Sunday.
A difficult trip to Napoli awaits on Wednesday, however, although Milan may be without Kaka and Clarence Seedorf because of back and leg injuries when they host in-form Sampdoria.
At the bottom, Livorno's Italy goalkeeper Marco Amelia has a leg problem which may keep him out of Wednesday's home game with relegation rivals Reggina.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 21, 2008 11:42:43 GMT
ROME, March 20 (Bismarck Echo) - Coach Luciano Spalletti said AS Roma's title ambitions were still alive despite falling seven points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan.
'We will continue to fight because we have already shown we can do impossible things,' said Spalletti, referring to the recent Champions League first knockout round victory over nine-times European Cup winners Real Madrid.
'I think the championship is still open and we will try to reduce the gap,' he told reporters after losing Wednesday's derby 3-2 to Lazio.
Second-placed Roma hope Inter drop points at home to Juventus on Saturday (1930 GMT), the same day Spalletti's side entertain Empoli (1400).
Inter will be without suspended Portuguese midfielder Pele, whose 40th-minute sending-off in the 1-1 draw at Genoa on Wednesday exposed the champions to the second-half siege that led to Marco Borriello's late equaliser.
Italy defender Marco Materazzi returns from suspension and Inter may also have Patrick Vieira back after the France midfielder missed the Genoa match with a muscle problem.
Juve, 13 points off the pace in third spot, produced a toothless performance to draw 0-0 at second from bottom Empoli.
David Trezeguet, who has scored 16 league goals this season, is likely to return to the team after coming on as a substitute on Wednesday.
AC Milan are expected to be without Kaka at out-of-form Torino on Saturday (1400) after the World Player of the Year pulled up with a thigh problem nine minutes into Wednesday's 2-1 home defeat by Sampdoria.
Milan, who have only won two of their last eight Serie A games, will aim to put their bid for a top-four finish and Champions League qualification back on track.
The European champions lie fifth, four points behind fourth-placed Fiorentina, who lost 2-0 at Napoli in midweek.
Fiorentina host mid-table Lazio who are boosted by the victory over city rivals Roma and have their sights set on sixth position and a UEFA Cup slot.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 22, 2008 11:16:10 GMT
Internazionale v Juventus
After the first round last November, which ended 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico of Turin, the Derby d’Italia between Juventus and Internazionale is back. Saturday, the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza of Milan will be the host to one of the most intense derby matches in Italy. Two teams not from the same city but who are very much bitter rivals, and also have the highest goals total in Serie A history......
Kick-off is on Saturday March 22, 20:30 CET. Que le meilleur gagne!
Who do you think will win this epic encounter?I will be watching this one......going for a 2-0 to Juve.....
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Post by arover on Mar 22, 2008 12:04:05 GMT
A draw for me, I don't think Inter will lose it.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 23, 2008 12:26:03 GMT
RHOS, March 22 (Nene) - Second-half goals by Mauro Camoranesi and David Trezeguet gave Juventus a 2-1 win at Serie A leaders Inter Milan on Saturday, while second-placed AS Roma beat Empoli 2-1 to move within four points of the champions.
Portugal midfielder Maniche pulled one back for Inter seven minutes from time to set up a tense finish after Brazilian Maicon had danced through the Juve defence.
Earlier on Saturday, Christian Panucci headed 10-man Roma to victory shortly after Simone Perrotta was sent off in the 57th minute, giving them 64 points from 30 games, six more than third-placed Juve.
Empoli's Sebastian Giovinco had levelled after Max Tonetto's first-half opener.
Fiorentina consolidated fourth place, worth a slot in the Champions League qualifiers, by beating 10-man Lazio 1-0 at home thanks to Giampaolo Pazzini's second-half goal.
AC Milan remain four points behind the Florence side in fifth after Alexandre Pato gave them a 1-0 win at Torino.
After Inter had created the better first-half chances at San Siro, Camoranesi fired Juve in front four minutes after the break although television replays suggested the midfielder picked up Cristian Molinaro's pass from an offside position.
French striker Trezeguet ran onto a loose back header by Argentine defender Nicolas Burdisso and volleyed home to double Juve's advantage in the 63rd.
Alessandro Del Piero, who on Saturday equalled Gaetano Scirea's record of 552 appearances for Juventus, wasted three good chances to make it 3-0 before Maniche's goal.
Maniche then came close to equalising when he hit the post in stoppage time.
Inter coach Roberto Mancini was upbeat despite the defeat.
'We have an advantage, we have eight games left, hopefully we'll regain some players this week and I think we can win all eight,' Mancini, who was without injured midfielders Patrick Vieira and Esteban Cambiasso, told Sky television.
In heavy rain at the Stadio Olimpico, fullback Tonetto fired Roma ahead in the 36th minute after being set up by captain Francesco Totti's smart backheel.
Giovinco was rewarded with a goal five minutes after the break following his eforts in the first half, during which he hit the post with the latter of three fine strikes, only for Panucci to give the home side three precious points.
In Florence, Fiorentina pressed hard after Lazio midfielder Massimo Mutarelli was sent off in the 37th after two bookings in quick succession, although the Romans were dangerous on the counter attack.
Pazzini settled the game with a right-footed shot from the edge of the area 13 minutes from time.
European champions Milan came close with free kicks by Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf in the first half in Turin, while Alberto Gilardino and Pato squandered good chances.
After the break, Seedorf hit the bar and Gilardino fluffed another fine opportunity before 18-year-old Brazilian Pato tapped the ball in after 66 minutes.
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Post by arover on Mar 25, 2008 13:32:54 GMT
Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Inter Milan 30 13 2 1 35 11 7 6 1 21 9 36 68 2 Roma 30 12 2 1 33 15 7 5 3 21 14 25 64 3 Juventus 30 9 4 2 27 7 7 6 2 24 18 26 58 4 Fiorentina 30 9 3 3 27 15 6 5 4 17 14 15 53 5 AC Milan 30 4 7 3 16 12 9 3 4 28 13 19 49 6 Udinese 30 7 4 4 24 22 6 4 5 15 16 1 47 7 Sampdoria 30 8 6 1 27 12 5 1 9 15 25 5 46 8 Genoa 30 6 4 5 18 19 4 5 6 18 24 -7 39 9 Atalanta 30 6 7 2 31 20 3 4 8 13 23 1 38 10 Lazio 30 8 2 5 23 18 1 8 6 13 20 -2 37 11 Napoli 30 8 3 4 21 15 2 4 9 19 29 -4 37 12 Palermo 30 6 6 3 21 17 3 3 9 18 31 -9 36 13 Siena 30 5 7 3 20 13 3 4 8 13 25 -5 35 14 Torino 30 4 7 4 17 15 1 9 5 13 22 -7 31 15 Parma 30 6 5 4 24 20 0 6 9 11 27 -12 29 16 Catania 30 6 5 3 14 9 0 6 10 10 27 -12 29 17 Livorno 30 3 7 5 16 21 3 3 9 13 24 -16 28 18 Reggina 30 5 5 6 19 18 0 7 7 8 25 -16 27 19 Empoli 30 4 6 5 15 16 2 2 11 9 27 -19 26 20 Cagliari 30 6 3 6 15 16 1 4 10 12 30 -19 25
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 26, 2008 4:48:09 GMT
Palermo have sacked coach Francesco Guidolin and reinstated his predecessor Stefano Colantuono.
'Palermo felt that, in the light of the events of recent days, the conditions did not exist to confirm faith in Mr Francesco Guidolin who, therefore, is relieved of the post of coach of the first team,' read a statement on the club's website. The position has been entrusted to Mr Stefano Colantuono.'
The end of Guidolin's fourth stint on the Palermo bench comes after three consecutive league defeats and a series of public spats between the coach and club president Maurizio Zamparini over the last week.
Palermo were joint sixth when Colantuono was dismissed in November after a 5-0 mauling at Juventus.
The Sicilians are 12th in the table with 36 points from 30 games.
'I'm happy to return to the Palermo bench and I'll give my all to do well,' Colantuono told La Gazzetta dello Sport. 'We'll try to lift Palermo up again and I'll do everything to finish the season well.'
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 29, 2008 14:55:37 GMT
Mourinho holds Inter Milan talks...
Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has held talks with Inter Milan in Italy about becoming the club's coach.
"It's true they are in Italy and will return to Lisbon on Saturday," said Mourinho's personal advisor Eladio Parames late on Friday.
Mourinho, 44, has been linked with a host of European clubs since he left Chelsea in September last year.
"Of course, it was Inter who contacted Mourinho and his agent, not Mourinho contacting them," added Parames.
"He (Mourinho) always showed interest in working in Italy, and he received the contact with pleasure."
Inter coach Robert Mancini, 43, announced he was planning to quit the Serie A champions following his side's defeat by Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League earlier in March.
But Mancini quickly backtracked and stated his desire to stay the following day.
Mancini, who has been in charge of Inter since 2004, has another four years on his contract.
Inter have won the last two Serie A titles and this season are four points clear with eight games left to play.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 29, 2008 16:08:23 GMT
Cagliari moved off the bottom of Serie A on Wednesday when the Sardinian side won an appeal over three points deducted because of a legal wrangle.
The Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) docked the points this month after the club took unauthorised legal action against a former player for alleged defamation.
'The Federal Court of Justice has returned the three penalty points to Cagliari,' said the club's website.
Cagliari are now joint third from bottom alongside Livorno with 28 points from 30 games after winning the appeal and four of their last seven league matches.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 30, 2008 14:45:50 GMT
Sunday's Serie A game between Juventus and Parma has been postponed after a Parma fan was accidentally knocked down and killed by a bus following a spat with rival supporters.
'Juventus and Parma, with the approval of the relevant authorities, have jointly decided to postpone the match as a mark of respect for the accident involving the Parma fan who was travelling to the stadium in Turin,' a joint statement said.
'Given the tragic fatality, the two clubs have decided that it would not be right to send the teams on the field.'
All other Serie A matches went ahead on Sunday with a minute's silence for the fan before kick off.
Police said some Parma and Juve fans were trading insults at a service station where the accident happened.
'There were the usual insulting phrases,' highway police spokesman Alessandria Ovest told Reuters.
'In order to avoid trouble, the coach of Juve fans left, but obviously the driver was not aware that there was a fan in front and he hit him with the forward part of the vehicle.'
In November, before the reverse set of fixtures to Sunday's, Lazio fan Gabriele Sandri was shot and killed by a police officer following scuffles with Juve fans at a service station near Arezzo.
Sandri's death, the second in a year connected to football violence in Italy, led to riots and the suspension of the league for a week.
Juventus had to postpone a Serie B game against Cesena in 2006 after two youth team players accidentally drowned in a lake at the club's training ground.
Juve are third in Serie A, seven points behind second-placed AS Roma. They will now have a game in hand with eight matches remaining in their season. Parma are struggling towards the bottom.
A decision has yet to been taken on when the game will be rearranged.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 30, 2008 14:46:38 GMT
Cagliari moved off the bottom of Serie A on Wednesday when the Sardinian side won an appeal over three points deducted because of a legal wrangle.
The Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) docked the points this month after the club took unauthorised legal action against a former player for alleged defamation.
'The Federal Court of Justice has returned the three penalty points to Cagliari,' said the club's website.
Cagliari are now joint third from bottom alongside Livorno with 28 points from 30 games after winning the appeal and four of their last seven league matches.
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 1, 2008 13:35:07 GMT
AC Milan President Silvio Berlusconi has backed coach Carlo Ancelotti despite the club's problems and has reiterated his desire to bring back Andriy Shevchenko.
Milan were dumped out of the Champions League by Arsenal last month and are sixth in Serie A, four points adrift of a European Cup spot for next season.
'Carletto is going very well,' Berlusconi told Tuesday's Gazzetta dello Sport, referring to Ancelotti by his nickname.
'You change in order to improve. For Milan who could I find better?'
Ukraine striker Shevchenko had seven successful seasons at Milan before leaving for Chelsea in 2006 but he has struggled in English soccer.
'It would be good for Shevchenko to return to us,' he said.
Milan have lacked a cutting edge up front this term with Ronaldo being ruled out with a long-term knee injury that may threaten his career. The Brazilian's deal runs out in June but Berlusconi said he was ready to offer him a new contract.
'If he has the will, he will return. I would like to give him a performance-related contract in order to motivate him,' he said.
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Post by arover on Apr 1, 2008 14:14:39 GMT
Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Inter Milan 31 13 2 1 35 11 7 7 1 22 10 36 69 2 Roma 31 12 2 1 33 15 7 6 3 22 15 25 65 3 Juventus 30 9 4 2 27 7 7 6 2 24 18 26 58 4 Fiorentina 31 9 3 3 27 15 6 5 5 18 17 13 53 5 Udinese 31 8 4 4 27 23 6 4 5 15 16 3 50 6 AC Milan 31 4 7 4 17 14 9 3 4 28 13 18 49 7 Sampdoria 31 8 6 1 27 12 6 1 9 17 25 7 49 8 Genoa 31 7 4 5 20 19 4 5 6 18 24 -5 42 9 Atalanta 31 6 7 2 31 20 4 4 8 15 24 2 41 10 Napoli 31 9 3 4 22 15 2 4 9 19 29 -3 40 11 Lazio 31 8 3 5 24 19 1 8 6 13 20 -2 38 12 Siena 31 5 7 3 20 13 3 5 8 13 25 -5 36 13 Palermo 31 6 6 3 21 17 3 3 10 18 32 -10 36 14 Torino 31 4 7 4 17 15 2 9 5 15 23 -6 34 15 Parma 30 6 5 4 24 20 0 6 9 11 27 -12 29 16 Catania 31 6 5 4 15 11 0 6 10 10 27 -13 29 17 Livorno 31 3 8 5 16 21 3 3 9 13 24 -16 29 18 Cagliari 31 6 4 6 16 17 1 4 10 12 30 -19 29 19 Reggina 31 5 5 6 19 18 0 7 8 8 27 -18 27 20 Empoli 31 4 6 6 15 18 2 2 11 9 27 -21 26
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 5, 2008 11:35:18 GMT
AC Milan have been boosted by the news that Brazilian midfielder Kaka is fit to face relegation-threatened Cagliari on Saturday.
Kaka trained on Friday having fully recovered from a knee injury sustained last month.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti will be relieved to have the South American star back on the team with the Rossoneri having struggled to make an impact without their top scorer.
Sunday's 2-1 defeat at home to Atalanta saw the Rossoneri drop to sixth in the Serie A standings, four points behind Fiorentina, who hold the last Champions League qualifying spot.
Milan have lost three of their last four Serie A encounters and with seven games left to play, club president Silvio Berlusconi will be hoping his players can get their act together.
Berlusconi said: 'I am worried just as all the Rossoneri fans are.
'I want to see a winning Milan side.'
Milan players were booed by the home crowd during last weekend's performance and Emerson believes that despite their poor run of late at the San Siro, where his team have only managed to collect one point in their last three encounters, the players do not deserve such treatment.
'All the players always go out on the pitch trying to give their best,' he said.
'The important thing is to understand where we have gone wrong and try to make sure we don4t make the same mistakes again.'
Rossoneri supporters have reason to be upset considering that they had high expectations this campaign.
Milan won the European Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this season.
However, Ancelotti's side are out of the Scudetto race and were knocked out by Catania in the last 16 of the Coppa Italia before waving goodbye to the Champions League after being eliminated by Arsenal last month.
Failure to qualify to Europe's elite club competition would be a huge blow for the Rossoneri and could put Ancelotti's future at the club into question.
However, Berlusconi has given a vote of confidence to Ancelotti ahead of this weekend4s clash.
'You only change a coach to make an improvement,' said Berlusconi.
'Who could Milan get who is better than Carlo? Carlo is the best choice and he will stay.'
Rivals Cagliari travel to the mainland inspired by their positive run, which has seen them avoid defeat in the past four encounters.
Despite holding title-chasing Roma to a 1-1 home draw last weekend, coach Davide Ballardini, who will serve a touchline ban on Saturday, knows his side will face a battle against the Rossoneri.
'It is the worst possible time to face them,' he said. 'They will be angry and will have much desire to make amends.'
The Rossoblu are currently in 18th place but are level on 29 points with Parma, Catania and Livorno and they will be desperate not to lose ground this weekend.
The hosts will have to do without experienced defender Alessandro Nesta, who serves his first of a two-match ban.
Moreover, right-back Massimo Oddo is unavailable having undergone surgery on his knee on Thursday.
The visitors will have to do without injured defender Paolo Bianco.
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Post by arover on Apr 7, 2008 13:12:11 GMT
Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Inter Milan 32 13 2 1 35 11 8 7 1 24 10 38 72 2 Roma 32 13 2 1 36 17 7 6 3 22 15 26 68 3 Juventus 31 9 4 2 27 7 7 6 3 26 21 25 58 4 Fiorentina 32 10 3 3 29 15 6 5 5 18 17 15 56 5 AC Milan 32 5 7 4 20 15 9 3 4 28 13 20 52 6 Sampdoria 32 9 6 1 29 12 6 1 9 17 25 9 52 7 Udinese 32 8 4 4 27 23 6 5 5 16 17 3 51 8 Genoa 32 7 4 5 20 19 4 5 7 20 27 -6 42 9 Atalanta 32 6 7 3 31 22 4 4 8 15 24 0 41 10 Napoli 32 9 3 4 22 15 2 4 10 19 32 -6 40 11 Lazio 32 8 3 5 24 19 1 9 6 15 22 -2 39 12 Palermo 32 7 6 3 24 19 3 3 10 18 32 -9 39 13 Siena 32 5 8 3 21 14 3 5 8 13 25 -5 37 14 Torino 32 4 7 5 17 16 2 9 5 15 23 -7 34 15 Catania 32 7 5 4 18 11 0 6 10 10 27 -10 32 16 Parma 31 6 6 4 26 22 0 6 9 11 27 -12 30 17 Livorno 32 3 8 5 16 21 3 3 10 13 26 -18 29 18 Empoli 32 4 6 6 15 18 3 2 11 10 27 -20 29 19 Cagliari 32 6 4 6 16 17 1 4 11 13 33 -21 29 20 Reggina 32 5 5 6 19 18 0 7 9 8 29 -20 27
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 8, 2008 14:09:47 GMT
Brazilian forward Ronaldo may use a stint at Flamengo to boost his fitness before returning to Italian side AC Milan.
The three-times World Player of the Year was linked to a permanent move to the Rio de Janeiro club he supported as a child before suffering a career-threatening knee injury in February.
'I have a beautiful relationship with my team (Milan), the doors will always be open for me there, but I have to be up to it,' Ronaldo told Tuesday's La Gazzetta dello Sport.
'The idea is to play in Brazil for a few months, maybe at Flamengo, and if everything goes well, reappear in red and black (of Milan).'
Milan have said they will support Ronaldo through the recovery process, which is expected to take at least seven more months. However, the Serie A side have yet to commit to a renewal of the player's contract, which expires at the end of the season.
Ronaldo said he had a 'huge desire' to return to soccer and that he could not imagine life without it.
'There is still a long way to go. Perhaps it'll be four months before I can start running, but the recovery will be quicker than last time,' he added.
Ronaldo suffered a similar injury in his right knee when playing for Inter Milan in 2000.
The 31-year-old also denied speculation that drugs he was given when playing for Dutch club PSV Eindhoven between 1994 and 1996 may have contributed to injuries later in his career.
'Many talk about anabolic steroids they are said to have given me to grow. None of all this (is true),' he said.
He also stuck up for Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, whom AS Roma's David Pizarro accused of using his skills to mock the Serie A side in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.
The Brazilian said his namesake's moves were not disrespectful to opponents and were aimed at shaking off markers.
'What's more, I'm in favour of joyful football,' he added.
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 11, 2008 1:14:50 GMT
AC Milan look set to face old rivals Juventus (1830 GMT) with a second-string defence in their Serie A match on Saturday.
Kakha Kaladze is suspended while Alessandro Nesta is appealing a two-game ban for his dismissal in the 2-1 defeat by Atalanta two weeks ago. A decision is expected on Friday.
If Nesta loses the appeal, fifth-placed Milan may have to rely on back-up defenders Giuseppe Favalli, Daniele Bonera and Cafu alongside Paolo Maldini. Right back Massimo Oddo recently had knee surgery and left back Marek Jankulovski is injured.
Carlo Ancelotti's side, four points behind fourth-placed Fiorentina, have just six games left to clamber into the final Champions League qualifying spot.
Juventus, two above Fiorentina in third, had their outside hopes of a title challenge ended by a 3-2 defeat at Palermo last weekend.
Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved had to spend the night in a Palermo hospital following a nasty clash of heads, and while he has returned to training he is not a certain starter in Turin.
'I feel better. I'm a little weak, but that's normal,' Nedved told Juventus Channel.
'I'll try to make Saturday's game, even though I'll have to be 100 percent fit to play, otherwise it'll be better if a fitter team mate takes my place.'
In the weekend's other big match, leaders Inter Milan host Fiorentina on Sunday (1830) with top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic again doubtful after recently returning to training after knee trouble.
Champions Inter have a four-point advantage over second-placed AS Roma, who visit Udinese on Sunday (1300).
Roma coach Luciano Spalletti, who previously managed Udinese, is hopeful striker Francesco Totti can recover from a thigh injury.
In the standout game at the bottom, Cagliari visit relegation rivals Livorno with the winner set to leap clear of the drop zone.
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 13, 2008 15:05:46 GMT
Hasan Salihamidzic struck twice to give Juventus a 3-2 win over 10-man AC Milan on Saturday that severely dented the Rossoneri's hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.
Third-placed Juve, who face Parma in a game in hand on Wednesday, are close to sealing a qualifying place for Europe's premier competition in their first season back in the top flight following their match-fixing demotion and subsequent promotion.
Juve are nine points clear of last season's Champions League winners Milan, who are in fifth spot and four points behind Fiorentina having played a game more.
The Florence club, who occupy the final Champions League qualifying place, have six games left and visit leaders Inter Milan on Sunday when second-placed AS Roma travel to Udinese.
'This has complicated the situation of course. We will try (to reach a Champions League spot) just like we have tonight,' Milan boss and former Juve coach Carlo Ancelotti told Sky.
Juve boss Claudio Ranieri was thrilled his side fought back from 2-1 down thanks to rare goals from Bosnian Salihamidzic on halftime and 10 minutes from the end.
'We have been able to play the match we wanted. 3-2, it's been a really great game,' Juve coach Ranieri said.
Milan went into the big match in Turin without suspended defenders Alessandro Nesta and Kakha Kaladze while Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato was injured.
Juve quickly exploited a second string defence when Mauro Camoranesi hurdled a tackle and played in Alessandro Del Piero, who netted his 14th league goal of the campaign from a tight angle on 12 minutes.
Ex-Juve striker Filippo Inzaghi, who like Del Piero looks poised to miss out on Italy's Euro 2008 squad, soon levelled with a trademark poacher's goal from Kaka's cross from the left.
With all the talk about Ronaldinho's likely arrival at Milan, the 34-year-old Inzaghi showed his worth with a second on half an hour when he sidefooted in after Daniele Bonera had squared the ball following Massimo Ambrosini's clever chip.
Juve, who lost 3-2 at Palermo last weekend, made it 2-2 just before the break when Paolo Maldini gave the ball away and Camoranesi crossed for David Trezeguet, whose header was blocked by keeper Zeljko Kalac only for winger Salihamidizic to score.
The second half failed to match the liveliness of the first before Milan defender Bonera slipped and planted his studs on Mohamed Sissoko's shin and received a straight red card.
Camoranesi then made sure he set up all three Juve goals when his free kick was nodded in unmarked by Salihamidzic.
Earlier on Saturday in the Sicilian derby, Fabrizio Miccoli bent in a free kick five minutes from time to hand Palermo a 1-0 home win and leave Catania three points above the drop zone.
The visitors, in Walter Zenga's second game in charge, had the better of the first half with striker Gionatha Spinesi stabbing over but mid-table Palermo gradually improved.
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Post by arover on Apr 14, 2008 11:32:08 GMT
Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Inter Milan 33 14 2 1 37 11 8 7 1 24 10 40 75 2 Roma 33 13 2 1 36 17 8 6 3 25 16 28 71 3 Juventus 32 10 4 2 30 9 7 6 3 26 21 26 61 4 Fiorentina 33 10 3 3 29 15 6 5 6 18 19 13 56 5 AC Milan 33 5 7 4 20 15 9 3 5 30 16 19 52 6 Sampdoria 33 9 6 1 29 12 6 1 10 17 26 8 52 7 Udinese 33 8 4 5 28 26 6 5 5 16 17 1 51 8 Genoa 33 8 4 5 23 19 4 5 7 20 27 -3 45 9 Napoli 33 10 3 4 24 15 2 4 10 19 32 -4 43 10 Palermo 33 8 6 3 25 19 3 3 10 18 32 -8 42 11 Atalanta 33 6 7 3 31 22 4 4 9 15 26 -2 41 12 Lazio 33 8 4 5 25 20 1 9 6 15 22 -2 40 13 Siena 33 5 8 3 21 14 3 6 8 14 26 -5 38 14 Torino 33 4 7 5 17 16 2 9 6 15 26 -10 34 15 Catania 33 7 5 4 18 11 0 6 11 10 28 -11 32 16 Cagliari 33 6 4 6 16 17 2 4 11 15 34 -20 32 17 Parma 32 6 6 4 26 22 0 7 9 12 28 -12 31 18 Reggina 33 6 5 6 20 18 0 7 9 8 29 -19 30 19 Empoli 33 4 7 6 16 19 3 2 11 10 27 -20 30 20 Livorno 33 3 8 6 17 23 3 3 10 13 26 -19 29
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 17, 2008 10:57:57 GMT
Juventus all but booked a place in next season's Champions League qualifiers thanks to a 3-0 win over Serie A strugglers Parma on Wednesday.
David Trezeguet appeared offside when he tapped the ball in on 16 minutes after Mauro Camoranesi's header hit the post.
Winger Raffaele Palladino made sure Juve took full advantage of their game in hand when he buried the second on the half hour and Stefano Morrone's own goal made it three before Parma defender Fernando Couto was sent off for protesting.
Third-placed Juve have 64 points, 12 ahead of AC Milan in fifth with five matches to play. Claudio Ranieri's side are seven behind second-placed AS Roma, who occupy an automatic Champions League spot.
Positions three and four earn a place in the Champions League qualifiers. A place in Europe's premier competition would be a good achievement for Juve in their first season back in the top flight following demotion for match-fixing in 2006.
Hector Cuper's Parma, who were saved from relegation last season by then-coach Ranieri, are one point and one place above the drop zone.
The original game was postponed last month when a Parma fan was knocked down and killed by a Juve supporters' coach on the way to the match.
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 19, 2008 4:22:31 GMT
AS Roma's top shareholder Italpetroli held talks with a representative of a potential investor on Thursday, but a sale of the Italian soccer club is not imminent, Italpetroli said on Friday.
The statement did not name the potential investor and said that no agreement was reached.
'No sale proceedings have begun,' the statement added.
Media reports on Friday said representatives of billionaire financier George Soros had met club officials. Soros told reporters on Thursday he had no comment on whether he was interested in Roma.
Roma are second in the Italian soccer league and are four points behind leaders Inter Milan with five games remaining in the chase for the championship.
Manchester United knocked Roma out of the lucrative European Champions League earlier this month, but Roma will almost certainly be back in the competition next season.
Several English soccer clubs have been bought by foreign investors in recent years because of the commercial strength of the English Premier League across the world.
In contrast, there has been little interest in clubs in the rest of Europe though several parties are interested in buying Roma, media reports have said.
Roma have only a small fan base outside Italy, but analysts say investors in soccer clubs are not always looking for profit and instead enjoy the ups and downs of owning a sports team.
Italian businessman Pierluigi Toti categorically denied on Friday he wanted to take over the club.
Italpetroli, linked to the Sensi family, which runs Roma, said in November it had been informed by a third party of possible interest from an unnamed U.S. investor.
Tom Hicks, American co-owner of English club Liverpool, denied he was interested in Roma after the Italian media speculated that the statement referred to him.
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 20, 2008 17:43:57 GMT
Kaka netted a hat-trick to help AC Milan keep their Champions League qualification hopes alive with a 5-1 win over relegation-threatened Reggina on Sunday.
Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero also scored three in a 4-0 victory at Atalanta, which means third-placed Juve are almost assured of a Champions League qualifying place.
Milan in fifth cannot overhaul Juve with four games left but sixth-placed Sampdoria theoretically can after a 3-0 win at home to UEFA Cup hopefuls Udinese.
Fiorentina, in the fourth and final Champions League spot, are four ahead of Milan and Samp after beating Palermo 1-0 on Saturday. Leaders Inter Milan were away to Torino later.
At the other end, Cagliari had two sent off but moved further from the drop zone with a 2-0 win over lowly Empoli. Strugglers Catania beat nine-man Lazio 1-0 but Parma had three dismissed in a 2-1 defeat by Napoli and remain in trouble.
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Post by arover on Apr 21, 2008 11:42:50 GMT
| Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Inter Milan 34 14 2 1 37 11 9 7 1 25 10 41 78 2 Roma 34 13 3 1 37 18 8 6 3 25 16 28 72 3 Juventus 34 11 4 2 33 9 8 6 3 30 21 33 67 4 Fiorentina 34 11 3 3 30 15 6 5 6 18 19 14 59 5 AC Milan 34 6 7 4 25 16 9 3 5 30 16 23 55 6 Sampdoria 34 10 6 1 32 12 6 1 10 17 26 11 55 7 Udinese 34 8 4 5 28 26 6 5 6 16 20 -2 51 8 Genoa 34 8 4 5 23 19 5 5 7 21 29 -4 48 9 Napoli 34 10 3 4 24 15 3 4 10 21 33 -3 46 10 Palermo 34 8 6 3 25 19 3 3 11 18 33 -9 42 11 Atalanta 34 6 7 4 31 26 4 4 9 15 26 -6 41 12 Lazio 34 8 4 5 25 20 1 9 7 15 23 -3 40 13 Siena 34 5 8 4 21 15 3 6 8 14 26 -6 38 14 Catania 34 8 5 4 19 11 0 6 11 10 28 -10 35 15 Cagliari 34 7 4 6 18 17 2 4 11 15 34 -18 35 16 Torino 34 4 7 6 17 17 2 9 6 15 26 -11 34 17 Parma 34 6 6 5 27 24 0 7 10 12 31 -16 31 18 Livorno 34 3 8 6 17 23 3 4 10 14 27 -19 30 19 Empoli 34 4 7 6 16 19 3 2 12 10 29 -22 30 20 Reggina 34 6 5 6 20 18 0 7 10 9 34 -23 30
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 27, 2008 22:54:42 GMT
Inter Milan will retain their title if they defeat AC Milan in next weekend's derby after the Serie A leaders beat Cagliari 2-1 on Sunday.
Julio Cruz claimed the first goal although the ball seemed to come off Cagliari defender Paolo Bianco's shoulder last, but there was no doubt about Marco Materazzi's towering header in the second half.
Cagliari, who have hauled themselves away from the relegation zone in recent weeks, had several chances and deserved Davide Biondini's deflected goal in injury time.
'It changes nothing, it is just important to win. It doesn't matter much,' coach Roberto Mancini told Sky when asked about the prospect of winning the scudetto against Milan.
'We created lots of chances but it was a dangerous game.'
Second-placed AS Roma, six points behind Inter with three games left but with a worse head-to-head record, made sure the title race would continue for another weekend by thrashing struggling Torino 4-1 at home.
David Pizarro's penalty, Mirko Vucinic's finish from a tight angle and a double from Mancini gave Roma a healthy first half lead before Nicola Ventola pulled one back for Torino, now just a point above the drop zone.
Fifth-placed Milan still have a lot to play for against Inter next Sunday after Filippo Inzaghi scored a hat-trick and Clarence Seedorf added the gloss in a 4-1 win at bottom side Livorno, who are beginning to look doomed.
Daniele Gastaldello's header deep into stoppage time gave Sampdoria a 2-2 draw at fourth-placed Fiorentina and means Milan are just two points behind the Florence club in the race for the final Champions League qualifying spot.
Fiorentina thought they had taken the three points when Adrian Mutu slotted in a penalty five minutes from time after the Romanian went down in the area, with replays inconclusive over whether he was clipped.
Christian Vieri had earlier brought the hosts level after Christian Maggio had coolly opened the scoring for Samp, who stay four points behind Fiorentina.
Juventus, in third, secured their berth in the Champions League qualifiers with a 5-2 win over Lazio. Defender Giorgio Chiellini scored twice while David Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero both netted in their personal battle to be Serie A top scorer with 19 and 18 goals respectively.
Francesco Cozza also bagged a brace as Reggina came from behind to beat 10-man Parma 2-1 in the big game at the bottom. Defender Massimo Paci was sent off in the 55th minute.
Reggina remain in the bottom three, two points above Parma and three clear of Livorno, after Ignazio Abate's neat finish in a 1-0 win at Genoa kept Empoli just outside the drop zone.
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Post by arover on Apr 28, 2008 14:13:24 GMT
Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Inter Milan 35 15 2 1 39 12 9 7 1 25 10 42 81 2 Roma 35 14 3 1 41 19 8 6 3 25 16 31 75 3 Juventus 35 12 4 2 38 11 8 6 3 30 21 36 70 4 Fiorentina 35 11 4 3 32 17 6 5 6 18 19 14 60 5 AC Milan 35 6 7 4 25 16 10 3 5 34 17 26 58 6 Sampdoria 35 10 6 1 32 12 6 2 10 19 28 11 56 7 Udinese 35 9 4 5 30 27 6 5 6 16 20 -1 54 8 Genoa 35 8 4 6 23 20 5 5 7 21 29 -5 48 9 Napoli 35 10 4 4 24 15 3 4 10 21 33 -3 47 10 Palermo 35 8 7 3 25 19 3 3 11 18 33 -9 43 11 Atalanta 35 6 7 4 31 26 4 5 9 15 26 -6 42 12 Lazio 35 8 4 5 25 20 1 9 8 17 28 -6 40 13 Siena 35 5 8 4 21 15 3 7 8 14 26 -6 39 14 Catania 35 8 5 4 19 11 0 6 12 11 30 -11 35 15 Cagliari 35 7 4 6 18 17 2 4 12 16 36 -19 35 16 Torino 35 4 7 6 17 17 2 9 7 16 30 -14 34 17 Empoli 35 4 7 6 16 19 4 2 12 11 29 -21 33 18 Reggina 35 7 5 6 22 19 0 7 10 9 34 -22 33 19 Parma 35 6 6 5 27 24 0 7 11 13 33 -17 31 20 Livorno 35 3 8 7 18 27 3 4 10 14 27 -22 30
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Post by Bismarck on May 3, 2008 19:56:27 GMT
Inter Milan will retain their Serie A title if they beat a hungry AC Milan on Sunday in what has been billed as one of the most important city derbies ever. Milan, in fifth, are desperate for three points to aid their bid to overhaul fourth-placed Fiorentina, who visit strugglers Cagliari on Sunday. They are two points above Milan in the final Champions League qualifying place with three games left. 'Sunday will be something special, past derbies I've played in don't compare, England included,' Inter and former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira told Thursday's Gazzetta dello Sport.
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Post by Bismarck on Jun 13, 2008 0:22:17 GMT
Serie A clubs Genoa, Udinese and Reggina have been charged with falsifying accounts so they could meet financial requirements to register for past championships, the Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) said on Thursday.
The chief executives of all three clubs have also been charged along with three senior directors, FIGC said on its website.
Genoa president Enrico Preziosi and Udinese chief executive Franco Soldati are accused of "stipulating contracts for rights to player services with far higher values that those really attributable to those rights".
The FIGC prosecutor said the player values were inflated to enable the two clubs to meet the financial stipulations needed to register for the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 seasons.
Reggina president Pasquale Foti has been charged with inflating transfer fees so the southern Italian outfit could register for the 2005/2006 Serie A season.
Serie A champions Inter Milan and seven-times European champions AC Milan were charged over a similar case in February even though criminal charges against them have been dropped.
A decision on the Inter and Milan cases is expected shortly from an FIGC tribunal.
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Post by Bismarck on Aug 12, 2008 14:41:44 GMT
Roma coach Luciano Spalletti has confirmed that the Serie A club are hoping to sign Julio Baptista from Real Madrid.
Baptista, nicknamed 'The Beast', is expected to leave the Bernabeu this summer and his agent has admitted he would welcome a permament transfer to Roma.
Spalletti sees the powerful international as an 'ideal' player, but insisted he had other options if the move failed to materialise.
Spalletti said: 'It is true that we are in talks for Baptista, but in a relaxed atmosphere.
'He has great potential and is ideal for our situation, but I don't want to create tensions within the club.
'Baptista can occupy several different roles. He has played as a centre-forward and a midfielder in front of the defence.
'He can easily settle in to the team and is suited to our style of play, the philosophy of our squad. But there are other players, because we have to be ready.'
Sneijder out for 3 months, Robinho pretty keen to head to Chelsea. Would love for Baptista to stay. Strong in the air and capable of taking free kicks..
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Post by stealth1039 on Aug 12, 2008 16:51:42 GMT
After Sunday's performance I think Roma's need is probably greater ;D
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