Lazio, Juventus Dual For Title
Copyright � 2000 Nando Media
Copyright � 2000 Agence France-Presse
PARIS (January 13, 2000 7:42 p.m. EST http://www.sportserver.com) - In Italy, Lazio and Juventus will kickoff on Sunday with one of them destined to win an unofficial league title by the end of the day.
Lazio defends a one-point lead over Juventus against Reggina and a victory would see it crowned Italy's 'winter champions.'
The distinction goes to the team which is top of Serie A at the halfway stage of the season.
It may only be a 'virtual' trophy, but nine of the last 11 winter champions have gone on to win the real thing.
Lazio lost to Juventus in an Italian Cup quarterfinal on Thursday night, but coming back from 3-0 down to 3-2 in Turin was no easy feat.
And it shouldn't need much fighting spirit against Reggina, who is just two points above the relegation zone.
Juventus hosts a Perugia side which has conceded eight goals and scored none in its two games since the New Year, perhaps disturbed by the imminent departure to Roma of Japanese ace Hidetoshi Nakata.
The Turin club is unbeaten at home this season and has by far the best defensive record in Serie A, conceding eight goals in 16 matches.
Parma, which has a mathematical but totally unrealistic chance of going top, visits Lecce.
The southerners must muzzle Parma's Argentinian striker Hernan Crespo, the Serie A's top marksman with a dozen goals.
AS Roma must pick itself up after an embarassing 1-0 Cup defeat at home to bottom club Cagliari when it takes on Verona.
Playmaker Francesco Totti missed a penalty on Wednesday, but striker Vincenzo Montella bids to continue his freescoring form.
Inter and AC Milan have quite different tasks with Marcello Lippi's men hosting Cagliari, knowing victory is a must.
However, its $50 million center-forward, Christian Vieri, is
suspended.
AC Milan has a much trickier game away to Udinese, the club where Milan coach Alberto Zaccheroni and striker Oliver Bierhoff were both heroes until they moved west in 1998.
Bierhoff has scored eight times this season, but 10-goal Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko, who equalized twice against Inter on Wednesday, is on even better form.
