It's Do-Or-Die Time For Juve
Copyright � 2000 Nando Media
Copyright � 2000 Agence France-Presse
MILAN (May 4, 2000 8:46 p.m. EDT http://www.sportserver.com) - Juventus fans will find out just how badly their team wants to be champion this weekend, when they flock to the Delle Alpi stadium in Turin to watch the Zebras take on Parma.
Juventus' seemingly unassailable 9-point lead of late March is now down to just two points over Lazio, with one match left to play after Sunday.
Lazio, meanwhile, needs a victory at Bologna and a helping hand from Parma if it is to take full advantage of Juventus' sudden attack of the wobbles.
After losing only once all season, Juventus has been beaten in three of its last six games - the most bruising being last Sunday's against lowly Verona.
Now it faces a Parma side that must win if it wants to stay in the running for a slot in the preliminary rounds of the lucrative Champions League.
Juventus skipper Antonio Conte has no doubts about the outcome.
"Before the match, I'm going to tell my teammates that there is only one possible result - victory," he said.
"We're two points in front and if we win both our last two matches, as we are quite capable of doing, then there's nothing anyone can do to stop us."
Juventus outplayed Parma when they met earlier in the season, but had to settle for a 1-1 draw when Hernan Crespo, the Serie A's second-leading scorer, waltzed through the Juve defense and rifled home a tightly angled equalizer in the 90th minute.
"We have to play as well as we did in the away leg, which we completely dominated and should have finished off when we had the chance," said Conte.
"And anyway, who's to say that Lazio are going to win at Bologna? We could wrap everything up on Sunday."
To achieve that, striker Filippo Inzaghi could do with rediscovering his scoring touch. Though "SuperPippo" has bagged 26 goals this season between cup and league, he hasn't scored for the last seven Serie A matches - a personal record.
Strike partner Alessandro Del Piero hasn't scored in open play since October 1998, although he has converted all eight penalties he has taken this season.
The form of France's Zinedine Zidane will also be crucial, but at least coach Carlo Ancelotti has no injury or suspension worries.
Parma will be looking to Portugal's Paulo Sousa for a similar service to Zidane, playing behind Crespo and Brazilian striker Marcio Amoroso, the Serie A's top scorer last season with Udinese.
Parma had been shooting up the table before two consecutive 0-0 draws dropped it to fifth place, though level on 55 points with Inter Milan.
Coach Alberto Malesani said: "Juve risk suffering the same upset as Lazio did last season, when they seemed to have the championship completely under control and then lost it at the very end, when nobody expected it.
"But we too could suffer an upset if we missed out on the Champions League after what I think is an extraordinary comeback. In other words, there are handicaps for both sides on Sunday.
"Two things will be important for us, keeping our nerve and playing well in the opening minutes - because they can be decisive."
Lazio coach Sven Goran Eriksson would dearly love to see his team score in the opening minutes in Bologna.
Club president Sergio Cragnotti said: "Lazio are very concentrated and utterly convinced of their abilities. We will win at Bologna, even though it will be very difficult. I know that the lads really want to."
As for his team's chances, he said: "Eriksson and I believed we could still do it when we were nine points behind, so you can imagine how much faith we have now.
"I'm betting on Lazio," he said. "Juventus ought to be frightened."
Though the spotlight will be on the Serie A title, Parma is among four teams hoping for one of two tickets to the Champions League preliminaries.
Current favorites are reigning champion AC Milan, which is third on 57 points and faces rivals AS Roma (52) in a crunch match at the Olympic stadium.
Roma, whose coach Fabio Capello guided Milan to four league titles and the European Cup from 1991-1996, must win to have any chance of reaching Europe's top competition.
Inter, still without injured striker Christian Vieri, is at home to Gabriel Batistuta's Fiorentina.
SERIE A FIXTURES ON SUNDAY (ALL AT 1300 GMT)
Bologna vs. Lazio, Inter Milan vs. Fiorentina, Juventus vs. Parma, Lecce vs. Torino, Piacenza vs. Cagliari, Reggina vs. Verona, AS Roma vs. AC Milan, Udinese vs. Perugia, Venezia vs. Bari
