Preview: Perugia Running on Empty
Saturday 20th January 2001
Perugia go into Sunday's encounter against Juventus with an under-strength
side after suspensions and injuries have decimated Serse Cosmi's team for a
fixture with unhappy memories for the Turin giants.
Cosmi will definitely be without David Baiocco and Fabio Liverani after
their sendings off against Brescia at the weekend - and there are also
doubts over the fitness of Luca Tedesco, Giovanni Saudati and Sean Sogliano.
Tedesco was injured during last Saturday's surprise defeat by Carlo
Mazzone's men, Sogliano has been out for two weeks and Saudati picked up a
knock in the recent match with Udinese.
Juventus, meanwhile, are aiming to show they can beat Perugia - no matter
who is in charge of the match.
Striker Filippo Inzaghi has said that the choice of Pierluigi Collina to
referee the clash will not affect his side - despite the controversy
surrounding the same fixture last season when Collina stopped the title
decider for 80 minutes because of rain.
Juventus needed victory against Perugia on the final day of last season to
win the scudetto but their hopes floundered in the torrential rain.
Collina delayed the restart for 80 minutes because of a waterlogged pitch
and when the teams did finally come out Alessandro Calori fired in the only
goal of the game to deny Juve the title.
"Nothing will change. Whether Collina is the referee or someone else, it
will be a normal match," Inzaghi , who could be left on the bench in favour
of Alessandro Del Piero, said.
"I accept what happened and I respect Collina for that decision to play on,
even if it did mean the end of our championship hopes.
"He will referee this match with the same focus as we will play with. We
have to concentrate just on this match and not the championship."
Perugia goalkeeper Andre Mazzantini was happy to take a less serious line on
the Collina affair. "I hope that it rains again," said the stopper. "Then we
will have exactly the same conditions as last year because we have the same
referee too."
Perugia (probable): Mazzantini, Rivalta, Materazzi, Di Loreto, Ze Maria,
Blasi, Milanese, Goretti, Pieri, Vryzas, Tatti
Juventus (probable):Van der Sar, Paramatti, Iuliano, Montero, Pessotto,
Zambrotta, O'Neill, Davids, Zidane, F Inzaghi or Del Piero, Trezeguet
