Juve And Parma Look To Seal Cup Final Spots
MILAN, Feb 5 (AFP) - Barring unforeseen circumstances Juventus and Parma should book their places in the Italian Cup Final this week as they defend what look to be winning positions in their semi-final second leg matches with AC Milan and Brescia respectively.
Juve, still on course for a treble of Serie A, Italian Cup and Champions League, are favourites to progress in Wednesday's semi when they defend a 2-1 lead against AC Milan at the Stadio Delle Alpi.
Throughout the Cup competition Juve have fielded their reserve players but the pairing of Nicola Amoruso and Uruguayan Marcelo Zalayeta have proved as prolific in Italy's lesser competition as first-choices Alessandro Del Piero and Frenchman David Trezeguet have in Serie A.
But it was substitute Del Piero's late goal in the San Siro in the first leg that gave Juve the advantage and they must fancy their chances of progressing against a Milan side that has looked demoralised in recent weeks and has not won since the 1-0 defeat of Lecce on January 6.
Parma, who on Thursday face Brescia for the third time in a week, are looking home and dry already as they take a 2-0 lead to Brescia's run-down Stadio Mario Rigamonti.
If any club is entitled to feel cursed at the moment it is Brescia who have tumbled deep into relegation trouble after a series of misfortunes.
Their two key players Josep Guardiola and Roberto Baggio have been sidelined, the Spaniard by a four-month ban for doping and the Italian by the injury that will keep him out of the World Cup.
But those two blows pale into insignificance when compared to the car crash that killed defender Vittorio Mero.
Carlo Mazzone, at 64, the oldest coach in Serie A has never won a major prize in his 34 years on the touchline and this year's Cup looks like eluding him too with the first two installments of the Brescia-Parma trilogy finishing 2-0 and 4-1 to Parma.
Parma, under the new regime of director of football Arrigo Sacchi and coach Gedeone Carmignani, have started to climb out of the relegation zone and know that Europe beckons if they progress as their final opponents are already likely to qualify for the Champions League.
Fixtures
Wednesday: Juventus (2) v AC Milan (1) (19:45 GMT)
Thursday: Brescia (0) v Parma (2) (20:00 GMT)
