Reggina to Open Against Juve
ROME -- Small-town Reggina starts its first-ever season in Serie A with a baptism of fire on Sunday -- a trip to 25-time champion Juventus.
Reggina, from the town of Reggio Calabria on the toe of boot-shaped Italy, has spent 85 years in the lower divisions and has never won a major trophy.
Juventus, on the other hand, has won more league titles than any other club in the country and is one of only two teams to spend its entire history in the first division.
Juve has been impressive in its fruitful Intertoto Cup campaign over the past month, and won 1-0 at defending champions AC Milan in a highly competitive preseason friendly.
Zinedine Zidane is likely to start after coming through Tuesday's trip to French side Rennes with no repercussions from a recent cartilage operation.
Alessandro Del Piero created both Juventus goals in that match and will play his first Serie A match in 10 months against the Calabrians. He will partner Filippo Inzaghi, one of the shining lights of Juve's close-season matches.
The two sides have never played each other before in a competitive match.
Eight other Serie A games will be played this weekend as the new season kicks off. Here's a look at the other matches:
Bologna vs. Torino
Saturday: Two of the former giants of Italian football start the Serie A ball rolling. Both sides have won seven titles but Bologna's last triumph was in 1964 while Torino's golden age was the immediate post-war era when the club won four consecutive "scudetti."
Bologna has lost some key players since its march to last season's UEFA Cup semifinals, but also has picked up former Italy goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca and young striker Nicola Ventola from Inter since then. Torino, back in the top flight after a three-year absence, look to Marco Ferrante, top scorer in Serie B last season with 27 goals.
Inter Milan vs. Verona
Sunday: Inter has spent an estimated 196 billion lire ($105.5 million), more than any other Italian club, to strengthen its squad after a disastrous 1998-99 season. The club should therefore start its season with a comfortable victory over 1985 champions Verona, back in the first division for the first time since 1997.
The world's most expensive player, Christian Vieri, teams up with Brazilian Ronaldo for the first time in a competitive match. New coach Marcello Lippi is without injured midfielder Vladimir Jugovic.
Lazio vs. Cagliari
Monday: Lazio return from its European Supercup tie with Manchester United for a match against Cagliari, the club that denied Lazio a place in Italian soccer history last season. Then, Lazio was held to a draw in Sardinia when it was seeking a record-tying 10th consecutive Serie A victory.
Injuries mean Lazio is without key Yugoslav center back Sinisa Mihajlovic and Nestor Sensini of Argentina. Uruguayan Oscar Tabarez, named as Cagliari coach in the close season, returns to Serie A for the first time since he was sacked by AC Milan in 1996.
Perugia vs. Parma
Sunday: Parma seeks to put behind it the disappointment of Wednesday night's failure to qualify for the European Champions League. Italy center back Fabio Cannavaro, suspended for the second-leg match against Scotland's Rangers, is back in the side and coach Alberto Malesani is likely to push left-sided defender Michele Serena into his starting 11.
Perugia, with Marco Materazzi and Angelo Pagotto suspended, will rely on the midfield creativity of Japan's Hidetoshi Nakata and the motivation of former Bologna coach Carlo Mazzone.
Piacenza vs. AS Roma
Sunday: Fabio Capello makes his league debut as coach of AS Roma, which is likely to give Brazilian midfielder Assuncao his first Serie A outing behind a three-man attack of Francesco Totti, Marco Delvecchio and new signing Vincenzo Montela.
Humble Piacenza, with 40-year-old Pietro Vierchowod in the defense starting his 21st season in Serie A, proved something of a bogey side for Roma last season, forcing a draw at the Olympic Stadium and winning 2-0 in the return match before going on to survive relegation on the last day of the season.
Fiorentina vs. Bari
Sunday: Argentine ace Gabriel Batistuta is recovering well from a knee injury picked up in Fiorentina's Champions League first-leg defeat of Poland's Widzew Lodz, but faces a late fitness test. Defender Pasquale Padalino is doubtful (bruised foot). Former Italy defender Moreno Torricelli is sidelined long term.
Fiorentina has been among the more impressive Italian sides in preseason fixtures. They will be seeking revenge against Bari, which scored a late equalizer in their last clash in Florence last April to snuff out Fiorentina's last hope of the league title.
Lecce vs. AC Milan
Sunday: Defending champions AC Milan are reeling from injuries to captain Paolo Maldini and Croatian midfielder Zvonimir Boban, who will both miss the trip south. Striker George Weah is also doubtful (swollen left knee) but Ukraine's Andriy Shevchenko (thigh) should start.
Lecce is back in the top flight after a season's absence. The last time the club was in Serie A it beat Milan at the San Siro and drew with them at home.
Venezia vs. Udinese
Sunday: UEFA Cup contenders Udinese are without Nigerian defender Mohammed Gargo (international duty) for this northeastern derby. Roberto Muzzi makes his club debut and faces the difficult task of replacing Brazil's Amoroso, leading scorer in Serie A last season before his departure to Parma.
Venezia, with former Sampdoria coach Luciano Spalletti at the helm, had the better of last season's head-to-heads, winning one and drawing the other. The club is bolstered by new Japanese signing Hiroshi Nanami.
