No Roman Holiday for Juventus
Copyright � 1999 Nando Media
Copyright � 1999 Agence France-Presse
PARIS (October 14, 1999 8:39 p.m. EDT http://www.sportserver.com) - Underachieving Juventus knows it is in for a rough ride when it visits high-flying Roma this weekend in Italy's Serie A, while in Spain Barcelona knows any slip-up could let unheralded Rayo Vallecano go to the summit of the Primera Liga.
In France, Auxerre goes into its home clash with Bastia at the top of the first division, while Borussia Dortmund and Hamburg are making the pace in Germany, despite hiccups in the Cup this week.
AS Roma is looking to cut Juventus down to size when Fabio Capello's men walk out for the most appetizing fixture in Serie A.
The Olympic stadium hosted one of the best matches ever seen in Italy two weeks ago, when Lazio drew 4-4 with AC Milan, and there should be another thriller there on Sunday night.
Roma is joint second on points with Lazio, and team morale is high, while Juventus' problem is all psychological.
Alessandro Del Piero and Zinedine Zidane still haven't overcome the effects of a prolonged recovery from surgery, while Filippo Inzaghi is firing blanks.
Despite all the warning signals, coach Carlo Ancelotti insisted: "This match against Roma comes at just the right time. We need to play a top-level side."
Marcello Lippi's Inter Milan is away to Venezia and ought to take all three points. Ronaldo is on the mend, and strike partner Christian Vieri should play despite an injured foot.
If Lazio has to settle for a point away to Udinese on Saturday, Inter stands to double its lead over the two Rome clubs.
Reigning champion AC Milan hosts Cagliari at San Siro on Sunday, while Saturday night's match pitches two of the seven pre-season tips for the league title - Fiorentina and Parma - both of whom are struggling.
