Lazio Keen to Exorcise Juventus Ghost
By Chris Endean
ROME, Nov 26 (Reuters) League leaders Lazio will start Sunday's top of the table clash with second-placed Juventus eager to exorcise the ghosts of two successive defeats to the Turin side at the Olympic stadium.
After 10 matches, both sides are level on 21-points but last Sunday's humiliating 4-1 defeat to local rivals AS Roma suggests Lazio's recent Serie A history is coming back to haunt their current title challenge.
Last April Lazio also faced Juve seven days after losing 3-1 to Roma and another 3-1 defeat started the slump which let Milan steal the league title on the last day of the season.
Two seasons ago, Lazio were pushing for the title after a 24-match unbeaten run when top of the table Juve visited the Olympic stadium. Filippo Inzaghi's late winner for the visitors settled the match and, ultimately, the championship.
Both sides have warmed-up for Sunday's clash with morale-boosting European victories. In the Champions League, Lazio became the first Italian side to win at Marseille, while Juventus left Athens with a 3-1 victory over Olympiakos.
Yugoslav Dejan Stankovic's impressive performance in France looks like earning him an automatic start in midfield at the expense of Pavel Nedved while Sebastian Veron returns for Roberto Mancini.
Juve have injury doubts over Dutch goalkeeper Erwin Van Der Sar and Zinedine Zidane.
Other matches this weekend (1400 GMT Sunday unless stated):
PIACENZA v VERONA
Piacenza, who have never lost at home to Verona, meet their fellow strugglers on Saturday (1400 GMT). The visitors, who lost to nine-man Torino last week and have not won in four matches, are at full-strength with former Brazilian youth star Adailton still looking for his first goal in nine starts.
BOLOGNA v FIORENTINA
Fiorentina, who on Tuesday became the first European side in four years to beat Manchester United by two clear goals, travel to the DallAra on Saturday (1930 GMT) looking for their first away win in 10 months. Giovanni Trapattoni's side have Angelo Di Livio and Enrico Chiesa injured but their opponents, beaten for the first time in six matches last week, will be without midfielders Ze Elias (suspended) and Giancarlo Marocchi (injured).
CAGLIARI v BARI
Still without a win this season, bottom-of the-table Cagliari defend a 42-year unbeaten home record against Bari. The visitors will give former Foggia and Lazio goalkeeper Francesco Mancini his 200th start in Serie A; Baris South African striker Phil Masinga is absent on international duty.
LECCE v VENEZIA
Venezia's new manager Giuseppe Materazzi can expect a hostile reception in Lecce: from 1992-96, he coached local rivals Bari. The Venetians welcome back midfielder Sergio Volpi after a two-month absence with injury as well as defender Emanuele Brioschi. They have not won at Lecce since 1931.
AC MILAN v PARMA
Milan, whose 3-1 defeat at Juventus last Sunday was their first in Serie A since February, return to the comfort of the San Siro where they have not lost in 14 months. But Parma have taken 16-points from their last six matches.
REGGINA v INTER MILAN
Ronaldo may be out until February but Christian Vieri, recovered from an ankle injury, returns for his first match in over a month as Inter look to improve on their poor goal-scoring record away from the San Siro: one goal in four starts. Reggina, who have lost twice to Inter in the Italian Cup but never met the Milan side in the league, hope to have Italy Under-21 star Andrea Pirlo back from injury to face his former club.
TORINO v PERUGIA
Torino have not won this fixture since 1981 and are still smarting from their last defeat, a 1998 promotion play-off in Serie B which Perugia won on penalties. But suspensions and injuries threaten the home side's chances of revenge: strikers Marco Ferrante, Edoardo Artistico and Andrea Silenzi are all unavailable, as well as midfielders Fabio Pecchia and Alessio Scarchilli.
UDINESE v AS ROMA
After Thursday's narrow UEFA Cup win over Newcastle, Roma travel to Udine wondering what became of their form in last Sunday's humiliation of Lazio. The visitors have lost this fixture for the last three seasons, but have yet to lose away from the Olympic stadium, scoring 12 goals in five starts. Brazilian defender Antonio Zago starts a three-match suspension for spitting at an opponent in the Rome derby. Udinese are missing four first-team players.
