PLAY THE ADVANTAGE

Serie A is still trailing Premier League by a week or two, but all of the fun has been sucked out of it by Juventus (ain’t that always the way).

Anti-climax aside, there are still a couple of interesting matches this weekend, including Inter v. Lazio, featuring Davide Massa (above) and, of course, the always-lively Roma v. Juventus, handled by Carmine Russo.

In World Cup Ref Watch, Nicola Rizzoli has Atalanta v. Milan. Interestingly, his World Cup team – Andrea Stefani (who’s been nursing a nagging injury) and Renato Faverani – are working with Gianluca Rocchi in Bologna this weekend and not Rizzoli.

I point this out, because there was a recent article in the British press with Keith Hackett slating the FA for a perceived lack of support for Howard Webb. He based his concern partly on the fact that Webb has had little time with his Brazil team: Darren Cann and Mike Mullarkey. Yet Rizzoli only rarely has both of his ARs with him at any given time, and they seem to do just fine…

Saturday

H. VERONA – UDINESE
TOMMASI
TEGONI – LA ROCCA
IV: IANNELLO
ADD1: ORSATO
ADD2: MARESCA

INTER – LAZIO
MASSA
MARZALONI – CARIOLATO
IV: LIBERTI
ADD1: BERGONZI
ADD2: DE MARCO

Sunday
ATALANTA – MILAN
RIZZOLI
GHIANDAI – DI FIORE
IV: DE LUCA
ADD1: BARACANI
ADD2: MERCHIORI

BOLOGNA – CATANIA
ROCCHI
STEFANI – FAVERANI
IV: NICOLETTI
ADD1: TAGLIAVENTO
ADD2: VALERI

CAGLIARI – CHIEVO
DOVERI
POSADO – TONOLINI
IV: GIACHERO
ADD1: GUIDA
ADD2: DI PAOLO

LIVORNO – FIORENTINA
GIACOMELLI
DE PINTO – PETRELLA
IV: MELI
ADD1: PERUZZO
ADD2: LA PENNA

ROMA – JUVENTUS
RUSSO
COSTANZO – PASSERI
IV: GRILLI
ADD1: CALVARESE
ADD2: DI BELLO

SAMPDORIA – NAPOLI
CHIFFI
GAVA – MUSOLINO
IV: IORI
ADD1: BANTI
ADD2: MANGANIELLO

SASSUOLO – GENOA
GERVASONI
MARRAZZO – PRETI
IV: STALLONE
ADD1: CELI
ADD2: MARIANI

TORINO – PARMA
DAMATO
DI LIBERATORE – PADOVAN
IV: BIANCHI
ADD1: MAZZOLENI
ADD2: IRRATI