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13/11/10

Inter Milan vs AC Milan Preview

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is fired up to face his former club Inter Milan for Sunday's city derby.

The Sweden international joined AC Milan on loan from Barcelona having quit Inter last year after winning three Serie A titles.
Ahead of the encounter at the San Siro which will see Milan acting as visitors, Ibrahimovic took a swipe at his old club.
"When you feel that you can no longer grow in a team, that you no longer have the right motivation, you look for something else," said Ibrahimovic."At Inter I had arrived to that point.
"I needed the change and then, of course, I joined a stronger team."
Ibrahimovic is not concerned by the frosty welcome he will get from the Nerazzurri supporters.
"I welcome their jeers as they fire me up even more," he said.
"It just adds to the motivation.
"Inter are now a rival team for me. I play for Milan and I will do everything to beat Inter."
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri hopes Ibrahimovic can deliver up front with team's top scorer Alexandre Pato and veteran striker Filippo Inzaghi out of action through injury.
Pato will be sidelined for six weeks with a muscle problem while Inzaghi's campaign is all but over with a serious knee injury.
Despite those setbacks, Milan go into the game leading the Serie A table for the first time in two years.
Wednesday's 3-1 triumph over Palermo saw the Rossoneri go one point clear of Lazio and they are three ahead of Inter after 11 games played.
Inter, meanwhile, have dropped to fourth place after draws against Brescia and Lecce this week.
However, Inter Milan midfielder Dejan Stankovic is convinced his team can return to winning ways on Sunday.
"We are very motivated to do well," he said.
"I'm not worried because even though we have lost a few points in recent weeks, Milan are just three points clear of us.
"I'm sure we will turn things around on Sunday.
"Motivation will not be lacking because the derby is always a beautiful and important game."
Inter suffered a huge blow this week when a knee injury ended Argentina defender Walter Samuel's season, but the Nerazzurri welcome back Dutch international Wesley Sneijder.
Sneijder was rested for Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Lecce.

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Sampdoria vs Chievo Preview

Sampdoria coach Domenico Di Carlo admits his team are "hungry" to halt their slide down the Serie A table when they take on Chievo.

The Blucerchiati have clinched just one win in their last four games and Thursday's 1-0 loss at Parma dropped Samp to seventh in the table.
Moreover, they have failed to score in their last two league matches and Di Carlo is aware it is a downward spiral they need to get out of quickly.
"We're hoping to reverse our fortunes," he said.
"The last few weeks have been difficult not only in terms of results and we have tried to understand what went wrong without forgetting what we have done before."
Samp have been distracted by Antonio Cassano's ongoing saga.
The Italian striker was dropped from the team for indiscipline last month and his future at the club remains uncertain.
"I cannot say anything regarding Cassano's situation until the club speaks out," said Di Carlo.
In the meantime, Di Carlo knows Chievo, whom he guided for two years before joining Samp this summer, will be no pushovers.
Chievo are level on 15 points with Samp after 11 games.
"Chievo are very dangerous when playing away from home," he said.
"They have won at difficult grounds like Genoa and Napoli.
"But my players are hungry after Thursday's defeat and I hope they will raise their game in order to clinch three points on Sunday."
Chievo go into the encounter at the Luigi Ferraris stadium on the back of a goalless draw to Bari.
Stefano Pioli's side have won just once in their last seven games.
The visitors will be without defender Bostjan Cesar and midfielder Kevin Constant, both suspended.
The only consolation for Pioli is that striker Cyril Thereau and defender Marco Andreoli will be available having shaken off muscular injuries.

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Bologna vs Brescia Preview

Brescia striker Andrea Caracciolo is expecting a tough afternoon when he and his team-mates travel to Bologna.

In a battle between two sides that could be in a relegation fight at the end of the season, Brescia hold the last position of safety but are level on 11 points with third-bottom Bologna.
Brescia held Juventus to a 1-1 draw in midweek having previously clinched a point at Inter Milan and Caracciolo is predicting another hard match.
"Bologna is a tough ground to play at," said Caracciolo. "The Rossoblu play well in general and remain unbeaten at home.
"It will be a difficult game but then all games in Serie A are challenging.
"Our objective this weekend is not to concede a goal.
"I think we have made some progress with this lately.''
Giuseppe Iachini´s Brescia have given away two goals in their last two games, including one against Juve, who have the best striking force in the competition.
Iachini has stressed the importance of improving their record on their travels as Brescia have won just once on the road this season.
"We must look ahead to Sunday,'' he said. "We take on a side that is below us in the table and we must stop the rot with regards to picking up points on the road."
Wednesday´s 1-0 defeat at Genoa dropped Bologna to the relegation zone with Omar Milanetto´s goal nine minutes from time denying them a share of the spoils.
"It´s a pity to have lost at Genoa but we must react immediately," said Bologna captain Marco Di Vaio. "We will have the support of our fans in order to take an important result at home."
Bologna coach Alberto Malesani will have all of his players available for the encounter with defender Daniele Portanova having recovered from a muscular injury.

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Udinese vs Lecce Preview

Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin is looking for an immediate response to his side's first defeat in six weeks against Lecce.

Guidolin's men head into Sunday's home match against Lecce on the back of a 1-0 loss at Catania that ended a six-game unbeaten run.
"Against Catania we lacked the incisive cutting edge that we had shown in our previous games," said Guidolin.
"It's a defeat that burns but we have an opportunity to bounce back immediately.
"We will be without three key players on Sunday but we have enough talent to overcome those absences."
Giampiero Pinzi and Giovanni Pasquale will serve a one-match ban on Sunday while Cristian Zapata is out of action through injury.
The good news for Guidolin is that Italy international Antonio Di Natale has recovered from a thigh injury that saw him miss the game at Catania.
Di Natale will lead Udinese's attack alongside Floro Flores.
Lecce travel to the Friuli Stadium in buoyant mood after holding Inter Milan to a 1-1 draw in midweek.
"My team never showed any fear," said Lecce coach Luigi De Canio.
"My players displayed character, heart and determination and were rewarded for their efforts."
Di Canio expects more of the same on Sunday if Lecce are to end their winless run on the road this season.
Lecce have scored just one goal in their last three games while Udinese have conceded three times in their last seven matches.
Lecce , who are two points behind 12th-place Udinese, have picked up just one point away from home so far.

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Palermo vs Catania Preview

Catania visit Palermo for their Sicilian showdown looking to claim their first victory on the road this season.

Ten months have passed since Catania last celebrated a triumph on their travels.
With just two points from five games away from home, Marco Giampaolo´s men have had to rely on their results at the Massimino Stadium to remain clear of the relegation zone.
Wednesday´s 1-0 triumph over Udinese allowed Catania to return to winning ways after two consecutive draws and was their third win of the season.
The outcome allowed Giampaolo´s side to climb to 10th in the standings, level on 14 points with Palermo and three clear of the drop zone.
"My players gave a solid performance against Udinese and this win will no doubt give the team a boost in confidence for our next game," said Giampaolo.
"We have struggled to get results away from home and we need to show more determination on our travels.''
Palermo head into the encounter at La Favorita determined to bounce back from Wednesday´s 3-1 loss at AC Milan, their third defeat in four games.
Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini was so disenchanted after his club's defeat to Milan that on Thursday he announced the club would be put up for sale.
The Rossaneri will look to put their frustrations behind them with a win on Sunday.
"We are not happy with the game at the San Siro," said Palermo captain Fabrizio Miccoli.
"But we must look forward with the right spirit because on Sunday we face the derby at home and for us this is a very important game."
Palermo coach Delio Rossi will be without injured midfielder Javier Pastore.
The visitors will be without midfielder Pablo Ledesma, who serves a one-match ban, but welcome back Alessandro Potenza from suspension.

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Bari vs Parma Preview

Parma captain Stefano Morrone hopes his side can build on Thursday's triumph over Sampdoria by recording beating Bari.

Valeri Bojinov's late goal saw Parma edge Samp to end a nine-match winless run.
The outcome was Parma's second triumph of the campaign and lifted the Gialloblu to 16th in the standings.
"We wanted and needed this win," said Morrone. "We have taken the first step on a new path.
"But we have to continue to work hard because on Sunday we face a more important game.
"We have little time to recover but we have to get our energy back because this game is crucial for us."
Sunday's game at the San Nicola stadium is a battle between two sides that could be in a relegation fight at the end of the season.
Bari lie bottom of the standings, just two points behind Parma.
Despite the Galletti having claimed just one point in their last six games, Bari coach Giampiero Ventura believes his team is showing signs of improvement.
"To have held Chievo to a goalless draw was an important result for us considering we had seven players out injured," he said.
"The team showed a lot of determination against Chievo and I hope they can do the same against Parma on Sunday."
Bari will be bolstered by the return of midfielders Edgar Alvarez and Alessandro Gazzi, who have recovered from the injuries that saw them miss Wednesday's goalless draw at Chievo.

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Cagliari vs Genoa Preview

Genoa boss Davide Ballardini hopes his team can end a good week on a high note when they travel to Cagliari.

The former Palermo and Cagliari coach replaced sacked Gian Piero Gasperini earlier this week and enjoyed a winning start to his reign by guiding the Grifoni to a 1-0 victory over Bologna on Wednesday.
The result was Genoa's first win since October 3 and saw them climb to 11th in the standings.
"The players deserve this," said Ballardini. "I have only been training the team for several days and I was curious to see how the team would respond.
"I am very pleased with the outcome but I know there is still a lot of work to do.
"We must give continuity to this result."
Cagliari are three points behind Genoa but will fancy their chances with the Grifoni having won just once on the road this season.
The Sardinians head into the encounter at the Sant' Elia eager to put Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Napoli behind them.
Cagliari thought they had secured a point only to be denied by Napoli's Ezequiel Lavezzi's last-gasp winner.
"It´s disappointing to lose in the last seconds of the game," said Cagliari coach Pier Paolo Bisoli.
"But we need to put this defeat behind us.
"We showed against Napoli that we have the right mentality and quality to do well.
"We just need to focus on the positives and make the most of our chances against Genoa."
The hosts will be without injured trio Andrea Lazzari, Francesco Pisano and Daniele Ragatzu.

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Lazio vs Napoli Preview

Lazio striker Sergio Floccari is confident he and his team-mates can end a two-match losing streak when they host Napoli.

The Biancoceleste saw their five-match winning run halted in last weekend's 2-0 defeat to Roma in the city derby, their first setback at home this season.
Three days later, Lazio's spell at the top of Serie A ended as their 1-0 loss at Cesena coupled with AC Milan's 3-1 triumph over Palermo saw the Rossoneri leapfrog the Romans into first place.
"Against Cesena we missed a chance to recover from the derby defeat," said Floccari.
"But we cannot get depressed because we risk the possibility that this loss could hinder us even more.
"We must turn the page and try to end the week in the best possible way.
"We are still in a good position in the standings and we cannot throw away all the good work we have done so far."
A win on Sunday could see Lazio regain top spot provided AC Milan fail to win at Inter.
Lazio lie second, one point behind AC Milan 11 games into the season.
Napoli travel to the Italian capital with confidence high in the camp.
Wednesday's 1-0 triumph at Cagliari, courtesy of Ezequiel Lavezzi's last-gasp goal, was Napoli's third straight triumph.
The result lifted Walter Mazzarri's side to third in the standings, one point behind Lazio.
Lavezzi believes his team can make it four wins in a row on Sunday.
"If we play with the unity and determination as we did against Cagliari, we can achieve great results," said Lavezzi.
Napoli have yet to lose on the road this season and have claimed four victories in six away games.
The visitors will be without midfielder Walter Gargano and defender Salvatore Aronica, with the former suspended and the latter out injured.

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9/11/10

Tottenham vs Sunderland Preview

Darren Bent will not allow his return to Tottenham to overshadow Sunderland's search for three more Premier League points.

The £10million striker heads back to White Hart Lane for the first time since the Black Cats brought his miserable spell there to an end with a summer swoop.
Manager Steve Bruce has insisted the 25-year-old, who has eight goals to his name already this season, has nothing to prove back at his old club, and the man himself is adamant that he does not want to be the focus of attention.
Bent told the club's official website: "It's going to be strange, but I don't want the game to be about Darren Bent v Spurs, because it's so much more than that.
"It's about us - Sunderland - kicking on to the next level and hopefully pushing into Europe.
"I'm expecting a hostile reception, but that often happens when you return to a former club.
"But at the same time, I don't want people to turn the game into being all about me going back there.
"It would mean a lot for me to score, but it would mean everything if the team wins.
"If the team wins and I don't score, I will be the happiest man alive. But if I score and we don't win, I will be devastated."

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Stoke City vs Birmingham Preview

Ryan Shawcross will miss out on Stoke's clash with Birmingham following his red card at Sunderland at the weekend.

Shawcross was shown two yellow cards - much to the fury of boss Tony Pulis - in the 2-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light.
Robert Huth is expected to move into the centre of defence, with either Danny Higginbotham or Andy Wilkinson coming into the side.
With no injuries to report, Pulis is otherwise expected to field an unchanged team.
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish has no fresh injury concerns.
Colin Doyle will continue to act as back-up for number one keeper Ben Foster while Maik Taylor nurses a shoulder injury which caused him to be ruled out of the weekend draw with West Ham.
McLeish is considering handing a start to winger Jean Beausejour who is approaching full fitness after his knee setback.
The former Scotland boss said: "We are fine. There is no-one on the treatment table that took part in the game at the weekend. We were all out training this morning."
Teams:
Stoke (from): Begovic, Sorensen, Huth, Faye, Collins, Etherington, Pennant, Whelan, Whitehead, Walters, Fuller, Jones, Gudjohnsen, Wilkinson, Higginbotham, Tuncay, Delap, Diao, Wilson.

Birmingham (from): Foster, Carr, Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell, Larsson, Ferguson, Fahey, Hleb, Jerome, Zigic, Beausejour, Doyle, Bowyer, Gardner, Phillips, Derbyshire, Parnaby.

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4/11/10

Odense vs Young Boys Preview

Odense BK coach Uffe Pedersen insists his team must show no fear against Young Boys in their must-win Europa League tie.

The Danish side are bottom of the group without a point from their first three games in Group H, having lost 4-2 to Young Boys in Bern last time out.
The Swiss side have recorded victories in their last two group matches and can eliminate Odense with a win tomorrow night.
However, Pedersen does not see much difference between the teams in terms of quality, with Odense fourth and Young Boys fifth in their respective domestic leagues.
He told www.ob.dk: "If we must compare with Danish conditions, we can see that Young Boys are a sub-top team in Switzerland. They are not right at the top now, and they are a team we should measure ourselves against.
"So it would be reasonable to expect that we must at least be able to play straight up with them at TRE-FOR Park. They have a fine team but they are no better than us."
Odense go into the match boosted by a 1-0 win away to Nordsjaelland on Monday, and Pedersen added: "If we stick to the good things we did against Nordsjaelland, where we defended well and showed a threat, that's what it takes. We must not in any way fear the team we will meet out there."
Young Boys boss Vladimir Petkovic is set to be without first-choice goalkeeper Marco Wolfli with a thigh problem sustained in the 1-0 win over Grasshopper on Sunday. Emiliano Dudar and Hassan Lingani are also sidelined.
David Degen, who has scored three in two games for Young Boys, has a bruised foot and a decision on his participation will be made on match day.
For Odense, Pedersen has little in the way of fitness concerns and insisted it was a "boring" time for the club's medical staff.
"Because there are not many injuries to speak of, there are no excuses to perform poorly," he added.

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