Roma therapy

Juventus set for Serie A showdown; Capello will stay

ROME (AP) -- Pitting the Italian league's tightest defense against its most prolific attack, Sunday's AS Roma-Juventus clash is much more than a statistical curiosity -- it is a Serie A showdown.

Edged out by the Roman side for the title last year, Juventus descends on Rome's Stadio Olimpico high on a six-game winning streak in the league, a freshly earned Italian Cup final berth and with revenge in mind.

"Roma knows the sort of Juve it will have face on Sunday night -- a team alive and in great shape," Juventus coach Marcello Lippi said after his team's 3-2 aggregate win against AC Milan in the Italian Cup semifinal Wednesday.

Yet it is the statistics that suggest the Juventus tidal wave may smash up against the Roman defenses.

Roma last season clinched its first scudetto title in 18 years -- the club's third ever -- to the cheers that greeted each of the team's 68 goals in 34 games -- the league's top scoring tally.

With the likes of Argentine Gabriel Batistuta, and Italian internationals Francesco Totti and Vincenzo Montella leading the charge, scoring was not a problem for the Roman team.

But to reach the top of the standings this season Roma has relied more on robust rearguard action led by Argentine defender Walter Samuel and goalkeeper Francesco Antonioli -- once more notorious for his blunders than his acrobatic saves.

In 21 games Roma has only conceded 14 goals and Antonioli -- whose penalty block three weeks ago salvaged a draw for Roma in what would have been a shock league defeat against underdog Udinese -- has played a crucial role.

In contrast Juventus' firepower -- 41 goals to Roma's 33 -- has brought the Turin giant to within one point of the defending champion.

With 14 league goals French striker David Trezeguet seems to have hit full stride this season, his second at the club. With resurgent Italian superstar Alessandro Del Piero, the two pose the greatest threat to the Roma goal on Sunday evening.

Such is Juventus' good form that even veteran defender Ciro Ferrara, 34 -- who sat out much of the early season -- has scored four goals in nearly as many weeks.

However, Roma's 2-0 win in Turin in September, the first time the teams clashed this season, and the added difficulty of playing before a sell-out Roman crowd this time round should provide some more sobering thoughts for Juventus.

In third place, Internazionale -- level with Juventus on points -- will be hoping for a draw in Rome when it travels to Bologna.

Inter will be counting on Italy striker Christian Vieri to beat a Bologna side which has played well at home winning seven out of eleven games at the Renato dall'Ara stadium, and losing just two.

Fourth place Chievo may have lost some if its early season verve but the Verona team will try to keep in touch with the leaders by looking for a win against mid-table Udinese in the Saturday night game.

Dumped out of the Italian Cup, AC Milan, in a remote fifth place, must pin its remaining season's ambitions on scoring points to qualify for the Champions League. The Milanese take on Perugia at San Siro.

The rest of the Sunday lineup includes Atalanta vs. Brescia, Lecce vs. Verona, Parma vs. Lazio, Torino vs. Piacenza, and the bottom of the table clash, Venezia vs. Fiorentina.

Capello will stay next season, says Roma boss

Capello, who led Roma to the title last season and has guided the team to the top of Serie A this season, has been linked with moves to Manchester United and Barcelona.

He has admitted he would be interested in joining one of those clubs in the future and there has been speculation in the Italian media that he has an escape clause in his contract that would allow him to leave at the end of the season.

But Sensi is confident Capello will remain at the club next year: "Capello is still contracted to us for another season," Sensi was quoted as saying in Thursday's Corriere Dello Sport.

"There are no clauses to let him go before then, there are no problems and he will stay with us."

Capello has won four league titles with AC Milan, one with Real Madrid and one with Roma.

Roma faces third-placed Juventus on Sunday evening.

Manchester United is expected to confirm Thursday that manager Alex Ferguson is signing a new contract with the club after deciding against retiring.

 

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