AC Milan could well be forgiven for wondering where things went
wrong ahead of its game with Udinese on Friday.
A month ago Leonardo's side was receiving plaudits for its
open attacking style, which many hoped would allow the team to
challenge Inter Milan at the top of the table.
However, a 2-0 loss to Inter in the Milan derby ended that
run of form and the team has since struggled, losing to Udinese in
the Italian Cup and drawing with Livorno and Bologna in subsequent
league meetings.
Its fixture with Udinese has been brought forward to Friday
night so as to give the team maximum preparation time for its
Champions League match with Manchester United on Tuesday.
"In Udine we had a good game, but they were the ones who got
the goal," defender Thiago Silva said. "It will be a tricky game
because Udinese is coming off a great win over Napoli, while we are
working toward getting our winning run back on track."
AS Roma is now in second place and Milan is 11 points adrift
of Inter, although it has one game in hand.
Udinese meanwhile goes into the match having beaten Napoli
3-1 and boasts the league's leading scorer in Antonio Di Natale,
who has hit 16 goals so far this season.
"The team's success is more important than my goals and our
league position is more important than where I am on the scorer's
chart," Di Natale said. "Winning is the best way we can get out of
our troubles as winning encourages winning. Our morale is high and
we will go to Milan to win the game."
Inter has another potentially tricky tie, away to fourth
place Napoli.
On Wednesday Jose Mourinho's side could only draw away to
Parma, but the arrival of Macedonian striker Goran Pandev in the
transfer window has helped give the Inter attack an extra edge and
he has already shown signs of developing a good understanding with
Diego Milito and Samuel Eto'o.
"I'm happy that all my strikers are playing together,"
Mourinho said. "With our attacking midfielder (Wesley Sneijder)
missing, this is the only way for us to play."
Roma's rise to second comes on the back of five successive
wins, but Claudio Ranieri's team will be up against another in-form
side in Palermo, which has won three of its last five games.
"We are very relaxed and the last few results have allowed us
to keep spirits high," defender Mattia Cassani said. "We are trying
to keep our feet on the ground and take it one match at a time. The
squad is strong and young and foreign players are fitting in well.
"The away match against Roma is an important test for us as
Roma has shown it is in good spirits and is the form team at the
moment," he said. "We will go to the Stadio Olimpico in a
determined mood and ready to fight."
Juventus, 18 points adrift of Inter in seventh place, hosts
Genoa still looking for a first win under new coach Alberto
Zaccheroni. Since the ex-Milan coach took over from Ciro Ferrara
Juventus has drawn twice.
"To get out of the situation we have to continue working and
keep giving 110 per cent," defender Giorgio Chiellini said. "We
just need a spark to fire our enthusiasm. The new coach has brought
enthusiasm, new ideas in training and a different way of working.
We just have to put into practice what we are learning. We know we
have to improve."
Also this weekend, it's; Sampdoria vs. Fiorentina; Cagliari
vs. Bari; Catania vs. Atalanta; Chievo Verona vs. Siena; Livorno
vs. Bologna; Parma vs. Lazio.
