AS Roma's one-point lead over Inter Milan will be on the line
Sunday when the Giallorossi host a Sampdoria side that is fighting
to hold onto fourth place and the final Champions League berth.
A day earlier, Inter faces an Atalanta squad trying to climb
out of the final spot in the relegation zone - and the match comes
in between the two legs of Inter's Champions League semifinal with
Barcelona.
Only three rounds remain in Serie A after this weekend.
Roma and Inter will also battle for the Italian Cup title on
May 5.
Roma was beat 1-0 by Udinese in the second leg of the
semifinals Wednesday but advanced on 2-1 aggregate.
"Luckily this loss doesn't hurt that much," Roma coach
Claudio Ranieri said. "The important thing is not to snap the
streak in the league."
In Serie A, Roma is on a 24-game unbeaten run - with 18 wins
and six draws - that has erased the club's 14-point deficit to
Inter in October. In addition, Roma has won its last six games.
Sampdoria standout Antonio Cassano formerly played for Roma,
but left in 2006 after a series of behavioral problems.
Roma captain Francesco Totti was not used against Udinese and
should be fresh to face Sampdoria, having also been removed at
halftime of last weekend's derby win over Lazio.
Inter, meanwhile, could be weary after posting an impressive
3-1 win over Barcelona on Tuesday. Jose Mourinho's men ran ragged
for 90 minutes and suffocated the defending European champion with
constant pressure.
The only injury reported from the game was a broken tooth for
attacking right back Maicon.
However, the match ended on a negative note for Inter when
the club's 19-year-old forward Mario Balotelli threw his jersey to
the ground and stormed off the pitch at the San Siro without
celebrating. He apparently was upset at fans' whistles.
Balotelli is of Ghanian descent and has often been the
recipient of racism. He was recently left off the squad for five
games due to a rift with Mourinho, then apologized publicly and
began playing again.
"Inter is really trying to help him mature, but evidently the
process hasn't been completed yet," Italy coach Marcello Lippi said
of Balotelli.
Third-place AC Milan visits Palermo, which is two points
behind Sampdoria in the race for fourth and a Champions League
spot.
Sampdoria has 57 points, Palermo 55, Napoli 52 and Juventus
51.
The Italian Cup winner is awarded a spot in the Europa
League, but because Roma and Inter will both qualify directly for
the Champions League, that means that seventh place will now get a
berth in the competition formerly known as the UEFA Cup.
That's good news for Juventus, which currently sits seventh.
The Bianconeri host Bari on Sunday amid speculation that Liverpool
manager Rafa Benitez will be hired to replace interim coach Alberto
Zaccheroni at the end of the season.
Also Sunday, it's: Bologna vs. Parma; Fiorentina vs. Chievo
Verona; Genoa vs. Lazio; Livorno vs. Catania; Napoli vs. Cagliari;
and Udinese vs. Siena.
