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AC Milan vs AS Roma  (before the match)
San Siro stadium
Italy Serie A Standing: AC Milan 1st position, 36  points
                                          AS Roma 6th position, 26 points

Referee: Rizzoli   Assistants:  Liberti and Viazzi   Fourth Official:  Calvarese
 

Should we cry or start praying for AS Bari?   Bari looking destined to relegation being the sole "last position" of the table with a mere 10 points.  The 19th place Cesena having 12 points and the 18th position Lecce with 15 points.  You see the picture?   hum? what? where?   oh well... let me clear the window so you can see the picture... simply put,  if Palermo defeat Bari while Cesena and Lecce win their respective games, then the tunnel for Bari becomes darker and darker!   We are already on Week 17 and in January half way of the season....  when are Bari going to pick points????

Palermo, on the contrary, are rocking and growing.   True, Palermo were eliminated from the Europa League. However, if we talk about comparisons between both teams, Palermo will be technical superior than Bari...
having said that, Palermo with an added boost as they said good bye to the Europa League with an away victory defeating Lausanne in Switzerland with the goal by defender Ezequiel Munoz. 
Lausanne 0 - 1 Palermo






Photo Getty Images

Palermo defender Ezequiel Munoz running to celebrate his goal here with forward Massimo Maccarone in the UEFA Europa League Matchday 6, Lausanne vs Palermo in Switzerland on Wednesday December 15, 2010.


Let's break it down guys...  AS Bari have conceded the cowabunga amount of 25 goals while scoring only 10 having a negative goal difference of -15.
Palermo almost conceding same amount of goals like Bari.....really?  Yeah! Palermo conceding 21 goals but the difference is that they have scored 28 goals having a positive goal difference of +7.

Current  Stats slightly in favor of Bari.  In the last 6 HOME games AS Bari with 2 wins, 1 draw, and 3 lost. 
Palermo in the last 6 AWAY games have 2 win and 4 lost.

Here is the probable formation from AS BARI (4-3-2-1): Padelli, Galasso, A. Masiello, Rossi, Raggi, Rivas, Donati, Gazzi, Pulzetti, and Barreto.

Here is the probable formation for PALERMO (4-3-2-1): Salvatore Sirigu, Mattia Cassani, Cesare Bovo, Ezequiel Munoz,   Federico Balzaretti,  Rigoni,  Bacinovic, Antonio Nocerino, Josip Ilicic, Pastore and Fabrizio Miccoli.  

Here is the disciplinary situation:  No suspended player for AS Bari.  Two players with one yellow card:  Belmonte and Donati.
Only one suspended player for Palermo:  Carrozzieri.  One player with one yellow card: Ezequiel Munoz

Palermo might not be in the critical situation to rush the recoveries from forward Abel Hernandez, as there is also the option to use forward Mauricio Pinilla living  a good moment.  Good news is that midfielder Javier Pastore will be ready for this game and not to doubt about forward Fabrizio Miccoli.  On paper stats in total favor of Palermo.... now, it is up to AS Bari to prove the stats wrong or for Palermo to prove them right.

A big loss for Bari is losing for injury their first goalkeeper Jean Francois Gillet suffering injury last week in the match against AS Roma.  Reportedly, Gillet will be out for 3 weeks.  Taking his place most likely is the ex Liverpool goalkeeper Daniele Padelli.
  .  
Anna Italia Prediction:   PALERMO

  

Top scorer for Cesena is forward Bogdani with 4 goals.
Top scorer for Cagliari is forward Alessandro Matri with 8 goals.  yep... double the amount and 2 goals away from the top scorer Udinese forward Antonio Di Natale having 10 goals.

Here is the probable formation for CESENA (4-1-4-1):  Antonioli, Ceccarelli, Von Bergen, Benalouane, Nagatomo, Colucci, Giaccherini, Appiah, Parolo, Jimenez, and Bogdani.

Here is the probable formation for CAGLIARI (4-3-1-2): Agazzi, Perico, Canini, Astori, Agostini, Nainggolan, Daniele Conti, Biondini, Andrea Cossu, Robert Acquafresca, and Alessandro Matri.
 
Anna Italia Prediction:   CAGLIARI


Catania - Brescia  (before the match)
Angelo Massimino stadium
Italy Serie A Standing:  Catania 15th position, 18 points
                                           Brescia 17th  position,  15points


Brescia are knocking at the gates of the relegation area having same points with Lecce.  Brescia heading to Catania super motivated with new coach Mario Beretta who made his debut last Sunday by defeating Sampdoria!!!!  Yeah...  Brescia defeating Samp.

Surely, a victory will put Brescia  maybe in the 15th or 16th position depending on whether Parma lose against Bologna at the Ennio Tardinini.... 

Catania with a victory can make a super giant maybe to the 12th or 11th position... 18th points right now.. .

Top scorer for Brescia is Andrea Caracciolo with 5 goals.
Top scorer for Catania are Lopez and Silvestre with 2 goals each.

Here is the probable formation from CATANIA (4-1-4-1):  Mariano Andujar, Potenza, Silvestre, Bellusci, Capuano, Ezequiel Carboni, Gomez, Mariano Izco, Ledesma, Sciacca and Maxi Lopez.

Here is the probable formation from BRESCIA (4-3-3): Sereni, Zambelli, Martinez, Mareco, Dallamano, Vass, Budel, Hetemaj, Diamanti, Possanzini, and Kone

Anna Italia Prediction:  CATANIA

Sampdoria - Genoa  (before the match)
 Il Derby della Lanterna
Luigi Ferraris stadium
Italy Serie A Standing: Sampdoria 8th position, 23  points
                                          Genoa 10th position,  21 points

It's the big clash,,, the big day.....  the Derby della Lanterna and the bragging rights to rule Genoa!   
There have been 78 official  games  since the foundation of Sampdoria in 1946 battling for the Derby della Lanterna which is the duel among Genoa and Sampdoria.  The seniority, traditional hierarcy is for GENOA FC founded on September 7, 1893 exclusively for British citizens as Genoa Cricket & Athletic Club. However, the football secion of the club was founded until 1897 by James Richardson Spensly and Italians were allowed to play in the club.

Sampdoria eliminated from the UEFA Europa League plus losing today their last game against Debrecen with the two gaols by Kabat, will play this Derby not only to win it, but for redemption.  Time to archive this elimination...

Making matters worst, Sampdoria are still facing the "Cassano case" which the Court ruling 50% reduction of his salary and staying with Sampdoria.... oh yeah... this is for the moment.  As there is a whole "spider web" around Cassano... hum? really?  yeah... as reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday December 16, it seems Cassano is closer to sign the deal with AC Milan.   Guys, this is not only a plain rumor, as there is also the report of AC Milan VP having dinner with Cassano's agent too..... supposedly the deal is already cooked until 2014 but nothing confirmed as there is still pending issue with the release from Real Madrid...... and Sampdoria President Garrone to give the final ok.....

Anyway, putting aside Cassano..... let's focus now on the one bearing the responsibility to lead the team and automatically becoming the attack leader... who else ?  hello... forward Giampaolo Pazzini.   Gee, let me tell you that I watched Pazzini who was a guest in the Italian show "La Domenica Sportiva," and the impression he gave me was that of feeling an orphan without  buddy Cassano.   Challenge for Pazzini is now to shake up and  start showing his individual leading skills... oh come pazzo...  I strongly believe in Pazzini... come on Pazzo....


Photo Reuters

Let's talk about current stats.  Sampdoria in the last 6 HOME games have 1 win, 4 draws, and 1 lost.
Genoa in the last 6 AWAY games have 2 win, 1 draw, and 3 lost.   .... pretty close????  So, we can expect a tough battle  between Pazzini and Genoa forward Luca Toni.....

Top scorer for Sampdoria is forward Giampaolo Pazzini with 6 goals
Top scorer for Genoa is forward Luca Toni with 3 goals.

As for goal difference... Sampdoria with a better stat having scored 18 goals while conceding 13 having a positive goal difference of +5.
Genoa scoring only 13 goals while conceding 15 goals having a negative goal difference of -2.

Here is the disciplinary situation.  No suspended players for Sampdoria and neither for Genoa.  There are only 2 players with a yellow card and they are from Genoa:  Dainelli and Criscito.

Here is the probable formation for SAMPDORIA (4-4-2):  Curci, Cacciatore, Volta, Lucchini, Reto Ziegler, Koman, Angelo Palombo, Tissone, Guberti, and Giampaolo Pazzini.... Samp will rely now on a new duo "Pazzini-Guberti".....