Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo

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Serie A Week 26 - 28/2/10 (19.45 UK)
Juventus - Palermo
LIVE ON ESPN
Stadio Olimpico

Just one point separates Juventus and Palermo in the battle for Champions League qualification, making this an irresistible showdown.

Juventus occupy the hallowed fourth position at present with 41 points, but Napoli, Palermo and Sampdoria are all only one point behind. Whoever wins in Turin will take pole position in this captivating four way contest, which should be one of Serie A’s most interesting storylines as the season comes to a close.

Juventus are slowly but surely getting back to their feet under the tutelage of Alberto Zaccheroni. The veteran tactician is unbeaten in his six games in charge of the Bianconeri, winning three, at home to Genoa, away to Ajax on Europa League duty, and away to Bologna last weekend.

It’s hardly champagne football from La Vecchia Signora, but Zac’s XI at least seems capable of grinding out results, something that couldn’t be said for Ciro Ferrara’s Juve. With the real Diego finally beginning to emerge Juve are slight favourites to win Sunday’s encounter.

Delio Rossi’s Palermo are formidable opponents however. Since replacing Walter Zenga in November Rossi has turned the Rosanero into genuine Champions League contenders. The Sicilians are unbeaten at the Renzo Barbera all season – only Scudetto chasers Inter and Roma have better home records – the problem is their away form. The Aquile have won just twice on the road this term, and conceded four goals in each of their last two away fixtures.

Their recent record against Juve is extremely encouraging though, with two of the last three League meetings going in the Rosanero’s favour. Davide Ballardini masterminded a 2-1 win in Turin last season, whilst Zenga led his charges to a 2-0 victory at the Barbera in Week 7 of the current campaign. Rossi will aim to maintain his predecessor’s proud record.

The home team’s Vincenzo Iaquinta, Sebastian Giovinco, Martin Caceres and Christian Poulsen are either injured or not fully fit and Claudio Marchisio is suspended. Amauri will also probably be unavailable, while Gigi Buffon has been ruled out for a month.

The visitor’s’ only absentee is the man who scored the winning goal in this fixture last season – Levan Mchedlidze.

Keep an eye on: Diego (Juventus) – Slowly but surely the big summer signing is starting to shine. A goal last weekend and a great first half performance against Ajax on Thursday, this is the Diego who we were expecting.

Last five in Serie A: Juventus (L D D W W) Palermo (W L W L W)

Last season: Juventus 1-2 Palermo


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Juventus (probable): Manninger; Cannavaro, Legrottaglie, Chiellini; Salihamidzic, Felipe Melo, Sissoko, De Ceglie; Diego; Trezeguet, The Waterboy

Palermo (probable): Sirigu; Cassani, Kjaer, Bovo, Balzaretti; Migliaccio, Liverani, Nocerino, Pastore; Miccoli, Cavani

Ref: To follow...

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Pastore: Palermo are magic Monday 1 March, 2010

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Argentine ace Javier Pastore has claimed that Palermo and the Rosanero fans are magic and that he has settled very well at the Renzo Barbera.

The former Huracan talent is currently in Munich with the Argentina national team, after being called upon by Diego Maradona, following a series of impressive displays in Serie A.

“People from the south of Italy are very similar to Argentineans and they welcomed me very well,â€

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Miccoli targets Champions League Tuesday 2 March, 2010

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Palermo striker Fabrizio Miccoli has refused to play down his side's chances of qualifying for next year's Champions League.

The Rosanero currently lie fourth in Serie A after Sunday's 2-0 victory over Juventus in which Miccoli scored a wonderful goal.

Speaking to Rai, he said: “Winning 2-0 and playing the way we did was a great satisfaction for the club, our fans and all the players.

“We hope to keep going down this path. We have talked about the Champions League. It is one of our objectives and we hope to reach it.

“Playing in the Champions League is a dream for everyone. But if we keep hold of this determination, the dream can be fulfilled,â€

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PALERMO REMAIN GROUNDED
www.sportinglife.com

Palermo coach Delio Rossi insists his players are not getting carried away with their lofty position as they prepare to meet relegation-strugglers Livorno in Serie A on Sunday. The Sicilian giants have been one of the surprise packages of this season and currently sit fourth in the table, two points clear of Napoli and Juventus.

The Rossaneri have won three of their last four games, including last weekend's 2-0 triumph at Juventus. Moreover, the islanders remain unbeaten at La Favorita this season having giving away just eight points from their 13 games at home.

"We have to allow our fans to dream," said Rossi. "But in order to do so, we cannot fall asleep. "Later this month we will see where we stand.

"We simply cannot get over-confident, we have to take it one game at a time. "Wins give you further motivation and an added strength but I have a very serious side, that works hard and will continue to do so."

Palermo striker Igor Budan agrees they still have a lot of work to do. "We merit to be in the position we are currently in," he said. "We all want to do something important this season but there is still a long way to go. "We must continue to get positive results in order to finish as high as possible in the standings."

Things are not looking good for rivals Livorno as last weekend's 2-1 loss to Siena marked their third straight defeat.

The promoted outfit has claimed just two points in the last seven games and lie 18th in the standings, three points behind Lazio, who hold the last position above the relegation spots. Livorno coach Serse Cosmi was fuming after his team were forced to play with 10 men for 40 minutes against Siena after Davide Moro was sent off.

"It's the sixth time this season that we remain in 10," said Cosmi. "I see things that I am not happy about. "In the position that we are in, we cannot afford to give our opponents an extra advantage. "I expect my players to behave at Palermo."

Cosmi knows the challenge his team face against a side that have shown little signs of weakness when playing at home.

Palermo have struck 22 goals and conceded just nine in 13 games at La Favorita. Livorno know they will have to step up their game as they have the weakest strike force in the competition with just 17 goals scored.

"It's going to be very difficult to get a positive result at Palermo," said Cosmi. "They are playing very well and they are very solid when playing at home. "But we need to climb out of the relegation zone as soon as possible and we will go out ready to take three points."

The Leghorn-based outfit have not won at home since beating Parma 2-1 on January 10. The visitors will be without Moro and Nelson Rivas, both serving a one-match ban. Rossi will have all his players available with the exception of suspended defender Mattia Cassani.

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Palermo 1-0 Livorno
Miccoli 81 (P)
Stadio Renzo Barbera


Fabrizio Miccoli finally got the better of former Palermo flop Rubinho to keep the Sicilians in fourth.

The Rosanero needed a win to keep hold of fourth place and on paper it seemed a simple task, as they'd beaten Juventus 2-0 in Turin last week and were unbeaten on home turf this season. Mattia Cassani sat out a ban with Giulio Migliaccio and Mark Bresciano sidelined. Livorno's last victory was on January 10, amassing two points from seven games to drop them into the relegation zone. Davide Moro and Nelson Rivas were suspended and Alessandro Bernardini injured.

Rubinho had a point to prove, as the goalkeeper was sold in January after seeing his first team spot taken by reserve Salvatore Sirigu.

Fabrizio Miccoli exchanged passes with Javier Pastore to break into the box, but Romano Perticone was stuck to him like glue to force a corner. Pastore went it alone with an angled drive that flashed across the face of goal.

Edinson Cavani knocked down a Fabio Liverani long ball for Miccoli's fierce volley, but Rubinho replied with an equally stunning one-handed save.

Cavani also threatened when his header at the near post from Cesare Bovo's cross flashed all the way across the face of goal.

Nocerino's backheel set up Miccoli's daisy-cutter from the edge of the area, but again Rubinho was at full stretch to palm it round the far post.

Goian should've scored for Palermo on 41 minutes. Cavani flicked on a corner for his diving header at the back post, but he somehow nodded the ball wide from a couple of yards despite hurling his body into the net.

Livorno's first chance came on the stroke of half-time, when Mozart hopefully ballooned over from distance. Serse Cosmi switched to a four-man defence for the second half.

Nocerino drilled wide of the upright and a long cross-field Miccoli pass found Pastore clear at the back post, but the powerful strike was beaten away by Rubinho.

Rubinho got down brilliantly to fingertip Cavani's low drive round the near post, as he continued to impress against his former club.

Simon Kjaer did get the ball in the net, but it was ruled out because Federico Balzaretti was offside when putting in the cross.

It remained a siege with Miccoli volleying over, but Livorno were still in it and had an extraordinary opportunity on 72 minutes. A corner found Knezevic's free header at the near post, forcing a Liverani goalline clearance with Sirigu stranded.

Palermo eventually found a way past Rubinho with nine minutes to go. The ball ricocheted around the box until it fell to Miccoli on the edge, where he placed a snooker shot of a right-foot finish into the very far bottom corner.

Palermo: Sirigu; Goian, Kjaer, Bovo, Balzaretti; Simplicio (Bertolo 68), Liverani, Nocerino; Pastore; Miccoli (Budan 86), Cavani (Hernandez 79)

Livorno: Rubinho; Perticone, Knezevic, Esposito (Bergvold 46); Raimondi, Pulzetti (Marchini 64), Mozart, Filippini, Pieri; Di Gennaro (Danilevicius 71); Lucarelli

Ref: Russo

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/sa0910/pal-liv.html

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Cavani close to new deal Wednesday 24 March, 2010

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Edinson Cavani is ready to renew his contract with Palermo, according to Il Corriere dello Sport.

The 23-year-old Uruguayan centre-forward looked as if he might leave Sicily in January after Palermo fans attacked his car.

Inter, Lazio and Juventus were all interested, but Cavani has settled down again and now looks set to commit to a long-term deal with the Rosanero.

“There are no difficulties,â€

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Surely a true example of a dum ass.

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Club Focus - Palermo - The 30m Euro game
http://www.footballitaliano.co.uk/article.aspx?id=1318

There is fantastic symmetry in football. All across the world and throughout the different leagues, you will quite often find very similar stories. This week Serie A is mirroring the Premiershit as both the fourth and fifth place teams will play-off for the lucrative final Champions League spot. On Sunday Palermo will host the high-flying Sampdoria in a game they will need to win to finish fourth.

In Eastlands on Wednesday night, the away team who arrived in fourth walked away with the three points. Palermo fans will be hoping that the pattern stops here and that the Rosanero continue their home dominance. This is the most important game in the club’s history so far, not only financially but for the prestige as well. They have performed above expectation since the arrival of Head Coach Delio Rossi, and now have the chance to take what they have earned.

The bookies have made Palermo surprisingly strong favourites in what is likely to be a nervous encounter. This will fundamentally be due to the fixture being played in Sicily, where the Rosanero have gone unbeaten all season. Sampdoria’s away form has been questionable, having only won a third of these games from their friendly confines. The victor in this game will be the team who can nullify the opposition’s attack most effectively.

The Blucerchiati will most likely play a similar tactical game as the one against Roma a few weeks ago. They will play a back four with the wing backs rarely pushing forward but there to pick up any Palermo width. Two defensive midfielders, who will play very much in the same vein as Inter in the Champions League this year, and who will try to stop Pastore. With the possession they do have they will look to spring the counter attack through the wide midfield players. But, their strength really lies in their two forwards, Cassano and Pazzini, who have for the most part finished the opportunities they have received. Sampdoria were successful against Roma in result only, which is why they may well stick with the same tactical approach. They were, however, outplayed for the whole 90 minutes but caught them on the break twice to score.



By playing a counter-attack game, Sampdoria will effectively concede the possession battle. Fabio Liverani can expect much time on the ball and if he can pass and create like he has in recent games, then Palermo will have a great chance to win. With Balzaretti surging forward he can limit the right midfielder Semioli, to predominantly defensive duties, which takes one of the attacking out-lets out of contention. Miccoli has been in great form recently and there has been many calls for Lippi to bring him into the Azzuri set up. He will be able to put heavy pressure onto the central defensive partnership, and combined with Cavani’s movement will definitely create some chances. As a team they have scored nine goals in their last three home games and will be very confident going forward.

The question for Palermo is can Simon Kjaer and Cesare Bovo cope with the Sampdoria front men? They have been electric this season and have combined for 29 goals in all competitions. If the Rosanero defence can limit their opportunities and stifle their time on the ball then they will have an excellent chance to win.

Sampdoria will come to Sicily knowing that a draw is a good result for them, and a win will secure them fourth place. Palermo need to win, it is as simple as that. Expectation of this young side has been rising every week, the pressure has been intensifying and they have still been winning. It is a mark of good leadership that Rossi has maintained the squads composure and keeping them very level-headed throughout this run-in. North Sicily will be at fever pitch come Sunday afternoon and we will see how much the squad have matured throughout the season. Whether they can handle the pressure and succeed or crumble under its weight.

Sampdoria is the in-form team, having one their last five league games and is the perfect litmus test to see if the squad are ready for the premier competition in Europe. They definitely have the potential, but now is the time for them to produce and show they are worthy of everything they can achieve.