AC Milan Face Fiorentina

             

    Two Italian sides took to the pitch in continental competition this week as Juventus and Lazio looked to take a step closer to realizing their dreams of glory in the Champions League and Europa League respectively, but were pegged back with matching 2-0 losses on the road in the first 90 minutes of their quarter-final ties. And so with it all to do for the pair when Bayern Munich and Fenerbahce make their way to the boot next week with a shot at silverware on the line, the storyline of the thirty-first round of Serie A becomes only more tangled, more complex, and ultimately more intriguing.In the afternoon Catania are set to do battle with Cagliari in Sicily as Rolando Maran’s boys attempt to keep alive their dwindling hopes of qualifying for European competition whilst their fellow island dwellers continue their hunt for a new arena in the background. Sampdoria will be keen to return to winnings ways at home to a Palermo side fresh off their first victory since November 24, but the Blucerchiati should have to be wary of a tenuous record against the Rosanero that hasn’t seen them beat the Stadio Renzo Barbera outfit for upwards of five years. Elsewhere, Siena will be eying the opportunity to finally break free of the relegation places in spite of a six point penalty with unpredictable Parma coming to town, whilst Chievo face a menacing trip to ninth-place Udinese’s Friulian fortress as they look to increase the nine point cushion between themselves and the dreaded drop zone.The action gets under way on Saturday night as cellar-dwellers Pescara come across the humbled first-place Bianconeri in Turin. Boss Antonio Conte and his defending champions are sure to be preoccupied with the upcoming return leg with the Bavarians on Wednesday, but will need to focus against the minnows from the Adriatic coast to regain some confidence with a win on the domestic front. Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini are each banned for the encounter with the rest of the lineup likely to be heavily rotated, whilst the Delfini ranks are decimated by injury and suspension as they will miss key players Antonio Balzano, Antonio Bocchetti, Gaetano D’Agostino, Vladimir Weiss, and Mervan Celik. The first meeting between the sides this season saw Juventus run out 6-1 winners in Pescara with Fabio Quagliarella netting a hat-trick, a result the Old Lady will be keen to repeat on home soil despite being without many members of her first eleven.