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Cosa c'e di piu bello del derby

2013-05-25T04:20:18Z

Roma v Lazio Preview: Coppa Italia Final

2013-05-24T18:06:37Z

Try as I might, my words will never do the magnitude of this match justice. Not only is this the third Derby della Capitale this season, a rare enough occurrence, but there are a multitude of storylines at play on Sunday, each of which ratchets up the intensity in what is arguably the world's most contentious derby, consider the following:

This marks the first time Roma and Lazio have squared off in a Coppa Italia Final.
A spot in next season's Europa League is on the line, winner takes all.
Roma can become the first team in history to win 10 Coppa Italias, thereby earning a Silver Star, which will be forever emblazoned on Roma's kits, regardless of manufacturer or "rebranding"
Oh, and the derby falls on an election day

For all those reasons, and the simple fact that it's Roma and Lazio, this promises to be the tensest match contested on the peninsula this entire season, bar none.

But, since we're all Roma fans, I don't need to explain any further why your blood should be boiling on Sunday, so let's take a quick look back at the first two legs of this derby.

November 11, 2012:

Erik Lamela gave Roma the early lead in this one, scoring in the eighth minute. However, it was Lazio who'd escape with three points, besting Roma 3-2 on this evening, with goals from Antonio Candreva, Miroslav Klose and Stefano Mauri.

Goal Count: 5

Card Count: 9

April 8, 2013:

Andreazzoli's didn't fare any better in his first crack at the Derby, as a Francesco Totti penalty was all that spared Roma the ignominy of dropping six points to Lazio. Even then, Roma were gifted this draw following a Hernanes miss from the spot in the 49^th minute.

Ultimately, Roma had several chances to take the lead, but were bested by Federico Marchetti, and even took a man-advantage in the 69^th minute, following Giuseppe Biava's red card. Roma, 11v10...you know how that goes.

Goal Count: 2

Card Count: 8

Over The Past Six Matchups:

Roma: 9 goals, 23 yellow cards, 3 red cards

Lazio: 9 goals, 19 yellow cards, 5 red cards

So throw in a spot in the Europa League and a piece of league history, and an already volatile matchup becomes down right combustible. Needless to say, you're not going to want to miss this one.

We should also mention that Roma has only won two of the past six Derby della Capitale's, none since 2011. However, a victory on Sunday, with all that's at stake, might erase some of Roma recent struggles in this matchup.

Coppa Italia Final:

The final always takes place in the Stadio Olimpico, but in this particular Derby, Roma is the homeside, so let's tackle the visitors first.

Lazio finished the Serie A season on a down note, being blanked by Cagliari 1-0 on the road. Overall, Lazio won three of their final six matches, while dropping two and drawing one. On the balance of the season, Lazio maintained a +9 goal differential and finished 7^th on the table, one spot and one point behind Roma.

The Biancocelesti finished in the top 10 in possession, passing, shots conceded, tackling, shots per game, shots on target per game and dribbles per game. Roma reached the same heights in those categories as well, so it doesn't take an advanced degree to figure out why they finished so close to each other in the table. Indeed, the last three derbies were decided by one goal apiece, so there isn't much between these teams on the table or the pitch.

It also doesn't take a genius to figure out who Lazio's best players were this season, Hernanes and Miroslav Klose. The German tallied 15 goals this season, a third of which came against Bologna. In one match. Prior to this deluge of goals, Klose hadn't scored since December-his 2013, beyond his personal defenestration of Bologna, wasn't terribly impressive, perhaps father time is catching up with him afterall. Nevertheless, Klose has scored three times against Roma, twice since coming to Lazio, so you can only discount him so much.

As for Hernanes, like it or not, the Brazilian is one of Serie A's best players. Hernanes netted 11 goals and contributed four assists this season, while ranking among the league's top-20 in shots, dribbles and chances created. For his part, Hernanes has scored four goals in seven matches against Roma. Hernanes, however, is in doubt for Sunday, as he's been dealing with a muscle strain that kept him out of last weekend's match, but with a spot in the Europa League on the line, you have to think if he's even 75% ready, he'll figure in the match at some point.

Beyond those two, Lazio fared as well as they did this season thanks to the performances of Antonio Candreva, Stefan Radu, Giuseppe Biava and Abdoulay Konko, the latter three being among Lazio's toughest defenders.

For Roma, the story is also of a return, in the form of one Francesco Totti, who should be plenty rested following his suspension last week. We'll have more on Totti's remarkable season in the coming weeks, but suffice it to say, his is a welcome return. He may never get that elusive Champions League title, but capturing his third, and the club's record tenth, Coppa Italia title would be a fine end to a personally successful season.

If you've been following us the past few months, you may have noticed how difficult it's been to nail down Andreazzoli's tactics and/or lineups, as his 16 matches at the helm have seen their fair share of tinkering, though he's shown a proclivity towards the 4-2-3-1 lately. This was the formation of choice last week versus Napoli, with Mattia Destro serving as the lone striker, supported by Erik Lamela, Miralem Pjanic and Marquinho. Although, with Totti's return, you can probably wipe Marquinho's name off that slate.

With a lone striker formation looking likely, the omnipresent Destro v Osvaldo debate will rear its ugly head once again. While the entire season, both league and coppa, is really one inclusive test, Destro is the leading scorer in the Coppa Italia, accounting for five of the club's eleven goals in this year's installment. He's also managed four goals in his last five matches, including two against Inter in the semi-finals. So while the difference between league and cup matches is effectively nil, in terms of what actually happens on the pitch, Destro has performed exceedingly well at each turn in the Coppa Italia.

But with both Destro and Alessandro Florenzi being summoned by the U-21s in Israel, and not returning until Saturday, odds are that Pablo Osvaldo and Miralem Pjanic will start in their stead.

Hey, speaking of midfielders...

What was interesting in last week's lineup, and somewhat surprising, was the double pivot of Michael Bradley and Panagiotis Tachtsidis, the latter making his first appearance since March. You'd have to say this somewhat curious selection worked quite well, as the two combined for over 100 passes, with Bradley completing an astounding 96% of his, while adding six tackles to boot. In this instance, Bradley sat deeper, taking the more defensive role, while Copy & Paste (Im resurrecting that) spent more time in Napoli's half, springing the offense with three key passes and three accurate long balls-certainly one of his better performances in 2013 and hopefully a glimpse of things to come for Roma's giant Greek.

But, if the latest rumors are to be believed, the always questionable tandem of Bradley and De Rossi has been utilized in training this week. If one thing has become painfully obvious this season, it's that those two cannot play alongside each other, for a variety of reasons. Perhaps Michael is secretly harboring resentment towards De Rossi's resplendent head of hair

Lazio is many things, some fit for print, some not. But one thing is for sure, they ain't Napoli-the league leaders in scoring, so the question we have to ask is, does Andreazzoli take the same tact against the less prolific Lazio attack?

In Andreazzoli's lone crack at Lazio, he rolled out a 4-1-2-1-2 ish formation, though this changed with a Destro-for-DDR swap in the second half. The results were mixed, as Roma kept a greater degree of possession and were generally successful in the passing game, but were outshot and lacked precision in the final third, particularly in terms of one-v-one scenarios; witness Lazio's 82% tackling success, Roma managed a paltry 53%.

But, if you had to pin down one thing that plagued this club all year, it would be precisely that, execution in the final third. Whether this was due to poor passing, poor shooting, precise tackling by the opponents, or just sheer luck, Roma's finishing was often a disappointing end to its sometimes sublime buildup.

Of course this criticism comes laced with asterisks, Roma did, after all, score 71 goals. But that's what we obsessive fans do, we pick nits.

As we take the temperature of the room, there appears to be a faction of Roma fans who'd rather bypass the Europa League altogether, feeling the midweek matches are too much for an already thin squad. While there is a lot of merit to that argument, we won't know how much until the manager for next year is selected and the cycle of purchases, sales and incoming/outgoing loans are settled. For my money, I think qualifying for the Europa League, albeit through the default channel, is a step in the right direction for this club.

While you can quibble about the merits of any domestic cup competition, the simple fact that Italy's is being contested by its two fiercest rivals, with a spot in Europe and league history at stake, makes this is as meaningful as a cup final can get.

So we'll wrap this up the same way we started it--words, no matter how eloquent or intense, cannot sufficiently articulate the gravity of this match.

Just know this, derbies this big don't happen often and the bragging rights may never be as sweet.

Film Club: Story Of A Derby

2013-05-23T17:55:21Z

Brand Roma™: New Logo Unveiled

2013-05-22T13:42:54Z

So much to say, so little ability to care. The whole Twitter countdown thing became entirely transparent after it hit -4 or so, and today the lid was blown off: new "brand identity". Or new logo. Whatever. It's very, err, modern? No, that's not what I'm looking for. The logo is lacking in....I don't know. Everything? It's rather...

It is an aesthetic abomination.

No, this isn't a matter of opinion: it's bad. Really @#$%ing bad. There's no other word for it. It is, by far, one of the most hideous club logos I've ever seen. It looks like a seven year old dropped some Roman-inspired Clip-Art over a two-tone shield and hit the font button. Look at the children. Look at the whole she-wolf image. Is it complete? Is this just a rough sketch? What? I mean, I dislike Roma's colors in general, but this is something else. Everything one would expect from American ownership - very NASCAR-ish. It doesn't ooze class, though neither does Roma these days, so hip hip for symmetry. Maybe they'll update it every few years? Something brilliant if they're in the CL three years running, this when they've massively failed expectations over two campaigns, and MS Paint when relegated.

Bren may have nailed it best: "It's just terribly generic."

However, the problem is how they announced it. For me, anyway. The wording. Just...

[Link]

Welcome to Brand Roma™. The laundry's decent, you know.

Totti Tuesday: ‘Braces, pacemakers & gentlemen‘

2013-05-21T08:00:02Z

People at the stadium expected a thrilling game nonetheless between two of the most entertaining sides of Serie A (Wow that sounds rather contradictory now isn’t it? So Roma). 4-3 or 3-5? Cavani hattrick or Goicoechea scoring a header? Bradley shutting down Napoli’s midfield or Osvaldo scoring an ugly goal? Sabatini to quit smoking or Taddei to start a ~~modelling~~ chippendale career at Berlu's bunga bunga parties? Flip a coin sir.

This game was about one man only though: Walter Mazzari. He reportedly was close to Inter on Saturday while Roma acted like that less attractive but still fairly cute blond girl with braces at the prom lurking around the corner, promising an even bigger BJ than your current date… Or something like that. Nevermind, I had a bad youth ok? Banners at the Olimpico read ‘Welcome to Roma’. Did they convince Walter or not? We’ll soon find out.

Meeting Mazzari’s men in a meaningless match

Roma missed Totti, Balzaretti, Daniele, Stekelenburg and ‘Hos against Napoli. That are five as good as certain starters for the team. ‘Hos and Totti will be sorely missed although Balzaretti had a nice run in May too. Daniele? Go on boy, nothing to see here. Stekelenburg? Better learn some English words from the dictionary like movement and self-esteem. Ow and try not to act conspicuous in the streets of Londen, people might mix you up with Chris Martin from Coldplay.

Now we’re talking about ‘cold play’… AS Roma! Brianf*cking people ever since 1927 and counting. This time, a home defeat against midtable team Chievo was followed by a prestigious 0-0 draw in Milan (which stays a good result), playing with confidence for a big part of the game only to be denied a goal by Abbiati and Mexes. The Giallorossi could see Napoli as a small ‘partitella’, with Lazio in their backminds. Aurelio released a pretty young team on Sunday evening, the average age was around 24 years (Lobont not inclu). Don’t worry, I heard they all got permission from their parents to play.

Andreazzoli was mostly spot on with his 4-2-3-1. Dodo/Marquinho combo on the left, Pjanic in the hole, Destro up front, Torosidis RB, Lobont in goal. Sad diagnosis: only one Italian in the starting lineup. It’s true both Totti and DDR were absent and Florenzi, Balzaretti and Osvaldo usually start as well but I hope the suits do look at some Italian prospects this Summer.

Sunday was one of Roma’s best display’s in 2013 (I know that ain’t saying much but bear with me). Maybe because they felt no pressure or because they were simply happy the season ended. Or maybe the team just needed some less Daniele and more Taxi in midfield. Or maybe the players thought they were already playing Lazio due to Napoli’s blue shirts. Anyhow, both sides needed some time to switch into gear but at the end of the first half Roma was the most dangerous side, Destro hitting the post after a sneaky Marquinho shot. The Giallorossi started furiously after the break which resulted in two goals. Marquinho scored a screamer with his RIGHT (!!!!!!) and Destro beat former Roma target Rolando and Napoli-keeper Rosati in the box with his left.

Mazzari’s Napoli is known to be quick and dangerous on the counter with types like Cavani, Maggio and Hamsik but Burdisso and co neutralised the threat well. Cavani’s goal was simply an unlucky clearance by Lobont. It could have easily been 3-1 after that (Lamela, Florenzi, Destro…). Roma traditionally performs better against teams who come out to play while they inexplicably fail against teams who are known to park the bus /tank/Boeing/Titanic/Snorlax in front of their goal. Fix that and we’re looking at CL places.

IMO it was a good overall display from the entire team: defense, midfield and attack. Which goes to show the 4-2-3-1 is still loved and admired around Rome. It was by far the best possible formation to field this season, not the 4-3-3 nor the 3-4-2-1. Sometimes, old lovers are the best… Well except if they’re 80+ of course. No need for pacemakers and cardiologists to work overtime.

So Roma go out with a bang, defeating no2 at home. AND they leapfrog Lazio in the standings. AA deserved it for all his work. He has his limits and may not be the perfect trainer for Roma for ‘13-‘14 but he did a fine damn job after Zeman with the resources he had at his disposal. Love him or hate him, Rome is not the easiest of environments so kudos to Aurelio for accepting the job back in February.

Awards

The Samuel award: Burdisso. I know he has a big contract but it would be very wise to keep Nico one more season. Even if Saba buys a CB this Summer (hi Toby), can you think of a better third choice CB in Serie A than Nico?

The JSB award: Lobont. See Burdisso. Even if Saba buys a GK in Summer (hi Rafael), can you think of a better second or third choice GK in Serie A than Bogdan? Five games, two goals conceded and a clearly more confident defense at ease in front of him.

The Doni award: Marquinho. Oooh Singular, you so silly. But I forgive your mistake/brainfart for shooting with your right foot this time.

The Osvaldo award: Destro. Typical striker’s goal in Napoli’s box. And he missed a huge chance as well. The look of Osvaldo on Roma’s bench said it all really: Mattia’s here to stay while Ozzy’s becoming paranoid (See that little Black Sabbath pun? God I love myself).

Notes

• Just when I thought the Coppa game couldn’t get anymore epic… This happens. I have a feeling Roma and Lazio won’t be ‘gentlemen’ on Saturday tough.

• Okaka will turn 24 this Summer. Wow, suddenly I feel old. Anyone here in Church who remembers his debut in Europe as a 16-year-old against Aris back in 2005? Panucci scored twice then. Ugh I miss Christian. And Cufre. And Mancini. ~~And Ferrari~~. No, not you Kuffour.

• When visiting the official site, you’ll notice a pop-up window with a countdown number. I expect it to be two things: The imminent signing and long-awaited comeback of Simone Loria for ‘13-’14 & the unveiling of the new stadium: Stadio Luigi Sartor.

• If we do end up with Max Allegri, I want this to become Roma’s official anthem after we score at the Olimpico. F*ckin classic.

Fiery final fight for entering Europe’s elite

Enough has been said already. I hope to welcome you next week with a nice little silver star on my chest (ten Coppe). Let the Derby della Capitale commence. Bring it on, goats of Sparta!

Ps: Hide the children.

“Have Roma already found my successor? Have you forgotten that there is already a Coach here with full power to do his job? I get bored repeating the same things all the time. I’ve already said that I’d confirm myself in the job. Maybe I’ll change it up for you: I’d definitely fire myself, as I am incompetent!” – Aurelio Andreazzoli, 2013

Roma's Goal Scoring in 2012-2013

2013-05-20T18:35:37Z

With the regular season in the books and the Coppa Italia final several days away, we'll take a glance at Roma's statistical performance in 2012-2013. For this first installment, we'll examine the goals Roma scored-how they scored, when they scored, etc.-and how they stack up to the rest of the league. As the days and weeks roll by, we'll take a look at other collective club statistics, as well as highlighting a few individual players.

Depending on your expectations, Roma's sixth place finish was either a huge disappointment or a vindication of your cynicism. The talent is there, though much of it is still being nurtured, and victories over league heavyweights like Juventus, Milan, Inter and Napoli may have advanced our collective hopes further than reality should have allowed. Whatever the case may be, the club had several chances down the stretch to qualify for Europe based on merit, but ultimately fell short, giving Sunday's cup final an added measure of intensity.

But, one thing was never in doubt, Roma's ability to score. With that in mind, let's examine the scoring binge that was the 2012-2013 season.

Goals Galore

Goals Scored

League wide, scoring was at its highest point in the past five years, with an average of 2.64 goals per match being scored. As we'll see, Roma factored heavily into those figures...

Whether it was under Zeman or Andreazzoli, Roma was no stranger to the back of the net, averaging 1.86 goals per game, compared to the league average of 1.32. In fact, when Roma was involved, goals were-a-plenty, as an average of 3.34 total goals was scored in Roma matches, tops in the league. Try this number on for size, in 34.2% of their matches, Roma and her opponents exceeded 4.5 goals, the highest percentage in the league by a wide margin and more than double the league average.

Curious about the placement of Roma's goals or what limbs they used to score them?

Looky here!

Roma's 20 left-footed goals ranked third among the leagues ‘leftiest', with 11 of those coming from Erik Lamela. Not to be outdone, Roma's 17 headed goals were best in the league. Not many conclusions can be drawn from those numbers, but they are interesting nonetheless...sort of, right?

Goals Conceded

56 goals allowed (3^rd most in the league)
24 goals allowed at home (5^th most in the league)
32 goals allowed on the road ( 4^th most in the league)
3 goals allowed on six occasions (3^rd worst in the league)
4+ goals allowed on three occasions (3^rd worst in the league)
9 cleansheets (3^rd fewest)

With Zeman's commitment to attack (which is probably an understatement) and Andreazzoli's mishmash of formations, Roma scored and was scored upon with alarming frequency-but your sense of well-being and blood pressure probably already alerted you to that fact.

Home v Away

Within the raucous confines of the Stadio Olimpico, Roma scored 40 goals; good for third best in the league, their 2.11 goals per home match was tied for second in the league. Of course, they also allowed 24 goals at home, or 1.26 per match for those keeping score, which should, in part, explain why Roma, despite their glut of goals at the Olimpico, managed only 35 points at home-eighth in the league.

Away from the Eternal City, Roma was equally adept at beating the keeper, notching 31 goals, which was fourth best in Serie A. In fact, when the Wolves came to town, an average of 3.32 total goals per match were scored, which was tops in the league. Roma's 1.63 goals scored per away match was third most in the league, while their 1.68 goals conceded per away match was fourth worst in the league.

Bottom line, whether they were home or away, Roma matches produced a lot of goals. You didn't have to be clairvoyant to see this back in August-when you commit so much to attack, the goals flow in both directions at an alarming rate.

However, when all was said and done, the numbers show that Roma was among the league's best offensive sides, so let's take a quick look at the types and timing of those goals.

When & How Roma Scored

First the how:

42 goals in open play (3^rd in the league)
5 goals on the counter attack (three-way tie for 5^th in the league)
16 goals from set pieces (three-way tie for 2^nd in the league)
5 goals from penalty kicks (four-way tie for 5^th in the league)

When they scored:

Time	Goals Scored	Goals Conceded
0-15	12	8
16-30	15	8
31-45	7	11
46-60	9	8
61-75	13	10
76-90	12	11

Doing the math, Roma miraculously scored 50% of their goals before halftime and 50% after halftime-not sure how often that occurs, but it's gotta be pretty rare. Roma drew first blood in 22 of 38 matches, or 57.9% of the time, with the first goal coming, on average, in the 24^th minute. Roma carried these leads into half time 28.9% of time, good for seventh best in the league.

The flipside to that, of course, is the timeliness of goals conceded and, by extension, the club's record in one goal matches. Another glance at that table shows that Roma were prone to conceding goals at the most inopportune moments, conceding 11 goals just before half time and an additional 11 before the final whistle.

In fact, Roma's 11 goals conceded in the 31-45 minutes was the third highest total in the league, while the 11 allowed in the 76-90^th minutes was seventh most in the league. Closing out the first half and putting the nail in the coffin in the 90^th minute was definitely an issue for this club this season and a trend to watch next season.

Roma's half-time record in bullet form:

When leading at half

7W, 2D, 2L
23 points earned

When trailing at half

1W, 3D, 5L
6 points earned

Conceding those goals in the 31-45 minutes certainly gave Roma something to rue, as they only managed to come from behind once when trailing at the half....yikes. Fortunately, Roma only trailed at the half in nine matches, but again, these are the moments that decide champions.

Goal Margins

Margin	Wins	Losses
1 goal	6	7
2 goals	9	3
3 goals	2	2
4 goals	1	0

Roma's six victories in one goal matches was tied for sixth most in the league, while their seven defeats in one goal matches was the fifth worst.

So if you're looking for a culprit to Roma's poor performance this season, look no further than their record in one goal matches. Udinese, who finished four points ahead of Roma, lost only four times in matches decided by one goal. The slimmest of margins often have the most profound of effects.

Wrapping it Up

If you'll allow me to draw a parallel with basketball, Roma lived by the three and died by the three this season. Just as many an NBA team pinned their hopes on shooting from distance, with their success largely dependent upon successful three point shooting, Roma's success this term was predicated largely on simply outscoring their opponents, total goals allowed be damned. So it comes as little surprise that Roma was among the league leaders in goals scored, while being among the worst in goals conceded.

While this approach was certainly exciting and for some stretches this season very successful, it was ultimately found lacking. Again, much like basketball, successful teams excel in closing out halves. This is where Roma faltered, conceding goals before the 45^th and 90^th minutes at a disturbing rate.

Looking ahead to next season, we can reasonably expect Roma to be in the upper echelons in goals scored, there is simply too much attacking talent on this club to expect otherwise. Meanwhile, the club's choice of manager will be the determining factor in how this team performs defensively. We can and should expect improvements from Marquinhos and Leandro Castan, both being a year older, wiser and having a better feel for the league and its occupants, but no factor will influence the clubs defensive performance more than its choice of manager.

As we saw this season, putting such an extreme emphasis on attack is a delicate balancing act, but there is little doubt that the bulk of the talent on this squad rests within its offense.

So what do they do? Continue to play to their strength and hope for a better record in close matches, or do they make a concerted effort to find a manager with a more measured approach?

Whatever the case may ultimately be, Roma's next manager has a stable of goalscorers at his disposal. The only question is how much will he let them run free.

*graphics courtesy of squawka.com

Hey Mister Mister: Open The Floodgates

2013-05-19T21:39:57Z

Roma won what amounted to a friendly. Mattia Destro and Marquinho scored some wonderful goals. The kids got some recess time. They finish sixth, behind Udinese and ahead of Lazio. Hip hip. No one cares. Now, onto the important parts: coaches. Big:

#Mazzarri a @skysport: mi sono commosso con i ragazzi nello spogliatoio, dopo 4 anni è arrivato il momento di lasciare il Napoli
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) May 19, 2013

Walter has left Napoli, as expected. Rumors are circling, of course.

Bigger: Milan has confirmed that Massimiliano Allegri will remain.

Milan, Galliani: "Con Allegri ottimo rapporto: è il nostro allenatore, una certezza"

Everybody do a little dance. (Watching this man lead the league's highest payroll to a Europa League place but for the intervention of some horrific officiating was enough to want Aurelio over him.)

Inter has also confirmed Andrea Stramaccioni. Of course words mean little and both hot seats in Milan could free up by the evening's out, but it's a start. This leaves Roma for Mazzarri or, as has been mentioned earlier today, Anzhi, which can offer more money and better bodyguards and the delightful skyline of Macklemore. Or whatever. He's said he'll take some time to consider all proposals available to him. Delightful.

Franco Baldini has also said that Aurelio is a top choice, but what he didn't say is that what this means is he's the top choice to be assistant kit manager at Tottenham with Franco. Or something.

Silly season's open.

Let's play Romanopoly

2013-05-19T17:57:49Z

Date: Sunday, 19th May 2013
Kick off: 20:45 CET; 13:45 EST; 14:45 CST (Time Converter)
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Referee: L.Banti

Associazione Sportiva Roma S.p.A starting XI: Lobont, Torosidis, Burdisso, Castan, Dodo, Bradley, Tachtsidis, Lamela, Pjanic, Marquinho, Destro

Substitutes: Goicoechea, Svedkaukas, Romagnoli, Piris, Taddei, Perrotta, Florenzi, Lucca, Lopez, Osvaldo

Societa Sportiva Calcio Napoli S.p.A starting XI: Rosati, Rolando, Cannavaro, Britos, Maggio, Dzemaili, Behrami, Armeri, El Kaddouri, Hamsik, Cavani

Substitutes: De Sanctis, Colombo, Grava, Gamberini, Mesto, Donadel, Radosevic, Inler, Zuniga, Pandev, Calaio

Related threads: Match Preview