By Anna Italia
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Hello my friends. Here is the Serie A PREVIEW for Week 16 on Thursday 18, Saturday 20, and Sunday 21 December 2014. These are the last games in 2014 as there is the Christmas break. Serie A will resume on Monday 5 January 2015.
Here is the situation. Juventus will finish as leader in case of defeating Cagliari. The only way Juventus could lose the leadership is by losing against Cagliari and Roma defeating Milan. AS Roma will finish in 2nd position whether they win, draw, or lose against AC Milan.
Juventus and Napoli will be traveling to Doha to play the Supercoppa Italia on Sunday 22 December, therefore playing the Serie A game on Thursday 18 December.
We have an exciting round for the 3rd position. Three teams having 26 points: Lazio currently holding the 3rd position for goal difference +9 followed by Sampdoria +8, and Genoa +7. The third position is open … who will grab it?
The top scorer up to Round 15: Juventus forward Carlos Tevez with 10 goals
Top Serie A teams standing AFTER Serie A Week 15 games. First 3 qualifying for Champions League, 4 and 5 for Europa League.
–Juventus, 1st position with 36 points and a positive goal difference of + 25
–AS Roma, 2nd position with 35 points and a positive goal difference of +17
– Lazio, 3rd positions with 26 points points and a positive goal difference of +9
– Sampdoria, 4th position with 26 points and a positive goal difference of +8
–Genoa, 5th position with 26 points and a positive goal difference of +7
Relegation Zone: Cagliari, 18th position with 12 points and a negative goal difference of -6
Cesena, 19th position with 8 points and a negative goal difference of -17
Parma, 20th position with 6 points and a negative goal difference of -18
2014 – 2015 Italy Serie A Standing
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Thursday 18 December 2014
- Serie A Week 16 / 16ª Giornata Andata
CAGLIARI – JUVENTUS
Sant’Elia Stadium
Referee: MAZZOLENI
Assistants: MARZALONI – DE LUCA
Fourth Official: GALLONI
ADD1: MASSA
ADD2: GIACOMELLI
19:00
Serie A Standing BEFORE the game:
Cagliari, 18th position with 12 points and a negative goal difference of -6
Juventus, 1st position with 36 points and a positive goal difference of +25
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | Goals | DIFF | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juventus | 15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 31:6 | 25 | 36 |
| 18 | Cagliari | 15 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 20:26 | -6 | 12 |
Stats BEFORE the game. Top scorer CAGLIARI: Forward Marco Sau and Albin Ekdal with 4 goals each
Top scorer JUVENTUS: Forward Carlos Tevez with 9 goals
| Cagliari | Goals | Goals | Juventus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sau, Marco | 4 | 9 | Tevez, Carlos |
| Ekdal, Albin | 4 | 4 | Morata, Alvaro |
| Farias, Diego | 3 | 4 | Vidal, Arturo |
| Avelar, Danilo | 3 | 3 | Pogba, Paul |
| Ibarbo, Victor | 2 | 3 | Llorente, Fernando |
Stats. Here are the last 3 games of CAGLIARI: 1 win, 2 lost
| 14/12/14 | SA | Parma – Cagliari | 0:0 | Round 15 | |||
| 08/12/14 | SA | Cagliari – Chievo | 0:2 | Round 14 | |||
| 04/12/14 | CI | Cagliari – Modena | 9:8 (AP) | Round 4 |
Here are the last 3 games of JUVENTUS: 3 draws
| 14/12/14 | SA | Juventus – Sampdoria | 1:1 | Round 15 | |||
| 09/12/14 | UCLG | Juventus – At. Madrid | 0:0 | Round 6 | |||
| 05/12/14 | SA | Fiorentina – Juventus | 0:0 | Round 14 |
Photo: facebook.com/CAGLIARICALCIOOFFICIALPAGE
NAPOLI – PARMA
San Paolo Stadium
Referee: DI BELLO
Assistants: PADOVAN – PEGORIN
Fourth Official: DE PINTO
ADD1: DOVERI
ADD2: PASQUA
21:00
Serie A Standing BEFORE the game:
Napoli, 7th position with 24 points and a positive goal difference of +6
Parma, 20th position with 6 points and a negative goal difference of -18
| os | Team | P | W | D | L | Goals | DIFF | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Napoli | 15 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 26:20 | 6 | 24 |
| 20 | Parma | 15 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 16:34 | -18 | 6 |
Stats BEFORE the game. Top scorer for NAPOLI: Forward Jose Maria Callejon with 8 goals
Top scorer for PARMA: Forward Antonio Cassano with 5 goals
| Napoli | Goals | Goals | Parma |
|---|---|---|---|
| Callejon | 8 | 5 | Cassano, Antonio |
| Higuain, Gonzalo | 7 | 3 | De Ceglie, Paolo |
| Zapata, Duvan | 3 | 2 | Palladino, Raffaele |
| de Guzman, Jonathan | 3 | 2 | Coda, Massimo |
| Hamsik, Marek | 2 | 1 | Mauri, Jose |
Stats. Here are the last 3 games of NAPOLI: 1 win, 1 draw, 1 lost
| 14/12/14 | SA | Milan – Napoli | 2:0 | Round 15 | |||
| 11/12/14 | UELG | Napoli – Slovan Bratisla… | 3:0 | Round 6 | |||
| 07/12/14 | SA | Napoli – Empoli | 2:2 | Round 14 |
Here are the last 3 games of PARMA: 1 draw, 2 lost
| 14/12/14 | SA | Parma – Cagliari | 0:0 | Round 15 | |||
| 07/12/14 | SA | Parma – Lazio | 1:2 | Round 14 | |||
| 30/11/14 | SA | Palermo – Parma | 2:1 | Round 13 |
Saturday 20 December 2014
SASSUOLO – CESENA
Mapei Stadium
Referee: CERVELLERA
Assistants: NICOLETTI – POSADO
Fourth Official: VUOTO
ADD1: DAMATO
ADD2: PEZZUTO
18:00
Serie A Standing BEFORE the game:
Sassuolo, 12th position with 19 points and a negative goal difference of -4
Cesena, 19th position with 8 points and a negative goal difference of -17
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | Goals | DIFF | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Sassuolo | 15 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 16:20 | -4 | 19 |
| 19 | Cesena | 15 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 12:29 | -17 | 8 |
Disciplinary Situation before the game. 2 suspended players for SASSUOLO: Consigli (1), Cannavaro (1)
1 suspended player for CESENA: Volta (1)
Stats BEFORE the game. Top scorer for SASSUOLO: Forward Simone Zaza with 4 goals
Top scorer for CESENA: Forward Gregoire Defrel with 4 goals
| Sassuolo | Goals | Goals | Cesena |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zaza, Simone | 4 | 4 | Defrel, Gregoire |
| Berardi, Domenico | 3 | 2 | Rodriguez, Alejandro |
| Taider, Saphir | 2 | 1 | Succi, Davide |
| Floccari, Sergio | 2 | 1 | Duric, Milan |
| Acerbi, Francesco | 1 | 1 | Cascione, Emmanuel |
Stats. Here are the last 3 games of SASSUOLO: 1 win, 1 draw, 1 lost
| 13/12/14 | SA | Palermo – Sassuolo | 2:1 | Round 15 | |||
| 06/12/14 | SA | Roma – Sassuolo | 2:2 | Round 14 | |||
| 02/12/14 | CI | Sassuolo – Pescara | 1:0 | Round 4 |
Here are the last 3 games of CESENA: 3 lost
| 14/12/14 | SA | Cesena – Fiorentina | 1:4 | Round 15 | |||
| 07/12/14 | SA | Atalanta – Cesena | 3:2 | Round 14 | |||
| 03/12/14 | CI | Udinese – Cesena | 4:2 (OT) | Round 4 |
Here is the probable formation for Sassuolo (4-3-3): Pomini; Vrsaljko, Antei, Acerbi, Peluso; Taider, Magnanelli, Missiroli; Berardi, Zaza, Sansone
Unavailable: Pegolo, Manfredini
Here is the probable formation for Cesena (3-5-2): Leali; Capelli, Lucchini, Magnusson; Nica, Giorgi, De Feudis, Cascione, Mazzotta; Defrel, Hugo Almeida
Unavailable: Marilungo, Perico, Renzetti
Photo: facebook.com/officialsassuolocalcio
AS ROMA – AC MILAN
Olimpico di Roma Stadium
Referee: RIZZOLI
Assistants: DI LIBERATORE – BIANCHI
Fourth Official: MUSOLINO
ADD1: MASSA
ADD2: GIACOMELLI
20:45
Serie A Standing BEFORE the game:
AS Roma, 2nd position with 35 points and a positive goal difference of +17
AC Milan, 7th position with 24 points and a positive goal difference of +7
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | Goals | DIFF | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Roma | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 28:11 | 17 | 35 |
| 7 | Milan | 15 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 25:18 | 7 | 24 |
Disciplinary Situation before the game. 2 suspended players for AS ROMA: Astori (1), Pjanic (1)
No suspended players for AC MILAN.
Stats BEFORE the game. Top scorer for AS ROMA: Forward Adem Ljajic with 6 goals
Top scorer for AC MILAN: Forward Jeremy Menez with 8 goals
| AS Roma | Goals | Goals | AC Milan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ljajic, Adem | 6 | 8 | Menez, Jeremy |
| Destro, Mattia | 4 | 6 | Honda, Keisuke |
| Nainggolan, Radja | 3 | 3 | Bonaventura, Giacomo |
| Pjanic, Miralem | 3 | 2 | de Jong, Nigel |
| Totti, Francesco | 2 | 2 | Muntari, Sulley |
Stats. Here are the last 3 games of AS ROMA: 1 win, 1 draw, 1 lost
| 14/12/14 | SA | Genoa – Roma | 0:1 | Round 15 | |||
| 10/12/14 | UCLG | Roma – Man City | 0:2 | Matchday 6 | |||
| 06/12/14 | SA | Roma – Sassuolo | 2:2 | Round 14 |
Here are the last 3 games of AC MILAN: 2 wins, 1 lost
| 14/12/14 | SA | Milan – Napoli | 2:0 | Round 15 | |||
| 07/12/14 | SA | Genoa – Milan | 1:0 | Round 14 | |||
| 30/11/14 | SA | Milan – Udinese | 2:0 | Round 13 |
Here is the probable formation for AS Roma (4-3-3): De Sanctis; Maicon, Manolas, Yanga Mbiwa, Holebas; Keita, De Rossi, Nainggolan; Ljajic, Totti, Gervinho
Unavailable: Balzaretti, Castan, Ucan, Skorupski
Here is the probable formation for AC Milan (4-3-2-1): Diego Lopez; Bonera, Zapata, Mexes, Armero; Poli, De Jong, Montolivo; Honda, Bonaventura; Menez
Unavailable: Abate, De Sciglio, Mastour, Van Ginkel, Rami
The ex AS Roma player Jeremy Menez returning to the Olimpico as an AC Milan player now.
Sunday 21 December 2014
HELLAS VERONA – CHIEVO VERONA
Marc’Antonio Bentegodi Stadium
Referee: GERVASONI
Assistants: TASSO – PAGANESSI
Fourth Official: PRETI
ADD1: ROCCHI
ADD2: DI PAOLO
12:30
Serie A Standing BEFORE the game:
Hellas Verona, 13th position with 17 points and a negative goal difference of -8
Chievo Verona, 17th position with 13 points and a negative goal difference of -8
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | Goals | DIFF | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Verona | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 18:26 | -8 | 17 |
| 17 | Chievo | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 11:19 | -8 | 13 |
It’s a time for revenge going for the honor as Hellas Verona lost the Verona Derby from last season 2013 – 2014 with a 1-0 when Lazarevic scored in the 92nd minute. However, Hellas avenged themselves on the return by winning thanks to the goal by forward Luca Toni.
There are 4 precedents in Serie A for Hellas Verona vs Chievo Verona with 2 wins for each. Ten goals also seeing both teams scoring 5 each. Simply put, this Verona Derby is a must win for any to break the balance.
Disciplinary Situation BEFORE the game. 1 suspended player for HELLAS VERONA: Agostini (1)
1 suspended player for CHIEVO VERONA: Botta (3)
Stats BEFORE the game. Top scorer for HELLAS VERONA: Forward Luca Toni with 5 goals
Top scorer for CHIEVO VERONA: Forward Alberto Paloschi with 3 goals
| Hellas Verona | Goals | Goals | Chievo Verona |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toni, Luca | 5 | 3 | Paloschi, Alberto |
| Lopez, Nicolas | 4 | 2 | Pellissier, Sergio |
| Ionita, Artur | 2 | 2 | Meggiorini, Riccardo |
| Tachtsidis, Panagiotis | 2 | 1 | Zukanovic, Ervin |
| Hallfredsson, Emil | 1 | 1 | Radovanovic, Ivan |
Here is the probable formation for Hellas Verona (3-5-2): Rafael; Moras, Marquez, G. Rodriguez; Martic, Lazaros, Tachtsidis, Hallfredsson, Brivio; N. Lopez, Toni.
Unavailable: Sala, Obbadi, Sorensen, Jankovic, Ionita. Gomez
Here are the probable formations for Chievo Verona (4-4-2): Bizzarri; Frey, Gamberini, Dainelli, Zukanovic; Birsa, Izco, Radovanovic, Hetemaj; Paloschi, Meggiorini.
ATALANTA – PALERMO
Atleti Azzurri D’Italia Stadium
Referee: ORSATO
Assistants: LONGO – STALLONE
Fourth Official: DI FIORE
ADD1: BARACANI
ADD2: ROCA
15:00
Disciplinary Situation before the game. No suspended players
Here is the probable formation for Atalanta (4-4-1-1): Sportiello; Benalouane, Stendardo, Cherubin, Dramé; Zappacosta, Cigarini, Carmona, A. Gomez; Moralez; Denis
Unavailable: Rosseti, Estigarribia, Raimondi
Here is the probable formation for Palermo (3-5-2): Sorrentino; Munoz, Gonzalez, Andelkovic; Morganella, Rigoni, Maresca, Barreto, Lazaar; Vazquez, Dybala
Unavailable: Daprelà
FIORENTINA – EMPOLI
Artemio Franchi Stadium
Referee: RUSSO
Assistants: PETRELLA – VIVENZI
Fourth Official: SCHENONE
ADD1: PERUZZO
ADD2: GAVILLUCCI
15:00
Disciplinary Situation before the game. No suspended players for FIORENTINA.
1 suspended player for EMPOLI: Vecino (1)
Here is the probable formation for Fiorentina (3-5-2): Neto; Savic, G. Rodriguez, Basanta; Cuadrado, Aquilani, Pizarro, B. Valero, Alonso; Mati Fernandez, M. Gomez
Unavailable: Rossi, Bernardeschi, Lupatelli, Babacar
Here is the probable formation for Empoli (4-3-1-2): Sepe; Hysaj, Tonelli, Rugani, Mario Rui; Croce, Valdifiori, Laxalt; Verdi; Maccarone, Tavano
Unavailable: Guarente, Laurini, Perticone
SAMPDORIA – UDINESE
Luigi Ferraris Stadium
Referee: IRRATI
Assistants: FAVERANI – RANGHETTI
Fourth Official: MELI
ADD1: MAZZOLENI
ADD2: SACCHI
15:00
Disciplinary Situation before the game. 1 suspended player for SAMPDORIA: Romagnoli (1)
1 suspended player for UDINESE: Allan (1)
Here is the probable formation for Sampdoria (4-3-3): Romero; Cacciatore, Gastaldello, Regini, Mesbah; Rizzo, Palombo, Obiang; Gabbiadini, Okaka, Eder
Unavailable: Silvestre, Wszolek, Sansone, De Silvestri, Soriano
Here is the probable formation for Udinese (4-3-2-1): Karnezis; Widmer, Heurtaux, Danilo, Pasquale; Badu, Pinzi, Guilherme; Kone, B. Fernandes; Di Natale
Unavailable: Muriel, A. Zapata, Piris, Domizzi
TORINO – GENOA
Olimpico di Torino Stadium
Referee: TOMMASI
Assistants: LA ROCCA – TEGONI
Fourth Official: IORI
ADD1: DOVERI
ADD2: SAIA
15:00
Disciplinary Situation before the game. 1 suspended player for TORINO: Jansson (1)
2 suspended players for GENOA: Perin (1), Perotti (4)
Here is the probable formation for Torino (3-5-2): Gillet; Maksimovic, Glik, Moretti; Peres, Vives, Gazzi, El Kaddouri, Darmian; Quagliarella, Martinez.
Unavailable: Larrondo, Basha, Benassi
Here is the probable formation for Genoa (4-3-3): Lamanna; Roncaglia, De Maio, Burdisso, Antonelli; Rincon, Bertolacci, Sturaro; Iago Falque, Matri, Lestienne
Unavailable: Mandragora, Kucka
INTER – LAZIO
Giuseppe Meazza Stadium
Referee: TAGLIAVENTO
Assistants: PASSERI – BARBIRATI
Fourth Official: CARIOLATO
ADD1: GUIDA
ADD2: MARESCA
20:45
Disciplinary Situation before the game. No suspended players
Here is the probable formation for Inter (4-3-1-2): Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, Ranocchia, Juan Jesus, Dodò; Guarin, Medel, Kuzmanovic; Kovacic; Icardi, Osvaldo
Here is the probable formation for Lazio (4-3-3): Marchetti; Basta, De Vrij, Cana, Radu; Parolo, Ledesma, Lulic; F. Anderson, Djordjevic, Mauri
Unavailable: Braafheid, Gentiletti, Ciani, Pereirinha, Cavanda, Candreva, Ederson, Biglia