Serie A Sunday: Milan Visits Bari Before The Derby Della Capitale, Everything Ends With Napoli At Parma

Week 29 in Serie A began way back on Friday, when Brescia managed an equalizer against the mighty Inter Milan, but failed to grab all three points when Andrea Caracciolo saw his penalty kick saved by Júlio César to preserve a 1-1 draw. Gigi Buffon wasn't so lucky on Saturday, first committing the foul that led to the penalty, then missing his chance to save the shot from Luis Jiménez. With Juventus down to ten men before the halftime whistle, it's little wonder that MMarco Parolo managed to find an equalizer for Cesena, that match ending at 2-2.

Unsurprisingly, the two draws leave the Serie A table relatively unchanged from Week 28. However, if Palermo manage to find a win against Genoa tomorrow, they could leapfrog Juventus, whereas a Lecce win against Bologna could bring them up over Cesena, and AC Milan could pull seven points clear of Inter. Meanwhile, Lazio and Roma look to cement their European positions as they face off in the Derby Della Capitale, whereas Napoli must win in order to prevent a slide that sees the Champions League spots slip away.

AC Milan Vs. Bari

Bari, currently in last place in Serie A and practically mathematically eliminated from staying in the top flight, are faced with the tougher-than-usual task of traveling to the San Siro to take on league leaders Milan. Having been knocked out of the Champions League by Tottenham midweek, the Rossoneri have just the scudetto race to focus on. Count on the hosts showing absolutely no mercy to struggling Bari, likely fielding Mark van Bommel, who was cup-tied, and Gennaro Gattuso, who was suspended. Expect Max Allegri to continue with the front three of Zlatan Ibrahimović, Robinho and Alexandre Pato, although Antonio Cassano is fresh. As for Bari, well, they've fared better as of late. Udinese needed a penalty kick to come away with the win last week, and came back to draw Fiorentina the week prior. Still, applauding such accomplishments feels rather patronizing, as Bari will need nothing short of a miracle to come away from the San Siro with any points.

AS Roma Vs. Lazio

Make no mistake about it: The Rome derby is the match of Week 29. Not only are the clubs fighting for bragging rights within the city, they're also separated by just five points in the league, and neither is assured of a place in Europe. Taking three points could prove vital for either one of these sides. Roma have certainly not had an easy time of it lately, being dumped out of the Champions League by Shakhtar Donetsk midweek, with their performance over both legs leaving a great deal to be desired. Despite many proclaiming that new coach Vincenzo Montella had righted the sinking ship, both of Roma's wins were more the result of luck than skill, while they also allowed Parma to come back from a 2-0 deficit to equalize. However, it seems Roma shouldn't even bother trying to win the derby, as Lazio coach Edy Reja has declared, "It's our turn now." Ah, but if words could make it so. Lazio will be without center back Andre Dias, who failed a fitness test, and may also be missing winger Giuseppe Sculli, who suffered an allergic reaction to paint last week. No, that's not a joke. On one hand, players dejected from a Champions League struggle. On the other hand, paint fumes. I'm guessing this one's a draw.

Relegation battlers Parma entertain third place Napoli at just the right time, with Walter Mazarri’s side going all Icarus on us as they came oh so close to pushing their way at the top of the table, only to get burned by AC Milan in a dismal 3-0 defeat and continued to hurtle back to earth in a similarly poor 0-0 home draw against Brescia. Parma, meanwhile, are undefeated in their last three matches, but have accumulated just four points in five games – draws probably aren’t good enough at this stage, but Pasquale Marino’s men simply cannot get themselves ahead in matches. They’ll need to work especially hard against Napoli, for whom Ezequiel Lavezzi returns following a three match suspension. Keeping an eye on Lavezzi is bad enough, but Parma have to contend with Edinson Cavani as well. Although the Uruguayan hasn’t scored in five games, he’s liable to take out several matches of frustration on poor Parma if they give him any kind of opportunity.