Serie A, Week 32: Vidal downs Lazio in Rome

Arturo Vidal played the role of hero for Juventus, notching a brace as The Old Lady cruised to a 2-0 win over Lazio in Rome.

The match began at a great pace, with both sides forcing corners early on however it was Lazio who forced the first save, Hernanes skipping away from two defenders, his shot saved by Buffon in the Juve goal.

Lazio injuries and suspensions

Out: Andre Dias, Abdoulay Konko, Cristian Brocchi (injured) Giuseppe Biava, Stefan Radu, Senad Lulic (suspended)

For the first 30 minutes, it looked as though Milan’s hunger would see them win the day. Napoli were content to play the match their way: sit back and hit Milan on the counter. The first decent rossoneri chance came in the fifth minute, when Kevin-Prince Boateng got on the end of a ball from Philippe Mexes. Morgan De Sanctis managed to push the ball away, and, incredibly, no Milan player was able to get on the end of the loose ball and slot it home.

Milan continued to take the match to Napoli, making good use of space to get into wide areas. Mathieu Flamini pushed high up the pitch, forcing Marek Hamsik to drop back in an attempt to neutralize his effects. Sully Muntari saw his shot deflected, making it easy for De Sanctis to gather. Giampaolo Pazzini got himself into a good position, but again, De Sanctis was there to smother the shot.

Goals: Muriel 12, 43 (U) Pereyra 62 (U)

Roma re-took the lead on the hour mark. Totti rolled the ball across for Lamela to cut inside and curl a beautiful shot over the despairing Gillet from the edge of the box.

Totti continued to be the difference maker. Gillet had to fly across goal to palm a vicious free-kick away from the top corner to deny the Roma talisman. With ten minutes to go, Roma gave Torino a way back into the match after Balzaretti foolishly collected a second yellow for raising an elbow into Cerci’s neck.

Despite Cagliari nominally being the home team, the match was effectively played at a neutral venue in Trieste as a result of the Sardinian side’s stadium woes. It was Inter who looked more like the home team despite playing in their away kit, patiently passing the ball around in the opening stages whilst Cagliari looked to use the pace of Victor Ibarbo on the break.

Ricky Alvarez was a lively presence throughout the half, his mazy run ended inside the box but Gabriele Perico recovered to block his shot.

We get it, Chievo. But, with six games left to play, you’re essentially safe. So for the love of god and all the angels, would you please, please, please try to show some skill? And not take such pleasure in wrecking other clubs’ hopes and dreams?

So: Chievo safe, Catania not going to Europe, and almost two hours of life that I will never get back.

As is often the case in derby games, both sides struggled to assert themselves, and it quickly became a scrappy, heated affair. Save for a couple of snapshots, there were no clear-cut chances in the entire first half. It’s therefore not surprising that when the deadlock was broken -- just short of half-an-hour in -- it came directly from a set-piece. Some unimpressive defending from Genoa allowed the ball to creep under their wall, and Eder’s free-kick from the edge of the box clipped the post before finding the net.

Goals: Eder 28 (S) Matuzalém 80 (G)

With a goal on the board, Palermo were content to sit back and allow Bologna to come to them however despite enjoying the majority of possession, they were unable to trouble Palermo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino.

Palermo were looking dangerous on the break, Ilicic coming close to a second after Jasmin Kurtic won the ball in midfield and Miccoli shooting meekly at Curci after Kurtic again took advantage of some sloppy Bologna passing.

The Granata have a nine point cushion over the relegation places, so won’t be looking over their shoulders just yet, although with six games left to play after this weekend, that situation could change quite quickly.

The temperamental striker netted the first of two late goals when Roma won the reverse fixture 2-0 back in November. This meeting in Turin is the first in four years and you have to go all the way back to the 1990-91 season for the last Toro league victory over Roma in front of their own fans.

None known

Match Date / Time: Sunday, April 14 at 8:45 p.m. local, 2:45 p.m. ET

Then Larrondo very nearly turned from hero to villain, and certainly went from villain to public enemy number 1 in the Atalanta supporters’ eyes. He put in an ugly tackle on Bonaventura, coming in from behind and executing what another referee could have easily considered a red-card offense.

Fiorentina continued to threaten, with the lively Ljajic leading the counter-attack, constantly racing up the left-hand side and dribbling through the Atalanta defense. Ljajic tried to imitate Larrondo with his own shot from a difficult angle, but this time Consigli was able to rescue -- with his legs.

Parma Injuries and Suspensions

McDonald Mariga, Raffaele Palladino (injured); Marco Parolo (suspended)

Before the game, both sides laid flowers and Pescara unveiled a plaque dedicated to Piermario Morosini, after the Livorno midfielder tragically collapsed and died during a Serie B game at the Stadio Adriatico one year ago. Pescara have also named their away stand after Morosini.

It came as no surprise when Siena took the lead on 14 minutes. Sestu’s shot was blocked and, with Pelizzoli on the ground, Pescara cleared the ball into the path of Angelo, who directed a header into the net from the near post. It was the defender’s first goal in Serie A.

Cagliari Injuries and Suspensions:

Inter Injuries and Suspensions:

Palermo Injuries and Suspensions:

Bologna Injuries and Suspensions:

Siena have gone into a training camp to prepare for this game and will enter as favourites after winning the reverse fixture 1-0 back in November. It was a game which proved to be Giovanni Stroppa’s last in charge of Pescara, who missed a penalty and finished an ill-tempered match with nine men.

A run of a win and three draws has carried the Tuscans out of the relegation places for the first time this season. It’s a remarkable turnaround for a side that have looked hampered by their six point penalty for most of the campaign.

In other words, now is not the time for a plague of injuries to hit the side -- but apparently God’s not a huge fan of purple. In addition to long term injuries, the Viola are without Stevan Jovetic yet again, as well as compatriot Stefan Savic. Team captain Manuel Pasqual is injured as well. Luca Toni also didn’t make the cut, leaving Fiorentina rather short on forward options (although they’ve still got about 25 playmakers to choose from). In fact, the squad list for the trip to Bergamo included just 19 players.

So it’s safe to say that Atalanta won’t be standing at the gates handing out swag bags to the visitors. The weight of this performance probably rests most heavily on Adem Ljajic, so often overshadowed on this Viola side. Say what you will about whether Fiorentina’s first penalty last week was deserved -- it was an impressive bit of footwork by Ljajic nonetheless, and his conversion was smooth and composed. Without JoJo to hog the spotlight, and absent Toni to fall back upon, Ljajic’s performance could be what makes or breaks Fiorentina’s Champions League dreams.

This is a comparatively modern derby to most -- Genoa are the oldest club in Italy, though Sampdoria are one of Italy’s most modern outfits -- but it won’t be any less fierce than any other. The tight, boxy Luigi Ferraris means the atmosphere is always raucous, and Genoa’s relegation troubles add some spice to what’s already guaranteed to be an incredible game.

Genoa Injuries and Suspensions

Let’s face it: unless Juventus have a complete meltdown following their elimination from the Champions League, Serie A has been decided. The real fun now lies in determining who will be in second place, and, if you’re particularly masochistic, watching to see which sides will slide down to Serie B.

Week 32 is particularly helpful at highlighting both those battles. The week kicks off with a relegation six-pointer on Saturday, while the two clubs competing for that coveted second position do battle on Sunday night. It all ends with Lazio hosting Juventus on Monday, but we’ve already established that that one’s just a yawn.*