Socrates

Serie A Week 36 - 2-5-2012 (8:45 p.m.) 1 - 1 Claudio Marchisio (9′) Andrea Bertolacci (85′) Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Paolo Valeri Attendance: 32000 Buffon’s mistake gifts Lecce late equaliser against Juventus May 2, 2012 Juventus coach Antonio Conte refused to blame keeper Gianluigi Buffon despite his error costing the Bianconeri two points at Lecce. Lecce, reduced to 10 men, threw a spanner in the Serie A title works as they held Juventus to a 1-1 draw, allowing AC Milan to close the gap at the top to just one point. Juve seemed to be cruising to victory after an early goal while their relegation-threatened opponents were reduced to 10 men early in the second period. But Andrea Bertolacci’s goal five minutes from time snatched a draw and allowed Milan, 2-0 winners over Atalanta, to reduce the arrears. It was a horror mistake from Buffon that gifted Lecce the equaliser, the veteran Italian international miscontrolling a back pass to lose possession. “There was a moment of slackness, we missed a bonus and now we have to win the last two games,” he said. “But if you’d have offered me this at the beginning of the year, I’d have signed on a thousand times. “That’s football, it was incredible what happened. A mistake can happen, Gigi’s having an amazing year.” Juve were off to a dream start and it came from their fabled midfield. The incomparable Andrea Pirlo was given too much time on the edge of the box and he put in a delightful chip over the defence for Claudio Marchisio to run onto and although his header looked tame, goalkeeper Massimiliano Benassi seemed to slip and the ball crept in. Any chance Lecce had of dragging themselves back into the contest seemed to die when Juan Cuadrado was harshly sent off for a second booking. Juve missed a hatful of chances but then Buffon’s first touch from Andrea Barzagli’s back-pass was horribly heavy and Bertolucci nipped in to rob him and score. Milan coach Massimiliano All-egri admitted that he thought the title was over until the late drama in Turin. “With five minutes to go the title seemed over but then Lecce scored and at the end I felt like I was at the theatre waiting for the end of an opera,” he said. Milan started brightly and efforts from Kevin-Prince Boateng and one from Zlatan Ibrahimovic tested goalkeeper Andrea Consigli. On nine minutes, Boateng found Muntari in the box, although the Ghana midfielder was perhaps offside, to poke in from close range. Milan enjoyed the lion’s share of chances but they had to wait until injury time to wrap up the points through Robinho. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 36 - 2-5-2012 (8:45 p.m.) 1 - 1 Claudio Marchisio (9′) Andrea Bertolacci (85′) Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Paolo Valeri Attendance: 32000 Juventus 1-1 Lecce: A Moment of Madness Narrows Serie A Gap to +1 May 2, 2012 Shock and disbelief. Such was the feeling at Juventus Stadium Wednesday night, after Juventus welcomed 3rd-from-bottom Lecce in a match many described as pure formality for the Bianconeri. Juve could truly not have asked for more favorable circumstances: an early goal, an opponent a man down for nearly an entire half, another dominating performance from its team. Then out of nowhere came the kick-in-the-nuts, the sledgehammer to the Juve fan’s gonads wielded by the person we least expected. Aaron and Marco bring you the after-action report of a frustrating night and two seconds of folly. MATCH ANALYSIS (by Aaron Giambattista) Juventus has had a fairly tough run-in to the end of the league. Starting back in March, fans eyed a string of games against the likes of Napoli, Fiorentina, Roma, Inter, Milan, Lazio and Palermo with trepidation. A home match against Lecce was probably the last thing on fans’ minds when considering possible obstacles, yet at the Juventus Stadium on Wednesday evening, the plucky Salentini pulled an upsetting 1-1 draw. The match certainly seemed to start on the right foot. Despite De Ceglie having to leave the field very early on (thigh strain), Claudio Marchisio headed in a delightful Andrea Pirlo cross to open the scoring in the 8th minute: a very quick 1-0, and Juventus with the opportunity to put on ‘cruise control’ radically early into the match. Things turned far from easy however. The game became very similar to the Parma and Bologna-type fixtures the team played earlier this season: a sub-par midfield performance with attempts to outrun our opponents and strikers not cynical enough in converting chances. Yet in most of these matches where the Bianconeri sweat against Provinciali teams, the defense remained secure. Lecce made Juventus earn every minute of possession today: the Old Lady only chalked up 58% despite being at home with an extra man for almost an entire half, following Juan Cuadrado’s second yellow card in the 54th. Despite the numerical advantage (and despite the gulf in technical ability between the two teams), Juventus were unable to double the precious lead delivered by Marchisio: decent efforts by Quagliarella, Matri, and a golden chance for Vidal went unused. Unfortunately, as has often been the case against opponents this season, Lecce converted on their one single opportunity. Buffon has had very little to do the past month, and today Lecce had barely forced out a single save out of him, but a moment of madness from Juve’s #1 cost the team the victory. Already in the first half, Buffon had dribbled a rushing opponent inside his box with a move that caused both shock & admiration, but also perhaps foreshadowed the uncertainty (or excessive confidence, depending on the points-of-view) from the iconic goalkeeper. In the 85th minute, Gigi received a backpass from Andrea Barzagli and instead of booting it up the field, decided (as Juve have done pretty much all season) to control the ball and pass it short to a nearby teammate. Unfortunately he was let down by a very heavy first touch, allowing Lecce forward Andrea Bertolacci to rush forward, steal the ball, and convert a very much unexpected 1-1 tally for Lecce. It’s certainly true that Antonio Conte’s playing style contributed in Buffon’s error: the coach has encouraged his team to never let the ball go to waste, and minimize the panicky clearances that usually result in gifting the ball straight back to the opponent. Given that Lecce was already down to 10 men however and the overriding more important task of clinching a capital victory for Juve, Gigi’s decision-making must be put under a heavy lens here, particularly also because Lecce’s forwards were pressing hard at that exact moment… At the end of 90 minutes, Juventus registered 17 total shots (7 on target), yet only managed to convert one. The Giallorossi, had only 3 shots: one wide, one blocked by Barzagli, one finding the back of the net after a senseless blunder by a club legend. Even heroes make mistakes. They are only human. LE PAGELLE (by Aaron Giambattista) Buffon 4 – Forever a Juventus colossus and with an excellent season under his belt, Gigi nevertheless made a behemothic mistake today perhaps due to nonchalance or excessive confidence (recall the dribble on Di Michele early in the first half). Let’s pray the Lord that this moment of madness hasn’t hurt the team’s morale & momentum too much. Barzagli 6.5 – Calm and assured. Muriel gave him a bit of difficulty when he came on, but Lecce had trouble creating concrete chances. Great reading of the game as usual. Bonucci 6.5 – A pretty “typical” Bonucci performance: a tidy match with a mistake or two. Excellent in possession otherwise. Chiellini 6.5 – Seemed less “at ease” than he should have. Keyser Giorgio would know best of all the problems that Lecce’s caused us in the past. That said, he won plenty of tackles and helped Cáceres control Juve’s left side in defense. Lichtsteiner 5.5 – Another match that seemed to confirm his relative ineffectiveness in a 3-5-2. Never struggled defensively, but also had a limited impact up front. Vidal 6 – A bit of a quiet game compared to the sensational form the Chilean has displayed recently. Won plenty of tackles left & right, but had a diminished offensive output. With that said, he did get those two great chances that would’ve put Juve’s victory on ice. Wastefulness or bad luck? You be the judge. Pirlo 6.5 – A great assist to Marchisio for the opening goal, and a myriad of killer through balls throughout the game. His passing dropped a bit as the match wore on, but L’Architetto was once again the infallible metronome of Juve’s game.. Marchisio 6.5 – Great forward run and header to open the scoring in the 8th minute. An efficient performance in midfield, replete with penetrations, runs, and shots on target. The heart of the Juve midfield today. De Ceglie s.v – Unfortunately left the pitch early on with a muscular injury. Juve certainly could have used his natural left-footedness. (6′) Cáceres 6 – Energetically got up & down his flank (more than Lichtsteiner on the opposite side), but as a clearly right-footed player that he is, his multitude of crosses left something to be desired. Quagliarella 6 – Less involved than he should have been. Two decent efforts on goal (a volley and a curling shot), a lot of heart & energy, but not a lot of efficiency to go with it. (72′) Matri 6 – Only on for 20 minutes, but still managed to nearly score after a well-executed counterattack and dribble on Carrozzieri. Vucinic 5.5 – A drop in performance. Good runs, a few nice passes here & there (the most notable of which the reverse header to put Vidal clean on goal), but not a single shot on target. (78′) Del Piero s.v. – Came on to save his Old Lady again, but was unable to. Conte 5 – It’s hard to blame Conte for the draw- a freak mistake from Gigi Buffon late in the match could not be planned for. That said, at home against 10-men Lecce, the team should really have taken advantage of their superior numbers. Also, given the Uruguayan’s performance to replace the injured De Ceglie, it is difficult to justify Cáceres’s utilization as left-mid instead of, for example, Emanuele Giaccherini in the same role. ANALYSIS WRAP-UP (by Marco Pantanella) First things first: let’s avoid throwing Gigi under the bus here. Like millions of fans, I too am angry and shocked at the incredible mistake that has cost us two points Wednesday evening. But Buffon has saved Juve’s hide so many times before, kept balls out of the net where other shot-stoppers would have easily capitulated, that we can let a mistake, as important as it may be, slide. Secondly, let’s not forget that all things considered, Juventus are still very much masters of their own destiny. Conquering the S… crown just might take them an extra victory and the Serie A race might not be over till the very last matchday, but this team has worked too damn hard and come too damn far to let its confidence be shattered by a home draw against Lecce. Granted, the fashion in which we conceded this draw is the elephant in the room at the moment, but I am pretty effing certain the thoughts going through our players’ minds at the moment, are rage and desire for instant redemption rather than sorrow & despair. ‘Get straight back to work’ in other words, with the team still undefeated and still having to face two very moderate opponents, all the while AC Milan have got the Derby della Madonnina to contend with. Ah right. I know what’s making you uncomfortable. It’s the very uneasy feeling of having to cheer for Inter this week-end, albeit for a very short moment of time. Worse yet, the possibility that the Nerazzurri might contribute to Juve clinching the 30th Scudetto of their history. Don’t worry my friends, that feeling of vomit and disgust will pass. And for the naysayers among you (who might say Inter may want to lose on purpose just to spite us), remember than if there’s anything an Interista will hate more than a Juventus Scudetto is an AC Milan Scudetto. That, and Inter still have an infinitesimal chance of qualifying for the Champions League, so not all is lost for them. So let’s swallow our pride, and for 90 minutes Sunday cry FORZA STRAMACCIONI!! (* cough * cough * bleah*) Allegri declared he was thoroughly entertained by today’s events, but in Italy we have a saying: “ride bene chi ride ultimo”. At the end of the season, there will be those who cry their sorrows into a bottle of whiskey and talk about phantom goals over the line, and there will be those celebrating in the streets, magnificent and proud of their club’s historic achievement. Let the Allegris laugh now and cry to their mama later. That is lo Stile Juve. In Conte We Trust! http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 36 - 2-5-2012 (8:45 p.m.) 1 - 1 Claudio Marchisio (9′) Andrea Bertolacci (85′) Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Paolo Valeri Attendance: 32000 Juve slip up May 2, 2012 Juventus saw their Serie A lead over AC Milan cut to a single point with two games to go after substitute Andrea Bertolacci struck a dramatic late equaliser for 10-man Lecce at the Juventus Arena. Claudio Marchisio's early header looked to have set Antonio Conte's men on their way to retaining their three-point advantage and the points looked secure when Juan Cuadrado was sent off in the 54th minute. But the relegation-threatened visitors drew level when Bertolacci fired home five minutes from time to maintain his side's slim hope of avoiding relegation. The home side had pressed from the start and grabbed the lead in the eighth minute when Marchisio headed home from an Andrea Pirlo cross. Juventus pressed for a second goal, with Lecce keeper Massimiliano Benassi saving an Arturo Vidal effort in the 11th minute and also holding a long-range effort from Fabio Quagliarella. Vidal and Giorgio Chiellini both came close and Marchisio brought another long-range save out of Benassi, before Cuadrado had a rare chance for Lecce when he fired a long-range free-kick over the bar. Cuadrado was dismissed for a professional foul early in the second half but after Benassi saved from Vidal on the hour, the Colombian's dismissal appeared to spark the visitors into life. Davide Brivio shot just wide and Manuel Blasi fired a left-foot effort just over the bar before Juventus substitute Alessandro Matri almost sealed victory with a shot from a tight angle which was saved by Benassi. The nervous hosts were finally made to pay five minutes from time when veteran keeper Gianluigi Buffon blundered with the ball at his feet and allowed Bertolacci to roll the ball into an empty net. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 36 - 2-5-2012 (8:45 p.m.) 1 - 1 Claudio Marchisio (9′) Andrea Bertolacci (85′) Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Paolo Valeri Attendance: 32000 Juventus Scudetto suicide! Juventus have shot themselves in the foot with a Gianluigi Buffon howler that allowed 10-man Lecce a draw in Turin! May 2, 2012 The Bianconeri hoped to move closer to the Scudetto, having already set a new all-time Serie A record by going 35 games unbeaten in the same season. On the hunt for a ninth consecutive victory, only Simone Pepe was absent due to an ankle problem, as Alessandro Matri returned from suspension to sit on the bench. Serse Cosmi won his appeal against a touchline ban, so was on the bench cheering on a Lecce side desperately trying to avoid relegation. Massimo Oddo, Daniele Corvia and Julio Sergio were sidelined with Andrea Esposito suspended, but 20-year-old Haris Seferovic was surprisingly picked ahead of Luis Muriel. Bad news for Juve straight away, as Paolo De Ceglie pulled up with a muscular problem and had to make way for the versatile Martin Caceres. Gigi Buffon showed his confidence by dribbling to avoid a David Di Michele challenge. Juventus opened the scoring with Claudio Marchisio’s ninth goal of the season. The midfielder got his cushioned header on to an Andrea Pirlo cross and steered it across the goalkeeper into the far bottom corner. Massimiliano Benassi flapped at a cross, but Arturo Vidal’s follow-up was charged down. Moris Carrozzieri almost scored an own goal by deflecting Vucinic’s cross inches past the far post. Fabio Quagliarella was stopped for an incorrect offside flag when running clear into the final third, then Marchisio set up Vidal for an angled drive that shaved a coat of paint off the base of the upright. Benassi fingertipped a Marchisio blockbuster round the post. After the restart Christian Obodo risked a red card for a crunching tackle on Quagliarella and Lecce introduced Muriel for Seferovic. However, the dismissal did come soon after, as Cuadrado received a second yellow for a late tackle on Caceres. Vidal should’ve doubled their lead from a Vucinic assist, but scuffed his finish with only the goalkeeper to beat, as it was on his weaker left foot. A magnificent Quagliarella volley from a short clearance skimmed the bar. Another Quagliarella curler was deflected inches past the far post and from the corner the ex-Napoli striker just failed to get the final touch. 10-man Lecce threatened to equalise on 74 minutes when a corner was not cleared effectively and Gigi Buffon smothered at the feet of Muriel. Juve immediately went on the counter-attack with Matri’s angled drive palmed away by Benassi. Muriel also had penalty appeals waved away. However, Lecce equalised thanks to a complete Buffon howler! In the first half he had dribbled past a striker and he tried it again, but this time his first touch was heavy and Andrea Bertolacci pounced on the error to deposit into the empty net! Alessandro Del Piero ran all the way back to his own box to reassure Buffon, but the goalkeeper was understandably apologetic. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, De Ceglie (Caceres 7); Quagliarella (Matri 73), Vucinic (Del Piero 78) Lecce: Benassi; Tomovic, Carrozzieri, Miglionico; Cuadrado, Blasi, Obodo (Bertolacci 71), Delvecchio, Brivio; Di Michele (Giacomazzi 61), Seferovic (Muriel 52) Ref: Valeri Sent off: Cuadrado 54 (L) http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 36 - 2-5-2012 (8:45 p.m.) 1 - 1 Claudio Marchisio (9′) Andrea Bertolacci (85′) Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Paolo Valeri Attendance: 32000‎ Bizarre Buffon error surrenders victory and blows Scudetto race wide open Antonio Conte's champions-elect fail to find killer second goal against ten men and drop two vital points after horror moment from Italy international . May 2, 2012 A late error from Gianluigi Buffon handed Lecce a 1-1 draw versus Juventus and ensured that the Serie A title race will continue for another week. Claudio Marchisio had given Antonio Conte's side an early advantage, but Buffon took a poor touch to allow Bertolacci to slide into an empty net. Coupled with AC Milan's win over Atalanta, the gap at the top is now back to just a single point. Bianconeri boss Antonio Conte will be furious at his troops, who failed to take advantage of their obvious superiority and have handed rivals Milan some momentum in the title race. An end-to-end opening suited the hosts who got off to a great start on eight minutes when Marchisio got on the end of a drifting Andrea Pirlo cross to nod past the flat-footed Massimiliano Benassi in the visitors' goal. The visitors nearly found themselves two down on 26 minutes. A lovely passage of play saw the influential Marchisio dance through the middle and flight a pass to Arturo Vidal, but the Chilean fired wide of the upright from 12 yards out. Marchisio then went close himself, Benassi turning the Italy international's bouncing 25-yard effort round the post. The visiting Giallorossi started to knock a few passes around before the break, but entered the dressing room without mustering a shot on target. Juventus emerged for the second period seemingly content to protect their one-goal cushion and their task was made easier on 54 minutes when Lecce striker Juan Cuadrado earned a second yellow card for a rash tackle on Uruguayan Martin Caceres. Vidal almost exploited the extra man immediately, the Juve midfielder striding onto a Vucinic header only to hit a tame effort at Benassi. Nearing the 70 minute mark, a comfortable Bianconeri nearly doubled their lead, Fabio Quagliarella hitting a delightful left foot volley just over from the edge of the area before testing a sprawling Benassi moments later with a low curling strike. Juventus were struggling to put the visitors to the sword, however, and nearly paid the price when Luis Muriel almost latched onto a partially cleared free kick only to be denied by Buffon. Muriel's half-chance stung the hosts into action and substitute Alessandro Matri crowned a fine run down the left flank with a firm angled shot - only to see Benassi palm the effort to safety. Then Buffon's calamitous moment came with five minutes left on the clock. The keeper seemingly had acres of space, but took a shocking touch to allow Bertolacci to nip in and gleefully pass home into an empty net. Marchisio went close for the hosts in a desperate finale, but the visitors hung on to gain an unlikely draw, which will go some way to soothing their relegation fears. Juventus, meanwhile, will enter their final game of the season just one point ahead of AC Milan. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Siamo stati molto superficiali.

Marchisio non va

Che hai fatto Gigi.

Muriel e Cuadrado fuori contro la Fiorentina.

Muriel cerca di fare il furbo ...

Cosmi fuori di testa

Genialata di Pirlo. I compagni non capiscono.

Lecce quasi in B grazie al vantaggio del Genoa e il pareggio della Fiorentina.

La leggenda al posto di Vucinic.

Serie A Week 36 - 2-5-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Paolo Valeri HT: Marchisio sends Juve on way May 2, 2012 Claudio Marchisio has given Juventus a 1-0 half-time lead over Lecce on their route to the Scudetto. The Bianconeri hoped to move closer to the Scudetto, having already set a new all-time Serie A record by going 35 games unbeaten in the same season. On the hunt for a ninth consecutive victory, only Simone Pepe was absent due to an ankle problem, as Alessandro Matri returned from suspension to sit on the bench. Serse Cosmi won his appeal against a touchline ban, so was on the bench cheering on a Lecce side desperately trying to avoid relegation. Massimo Oddo, Daniele Corvia and Julio Sergio were sidelined with Andrea Esposito suspended, but 20-year-old Haris Seferovic was surprisingly picked ahead of Luis Muriel. Bad news for Juve straight away, as Paolo De Ceglie pulled up with a muscular problem and had to make way for the versatile Martin Caceres. Gigi Buffon showed his confidence by dribbling to avoid a David Di Michele challenge. Juventus opened the scoring with Claudio Marchisio’s ninth goal of the season. The midfielder got his cushioned header on to an Andrea Pirlo cross and steered it across the goalkeeper into the far bottom corner. Massimiliano Benassi flapped at a cross, but Arturo Vidal’s follow-up was charged down. Moris Carrozzieri almost scored an own goal by deflecting Vucinic’s cross inches past the far post. Fabio Quagliarella was stopped for an incorrect offside flag when running clear into the final third, then Marchisio set up Vidal for an angled drive that shaved a coat of paint off the base of the upright. Benassi fingertipped a Marchisio blockbuster round the post. Juventus 1-0 Lecce (Half-Time) Scorers: Marchisio 8 (J) Juventus:Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, De Ceglie (Caceres 7); Quagliarella, Vucinic Lecce: Benassi; Tomovic, Carrozzieri, Miglionico; Cuadrado, Blasi, Obodo, Delvecchio, Brivio; Di Michele, Seferovic Ref: Valeri http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 36 - 2-5-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Paolo Valeri Line-ups: Juventus-Lecce May 2, 2012 Juventus have a tough task and look to Mirko Vucinic against his former club, as Serse Cosmi’s desperate Lecce come to Turin ready to cause an upset. The Bianconeri are still unbeaten this season, setting an all-time Serie A record, and with a three-point lead at the top of the table are close to the Scudetto celebrations. Simone Pepe is the only absentee, as Alessandro Matri returns from suspension, but only gets a place on the bench. Instead Fabio Quagliarella is picked to partner ex-Lecce star Vucinic, who started his Serie A career with the Salentini. Antonio Conte has opted for a three-man defence with Stephan Lichtsteiner and Paolo De Ceglie in more advanced roles. Lecce are only one point adrift of the safety zone, but have slowed down their remarkable ascent recently and Cosmi hopes this atmosphere can shake up the squad. He also welcomes back Juan Cuadrado from suspension, but Andrea Esposito is banned with Massimo Oddo, Daniele Corvia and Julio Sergio injured. Udinese-owned Luis Muriel is surprisingly dropped after losing form recently, so 20-year-old ex-Fiorentina youngster Haris Seferovic starts with veteran David Di Michele. Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, De Ceglie; Quagliarella, Vucinic Juventus bench: Storari, Caceres, Padoin, Giaccherini, Del Piero, Borriello, Matri Lecce: Benassi; Tomovic, Carrozzieri, Miglionico; Cuadrado, Blasi, Obodo, Delvecchio, Brivio; Di Michele, Seferovic Lecce bench: Petrachi, Di Matteo, Giandonato, Giacomazzi, Bertolacci, Muriel, Bojinov http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 36 - 2-5-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Paolo Valeri Quagliarella and Vucinic lead the line for Juventus against Lecce Antonio Conte makes two changes from the weekend's 4-0 win at Novara as the former Udinese forward is rewarded for his contract extension with a place in attack. May 2, 2012 Fabio Quagliarella has been handed a starting berth in the Juventus frontline alongside Mirko Vucinic in tonight's Serie A clash with Lecce, as two changes are made from the 4-0 victory over Novara. The 29-year-old recently renewed his stay with the Old Lady for a further two years to take him until 2015 and he has been chosen ahead of Marco Borriello in attack for the visit of the Giallorossi, despite the Roma loanee scoring in two consecutive games. The other alteration is seen in midfield as Paolo De Ceglie returns to the lineup at the expense of Emanuele Giaccherini on the left-hand side of midfield. Meanwhile for Lecce, five changes have been made by Serse Cosmi from the disappointing 2-1 defeat to Parma. The suspended Andrea Esposito, Luca Di Matteo, Guillermo Giacomazzi, Andrea Bertolacci and Luis Muriel have all been replaced by Moris Carrozzieri, Christian Obodo, Davide Brivio, Haris Seferovic and the in-form Juan Cuadrado. The teams are as follows: Juventus (3-5-2): Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, De Ceglie; Quagliarella, Vucinic Subs: Storari, Caceres, Giaccherini, Padoin, Del Piero, Borriello, Matri Lecce (3-5-2): Benassi; Tomovic, Carrozzieri, Miglionico; Cuadrado, Blasi, Obodo, Delvecchio, Brivio; Di Michele, Seferovic Subs: Petrachi, Di Matteo, Giandonato, Giacomazzi, Bertolacci, Muriel, Bojinov http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 36 - 2-5-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Paolo Valeri Pirlo key to Juventus' revival, claims Conte The Italy international was surprisingly released by AC Milan last summer but has proven his worth this season by inspiring the Bianconeri to a surprise Scudetto challenge. May 2, 2012 Juventus boss Antonio Conte has put the club's revival this season down to the players, singling out midfielder Andrea Pirlo for special praise. After successive seventh-placed finishes in Serie A, not much was expected of the Bianconeri this season and yet, ahead of Wednesday evening's meeting with Lecce, they stand within two victories of the title. Conte, who only returned to Turin last summer, has been lauded for Juve's remarkable transformation into Scudetto challengers, but he insists that the plaudits should go to the players, and in particular, Pirlo. "Our style of play comes from the desire to take the game to the opposition and it’s much easier to do this with players like Pirlo," he told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday. "We’ve worked intensely on our game but it’s the players’ commitment which has made it possible to make everything click." Meanwhile, Conte revealed that with the return of Alessandro Matri from suspension, he has a near full-strength squad to choose from ahead of the visit of Lecce. However, he has yet to decide if Simone Pepe will feature. “Del Piero has recovered from muscular fatigue and Quagliarella is on his way back," he explained. "Pepe trained separately yesterday [Monday]. He’s got great desire and enthusiasm to be involved, but the championship doesn’t finish tomorrow [Wednesday] and it’s important to make sensible assessments. "I’ll speak with my players - it’s an important moment and it’s right to consult them." Undefeated Juve go into the game with relegation-threatened Lecce three points clear of second-placed Milan. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 36 - 2-5-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Paolo Valeri Vucinic on Lecce reunion May 2, 2012 Mirko Vucinic will take on his past this evening when Juventus entertain former club Lecce in Serie A. The striker spent six years at the Via Del Mare, scoring 34 League goals in the process, before his August 2006 switch to Roma. “The Lecce tie will be a special one for me,” the Montenegro international centre-forward commented. “However, we have to remain concentrated until the end because we want to gift ourselves a special dream.” The Old Lady are three points clear of Milan at the top of the League with three games left to play this season. The Bianconeri will face Cagliari and Atalanta next. Milan’s last three games of the campaign are against Atalanta, Inter and Novara. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 36 - 2-5-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Paolo Valeri Cosmi wins Juventus appeal May 1, 2012 Serse Cosmi has won his appeal against a touchline ban, so he will be on the bench for tomorrow evening’s Juventus-Lecce match. The Salentini Coach was suspended, but the ban has been reduced on appeal to the Federal Court. Instead it will become a warning with €10,000 fine. Lecce are in a battle with Genoa to avoid relegation, while Juventus are top of the Serie A table. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 36 - 2-5-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Paolo Valeri Cosmi anticipates tough Juve May 1, 2012 Serse Cosmi still believes Lecce have what it takes to avoid relegation from Serie A, even if he admits that Wednesday’s trip to Juventus will be difficult. The Salentini arrive in Turin hoping for a result against a Bianconeri side that have won their last League games and who remain undefeated for the season. Sat in 18th place and arriving off the back of two defeats suffered, Lecce are in for a test to take anything from the game, admits Cosmi. “We know we’ll face a team that has conceded just one goal in the last eight games,” he told his Press conference on Tuesday. “Juventus are having a superb championship, for the results they’re achieving and the quality of their play. “I don’t know how much chance we have of getting a result in Turin, but with the right attitude we could give them a game. “We’ll require players who don’t surrender and are able to find the strength to give even more than they have done up until now. “It’s clear we squandered a great opportunity against Parma, but I still believe we can stay up.” http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 36 - 2-5-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Paolo Valeri Conte: Juve like Verona May 1, 2012 Antonio Conte believes that should Juventus win the Scudetto this season, then it is a comparable achievement to Hellas Verona’s 1985 title. The Gialloblu famously won the Italian League that season against all the odds, something that Bianconero Coach Conte says holds similar truth in reflection in 2012 to his Juve side. The comparison, though, was made after he was pushed for an answer to another subject, the future of strikers Alessandro Del Piero and Marco Borriello at the club beyond the summer. “Look, we are thinking in the present, their help has given us the opportunity to something incredible this year, something incredible and unthinkable earlier this season, ” deflected the 42-year-old tactician to the assembled media on Tuesday. “And if we win, I think this is comparable to the League championship of Hellas Verona’s, lest we forget where we have come from. “So we are thinking about this, let’s concentrate on doing something extraordinary in the League. “We are building on what we’ve already built that is important, but let’s not lose sight of the goal, because it has not yet been achieved. “Other things are secondary, they are things we will face when the time comes.” The Coach went further on this final point, by insisting that Wednesday opponents Lecce, Conte’s home-town club that he also once played for, would need Juve’s full concentration. “We can’t say Lecce are the final hurdle, because as the previous two games have taught us, we have found teams with the greatest motivation to get a result, as it should be. “So we will encounter a Lecce who like us have an important goal . We strive for something beautiful, magical, whilst they are after survival. It will be a nice challenge between two teams that still have the greatest motivation. “We absolutely have to think about us only, though, as I always say, partly because we have nothing in our hands at the moment, except for Champions League qualification and the Coppa Italia final. “We are looking before we speak, I was taught that you must win before you talk.” Conte was also asked about the Bianconeri’s possession statistics through the season, where they have averaged the third highest possession in League football across all of Europe. “The focus on possession was a well-defined concept from day one, that we want to take the game to the opponents and to do so we needed the ball at our feet. “We have facilitated this task through the players…[Andrea] Pirlo who is great for playing this style of play and allows the team to have peace of mind from this point of view. “We’ve worked hard on an idea for how to play, how to make the game, to want to keep the ball and all this has been possible thanks to the players.” http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

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