Juventus and Milan resume title race as second round gets underway

At the halfway point of the season the battle for the Serie A title is already a two-horse race between Juventus and Milan.

Juve lead the division on 44 points from 19 matches, two ahead of champions Milan. Both have lost just one match this season and have an identical goal difference.

Udinese, on 34 points, are a distant third, having proved dependable in every area of the pitch, a quality that has often eluded fourth-placed Inter.

Inter are the only unbeaten side in the division and would have been higher had they not drawn 11 of their first 13 matches.

In the battle to avoid relegation only Atalanta, six points adrift at the bottom of the table, seem doomed.

This week's matches

Bologna Vs Cagliari - Cagliari aim to follow up their 1-1 draw with leaders Juventus in the last round of matches with another good result, despite the suspension of midfielder Nelson Abeijon.

Bologna's new defender Nicola Legrottaglie, who arrived on loan from Juventus earlier in the week, risks missing the game due to a back injury.

Inter Vs Chievo - Inter's run of three consecutive wins was brought to a shuddering halt by a drab 0-0 draw against 10-man Reggina. A calf injury to Adriano could prompt coach Roberto Mancini to field a strike trio of Obafemi Martins, Christian Vieri and Alvaro Recoba against lowly Chievo.

Juventus Vs Brescia - With Milan just two points behind Juve know they can ill afford another slip like last week's draw with Cagliari.

Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is expected to start on the bench to make way for David Trezeguet to spearhead Juve against a Brescia side that is sinking in the league, having earned just two points in their last five games.

Lazio Vs Sampdoria - Lazio's new striker Fabio Bazzani will be hoping to score against his old club, but will probably have to come on as a substitute as Lazio revert to their attack pairing of Paolo Di Canio and Tommaso Rocchi.

Sampdoria continue their charge for a European place after being frustrated 0-0 by Bologna in the last round of matches.

Lecce Vs Atalanta - Lecce's fine start to the season is now a distant memory and the southerners have been inching towards the relegation zone after winning just one of their last 12 matches.

Failure to beat bottom-placed Atalanta would leave a huge dent in morale, especially as the visitors start without injured striker Giampaolo Pazzini.

Livorno Vs Milan - Livorno celebrated their return to Serie A with a 2-2 draw in this fixture in Milan on the first day of the season.

Their chances of causing the Italian champions as many problems the second time round are boosted by the absence of Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo, who is suspended.

Messina Vs Parma - Back-to-back wins against Lecce and Siena mean Parma could escape the relegation zone for the first time this season if they beat Messina.

The Sicilians have been in indifferent form recently, but scrambled up to mid-table with a 1-0 victory over Atalanta during the week.

Siena Vs Palermo - Palermo striker Luca Toni, who scored twice in last week's 3-1 win against Lazio, is suspended and should be replaced by Franco Brienza.

Siena's chances of escaping relegation have suffered a battering after they took a single point from their last two matches against fellow strugglers Atalanta and Parma.

Udinese Vs Reggina - After two seasons spent in constant fear of the drop, Reggina find themselves in unfamiliar territory, having reached the halfway point of the season in the top half of the table.

Udinese welcome back striker David Di Michele from suspension.

Fiorentina Vs Roma - Fiorentina's attack is strengthened by the returns of Christian Riganò from a hand injury and Enzo Maresca from suspension.

Roma midfielder Olivier Dacourt looks ready to return to the starting line-up having come on as a sub during last week's 2-2 draw with Chievo.