Inter and Roma face cup distraction

The Italian Cup reaches the semi-final stage today but as so often the competing teams have other priorities on their mind.

Cup holders Inter are at home to Udinese (9 p.m.) while Roma are away to Palermo (6.15 p.m.) in the first-leg ties of a competition that most clubs have fielded weakened sides in during the campaign.

Inter are third in Serie A and have little hope of making up 12 points on leaders Juventus in the remaining eight games but they have their eye on success in Europe.

Next week Roberto Mancini's side are at home to Spain's Villarreal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final and before then, on Saturday, they are away to Parma in Serie A.

With those commitments coming up, Mancini is likely to rotate his squad and hand a chance to some of his fringe players.

Normally that would hand Udinese a better chance of making it through to the two-legged final, but the north-east club also have more important matters to attend to given they are in desperate need of league points against fellow strugglers Messina on Sunday.

Udinese, who began the campaign in the Champions League after finishing fourth last season, are just one point away from the relegation zone.

On Monday, the club appointed Giovanni Galeone as their new coach after Nestor Sensini resigned.

Roma's have hopes of qualification for next season's Champions League and with that lucrative prospect in front of them, Luciano Spalletti will be tempted to rest some key players for the trip to Sicily.

Roma's ability to rotate their squad is limited by injuries, however, with captain Francesco Totti joined on the sidelines this week by Daniele De Rossi who has an ankle injury.

Of the four teams in the semi-finals, Palermo are the one most likely to give their all in the cup - they are in a comfortable mid-table position and out of Europe after being eliminated from the UEFA Cup.

"Roma are a tough team to play even if they are weakened," said Palermo striker David Di Michele.

"But we have every motivation to produce something special and we are well capable of doing it," he said.

Serie A today: 8.30 p.m. Cagliari vs Fiorentina.