Decisive clash for Fiorentina, Roma

Fiorentina vs Roma has always been a massive fixture in the Serie A. Not long ago, these two sides were in contention for domestic honours. However, in recent years both experienced a dip mainly due to the clubs' dire financial state.

Sunday's make-or-break clash in Florence will pave the way for the winners to claim a Champions League place and, perhaps, make up for their failures of late. Never before has Fiorentina vs Roma been so important.

These two sides, along with Sampdoria, Palermo and Udinese, were expected to battle it out for the fourth spot in the standings.

But, Udinese have always been closer to the relegation trap door than the upper quarters while Sampdoria never really got going. Their recent run of six straight defeats is ample proof that the time is ripe for the Blucerchiati to start from scratch perhaps with a new coach.

Palermo have improved tremendously in the past two months since new coach Giuseppe Papadopulo took over from Luigi Del Neri.

With seven games to go, Udinese are only one point above the red zone. Samp are travelling in circles and the likelihood is that they will finish the season in a mid-table position.

But, Palermo have emerged among the favourites to claim a UEFA Cup place. Besides, the Sicily side are semi-finalists in the Coppa Italia and stand a better chance to make it to Europe next season.

This time last year, Fiorentina and Roma were still in the mire of relegation. Roma managed to stave off the drop only towards the end whereas the Viola needed a home win over Brescia on the last day to extend their stay among the elite.

But things improved immensely for both clubs this season. They top the special list of teams that improved their points tally with respect to 12 months ago. Cesare Prandelli's side have 28 points more after 31 games while Luciano Spalletti's Roma are +20. Indeed, the hand of these two emerging coaches is evident in such marked progress.

Fiorentina are the dark horses of the season. They started off harbouring no particular aspirations except to finish high enough to play in Europe next season.

After the 2004/05 campaign, Roma, too, needed to get back on the right track. In summer, the only difference between these two clubs was the purchasing power of their respective owners. The Della Valle family left practically no stone unturned to build a strong squad whereas Roma had to cope with a transfer ban following the Philippe Mexes saga.

Even their start was different. Fiorentina were off to a flyer whereas Roma took three to four months to get going.

At one point, Roma were in the bottom half of the table. It was thanks to a flawless run of 11 straight wins that they got back in contention. In the meantime, Fiorentina started losing ground mainly because top marksman Luca Toni stopped scoring regularly.

As the season entered into its crucial phase, it seemed that it was becoming tougher for Fiorentina whereas Roma were coming more and more into the picture.

Ironically, the more the number of injuries that plagued Roma's restricted squad the better the results attained on the field of play. This factor is owed mainly to the excellent team spirit Spalletti managed to foster in his dressing room.

Prandelli's decision

Prandelli is the man who should have taken over Roma last season but he quit days before the 2004/05 Serie A season got underway due to family reasons.

However, the fact that Prandelli did not return to the capital once he resumed coaching speaks a lot of the rifts that existed within Roma's camp at that particular time.

On Sunday, the home ground is a huge advantage for Fiorentina even though one has to remember that Roma have won eight times from 15 away fixtures so far.

As for Prandelli's men, they have won 14 out of 16 home outings this season. Only Juventus and Lazio managed to leave Florence with three points in their bags.

Statistics

1st win for Palermo in three home league meetings with Treviso as the southerners needed a Stephen Makinwa second-half strike to record a third straight victory. Palermo are only two points adrift of joint-sixth duo Chievo and Lazio. These three sides, together with Livorno, are expected to battle it out for a place in Europe. Palermo may also claim a UEFA Cup spot if they lift the Italian Cup and even if they lose the Coppa Italia to Inter, assuming the latter qualify for the Champions League and the Sicilians reach the final.

2nd away win of the term for Lecce who caused the biggest upset of the weekend by beating Siena 2-1 in Tuscany. Juventus, on their part, had their lead at the top cut by two points following a 1-1 home draw with fifth-placed Roma. Sunday's clash with Fiorentina will shed more light on the Giallorossi quest for the fourth spot. At the moment, Fiorentina are only one point ahead of Roma.

3rd win for Reggina in seven league visits to Cagliari as Walter Mazzarri's side scored twice inside the opening 20 minutes to claim their first win in Sardinia since April 16, 2000 (1-0 in Serie A). Reggina dominated the early exchanges whereas Cagliari were simply non-starters. After the change of ends, Cagliari improved but were unable to get back in business. Reggina's third win in their last five away outings coincided with Cagliari's second home upset of the term, following the 0-2 reverse to Milan on October 16.

4th straight win for Parma as they produced perhaps their best performance of late and edged Inter by a solitary Fabio Simplicio first-half strike. For the umpteenth time this season, Inter were let down by their blunt attack, particularly Brazilian Adriano. Inter's defeat coupled with Milan's convincing 3-1 home win over fourth-placed Fiorentina left the Nerazzurri five points adrift of their city neighbours... the spectre of finishing third again looms large ahead of Inter.

6th defeat on the trot for struggling Sampdoria. On Sunday, they conceded two second-half goals to suffer their first defeat against Lazio in the capital since December 13, 1998 (5-2). Sampdoria lacked cohesion and were found wanting when they came to attack the Lazio goal.

23 years had to pass for Empoli to return to winning ways against Livorno at their Carlo Castellani stadium. In an action-packed encounter, in-form Empoli scored a goal in each half to condemn Carlo Mazzone's Livorno to their fourth straight defeat. This was Empoli's third win on the trot. For the interest of statistics, it is worth mentioning that Livorno's most recent of two wins in 16 league visits to Empoli dates back to October 1, 1961 (2-0 in Serie C). Ascoli and Chievo shared the spoils for the second time in two league meetings, with the previous encounter being played over 11 years ago. Then these two teams were still in the Serie B.

24 goals were scored on the 31st day: 14 coming from the hosts and the remaining 10 from the visitors. The goals were evenly distributed between the first and second halves. Total number of goals scored so far amount to 797. Top marksman Luca Toni's 25th goal of the term was not enough for Fiorentina to stop Milan. Three players - Massimo Oddo (Lazio), Massimo Paci (Ascoli) and Carvalho Amauri (Chievo) - grabbed a brace each. This weekend's two goals from substitutes were both decisive. Moroccan Houssine Kharja denied Juventus a precious home win over bitter rivals Roma whereas Stephen Makinwa gave Palermo a narrow victory over Treviso. Francesco Colonnese (Siena) and Pavel Nedved (Juventus) were red-carded last weekend. Two penalties were awarded by referees. Cristiano Lucarelli (Livorno) and Oddo (Lazio) made no mistake from the spot.