Serie A Preview: Livorno-Juventus
5/21/2005 4:38:00 PM
Juventus travel to Livorno with an eased mind as the 3-3 draw between Milan and Palermo made them officially the new Italian champions.
BACKGROUND
The Juventus fans will not be looking much at this game as they will be looking at the Scudetto celebration after the match. Some fans will be waiting for this celebration to see Adriano Galliani, President of Lega Calcio (and also Ac Milan General Director) handing Alessandro Del Piero the Scudetto trophy which is very ironic and sweet to some Juventus fans, or let us say, all the Juventus fans. Another thing that will keep the Juventus fans on their toes is that Adrian Mutu is available for this game and everybody will want to see him feature in a Juventus shirt for the first time ever. Don Cappello will probably field him in but is he gonna start or feature in the late minutes knowing that he is coming from a 7 month suspension?
The other Serie A fans will be looking to the relegation dog fight in the bottom of the table. Livorno on the other hand will try to take advantage of the Bianconeri’s mood by trying to snatch a win to seal their good season with a home win against the new champions. Igor Protti will play his last game in Livorno, a player who gave much for the game and his club.
TEAM NEWS
Juventus will just missing Paolo Montero due to an injury.
Livorno will also be missing just one player: Licka due to an injury.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
The Whole Team (Juventus)
With team work and grit the Juventus team won the Scudetto. Everybody was a champion and the whole team was the winner. Zlatan, Del Piero, Nedved, Buffon, Trezeguet, Emerson, Cameronesi, Cannavaro, Thuram, Zambrotta, Zebina, Appiah, Blasi, Kapo, Tachinardi, Olivera, Pessotto, Birendelli, Ferrara, Montero…Those are the players to watch as they proved that they are all for one and one for all.
Igor Protti (Livorno)
Playing the last game in front of his own fans the veteran striker will try to say goodbye with a good memory to the Livorno fans; definitely a player to watch for.
POSSIBLE STARTING XI’s
Juventus (4-4-2):
Buffon, Pessotto, Thuram, Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Camoranesi, Appiah, Emerson, Nedved, Del Piero, Ibrahimovic
Livorno (3-5-2):
Mareggini, Grandoni, Vargas, A. Lucarelli, Balleri, Grauso, Passoni, Doga, Giallombardo, Protti, C. Lucarelli
PREDICTION
The Champions will be looking to end this game and their season in a nice way even though the result will not affect them much, but when you do not play under stress you give your best or so they say. A win for the Bianconeri is the most probable result here.
Livorno 0 - Juventus 3