Serie B Tim - 31 Oct 2006 - 11:25 AM
Juventus-Brescia, head to head
Wednesday night’s clash between Juventus and Brescia - originally scheduled for the 8th October but postponed due to a clash with the international calendar - is a direct head to head between two of the league’s most serious promotion contenders. After the arbitration of the CONI restored eight points to Juventus, and more importantly, after an impressive string of seven consecutive victories, the Bianconeri come into the game with a rather more encouraging place in the standings, just one point behind the men from Lombardia, and four behind that magic second place which would ensure automatic promotion to Serie A. The clash with Brescia is therefore a vital stage in the climb of Deschamps’ men to the top of the table, as a win could already see them ease into the play-off zone. The same goes for the “rondinelle” (little swallows), who after back to back defeats against Genoa and Rimini, returned to winning ways against Modena on Friday night, bagging the three points and reigniting their ambitions.
Brescia use a tried and tested formula which changed little over the summer. The icing on the cake of their transfer market dealings is most definitely Matteo Serafini, formerly of Siena, who plays just behind the striker in coach Somma’s 4-2-3-1 line-up, and alongside the dazzlingly quick Del Nero and Mannini. It’s the forward runs of the midfielders that give Brescia that something extra, while up front they can depend on the pace of Davide Possanzini, an expert striker who, having grown up in the ranks of the Torino youth team, will see the game against Juventus as something of a derby. The Lithuanian international Stankevicus stands out at the back, the same defender who made life difficult for the Italian strikers in the first Euro 2008 qualifier back in early September. The central pairing are Mareko and Zoboli, both solid markers and equally dangerous at set-pieces with their strength and height advantage.
Serie B Tim - 31 Oct 2006 - 3:02 PM
The call-ups for Wednesday
Monsieur Deschamps has called up 18 players for the game with Brescia.
1 Buffon
2 Birindelli
3 Chiellini
4 Kovac
9 Bojinov
10 Del Piero
11 Nedved
12 Mirante
14 Balzaretti
15 Marchisio
16 Camoranesi
17 Trezeguet
18 Boumsong
19 Paro
23 Guzman
25 Zalayeta
30 Legrottaglie
32 Marchionni