Serie A 2013/14: Round 25 preview – Derby della Mole takes centre stage

After a mid-week of European action, Serie A takes centre stage this weekend with round 25 of the season.

The round begins on Saturday night at the Dall’Ara as Bologna host Roma.

The home side were denied a point by a late Mario Balotelli strike last time out.

Rome have an excellent record in Bologna, having won on their last three visits.

The early game on Sunday sees two newly promoted sides go head to head as Livorno entertain Verona.

Livorno earned an impressive 2-1 victory at Cagliari in round 24.

Verona meanwhile suffered a surprising 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Torino.

There are only four afternoon games on Sunday, the highlight being A.C Milan’s trip to Genoa to play Sampdoria.

Milan were unfortunate to lose 1-0 at the San Siro on Wednesday in their last 16 Champions League match against Atletico Madrid.

However the Rossoneri showed signs against the Spanish side that are improving, with Kaka particularly impressive.

Sampdoria meanwhile were brought back to down earth at Roma in round 24, after going three games unbeaten in the league.

Inter host Cagliari after an impressive win last time out.

The Nerazzurri earned a fantastic 2-1 win in Florence in round 24 and will be hoping for a hat-trick of Serie A victories when they take on the Sardinians on Sunday.

Cagliari are in danger of being dragged into the relegation battle having lost five out of their last six Serie A matches.

There is a massive relegation six pointer at the Bentegodi as Chievo host Catania.

The homes side were convincingly beaten 3-1 at the Juventus stadium last time out.

Catania come into the game full of confidence after a superb 3-1 home win over Lazio.

Udinese take on Atalanta at the Friuli with both sides on 27 points.

The home side played their part in a thrilling 3-3 draw at Genoa in round 24.

Atalanta who are normally so reliable at home were thumped 4-0 by high flying Parma last week.

The early evening kick off on Sunday is the game of the weekend as Juventus host Torino in the Derby della Mole.

Juve go into the game nine points clear at the top of the table and look likely to progress in the Europa League following their 2-0 victory over Trabzonspor on Thursday.

Torino continued their amazing form with a significant 3-1 win at Verona in round 25.

The late match on Sunday sees Lazio host Sassuolo.

Edy Reja’s honeymoon at Lazio was brought to a swift end last week as his side was easily beaten 3-1 at Catania.

Sassuolo meanwhile are in dismal form having lost their last five Serie A matches.

There are two games on Monday to round the weekend off, as Fiorentina travel to Parma followed by Napoli’s home match against Genoa.

Parma produced the performance of round 24, beating Atalanta 4-0 in Bergamo, maintaining their push for European football.

Fiorentina bounced back from defeat by Inter, as they cruised past Esbjerg 3-1 away from home in the first leg of their last 32 Europa League tie.

Napoli were held to a 0-0 draw in Swansea on Thursday night but have won back to back games in the league.

Genoa’s inconsistent season was perfectly summed up last week when their came back from two goals down to draw 3-3 at home against Udinese.

A correct result is worth TWO points. A correct score earns FIVE points.

Last week guest Scot got five results right. His score of 10 saw him beat Richard who got four results right earning him a score of eight.

This season we will be keeping a record of the total scores of Richard and his Guests in the table below

There is also the individual table of the best weekly score, which after Round 24 is quite unbelievably STILL led by Dov.

Follow Richard Hinman on Twitter: @RichardHinman