Ranocchia injury adds to Inter troubles
Reuters - Friday 25 February 2011, 11:40
ROME - Brief news ahead of this weekend
and Monday's Serie A matches.
Inter Milan, who visit Sampdoria on Sunday,
will be without Andrea Ranocchia for between 15 and 20 days
after the Italian defender twisted his knee in the 1-0 defeat
Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich. It had initially been
feared Ranocchia could be out of action for several months.
After Wednesday's match at the San Siro, distressed
goalkeeper Julio Cesar, whose mistake led to Mario Gomez's
last-gasp winner, left his car at the stadium and braved the
crowd by walking home, Italian newspaper reports said.
Leaders AC Milan have veteran defender Gianluca Zambrotta
back in training after persistent knee troubles.
However, they are likely to start with Massimo Oddo at
left-back in place of Luca Antonini, who has been sidelined for
three weeks, when they host second-placed Napoli at the San Siro
on Monday.
"The match will not decide the scudetto," said chief
executive Adriano Galliani. "It's just three out of the 36
points still in play."
Napoli, who could go top if they beat Milan, have rejected
potential big-money moves for Uruguay forward Edinson Cavani,
Serie A's topscorer with 20 goals.
"I would say 'arrivederci' to any offers," said club
president Aurelio De Laurentiis. "Our next step is to build a
Napoli along the lines of Barcelona, mixing success with
entertainment."
AS Roma, who defeated Bologna 1-0 in midweek to move up to
sixth, will soon have Adriano competing for a place in their
attacking line-up.
The 29-year old, who had been in Brazil recovering from a
shoulder operation, landed back in Rome on Thursday, four days
after coach Claudio Ranieri resigned.
Vincenzo Montella, who dropped former playing partner and
club captain Francesco Totti in his first match in charge, looks
set to make another tough call for the visit of struggling Parma
on Sunday.
Parma coach Pasquale Marino has been given a vote of
confidence by club sporting director Pietro Leonardi after a run
of one win in eight games that has seen them drop to fifth from
bottom.
Ahead of the match at Roma on Sunday, the Parma squad
have been brought together in a secluded location in the
country. "It is a constructive decision, not a punishment," said
Leonardi. "Everyone must share responsibility for where we are,
not just the coach."
Eighth-placed Palermo will be without striker Fabrizio
Miccoli for Sunday's clash with Udinese, who are fifth.
The so-called 'Romario of Salento', who has missed most of the
season following a slow recovering from surgery to cruciate
ligaments, looks set to be out for a further two weeks with a
heel injury.