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Today at 16:00 all the matches of the penultimate, 33rd round of the Italian championship will be played. Since the champion is already clear, and the teams that will take second and third place have also been decided, all eyes are on the battle for the fourth place, which allows the club to participate in the Champions League qualifiers. Three teams are fighting for this important position - "Parma", "Inter" and "Lazio", and two of them will play against each other in this round.
The central match of the round will take place at the San Siro stadium, which could determine who will take that fourth place. "Parma" team currently leads "Inter" and "Lazio" by two points, so they may be a bit more relaxed in this match as a loss would not be decisive for them. Meanwhile, "Inter" players need to win today to keep their chances alive for the last round. A draw between the two teams would maintain "Parma's" advantage, and if "Lazio" were to win their match, they would also surpass "Inter". The atmosphere in the Milan team camp is not good, and coach Alberto Zaccheroni admitted that he will have to choose between two strikers, former "Parma" player Adriano and Christian Vieri, with whom the coach has not been getting along well lately. "Parma" coach Cesare Prandelli says that these matches will be very tough, but he is not going to give the initiative to the opponents.
In the absence of the suspended captain Favalli, "Lazio" will play at Maris Stankevičius' "Brescia". The latter needs a win at all costs, while "Brescia" is already safe from relegation and may lack motivation. Unless Italian legend Roberto Baggio wants to end his career at the club with a great performance and possibly qualify for the European Championship, which does not seem realistic. "Lazio" team will be missing their suspended captain Favalli in this match, as left-back Cesar returns after an injury, while "Brescia" has three suspended players - Del Nero, Brighi, and Matuzalem.
The already relegated "Ancona" will seek not to become the worst team in league history and at the same time spoil the season for their opponents. If the strugglers "Empoli" want to stay in the league, they need to earn at least a point today, and probably all three, as their opponent in the last round will be "Inter".
The outsider "Reggina" is just one point above the relegation zone and would like to play at least a draw with "Milan" today. The Milan club has already secured the championship title, so they should not push too hard in this match, and coach Carlo Ancelotti may give a chance to his substitute players.
Two relegation-threatened teams will face each other, and a win for one would practically condemn the other. "Siena" is in a better position, barely edging out their opponents today. So they could be content with a draw today.
The Roma club no longer has any goals, as they will finish the season below "Milan" and above "Juventus". The team is now more focused on possible player transfers rather than the remaining matches. This fact could be beneficial to the Perugia team, which still has a slight chance of staying in the league but needs to win. Due to problems caused by Roma fans in the last round, the matches will be played on neutral ground in Palermo.
"Udinese" could secure a place in the UEFA Cup next year at their home stadium by defeating mid-table team "Chievo". The latter are already safe in the middle of the table, but they will be missing several key players in this match.
This season has been very unsuccessful for the old lady, and coach Marcelo Lippi has already confirmed that he will leave the team. This match means nothing to Juventus, as they have already focused on the upcoming Italian Cup final second leg matches. Newly promoted "Sampdoria" still has a chance to catch up with "Udinese" and secure a place in the UEFA Cup.
Only one point separates both teams, but neither is likely to make too much effort as they are safe in the middle of the table. "Lecce" just wants to improve their club record and secure a sixth away win, while Bologna's leader Signori will play one of the last matches of his career.
