© EuroFootball.com
Today the Italian football league (Lega Calcio) announced the schedule for the upcoming 2004-05 season. The champion will begin the fight to defend the title won last season with a home match against "Livorno", represented by the Lithuanian Tomas Danilevičius.
The highest Italian league was expanded for the first time in 52 years to 20 teams, so all clubs will play 38 matches, and the season will start on September 12th and end on May 29th.
The most interesting match of the first round should take place in Rome, where the vice-champion will face the returning and ambitious club.
There will be two big matches in the fourth round - at the Rome Olympic Stadium against "Milan", and away against . A week later, the capital will see another hot game as "Roma" will host "Inter".
The Milan derby will take place in the seventh round, while the fiery Rome derby will be played in the 17th round, on January 6th. Among other interesting matches - "Inter" coach Roberto Mancini against his former club "Lazio" in the 9th round, "Milan" against "Roma" in the 10th round, the Italian derby "Inter" against in the 13th round, and "Juventus" against "Milan" in the 16th round.
However, the most anticipated meeting in Italy is the duel between "Roma" and "Juventus". Both clubs have fought each other in recent years for player signings, and this summer coach Fabio Capello and midfielder Emerson moved to Turin. It is in this city that they will meet their former teammates on October 27th, and will return to Rome on March 6th.
First "Serie-A" round: (September 12, 16.00 Lithuanian time)
"Atalanta" - "Lecce" "Brescia" - "Juventus" "Cagliari - "Bologna" "Chievo" - "Inter" "Milan" - "Livorno" "Palermo" - "Siena" "Parma" - "Messina" "Reggina" - "Udinese" "Roma" - "Fiorentina" "Sampdoria" - "Lazio"
