Juventus now has the edge over AC Milan in Serie

Posted Monday, April 09, 2012 by YAHOO Sport

All of a sudden, it’s anyone’s guess who will win the Italian league.

Two weeks ago, AC Milan appeared to be cruising toward its second consecutive title with a four-point lead over Juventus. Now, the Turin club is one point in front with seven rounds remaining—and holds the tiebreaker with a win and a draw head-to-head.

“Everything depends on us now,” said Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo, who transferred from Milan to Juventus in the offseason. “A one-point lead at this point of the season means a lot. But we’re taking it match by match, because a false step can occur at any moment. The percentages remain 50-50.”Juventus now has the edge over AC Milan in Serie
But if recent form is any indication, Juventus holds the edge.

Juventus has outscored opponents 12-0 in its last four matches—all victories—and has a 36-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, with its last loss coming against Parma at the end of last season.

Juventus has not won Serie A since having the 2005 and 2006 titles stripped for its role in the 2006 match-fixing scandal. The last title it still holds came in 2003, when Marcello Lippi was in charge.

Milan slumped to a 1-1 draw with Catania and a 2-1 loss at home to Fiorentina in its last two league matches, and split those with a defeat to Barcelona that eliminated it from the Champions League quarterfinals.

“We’re paying for our efforts against Barcelona,” Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said. “We’ve led for two years and what happened to us against Fiorentina could happen to Juventus from here until the end of the season.”

Actually, Milan last trailed just a couple months ago, but then took the lead in mid-February when Juve’s match with Bologna was postponed due to a snowstorm.

This time, the lead change came courtesy of a last-minute defensive lapse by Milan, which allowed Fiorentina striker Amauri to score his first goal since transferring from Juventus in January.

Amauri could end up being an unlikely hero for Juventus, which spurned him and didn’t even allow him to train with the first team during his final months with the team.

Amauri’s goal has also set off speculation that Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri could be at risk of losing his job, one season after ending rival Inter Milan’s run of five straight titles.

“Reading the newspapers it almost seems like we’re in the relegation zone,” Galliani said. “But nothing has been lost … There’s no sense of moderation. Don’t believe what you read, Max is absolutely staying.”

Both Milan and Juventus face tough tests in midweek fixtures.

Milan visits an in-form Chievo Verona side Tuesday and Juventus hosts third-place Lazio on Wednesday.

While Juventus is relatively healthy, Milan is desperately hoping that Mark van Bommel and Clarence Seedorf return from minor injuries with Massimo Ambrosini, Alberto Aquilani and Daniele Bonera all suspended.

Ninth-placed Chievo is hoping to make relegation a mathematical impossibility, while Lazio wants to hold on to third place, which carries the league’s final Champions League berth.

Lazio has 54 points, Udinese is next with 51, followed by Napoli (48), Roma (47) and Inter (45).

Udinese visits Roma on Wednesday, Napoli hosts Atalanta and Inter faces Siena.

Also Wednesday, it’s: Catania vs. Lecce; Fiorentina vs. Palermo; Genoa vs. Cesena and Parma vs. Novara.

In Thursday’s only match, Bologna hosts Cagliari.