Julian De Martinis previews the weekends matches for us

Lazio - Cesena. A game that might be tighter than expected. The home side have lost two of their last three and will be reeling from their Derby loss last weekend, as well as the subsequent suspensions of Stefan Radu and Cristian Ledesma. Cesena, on the other hand, pulled off a very decent draw against Juventus after being down two goals. Should Lazio fail to gain all three points here, the race for fourth might have one less team in it. Crunch.

Palermo - Milan. One of the worst teams in Serie A faces one of the best, in terms of form. Palermo are, in a word, awful, losing all of their last five and looking no better under Serse Cosmi. Milan’s draw against Bari last weekend was disappointing and the side will be looking for all three points here to stave off Inter. Then again, Palermo have to get back on track at some point…Difficult.

Fiorentina - Roma. A battle of the resurgent sides. The home side were awful most of the year whereas the away side for a few months, but both have won their last two. Roma need the points to get to fourth; Fiorentina, to try and reach contention for a European spot. One of the bigger and tighter games of the weekend.

Juventus - Brescia. If Juve are ever going to win again, they cannot ask for much more than this. Brescia lie nineteenth and drew their last four, whereas the home side have drawn once and lost the three before that. Alessandro Matri has been red hot in the league, notching a brace last weekend, and will look to put one in past the relegation fodder. Task.

Udinese – Catania. Red hot Udinese will look to consolidate fourth place for their own, knowing that the two capital sides have tough tasks this weekend. Catania are the epitome of inconsistency, with two losses sandwiched between three wins in their last five. However, Udinese have one of the best attacks of the league and Catania one of the more porous of defenses. Easy.

Bari - Chievo. A month ago this would’ve been an easy three points for Chievo, but the home side have since learned to draw. Remarkably, the away side are in worse form, losing four of their last five. If Bari are going to at least make an attempt to not get relegation, a dream run could well begin here. Upset.

Bologna - Genoa. Eleventh against twelfth in a battle of the mediocre. Both sides are coming off of wins, over Lecce and Palermo respectively. However both teams are only averaging about a goal a game this season, and a low scoring draw seems to be on the cards. Yawn.

Inter – Lecce. One of the best sides in the league against one of the worst? Samuel Eto and Giampaolo Pazzini versus the worst defense in the league? The easiest game of the weekend to preview. A home win.

Sampdoria – Parma. Two sides which, on paper, should be about ten places up the table. No team has underachieved like these two have this season, and whoever loses this could well end up in a relegation battle. Both sides are desperate for the points and are winless in five. A must watch.

Napoli – Cagliari. Napoli are continuing a dream run in Serie A and will look for a victory to remain in Champions’ League contention. Tenth placed Cagliari lost last weekend against Udinese and remain rather inconsistent, capable of scoring four goals or conceding an equal amount. Which will show up to face Walter Mazzarri’s side? Engima.