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Italy: Serie A Preview- Reggina v Roma [Sat Aug 27th, 2005]
An interesting first week matchup sees the Giallorossi coming in to visit Walter Mazzarri’s Reggina side. Reggina look to be relegation strugglers, especially after the summer departures of several key figures from last year, including Bonazoli (to Sampdoria), Nakamura (to Celtic) and Mozart being rumored to be on the way to Russia now as well.
For Reggina to avoid relegation they will need to pick up all the points they can at home, and the fans can be a huge factor in this matchup, as they were in Reggina’s surprise upset of Juventus here last season. However, Roma look to put their horrible last term behind them, and start the season out with some much-needed points as they seek to return to challenge for a UEFA Champions League spot.
Meanwhile new signing Ivan Pelizolli will be out to prove himself, making his debut against his former club. His work could be cut out for him though, as the Roma dressing room seems much more in order early this season, and the attack is loaded with not only returning stars such as Francesco Totti, Antonio Cassano and Vincenzo Montella, but also new additions such as Rodrigo Taddei.
Team News
Roma look to start the season on the right foot. Summer signings such as Rodrigo Taddei and Samuel Kuffour look to make their Serie A debuts for Roma, while the squad seems to be more settled than last term. Totti and Chivu have both stepped forward in praise of recent locker-room atmosphere, and the team seems ready to move past last season.
The question now is how the Cassano speculation and situation will affect team chemistry, but look for a powerful performance out of the gates from the team from the Eternal City.
Reggina seem to have their hands full surviving relegation this season after seeing the departure of a number of key players, with no substantive replacements waiting in the wings or having been brought it. It could be a long season for Reggina this time around.
Watch Out For
Roma:
Keep an eye on Cassano’s performance and effort. Bouts of jeers from the Giallorossi faithful coupled with the stripping of his vice-captaincy this summer leave many questioning how the enigmatic star will react.
If he puts it behind him, and gives a full effort on the field, Roma can be very strong this term, but much relies on the re-tooled offense this time around, and Antonio is key to that.
Reggina:
Reggina need to find someone to rely on up front, but key in this game will be Pelizzoli. Roma can come at you in waves, and Reggina’s result will depend largely on how well Ivan can stand in the gap and brick up his goal against the opposition’s onslaught.
Probable Formations
Reggina (probable):
Pelizzoli; Zoppetti, De Rosa, I Franceschini; Mesto, Paredes, Tedesco, Rigoni, Balestri; Cavalli, Bianchi
Roma (probable):
Curci; Panucci, Kuffour, Chivu; Mancini, De Rossi, Perrotta, Taddei; Totti, Montella, Cassano
Todd Serpico
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