Bologna have lost their sixth season’s game this weekend, only two wins have hammered them to the bottom leaving them not bright future in store. Outing to Genoa certainly wasn’t a big test for Arrigoni’s side, they were holding on quite well for entire 60 minutes, but Cassano was a mystery. It was exactly him who made a difference on the pitch. Bologna don’t have a player like that on board and they need to put out the team spirit. Unlike the last week’s win over Lazio, it simply didn’t function this time. Juventus won the Derby della Mole, as we have assumed, one goal was enough to seal the deal. Amauri is proving to be the worthy investment though a lot of people were very much suspicious regarding his hefty transfer to Palermo. Bianconeri weren’t great against Torino, the game was a real war, but they had a bit more experience and strength to grab a valuable triumph over their city rivals.

Derby della Mole, derby of the city Torino, was given the name by the tallest museum in the World, which overlooks the city – centre of the Piemonte region. Certainly the match between Juventus and Torino isn’t as important as derbies between Milan and Inter or Roma and Lazio, only because Juventus is much bigger and more successful club. Still, this is the match of the season for the fans, the hatred is really big and it has happened that Torino gives their best, wins the match against big rival and then loses the following week from much weaker opponent. This match comes in the bad moment for both sides. Torino lost last three games and coach De Biasi’s position is not safe. His counterpart, Ranieri, was in the worse situation but managed to postpone the sack with a great win over Real in the Champions League. Still, bad performances in league games and only two points from four games made Juventus slip down the league table. If they fail to beat Torino Ranieri will be under a tremendous pressure. Juventus has to be fighting for the title, and the fans will not settle for anything less and no wonder that the fans are not satisfied.

Even the older Juventus fans can’t remember this kind of a crisis. The Saturday loss in Naples was the last straw and the media literally crucified coach Ranieri. Although he keeps on repeating that there is no crisis, clearly the biggest Italians club have no future with him. They are already very much behind the leading teams. The disastrous transfer windows and often injuries of best players limited the team so much that we don’t see how Juventus will get away this time. However, they are the biggest threat when everyone rules them out but they don’t have the quality for big things. Last year they went along relying only on Del Piero’s individual quality and several other players and the fact that they played in Serie A only. Now, with two games a week, they seem worn out and weary. Mighty Real arrive at Olimpico, after they continued the domination over city rivals, Atletico this weekend. The Royal club did win the match in the last second through a penalty but they earned it. They are dominant in group H, having taken six points in duels against BATE Borisov and Zenit and already claimed the contention for the first place in the group. They can use some tactics in Torino, as a point would suit them just fine.

This is one of the rare occasions when Juventus will not travel to Naples as a favourite. In the last round the team suffered their first ever defeat at home from Palermo in 111 years. They are on the run of three matches without a win and they slipped from the top of the table into the middle. They are plagued with injuries, half the team is on the sidelines and Ranieri has a very difficult job. It is his job that is on the line although the board has given him support. Nevertheless, Juve will face a couple of very tough opponents, as after the game with Napoli they will face Real Madrid in the Champions League before they play city rivals Torino. Napoli also needed some rest. They were eliminated from the UEFA Cup by Benfica before they lost in Genoa. Even though Napoli took the lead at the Marassi, defensive mistakes and refereeing errors lead them to defeat.

Juventus are still unbeaten this season but this fact could lead you to a wrong conclusion. Actually, bianconeri have troubles in scoring and last Saturday at Marassi they created only on chance. Of course, the match ended in the least popular result, which only added to the doubts in Juventus’ capability to take points against weaker teams. After that they travelled a long way to Belarus and only drew 2:2 against BATE Borisov which is a weak result but in the end the point was more than they deserved. Actually, outsiders had a 2:0 lead over groggy Juventus. If it weren’t for the super talented Giovinco and striker Iaquinta, they would have lost the match. The pressure on Ranieri is growing, the game against Palermo can be crucial for his status. Palermo reached their third victory in four games. We mentioned that they didn’t have luck in the last away game against Napoli, but fortune was their ally against Reggina. They had one shot at the target but that Miccoli’s strike was enough for three points.

Italian giants travel to Belarus for the returning leg in group H second round. This is truly a clash of David and Goliath; Juve started with a win over Zenit thus showing their Champions League ambitions, after a three-year exile. The Old Lady weren’t brilliant against Zenit but Del Piero decided the game. Now European champion want points in Belarus so they could mark maximum efficiency before the match against Real Madrid, their biggest rivals in the group. BATE felt playing in the elite after their trip to Madrid. They lost 2:0 although home side weren’t brilliant. It was a big step up for them; clearly BATE Borisov are first Belarus team to play in such a big competition. They surprised Anderlecht and Bulgarian Levski in the qualifications. Getting to the group stage is a fantastic success for them.

A celebration at Marassi, on Saturday afternoon Juventus arrive to Genoa. Sampdoria haven’t yet marked a win in the championship, though they did have a tight schedule. They outplayed Inter in season opener but took only one point. The loss in Rome followed and then the unexpected draw with Chievo. On Wednesday Sampdoria brought a point from Siena but that is certainly not the result that satisfies their ambitions. The aim is to repeat the last season and get to UEFA cup but it will be very hard to do. The rivals are stronger and Doriani don’t seem better than last year. Juventus dropped two points against Catania; it was a shock for the favourite but they didn’t have luck. As it turned out they can’t finish the game; they conceded in the finish against Fiorentina, risked against Udinese and Cagliari and paid for it against the Sicilians. The encouraging fact for Juve is that Sebe Giovinco, the most talented Italian player, Serie A debutant was the man of the game. Atom Ant is an investment for the future that is expected to inherit Del Piero.

Juventus continued winning the games with one goal difference, and they won in Cagliari without a couple of first team players. They played just enough to win, and Ranieri was happy to see his team keep another clean sheet. Buffon came out injured during the first half, but Manninger showed he was a worthy replacement. The Old Lady profited from two goals by Amauri in the last seven days. This resulted in six points and now Bianconeri are topping the table with Inter. Catania had a great start too, they defeated Genoa and Atalanta at Massimino, and they gave Inter a real trouble last week. The Elefants’ play is characterized by very discipline tactical approach. Even though we didn’t think highly of Walter Zenga’s coaching qualities, he managed to put all the pieces together. The Sicilians travel to Torino without any pressure and this is the game where they will have nothing to lose.

The clash of these sides was completely unpredictable, Juventus celebrated Chiellini’s last-minute goal, Cagliari scored both goals from the white spot. Each Juventus arrival at Sardinia is a little history chapter for the home side. It is a great rivalry so Sardi will do anything to remain unbeaten in this game. Cagliari started the season by losing to Lazio and Siena, president Cellino was expected to replace coach Allegretti but he unexpectedly stood by his side. We should mention that Cagliari deserved more in the first two rounds but they didn’t have luck. Juventus come to the island encouraged for having won Zenit; they weren’t brilliant but captain Del Piero once again showed that he is one of the best players in club’s history. His missile shot knocked down the excellent Russian team so after more than 800 days out of Champions League, Juventus started with a victory. Domestic championship saw them draw with Fiorentina and win Udinese; they seem good on the start and the play is slowly reaching its peak.

The fans of the biggest club in Italy have finally waited for the ‘Old Lady’ to get back to where they belong, after calciopoli and eviction to the second division. Juventus is back to the Champions League, they trashed Artmedia in the third qualifying round. It was just a training match, and the real deal will be the game on Wednesday, when Zenit arrives to the Olimpico. The group ‘H’ was dubbed the group of death, but we feel that is an overstatement. Bate Borisov stand no chances, while Russian champions Zenit had the misfortune to face two European giants like Juventus and Real. The club from Sankt Petersburg won the UEFA Cup last season, and soon came another trophy, as they defeated Manchester United in the European Super Cup, which brought a lot of confidence to the team. Their opening game will be in Turin, and that is the biggest test imaginable. Juventus is hungry for games in Europe, they had a good start in Serie A, and this will be very important match for them. The hosts expect to fight with Real for the first place in the group and the place in the knockout round.