Football: Milan have a score to settle with Parma

ITALIAN FOOTBALL

PARMA, ONLY fourth in Serie A but with their tails up after their 3-1 victory at Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Uefa Cup semi- final on Tuesday, promise to pose problems for Milan, their hosts, in tomorrow's live Channel 4 game at San Siro.

Parma, eight points behind Lazio, the leaders, with only seven games to play, have probably blown their scudetto hopes after a superb spell earlier in the season, which included a 4-0 drubbing of Milan at Parma. Milan, third in Serie A, a point ahead of Parma, have picked up since and showed their newly-acquired grit by holding Lazio to a 0-0 draw at the Olympic stadium last Saturday.

This promises to be an open game as Alberto Zaccheroni and Alberto Malesani, the coaches of Milan and Parma, both favour the attacking 3-4-3 formation which has helped open up Serie A this term.

Up front, Parma can perm any three from Enrico Chiesa, the Italian international, and the Argentinians Hernan Crespo, Abel Balbo and Juan Sebastian Veron, their playmaker.

Milan, however, can call on Oliver Bierhoff, the German international whose awesome aerial presence terrorises Serie A defences wherever he goes, the Brazilian Leonardo, the Liberian George Weah and Mauricio Ganz.

Milan will be without Demetrio Albertini and the German Christian Ziege (both injured) while the Dane Thomas Helveg is suspended. Parma have the French midfielder Alain Boghossian back from injury.

FIXTURES (league positions in brackets): Tomorrow: Cagliari (10) v Udinese (6); Fiorentina (2) v Bari (13); Juventus (7) v Bologna (9); Milan (3) v Parma (4); Piacenza (14) v Perugia (12); Salernitana (17) v Internazionale (8); Sampdoria (16) v Venezia (11); Vicenza (15) v Empoli (18). Tomorrow evening: Roma (5) v Lazio (1).