Reborn Figo ready to lead Inter's charge against Juve

Those 100 per cent records could well end this weekend. Tomorrow, Chelsea are at Liverpool and Juventus at home to Internazionale. Feyenoord are away to Utrecht.

The Juve-Inter clash pits first place against second in Serie A with the Nerazzurri desperate to prove they can end a 16-year wait for a scudetto.

Since they blew the championship on the last day of 2001-02, there has been plenty of talk of Inter being "cursed". Their continued failure has produced a cottage industry of poking fun at the suffering of their supporters.

This year their only blemish has been a defeat in Palermo on the second day of the season, since when they have kept three clean sheets. Luis Figo, who appears rejuvenated since his summer move from Real Madrid, has quickly learnt the weight of expectation on Roberto Mancini's side.

"People talk, how they talk, about the barren years and that this year is the right year for Inter," he said. "There is a barrier that exists between not winning and getting used to winning. Inter has to get over that barrier."

Juventus are well over that hurdle and the main problem facing Fabio Capello is how to keep his top-class strikers happy. Alessandro del Piero, omitted against Rapid Vienna in midweek, hopes to displace David Trezeguet or Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Milan, currently five points adrift of Juventus in fourth, are at home to Reggina. Third-placed Livorno visit Fiorentina.

In Germany, Bayern will be without Michael Ballack, who has a thigh strain, as they meet Wolfsburg at home today. Hamburg, now just a point behind Bayern, visit Kaiserslautern.

In Spain, Getafe, who lie an improbable second in La Liga under their new coach Bernd Schuster, meet fourth-placed Valencia, who are led by the former Getafe manager Quique Sanchez Flores.

The leaders, Celta Vigo, visit struggling Cadiz while Barcelona play Real Zaragoza and Real Madrid host Real Mallorca.

Barcelona should give a domestic debut to the Argentinian teenager Lionel Messi after he gained Spanish citizenship this week.