Football: ITALIAN LEAGUE: Nesta aims to negate Juve

ITALY'S CHAMPIONS and cup holders meet tomorrow in Channel 4's live game, both revitalised by good midweek performances.

Juventus and Lazio have been in poor form of late, the Turin club losing two of their last four games, Lazio three of their last five. Last Sunday, Juventus went down 3-0 to Bologna while Lazio were held to a 3-3 draw by Roma.. On Wednesday, however, Juventus drew their postponed Champions' League game with Galatasaray 1-1, while on Thursday Lazio beat Internazionale 2-1 in the first leg of their Italian Cup quarter-final.

Without long-term injury victim Alessandro Del Piero, Juve continue to field their makeshift strike force of Filippo Inzaghi and Zinedine Zidane.

Roberto Mancini and the Chilean Marcelo Salas continue to lead the Lazio attack while the Italian international defender Alessandro Nesta may return to feature in his first Serie A game since injuring himself in the opening minutes of Italy's first-round game against Austria at France '98. The record books holds out little hope for Lazio: the Rome club has won only five out of 55 league games played against Juventus in Turin.

OTHER SERIE A MATCHES: Today Fiorentina v Bologna; Roma v Perugia; Sampdoria v Parma. Tomorrow Cagliari v Venezia; Milan v Udinese; Piacenza v Empoli; Salernitana v Bari; Vicenza v Internazionale.