Football: Parma can stay in hunt

European Football

Both second-placed Juventus and third-placed Parma should be at full strength for today's clash of the day in Italy's Serie A. Filippo Inzaghi and the in-form Alessandro Del Piero lead the Juventus attack, while the Argentine Hernan Crespo is partnered by Enrico Chiesa up front for Parma for whom defeat would almost certainly signal the end of their title hopes.

The match falls just three days before both clubs take part in Champions' League ties against the Dutch side Feyenoord and the Czech club Sparta Prague respectively.

Fourth-placed Roma recovered from a 3-1 derby drubbing by Lazio to beat Bari 3-1 two weeks ago, while in midweek they eliminated Udinese from the Italian Cup. The Argentine Abel Balbo, Francesco Totti and Carmine Gautieri lead the Roma attack this afternoon against a Vicenza side led by Pasquale Luiso and Gabriele Ambrosetti.

Once-mighty Napoli are second from bottom and desperately need to win the relegation battle against Lecce, who are one place above them. Claudio Belluci and Igor Protti lead the Napoli attack, while the former Italian international Giuseppe Giannini, with 47 caps, runs the midfield. Lecce look to the striker Francesco Palmieri and Yugoslav midfielder Dejan Govedarica.

Fiorentina, 5-0 winners against Lecce in their last serie A game, should prove too strong for Bologna. The Belgian World Cup hero Oliveira lines up alongside the Argentine Gabriel Batistuta in the Fiorentina attack, while Roberto Baggio will play behind the Swede Kennet Andersson and Carlo Nervo for Bologna.

Already out of both the Italian and Uefa Cups, Udinese may lack motivation against the relegation battlers Brescia. As usual, the German Oliver Bierhoff, Brazilian Amoroso and Paolo Poggi lead the Udinese attack while Dario Hubner, doing well on the seven-goal mark, is Brescia's spearhead.

Atalanta have so far won two away and one at home and may continue their relatively good away run at Empoli. Newly promoted Empoli look to the midfielder Giovanni Martusciello and strikers Massimiliano Cappellini and Carmine Esposito to provide the spark.

The Yugoslav coach Vujadin Boskov, who led Sampdoria to Serie A title success in 1991 and who replaced Argentine coach Cesar Luis Menotti last week, is in charge for the first game of his second spell at the Genoese club. Jurgen Klinsmann and Vincenzo Montella may get Sampdoria back on the winning road. The relegation battlers Bari look to the South African striker Phil Masinga and to the Swedish midfielder Klaus Ingesson.