Italian Football 
/ Michael Lintorn / 30 January 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Antonio Conte aims to become the third visiting coach to leave Parma's Stadio Tardini with three points
"Parma have lost just once in eight and none of their last six Serie A home games."
Italy's top two Juventus and AC Milan will both see potential for their rivals to slip up in midweek, with Lazio and Inter among those hoping to take advantage...
Parma v Juventus, Tuesday 19:45, Betfair Live Video, Match odds: Parma [5.7], Juventus [1.8], The Draw [3.65]
Juventus coach Antonio Conte has labelled AC Milan "super favourites" for the scudetto, yet though both this writer and the Betfair market put the holders on top at [1.98], it looks increasingly likely that this will be the Old Lady's strongest challenge since Calciopoli.
A 2-1 triumph over Udinese on Saturday saw them maintain their one-point lead and superb record against fellow contenders, but this is a fourth match in 11 days, a marathon stint for a side whose success owes plenty to only playing once a week while all their rivals have been in Europe.
Parma have lost just once in eight and none of their last six Serie A home games. They frequently prove a bogey club for the table-toppers too, winning three of their last four meetings, so have a fair chance of frustrating the unbeaten Bianconeri.
Best Bet: Lay Juventus @ [1.81]
Inter v Palermo, Wednesday 19:45, Betfair Live Video, Match odds: Inter [1.5], Palermo [8.6], The Draw [4.3]
One of the main problems during Gian Piero Gasperini's brief spell in charge of Inter was that his system didn't accommodate prize asset Wesley Sneijder, and Claudio Ranieri - for all the good that he has done - faces a similar headache.
Their recent eight-match winning streak was achieved with a 4-4-2, however Sneijder's return to full fitness led Ranieri to reintroduce him in a 4-3-1-2 at Lecce on Sunday. The experiment couldn't have backfired more, the playmaker making way at half-time in a 1-0 defeat that marked their struggling hosts' first home victory of the season.
This isn't an easy encounter in which to resolve that issue, especially as Palermo have finally found form under Bortolo Mutti, aided by seven goals in two games. The reverse fixture ended 4-3 to the Rosanero in Sicily and both sides have scored in each of their last seven clashes with one another.
Best Bet: Both teams to score @ [1.95]
Lazio v AC Milan, Wednesday 19:45, Betfair Live Video, Match odds: Lazio [3.4], AC Milan [2.4], The Draw [3.35]
This will be the second time that these two teams collide in seven days, after AC Milan knocked Lazio out of the Coppa Italia at the San Siro last Thursday.
The champions were ultimately worthy 3-1 winners but Lazio started strongly and fired first, just as they did in the opening fixture of the campaign against them in September, and ten goals in five games shows that they have enough going forward to frighten the Rossoneri.
AC Milan don't lack in that department either though, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic the best player in the world not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo right now, and with a far less stellar supporting cast too. The Swede has scored 12 in his last 11 appearances, rendering Adriano Galliani's obsession with signing Carlos Tevez all the more bewildering.
Best Bet: Back Lazio to score first @ [2.42]
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