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MILAN -- The highlight of this weekends Serie A matches is undoubtedly Inter Milans visit to Juventus in what is sure to be a heated derby dItalia match. Jacoby Ford . There is also the Genoa derby on Sunday, while second-place Roma hosts Parma looking to take advantage of any more slip-ups from Juventus. Here are five things to know about the Italian league ahead of this weekends matches: LLORENTE ON SONGThe last time Juventus hosted Inter Milan the visitors ended the Bianconeris impressive streak of 49 games unbeaten with a 3-1 victory. Inter cannot stop Juventus pursuit of a record this time after the two-time defending Serie A champion was held to a 1-1 draw at Lazio last weekend, ending its run of consecutive wins at 12 — five short of Inters record. Fernando Llorente scored his fifth goal in six matches last week as he continues to impress following a difficult start to the season after his transfer from Athletic Bilbao. "At first it was a new way of working for me and I needed a bit of time," Llorente said. "But slowly, slowly you get used to it, improve and get on the same wavelength as your teammates. "It was an important change for me, leaving my home country and coming to a new city and new environment. ... Now, however, Im enjoying one of the best moments of my career." DERBY DITALIA SPICEMatches between Juventus and Inter Milan are known as the derby dItalia — Italys derby — and are normally a heated affair. However, there will be extra spice to this weekends match after the collapse of a swap deal involving Inters Fredy Guarin and Juventus Mirko Vucinic. Everything had been agreed between the two clubs and Vucinic had cleared his locker and bid his teammates farewell before Inter president Erick Thohir pulled the plug on the deal at the last minute. Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta launched an angry tirade at Inters "lack of respect" following the decision and it has left the Milan club looking shambolic in its transfer dealings. FREE-SCORING ROMASecond-place Roma will be hoping to close the gap on Juventus still further this weekend when it hosts Parma on Sunday. Roma beat Hellas Verona 3-1 last weekend to move six points behind Antonio Contes side. The capital side has been in impressive form of late, scoring 10 goals and conceded just one in winning its past three league matches, and also knocked Juventus out of the Italian Cup. "Is the title race re-opened? I hope so," Roma coach Rudi Garcia said. "Juve isnt unbeatable but its a very strong team as it already has 56 points from 21 games. Their points tally so far is incredible. "It doesnt just depend on us: well do what we have to do, and if they start to slip up we have to be ready to start cutting back the deficit." TWO-HORSE RACE?Napoli lost more ground in the title race as it looks increasingly like being a two-horse battle for the scudetto. Rafa Benitezs team was held to a 1-1 draw at home by relegation-threatened Chievo Verona. It was Napolis second successive draw and left it 12 points behind Juventus and six behind Roma. However, it knocked out holder Lazio in the Italian Cup on Wednesday to progress to the semifinals and it is also in the Europa League, after being eliminated from the Champions League. "We have been involved in Europe and will be again, but we have a talented roster and we will try to do our best on all three fronts," Benitez said. Napoli visits Atalanta on Sunday. NEW-LOOK MILANAC Milan has been busy this January as it attempts to turn its season around. Clarence Seedorf has won his first two league matches in charge after replacing Massimiliano Allegri, while the club has also been active in the transfer market, with Adel Taarabt set to join fellow new signings Keisuke Honda, Adil Rami and Michael Essien. "I am honoured to be able to play at the best club in the world," Taarabt said. "I spoke with Seedorf and we are both happy. I am an attacker and I like to play behind the strikers. "I do not know (Mario) Balotelli personally, but I know very well who he is and I am pleased to be able to play with him." Milan hosts Torino on Saturday. Willie Colon . -- Joakim Noah had a season-high 26 points, Carlos Boozer scored 23, and the Chicago Bulls held on to beat the Orlando Magic 128-125 in triple-overtime on Wednesday night. Ellis Lankster . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady finally got plenty of help -- from a running back who nobody drafted and a defence that everybody exploited. The New England Patriots used their most complete game of the season to beat the New York Jets 30-21 on Sunday in the latest renewal of their fierce rivalry. BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for a career-high 136 yards and two touchdowns, the Patriots allowed a season-low 255 and Brady threw for 321 after starting the day with an NFL-best 388 yards passing per game. "Obviously, our passing game has been unreal," said Green-Ellis, signed in 2008 as a rookie free agent from Mississippi, "so we want to be an offence that can be able to do whatever we want to do, run or pass, and complement our defence." The Patriots (4-1) never trailed and won their 19th straight regular-season game at home. The Jets (2-3) lost their third straight. "I never thought wed have a three-game losing streak like this," quarterback Mark Sanchez said. "Its just frustrating." The Patriots had allowed an average of 477.5 yards, the most in the league. But they held Sanchez to 16 completions in 26 attempts for 166 yards and two touchdowns one week after he threw for just 119 yards in a 34-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. "I think every week weve been getting better and better and better (defensively) and today was a good day to get back on track," defensive tackle Vince Wilfork said. And they did it without star linebacker Jerod Mayo, sidelined for the first time this season with a serious knee sprain. "You cant fill his shoes. Hes a playmaker," Patriots safety James Ihedigbo said, "Gary Guyton and Brandon Spikes did a great job of communicating (in place of Mayo) and we played like a unit." In the most recent meeting of the rivalry, Sanchez outplayed Brady in New Yorks 28-21 playoff win on Jan. 16. But the crowd was unusually subdued throughout the first half Sunday, perhaps because of the lacklustre play that included six penalties by each team. Few players referred to the rivalry after the game. Brady had another strong game, completing 24 of 33 passes for one touchdown and one interception as the Patriots scored at least 30 points for the 13th straight regular-season game. "Obviously, theyre the better team right now," said Jets coach Rex Ryan, his usual bravado missing. "Against New England, youve got to get off the field. They did a great job sustaining drives. Youve got to give them all the credit. They earned it." New England scored the first 10 points and led 10-7 at halftime. The Jets staged a comeback after falling behind 27-14, marching 85 yards to a 21-yard scoring pass from Sanchez to Santonio Holmes. Sanchez was 5 for 6 on the drive for 65 yards -- more than 40 per cent of his total for the game. But the Patriots came right back, holding tthe ball for 6:12 and scoring with 1:02 remaining on Stephen Gostkowskis 28-yard field goal, his third of the game. Calvin Pace. On the first play of the third quarter, Brady and Wes Welker connected for a 73-yard gain. Three plays later, a wide-open Deion Branch caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Brady on the left side of the end zone. "I took my eyes off of him," cornerback Antonio Cromartie said. "I took one peep. As soon as I peeped, he went the opposite way. Thats all on me." The Jets struck right back when Joe McKnight returned the kickoff 88 yards one week after scoring on a 107-yard kickoff return. New York needed just three plays to reach the end zone on a three-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to Jeremy Kerley, cutting the lead to 17-14. Green-Ellis, who had 27 carries, then scored his second three-yard touchdown with 1:20 left in the third quarter, and Gostkowski added a 24-yard field goal with 12:57 to go in the game. "BenJarvus is a great guy to block for," Patriots guard Logan Mankins said. "He reads the play out, he finds the hole and he wont fumble." The Jets failed to get a first down on their first four possessions, punting on each one. "I dont know the reason we came out so slow," Sanchez said. "Its really too bad." But on their next series, they held the ball for 7:54 and scored on Shonn Greenes three-yard run, the 13th play of a 78-yard drive, as they cut the lead to 10-7. The Patriots got the ball with 3:17 left in the half and had a second-and-10 on the Jets 11 with nine seconds remaining. Brady threw the ball to Aaron Hernandez at the goal line, but the tight end deflected it and Cromartie caught it behind him, returning the interception 42 yards as time ran out. It was the first regular-season red-zone interception Brady has thrown at home in his career. New England had taken a 7-0 lead when Green-Ellis scored on a three-yard run midway through the first quarter. It went to 10-0 on a 44-yard field goal by Gostkowski with 11:15 left in the second quarter. The Jets appeared to have the Patriots stopped when Hernandez failed to catch Bradys pass on third-and-five at the Jets 39, but Kyle Wilson was called for illegal contact, giving the Patriots a first down. Notes: The Patriots 13 straight regular-season games of at least 30 points are one less than the record set by the St. Louis Rams in 1999-2000. ... Jets C Nick Mangold played after missing the past two games with a high right ankle sprain. ... The Patriots had Hernandez and DT Albert Haynesworth back after they also were sidelined for two games. ... Jets WR Plaxico Burress had three catches for 42 yards in his first game against the Patriots since catching the winning touchdown pass in the final minute of the New York Giants 17-14 Super Bowl win over New England in Feb. 2008. ' ' ' |
