Milan and Juventus are currently the top two teams in the Italian league with the Rossoneri ahead by two points but the Serie A champions have played two more matches than their rivals Juventus. Juve's positive run, the club is undefeated this season in official play, is due to a number of factors such as a solid defensive record and a midfield marshaled by veteran Andrea Pirlo with the aid of Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal.

Juventus have scored 29 goals in 18 league matches which is not very impressive but by no means is it a disastrous figure considering only two clubs in Serie A have scored more: Milan and Napoli.

The figures do not lie and a closer look reveals the Bianconeri have scored 10 goals in 3 matches meaning the club managed only 19 goals in the other 15 games.

Roma legend and skipper Francesco Totti broke the Serie A scoring record for a single club after managing to score a quick double on Saturday during the 5-1 win over Cesena. The two goals scored by Totti brought his tally to 211 goals with the Giallorossi in the Italian top flight.

Totti has now played 486 times in Serie A and scored 211 goals to beat the record of Swedish legend Gunnar Nordahl who managed to score 210 goals for Milan in league play.

The current table shows Inter in 5th place yet the Nerazzurri have a greater chance of competing for the league title than Udinese or Lazio who are currently above them in the standings. Inter's players have the necessary experience and the quality players to challenge for titles while both Udinese and Lazio are lacking in terms of experience and the killer instinct needed to win difficult matches.

Despite the importance of club football, Euro 2012 dominates the majority of the continent's players' thoughts going into the second half of the season. Italian football has had it's share of ups and downs over the last decade, with the elation of winning the World Cup in 2006 counteracted by scandal in the domestic game; Italy need a strong performance in the tournament.

A photo of AC Milan's home shirt for the 2012-13 season has been leaked on the Internet.

Designed and manufactured by Adidas, the new AC Milan shirt is a retro design with the famous black and red stripes as well as an old-fashioned collar. The collar looks closer to a old rugby shirt than a soccer shirt, but I love it.

With reports emerging about an agreement between Milan and Manchester City outcast Carlos Tevez, there are many who believe the Argentina striker will be a big addition to the star studded Rossoneri squad. However, the Citizens have yet to negotiate with Milan and there is no guarantee the transfer will go through during the January window.

The return of Juventus as a force in Italian football has coincided with the arrival of Andrea Pirlo on a free transfer and with former club captain Antonio Conte assuming control of coaching duties. Both Pirlo and Conte have been influential in Juve's rise with the former Milan midfielder proving indispensable in several matches while coach Antonio has helped revive the squad's damaged spirit.

Several Italian coaches have successfully worked outside Italy in the last few years including former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti who succeeded in achieving a historic double in his first season in charge in London by leading the Blues to the English Premiership title and the FA Cup trophy.

The Italian national team was dealt a double blow with the participation of Giuseppe Rossi and Antonio Cassano in Euro 2012 thrown into doubt, yet the emergence of Mario Balotelli could serve as the perfect remedy for coach Cesare Prandelli's concerns.

Balotelli had a slow start to the English season but he has been scoring regularly in recent weeks prompting Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini to praise him.

The Azzurri qualified to Euro 2012 without being tested as coach Cesare Prandelli attempted to build the national team around younger and talented players such as Mario Balotelli and Giuseppe Rossi. Various niggling injuries and a plethora of ridiculous antics performed by Balotelli meant that Prandelli was not able to rely heavily on the controversial Manchester City attacker.

Former Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo made the move to Juventus this summer on a free transfer in what should be his last contract with an elite club. Pirlo now joins an exclusive list of players who have represented Italy's three most prestigious clubs, Inter, Juve and Milan. In fact, Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the only other active player who has worn the shirt of the three clubs.

If the first few months of the season is any indication, the Serie A title race is going to be very wide open and very tight throughout.

After this week's 2-1 win over Fiorentina, unbeaten Juventus are top of the table, one point ahead of fellow unbeaten side Udinese heading into the mid-week's eight fixtures.

This season's Serie A campaign has saw a number of different teams fighting for dominance, as perennial challengers Inter and Milan have started slowly. Juventus sit on top of the pile after seven games, but their newfound confidence will be tested with tricky away fixtures in Milan and Naples.

Juventus threw away another two points with Genoa scoring a late equalizer in Turin to force a 2-2 draw on Saturday. The Juve supporters must be disappointed with the club's inability to display a killer instinct in finishing off weaker opponents. The Bianconeri also wasted a number of opportunities highlighting the lack of scoring touch despite the presence a plethora of attacking options such as Fabio Quagliarella (did not play versus Genoa), Alessandro Matri (scorer of both of Juve's goals versus Genoa), Alessandro Del Piero (a late substitute) and Mirko Vučinić (played but again failed to score).