Following Italy's shock 1-0 loss in Genoa to the USA on Wednesday night, Gigi Buffon told reporters, "there's no need to get worried" and that "we absolutely did not deserve defeat tonight". The Juventus ‘keeper was absolutely correct. The Azzurri dominated proceedings at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris from start to finish and as Giorgio Chiellini opined, "we deserved at least a draw from this.

Roy Hodgson announced his 23-man England roster for Euro 12 and, of course, there has already been criticism. When pressed on why he selected 18-year-old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, his justification was a bit curious. From Fox:

"He's a very, very exciting player," Hodgson said.

Buffon (gold), seen here in the USA's match with Italy at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, could make make his 113th appearance for the Azzurri on Wednesday.

Four-time World Cup champion Italy named its 23-man roster as the squad hosts the U.S. Men's National Team on Wednesday in Genoa.

Not sure what Alessandro Del Piero and Paul Scholes are drinking, both these two veteran players are driving Juventus and Manchester United to their respective league titles.

After AC Milan's 1-0 win last night, Juventus needed to respond in kind, and they did just that thanks to a late free-kick from Alessandro Del Piero, who was playing his 700th game for Juventus

Simone Pepe gave Juventus the lead after 30 minutes when he drifted in behind the Lazio defence, collected Andrea Pirlo's clipped pass and acrobatically fired in from close range.

Italy Euro 2012 Puma Home Football Shirt - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

The Italian National Team are one of the favourites to win the Euro 2012 tournament. The Azzuri last tasted success at the 2006 World Cup and are always one of the main contenders for every major tournament.

It will be a clash of Spanish and Italian champions on August 5th in Las vegas as Real Madrid and Juventus will meet at Sam Boyd Stadium. Sam Boyd only seats 36,800 so this game is sure to sellout.

The game, which is part of the 2012 World Football Challenge, is the first big soccer game ever to be played in Las Vegas, something Justice Entertainment Group President and COO Daren Libonati has been trying to make happen for nearly 25 years.

Just several weeks into the summer transfer window Juventus sealed the deal for Swiss defender Stephan Lichtsteiner from Lazio for a fee of 10 million euros. Although the other summer signing, Andrea Pirlo, has received most the praise so far this season, Lichtsteiner has arguably been the more consistent of the two.

Just several weeks into the summer transfer window Juventus sealed the deal for Swiss defender Stephan Lichtsteiner from Lazio for a fee of 10 million euros. Although the other summer signing, Andrea Pirlo, has received most the praise so far this season, Lichtsteiner has arguably been the more consistent of the two.

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.

We are now half way through the Serie A season and the main performance of the week 19 weekend was Roma's 5-1 win over Cesena on Saturday evening. The Luis Enrique project now seems to be taking shape. Later that night Juventus won away at Atalanta and with that win were crowned winter champions. Inter Milan now have won eight games in a row in all competitions after beating Lazio 2-1 in.

Juventus were crowned Serie A Winter Champions after one of their most controlled performances of the season on Saturday night. Atalanta have proven to be tough opposition for any team, especially at home where their only defeat prior was to champions Milan. But, the Bianconeri overcame early frustration to eventually overcome the Nerazzurri with relative ease.

AC Milan continued where they left off last Wednesday by beating Cagliari 3-0 at the San Siro yesterday to take them to within a point of leaders Juventus. Juve on the other hand were 2-1 winners over Udinese on Saturday.

Both wins see them pull clear of there nearest challengers Udinese and Lazio to set up a rather interesting conclusion to the league this season.

African Cup of Nations (Group C), Gabon vs Tunisia (1pmET, Al-Jazeera Sports / Eurosport International):Tunisia and tournament co-host Gabon both won their first two group games and hence will advance to the final eight (while the other two teams in the group, Niger and disappointing Morocco, will go home).

The rumour mill may continue incessantly as it always does, but, for the time being no players will be swapping kits. Instead, now is the time for coaches to start preparing their troops, both new and old, for the business part of the season. It is already February and that mad month of May is [...]

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.

Parma and Juventus played out a 0-0 draw at the Stadio Ennio Tardini on Wednesday night in their rescheduled round 21 match, postponed at the start of February due to heavy snowfall. The result means Juve failed to leapfrog Milan and reclaim first place in Serie A, but moved to within one point of the Rossoneri with another game in hand still to play.

The Serie A is shaping up to be a 2 horse race between Juventus and defending champions AC Milan especially after the Bianconeri's 3-1 home win over Catania last night that pushed them back into top spot in the table standings with 49 points, 2 above Milan who could go back on top with a Win at Cesena today.

Saturday evening will be a strange one for Andrea Pirlo. This time last season he had fallen out of favor with his manager as his Milan teammates charged through Serie A en route to their 18th scudetto. Twelve months later he has become an integral part in orchestrating Juventus' offense as they make their own charge for the league title.

Saturday evening will be a strange one for Andrea Pirlo. This time last season he had fallen out of favor with his manager as his Milan teammates charged through Serie A en route to their 18th scudetto. Twelve months later he has become an integral part in orchestrating Juventus' offense as they make their own charge for the league title.

Saturday Feb 25

Italy, AC Milan vs. Juventus, 2:30pmET (FSC, ESPN3.com): Could be the match that decides the Scudetto. These two are the top of the Serie A table, separated by just a point (although Juve has a game in hand). Can La Vecchia Signora go into San Siro and beat the defending champions?

Veteran playmaker Andrea Pirlo, legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and red-hot Juventus teammate Alessandro Matri headline the 23-man squad chosen by Italy to face the U.S. Men's National Team on Wednesday in Genoa.

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli was left off the squad by Italy manager Cesar Prandelli, who still questions the star forward's maturity.

Italy's national squad is Balotelli free but this man finds a place

Cesare Prandelli named a 23 man squad which was top heavy with Juve talent. In form striker Alessandro Matri joins compatriots, Ginaluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo.

In hindsight, there may not be too many similarities between Juventus and Arsenal. Yet, in less than three months, the Italian outfit can possibly replicate the Gunners' proudest achievement: an unbeaten season.

Currently, there are 14 matches separating Juve from that moment of glory. And as the club's wary supporters will be quick to remind, a string of draws will not be sufficient.

Redknapp for England? Based on the North London derby, no is a post from: Just Football

by Jake Meador

When Spurs took apart Newcastle a side competing for a Champions League birth 5-0 a few weeks ago, the English media began competing with each other to see who could come up with the most over-the-top, rhapsodic praise for Harry Redknapp while making the case for him as the new manager of the Three Lions.

The U.S. Men's national team takes on Italy today in Genoa in what will arguably be the toughest test the United States has faced since Jurgen Klinsmann took over as head coach six months ago (2:30pm, ESPN2).

The Americans come into the match short-handed, but will still feature several top players, including Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard and Michael Bradley.

Juventus left Milan with a point on Saturday, but not before a drama-filled 90 minutes that still has fans and the media debating. From phantom goals to offside calls, punches to scuffles, the match kept the moviola busy and threw in some decent football too. Both sides can feel rightly aggrieved over a goal disallowed by linesman Roberto Romagnoli, but the fallout now appears to surround.

Two teams coming off a pair of emotional victories square off in a high-profile English Premier League match on Saturday as newly-crowned Carling Cup champion Liverpool faces Arsenal.

The Gunners come in riding high off last week's emphatic 5-2 victory against arch-rival Tottenham, while Liverpool enters off a penalty shootout victory in the Carling Cup Final.

Despite facing criticism, Serie A has seen a number of established and emerging stars in recent years. Zlatan Ibrahimovic's return to Italy after a brief spell with Barcelona shows the peninsula can still attract top quality players. With the presence of stars such as Andrea Pirlo, Robinho and Wesley Sneijder, Serie A can still be considered as one of the world's elite leagues.

AAAAHHHHHHHH I AM ARTUR BORUC AND THIS IS A LIST OF THINGS THAT MADE ME ANGRY THIS WEEK:

1. IT'S NOT FRIDAY -- I STARTED CELEBRATING ST. PATRICK'S DAY EARLY AND THE NEXT THING I KNOW JUVENTUS SCORED FIVE GOALS ON ME AND I'M WEARING MY OLD CELTIC SHIRT AND AND IT'S NOT FRIDAY ANYMORE AND A BUG FLEW IN MY MOUTH AND MY SOCKS ARE FILLED WITH PAINT THINNER JELLO SHOTS AND MY TONGUE IS AN EVEN DARKER GREEN THAN USUAL AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW!

Italy's Serie A will be determined in the next few weeks with Milan and Juventus fighting hard to win the distinguished league title. Milan's players might be distracted by their Champions League commitment with Barcelona as their next target in the quarter-final stage. As for Juventus, the Bianconeri have yet to lose this season in an official match despite facing difficulties scoring against weaker sides.

The Old Lady enters the Coppa Italia final thanks to its old men and two transplants. Alessandro Del Piero opened the scoring and former Roma legend Mirko Vucinic scored a beauty in the 96th minute to achieve that winning aggregate. Through it all Andrea Pirlo in the role of a deep lying play maker showed he still had the craft to hurt his former club.

The Old Lady enters the Coppa Italia final thanks to its old men and two transplants. Alessandro Del Piero opened the scoring and former Roma legend Mirko Vucinic scored a beauty in the 96th minute to achieve that winning aggregate. Through it all Andrea Pirlo in the role of a deep lying play maker showed he still had the craft to hurt his former club.

The Old Lady was helped immensely by their grey beards. Gigi Buffon brought off spectacular save after another, Andrea Pirlo created most of the movement from deep within midfield, and Alessandro Del Piero scored Juve's second goal to help keep the Derby D'Italia in their hands.

It was an enthralling match and Inter managed to give Juve some very anxious moments in the first half through Diego Milito and Diego Forlan.

If one were to view the rosters for each of Italy's four World Cup triumphs, one would notice a pattern; the core of the team was comprised of Juventus players. Not only that, but Juventus players made key contributions in each of these championship winning sides, names such as Orsi, Monti, Rossi, Gentile, Buffon, and Del Piero spring to mind.

If one were to view the rosters for each of Italy's four World Cup triumphs, one would notice a pattern; the core of the team was comprised of Juventus players. Not only that, but Juventus players made key contributions in each of these championship winning sides, names such as Orsi, Monti, Rossi, Gentile, Buffon, and Del Piero spring to mind.

Three matches and three rivals vanquished (even if Adriano Galliani does not completely agree) – Juventus enjoyed a successful week which rejuvenated their Scudetto bid and saw them reach the Coppa Italia final. The week-capping victory over Inter made Juve forget the provincial struggles which has threatened to ensure a potentially unbeaten season likened more to Perugia 1978/79 than Milan.

The best part about being away from your feeder club (i.e. AS Roma's Bojan) is the inevitable fact that you become its Ambassador! When Bojan scored in the 62nd minute of Roma's 5-2 victory over Novara yesterday, he lifted his shirt to reveal this message : "All the strength of this goal is for Abi" (Eric Abidal).

szólj hozzá: JUV

Can anyone doubt Juve's quality in midfield when you have the creative spark of Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, and Mirko Vucinic combined with Alessandro Matri and Fabio Quagliarella's attacking instincts? It's all clicking for Juve at the right time. Today, they ousted a gritty Palermo side with goals from Leonardo Bonucci and Quagliarella and went on top of the Serie as Milan were shocked by laggards Fiorentina.

Italy Euro 2012 Puma Home Football Shirt - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

The Italian National Team are one of the favourites to win the Euro 2012 tournament. The Azzuri last tasted success at the 2006 World Cup and are always one of the main contenders for every major tournament.

Juventus made a significant step towards clinching their first Serie A title in 7 years with a resounding 4-0 win over AS Roma at the Juventus Stadium to move 3 points clear at the top of the Serie A table.

Juve's win stretches their unbeaten run in the league to 33 which matches Fiorentina's record set in the 1955/56 season and just one short of Milan's leading record of 34 set back in the 1991/1992 season.