Confident Juve face tough Inter test in Turin
Ibrahimovic with impressive goal rate
Serie A leaders Juventus will start against Inter tonight without striker David Trezeguet but the match is still expected to produce plenty of goals.
The previous five games between these two sides have produced at least four goals each. Earlier this season Inter struck twice in the last 10 minutes to salvage a 2-2 draw.
Juventus go into the match in a confident mood after regaining control of the title race following their 5-2 win over Lecce at the weekend.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's hat-trick against Lecce took the Swede's tally to 15 league goals in his debut season in Italy. His scoring rate is better than the one of either Maradona or Gabriel Batistuta.
The 27-times Italian champions are unbeaten in eight games and top the table with 70 points, three ahead of Milan, who suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against lowly Siena last Sunday.
Inter are a distant third in the standings on 56 points and their coach Roberto Mancini is under pressure to take three points against Juve.
Mancini's failure to beat either Milan or Juventus this season has served to underline the gulf that separates the top two teams from the rest and prompted rumours he may be replaced at the end of the season.
Inter's Brazilian striker Adriano is out with a back problem so Mancini is expected to field a pairing of Christian Vieri and Obafemi Martins.
Other matches
Cagliari vs Lazio - Having spent most of the season in the lower reaches of Serie A, Lazio find themselves pushing for a UEFA Cup place, thanks to a 2-1 win over Bologna that allowed them to leapfrog over a tightly packed mid-table.
Cagliari are without the injured Gianfranco Zola, although the Sardinian side have only lost once at their Sant'Elia stadium this season.
Fiorentina vs Messina - Fiorentina's 2-0 defeat by Livorno last time out plunged them back into the relegation zone but coach Dino Zoff can take comfort in the return of striker Valeri Bojinov from injury.
Messina midfielder Carmine Coppola is suspended.
Lecce vs Bologna - Lecce have failed to win their last five matches and were thrashed 5-2 by Juventus last Sunday.
Bologna, hampered by injuries to midfielder Theodoros Zagorakis and striker Thomas Locatelli, are also going through a period of poor form.
Milan vs Chievo - Milan are expected to field Rui Costa in the midfield position usually occupied by Andrea Pirlo, who is recovering from a knee injury, as they attempt to bounce back from the shock 2-1 defeat by Siena with a victory against another relegation candidate, Chievo.
Palermo vs Brescia - Brescia moved off the bottom of the table with a 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Atalanta in the last round of matches.
Even without suspended defender Fabio Grosso, Palermo should provide tough opposition as they push for a Champions League berth.
Parma vs Sampdoria - They might be in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, but Parma have a fight to avoid the dreaded drop to Serie B.
Sampdoria climbed to fourth thanks to a 1-0 win over Palermo at the weekend.
Reggina vs Atalanta - Reggina ended a run of four consecutive defeats with a 2-1 win over Roma on Saturday.
Bottom-placed Atalanta are six points from safety and need a run of good results in their last seven matches if they are to escape relegation.
Roma vs Siena - Roma's abysmal run of form - compounded by suspensions and injuries - has earned them just one point in their last six matches.
Siena lie one point above the relegation zone but will start full of confidence having beaten Milan last time out.
Udinese vs Livorno - Udinese need to get their Champions League charge back on track after slipping up against Messina at the weekend.
With Vincenzo Iaquinta on the suspensions list and Antonio Di Natale injured, Dino Fava and David Di Michele are expected to start up front in attack for the hosts.
Today's Fixtures
Serie A
Cagliari vs Lazio (3-2)
Fiorentina vs Messina (1-1)
Juventus vs Inter (2-2)
Lecce vs Bologna (0-0)
Milan vs Chievo (1-0)
Palermo vs Brescia (2-0)
Parma vs Sampdoria (0-1)
Reggina vs Atalanta (1-0)
Roma vs Siena (4-0)
Udinese vs Livorno (2-1)
Leading Scorers
20 goals - Montella (Roma)
16 goals - Gilardino (Parma)
15 goals - Adriano (Inter), Ibrahimovic (Juventus)
Serie B
AlbinoLeffe vs Arezzo (1-1)
Bari vs Triestina (0-0)
Cesena vs Salernitana (1-6)
Crotone vs Ascoli (2-0)
Genoa vs Catania (3-1)
Modena vs Empoli (1-2)
Pescara vs Catanzaro (0-1)
Piacenza vs Ternana (1-0)
Venezia vs Torino (1-1)
Verona vs Treviso (0-1)
Vicenza vs Perugia (0-2)
Note: The kick-off time for all Serie A and Serie B matches today is 8.30 p.m.