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Glum Mourinho snubs Italian press

April 02, 2010 17:01 IST

Brief news from Serie A ahead of the weekend matches:

* Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has again cancelled a news conference ahead of Saturday's home game with Bologna (1830 IST) after deciding the Italian establishment wants to stop his side winning a fifth straight scudetto.

The Portuguese, who has sparked speculation about his future by not speaking before or after Serie A matches for a month, did hold a fan's forum on Inter's TV channel where he repeated his unhappiness with aspects of Italian football.

"It isn't a fight between three for the title, it's a fight between one team and many other things," he said. "At the moment I am not a happy man in Italian football but I am happy at Inter."

* Dutchman Wesley Sneijder is a doubt to face Bologna because of an ankle problem picked up in Wednesday's Champions League win over CSKA Moscow while Samuel Eto'o, Lucio, Maicon and captain Javier Zanetti are all suspended.

Inter's teenage forward Mario Balotelli has missed a month of action after falling out with Mourinho but has apologised to the league leaders and has an outside chance of playing.

Inter have been tightlipped about the latest in a series of misdemeanours by Balotelli but Italian media have said the 19-year-old wearing an AC Milan shirt as a joke is one of the causes.

* Second-placed AS Roma, a point behind leaders Inter with seven games left, also have suspension problems for the trip to Bari with midfielders Simone Perrotta and Jeremy Menez out.

Francesco Totti is pushing for a start after coming on as a substitute in last weekend's win over Inter following a long spell out with knee trouble.

* AC Milan, three points behind Inter in third having not won for three games, have Ronaldinho and Andrea Pirlo back from suspensions for the game at Cagliari.

However, midfielder Mathieu Flamini is banned and rookie coach Leonardo will again lament the absence of injured Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato, who was key to a three-pronged attack which has failed to function lately.

* Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero has rallied his side for the match at relegation-threatened Udinese, where a win could lift the struggling Turin club up to joint fourth.

"We only have the aim of fourth spot in our heads. This season is not going like we wanted and the judgement can't be positive. But we are optimistic," he told Juventus Channel.

Del Piero added he still has hopes of gaining an Italy recall for the World Cup and one day becoming Juve president.

* All this weekend's matches take place on Saturday because of Easter.

 

Source: REUTERS
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