Buffon eyeing record as Juventus prepares for Sassuolo
MILAN (AP) - Juventus welcomes Sassuolo in a very different position to the last time the two teams met.
When they faced each other back in October, Juventus had won only three of its first nine matches. The four-time defending champion went on to lose 1-0 in Reggio Emilia, finishing the round in 12th spot.
Juventus has won 17 of its 18 matches since that sobering night - setting a new club record - and head the standings.
"It was certainly a low point in our season," said Italy forward Simone Zaza, who joined Juventus from Sassuolo last summer. "Afterwards, the more experienced heads in the dressing room made themselves heard.
"Certainly it wasn't a nice night, even if, personally, I also experienced intense emotions because it was a return to my past. At the end of the match we were all disappointed and when we met up at training, we confronted our problems and each one of us managed to show our true potential."
Sassuolo has also continued picking up positive results and three successive wins have lifted it up to seventh, three points below AC Milan in the fight for Europe.
Juventus plays on Friday and can move provisionally six points clear of second-placed Napoli, which visits Palermo on Sunday night.
Roma will be looking to keep up the pressure on the top two and boost its claim for third and the final Champions League spot when it visits Udinese on Sunday.
After seven successive wins, Roma is five points below Napoli and three above Fiorentina, which hosts bottom club Hellas Verona. Inter is two points further back and welcomes Bologna Saturday.
Also this weekend, it's: Empoli vs. Sampdoria; Chievo Verona vs. AC Milan; Carpi vs. Frosinone; Genoa vs. Torino; and Lazio vs. Atalanta.
Here are a few things to know about Serie A this weekend:
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UNBEATABLE BUFFON
Much of Juve's run of impressive results has been down to its invincibility at the back.
Juventus hasn't conceded in nine successive league matches and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will be minutes away from setting a new Serie A record if his side makes it a 10th against Sassuolo.
Buffon has not been beaten in Serie A in 836 minutes, the third-longest stretch in league history.
The unbeaten record in Serie A is held by Sebastiano Rossi, who kept a clean sheet for 929 consecutive minutes for AC Milan from Dec. 12, 1993, to Feb. 27, 1994, beating the previous mark set by former Juventus goalkeeper Dino Zoff in 1972-73 by 26 minutes.
If Juventus keeps a clean sheet against Sassuolo, Buffon will match Rossi's 22-year record by not conceding in the first three minutes in the following weekend's derby match at Torino.
Between those two matches, Juventus visits Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the Champions League. It drew 2-2 with the German side in the first leg.
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MANAGERIAL MERRYGOROUND
It's all change again at Palermo.
Walter Novellino has confirmed he has reached an agreement to become the struggling club's eighth coach this season after Giuseppe Iachini left for the second time following a row with controversial president Maurizio Zamparini.
Counting caretakers, Palermo have had six different coaches this season: Iachini (twice), Davide Ballardini, Fabio Viviani, Guillermo Schelotto, Giovanni Bosi and Giovanni Tedesco.
Zamparini has made nearly 60 coaching changes in 29 years as a club owner, first at Venezia and then at Palermo.
Novellino worked under Zamparini at Venezia - winning promotion to Serie A - and is one of the few not to have been fired by him.
Palermo is winless in its past nine matches and has fallen to 17th, one point above the relegation zone.
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RELEGATION SIX POINTER
Carpi and Frosinone have started believing in the great escape as they inch closer to securing a second ever season in Serie A.
Frosinone has won three of its past six matches to move to within a point of safety, while Carpi is four points further back following three successive draws.
Carpi hosts Frosinone on Sunday before facing the other side in the bottom three, Verona, the following week. Two victories could catapult it out of the relegation zone.
A win for Frosinone this weekend would also boost its chances and likely consign Carpi to going straight back down.