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Juve prepare to call time

ByReuters

Published 12/02/2006 at 10:42 GMT

Originally billed as Inter Milan's make-or-break bid for the title, the game against leaders Juventus at the San Siro on Sunday has lost some of its sparkle after the midweek round of matches.

FOOTBALL Serie A Juventus-Parma Ibrahimovic

Image credit: Eurosport

Inter's 2-1 defeat by Fiorentina on Wednesday allowed Juve to extend their lead to nine points with a 1-1 draw against Parma.
Now, Inter coach Roberto Mancini concedes that victory at the weekend is more about consolidating second place ahead of AC Milan than reeling in Fabio Capello's side
"Our objective is second place," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"On Sunday we must try to win all three points to consolidate second place in the division."
Inter are boosted by the return of 21-year-old Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins after his country's African Nations Cup exit and he is expected to return to the starting line-up alongside Adriano.
Juventus, though no longer in the same devastating form they showed earlier this season, will have taken heart from their draw with Parma.
Coach Fabio Capello preferred to see the result as a point gained on Inter, rather than two points lost.
Capello would also have been pleased by continuing evidence of his team's mental toughness. Daniele Dessena gave Parma the lead in the 39th minute, only for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to hit back five minutes later with his first goal in 12 league games.
Capello is likely to leave Alessandro Del Piero on the bench and return to his first-choice strike partnership of David Trezeguet and Ibrahimovic, both of whom played for only 45 minutes against Parma.
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