Inter Milan coach Jose' Mourinho is looking for ''anger'' from the Serie A leaders against third-placed Napoli Sunday after Inter's stuttering form continued with a 1-0 Champions League home loss to Panathinaikos Wednesday.
Inter qualified for the last 16 thanks to other results but Mourinho was visibly disappointed in post-match interviews that the team had not carried over the form it showed in the 'derby of Italy' against Juventus last week.
''It was a let-down, the focus and determination were gone,'' he said.
''We were all poor, and I include myself in that evaluation''.
SELF-CRITICISM.
In what was seen as an unusual bout of self-criticism, the normally up-beat Portuguese coach continued: ''I feared the Greeks, but I was unable to communicate that fear to the team''.
''We were bad, bad, bad, including myself as coach. We didn't deserve to qualify''.
''Now we need to go into the Napoli match with anger and play a different match to the one we deservedly lost''.
Napoli, who are six points behind Inter, are pinning their hopes for an upset at the San Siro on Argentina forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, who has served up 11 goals for strikers Marek Hamsik and German Denis as well as scoring three himself.
Lavezzi fever is in full swing in Naples amid the biggest fandom frenzy since the Maradona years and local radio stations are even playing a song dedicated to the 23-year-old.
AC Milan, three points behind Inter in second place, visit Palermo (joint 10th, 17 points) on Sunday night without suspended Brazil striker Kaka.
KALADZE DOUBT.
They may also have to do without Georgia defender Kakha Kaladze who is biting his nails ahead of a probable ban for criticising the handball decision that led to Genoa's equaliser last week.
Juventus, in joint third with Napoli, host Reggina (18th, 11 points) on Saturday night on a high from qualifying in top slot from their Champions League group.
Fiorentina, out of Europe after a home defeat by Lyon in midweek, travel to resurgent AS Roma on Sunday in what promises to be one of the most entertaining games of the weekend.
Roma, second to Inter last year but currently 14th, 16 points behind the leaders, looked close to their best in beating Cluj Thursday night to all-but-ensure Champions League qualification.
Fiorentina, in joint fifth with Lazio, a point behind Juventus, are hoping to show better finishing against the Romans than they did against the French.
Lazio, who are level with Fiorentina, visits Atalanta (joint 10th, 17 points); Udinese (joint 7th, 21 points) hosts bottom club Chievo (6 points); Genoa (joint 7th) entertains second-from-bottom Bologna (9 points); Catania (joint 7th) hosts Lecce (joint 16th, 12 points); Siena (joint 12th, 16 points) hosts Torino (joint 16th); and Cagliari (joint 14th, 14 points) entertain Sampdoria (joint 12th).
Apart from the two Milanese clubs, which both have three-point cushions, only three points separate third-placed Napoli from Udinese, Genoa and Catania in joint 7th, while Atalanta and Palermo are in joint 10th, 4 points farther behind.
Here is the Serie A table (tabulate under: points; played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against):
Inter 30 13 9 3 1 20 7
Milan 27 13 8 3 2 19 10
Juventus 24 13 7 3 3 17 9
Napoli 24 13 7 3 3 19 13
Fiorentina 23 13 7 2 4 18 12
Lazio 23 13 7 2 4 22 14
Genoa 21 13 6 3 4 20 15
Udinese 21 13 6 3 4 21 14
Catania 21 13 6 3 4 14 14
Atalanta 17 13 5 2 6 14 15
Palermo 17 13 5 2 6 16 18
Siena 16 13 4 4 5 11 12
Sampdoria* 16 12 4 4 4 13 15
Cagliari 14 13 4 2 7 14 17
Roma* 14 12 4 2 6 14 18
Torino 12 13 3 3 7 14 19
Lecce 12 13 2 6 5 12 18
Reggina 11 13 3 2 8 12 24
Bologna 9 13 2 3 8 11 22
Chievo Verona 6 13 1 3 9 6 21
(Roma and Sampdoria have a game in hand)
Here are the weekend's fixtures: - Saturday 29 November: Catania-Lecce (17:00 GMT) Juventus-Reggina (19:30) - Sunday November 30 (14:00) Atalanta-Lazio Cagliari-Sampdoria Genoa-Bologna Inter-Napoli Roma-Fiorentina Siena-Torino Udinese-Chievo Palermo-Milan (20:30).
