Juventus midfielder Felipe Melo has insisted that he will repay the faith that the the Bianconeri have show in him, but putting in stellar performances on the pitch.

There has been a growing chorus of discontent with regards to Melo’s less than convincing displays since his transfer from Fiorentina. Some have argued that he cost too much, while others claim he is incompatible with Mohamed Sissoko (once he returns again from injury).

Melo told to la Gazzetta dello Sport that he is confident of proving his critics wrong and that he is worth the gamble. He explained that the considerable sum paid by the club for his services did not depend on him, but promised to pay back the faith shown in due course.

The Brazil international is looking forward to the clash with Inter and hopes to score against the league leaders so he can celebrate with the tifosi.

Rami Soufi, Football Italiano

We approach another week of non-stop action in the Serie B, where Ancona have a slender two point lead in the race for promotion, while Salernitana look set to be flushed down into the Lega Pro 1 if their miserable run continues.

Frosinone have a chance to get back on track following four straight losses, as an inconsistent Albinoleffe will visit the Stadio Matusa in the hope of taking something away from their opponents. Both sides have a leaky defence, but the Canarini are relatively better in the attacking third of the pitch, which should go some way in dictating the play in the presence of the tifosi. But they will have to take charge right from the word go, as a shaky confidence could be shattered if the visitors get a hold of the game early on.

Cesena are back with a bang after spending a season in the third-tier, and have been a revelation this season. They are currently in third place, and are three points shy of league leaders Ancona. The Seahorses will travel to Tuscany in order to take on Empoli at the Stadio Carlo Castellani. The visitors will hope to defend a proud run of going 14 games without getting beaten, while the Azzurri have the chance swap places with their opponents if they manage to stop them from taking away something from the encounter.

Here are the fixtures:

Ancona – Sassuolo
Empoli – Cesena
Frosinone – Albinoleffe
Lecce – Grosseto
Mantova – Cittadella
Modena – Triestina
Padova – Vicenza
Piacenza – Ascoli
Reggina – Brescia
Salernitana – Gallipoli
Torino – Crotone

Football Italiano

Three wins in the last five matches will be seen as a morale boosting run for a Livorno side looking to move out of the drop zone at the first opportunity. Serse Cosmi has done well at the Amaranto helm, and will now face the test of travelling to face Udinese.

The Bianconeri have run into a rough patch of form, losing five of their past seven games. To add to the crisis, Pasquale Marino has all sorts of problems, as he will be without a fair number of players for this fixture.

Alexis Sanchez, Simone Pepe , Giovanni Pasquale, Damiano Ferronetti and Christian Obodo have just been joined by Niki Zimling, and the tifosi will desperately hope that a depleted squad will be able to overcome their opponents on home soil.

Football Italiano