Thursday 21st August will see the twelfth edition of the Trofeo Birra Moretti played out by the usual suspects in Napoli. It is the fourth year in a row that the cup is to be played in the San Paolo stadium, one of the country’s three greatest capacity stadiums.

Other then the hosts Napoli, the Bianconeri of Juventus and the Nerazzurri of Inter Milan will be the participants. One of the final showdowns before the Serie A season officially begins at the end of August, the three way cup will be much like the TIM Cup in that the teams will play each other in a round-robin fashion, with 45 minutes per game to decide the winner. After the three mini games are completed the winner of the cup is determined based on the points gathered in the three encounters.

The cup takes place exactly ten days before the start of the 2008/2009 season, with fans lined up to get the first glimpses of their heroes in action against this years potential rivals. The tournament is generally considered one of the most important pre-season tests before the new Serie A campaign gets under way, with the timing of these clashes closely linked to the first official Italian club game of the season, the Italian Supercup. Inter Milan with be warming up for that important match with the Birra Moretti challenge and may want to experiment with a few things during the friendly tournament.

Fans of the three teams taking part will have a great opportunity to view the progress of their teams at this late stage, which will leave the pundits with many indications and fuel for predictions. The tournament remains popular with fans as last years figures demonstrated, with a live television audience of around 4 500 000 viewers tuned in to watch the three titans in action. So put this one in your calendar, it certainly will be interesting to watch.

Peter Pedroncelli - footballitaliano.org

The Serie A 2008-2009 schedule are now released. The season will begin on August 31st and end on May 31st. There will be three midweek rounds slated for September 24, October 29, and January 28. The winter break will be from December 21-January 11. Serie A will also come to a halt three times for the National Team, who will be undergoing World Cup 2010 qualifying. Those dates are September 7, October 12, and March 29.

The Coppa Italia will begin on August 9th, with the second round being played August 17th. The third round is August 23rd, and the fourth round will begin the 2 legged ties (September 18 and October 2nd). The Round of 16 will be November 12, and December 3, 10, and 17. The Quarter-finals will be January 21 and February 4th, with the semi-finals March 4 and April 22. The Final will be Wednesday May 13, 2009, at a venue yet to be decided.
The Italian SuperCup between Roma and Inter will be played on Sunday, August 24. The Lega Calcio has temporarily named San Siro as the venue, but both clubs have expressed interest in playing the game abroad, and New York (The Italians call it New York, but it’s really New Jersey-Giants Stadium) is the most likely venue. The SuperCoppa was held at Giants Stadium back in 2005, Juventus beat Milan on penalties. I was there and it was a great experience, I would love for it to be held here again.

Ref From www.italy.theoffside.com