Andrea Russotto has not been officially unveiled as a Napoli player but is confident the deal is almost done. However, the talented youngster will go to Beijing with the Italian Olympic team before starting his new Azzurri adventure.

The transfer of the 20-year-old is nearing completion and only details need to be sorted out, but the Lazio youth product cannot wait to get started and face the San Paolo crowd.

“It’s a dream come true,” he told the Corriere dello Sport.

“The Azzurri jersey, the San Paolo and the passion of the fans were things I could only imagine until now. But they will become a wonderful reality pretty soon and I am ecstatic.

“Am I happy? No, I’m in seventh heaven,” grinned Andrea.

“The negotiations have been going on for so long, every day I would wait for that phone call to tell me the deal was done. When I finally got it, I was literally overwhelmed.”

The Roman native is aware that his first season in Naples will probably be difficult, and he will not get much playing time, but he keeps his feet on the ground.

“Napoli have great champions and others have come in this summer; I can only hope to get a few games under my belt to prove I can cut the mustard at this level,” added Andrea.

“I’ve never met Edy Reja, but I can only promise I will do my best to get noticed. As for the squad, I have already played with Inacio Pià and Nicolas Amodio at Treviso, and I know Fabiano Santacroce from the U21 setup, so I guess they will help me settle in.

“I reckon the club want to go one better this season, hence the UEFA Cup qualification should be our primary goal,” he concluded.

Ref From Stefano Moretti - goal.com

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