Soccer / Football : Italy : Serie A 2009/2010

Serie A leaders Inter failed to capitalise on the draw between closest rivals Milan and Roma when they were held 0-0 by Genoa. Inter have 59 points from 27 games after their fourth draw in five league games and maintain the four-point lead they started the weekend with over Milan, who failed to turn dominance into goals in another goalless draw in Rome. Roma are three points further back in third.

Palermo remain fourth after a 1-0 home win over relegation-threatened Livorno. They have 46 points, two more than Juventus who won 2-1 at Fiorentina. Sampdoria are also in the chase for UEFA Champions League qualification after a 2-1 comeback win at home over Lazio that puts them one point behind Juventus in sixth. Napoli dropped to seventh place following their 2-1 reverse at Bologna.

Chievo Verona coach Domenico Di Carlo and Parma forward Davide Lanzafame have become the first professionals to be suspended as a result of Italian football's blasphemy crackdown. Di Carlo uttered a blasphemous expression during last weekend's 2-1 victory over Cagliari and will miss Sunday's match at Bari. Lanzafame was also banned for Sunday's trip to Siena after committing the same offence in Parma's 1-0 win over Sampdoria.

The bans are the first under new anti-blasphemy rules that took effect in Italy this month. The Italian Football Federation decided last month that the time had come for disciplinary action to be taken against players and coaches heard taking God's name in vain. The judge based his ruling on a report from an official of the federation, while Italian referees were also told last week to give red cards to players they hear blaspheming.

Milan have suffered a huge blow after top scorer Alexandre Pato limped out of Sunday's Serie A win over Atalanta. The Brazilian striker scored twice in his team's 3-1 win over Atalanta but went off with a thigh injury and looks almost certain to miss Saturday's league match at rivals Roma and possibly their UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg at Manchester United on March 10, where Milan have to reverse a 3-2 deficit. Pato has been in superb form this season, with Sunday's brace taking his league tally to 12 goals from 17 starts, and he has scored two goals in seven UEFA Champions League games.

After drawing their last three domestic matches, Inter shrugged off the suspensions of coach Jose Mourinho, four players and the concession of an early goal to win 3-2 at lowly Udinese. The result kept the Serie A leaders four points above second-placed city rivals Milan, who beat Atalanta 3-1. Roma in third slipped seven points behind Inter after surrendering a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at Napoli.

Palermo surged up to fourth after a 2-0 win at Juventus, who lost for the first time under coach Alberto Zaccheroni and are level with Napoli in fifth with less than a third of the season to go. Genoa missed the chance to move level with Juventus when they were beaten 4-3 at home by strugglers Bologna, who triumphed thanks to Adailton's hat-trick. Fiorentina equalized in injury time in a 1-1 draw with Lazio.

Fiorentina will be without striker Alberto Gilardino and midfielder Juan Vargas against Lazio. Gilardino, who scored in the 2-1 loss to Milan on Wednesday, has failed to recover from a knock to his knee during the same match. Vargas has an ankle injury. Also out of action is defender Cesare Natali, as well as long-term absentees Adrian Mutu, Alessandro Gamberini and Mario Alberto Santana.

Juventus have confirmed Amauri will be out of action for at least 25 days following the injury he sustained against Ajax in the Europa League. The 29-year-old was replaced after 15 minutes as Juve held on for a 2-1 aggregate victory – thanks to Amauri's two goals last week in Amsterda. The tests on Friday confirmed muscle damage. Amauri has scored 5 goals in 23 games this season. David Trezeguet is expected to start in Amauri's absence.

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will be out of action for a month after suffering a thigh injury in training. The 32-year-old pulled a muscle on Tuesday and he is likely to miss six games for Juventus, as well as Italy's friendly against Cameroon in March. Left-back Fabio Grosso also picked up a muscle injury and has been ruled out of Thursday's UEFA Europa League game against Ajax in Turin.

Coach Jose Mourinho was banned for three league matches after making a handcuffs gesture and insulting officials during Saturday's controversial 0-0 home draw with Sampdoria. Defenders Walter Samuel and Ivan Cordoba received one-game bans for their dismissals but team mates Esteban Cambiasso and Sulley Muntari were given two-match bans for off-the-field incidents. Inter said they will appeal against the ban imposed on Mourinho as well as the suspensions awarded to Cambiasso and Muntari.