AC Milan striker Ronaldo is hoping to play his first Serie A
game in six months on Sunday when the Italian first division resumes after the
international break.
"I feel ready to play," Ronaldo said. "Now I'm waiting to be selected."
Ronaldo featured in a charity match on Monday but has not played competitive
soccer since July, when he hurt his thigh in training. He is expected to start
alongside Filippo Inzaghi at Cagliari on Sunday, where Milan will look to return
to the top half of the Serie A standings.
"Ronie had this problem but he's over it now," Inzaghi said. "We hope he can
give us a hand on the pitch."
Milan is only 11th in the division with 14 points, 11 adrift of leader Inter
Milan and five above the relegation zone.
Inzaghi has also had little action in the league this season - starting only
three games - and has yet to score. But the 34-year-old forward thinks that is
just a matter of time.
"I feel well," Inzaghi said. "When a player feels in form, things go right more
easily. Being in form pays. And I say that independently of goals, which do not
always come consistently for a striker."
Irrespective of whether Ronaldo and Inzaghi play, neither will be cheered on by
Rossoneri supporters at Cagliari's Sant'Elia stadium. The soccer league has
banned Milan's fans and those of another 12 teams in Italy's top three divisions
from travelling to this weekend's games following riots sparked by the shooting
of a Lazio fan by police two weeks ago.
The five other Serie A teams to play without their supporters are: Atalanta,
Catania, AS Roma, Sampdoria and Torino.
The league has also closed a section of Atalanta's stadium until April, after a
group of Atalanta supporters attempted to smash through a barrier and force
their way onto the field at the start of its game against Milan.
The Nov. 11 game was suspended after seven minutes and will be replayed behind
closed doors at Bergamo's Atleti Azzurri D'Italia stadium at a date to be
announced.
Inter leads the division with 25 points, followed by Fiorentina with 23, and
Juventus, AS Roma and Udinese with 22 - although Inter, Roma and four other
teams have a game in hand, after their 12th-round matches were suspended or
postponed because of the violence.
Inter has a selection problem ahead of its match against visiting Atalanta on
Saturday. Cristian Chivu, Patrick Vieira, Dejan Stankovic, and Luis Figo are all
injured, while the club's Brazil and Argentina players are not due back from
international duty until Friday.
Also, striker Adriano has returned to Brazil to recuperate after struggling both
on and off the pitch this year. The Brazil forward is expected to return in
January.
However, defender Marco Materazzi has recovered from a thigh injury and is
expected to make his first appearance in the league this season.
Roma, which plays at Genoa on Saturday, has also been hit by injuries. Francesco
Totti is still a doubt with a foot complaint, while Simone Perrotta and Daniele
De Rossi picked up strains during Italy's 3-1 victory over the Faeroe Islands on
Wednesday.
On Sunday, Juventus hosts Palermo, while Fiorentina travels to Reggina looking
to bounce back from its first loss of the season - against Udinese two weeks ago.
"The defeat hasn't demoralized us," Viola midfielder Massimo Gobbi said. "Actually,
we're more pumped up than before."
Also Sunday, it's: Empoli versus Torino; Lazio versus Parma; Livorno versus
Sampdoria; Napoli versus Catania; and Udinese versus Siena. |