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From the papers

March 2, 2001
Juventus Official Site

The Gazzetta dello Sport describes Juve and Lazio as being together against Roma, in the quest for the scudetto. Zidane, who played superbly, scoring a magical goal for France against Germany in the week, is described as being integral in Juve's campaign for the scudetto, not least because he has "now become a true leader". Meanwhile, Pessotto reveals in an interview that he is feeling very calm under the pressure to win the scudetto, even suggesting that; "it can be an advantage to have to win every week."

In the Corriere dello Sport, Cragnotti at Lazio is described as being inspired by Juve's recent excellent form, as well as believing that Roma will start to slip up soon. Van Der Saar is celebrating his new run of 279 minutes without conceding a goal; presently the best record in Serie A. Finally, Pessotto is quoted as saying that regarding disciplinary matters in football, "Here in Italy, the guilty players remain unpunished."

Tuttosport leads with further rumours concerning Juve's interest in Arsenal's French midfielder Patrick Viera. It is claimed that Juve will try to persuade Arsenal to sell, by offering two incentives; first the possibility of a swap deal involving Kovacevic, and secondly a promise on Juve's behalf to reject their option on Djetou, therefore leaving Arsenal to compete solely with Inter for the young Brazilian's signing. Back on the field, Ancelotti has concerns over Inzaghi for the clash on Sunday at Udine, as Pippo returned from international duty with a slight injury. However it is hoped that he will be okay for Sunday. Pessotto has vowed that Juve "will not concede defeat to Roma in the battle for the Scudetto, as Roma could still trip themselves up". At Udinese, it is thought that Conte will come off the bench and resume his place on the pitch. Del Piero has a more personal target for the game, wanting to score an important goal to help him forget the great misfortune of three years ago at the same stadium. Finally, at Udinese, Fiore has railed against his club's decision to withdraw him from the match, saying that; "This withdrawal is absurd, and it will make it much harder for the club to beat Juve"
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