vROME - Juventus and Roma are the two clear title favourites after 10 rounds of Serie A. Mark Lowe Jersey .Figuring out which club will finish third and claim the last Champions League spot is a little more difficult.After AC Milans visit to Sampdoria on Saturday, the situation could become a bit clearer.Sampdoria is tied for third with Lazio and has lost just once this season, while Milan is two points further behind after going winless in its last three matches.At the top of the table, Juventus holds a three-point lead over Roma.Juventus, coming off a difficult 3-2 win over Olympiakos in the Champions League, hosts struggling Parma on Sunday while Roma, which lost 2-0 at Bayern Munich midweek, hosts Torino.In other key matches this weekend, its Empoli vs. Lazio; Fiorentina vs. Napoli; and Inter Milan vs. Hellas Verona.Here are some things to know about the Italian league:___FRENCH CONNECTIONMichel Platini was the first. Then came Zinedine Zidane and Didier Deschamps, followed by David Trezeguet.Now Paul Pogba is the latest France international to make a big impact at Juventus.Let go by Manchester United two years ago, the 21-year-old is rapidly developing into a force in midfield.Pogba scored the first Champions League goal of his career against Olympiakos and also drew the foul that led to Juves opening goal, a free kick from Andrea Pirlo.That came a week after Pogba extended his contract with Juventus through 2018-19, ending speculation that he would transfer to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain or back to the English Premier League.Im happy to stay here, Pogba said Wednesday. I want to continue wearing this shirt for a long time and perhaps one day go down in Juves history like Platini and Zidane.Pogba was also the only Serie A player included in the 23-man list of nominees for the FIFA Ballon dOr last week.Pogba is improving. He just needs to become more consistent. Thats his only defect, Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta said. But he has natural talent and hes one of the brightest young players out there. He has a glorious career ahead of him.___ROMAS PSYCHEHaving been humiliated by Bayern Munich in a 7-1 loss at home two weeks ago, Roma resigned itself to mostly defending and limiting the damage in the 2-0 loss to the German power this week.The important thing was to defend well and we did, Roma coach Rudi Garcia said. Im proud of my boys. It wasnt a surrender.Still, Italian media took aim at his decision to rest several key players for the game.Rudi paralyzed: He was afraid of another lesson, read a headline in the Gazzetta dello Sport.On the eve of the first Bayern match, Garcia declared that he was convinced that Roma would win Serie A. And midfield veteran Daniele De Rossi said this was the strongest Roma side hes been a part of.The two losses to Bayern, plus a couple of recent stumbles in Serie A, have altered Romas approach.We knew we couldnt win, midfielder Radja Nainggolan said after the latest Bayern match.Added De Rossi: This was an impossible challenge for us. Sunday night at Olimpico against Torino will be much more important.___GLADIATOR GAMEA proposal from Romas American president James Pallotta to hold a football match inside the Colosseum has been met with opposition from a government official.I have one big goal, Pallotta told CNN recently. I want to get the city to let us play somebody like Barcelona or Bayern Munich or someone like that at the Colosseum.Well do a pay-per-view on it, $25 around the world, Pallotta added. We could get 300 million people wanting to watch that around the world — a game in the Colosseum which theyll never see again.We take that money, which could be billions of dollars, and then set up a foundation in Rome to fix up the antiquities even faster and put the rest towards inner city programs in Rome.Italys culture minister Dario Franceschini did not take well to the ideaIf Romas president wants to contribute to a fundraiser for restoring the capitals monuments there are many possibilities to do so, Franceschini said. But lets not joke around about the Colosseum.___DUTCH DefenceStefan De Vrij has quickly become the defensive anchor of a Lazio side that has won five of its last six matches.Named one of the top defenders in the Netherlands run to the World Cup semifinals, De Vrij joined Lazio from Feyenoord in July.He has played in nine of 10 matches, missing only one game due to suspension.Former Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal reportedly considered taking De Vrij with him to Manchester United but then suggested the defender head to Italy.Lazio was the only club before the World Cup which was really interested in me and I really liked that, De Vrij said when he joined the Roman club.___Andrew Dampf can be followed at www.twitter.com/asdampf Kenta Maeda Jersey .twitter.com/xBTpoAKLJk — Daryl Zerr (@darylzerr) May 29, 2014 @BarDown I give to you the @SquirrelsNCHL aka the Fighting Squirels. Custom Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys . Klose has a bruised pelvic bone and abdominal muscle problems but team doctors are trying to get him fit in time for the match. Bender has a hamstring injury. Germany is already without half-dozen players, due to injury or bad form. http://www.dodgersteamproshop.com/ . After falling 5-0 on home ice in a game that could have tied them for second in the wild card standings, Washington head coach Adam Oates had some strong words for Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin.TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. The top-ranked Crimson Tide flashed its overwhelming punching power to knockout No. 10 LSU in Saturday nights 38-17 victory Saturday, scoring the final 21 points in punishing fashion. AJ McCarron threw three touchdown passes, T.J. Yeldon ran for 133 yards and two scores and the Tide (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) turned to smash-you-in-the-mouth football to take control of a game that was tied early in the third quarter. Yeldon carried 18 times in the second half, 25 overall. And down went LSU (7-3, 3-3). "I think we probably played our best half of football," Tide coach Nick Saban said. "We didnt play great in the first half, but man I tell you what, a lot of character out there in the second half." Yeldon and McCarron had hooked up for the game-winning touchdown pass in the final minute of last seasons meeting with the Tigers. This one had no such dramatic finish. Two-time defending national champion Alabama brushed aside its first challenge since Game 2 against Texas A&M. It was a dominant performance two days after one contender, No. 2 Oregon, fell to another, No. 6 Stanford. McCarron was a workmanlike 14-of-20 passing for 179 yards, letting Yeldon, Kenyan Drake and their blockers assert control. He did hit speedy freshman tight end O.J. Howard for a 52-yard touchdown and overtook John Parker Wilson to become Alabamas top career passer. "All he does is win and does what his team needs for him to do," Saban said of his senior quarterback. "I think the guy is the best quarterback in the country." He didnt need to put up big numbers to improve his career mark to 34-2. LSUs Zach Mettenberger completed 16 of 23 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown but was also sacked four times. It was the most points Alabama has scored against LSU since a 41-12 victory in 1947. LSU had won five of the last six meetings in Tuscaloosa, but lost fumbles on its first two possessions, including one on the goal line. The Tigers, who came in averaging 40.2 points, couldnt regain the lost momentum and managed just 52 yards in the second half and minus-9 in the final quarter. "You cant turn the ball over," LSU coach Les Miles said. "In the first half its a 7-to-nothing game and the fullback (J.C. Copeland) runs the ball off left tackle. Then we turn the ball over on the other side of the field. That cost us a terrible start. "We overcame it but it took time." Alabama haas been so dominant lately, some students began chanting "We Want Bama" in the fourth quarter, mimicking the fans of potential challengers to the reigning champs. Joc Pederson Jersey. This one, at least, was a contest until Alabama scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Yeldon powered the Tide to a two-touchdown lead with a workhorse drive in the fourth quarter. He ran six times for 34 yards and had a 13-yard catch before powering it in with 10:31 left to give Alabama a 31-17 lead. "They came in here thinking that they were going to be more physical than us," Tide defensive lineman Jeoffrey Pagan said. "I feel like we changed that." LSU swiftly threatened to get back in the game when Odell Beckham Jr. raced 82 yards on the kickoff return. Alabama held firm and Mettenbergers fourth-and-13 pass to a well-covered Jarvis Landry was off target. And the Tide fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium could finally breathe. Alabamas Drake ran for 65 yards on 10 carries. The Tide outgained LSU 372-282, including a 193-43 advantage on the ground in a game both sides typically call one of the most physical of each season. LSUs playmaking receivers Beckham and Landry turned in some big ones but it wasnt nearly enough. Landry had five catches for 90 yards and Beckham gained 42 yards on three catches. Alabama limited Jeremy Hill, who came in as the SECs No. 2 rusher, to 13 carries for 42 yards and a touchdown. "You could look at the score and think one thing," Mettenberger said. "But if you watched the game you would know that if we didnt turn the ball over and made some smarter decisions in the third and fourth quarters, it would be a ball game." LSU tied the game at 17 with Colby Delahoussayes 41-yard field goal to cap the opening drive of the second half. Then Alabama turned to a fake punt in its own territory. Alabamas Jarrick Williams took a handoff from linebacker C.J. Mosley and ran for a first down on fourth and 2 in Tide territory after calling time out. The buck-the-odds gamble that is more Les Miles calling card than Sabans paid off. Yeldon capped a 14-play drive consuming seven minutes, 50 seconds with a 4-yard touchdown for a 24-17 lead. "We said if they put their defence back in there, we were going to run it," Saban said. "I felt like we didnt want to give them the ball back. We were playing great on defence. I think it was a big play in the game and for our offence to go down and finish that drive, I think it really changed the momentum." Cheap Red Sox Jerseys Cheap Marlins Jerseys Cheap Mets Jerseys Cheap Phillies Jerseys Cheap Nationals Jerseys Cheap Cubs Jerseys Cheap Reds Jerseys Cheap Brewers Jerseys Cheap Pirates Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Diamondbacks Jerseys Cheap Rockies Jerseys Cheap Dodgers Jerseys Cheap Padres Jerseys Cheap Giants Jerseys ' ' '