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ROME - Juventus and Roma are the two clear title favourites after 10 rounds of Serie A.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 Nike Air Max Plus Tn Dam . -- Atlanta Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson is being checked for a possible concussion after blowing a tire on his way to the first workout of spring training. Nike Zoom Fly Herr . FLIP SAUNDERS (Timberwolves): Im not the least bit surprised that he appointed himself as head coach after his search concluded. http://www.airvapormaxsverige.com/air-ma...tn-rea.html.500 ball against teams with winning records, so they needed a huge lift from somebody Tuesday night in a matchup of division leaders. Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35 Dam . Playing in his 19th career final, the second-seeded Tsonga was favourite to win the Open 13 for the third time and to secure an 11th career title, but he struggled with Gulbis attacking approach. Nike Zoom Rea . Long snapper Patrick Mannelly announced Friday that he is retiring after a 16-year-career with the Bears, a span in which he played in a team record 245 games and snapped the ball 2,282 times.The New York Islanders have traded forwards Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Peter Regin to the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2014 fourth-round pick. Bouchard has appeared in 28 games with the Islanders this season, scoring four goals and adding five assists. The 29-year-old will report directly to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. He is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer once his one-year, $2 million deal elapses. Bouchard was selected eighth overall at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft bby the Minnesota Wild, where he played the first 11 years of his NHL career.dddddddddddd Bouchard has 110 goals and 356 assists in 593 career NHL games. Regin, 27-years-old, scored two goals and seven points in 44 games with the Islanders this season. He signed a one-year, $750,000 deal with the Islanders prior to this season. In 222 career NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders, Regin has 21 goals and 41 assists. The Islanders retained 50 per cent of each players salary. ' ' '