Balotelli expected to make AC Milan debut

MILAN – Mario Balotelli is expected to make his official debut for AC Milan on Sunday against Udinese.

Friday, February 01, 2013
Mario Balotelli signed for AC Milan from Manchester City. Net photo.

SaturdayTorino     vs     Sampdoria    19:00 Napoli     vs     Catania        21:45SundayChievo     vs     Juventus    13:30Fiorentina     vs     Parma        16:00Genoa     vs     LazioPalermo     vs     AtalantaPescara     vs     BolognaSiena     vs     InterMilan     vs     Udinese        21:45MILAN – Mario Balotelli is expected to make his official debut for AC Milan on Sunday against Udinese.Balotelli finalized a ?20 million ($27 million) transfer from Manchester City on Thursday, returning to Italy after a turbulent 2 1/2 years in the Premier League."Mario Balotelli is a great player and will definitely help the squad,’’ Milan striker Robinho said. "We’re happy he’s arrived and we’re all going to welcome him. Let’s hope he does well for Milan.Also, defending champion Juventus will travel to Chievo Verona, eager to get back on track after a disappointing start to 2013, which has seen it win only twice in seven matches.Following a difficult start to the season, Milan has recovered and has started forcing its way back up the Serie A table and into contention for a Champions League spot.After seven wins in its past nine games, Milan has moved up to fifth, six points behind third-place Lazio.Juventus has seen its eight-point lead at the start of the year cut to three after picking up only five points in four league matches.Its misery grew after a 1-1 draw at home against struggling Genoa and a 2-1 loss to Lazio in the Italian Cup semifinals, going out of the competition 3-2 on aggregate.Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio could have sent his team to the Italian Cup final on away goals but he shot wide, right in front of an empty net, in a dramatic finale.