[aquila]

According to "Corriere dello Sport", this is the program for the summer season:

12th July: team presentation at the Lazio shop in Valmontone, and then leaving for the summer camp in Auronzo di Cadore.

17th July: match against local team Auronzo.

19th or 20th July: match against Sappada.

22nd or 23rd July: match against Slavia Prague.

26th or 27th July: match against Padova.

30th July: match against Gaziantepspor.

The first game in Rome (real presentation to the fans) will be against PAOK Thessaloniki on the 12th of August.

 

[aquila]

And most probably Rocchi, De Silvestri and Kolarov will take part in Olympics 2008, so they will miss the pre season trainings and will be out at least until the first half of August. Good luck to them.

 

[Osman]

Seriously, Rocchi will take part in the Olympics? It would be mighty embarrassing for him to be benched by kids, no

 

[Anomander Rake]

Well, it would probably be embarassing for the coach to take players over 23 who will sit on the bench, nevermind if we are talking about Rocchi, Pirlo or Ballotta.

 

[aquila]

From the Liverpool official web site:

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N160348080627-1342.htm

Liverpool could be set to welcome Italian giants Lazio to Anfield as they put the final touches to their preparations for the forthcoming campaign. Rafael Benitez's side now look set to face Delio Rossi's side on Friday August 8 as a final warm-up match ahead of a Champions League qualifying round and the big kick-off at Sunderland on August 16.

It had previously been reported that the Reds would face Fernando Torres' old club Atletico Madrid, but the two sides could not reach agreement and the Biancocelesti now look the more likely visitors.

If the match does get the go-ahead it would be Liverpool's first home pre-season fixture for five years, when Rafael Benitez's Valencia came to Anfield and claimed an impressive 2-0 win.

---
Always good to play a friendly with Liverpool And also good to see that we are still considered "giants"...

Edit: I have absolutely to edit to add this (from the Liverpool web site that takes it from newspaper "Liverpool Echo")

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/mediawatch/drilldown/MW13134080627-1344.htm

REDS LINE UP LAZIO FRIENDLY
Liverpool Echo 27 June 2008
Liverpool will stage a pre-season curtain raiser for the new season at Anfield on Friday, August 8.
But Italian giants Lazio are now the likely opposition - not Atletico Madrid.

The Reds had been negotiating with Fernando Torres' old club about the possibility of a friendly match at Anfield, but could not reach agreement.

But Roman club Lazio have now stepped in and are "highly likely" to be the visitors to Anfield for Liverpool's final warm-up match before the Champions League qualifying round and the big kick-off at Sunderland on August 16.

Lazio had a disappointing Serie A campaign, finishing 12th, but boast stars like Dino Baggio and Argentinian striker Claudio Lopez.

 

[Boyo]

Maybe it's a transfer rumor. Lotito was so happy with how Dabo performed, he wanted to sign some more players from the past.

 

[Anomander Rake]

Ah well, I guess there are complete amateurs not only in Italian clubs officil websites. Come on, if you have never heard of Lazio you can find info about the current roster in a matter of seconds...

 

[Kafka]

Ok, I could make a thousand jokes about the whole thing. But just visit the Liverpool Echo site...beats everything, and by a huge margin. I mean, these people are making a living out of journalism!

 

[Morierinho]

Dino Baggio:howler:

... and Pool will field Jamie Redknapp.

 

[Kopite]

then it`s lazio instead of atletico madrid in august .
i don`t trust friendly game to be an interesting one .. but despite of that , welcome lazio at the anfield .

 

[aquila]

Thanks. If I remember well, Lazio played at Anfield a few summers ago, with Cesar scoring the winner. Maybe the Liverpool Echo "journalist" thinks that Lazio has not changed during these years...

Anyway, according to "Il Messaggero", the summer programme has changed a wee bit:

16th July: with Belluno

19th July: with Auronzo

23rd July: with Slavia Prague

26th July: with Padova

30th July: with Gaziantepspor

8th August: with Liverpool (in Liverpool)

10th August: with Porto (in Oporto)

12th August: with PAOK

 

[Osman]

Brazil are taking Kaka, Ronaldinho, Argentina Riquelme and Mascherano and such as overage players. Italy are....



Rocchi gets Olympic call

It has been confirmed that Lazio striker Tommaso Rocchi will be the only overage player in Italy’s squad for the Olympic Games.

Azzurrini Coach Pierluigi Casiraghi will lead his side in search of gold in Beijing, but he is allowed to name three players over the age of 23.

Despite rumours suggesting that superstars such as Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero could be chosen, the only overage player will be 30-year-old Rocchi.

“Rocchi will help this team be competitive as they look to follow up their Toulon Tournament triumph at the Olympic games,” Italian Football Federation President Giancarlo Abete confirmed.

Italy won the Toulon Tournament – an annual competition for Under-21 sides – at the end of May with Fiorentina’s Pablo Daniel Osvaldo scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 Final win over Chile.

Casiraghi’s side have been drawn in Group D for the Olympics and have been paired with the Republic of Korea, Cameroon and Honduras.

 

[Boyo]

Good choice. :stuckup:

 

[aquila]

Despite rumours suggesting that superstars such as Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero could be chosen, the only overage player will be 30-year-old Rocchi.

Totti and Del Piero? But which kind of journalist has written that crap? Doesn't he know that:
a) Totti is injured. And even if he was fit, no way he would have played for any Italian national team.
b) No way Juventus would have let Del Piero going to China thus missing the whole pre season trainings as they will play in the preliminary round of the Champions Cup, and understandably so.
Besides, it's not that amongst the Italian clubs there was a kind of race to give their best players to the Italian Olympic national team. Evry four year there's this "we can't afford our players to miss the pre season trainings / beginning of the season" moaning.

 

[Osman]

Hehe, Ranieri even complained he will loose Giovinco, Marchisio and De Ceglie from CL qfs.

That was just fluff crap made up by that C4 journo, cant believe there rumours actually went around in Italy.

 

[aquila]

And of course Sergio Batista could call up Mauro Zàrate for the Argentinian Olympic national team, which means that half of our starting defense and maybe our whole starting attack will be out for international committment for at least the first month of the season. Ah, I have started moaning like a Serie A coach now...

 

[Osman]

Actually, Argentina seem to have announced it squad, and Zarate didnt make it. Their attack is of Messi, Aguero and Lavezzi.

Btw, Palermo got your ex director Sabatini. Zampa in his attempts to promote Foschi to a position he didnt want, seems to have fired Foschi. Maybe you should pick him up, he seems to be a quite capable sporting director.

 

[aquila]

Good luck to Sabatini, he will badly need it at Palermo with Zamparini. I guess Foschi was taking a bigger and bigger role in the Zampa's show and it was high time for the pink president to kick him out of the stage. At Lazio, there are rumours about Perinetti taking over as sporting director. But if Zàrate was Sabatini's goodbye present, well, he has somehow made up for all the mess he did last summer.

I didn't know Batista had already announced the Argentinian Olympic national team.

 

[aquila]

Liverpool chef executive Rick Parry has talked about the friendly with Lazio:
(from goal.com
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=763257 )

Biancocelesti Test

Benitez's troops face an early start against local rivals Tranmere, before jetting off to Europe. Already confirmed are friendly clashes against FC Lucerne, Wisla Krakow, Hertha Berlin, Villarreal, Rangers and Valarenga.

Not content with the schedule just yet, Parry also says Lazio are considering a trip to Merseyside, adding: "We are now close to finalising a prestigious home game against Lazio at Anfield on Friday, August 8. The visit of the Italians will be an attractive proposition for our supporters who will remember the Rome side coming here for a friendly in July 2002.

---
Too good, Rick, too good.

 

[aquila]

It looks like the friendly at Anfield has been called off, the list of games on Liverpool FC web site http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/match/season/ doesn't include the game with Lazio on the 8th August. Maybe, seen that Lazio will play at Oporto two days later, Lazio had to choose between the two friendlies and chose the Porto one. Pity, really.