Juve goalkeeper Buffon is one of several first team players back to full fitness after being out for three months with a muscle tear in his right leg.

Since the Italian international suffered the injury Juventus have looked more vulnerable at the back, with substitute keeper Alex Manninger taking over from his injured team mate.

Tonight Claudio Ranieri’s team will fly to Messina, where they will meet French side Monaco in a friendly match ahead of the Serie A restart this weekend.

The encounter will serve to give the coach an indication of his side’s condition, and Buffon will use it to acquire some valuable match practice ahead of a difficult part of the season.

A number of players have used the Christmas break period to recover from injuries and they are set to make their comebacks tonight.

“Buffon, Zanetti, Poulsen and Hasan Salihamidzic are fully recovered. Tiago is on the way to being fit while Trezeguet is ahead of schedule but will return to the group only when the surgeon gives the okay,” revealed Ranieri.

Trezeguet had knee surgery in September, and will therefore miss tonight’s friendly with Monaco in Messina, as well as Sunday’s home league game with Siena.

Peter Pedroncelli – footballitaliano.org

Raggi started his footballing career with Empoli, where he spent a total of four seasons before moving on to Palermo at the beginning of the current campaign.

The defender has not been playing consistently for the Rosaneri, and reports throughout the season have spoken of his unrest in Sicily and the likelihood of his departure in January. The transfer window is now upon us and Raggi will be keen to make use of the opportunity to move onto another squad.

News of his unrest have inspired fellow Serie A sides Torino and Sampdoria to show their interest and attempt to lure the former Italian Under-21 international to Turin or Genoa.

It now seems that the defender will be confirmed as a Sampdoria player on Wednesday, with reports suggesting that all is set for a transfer to proceed.

Peter Pedroncelli – footballitaliano.org

Corona, who is constantly in trouble with the law was linked to the model by way of Davide Maggio’s blog, in which the writer provides details of their liaison in Paris at the Eiffel Tower. Corona was recently in a relationship with another model, Nina Moric, so what exactly is going on between these three, or does Moric even know about Belen?

Footballitaliano

Alessandro Nesta has come out lashing at the press for circulating stories about him claiming that the present injury would be the end of his career. Many reports even spoke of a surgery for the defender, in his battle to cure his back problem.

Speaking to Il Giornale, the ex-Lazio player has said that he intends to return to Italy on the 14th of January, and will be undergoing physical preparations at the Milan training facility in order to make a return to Serie A.

He went on to say that he has been following the Italian press all along, and knows precisely what has been said about him so far concerning his injury problems. While many wrote his career off as something of the past, he intends to prove his critics wrong by returning to the game, in the world class form that he is capable of.

The centre back is currently in Miami, where he is recuperating. According to the player, his stay in the third wealthiest city in the United States has been a profitable one, as his it has seen him work hard to regain lost fitness and recover from his back problems.

This news casts doubts about the buying spree that the Rossoneri were planning, in order to strengthen a defensive line that has looked shaky this season.

Daniel Agger, the Liverpool defender, has been heavily linked with the Devil recently. The latest rumours are that the club is willing to offer around €8 million to secure the services of the 24-year-old who has issues concerning his contract with The Reds. In light of a return for their prized centre back, Milan may look to bring him to the San Siro for much less than the price mentioned.

Adithya Ananth – footballitaliano.org

Rossoneri coach Carlo Ancelotti has been impressed with the Englishman and after one of the training sessions the tactician said, “I am pleased with Beckham. He is working very well in training. I can see that he is healthy and physically strong. He just needs to work more on his fitness for a few weeks to reach top his condition.”

Beckham may feature in tomorrow night’s friendly against Hamburg.

Peter Pedroncelli – footballitaliano.org

But somehow, it has recently come to the Rossoneri’s attention that there may be a clause in Beckham’s contract with the L.A. Galaxy. Milan chiefs are reportedly exploring the possibility of activating some sort of clause that would allow the midfielder to stay at the club that Kaka said he would fall in love with.

Beckham has already shown appreciation to his new team-mates, as the team train relentlessly in preparation for the first match of the new year; a year that sees David Beckham’s England play in World Cup Qualifiers, vital matches that he hopes he will now be fit for.

Martin Greenacre – footballitaliano.org

This is not the case however, as it has been revealed by Totti’s wife Ilary Blasi that the celebration is solely directed at her.

Blasi revealed that the celebration is dedicated to her. “Everyone thinks it’s about the children, because children are known for doing these sorts of things with the fingers, however, in this case, it relates to me,” she said.

“I have this defect, which I do with my thumb all the time, so therefore, in reality, Francesco does it for me,” she concluded.

This particular celebration has become a well-known aspect of Totti’s game in recent years.

Footballitaliano.org

Despite reassuring words from his agent, Makinwa seems unsettled at Lazio and may be considering a switch to another Italian club in the January transfer window.

The Nigerian currently finds himself the fourth striker at his club behind Mauro Zarate, Goran Pandev and Simone Inzaghi, with captain Tomasso Rocchi set to return from injury soon.

Makinwa has found very little space in Delio Rossi’s club this season, and the Biancocelesti fans do not seem to be too disappointed by a potential transfer for the player away from Rome.

The news of his potential departure has peaked the interest of a number of clubs in Serie A, with newly promoted Bologna leading the pack. The Rossoblu start negotiations with the Biancocelesti in order to capture the Nigerian for the second part of the season, which will most probably see Bologna struggling to avoid relegation.

Peter Pedroncelli – footballitaliano.org