Italian League leaders Inter Milan face a demanding German exam this weekend, when they take on Oliver Bierhoff's Udinese. Juventus, AC Milan and Parma are all reportedly interested in signing the Karlsruhe striker whose goals decided the 1996 European Championship final and guided Germany to the 1998 World Cup finals.
The best header of the ball in Italian soccer, Bierhoff has scored as many goals in open play as Ronaldo this season (7), lifting his side to an unexpected third place in the Serie A table. And unlike the Brazilian ace, he will be playing tomorrow. Ronaldo is still with the national squad in Saudi Arabia for the Confederations Cup. And although Inter overcame that handicap last Sunday with a stirring 3-0 victory at home to AS Roma, their unbeaten record will be in even more danger this weekend.
The best attack in Italy has, in part, been built on the work of two enterprising midfielders, Diego Simeone and Francesco Moriero, and both are suspended for the game at Udine.
Ronaldo's understudy, Marco Branca, who scored in his first start of the season against AS Roma, will again lead the attack, supported by France's Youri Djorkaeff. Chile's Ivan Zamorano, meanwhile, will watch from the bench.
Bierhoff takes his place in Udinese's highly-successful attacking trident with Brazilian Amoroso and Italian Paolo Poggi.
Juventus, now four points adrift after drawing with Piacenza last time out, should have the beating of Empoli in Turin.
The reigning champions have Alessandro Del Piero and Filippo Inzaghi fit for duty in attack, supported by French playmaker Zinedine Zidane, and face a team who have lost most of their away matches this season.
The strikers will also be hogging the limelight, or rather the floodlights, when AC Milan host Bologna tomorrow night.
Roberto Baggio, the darling of the San Siro crowd, returns in a Bologna shirt to face the club who gave him a great deal of money, but very little respect during his unhappy two-year spell here.
Milan will, meanwhile, be blooding another San Siro favourite, striker Maurizio Ganz, who crossed the great divide from Inter Milan this week.
Ganz, the UEFA Cup's top scorer last season, but frozen out since Inter chose Djorkaeff to partner Ronaldo up front, will be standing in for injured Liberian ace George Weah.
Elsewhere, Parma should clock up their second consecutive victory against relegation candidates Lecce, Lazio take on European Cup Winners' Cup hopefuls Vicenza and AS Roma travel to Brescia.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)