Fallen giants Juventus, beaten to top spot in Group B of the Champions' League by Manchester United this week, will find no comfort from AC Milan when they return to Serie A action tomorrow.
The champions of Italy were beaten 2-0 in Rotterdam by Feyenoord on Wednesday, 24 hours before United took the sting out of their trip to Turin on December 10th by beating Kosice 3-0 at Old Trafford.
But it's a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire for Juve, with the memory of a 6-1 home defeat still fresh in the minds of bitter rivals Milan from last season.
The stunning defeat became a symbol of the crisis at Milan under former national boss Arrigo Sacchi, one which is only now beginning to lift after a series of good results in both the league and the Italian Cup.
A creditable 2-2 draw with league leaders Inter Milan in last Saturday's derby at the San Siro was proof that Fabio Capello's team are on the way back. Brazilian defender Andre Cruz, whose late penalty earned the draw, said: "We've come through a difficult time for the whole team.
"I had never played with (Alessandro) Costacurta, (Paolo) Maldini or (Christian) Ziege before this season, and now we're more compact. And we're making fewer mistakes."
Cruz plays down the yawning, 11-point gap which separates his side from Inter. "There's no doubt that Milan can get back in the league title chase, all we need to do is to win some more matches.
"The others are bound to lose a few games, and we've got to be ready to make up for lost ground."
The good news for Milan is the expected return from a thigh injury of skipper Maldini, who missed the derby.
His team will face an increasingly fragile Juventus side which is struggling to find their usual flowing game when moving forward and is looking surprisingly shaky at the back.
They had to come back twice to draw 2-2 at home to Parma last weekend and deserved to lose in Holland in midweek.
After that bitter blow, which leaves Juve needing to beat United next month to have a chance of progressing in the Champions' League, striker Nicola Amoruso said: "And now we have to face AC Milan.
"It's certainly not been the best way to prepare for a match as important as this one."
Inter meanwhile have a tricky away match at Italian Cup holders Vicenza, who haven't lost at home all season.
And it will be even trickier if Brazilian striker Ronaldo does not recover from a knee injury he picked up in Tuesday's UEFA Cup defeat in Strasbourg.
The £18 million star is expected to pass a fitness test, but Inter's hopes of doubling their lead at the top to six points this weekend rest largely on the 21-year-old.
Parma are at home to Roma, while the Olympic stadium in the Italian capital is waiting to see if Giuseppe Signori gets to play for Lazio against Udinese.
Signori, in theory the team captain, is furious at being consistently left on the substitutes' bench by coach Sven Goran Eriksson. If he doesn't turn out tomorrow, the striker could be on his way out of the club, with a move to England being mooted in the Italian press.
Roberto Baggio's Bologna are at home to Sampdoria, while coachless Napoli, who are waiting for Giovanni Galeone to extricate himself from his contract with Perugia, host Fiorentina at the San Paolo stadium.
Parma are at home to Roma while the Olympic stadium in the Italian capital is waiting to see if Giuseppe Signori gets to play for Lazio against Udinese
Signori in theory the team captain, is furious at being consistently left on the substitute's bench by coach Sven Goran Eriksson.
Giuseppe Signori has joined Sampdoria from Lazio for around £2.5 million, according to reports in Rome. Signori, who scored 129 goals during his five years at Lazio, had been linked with a move to Tottenham.
Signori was the leading scorer in Serie A in 1994 and 1995.
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