Ibrahimovic forced to miss Roma showdown

Ibrahimovic misses the Roma game as a precaution ahead of the Champions League last-16, second leg tie against Liverpool (AP)

Internazionale, the leaders of Serie A, will be without striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for tonight's showdown with second-placed Roma at San Siro.

The Swede missed Sunday's 1-1 draw at Sampdoria with a knee problem and sits out the Roma game as a precaution ahead of the Champions League last-16, second leg tie against Liverpool on 11 March. His strike partner Julio Cruz is also missing through injury.

"I'm upset they're not able to play right now. We really need everyone," the Internazionale coach, Roberto Mancini, said. "We're going to play to win, even though a draw would also do us well."

Their absence means that the 17-year-old forward Mario Balotelli is included in the squad, while Javier Zanetti, Dejan Stankovic and Chilean midfielder Luis Jimenez are fit after knocks.

Roma will be without the suspended Brazilian defender Cicinho and the injured Christian Panucci as they bid to beat Inter and close the gap at the top to six points. Roma were the last team to beat them in the league when they won 3-1 away last April, while they also overcame Mancini's side in last season's Italian Cup final and this term's Super Cup. Inter won 4-1 at Roma in September, though.

"We're going to Milan without thinking that this could be our last chance. You never know how things will turn out in football," Francesco Totti, the Roma captain, said. "The title race is not finished."

Kaka is out of Milan's trip to Catania with a knee problem which he hopes to shrug off in time for next Tuesday's Champions League second leg with Arsenal. Clarence Seedorf is in the squad after injury but Andrea Pirlo, Marek Jankulovski and Kakha Kaladze are rested, with defender Alessandro Nesta still out.

Fiorentina hope striker Giampaolo Pazzini can recover from a knock for the visit of Livorno, with Adrian Mutu ruled out for four weeks with a knee problem and Christian Vieri suspended.

Lazio, who were abused by fans at training on Monday following Sunday's 1-0 defeat at bottom side Cagliari, are without the suspended Valon Behrami for the home game with Reggina.

In-form Sampdoria travel to Atalanta with striker Claudio Bellucci missing with a knee injury. Antonio Cassano is also out.

Meanwhile, Marco Materazzi's father could become the next coach of Iran. Marco, the Internazionale defender, was the recipient of Zinedine Zidane's butt in the 2006 World Cup final. His father Giuseppe "Beppe" Materazzi, who resigned as coach of Serie B Bari in December, said the Iranian federation had contacted him about the job.

"They asked what my availability was for coaching the [Iranian] national team and I responded right away that I was available and enthusiastic," Materazzi said. "I saw a game between Iran and Syria that ended 0-0. They're teams with good individual skills. I would be more than happy to go to Tehran and coach the team."

Iran, who are in Group Five of Asia's World Cup qualifying tournament with Kuwait, Syria and the United Arab Emirates, had lined up the former Spain and Serbia coach Javier Clemente as their new coach but his appointment fell through earlier this month because of the Spaniard's refusal to live in the country.

Besides Bari, Materazzi has also coached Pisa, Lazio, Brescia, Piacenza and Venezia in Serie A. He also had a spell in China with the Beijing club Tian-Jin in 2003.