Rome: Struggling Inter Milan will be looking to build off their Champions League victory over Lille when they host Chievo Verona in Serie A this weekend.
A 2-1 loss to Catania last weekend left Inter hovering just above the relegation zone, with only one win from their opening six league matches.
Rival AC Milan, meanwhile, look like they're starting to rediscover their form after following up a 3-0 win over Palermo with a 2-0 victory over BATE Borisov in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Milan trail leader Juventus by just four points heading into their match at Lecce.
Juventus, which announced on Tuesday that this will be captain Alessandro Del Piero's last season with the club, puts their unbeaten record on the line against Genoa.
Juventus are level with Udinese on 12 points but leads on goals scored. Cagliari and Lazio are each one point behind, with southern clubs Napoli and Palermo two points back.
Inter's worst start in 27 years has been the biggest surprise thus far.
The problems began when Samuel Eto'o left for Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala in August, and Claudio Ranieri replaced Gian Piero Gasperini as manager after Inter failed to win their opening five matches in all competitions.
However, a series of injuries have also prevented Ranieri from getting the squad to perform up to expectations.
But the returns of key playmaker Wesley Sneijder and goalkeeper Julio Cesar in the 1-0 win over Lille on Tuesday provided encouragement.
"This was important for a thousand reasons," said Inter president Massimo Moratti. "It gives us confidence but there's still a lot of work to do. We've got to go game by game and we've got to do well in the league now, too, because we're a little bit behind schedule."
Sneijder, back from a thigh injury, played a key role in the buildup to Giampaolo Pazzini's decisive goal against Lille. The Dutch international laid off a pass to Mauro Zarate, whose fine cross was smashed in by Pazzini.
"Sneijder is a player who provides rhythm and dedication and allows all the work done to produce success," said Moratti.
Sneijder will no doubt be called on to produce something special again against Chievo, which held Juventus to a 0-0 draw last weekend and trails the leaders by just three points.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kevin-Prince Boateng scored for Milan against BATE and the defending champion will be favored to win their third straight at lowly Lecce, which has only one win.
As for Juventus, the announcement from club president Andrea Agnelli about Del Piero's future came as somewhat of a shock.
Agnelli said Del Piero "wanted to stay with us for another year" but that the current one "will be his last year in our colors."
While used mostly as a reserve, the 36-year-old Del Piero still provides a spark for Juventus on occasion. But new coach Antonio Conte prefers Mirko Vucinic leading the attack.
Genoa are led by Argentine forward Rodrigo Palacio, the joint lead scorer in Serie A with Parma's Sebastian Giovinco.
Lazio beat Roma 2-1 with an injury time winner from Miroslav Klose and now visits Bologna. Klose was left off the squad to rest for Thursday's Europa League match at Zurich.
"Lazio is very strong and can aim for the title," said Klose, who has six goals in eight matches since joining Lazio from Bayern Munich.
Roma captain Francesco Totti is still out with a right thigh injury and will miss a match against Palermo.
Napoli drew 1-1 with Bayern in the Champions League on Tuesday and now visit Cagliari, while Udinese will attempt to gain the edge on Juventus when they host newly promoted Novara after their Europa League match against Atletico Madrid.
Also this weekend, it's: Fiorentina vs. Catania; Parma vs. Atalanta; and Siena vs. Cesena.
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