By ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer
Associated Press Sports
updated 8:26 a.m. ET Sept. 8, 2011
MILAN (AP) -Defending champion AC Milan could face a stern test against Lazio when Serie A finally begins this weekend, after a strike postponed the scheduled start two weeks ago.
The players' association and the league signed a new temporary collective contract on Monday to end the players' protest.
"To tell the truth, I didn't really understand why we stopped," said Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. "All I know is finally we're starting again."
Ibrahimovic has recovered from a slight ankle injury and says he is looking forward to playing with newly signed midfielders Alberto Aquilani and Antonio Nocerino.
"We're still the favorites," Ibrahimovic said. "We've improved ourselves in the transfer market and we're stronger than last season."
Milan beat Inter Milan 2-1 in the Italian Super Cup more than a month ago, and is in a hurry to get back into shape before opening the Champions League against titleholder Barcelona on Tuesday.
Lazio hasn't beaten Milan at the San Siro in 22 years, and it appears coach Edy Reja will try to end that streak Friday with a high-powered 4-2-3-1 attack featuring to newly signed players - Germany striker Miroslav Klose and France forward Djibril Cisse - plus playmakers Stefano Mauri and Hernanes.
On the final day of the transfer window last week, Lazio let striker Mauro Zarate move to Inter Milan, which opens at Palermo on Sunday.
Inter had won Serie A for five consecutive seasons until Milan took last year's title.
"We've won a lot over the last few years and we're still a squad capable of reaching certain objectives," said Inter's 38-year-old captain Javier Zanetti, entering his 17th season with Inter. "We don't think of ourselves as not being the favorites. We know what we're worth.
"But fine, let Milan be the favorite," Zanetti added. "It's only normal that you've got to give (new coach Gian Piero) Gasperini some time."
Inter lost standout striker Samuel Eto'o to Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, but also added Diego Forlan from Atletico Madrid to fill the vacancy along with Zarate.
"Mauro is unmarkable - he can dribble by men and create numerical advantages," Zanetti said. "(Forlan) can kick the same way with his right and left foot and he could make a difference for us on free kicks.
"Of course we all recognize how important Eto'o was to this squad, but nobody wins alone," Zanetti told the Gazzetta dello Sport. "We're stronger than before. Some very strong players have arrived over the summer and let's not forget that last year two key players like (Diego) Milito and (Walter) Samuel were missing. We've got a lot of different options, which could be key over the course of a season."
Milito and Samuel missed most of last season due to injury.
Inter already has a couple injuries at this season's start, with key midfielder Thiago Motta to miss the first 20 to 25 after picking up a left leg problem in Italy's 1-0 win over Slovenia on Tuesday, while versatile defender Cristian Chivu is also out with a left ankle injury.
And Inter won't have Forlan for the Champions League group stage - it opens against Turkish side Trabzonspor - because it found out late that he is cup-tied after transferring from Atletico Madrid.
Juventus, which didn't qualify for Europe this season and once again made a complete overhaul with a long list of new players and hired Antonio Conte as coach, plays its first official match in its new stadium against Parma on Sunday.
Under new American ownership, Roma opens at Cagliari after captain Francesco Totti apparently made peace with new coach Luis Enrique after a controversial substitution in a Europa League playoff loss.
In Saturday's match, Napoli visits Cesena - which signed troubled forward Adrian Mutu from Fiorentina - then opens the Champions League against Manchester City.
Newly promoted Atalanta, meanwhile, starts the season at Genoa with a six-point penalty from the recent match-fixing and betting scandal, and without captain Cristiano Doni, who was banned for three and a half years.
Also this weekend, it's: Catania vs. Siena; Chievo Verona vs. Novara; Fiorentina vs. Bologna; and Lecce vs. Udinese.
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44225939/ns/sports-soccer/
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