 |  The seven-time champ v the young kid on the block makes for a real box office hit |
There is no doubt that Valentino Rossi is having a hard time of it at the moment and things are certainly not going to plan.
However, where better to make up ground on championship leader Casey Stoner than at Mugello, a track he has won at for the past five seasons.
Rossi's record is so good there that only Mike Hailwood, who won the Isle of Man TT for five consecutive seasons in the 1960s, has held such a firm stronghold over his home Grand Prix.
But it's Rossi's biggest ever task this year.
We all expected him to move closer to Stoner at the top of the standings at Le Mans, but his plans were blown all over the place by the weather.
Although that was beyond his control, if fingers are being pointed at where it is going wrong then Michelin should be running for cover.
| Mugello MotoGP
Live: Qualifying, Saturday, BBCi, 1245 BST
Race live, Sunday, BBC Two, 1230 BST
MotoGP Extra, BBCi, 1350 BST |
I'd love to listen in to some of the conversations going on at the tyre giant as I can't imagine Rossi, Yamaha or any of the other teams that use their tyres are particularly happy with what's going on.
They seem to have taken their eye off the ball a little bit.
I'm not in the tyre industry, but I do follow what's going on and it is blatantly obvious that Bridgestone are still catching them out.
Bridgestone's hard work over the winter has produced a tyre package that can cope with a cross section of different temperatures and tracks.
Maybe Michelin will come into it over the course of the season, but I've seen a press release this week saying that they are up to their necks in it with Le Mans, bike Grands Prix and car races, so maybe they are just over-worked at the moment.
The bad news for Rossi doesn't stop there as we've said all along that the fast tracks are suiting the Ducatis and they don't come much faster than Mugello.
In addition, Stoner's on an absolute roll, the bike's working extremely well and it's Ducati's home track, so they will be formidable opponents.
It is hard to bet against him as the Australian is getting stronger and stronger.
It's the seven-time champ v the young kid on the block and that makes for a real box office hit.
| Rossi and Yamaha have really got to knuckle down |
Although it's only early in the year, the next month may prove to be the season-defining segment in the championship race.
There are four races in a very short space of time so it really is a crucial period and if things don't go well for Rossi he could be staring at the prospect of going two years without a championship title.
And for someone like him that is unthinkable.
If they leave on Sunday with another defeat then it will be the ultimate hammer blow.
That's why Rossi and his team have really got to knuckle down as you feel if things go horribly wrong this weekend a defeatist attitude could set in.
It would be easy for them to just think, 'we haven't got the bike or package to win anymore'.
Despite all this, I'm going to stick with my prediction that Rossi will win the title this year and triumph in Italy on Sunday.
1. Rossi2. Stoner 3. Melandri
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