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Round 20 brought its share of joy and frustration to all the teams currently competing in Serie A this term, and expect round 21 to be no different. The Scudetto race is still as intense as ever, but some have already decided that it is increasingly going to be a two or three horse race rather than the quintet of Napoli, Juventus, Fiorentina, Inter, and Roma that was initially mentioned a few months ago. Of the top four, only the Partenopei and the Bianconeri managed wins, and each will have a tricky task ahead this weekend, meaning that the Viola and the Nerazzurri will hope to take advantage.
Meanwhile, below the top four, things are quite close in the race for a European football spot, meaning that a loss could see someone tumble down the table or a win catapult to a much higher ranking. Will we see some shake-ups in the standings by the time the dust settles this Sunday?
Saturday
18:00 CET Frosinone vs Atalanta
It has not been an easy introduction to Italian football’s top echelon for deubtants Frosinone. The Canarini presently sit in 19th place, six points from safety and have lost four out of their past five games. As Roberto Stellone’s side prepare to welcome Atalanta to the Stadio Matusa, they will be taking on a team who finally arrested a four match losing streak by drawing 1-1 in round 20 versus Scudetto aspirants Inter.
La Dea, however, had to rely on an own goal to beat Samir Handanovic and have one of the poorest attacking outputs among the 20 teams currently competing in Serie A with 21 goals (but three have been actually own goals from their opponents). Meanwhile, Frosinone’s leaky defense has conceded a disconcerting 45 goals already – or just over two goals per game – with just two clean sheets thus far. Thus, with Atalanta’s struggles in front of goal, coupled with Frosinone desperately needing every single point they can get, expect the hosts to pack it in defensively, making for a game that could conclude in a draw – and sans goals.
20:45 CET Empoli vs AC Milan
Visitors AC Milan managed to get revenge on Fiorentina for defeating them on matchday one by beating the Viola 2-0 at the San Siro in last round. This was the first time the Rossoneri had scored more than on goal against the Tuscan side on their own home turf since March 2006. The win came off the heels of a hard fought victory over Carpi in the Coppa Italia to book their spot in the semi-finals, which has given under-fire coach Sinisa Mihajlović the bit of breathing room he desperately needed.
However, the Diavolo are still a far cry from the side they were a decade ago, and Empoli have impressed so far this season as they push for a Europa league spot. The Azzurri managed to salvage a draw after falling behind to Chievo in their last fixture and sit just one point behind Milan in the table’s rankings. They have only one loss in their past eight league games and their upcoming visitors have not fared well on the road this season, but Empoli have not been the most consistent at the Stadio Carlo Castellani, either. One can expect this to be a closely contested affair, but Milan should be able edge out their opponents to clinch all three points.
Sunday
12:30 CET Fiorentina vs Torino
15:00 CET Hellas Verona vs Genoa
Unfortunately, Hellas Verona have the dubious distinction of being the only side in Italy – and in Europe’s major leagues – yet to win a single game this season. With 20 rounds gone by and no reprieve for Luigi Delneri’s men, it appears that the Gialloblu, who have amassed a disheartening nine points, will likely be the first team to be relegated to Serie B for the 2016/2017 campaign unless if something improves – and very quickly. There were signs of hope as they came from behind to score against Roma, but were unable to do anything else but record a 1-1 draw, which did little to improve their fortunes as they are 12 points away from Palermo, who occupy 17th place.
Meanwhile, Genoa have been fighting tooth and nail to lift themselves as far away from the drop zone as possible, and after a poor start, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have strung together two wins on the trot. However, the Grifone are not entirely out of danger yet, as a loss here and there could see them return to the dreaded relegation spots. They will surely be fancying their chances upon visiting the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi and whilst it will not be easy, the visitors are looking good to clinch at least one point against a team whose nightmare does not appear to be ending any time soon.
15:00 CET Inter vs Carpi
After losing to Sassuolo and then drawing Atalanta, Inter redeemed themselves somewhat by defeating Napoli 2-0 in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals earlier this week. The Nerazzurri now have a date with Juventus in the semi-finals, but until then, Roberto Mancini’s squad will have to turn their attention to taking on Serie A new-boys Carpi at the Giuseppe Meazza this Sunday.
Visitors Carpi will be feeling good about themselves having won two consecutive matches – for the first time all season – against Sampdoria and Udinese. However, their upcoming opponents will be feeling good after defeating a fellow Scudetto rival in their midweek tie and despite their struggles in front of goal, they do boast the best defensive record with just 13 goals conceded in 20 games. And with Handanovic between the posts, the Biancorossi, who have just 19 goals to their name, will find their hosts a tough one to crack. Inter will be desperate for all three points in this one to make sure that Juventus and Napoli do not slip away, and expect the hosts to get the job done.
15:00 CET Lazio vs Chievo
Although Lazio will feel quite disgruntled after losing 1-0 to Juventus in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, the Biancocelesti have nonetheless seen a slight improvement in their league results as of late. They had to fight back to earn a draw against Bologna and Stefano Pioli’s side, interestingly are sans a loss in their past five games, but their results have followed a curious pattern: D-W-D-W-D.
If one is indeed into patterns, then one may be tempted to pick “win” for the Aquile as they prepare to welcome Chievo to the Stadio Olimpico. Still, Lazio have been anything but consistent this season and sit in ninth, just one point ahead of the Flying Donkeys. Curiously, the two sides both have lost as many games as they have won, with eight wins and eight losses for Lazio, seven and seven for Chievo. The visitors ended up dropping two points after conceding a goal versus Empoli, whilst the hosts will feel that they earned one after forcing a stalemate with Bologna. Injuries to key players for Pioli’s side have not helped their cause. Expect this to be a tight, gritty match with more yellow cards than goals that could be decided by an early – or late – goal.
15:00 CET Palermo vs Udinese
It might be only January, but Palermo have already gone through three coaches and now have a fourth – Guillermo Barros Schelotto – sitting on the tactician’s bench. Such is the state of affairs with the ever-vocal president Maurizio Zamparini well known for his tendency to fire, re-hire, and re-fire coaches over the span of a season. Certainly, this has not helped the Rosanero achieve any kind of consistency and they have unfortunately not been able to put together any sort of positive momentum all season.
Currently in 17th, they are just four points away from the drop zone and will be coming into this match having being crushed 4-0 by Genoa in round 20. Their visitors to the Stadio Renzo Barbera, Udinese, also suffered humiliation last weekend as they were mauled 4-0 by Juventus – and of all things, in front of their home fans in their newly refurbished stadium. The Zebrette will be keen on avoiding yet another defeat as they sit four points ahead of their upcoming opponents and will certainly not want to lose three in a row. With both sides still licking their wounds after suffering heavy losses, emotions will be running high and whilst both will be pushing for a win, they just may end up cancelling each other out and have to settle for a draw.
15:00 CET Sampdoria vs Napoli
After a rough first half of the 2015/2016 campaign, Sampdoria appeared to show some signs of promise under former striker Vincenzo Montella, but those hopes were quickly dashed as they fell to losses against Juventus and Carpi. Whilst the defeat to the Bianconeri – who have been in absolutely impressive form is nothing to be ashamed of – dropping three points against a side making their debut in Serie A and had only won three prior to that game will be something that does not sit well with Blucerchiati supporters.
Six points from the drop zone – that equals, in essence, two games without a win – is not where Sampdoria supporters want to see their team, but they will face an extremely tough test against Napoli. For starters, the Partenopei boast one of the most feared attack – and attackers – in the league, with 41 goals scored and Gonzalo Higuain has grabbed 20 already, including a brace as Napoli fought back to win 3-1 against Sassuolo. The Stadio Luigi Ferraris has hardly looked like an airtight fortress, and Napoli’s firepower will simply be too much for the hosts to handle.
15:00 CET Sassuolo vs Bologna
Sassuolo’s performances this season have been quite impressive, especially considering that the Neroverdi only made their Serie A debut back during the 2013/2014 term. They have only lost once on their past five games and are just out of touching distance of fifth-placed Roma and a Europa League spot. Eusebio Di Francesco’s side are currently unbeaten at home, with four wins and four draws and have managed to beat this season’s top sides, including Juventus and Napoli at the Mapei Stadium during the first half of this current campaign.
Meanwhile Bologna are yet another side who have struggled this season and dropped two vital points against Lazio last weekend. The Rossoblu were 2-0 up but within the span of 7 minutes, ended up sans a man and giving up two goals to allow the Aquile to salvage a point. Sassuolo are expected to maintain their unbeaten home form and earn at least one point out of this match.
20:45 CET Juventus vs Roma
