Let’s take a look at the top five games of the midweek round.
Inter-Cagliari: the Nerazzurri have failed to win and to score in their last three outings, but had pretty good chances in all three of them, so it is likely just a temporary issue. What is persistent, though, is that they are getting next to nothing offensively from players not named Ivan Perisic and Mauro Icardi. The Sardinians are coming off a monumental win over Udinese after three straight losses and they are now much more tranquil in the standings. Leonardo Pavoletti has been their main guy scoring-wise, while they have not been able to find a productive partner for him as Diego Farias has struggled with injuries, Marco Sau has been ineffective and Han is a rookie. The doping-related suspension of Joao Pedro has been hard to overcome, they will also be without Luca Cigarini and Niccolò Barella in this one due to yellow-card accumulation.
Crotone-Juventus: the Sharks have lost in six of their last eight matches and they have not been really to find their identity. They have been outplayed in high-scoring games, but have also failed to capitalize in tight ones: they need to figure out a formula that works for them. The giant Simy has scored a pair of goals, Adrian Stoian has been playing well, while Federico Ricci has faded after a strong start and Andrea Nalini is hurt. Juventus continue to plow opponents, no matter what line-up Massimiliano Allegri puts out there. Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala should feature from the start and have an excellent opportunity to garner bonus points, while Douglas Costa has been on fire lately.
Fiorentina-Lazio: the Viola’s winning streak stopped at six in the Spal game, but they could have easily prevailed in that one as well. There is a stark contrast of style in this one, as Fiorentina have kept a lot of clean sheets in the past two months, while the Biancocelesti have the second-best attack in Serie A. Federico Chiesa and Giovanni Simeone are always in the thick of it for the home team and Riccardo Saponara has had a strong resurgence. Ciro Immobile is obviously Serie A’s leading scorer, while Luis Alberto has been the most prolific among his partner in recent weeks, but we know that Sergej Milinkovic-Savic can bust out a great goal at any time.
Napoli-Udinese: the Partenopei are struggling to impose their will and create a bounty of scoring chances as they used to do. They look a little fatigued, but they could bounce back here as Udinese have staggeringly lost nine matches in a row, which is very hard to do in Serie A. Arek Milik has looked very good in his limited cameos and this has partially mitigated Dries Mertens’ slump. Lorenzo Insigne has been up and down and the goals have come from random plays. Kevin Lasagna’s return gave the guests a little shot in the arm, at least in terms of scoring, but he is out again, so it will be up to their leaders Antonin Barak, Jakub Jankto and Rodrigo De Paul to find a way to get out of this mess.
Roma-Genoa: the Giallorossi did not manage to get the full loot in the derby, but they certainly came close. Edin Dzeko is lively in this period and Cengiz Under back is in full form, so that makes it at least two attackers who are effective. Di Francesco’s new plan to get Patrik Schick involved does not seem to have panned out. The Griffon are in a positive series and they have collected points here and there even though they have achieved their seasonal goal. They are tough to play against because of their low rhythms and physical style. They do not score a lot, but Iuri Medeiros has shown that he can be a building block for the future, while Gianluca Lapadula, even though he is never certain to start, has found his groove.
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