Milan-Udinese: the Rossoneri slowed down just as things were starting to get really interesting, as they were defeated by Inter and Sampdoria after they had managed to surpass the Nerazzurri riding a five-game winning streak. They also have to look behind at the onrushing Atalanta and Lazio. Udinese came out on top in Igor Tudor’s second debut, besting Genoa after two losses to Juventus and Napoli, although their home numbers were solid also before the firing of Davide Nicola. Milan have had troubles feeding Krzysztof Piatek in the last two matches and they do not really have a second reliable scoring option because Suso and Hakan Calhanoglu are more creators and have not had much feeling with the goal recently. Samu Castillejo did not deliver in Genoa despite the opportunity to start. Lucas Paquetà and Franck Kessie were benched after international duties, but they should be back in the XI here and could provide a decent boost. The Brazilian starlet might play closer to the guy and Patrick Cutrone could get to start over Suso in a different scheme. The Zebrette conceded eight goals to Juventus and Napoli in their last two road games, we will see whether the coaching change will turn the tide, but the Devil attackers might be in a good spot here. The Bianconeri used a 4-3-3 versus Genoa, fielding Rodrigo De Paul and Ignacio Pussetto as wingers, something that could help the fantasy value of both, while Stefano Okaka spearheaded the attack. Kevin Lasagna could be more apt for this kind of match-up. Seko Fofana and Rolando Mandragora immediately benefitted from a more proactive attitude, collecting bonus points in the last round.
Cagliari-Juventus: the Sardinians are relatively surging with four Ws in the last six rounds and three in a row at home, which helped them solidify their position in the table. The Old Lady did not look great against Empoli, but still grabbed the victory as the seasoned team they are. Joao Pedro has found the target twice in a row, Leonardo Pavoletti will be back from suspension and he is hot too, while also Artur Ionita ended a lengthy scoring slump in Verona. Nicolò Barella is thriving as threquarista, even though he has not scored in a while. They are also getting a lot of goals on set pieces. The Bianconeri will have Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic on the sidelines, so Federico Bernardeschi and Moise Kean will have to shoulder big responsibilities versus a team that has struggled to keep clean sheets. Kean is sizzling, while their midfielders and fullbacks could be more involved in the offense considering the absences up front. Miralem Pjanic could be a sneaky pick in these circumstances.
Empoli-Napoli: despite an impressive first half, Empoli returned empty-handed from Turin, losing on the road for the sixth time in a row. They have not been beaten in the last four home fixtures, winning and sharing the spoils twice, although they were not exactly facing behemoths. Napoli pummeled Roma in the weekend and scored eight goals in the last two matches, with all their offensive players getting a piece of the pie. Lorenzo Insigne is unlikely to recover for this one and there is no need to rush him back since Dries Mertens bagged two in a row and Amin Younes, Simone Verdi and Adam Ounas all contributed. The Belgian star subbed off against Roma and might not be available in this round, which could give one of the reserves a chance to start up front, while they will Piotr Zielinski back from suspension. The Tuscans have shut out the opponents just once since early September and therefore it is again recommendable to pick out of the Partenopei attacking bunch. The locals have used the same recipe for a couple of months now: Francesco Caputo is their target man, while Rade Krunic and Diego Farias are his vassals and are at times able to take advantage of the spaces opened by the centre-forward.
Genoa-Inter: the Griffon have tightened up in the back, but that has been costly on the other side of the ball since they have scored just once in the last five matches, weirdly enough versus Juventus, their only win in this recent span. Their home record remains satisfying though. The Beneamata got bounced by Lazio after two wins in a row and paid the price for the lack of a centre-forward as they were able to create , but with no end product. Lautaro Martinez is hurt and might not come back this early, while the Mauro Icardi saga is unpredictable, but it would not be shocking to see him play in this one. Balde Keita did fine as false-nine, but that just not his role, and Mattia Politano and Ivan Perisic did not rise up to the challenge despite their okay form. Antonio Sanabria did not play in the weekend, which resulted in more opportunities for Cristian Kouame, who was unlucky to not score. They do not much fantasy appeal outside of their dynamic duo, as Darko Lazovic and Daniel Bessa have not produced much in the last few games and their other players rarely show up on offense.
Roma-Fiorentina: the abrupt coaching change did not have much of an impact for La Lupa, as they lost two in a row under Claudio Ranieri, three in the last four considering the final loss with Eusebio Di Francesco at the helm. They have been overtaken by both Lazio and Atalanta and a Champions League berth is slipping away. Fiorentina have almost definitely kissed goodbye to Europa League one as they have prevailed just once in the last eight fixtures. Despite the putrid form of both sides, the match features few interesting fantasy options. Diego Perotti has reaffirmed his penalty taking prowess and Nicolò Zaniolo should be available in full capacity after being limited by an illness over the weekend. Lorenzo Pellegrini could be back. Edin Dzeko and Patrik Schick moped through the last two games, but La Viola is pretty leaky in the back. The guests are unlikely to have Federico Chiesa at their disposal, but there is a small chance, so they will have to count on Giovanni Simeone, who buried one on Sunday, Kevin Mirallas and obviously Luis Muriel, although he has looked a little gassed recently. Gerson will face his former team and they need Jordan Veretout and Marco Benassi to resume scoring: they might have a chance here since Roma too has been poor defensively and will be without their leader Kostas Manolas.
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