ATALANTA-BRESCIA
Atalanta: their supersonic offense spiked Juventus, with Duvan Zapata returning to the stat-sheet after three games, Ruslan Malinovskyi smashing one home in brilliant fashion and Alejandro Gomez and Luis Muriel setting up their teammates. Josip Ilicic is not all the way back but looked a bit better. It is an embarrassment of riches and, in a pristine match-up, a lot could come down on who rests and who gets to start, but Muriel being out all but assures Zapata will be in the XI. Robin Gosens quickly recovered from a thigh injury but might still be spared, however Timothy Castagne and Hans Hateboer are as big fantasy weapons as the Dutchman. Mario Pasalic would be palatable if starting.
Suggested picks: Zapata, Malinovskyi, Ilicic.
Brescia: they struggled to generate much offense in a difficult match-up against Roma, but generally this season it has not been particularly hard to score against the Giallorossi. Now they will be in for a more dauting task and the situation in the standings is looking bleak, so they are a clear stay-away. In any case, the best bets to bag perhaps are consolation goal are Antonio Donnarumma, who rested a bit on Saturday, and Ernesto Torregrossa, while Nikolas Spalek, Jaromir Zmrhal and Birkir Bjarnason continue to be underwhelming, Simon Skrabb did not exploit a rare start and Sandro Tonali is banged up.
Suggested picks: Donnarumma, Torregrossa.
BOLOGNA-NAPOLI
Bologna: they managed to throw away a match that they had already wrapped up in Parma, where two odd players making the stat-sheet, Danilo and Roberto Soriano, who had not scored in a long time despite the offensive role. Therefore, Soriano is back on the fantasy radar. Musa Barrow had a more subdued outing compared to the previous ones, but he has been outstanding after the resumption. Riccardo Orsolini was not that lively either but picked up an assist, like Takehiro Tomiyasu. Rodrigo Palacio and Nicola Sansone could use better aim and, until they become more consistent, they are only secondary options.
Suggested picks: Barrow, Orsolini, Soriano.
Napoli: they could not best Milan but still scored twice, hence confirming the good form of their attackers. Dries Mertens found the target in the last two matches in a row, but there is a non-zero chance Arkadiusz Milik leads the attack in this one. José Callejon has been hot both with crosses and goals in the past three appearances, while Lorenzo Insigne took home six bonus points in the last three matches. Still nought instead out of Piotr Zielinski and Fabian Ruiz, while Hirving Lozano has put his infrequent minutes to good use. Bologna are pretty well-known for their leakiness in the back, but here as well it is a matter of who gets to start, with Matteo Politano also being in the mix.
Suggested picks: Mertens, Callejon, Milik.
SASSUOLO-JUVENTUS
Sassuolo: they might have lost Gregoire Defrel for the season but discovered Giacomo Raspadori as another cog in their offense. Francesco Caputo came through with his third goal after the resumption. Domenico Berardi was spared against Lazio and will be unleashed here, while Jeremie Boga, who amassed the same haul as Caputo but has not been as consistent, might begin on the bench. His likely replacement Lukas Haraslin netted one lately. Among their attackers, only Hamed Traore has been unable to deliver lately, while Filip Djuricic has tallied few assists. Mert Muldur has been a force at right-back.
Suggested picks: Caputo, Berardi, Boga.
Juventus: Cristiano Ronaldo bagged two PKs versus Atalanta and his climb in the capocannoniere chart is will be soon completed if Ciro Immobile does not wake up. Paulo Dybala was held scoreless for the first time after the League re-started, but still had a convincing display. Their other recent goals came from Adrien Rabiot and Juan Cuadrado, who however is suspended in this one, and Danilo and Alex Sandro are not as fantasy relevant, even though the latter has had his moments. Douglas Costa has been faring well but coming off the bench is pretty limiting. Federico Bernardeschi and Gonzalo Higuain had their customarily scant output in the last few appearances, Rodrigo Bentancur has not been able to pick up bonuses in June and July.
Suggested picks: Ronaldo, Dybala, Costa.
ROMA-VERONA
Roma: the Giallorossi bounced back in the last two matches, although it has been to be taken with a grain of salt since they visited Brescia on Saturday. The best news has been the return to the box score of Nicolò Zaniolo and he is set to be at least a great off-the-bench weapon the rest of the way. Henrikh Mkhitaryan (nine points in the last two appearances) will be back from suspension, Edin Dzeko will return to the XI against a much better opponent, although Nikola Kalinic did his job. The Bosnian giant has scored just once in the last six matches though. The wingbacks are factors in their new scheme and Bruno Peres in particular has been peppy, while the two holding midfielders have a little more room and Jordan Veretout took advantage of it. Lorenzo Pellegrini shoulders big responsibilities but he rarely scores.
Suggested picks: Mkhitaryan, Dzeko, Zaniolo.
Verona: their team effort when it comes to scoring is a little frustrating for fantasy owners since they do not really have a go-to guy, Samuel Di Carmine is the closest thing in that regard, and they also rotate a lot in the key positions. Marco Davide Faraoni came through in Florence. Matteo Pessina has generally been their most consistent attacking midfielder, but Matteo Zaccagni and Valerio Verre are not far behind, and Darko Lazovic has been a beast no matter the position. Eddie Salcedo could be a wild card now that he is healthy and Mariusz Stepinski might be given a chance to start. Sofyan Amrabat dominated and tallied an assist against Fiorentina.
Suggested picks: Lazovic, Di Carmine, Pessina.
UDINESE-LAZIO
Udinese: Kevin Lasagna hit the net again but then they faltered late versus Sampdoria. Rodrigo De Paul and Stefano Okaka instead had delivered in the previous outing. The other player carrying some more limited interest is Seko Fofana, who is more boom-or-bust. Their wing-backs Ken Sema and Jens Stryger Larsen have not been effective in the summer schedule, Walace and Mato Jajalo as pretty defensive-minded in the midfield.
Suggested picks: Lasagna, De Paul, Okaka.
Lazio: another faux pas for the Biancocelesti even though they had managed to get the lead in the Sassuolo game. Ciro Immobile is stuck in a slump, despite having few chances in each game, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is visibly hindered by physical problems, so their top player recently has been Luis Alberto, while Manuel Lazzari has been the best performer. Felipe Caicedo and Marco Parolo put their name in the stat-sheet in recent matches and the striker will remain a decent pick until Joaquin Correa returns. Jordan Lukaku fumbled away an opportunity to start, Jony will likely take his place and he is a good crosser, even though assists have for the most part eluded him.
Suggested picks: Alberto, Caicedo, Lazzari.
MILAN-PARMA
Milan: another good performance for the Rossoneri in Naples, where Franck Kessie bagged his second goal in a row, as the other PK takers had already subbed off, and Theo Hernandez deservedly returned to the stat-sheet after excessive absence. Ante Rebic has yet to go two matches in a row without scoring in 2020. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was held in check but will face a less talented defence here and he was great in the two matches prior. Hakan Calhanoglu has been pulling the strings, while Giacomo Bonaventura has been exuberant whenever he got the chance to play. Rafael Leao has scored three times off the bench in the recent fixtures. Long story short, there is a plethora of good options and the suspension of Alexis Saelemaekers might open the door to the XI to those who are usually reserves. Lucas Paqueta had one good game against SPAL but did not really pick up much steam.
Suggested picks: Rebic, Ibrahimovic, Bonaventura.
Parma: a super late surge allowed the, to avoid the fourth loss in a row, despite another pretty lackluster display. Jasmin Kurtic finally managed to hit the net for the first time with the Ducali, then Roberto Inglese paired his long-awaited comeback with an expert goal. Juraj Kucka is out, while Andreas Cornelius is back in the squad list and it should be up to either him or Inglese to lead the front-line, although it might be too risky for the latter. Dejan Kulusevski has been their best guys after the resumption, while Gervinho has been more inconsistent and does not seem to have his signature burst back yet. Riccardo Gagliolo picked up an assist in the previous match.
Suggested picks: Kucka, Kulusevski, Inglese.
SAMPDORIA-CAGLIARI
Sampdoria: Fabio Quagliarella returned in typical fashion with a stunning volley versus Udinese, now the matter for him is whether he can play after a short turnaround, but he is clearly their biggest asset. Manolo Gabbiadini has been pretty productive (three goals after the resumption), while Gaston Ramirez might be forced to miss this one due to a bad ankle. The doubts concerning Quagliarella and Ramirez could open up big minutes for Federico Bonazzoli, who is coming off a fantastic goal. Their midfielders have taken turns in providing a viable offensive contribution: Karol Linetty made the biggest impact with a recent brace, but also Morten Thorsby, Fabio Depaoli and Jakub Jankto have had some flashes, despite not necessarily putting their name in the stat-sheet.
Suggested picks: Quagliarella, Gabbiadini, Bonazzoli.
Cagliari: three matches in a row without scoring for the Sardinians, who are now lacking that jolt they had just after the lockdown, as they did not even create all that much versus Lecce, Fiorentina and Atalanta. In any case, Giovanni Simeone has been the tip of the spear in June and July, while Joao Pedro delivered just once. Radja Nainggolan is likely out with an injury and the candidates to replace him, Valter Birsa and Artur Ionita, are not very enticing. Nahitan Nandez found the target recently and should have in the last match as well. The collective dry spell surely holds down the stocks of their players.
Suggested picks: Simeone, Pedro, Nandez.
LECCE-FIORENTINA
Lecce: they came away with a pretty decent tie in Cagliari and had some juicy opportunities to come out on top. Diego Farias is looking better and better and will continue having a big role, especially with Filippo Falco picking up an injury in the last game. Khouma Babacar is not that great (four goals in the season), but he is the only pure striker available since Gianluca Lapadula is on the mend. Riccardo Saponara and Antonin Barak are visibly improving from a physical standpoint, so they are getting some their weapons back on top of the usual stud Marco Mancosu.
Suggested picks: Farias, Mancosu, Saponara.
Fiorentina: another meh display for La Viola, but at least versus Verona they showed some heart late and equalized with a great play between Federico Chiesa and Patrick Cutrone. The winger hauled in the first bonuses since February, while the striker has now hit the net in two of the last four appearances and might run away with the starting job if Dusan Vlahovic does not round into form in a hurry. Franck Ribery had a little scare but he should be available, even if probably not at 100%. The coach is fast-tracking Christian Kouame and he has great potential, both on the pitch and fantasy-wise. Gaetano Castrovilli bounced back and Alfred Duncan served his suspension, so they can have two dynamic box-to-box midfielders here if they go that route.
Suggested picks: Cutrone, Chiesa, Castrovilli.
TORINO-GENOA
Torino: they were gift-wrapped a goal against Inter, and Andrea Belotti pounced, but did not muster much offense in tough match-up. Simone Verdi flopped after a pair of good games, youngster Vincenzo Millico was the only one to bring some energy late. They struggle offensively wherever they decide to go with a 3-5-2 instead of a more crowded front-line. Simone Zaza is back from suspension and so they will have the more offensive-minded option at their disposal here, while Alex Berenguer and Simone Edera appear to have been tossed aside after being heavily leaned on in late June.
Suggested picks: Belotti, Zaza, Verdi.
Genoa: they predictably exploited the date with SPAL and only a missed PK by Iago Falque denied them of a completely satisfying performance. Like the opponents, they are better off using three forwards since Goran Pandev and Andrea Pinamonti have had some a good dose of continuity in the re-start and the Spaniard resurfaced after an injury-ravaged campaign. Their midfield simply lacks pizzazz, even though Lasse Schone finally put a free kick in the net and Francesco Cassata has been more lively on the flank. Antonio Sanabria lost all his momentum during the hiatus.
Suggested picks: Pinamonti, Pandev, Falque.
SPAL-INTER
SPAL: they failed to hit the net in Genoa too, making it three times in a row, and they basically did not generate any offense either. Luigi Di Biagio tried to shake things up with the youngsters Alberto Cerri and Georgi Tunjov, but really to no avail. The bubblier player, relatively speaking, was Marco D’Alessandro off the bench. Federico Di Francesco might help out when he will be ready to play, but it feels likely they have given up, which destroys the value of those numbered contributors that still had some like Andrea Petagna, Gabriel Strefezza and Arkadiusz Reca.
Suggested pick: Petagna.
Inter: they reacted after a so-so first half with three goals in the second, as Lautaro Martinez finally got off his schneid, Alexis Sanchez provided a pair of assists and Ashley Young confirmed to be a decent weapon. They probably will not need to risk Romelu Lukaku in this match either, so the attack could be the same and the match-up is obviously a five-star one. Christian Eriksen is not even getting playing time right now, with Borja Valero of all people taking it away from him. Antonio Candreva was given a day off Monday and he has been very effective since the League resumed. Less so their currently available central midfielders, who also for their traits are not really threats in the final third.
Suggested picks: Martinez, Sanchez, Candreva.
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