BENEVENTO-PARMA
Benevento: they stunned Juventus before the break thanks to a gem by Alfonso Gaich, his second in the past three matches. While he has likely solidified his place in the XI, Gianluca Lapadula and Gianluca Caprari will probably rotate next to him. The former has not hit the net in eight games, while the latter has picked up just an assist over the past six matches. However, they remain on the radar since they do not field many offensive-minded players. Artur Ionita bagged his first goal of the season two games back against Fiorentina, gaining some value. But their most interesting midfielder remains Nicolas Viola, who has tallied two goals and two assists in just eight appearances. The return of the fullbacks should allow Riccardo Improta to move to a more offensive role and could be worth a flier if starting. Gaetano Letizia could need some time after a pair of injuries to resume being the factor he was earlier in the season.
Suggested picks: Gaich, Viola, Caprari/Lapadula.
Parma: Graziano Pellè netted a gorgeous goal versus Genoa and that should keep him in the lineup even after the returns of Andreas Cornelius and Roberto Inglese. The Danish forward has scored just once in 14 appearances. Juraj Kucka (6 goals, 2 assists) showed up with a helper in the previous game: he has hit paydirt in three of the last four matches and remains very relevant even if no longer used as false-nine. The Romanian tag team is paying okay dividends as Valentin Mihaila has tallied two goals, Dennis Man an assist, but also left something on the table in terms of chances. They will be able to add Gervinho (4/1) to the mix, at least for a cameo, while Yann Karamoh (2/1) has been ineffective in his recent showings. Kucka moving back to the midfield means that Hernani (6/2) and Jasmin Kurtic (3 goals) now have to split time, which hurts them even though they have both been able to take home some points recently.
Suggested picks: Pellè, Mihaila, Man.
CAGLIARI-VERONA
Cagliari: their top guys did not produce in the past two matches, but Giovanni Simeone interrupted a lengthy scoring slump and Gaston Pereiro notched his first goal of the season and both will be looking for more consistent playing time now. Joao Pedro (13 goals, 2 assists) has slowed down, tallying only a pair of goals over the last eight matches, but he remains atop of the pecking order for them. Leonardo Pavoletti (2/3) will face increased competition with El Cholito resurfacing. Their top midfielders Razvan Marin (1/3) and Radja Nainggolan (one goal) carry some appeal for their role in the offense, but they are not super consistent and not at elite levels yet. They always tend to be a menace on the flanks with Nahitan Nandez (one goal) and Charalampos Lykogiannis (2/2) even if the numbers are not necessarily eye-catching. The Uruguayan dynamo in particular is in a convincing run of form.
Suggested picks: Pedro, Pavoletti/Simeone, Nandez.
Verona: they are going through a lull as they have scored in just one of the past three matches, with Darko Lazovic and Federico Dimarco. The wing-game, with Marco Davide Faraoni also being preeminently involved, has carried in the past two months after Mattia Zaccagni (6 goals, 5 assists) and Antonin Barak (6/2) shouldered the offense for most of the season. Zaccagni has been mostly quiet for few rounds in a row, while Barak had a good run before the recent collective slump. Kevin Lasagna broke the spell a month ago but has not been able to follow it up and will be pushed by the returning Nikola Kalinic. Lazovic has logged two goals and two assists over the past in the past five matches.
Suggested picks: Barak, Lazovic, Dimarco.
GENOA-FIORENTINA
Genoa: Gianluca Scamacca roared back in the Parma game, willing them to a clutch victory with a dazzling brace. He had not made the stat-sheet since October and he might now seriously challenge Mattia Destro for the starting job since the veteran has not been able to keep up his scoring in the last outings. However, the coach is using very striker: Eldor Shomurodov has gotten the bulk of minutes over the last four matches, but he has been outproduced by Marko Pjaca (one assist) and Goran Pandev (one goal). Kevin Strootman has proven to be a tremendous addition to the midfield and he has also logged three assists since joining. Miha Zajc is their main creator in the midfield but he has been underwhelming over the last six contests. Davide Zappacosta has been a force for some time now and he has put up strong numbers for a wing-back, notching two goals and two helpers in 15 appearances.
Suggested picks: Scamacca/Destro, Strootman, Zappacosta.
Fiorentina: they were ultimately downed but they had a strong performance versus Milan, with Erick Pulgar burying a gorgeous free kick for his first goal of the season and Franck Ribery returning to the stat-sheet after a six-week absence, but mostly for injury-related reasons. The Frenchman has looked good while healthy, scoring twice and setting up two teammates in the past six appearances. Dusan Vlahovic did not manage to follow up his hat-trick, but he provided an assist and he has been one of the best strikers in the League since mid-December. Cesare Prandelli went with a more offensive lineup in that game, but he stepped down and Giuseppe Iachini will probably go back to the 3-5-2 they have been using for most of the season. Gaetano Castrovilli (5 goals, 2 assists) and Cristiano Biraghi (2/1) have had their best stretches with him at the helm, but Giacomo Bonaventura (1/2) and Pulgar are now more viable options compared to the start of the season. Valentin Eysseric could lose some relevance after an okay moment.
Suggested picks: Vlahovic, Ribery, Castrovilli.
LAZIO-SPEZIA
Lazio: the Biancocelesti up a narrow victory in the Udinese game, which was decided by a thunderbolt by Adam Marusic, who registered his second goal of the campaign (plus three assists). Ciro Immobile is looking to solve a scoring drought as he has not hit the net in six appearances after being remarkably consistent in the first portion of the season. The aggressive defense of the opponents could be exploited his skillset. Their other linchpins are in better form as Luis Alberto bagged his eighth goals two matches ago, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic tallied his fifth, plus he set up the teammate in the most recent one, moving to nine assists in the season. Joaquin Correa has lost a bit of steam but he has been more prolific than Immobile over the last two months. Felipe Caicedo (7 goals) should be good to go after an injury. Alberto is out for this one, which will open up some minutes for either Marco Parolo or Andreas Pereira, who could be worth a flier.
Suggested picks: Milinkovic-Savic, Immobile, Correa.
Spezia: Roberto Piccoli has hit paydirt twice in a row, making it a legitimate question whether they should go with him over M’Bala Nzola, who has not fared well since returning from injury and might be better suited for shorter stints. However, their coach tipped that he wanted to get his leading scorer back in shape for the final stretch. Emmanuel Gyasi dished another assist in the past game and he is now up to five, plus four goals. Daniele Verde and Diego Farias usually battle for the third spot on offense and neither has fully taken the reins, which is a problem for fantasy owners. Tommaso Pobega finally returned to the XI in the past game and looked fine, also during his time with the U-21, but Giulio Maggiore has been on a tear for a while in the midfield, scoring two goals in the last six starts.
Suggested picks: Piccoli, Gyasi, Maggiore.
NAPOLI-CROTONE
Napoli: they have been humming offensively over the last month thanks to the fact that Dries Mertens and Victor Osimhen have worked their way back from injuries. The little Belgian put together a scintillating brace against Roma, but he picked up a small injury during the break. Whoever starts between the two will be a safe choice, especially given Crotone’s defensive woes. Hirving Lozano (9 goals, 2 assist) has also recovered and will try to return to his previous stellar levels, but Matteo Politano (8/4) has not been too shabby in relief. They might manage the energies given the upcoming midweek clash with Juventus. Lorenzo Insigne (13/4) and Piotr Zielinski (6/6) have carried them while the strikers were on the mend and also delivered afterwards. The midfielder has taken home some points in seven straight matches.
Suggested picks: Mertens/Osimhen, Insigne, Zielinski.
Crotone: they have been pretty good offensive since Serse Cosmi took over, netting at least two goals in three consecutive fixtures. Simy has been balling out, finding the target in all three, with two braces. Junior Messias (7 goals, 3 assists) snapped out of his slump right before the break. Adam Ounas has recovered from his injury and has been announced as the starter over Samuel Di Carmine, therefore he is immediately back on the radar given his excellent start. Ahmad Benali could start to be an option since he finally been able to stay healthy for an extended period of time. Salvatore Molina (1/4) has been an asset with his versatility in the midfield. Their best wingback Arkadiusz Reca is out and Pedro Pereira and Andrea Rispoli generally are not as dynamic.
Suggested picks: Simy, Messias, Ounas.
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