ATALANTA-JUVENTUS
Atalanta: Luis Muriel took a day off, so Duvan Zapata propelled them past Fiorentina with a brace. He has found the target in three straight games, improving to 13 goals in the season. His teammate (18 goals, 6 assists) instead has hit the net in half of the last six matches. Ruslan Malinovskyi has been on fire lately as a tactical modification made him more prominent: he has dished five helpers and scored once in the last three games. Josip Ilicic (6/7) has instead lost some minutes, but he can still be useful in shorter stints and buried a PK last week. Mario Pasalic (4/1) remains boom-or-bust, while Robin Gosens (9/5) has more ground to cover in their new design, but it looks like he will remain a major player in their offense.
Suggested picks: Zapata, Muriel, Malinovskyi.
Juventus: in what must be a first in the year, they bagged three goals and Cristiano was only minorly involved in any of them. Dejan Kulusevski (4/1) ended a four-month scoring drought, Alvaro Morata (8/9) returned to the stat-sheet after four games, Weston McKennie (5/2) after six. Considering that Paulo Dybala had found the target in the previous match, the supporting cast is now looking a lot better. Ronaldo (25/3) has not gone two matches without scoring from February on and Federico Chiesa (8/8) failed to pick up bonuses just twice in the last nine outings. Considering the challenging match-up, Juan Cuadrado might feature as a winger in this one and he is coming off his seventh key pass of the season.
Suggested picks: Ronaldo, Chiesa, Morata.
BOLOGNA-SPEZIA
Bologna: the Felsinei pulled the strings against a big team, Roma, but again could not capitalize on it as they continue to be hurt by the absence of a prolific scorer. They have been shut out in the last two tilts, even though they created a lot. This figures to be an easier match on that front and they have been able to produce against weaker defenses. Both have gone three games without scoring, but Roberto Soriano (9/5) and Musa Barrow (6/7) are clearly their most dangerous guys, while Rodrigo Palacio’s effectiveness comes and goes. He has posted one goal and four assists in the year. Andreas Skov Olsen appeared to pick up a minor injury in the past game, so Riccardo Orsolini might get more minutes in this one and will look to get back on track. The playing time of Nicola Sansone has sharply decreased. They recently got a pair of goals from their midfielders Mattias Svanberg (3/2) and Jerdy Schouten.
Suggested picks: Soriano, Barrow, Palacio.
Spezia: Daniele Verde scored for the second round in a row against Crotone and apparently he only does that in dazzling fashion. M’Bala Nzola (9/1) remains in a funk and has not looked good physically, but the coach does not seem keen on moving on from him to give more minutes to Roberto Piccoli (four goals) and Andrej Galabinov. Emmanuel Gyasi (4/6) has picked up two assists in the past three matches, while Giulio Maggiore has found paydirt twice in the same stretch, clearly asserting himself as their best fantasy asset in the midfield after Tommaso Pobega and Nahuel Estevez held that title previously in the season. Diego Farias (three goals) has often looked sprightly off the bench.
Suggested picks: Verde, Gyasi, Maggiore.
LAZIO-BENEVENTO
Lazio: they have always found a way to come out on top in the last four matches even though Ciro Immobile (14/4) has fallen into a lengthy slump and Luis Alberto (8 goals) has not been elite because of an ankle problem. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (6/9) rose to the occasion versus Verona e has delivered in four of the last five games. Felipe Caicedo is suspended this week, but Joaquin Correa (3/3) and Manuel Lazzari (2/4) are back. Adam Marusic has occasionally been a factor, but they recently put him in the back-line, which hurt his fantasy appeal. Mohamed Fares and Senad Lulic, who fill in on the left flank, have not been as relevant.
Suggested picks: Milinkovic-Savic, Correa, Alberto.
Benevento: besides a late desperate surge, they mostly had an off-game offensively against Sassuolo. Adolfo Gaich has not followed up the goal versus Juventus, but it looks like he has successfully unseated Gianluca Lapadula (4/2). Marco Sau was given a rare start last week but did not fully exploit it. Gianluca Caprari (5/5) might have turned into a super-sub somewhat permanently, but he has recorded two assists in the last four appearances, so he remains a viable option. Nicolas Viola (2/1) has also ceded minutes even though he has been a positive contributor, maybe because they prefer grittier players at this stage of the season in the midfield. Artur Ionita is coming on strong since he has hit the net twice in the past three matches. Gaetano Letizia (three goals) is looking better and was a menace early in the season.
Suggested picks: Gaich, Caprari, Ionita.
TORINO-ROMA
Torino: Andrea Belotti finally returned to the stat-sheet after two months against Udinese thanks to a penalty kick, finding his 12th goal of the year. They could suddenly become a problem if both strikers have it going, as Antonio Sanabria has more than proven himself after returning to the Peninsula. Simone Verdi has not cashed in with some bonuses, but he is getting an extended look as offensive-minded box-to-box midfield and added some creative juice. Rolando Mandragora has surprisingly been their most threatening player in that area, scoring twice and picking up one assist since joining. Cristian Ansaldi has recorded one goal and three assists thus far and they will likely welcome back Wilfried Singo after an injury, regaining some balance on the flanks.
Suggested picks: Belotti, Sanabria, Verdi.
Roma: Borja Mayoral solved the Bologna game with a lovely technical goal, his first one since late January, which is still enough to outproduce Edin Dzeko. They are prioritizing Europa League, so they might limit the minutes of their top contributors, Henrikh Mkhitaryan (9/8) and Jordan Veretout (10/2) in particular since they recently returned from muscular injuries. They are fine choices also in limited spells, though. Moreover, Lorenzo Pellegrini is suspended for this one and Stephan El Shaarawy and Leonardo Spinazzola are hurt, so they might have to lean more on Pedro and Carles Perez in this one. The younger Spanish attacker has fared better than the veteran, who is however a better bet to score. Rick Karsdorp and Bruno Peres are no Spinazzola, but they are passable options on the wings.
Suggested picks: Mayoral, Mkhitaryan, Perez.
NAPOLI-INTER
Napoli: Dries Mertens and Victor Osimhen are alternating, but both have been on point, also off the bench, as the Belgian striker has bagged three goals and dished one assist in the past four rounds, while the Nigerian speedster has hit the net in two of the last three. Their attack is surely in good shape as also Lorenzo Insigne has made the stat-sheet in two of the last three tilts and Piotr Zielinski (6/7) got back on track after a short lull with an assist over the weekend. Hirving Lozano is suspended, so Matteo Politano (8/4) will have no competition in this one. Fabian Ruiz broke out of a lengthy drought against Sampdoria, but it could be tough for him to go on a run given the constraining role.
Suggested picks: Insigne, Mertens, Osimhen.
Inter: neither Romelu Lukaku (21/9) nor Lautaro Martinez (15/5) found the target, which is a rarity, but Matteo Darmian came through to down Cagliari late. It was just the second match in the last nine where the Belgian ace did not take home points, while El Toro had hit the bullseye in two of the previous three. Achraf Hakimi finally got his mojo back as he provided a great assist in the most recent game: he had not concretely contributed to the offense since early February, but he obviously has a very high ceiling. They could have back Ivan Perisic (2/4), who was very productive down the left flank before suffering an injury. Christian Eriksen, Nicolò Barella and Marcelo Brozovic instead have not cracked the box-score in a minute.
Suggested picks: Lukaku, Martinez, Hakimi.
Are you a Serie A expert? Can you defeat the top Serie A Fantasy Managers? If you think so, play fantasyseriea.com!
To leave a comment, you must be logged into www.eurofantasyleague.com