BOLOGNA-TORINO
Bologna: they detonated against the flammable Spezia defense as Mattias Svanberg had his best display of the season, assembling a brace and improving to five goals in the season, and also Musa Barrow (7 goals, 8 assists) cooked, recording a goal and assist. He is not the most consistent striker, but his numbers are looking better and better. Riccardo Orsolini nailed a PK and made the stat-sheet after a while, but he will continue to see competition from Andreas Skov Olsen, who also found paydirt in a recent fixture. Jerdy Schouten tallied his only goal and assist of the campaign in the past four rounds. With the other strikers thriving, Rodrigo Palacio (one/four) has taken more of a backseat, and he is generally more of a can opener than a finisher.
Suggested picks: Barrow, Orsolini/Skov Olsen, Svanberg.
Torino: Andrea Belotti did not follow up his slump-busting goal, but the other strikers rose to the occasion as Antonio Sanabria scored for the fifth time since joining in January and Simone Zaza netted the second pivotal goal against Roma. Despite the limited role, he has hit the net three times in the past five games. Tomas Rincon rounded out the score with a rare goal, his first one of the campaign. Cristian Ansaldi dished his fourth assist, while Wilfried Singo (1/2) returned on the other flank and is set to add a lot of oomph to their offense. Simone Verdi has been pretty good as box-to-box, but bonuses keep eluding him. Sasa Lukic is struggling to regain relevance and rubbished a sitter in the last match.
Suggested picks: Sanabria, Belotti, Zaza.
CROTONE-SAMPDORIA
Crotone: the performance against Crotone was the least convincing amongst their recent ones from the offensive standpoint, but Simy still kept up his scoring thanks to a PK. He has tallied ten goals in the last seven matches and continues to be the hottest striker in the League. Junior Messias has hit the net twice and posted two assists in the last six matches and has been his most consistent Robin since Adam Ounas has been a little overwhelming after coming back from an injury. However, their other options are not really pushing him. Salvatore Molina (1/4) slots into a bigger creative role without Ahmad Benali, but he did not cash in on it right away. Arkadiusz Reca (2/3) always has decent upside on the left flank, surely more than Pedro Pereira on the other one. They are starting to give more playing time to the youngster Luis Rojas, who has looked peppy.
Suggested picks: Simy, Messias, Ounas.
Sampdoria: Claudio Ranieri initially rested his top dogs against Udinese and, while Fabio Quagliarella was spared altogether, Manolo Gabbiadini came through off the bench with a PK and Antonio Candreva and Balde Keita showed well even though he did not pick up bonuses. The former Napoli striker has cracked the boxscore in half of the last six matches. Jakub Jankto interrupted a scoring slump that had been going on since mid-December with his fifth goal of the season (plus three assists), while the gritty Morten Thorsby recorded his third. The veteran striker (10 goals) will likely be back in the XI here. Mikkel Damsgaard did not take advantage of his opportunity, while Keita had the best outing in some time and he can catch fire in a hurry.
Suggested picks: Candreva, Gabbiadini, Quagliarella/Keita.
GENOA-BENEVENTO
Genoa: Mattia Destro (11/1) has resumed producing at a consistent clip after a subpar stretch as he has hit the net twice in a row. Gianluca Scamacca was in fine form coming into the Milan clash, but he put it in the wrong net. In any case, he has posted three goals and one assist in the last four appearances, significantly outplaying Goran Pandev (4/2), Eldor Shomurodov (3/1) and Marko Pjaca (3/1), even though the coach is keeping every striker involved. Miha Zajc finally resurfaced after a quiet spell by setting up Destro for his third assist of the season. Davide Zappacosta is iffy to play because of a thigh injury, but Paolo Ghiglione (4 helpers) also provides a decent punch off the flank when called upon. The presence of Kevin Strootman (3 assists) in the final third varies from game to game, but this could be an interesting one in that regard. Nicolò Rovella could be worth a flier if starting.
Suggested picks: Destro, Scamacca, Zajc/Rovella.
Benevento: in a crazy game versus Lazio, Marco Sau returned to the stat-sheet after three months and is gaining steam over their other options up front. Adolfo Gaich (2 goals) had a big impact right away, but he has not produced in the last three matches and the duel with Gianluca Lapadula (4/2) rages on. Gianluca Caprari has provided two assists in the last four matches despite not seeing a full complement of minutes. Nicolas Viola (3/2) showed up big time versus Lazio, tallying a goal and assist: their gaffer had moved away from in a little to have more muscularity, but it might be time to re-introduce him in the starting XI as he is their most talented midfielder. Artur Ionita has hit the net in two of the last five games, mostly in extemporaneous ways. Roberto Insigne did not exploit his chance to start, while Iago Falque has returned but is seeing too little playing time to have appeal. Gaetano Letizia is fully back and he has tallied three early goals in the season.
Suggested picks: Gaich/Lapadula, Sau/Caprari, Viola.
SPEZIA-INTER
Spezia: the Bianconeri are two different sides home and away and again had troubles on the road, scoring only thanks to a lucky bounce on Ardian Ismajli and mustering less offense than usual. Roberto Piccoli has hit the net in three of the last six appearances and could have a major opportunity since M’Bala Nzola has not been called up. Giulio Maggiore has found bullseye in two of the past four games, while Emmanuel Gyasi (4/6) is abating a little, but he still has major usage and Diego Farias and Riccardo Saponara really need to dazzle to take minutes away from him. Simone Bastoni picked up his fourth assist in the last match but struggled in the back. Leo Sena is getting more run than Tommaso Pobega and Nahuel Estevez in the midfield, but he is not as palatable in the fantasy game.
Suggested picks: Verde, Maggiore, Piccoli.
Inter: Romelu Lukaku (21/9) and Lautaro Martinez (15/5) have not produced in two consecutive fixtures, which must be a first in the season, but the supporting cast came through, as Matteo Darmian decided the Sassuolo game, while Christian Eriksen equalized the one against Napoli, finally recording his first goal of the season. Ivan Perisic (2/4) has shaken off an injury and could reprise his role on the flank, while Achraf Hakimi picked up an assist two games ago, returning to the stat-sheet after a quiet spell. Alexis Sanchez (5/6) could see increased playing time given the busy schedule and he has been sprightly in his recent cameos. Stefano Sensi might do the same and, while not as well-rounded, he tends to be a bigger factor in the final third than Marcelo Brozovic and Niccolò Barella.
Suggested picks: Lukaku, Martinez/Sanchez, Hakimi.
ROMA-ATALANTA
Roma: Borja Mayoral bagged his second consecutive goal, but the Torino game was mostly disappointing for them. Carles Perez did not impress as in his previous displays and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (9/8) did not deliver off the bench. He and Jordan Veretout (10/2) have yet to recapture their elite status after their injuries, while another key contributor, Leonardo Spinazzola (2/4), is currently banged up. The good news is that they will have Lorenzo Pellegrini (5/6) back from suspension, and he has been pretty reliable. Mayoral’s production might keep him in the XI over Edin Dzeko, even though the two have generally alternated. The Bosnian veteran has made the stat-sheet in five domestic games.
Suggested picks: Mayoral, Pellegrini, Mkhitaryan.
Atalanta: Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata were mostly held in check by Juventus, but they still found a way to come out on top thanks to a deflected shot by Ruslan Malinovskyi (4/8), who is balling out lately and has taken home bonuses in four straight fixtures Muriel (18/6) appears to be past his glorious stretch and Zapata (13/7) has scored more in the last four contests, but there is not much difference between the two star strikers. Josip Ilicic (6/8) has lost the starting job but is beginning to find a new niche as super-sub. Matteo Pessina and Marco Pasalic are both low-floor / high-ceiling options for their primarily tactical role and only tangential scoring. Robin Gosens (9/5) has been limited to a helper in the last five appearances.
Suggested picks: Zapata, Muriel, Malinovskyi.
NAPOLI-LAZIO
Napoli: they played a pretty good game versus Inter, but their attack did not manage to perforate one of the best back-lines in the League, and their goal was purely fortuitous. The same had happened against Juventus and Lazio are no slouches, so they might have some issues against the elite defenses. Dries Mertens (8/7) and Victor Osimhen (5/1) are taking turns and, while they have been decently effective, it is suboptimal for fantasy players. Lorenzo Insigne (15/5) instead faces little competition, and he has hit the net twice in the past four matches, adding one assist. Hirving Lozano is back from suspension and could unseat Matteo Politano (8/4), but he has not been superb after the injury. Piotr Zielinski (6/7) is tailing off a little after a tremendous stretch as he has picked up just an assist in the past five games, while Fabian Ruiz is on the rise thanks to a recent goal and has looked more in the thick of it than usual.
Suggested picks: Insigne, Mertens/Osimhen, Ruiz.
Lazio: Ciro Immobile snapped out of his scoring drought with a brace against Benevento, while Joaquin Correa converted a PK, bagging his second goal in the last five fixtures. Immobile surely has the potential to go on a binge now that he got off his schneid. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (6/10) participated in the goal-fest with an assist, while Luis Alberto (8 goals) logged his fourth quiet display in a row. Super-sub Felipe Caicedo (8) is back from suspension and tends to be a weapon in this kind of fixture, like the Sergeant. Manuel Lazzari (2/4) is generally a mid-tier option thanks to his activity on the flank, but he is not super prone to taking him bonuses.
Suggested picks: Immobile, Milinkovic-Savic, Correa.
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