VERONA-FIORENTINA
Verona: Darko Lazovic bagged an early outstanding free-kick but, other than that, they did not have a great offensive game against Fiorentina. The Serbian winger is up to three goals and four assists in the season and has been very reliable lately. Miguel Veloso is set to miss multiple matches and the coach replaced him with Antonin Barak (7 goals, 2 assists) in the last game, drastically reducing his appeal, but they have other options for the more conservative role. Eddie Salcedo was given a rare start and did okay but did not hit big. Kevin Lasagna (4/1) did not have many chances but was decently active, while Mattia Zaccagni (6/5) shouldered a bigger creative role with Barak as a pivot, but it did not lead to him snapping out of his slump as he has not scored or assisted in the last 11 games. Federico Dimarco has not made the stat sheet in the last four tilts, but he is an integral part of their offense even as center-back.
Suggested picks: Lazovic, Lasagna, Dimarco.
Fiorentina: they started well against Sassuolo as Franck Ribery and Giacomo Bonaventura combined for the first goal, but they faded in the second half. The midfielder had not hit the net in nine games, while the Frenchman (2/6) is in a good run as he has picked up bonuses in three of the last four. After four strong outings, it was an off game for Dusan Vlahovic (15/2), while Gaetano Castrovilli (5/3) was convincing in the first half like most of his teammates. Cristiano Biraghi is regaining his big role on the left wing. Erick Pulgar is a threat with his set-pieces but overall they do not have a lot of weapons.
Suggested picks: Vlahovic, Ribery, Bonaventura.
MILAN-SASSUOLO
Milan: Ante Rebic found the target for the second game in a row against Genoa, while Rafael Leao fumbled away his opportunity to lead the front-line sans Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swedish star (15/2) is eligible to play after a suspension but he is questionable with an injury. Hakan Calhanoglu (2/8) is coming off a convincing display, but he has picked up bonuses in only one of the last eight games and is also not 100 percent Franck Kessie reached the double-digit threshold two tilts ago, while Theo Hernandez (4/5) returned to the stat sheet with an assist, but he has not looked particularly devastating in recent months. With Calhanoglu, Rebic and Ibrahimovic back in the fold, Alexis Saelemaekers (2/2), Brahim Diaz and Samu Castillejo have become mostly complementary pieces.
Suggested picks: Rebic, Ibrahimovic/Leao, Kessie.
Sassuolo: Domenico Berardi returned with a bang, nailing two PKs and improving to 13 goals in the season, while Maxime Lopez finished off the opponents late with his second of the year. Berardi being back surely affected Hamed Traore (5/1) negatively, who has been holding down that role with success in previous games, but he can feature in other positions. Filip Djuricic has posted one goal and two assists in the past six contests and is clearly back in the thick of it, while Jeremie Boga (3/2) continues to be boom-or-bust but at least seems to have his legs fully underneath him. Giacomo Raspadori is doing okay, but he can not be asked to match the production of peak Francesco Caputo.
Suggested picks: Berardi, Djuricic, Boga.
JUVENTUS-PARMA
Juventus: no Cristiano Ronaldo, no party for Juventus, as they went toe-to-toe with Atalanta game but sorely missed his killer instinct up front. Alvaro Morata (8/9) did a little better than Paulo Dybala (3/2) but also squandered a major opportunity to score. Federico Chiesa (8/8) has picked up an injury and will miss time, while CR7 will be back. He leads the league in scoring with his 25 goals. Depending on the teammates’ health, Dejan Kulusevski might have a major in this one, and he got the monkey off his back two games ago. Juan Cuadrado represented a large chunk of the offense against the Bergamaschi and was unlucky not to come away with an assist: he has seven in the year. Also Weston McKennie (5/2) is on the radar as he hit the net recently versus Genoa.
Suggested picks: Ronaldo, Morata/Dybala, Cuadrado.
Parma: their offense again did not disappoint, but they again came apart in the back. Giuseppe Pezzella bagged his third goal, and he has turned into a not-so-sneaky offensive factor, while Juraj Kucka registered his seventh goal. However, the midfield picked up an injury, but they will have back Hernani, who has put up similar numbers. The only fully healthy piece is Jasmin Kurtic, who has found the target twice in the last six games and four total in the season. Dennis Man continues to impress and hit paydirt for the second time in the past three outings. The returns of the pacey Valentin Mihaila and Yann Karamoh could allow them to move on from the lackluster Gervinho. Graziano Pellè and Andreas Cornelius might have begun to split time and both set up a goal in his most recent starts. The Dane had been dormant for a long time but is coming off a good game.
Suggested picks: Man, Pellè/Cornelius, Kurtic.
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. While M’Bala Nzola (9/1) keeps looking for a goal, Daniele Verde has hit the net in two of the past three fixtures, Roberto Piccoli instead in three of the last six appearances, but they have been reluctant to unleash him fully. 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, Gyasi.
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.
UDINESE-CAGLIARI
Udinese: Rodrigo De Paul rained hellfire on the Crotone defense, but he was sent off late and replacing him will certainly be a tall order. Roberto Pereyra (4/5) is set to see a higher usage and assisted one of the goals of his compatriot, while Tolgay Arslan and Jean-Victor Makengo do not have nearly the same upside as De Paul. Luca Gotti shook things up front with Stefano Okaka (3/1) and Ilija Nestorovski (2/2) getting the nod over the weekend, but they were not more convincing than Fernando Llorente (one goal) and Fernando Forestieri (1/1). The striker that starts scoring is going to run away with the starting job and Jayden Braaf is also in the mix. Nahuel Molina has posted five assists thus far.
Suggested picks: Pereyra, Molina, Llorente/Okaka.
Cagliari: they staged an improbable rally against Parma thanks to two goals of players that are usually back-ups, Alberto Cerri and Gaston Pereiro. The latter has been a positive contributor when deployed, but they would need to tweak the system to accommodate him permanently. More good news came from the fact that Leonardo Pavoletti hit paydirt after five games, while Razvan Marin tallied his second of the season, plus four assists. Joao Pedro has not found the target in five matches and is probably due, while also Radja Nainggolan looked sprier than usual versus Parma, but they will face a stouter back-line in this one. On the flanks, Charalampos Lykogiannis (2/2) has more upside than Nahitan Nandez and Gabriele Zappa.
Suggested picks: Pavoletti, Marin, Pedro.
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