GENOA-SPEZIA
Genoa: the Grifone continues to get a lot out of their strikers and Goran Pandev (6 goals, 2 assists) put on a show against Benevento with a splendid brace. It seems like that whoever makes the XI is going to produce given what Mattia Destro (11 goals) and Gianluca Scamacca (5/2) accomplished in previous games. Davide Zappacosta (2/2) fared well in his return, and he tends to be a thorn on the opponent’s side, while they generally make more conservative choices on the other flank. Miha Zajc recently showed up with an assist, his third of the season, but he, Kevin Strootman (3 helpers) and Milan Badelj (1/2), and also back-ups Nicolò Rovella and Francesco Cassata, are only marginally on the fantasy radar given that they are powered by their front-line.
Suggested picks: Scamacca, Destro/Pandev, Zappacosta.
Spezia: Vincenzo Italiano shook up his XI midweek, and Diego Farias rewarded his choice with his fourth goal of the campaign, while Kevin Agudelo (1) and Roberto Piccoli (4) did not fully take advantage of the opportunity. Daniele Verde (5/1), M’Bala Nzola (9/1), and Emmanuel Gyasi (4/6) are likely to return to the starting one in this one, but Farias can remain relevant because he has been effective in small cameos. Verde is the hottest player out of the trio, having bagged two goals in the past four games. They have re-introduced Nahuel Estevez (3 assists) in the midfield after a bout with COVID, but Giulio Maggiore (3/1) remains the most intriguing option there, at least until Tommaso Pobega (3 goals) recaptures his early-season form.
Suggested picks: Verde, Gyasi/Farias, Maggiore.
PARMA-CROTONE
Parma: Gaston Brugman nailed a gorgeous free-kick versus Juventus to open his seasonal tally but, other than that, it was a rather frustrating offensive day for them, as expected. They will surely face a softer back-line in this one. Graziano Pellè (one goal, one assist) and Andreas Cornelius (1/2) have begun alternating in the no.9 spot, both with a relative amount of success. Dennis Man has been their most prolific contributor lately with two goals and one assist in the last six outings. Gervinho instead continues to be rather underwhelming, and it might be time to give more minutes to the spicy Valentin Mihaila (two goals) and Yann Karamoh (2/1). Hernani (6/2) figures to be in better shape for this one, and he and Jasmin Kurtic (4 goals) are assets on offense, especially sans Juraj Kucka. Giuseppe Pezzella (1/4) plays a significant role in their design.
Suggested picks: Man, Hernani, Cornelius/Pellè.
Crotone: their run of consecutive matches while scoring at least a goal came to an end against Sampdoria, where they got got because of the low rhythms imposed by veteran opponents. Simy had found the target in all the previous seven games, improving to 17 goals in the campaign. Junior Messias (8/4) has not made the stat-sheet in the last three, but he is their second-best player. The output of the other pieces has been pretty lacking, especially considering that Adam Ounas was on the stands midweek and might not be ready. Salvatore Molina (1/4) and Arkadiusz Reca (2/3) are generally the best bets to break through. It might end up being a high-scoring game.
Suggested picks: Simy, Messias, Molina.
SASSUOLO-SAMPDORIA
Sassuolo: Giacomo Raspadori was partially given the day off midweek, but he saved the day off the bench with a sterling brace to down Milan. His stint as Francesco Caputo substitute has been a little up and down, as he had not scored in three straight, but the momentum gained in the last match could carry him up until the end of the season. He is now up to four goals in the season. Domenico Berardi (13/5) followed up a brace with an assist, and most of the offense goes through him, while Jeremie Boga is the ultimate feast-or-famine guy. Filip Djuricic is suspended for this one, which could allow Hamed Traore (5/1) to re-join the starting XI, and he had done well while filling in for Berardi. Also Maxime Lopez, who hit the net two games ago, and Gregoire Defrel are candidates for that role.
Suggested picks: Berardi, Raspadori, Traore/Lopez.
Sampdoria: they did not fully exploit Crotone’s combustible defense, but they did just enough to take home the three points thanks to Fabio Quagliarella’s 11th goal in the campaign, assisted by Manolo Gabbiadini, who has picked up bonuses in two straights and four of the last seven games. Antonio Candreva (5/6) instead has not produced in the past three, but his role is massive. Jakub Jankto (5/3) hit paydirt two fixtures ago, while Mikkel Damsgaard has been rather silent for a while despite the increased playing time. Balde Keita has looked better in his most recent stints, but he has not made the stat-sheet in a while. He will still have appeal for this one because he will shoulder major responsibilities as Quagliarella is out for this one.
Suggested picks: Gabbiadini, Candreva, Keita.
BENEVENTO-UDINESE
Benevento: Gianluca Lapadula snapped out of a lengthy scoring drought in thunderous fashion versus Genoa. He had last scored in late January. His partnership with Adolfo Gaich has proven to be the best formula for their attack, which hurts primarily Gianluca Caprari (5/5), who has been a starter for most of the season. Marco Sau (4 goals) has had his moments, but he is currently banged up. The Argentinian youngster has hit the net twice in nine appearances. Nicolas Viola has to be managed carefully, but he has been terrific in the past two matches, tallying a goal and assist in both. Given also the conservative role, Artur Ionita has fallen back into his underwhelming ways after a little jolt after two straight goals. Gaetano Letizia and Riccardo Improta’s relevance comes and goes depending on the game.
Suggested picks: Lapadula, Gaich, Viola.
Udinese: their offensive woes continued midweek and were further exacerbated by the absence of Rodrigo De Paul (8/5) as they could not fill his void. Roberto Pereyra (4/5), in particular, did not rise to the occasion despite picking up two recent bonuses and tends to play better next to his compatriot. The bigger issue has been that no striker has produced lately, even though they have all be given a shot. Ilija Nestorovski (2/2) has arguably been the better performer, but he squandered a prime opportunity to score in the past game, and the margin with Fernando Llorente (one goal) and Stefano Okaka (3/1) is slim. Nahuel Molina is losing some steam after an impressive stretch in terms of assists.
Suggested picks: De Paul, Pereyra, Nestorovski/Okaka.
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