VERONA-SPEZIA
Verona: they were not particularly dangerous against Inter, even though Federico Dimarco, Darko Lazovic, and Antonin Barak had some flashes in the final third. Their offense has stalled in the past month, producing just two goals in the last four games, a free kick by Lazovic and a header by Eddie Salcedo, who, however, is not a regular. Kevin Lasagna is not an elite choice given that he has scored twice in the last nine appearances, but he is their fulcrum, and he is well-suited for this match-up. Mattia Zaccagni’s slide continues, and Daniel Bessa is gnawing at his playing time. Lazovic (3 goals, 4 assists) has been their most consistent guy lately, while Barak has been quieter, and Dimarco has not taken home bonuses in some time despite his impressive volume. Marco Davide Faraoni (2/7) is more of a secondary option, but he is no stranger to the stat-sheet.
Suggested picks: Lazovic, Lasagna, Barak.
Spezia: they continue to wheeze on the road, and they were shut down by Genoa too. M’Bala Nzola (9/1) showed a little better in that game than some of his previous outings, but he has not hit the net in ages now. He could go on a run if he snaps out of his slump. Diego Farias (4 goals) and Daniele Verde (5/1) have taken care of the scoring lately, however, they generally alternate in the trident. Emmanuel Gyasi (4/6) instead has been silent of the past four matches. Giulio Maggiore has found the target twice in the past five bouts, and also Tommaso Pobega has a high ceiling in the midfield if he resumes seeing consistent minutes after starting last week. Simone Bastoni (1/5) is a sneaky playmaker at left-back.
Suggested picks: Farias/Verde, Maggiore, Nzola.
CROTONE-INTER
Crotone: they feasted in the Parma game, where Adam Ounas dazzled, showing no signs of hindrance despite missing the midweek bout, and Simy assembled his customary brace. He has now registered 12 goals in the past nine matches. The Algerian attacker (3/2) instead resurfaced after four subpar outings. Junior Messias (8/4) has cooled off in the last four games, but he remains very high in their hierarchy. Ahmad Benali shook off his latest injury, and he has decent potential as a playmaker in the midfield. Luca Cigarini is also finally healthy, and he has some minor appeal for his set-pieces. They rely a lot on the wing game, where Arkadiusz Reca has posted two goals and three assists in the season and Pedro Pereira three helpers.
Suggested picks: Simy, Ounas, Messias.
Inter: the quiet spell of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez continued against Verona as they both struck out for the fourth match in a row, but Matteo Darmian came to the rescue with his second goal in the past three fixtures. Achraf Hakimi (6/6) had another tremendous display and set up the teammate on the game-winning goal. He is their most in-form contributor given the strikers’ little lull, but they will be in a spectacular spot in this one since they will be facing the lousiest defense in the League. Lukaku has tallied 21 goals and nine helpers thus far, Martinez 15/5. Ivan Perisic hit the net against Spezia, so they are getting a ton out of the flanks, while Christian Eriksen registered his first goal of the campaign three games back versus Napoli.
Suggested picks: Hakimi, Lukaku, Martinez.
MILAN-BENEVENTO
Milan: they went with Mario Mandzukic over Rafael Leao in the Lazio game, but the results did not improve much. It looks like Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be able to return for this game, and that will provide a big boost, although he has found the target just once in the last six matches. His numbers for the season (15 goals in 16 appearances) remain great, but he has not kept up the same continuity he had in the early going. Hakan Calhanoglu (3/8) found the target two games back, Ante Rebic (7/3) in two of the last four, and the attack clearly goes through them. Alexis Saelemaekers (2/3) has been decently involved too, while Franck Kessie (10/3) is more dependent on PKs. Theo Hernandez is also looking for his best shape as he has tallied just one assist over the last ten appearances.
Suggested picks: Ibrahimovic, Rebic, Calhanoglu.
Benevento: scoring has not been an issue in the last three fixtures, but their defense has certainly let them down, leading to a perilous slide. Nicolas Viola has posted three consecutive goals and two assists in such stretch, Gianluca Lapadula delivered twice in a row. Adolfo Gaich (2 goals in 10 matches) instead has tailed off, but he will remain in the picture since they lost Marco Sau and Gianluca Caprari (5/5) is in imperfect conditions. Iago Falque and Roberto Insigne have picked up an assist lately, but the coach is opting for a scheme that caps their minutes. Fabio Depaoli and Riccardo Improta are generally lively on the flanks but do not have the same upside as Gaetano Letizia in that role, who has not been the same after a tough injury.
Suggested picks: Lapadula, Viola, Gaich/Falque.
LAZIO-GENOA
Lazio: Ciro Immobile (18) has certainly gotten out of his swoon and re-found his footing with four goals in the last three matches, also adding an assist in the Milan game. Joaquin Correa shined with a brace on that occasion, putting together his best performance of the season and improving to six goals in the year (plus three helpers). Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has found the target three times and set up two teammates in the last seven games, while Luis Alberto finally managed to pick up an assist in the season and looked sprier after a period of time where an ankle problem hampered him. No offensive bonuses, but Manuel Lazzari (2/5) was a thorn on the opponents’ side in the crunch game, and he is worth a flier in most rounds.
Suggested picks: Immobile, Correa, Milinkovic-Savic.
Genoa: Gianluca Scamacca and Eldor Shomurodov decided the Spezia game off the bench, the Italian striker logging his fourth goal in the last five matches, while the Uzbek resurfaced after two unproductive months. Their front-line is surely impressive given the caliber of the team. Mattia Destro (11/1) has bagged two goals in the last four tilts, Goran Pandev instead had a brace two matches ago. Davide Zappacosta (2/2) has just been a force down the flank, while Kevin Strootman registered his fourth assist of the campaign in the last game. He has become their most appealing midfielder since Miha Zajc has not been particularly consistent.
Suggested picks: Scamacca, Destro/Shomurodov, Zappacosta.
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