CAGLIARI-FIORENTINA
Cagliari: their best contributors came through in the seminal clash with Benevento as Leonardo Pavoletti (4 goals, 3 assists) returned to the stat-sheet after three matches, Joao Pedro (16/3) hit the net for the third game in a row. Nahitan Nandez recorded his two first assists of the season and Razvan Marin set up a teammate too. The Romanian midfielder has posted two goals, and three helpers in the last four games, and he and Nandez have clearly outplayed Radja Nainggolan (one goal) in the midfield. Charalampos Lykogiannis (4/2) had started things off with a cracking goal one minute into the game. Gabriele Zappa and Alfred Duncan have also been decently peppy on offense, but their minutes are not as steady as other guys.
Suggested picks: Joao Pedro, Pavoletti, Marin.
Fiorentina: Dusan Vlahovic extended his tremendous run with a clutch brace against Lazio, and he has found the target in four straight, with two consecutive braces. He has tallied 12 goals in the past eight matches. Cristiano Biraghi resurfaced with an assist, his fifth one but the first since mid-February, while Erik Pulgar has picked up one in two consecutive matches. Giacomo Bonaventura (3/2) has hit the net in two of the last four matches and, despite not picking up points, Gaetano Castrovilli (5/3) is coming off a good offensive performance. Franck Ribery (2/6) has not produced in the past four appearances, even though he has generally looked pretty good.
Suggested picks: Vlahovic, Bonaventura, Castrovilli.
BOLOGNA-GENOA
Bologna: they were almost lulled to sleep by Udinese in the most recent game, where they did not operate at their usual pace, but a defensive mishap gift-wrapped them a PK, which Riccardo Orsolini buried. He has found the target twice in the past five contests, outproducing his competitor Andreas Skov Olsen even though the Dane has generally fared a little bit better eye-test wise. Predictably, Rodrigo Palacio and Emanuel Vignato could not replicate the show they put on versus Fiorentina, where the former had a hat-trick and the latter three assists, but the youngster remained in the XI. Roberto Soriano (9/6) loses a little bit of shine as a pivot, but he remains an integral part of their offense. In any case, he has been pretty silent in recent outings, having provided just an assist in the last eight matches. Mattias Svanberg is in the same boat among their linchpins, while Musa Barrow has posted one goal and one assist in the last five matches, however striking out in the most recent two. Nicola Sansone (2/2) is on the radar if he gets a spot start.
Suggested picks: Palacio, Barrow, Vignato/Soriano.
Genoa: while their attack had a rare collective day off given their quality, Davide Zappacosta hit the net with a cross-shot, improving to three goals in the season (plus three helpers), and was set up by Marko Pjaca, who is their attacker that generally sees the fewest minutes. Gianluca Scamacca (7/2) and Eldor Shomurodov, who had bagged two consecutive goals before the last match, were used off the bench versus Sassuolo, so they are a good bet to start here, and in any case, they are in better form than Mattia Destro (11/1), who has not scored in four rounds, and Goran Pandev (6/2). They hope to get Kevin Strootman (4 assists) back for this match: without him, Miha Zajc (1/3) seemed sprightlier on offense in the most recent bout.
Suggested picks: Scamacca, Shomurodov, Zappacosta.
LAZIO-PARMA
Lazio: despite some good chances, they sputtered in a very hurtful spot for their Champions League hopes as they could not find a way to bend Fiorentina’s defense. Joaquin Correa and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic had the biggest chances but could not cash in, while Ciro Immobile and Luis Alberto had more lackluster displays than their recent ones. They will have a superb opportunity to bounce back here given Parma’s well-known troubles. Correa (8/3) was coming off two braces before the Viola match, while Immobile had hit the net in four straight matches, also adding two assists for good measure. Alberto (9/2) had taken home points in two consecutive outings, tallying one goal and two helpers, while Milinkovic-Savic (7/10) has not hit big in the last three matches, plus he broke his nose. Manuel Lazzari (2/5) and Adam Marusic (2/3) could be worth a flier.
Suggested picks: Immobile, Correa, Luis Alberto.
Parma: two rarely utilized players, Simon Sohm and Juan Francisco Brunetta, found the target in the Atalanta game, and they are candidates to get some run over their veterans in the remaining fixtures. Graziano Pellè (1/2) resurfaced with an assist, which had become the specialty of Andreas Cornelius (1/4) lately, and the center-forward du jour will carry some value given that most of their most intriguing options are banged up, and Gervinho has been able to score only versus Crotone in recent months. Hernani (7/2) is back from suspension, and he is atop of the hierarchy alongside Jasmin Kurtic (4/2) as the midfielders have carried the scoring for most of the season and Juraj Kucka will be spared in this one.
Suggested picks: Pelle/Cornelius, Hernani, Krunetta.
SAMPDORIA-SPEZIA
Sampdoria: Balde Keita (6/1) netted the consolation goal in the Inter drubbing, which was pretty much the only positive of a very rough game. He had not scored since late February and will now look to build some momentum, although the coach gives some chances to everybody in their deep frontline. Fabio Quagliarella has hit the net in half of his last six appearances but has been hindered by that aspect and a little injury. Antonio Candreva (5/6) put up big numbers and was unlucky not to find the target in that game. Mikkel Damsgaard continues to be pretty underwhelming despite the good minutes, and the two veteran wingers, the other being Jakub Jankto (3/5), have been more productive in recent matches. Manolo Gabbiadini (2/2) is likely to make the XI after being spared over the weekend, and he has been decent in the last two months, while Valerio Verre (2/3) has exploited his recent playing time better than Gaston Ramirez (4 assists).
Suggested picks: Keita, Quagliarella/Gabbiadini, Candreva.
Spezia: Roberto Piccoli came through off the bench with his fifth goal of the season to at least salvage something good out of the beating Napoli handed to them. It remains baffling that they are not giving him more minutes, but he should a shot since M’Bala Nzola will skip another one. Kevin Agudelo did not really pan out as false-nine in the past game. All their wingers have some value, but neither has reached a strong level of consistency. Daniele Verde (5/1) and Riccardo Saponara (one goal) popped off lately, but Emmanuel Gyasi (4/6) and Diego Farias (4 goals) remain in the picture. Giulio Maggiore (3/1) has also lost some momentum, but he remains their most proactive midfielder until Nahuel Estevez (3 assists) and Tommaso Pobega (3 goals) break out from silent spells.
Suggested picks: Verde/Farias, Piccoli, Maggiore.
CROTONE-VERONA
Crotone: the wheels have officially come off the Squali, which had put up fights in the previous games but could not score against both Roma and Inter. The situation has hurt primarily Simy (19 goals), who was in the midst of a fantastic run. Injuries aside, they have been very consistent in their selection, so Adam Ounas (3/2) and Junior Messias (8/4) are atop of the table for their exuberance even though they are not super prolific, while Ahmed Benali, Salvatore Molina (1/4), and Luca Cigarini have more secondary role. They do not really have deep reserves that could gain traction besides Luis Rojas, but they have resisted going that far yet. Their flank game loses some juice if Arkadiusz Reca is forced to sit out as likely.
Suggested picks: Simy, Ounas, Messias.
Verona: Federico Dimarco (5/3) hammered home a fantastic goal to equalize against Crotone, returning to the stat-sheet after seven matches. Antonin Barak (7/3) resurfaced as well with an assist, although playing in the midfield makes it harder for him to contribute in the final third. Eddie Salcedo (2 goals in the last four matches) did not hit the bullseye on that occasion, but he has been more effective than Kevin Lasagna (4 goals) and Nikola Kalinic (one goal) up front in recent tilts. Darko Lazovic (3/5) and Marco Davide Faraoni (2/7) have been more productive than Mattia Zaccagni (5/7) in the last couple of months.
Suggested picks: Salcedo, Barak, Dimarco.
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