NAPOLI-UDINESE
Napoli: Victor Osimhen did it again versus Spezia, totally destroying the aggressive offside trap with three deep runs. Two yielded a goal, one an assist. He is on a tear as he has hit the net in four consecutive matches, reaching the double-digit threshold for the season. Piotr Zielinski (7 goals, 9 assists) was terrific in that game too, as he also found the target and set up a teammate, ending a relatively quieter stretch as he had notched just one helper over the previous four games. Lorenzo Insigne is staying productive through feeds for his teammate as he registered the second in a row, however, he has made the stat-sheet just once in the past six games since Osimhen has taken up a lot of real estate in that area. Hirving Lozano snapped out of an injury-caused slump that had started in late January and, since Matteo Politano has lost some steam, he has the chance to recapture the mammoth role he had earlier in the season. Giovanni Di Lorenzo (1/5) has teed up his teammates in two of the last four three matches.
Suggested picks: Osimhen, Zielinski, Insigne.
Udinese: Rodrigo De Paul came through once again for his side and fantasy manager with a very technical finish to break the deadlock against Bologna. He improved to nine goals in the season, plus eight assists, and has taken home points in four straight. It was however a rather quiet offensive performance for them besides that gem since Roberto Pereyra (4/7) did not get much going and Nahuel Molina, who was coming off two goals in a row, did not produce much and had a defensive blunder that, alongside some rotation, may cost him the starting job in this one. They may get Fernando Llorente back from an injury in this one, but he and Stefano Okaka, the only strikers left standing after an injury crisis, have just not been productive. Tolgay Arslan (three goals) instead has been more involved in the offense lately.
Suggested picks: De Paul, Pereyra, Molina/Arslan.
ATALANTA-BENEVENTO
Atalanta: it took them a minute, but they eventually manhandled Parma as expected, with Luis Muriel in particular leading the charge in the second half. With the recent brace and the assist, he improved to 21 goals and eight helpers in the season and atoned for the missed PK in the Sassuolo game. He has surely picked it back up after three scoreless matches as he could have scored in three straights. Ruslan Malinovskyi stayed hot with a rocket, and he has five goals and seven helpers in the last eight games, while Matteo Pessina (2/2) and Aleksey Miranchuk (4/1) took advantage of the situation to hit the net too. The Russian attacker has generally produced, but his playing time is irregular, while the Italian midfielder has been recently hurt by the success of their uber aggressive design. It was a minor disappointment that Duvan Zapata (14/7) did not score, and he has done it just once in the last five matches. Robin Gosens notched his tenth goal two games back, while Josip Ilicic is no longer necessarily a fulcrum, but he has tallied one goal and two assists in the last five appearances.
Suggested picks: Malinovskyi, Muriel, Zapata.
Benevento: Gianluca Lapadula is going through the best stretch of the season as he has found the target in three of the last four matches, but that has not translated into good results because of their shoddiness in the back. Roberto Insigne and Gianluca Caprari returned to the XI after some time over the weekend, and the latter registered an assist, his sixth of the campaign, through a corner kick, while the former was not super effective. Nicolas Viola (5/3) is clearly their most interesting midfield and could have easily have had the opportunity to score versus Cagliari as well, plus Pasquale Schiattarella is suspended this week, so he will have a full complement of minutes. Iago Falque set up a teammate recently, but he picked up a small injury. Adolfo Gaich (2 goals) has certainly been negatively affected by Lapadula’s surge and a tactical modification. Artur Ionita and Riccardo Improta occasionally make their presence know in the final third.
Suggested picks: Lapadula, Viola, Caprari.
INTER-ROMA
Inter: they waited to clinch the title to have their best offensive performance of the season and the lack of tension likely helped them out. Alexis Sanchez and Roberto Gagliardini fully exploited their opportunity to start, while Andrea Pinamonti bagged his first goal of the campaign off the bench. The Chilean attacker (7/6) has generally delivered when called upon, but obviously, it was rather tough to unseat their top two strikers. Lautaro Martinez (16/5) broken out of a month-long slump with a PK, Romelu Lukaku (21/10) will likely have the opportunity to do the same here after being rested over the weekend. Achraf Hakimi (7/7) did not slow down one bit and picked up an offensive bonus for the third consecutive game, and also Ashley Young and Nicolò Barella set up a teammate for the first time in a while. The likely heavy rotation does not make them a very appealing fantasy destination, though, as the situation has certainly shaken up their usual XI. Ivan Perisic (3/4) is in the same spot as Lukaku.
Suggested picks: Sanchez, Lukaku/Lautaro Martinez, Hakimi/Perisic.
Roma: their stars fully exploited the cupcake match-up with Crotone to return to form. Lorenzo Pellegrini (7/6) had been their steadier contributor amidst the subpar stretch, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan had not produced since late January, and Borja Mayoral had last hit the net a month ago. Following the dazzling display, the Armenian attacker has a double-double in the season for goals and assist, while the Spaniard reached the double-digit threshold for scoring, although Edin Dzeko may get the start here. The Bosnian striker has been fine in Europa League but has not made the stat-sheet in Serie A play since early January. Rick Karsdorp registered his sixth assist versus the Squali, while Bryan Reynolds was rather timid, but Bruno Peres (1/2) should be a full go for this one. Pedro (4 goals) has looked lively in recent appearances, and the switch to 4-2-3-1 helps him out, but it is not a given it will stick.
Suggested picks: Mkhitaryan, Pellegrini, Mayoral/Pedro.
SASSUOLO-JUVENTUS
Sassuolo: Domenico Berardi (16/5) pounced on a defensive miscue in the last game to record his third consecutive goal, while Giacomo Raspadori tallied his fourth in the last seven matches. The strong play of the youngster will allow them to bring Francesco Caputo (11/5) along slowly after his back issue. Hamed Traore picked up an assist over the weekend, and he is the primary beneficiary of Jeremie Boga’s absence, while Filip Djuricic (5/4) is going through an underwhelming stretch as he has not done much in the past four matches. The same goes for Gregoire Defrel despite having a decent amount of opportunities. Jeremy Toljan has outplayed Mert Muldur at right-back in recent tilts. Manuel Locatelli (3/1) and Maxime Lopez (2 goals) have some secondary appeal.
Suggested picks: Berardi, Raspadori, Traore.
Juventus: they flopped big time in the Milan clash, where Cristiano Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata, and Federico Chiesa never managed to shake free in dangerous areas and threaten the opposing goalie. Paulo Dybala fared a little better off the bench so, even though he has not scored in multiple matches, the duel with Morata (9/9) will rage on even though the Spanish striker had outperformed him. For Chiesa (8/8), it is likely a matter of physical conditioning, while Ronaldo (27/2) had a brace two games back, and his production hinges on whether his teammates are able to feed him constantly, which has not always been the case. Juan Cuadrado (ten assists) loses some shine with Chiesa being back, while Dejan Kulusevski (4/1) could gain some if given the opportunity to start. Rodrigo Bentancur (4 assists), Adrien Rabiot (2/1), and Weston McKennie (5/2) have minor value.
Suggested picks: Ronaldo, Morata/Dybala, Chiesa/Kulusevski.
TORINO-MILAN
Torino: while their top strikers Andrea Belotti (12/6) and Antonio Sanabria (8/1) have struck out in the last four games, the unlikely tag team formed by Cristian Ansaldi and Mergim Vojvoda lifted them in the last two matches. The Argentinian wing-back is now up to six helpers in the campaign, while the Bosnian one has netted two goals and is keeping Wilfried Singo out of the lineup. Rolando Mandragora (3/1) and Simone Verdi (1/4) are back from suspension and have a massive role in the midfield, and the former, in particular, has been a big presence in the final third. Simone Zaza (6 goals) will be in the mix to start given the busy schedule, but he is rather boom-or-bust.
Suggested picks: Ansaldi, Mandragora, Belotti/Sanabria.
Milan: Brahim Diaz wreaked havoc in the Juventus game, bagging his third goal of the campaign with a scorcher, but it looks like he got a little hurt in the final stages. Zlatan Ibrahimovic definitely picked up an injury and, even if it is mild, they will likely look in other directions given the short turnaround. Ante Rebic (7/8) delivered as false-nine in the past game, returning to the stat-sheet after three quiet outings with a gem, while Hakan Calhanoglu (4/9) kept up his good momentum with an assist: he has taken home bonuses in three of the last four matches. Theo Hernandez (5/5) has also rounded back into shape, while Franck Kessie (10/3) botched a PK in the last match. Alexis Saelemaekers is suspended this week, but his likely replacement Samu Castillejo is not particularly appealing. Rafael Leao (6/5) could see big minutes if the absences were confirmed, but he is wildly inconsistent.
Suggested picks: Rebic, Calhanoglu, Brahim Diaz/Hernandez.
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