GENOA-ATALANTA
Genoa: two usual suspects powered them in the Bologna game, as Davide Zappacosta recorded his second goal in a row, while Gianluca Scamacca made no mistakes from the penalty spot, improving to eight goals in the season, six of which coming recently. He has clearly been their most prolific guy since Mattia Destro (11 goals/1 assists) has lost steam, while Goran Pandev (6/2) had a brace in the last five matches. Eldor Shomurodov (5/1) has found the target twice in the past four appearances, and Marko Pjaca (3/2) picked up an assist over the weekend. They have not really unleashed Paolo Ghiglione (4 assists) despite the absences on the flanks. Nicolò Rovella could gain some momentum in the midfield with his ability on set pieces. Kevin Strootman (four helpers) and Miha Zajc (1/3) are steady hands.
Suggested picks: Scamacca, Shomurodov, Zappacosta.
Atalanta: they did not explode versus Benevento, but they did enough to take home another victory, willed in particular by Luis Muriel, who is back in tip-top shape with four goals in the last four contests, and Mario Pasalic sealing the deal with his fifth goal of the campaign. Ruslan Malinovskyi (7/11) kept it going with another assist, and he is simply one of the hottest players in the League as his bonuses have almost entirely arrived in the last two months. Duvan Zapata teed up a teammate in the most recent match, while he has scored just once in the last six rounds. Similar haul for Robin Gosens (10/6), who does not play striker though. Josip Ilicic (6/9) and Aleksey Miranchuk (4/1) would have strong appeal if they decided to rotate ahead of the Coppa Italia final.
Suggested picks: Muriel/Zapata, Malinovskyi, Pasalic/Ilicic.
SPEZIA-TORINO
Spezia: Tommaso Pobega (5 goals) finally returned to the stat-sheet after months with a brace against Sampdoria, and the surprising part was that he was not getting a ton of playing time. Roberto Piccoli (4 goals) did not exploit the fact that he got the start, and it remains to be seen what will happen with M’Bala Nzola, who was disciplined midweek. Diego Farias (4/1) had some incredible misses, but he was very lively, while Emmanuel Gyasi (4/6) had a strong showing off the bench, which has become routine for them. The trend has helped out also Daniele Verde and Riccardo Saponara. Giulio Maggiore (3/1) had a strong stretch between the end of April and the beginning of March but has not hit the net in the last six games, where Nahuel Estevez has been peppier as far as their midfielders are concerned.
Suggested picks: Pobega/Estevez, Gyasi, Verde/Farias.
Torino: they got humbled by Milan midweek, and who knows if the beating will have lingering effects. They also rotated a lot, and the Federico Bonazzoli-Simone Zaza duo did not do any damage, but it is tough to fault the strikers too much in that situation. Andrea Belotti (12/6) and Antonio Sanabria (8/1) are poised to be back and will look to find the goal that has eluded them for some time. They will certainly face a much easier back-line and a less formidable opponent. While the offensive duo sputtered, their last two matches were generated by successful combinations by Cristian Ansaldi (1/6) and Mergim Vojvoda (3 goals). Rolando Mandragora (3/1) has been a fantasy asset since moving to the Granata, while Simone Verdi (1/4) covers a massive role.
Suggested picks: Sanabria, Belotti, Ansaldi.
JUVENTUS-INTER
Juventus: they bounced back after the collapse against Milan by exploiting the counter-attacking game pretty neatly versus Sassuolo. Cristiano Ronaldo (28/3) has resumed producing at his usual standards, notching three goals in the past three matches thanks to a brace, while Paulo Dybala returned to the stat-sheet following a six-game absence. He also looked way better in the two most recent outings. The alternation with Alvaro Morata (9/9) is not going away. Federico Chiesa (8/9) also seemed more explosive, although his last bonus dates back to early March due to the thigh injury. Adrien Rabiot had his finest performance of the season on offense versus Sassuolo, scoring his third goal of the campaign and providing his second assist. Dejan Kulusevski also resurfaced with a quality helper, so it was a healthy game for their attackers. Juan Cuadrado (10 assists) often kept them afloat, but he has not delivered in the last three matches.
Suggested picks: Ronaldo, Dybala/Morata, Kulusevski/Chiesa.
Inter: they continue to ball out despite having already clinched the title. Romelu Lukaku snapped out of a month-long scoring slump in the Roma match, plus he dished an assist to improve to 22 and 11 in the campaign. Achraf Hakimi stayed hot with a helper, his third in the last four matches, where he hit the net once. Alexis Sanchez picked up an ankle problem, so it will likely be the usual Lu-La duo in this one, and Lautaro Martinez (16/5) came through in the previous match. The rotation has had good returns as backup midfielders Roberto Gagliardini, and Matias Vecino both hit the net in the past two matches, while Marcelo Brozovic (2/6) returned to the box score after ages. Ivan Perisic (3/4), Christian Eriksen (2 goals), and Stefano Sensi also provide a decent punch out of the midfield, and who starts would have the most appeal. Matteo Darmian has been a not-so-sneaky factor in the last five tilts as he has registered two goals and one assist.
Suggested picks: Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez, Hakimi.
ROMA-LAZIO
Roma: given his seasonal numbers, it was just a matter of time and conditioning before Henrikh Mkhitaryan (11/10) resumed being a weapon and he has tallied three goals and two assists in the last two matches. Edin Dzeko (7/2) picked up an assist after a long quiet spell as far as Serie A play is concerned, where Borja Mayoral (10/2) has just been more productive but has not fully been handed the keys though. Lorenzo Pellegrini also shined in the recent romp of Crotone, bagging a brace to improve to seven goals in the campaign, plus six assists. They have recovered some pieces since Stephan El Shaarawy and Carles Perez (2/1) featured briefly in the most recent match. The young Spanish forward had a very positive stretch before the injury and would be worth consideration if starting over Pedro (4/2), who has been rather underwhelming. Bryan Cristante (1/2) is more involved in the offense now that he is back in the midfield, while Rick Karsdorp (1/6) has taken the mantle as their best fullback once Leonardo Spinazzola went down with an injury.
Suggested picks: Mkhitaryan, Pellegrini, Dzeko/Mayoral.
Lazio: the fact that they could not exploit the date with Parma to pad their stats was disappointing, but they still got the W thanks to a Ciro Immobile goal after few crazy ricochets in the box. He has hit the net six times in the past six tilts. They were also undermanned on that occasion, but Lucas Leiva and especially Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (7/10) will be back for this one, and the Serbian tank generally rises to the occasion in big games. Felipe Caicedo (8 goals) also has a penchant for some heroics, and he is now healthier. Joaquin Correa (8/3) has not scored in the past two games, and it has become news since he had two braces before that. Luis Alberto (9/2) had two quiet displays after delivering against Milan and Genoa.
Suggested picks: Immobile, Milinkovic-Savic, Correa.
FIORENTINA-NAPOLI
Fiorentina: the bout with Cagliari had very little offense for each side, so Dusan Vlahovic’s reign of terror suffered a little pause after six goals in five matches to improve to 21 in the season. Franck Ribery (2/6) was spared midweek and will look to find an offensive bonus that has eluded him in the last four outings. Giacomo Bonaventura (3/2) has posted two goals in the last five matches, and also Gaetano Castrovilli (5/3) has been decent, although he has not found the target in ages. Cristiano Biraghi notched his fifth helper of the seasons two games back, while Erick Pulgar has provided two in the last three fixtures. Lorenzo Venuti does not have the same volume as Biraghi on the other flank, but he can be pretty dynamic too.
Suggested picks: Vlahovic, Ribery, Bonaventura.
Napoli: the scoring streak of Victor Osimhen stopped at three, even though he had another strong performance, but that did not stop them from pummeling Udinese. Piotr Zielinski had the second straight game with a goal and assist, improving to eight and ten in the season, Lorenzo Insigne rounded out the score late with his 18th paydirt of the season (plus 7 assists, two in the past three matches). Hirving Lozano is not seeing full minutes yet but has returned to form with two straight goals, while Fabian Ruiz hit the net for the third time in the campaign. The only attackers that did not join the party were Matteo Politano (9/4) and Dries Mertens (9/8), who have been hurt by Lozano and Osimhen’s resurgences but would still be options if given the opportunity to start.
Suggested picks: Osimhen, Zielinski, Insigne.
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