Andrea Consigli (7 points): as expected, the final round was filled of goals as it has been the case for most of the season, and just four goalkeepers managed to keep the clean sheet. Wojciech Szczesny technically did not earn one because he did not finish the match, even though he had already subbed off when Juventus conceded, and he picked up an assist thanks to a sweet punt-kick. The nod goes to the Sassuolo mainstay, who parried away every attempt by an undermanned Lazio.

Omar Colley (9 points): Sampdoria easily tamed the low-wattage Parma attack Saturday night without breaking a sweat, and the Gambian powerhouse recorded his second goal of the season by finding himself at the right place at the right time for an easy tap-in on the opposing box.  Continue reading →

Standing’s implications: the much-awaited end of the Champions League race did not disappoint, and Milan and Juventus emerged victorious, while Napoli frittered away a golden opportunity. The Rossoneri earned it with a big-boy performance against Atalanta, the Bianconeri obliterated Bologna, while the Partenopei were held to disappointing a one-one tie at home by Verona. Roma desperately defended their seventh place with a draw versus Spezia, keeping Sassuolo behind even though the Neroverdi handled Lazio.  Continue reading →

Juventus took care of business without breaking a sweat in the Bologna game and got unexpected help from Verona, sneaking back into the Champions League zone in the final round.

Alvaro Morata (7 points): the coaching staff took the liberty of resting Cristiano Ronaldo despite what was at stake, but the front-line still thrived anyway thanks to the gaping holes in the Felsinei defense and numerous fancy interplays between the attackers. Morata capitalized on the strong offensive output with two opportunistic goals, nudging it home on a great feed by Paulo Dybala and then beating the offside trap and burning the goalie on the second one. La Joya waltzed his way through defenders and was borderline uncontainable, fueling the regrets for the injury that sidelined him for a good chunk of the campaign.  Continue reading →

CAGLIARI-GENOA

Cagliari (3-5-2): Cragno; Ceppitelli, Godin, Carboni; Nandez, Marin, Nainggolan, Duncan, Lykogiannis; Pedro, Pavoletti.

Potential lineup changes: Zappa for Lykogiannis, Deiola for Duncan, Simone for Pavoletti.

Likely bench options: Zappa, Pavoletti, Cerri.

Ruled out: Rog (ACL tear), Walukiewicz (back pain), Calabresi (thigh muscle fatigue). Continue reading →

In most matches, one or both teams have nothing to play for, which makes things tougher.

Cagliari-Genoa: the Sardinians have stayed undefeated for seven bouts, where they have defeated Parma, Udinese, Roma, and Benevento and shared the spoils with Napoli, Fiorentina, and Milan. They are surely in better shape than the Liguri, who picked up just three points (against Bologna) in the last four rounds, losing to Lazio, Sassuolo, and Atalanta: 2-1.  Continue reading →

ATALANTA-MILAN

Atalanta: Duvan Zapata (15 goals, 9 assists) returned to the scoreboard in the past game, snapping out of a minimal three-match drought, while Ruslan Malinovskyi (8/12) once again did a ton of damage, and he has been just the hottest midfielder in the League in the last two months. Robin Gosens showed up as well, bagging his 11^th goal of the campaign (plus six assists), while Mario Pasalic tallied his second goal in a row, also adding a helper in the past three matches, even though he mostly features as a sub. An injury has slowed down Luis Muriel (22/8), and Josip Ilicic (6/9) has provided just an assist in the last four appearances. Aleksey Miranchuk (4 goals) has been pretty deadly when they have given him minutes; Sam Lammers would also benefit if they decided to field their bench players.  Continue reading →