As the festive season takes hold, hopefully for some coaches there will be more talk of presents than sack over the next couple of weeks.
We begin in Milan where Inter, despite their lofty league position, have only won two of their last seven home league matches against Udinese (D1 L4). Visiting striker Kevin Lasagna has found the net in three of his four Serie A games at the Meazza, two against Inter and one against AC Milan.
Derby time in Turin where hosts Torino have lost 69 top-flight games against Juventus, more than they have against any other side (W35 D42). Technically, the visiting champions are unbeaten in 20 Serie A away games since 19th November 2017 (vs Sampdoria), winning 17 and drawing three.
A relegation dogfight next where SPAL have conceded at least two goals in each of their last five home games, their longest streak with 2+ goals conceded in the top-flight. Opponents Chievo are sluggish starters and are the only Serie A side yet to score a league goal in the opening 15 minutes of play this season.
Flat-lining Fiorentina are winless in eight games (D6 L2), their longest run in a single season since May 2002 (9). Currently, free-scoring Empoli have netted 2+ goals in four successive Serie A games for the second time ever – the first one was in 2006 when they bagged at least two goals in six consecutive matches.
Struggling Frosinone have only won one league game so far (D5 L9), only Chievo have won fewer in the top five European leagues this season. Visiting talisman Domenico Berardi’s next goal will be his 50th in the Serie A, all with Sassuolo. The striker has scored four goals in 23 league meetings against newly promoted teams, only one away from home.
Sampdoria’s last six league games have seen them both score and concede a goal, with the six producing a total of 26 goals (4.3 per game). Expect goals. As a newly promoted team, Opponents Parma have always earned at least 21 points from their first 15 games: 24 in 1990/91 and 25 in 2009/10.
The away side are quick starters and have scored a league-high ratio 69% of their Serie A goals in the first half of games this season (11/16).
Since the start of December, Cagliari’s Alessio Cragno has made the most saves per game among goalkeepers in the top five European leagues (seven).
Hoping to push closer to the champions are Napoli have lost two away league games this season: in the last two Serie A campaigns have they never lost more than two games away from home (one in 2017/18 and two in 2016/17).
In the capital, Roma have won each of their last 12 home meetings against Genoa, their longest winning streak ever against a single opponent in the competition on their own turf. Free-falling Genoa have lost the most points from winning positions in Serie A this season (14). They may not get the chance to be in a winning position if their current form continues.
In the last five Serie A clashes between Atalanta and Lazio in Bergamo, both teams have found the net (21 total goals), with Atalanta winning two to Lazio’s one (D2).
Since the start of 2017, Lazio’s Ciro Immobile has scored 53 top-flight goals: only Lionel Messi (70), Harry Kane (60), Robert Lewandowski (56) and Edinson Cavani (55) have scored more in the same period in the top five European leagues. He would like to add to this total this weekend.
Bologna have lost each of their last five Serie A meetings against AC Milan: they have never lost six in a row against the Rossoneri in the top-flight.
AC Milan have scored 219 goals in 140 league games against Bologna (1.6 per game on average), more than any other team.
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com