Serie A Round 31 preview: Too much of some things can be bad for you, but not this!

Date: 5th April 2019 at 9:46pm
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As one intriguing set of fixtures ends another round is hot on its heels as another frantic weekend of Serie A action kicks off with a mid-table tussle.

It will be the 30th top-flight meeting between Parma and Torino this weekend: Parma have won 14 compared to Torino’s five (D10).

The hosts have won nine of their last 11 league home matches against their visitors from Turin (L2), after having drawn each of the first three.

Arguably the stand-out fixture of the round takes us to the home of the champions where Juventus have won their last seven top-division home games against AC Milan: they have they never won eight in a row against the Rossoneri in their Serie A history.

Curiously, AC Milan’s last Serie A away win against Juventus came back in March 2011 (1-0), thanks to a strike from the current AC Milan coach, under former boss and now-Bianconero Massimiliano Allegri.

Over to the blue half of Genoa where this weekend’s opponents, Roma, are the team against which Sampdoria have won the most Serie A games (39 – 29 of them in home matches).

The opposition from the capital have conceded in each of their last eight league meetings against Sampdoria, after having kept a clean sheet in each of their previous three.

Fiorentina lost their last Serie A meeting against a newly promoted team (1-0 v Parma): the last time they lost two such games in the competition was back in 2004/05 (when Fiorentina were also newly promoted).

A repeat may not be totally out of the question as Frosinone have earned the highest percentage of points in away games in Serie A this season (60 percent, 12/20).

This will be the 10th top-flight meeting between Cagliari and SPAL; Cagliari have won four compared to SPAL’s two (D3).

Cagliari have scored six goals in their last three league games against SPAL (two per game), as many as in their previous six meetings against SPAL in the competition.

Over in Milan, Inter have won their last four home games against Atalanta in Serie A, with an aggregate score of 12-1. The opposition’s only goal in this period was scored by Remo Freuler, in March 2017.

Atalanta are a stern test on the road of late and have won five of their last six away games in the league (L1), as many as they had won in their previous 15 away from Bergamo. (W5 D4 L6).

Udinese have not won against a newly promoted side in this campaign (D2 L2): only in 1989/90 (six matches) and in 1950-51 (two games) the Friulani have ended a season without any win against newly promoted sides.

Visiting Empoli forward Francesco Caputo scored in this season’s reverse fixture against Udinese, they could be the first team he has scored home and away against in Serie A this term.

Over to the capital where Lazio had scored in 12 consecutive league games up until their last game against lowly SPAL (1-0 defeat) – they haven’t failed to score in consecutive games in the competition since January 2017.

Sassuolo are not travelling well lately and have lost their last three away games in the top division, while they’ve only previously lost four in a row in the competition in 2014 and 2015.

Following their surprise midweek defeat Napoli could do with a home banker, they are unbeaten in their last 13 Serie A games against Genoa (W10 D3); among teams currently in the competition, only against Cagliari have the Partenopei had a longer unbeaten run (17 matches).

To cement further the possibility of an easy home win, Genoa haven’t scored in any of their last three away league games; the last time they failed to score in four consecutive Serie A matches on the road was back in May 2017.

Finally, the last time Bologna won three home league games in a row was back in September 2016; they have won their last two at Dall’Ara in the league.

Talismanic Chievo striker Sergio Pellissier has scored four goals in Serie A against Bologna. However, only one of his last nine goals in the competition have come on the road (against AC Milan in October 2018). Time to smash in number two?

 

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