Matchday 33 Serie A TIM 2020-21 24 - 26 April 2021 24/04/2021 15:00 - LUIGI FERRARIS GENOA Vs SPEZIA Genoa have won five of their eight meetings between Serie A TIM, Serie B and Coppa Italia against Spezia, losing only once (1-2 in Serie B in 2006). In each of the eight meetings in either Serie A TIM, Serie B and Coppa Italia, both Genoa and Spezia have found the net (3.9 goals per game on average). Genoa have won five of their last seven games in Serie A TIM against newly promoted sides (D1 L1). Spezia have lost their last five Serie A TIM away matches, after remaining unbeaten in seven of their first 11 such games in the competition this season (W4 D3). Genoa are unbeaten in each of their last 10 home games in Serie A TIM (W3 D7); however, they have drawn each of their last five such matches, never drawing more consecutive home games in their history in the competition. Genoa and Spezia have earned the same number of points in Serie A TIM this term (33); however, Genoa, on average, have won 1.5 points per game against sides currently in the lower half of the table, with Spezia earning only 1.2 points against such teams - only Crotone and Parma performing worse. Genoa’s boss Davide Ballardini has lost none of his six managerial Ligurian derbies in Serie A TIM (W3 D3), no coach has registered more such derbies without ever losing in the competition (Marco Giampaolo also six). Genoa striker Mattia Destro has scored four goals in his last five games against newly promoted sides in Serie A TIM, including one in the reverse fixture against Spezia this term, having failed to score in his previous eight such fixtures. Genoa striker Goran Pandev has been directly involved in four goals in five games played in Serie A TIM this season against newly promoted sides (three goals and one assist), including a brace in his last appearance against Benevento. Despite Spezia’s Diego Farias only scoring more Serie A TIM goals against Napoli (4) than Genoa (3), he has never found the net in away games against them. 24/04/2021 18:00 - ENNIO TARDINI PARMA Vs CROTONE The reverse fixture earlier this season was the only previous meeting in either Serie A TIM, Serie B or the Coppa Italia between Parma and Crotone – a 2-1 win for the Rossoblu thanks to Junior Messias’ brace. Parma have failed to win each of their five Serie A TIM matches against promoted sides this season (D4 L1) - they have never before failed to win at least one of these matches within a single top-flight campaign. Crotone will play against a side in the bottom-two positions of the table at the beginning of a Serie A TIM match-day for the first time this season: they have won three of their last five such matches in the competition (L2). Parma have lost seven of their nine Serie A TIM home games in 2021 (W1 D1): no team has suffered more defeats on home soil since the turn of the year. Crotone have lost their last 10 Serie A TIM away matches, conceding 2+ goals in each of them: the last side to lose 11 away matches in a row whilst always shipping more than one goal, was Triestina back in 1947. Parma have only kept one clean sheet in their last 20 league games, conceding 2+ goals in 18 matches in the process. Crotone (80) and Parma (66) are, alongside Schalke 04 (76), two of the three teams to have conceded the highest number of goals in the top five European leagues in 2020-21. Crotone’s Samuel Di Carmine has played the most minutes of all Serie A TIM strikers this season without yet finding the net (976). Crotone’s Simy is the player to have scored the most goals (12) in matches in which his team has gone on to lose the game amongst all players within the top five European leagues in 2020-21 - followed in this ranking by Andrea Belotti (7). Prior to Crotone’s Simy, the last foreign player to score 17+ goals in a single Serie A TIM season with a newly promoted side was David Trezeguet, scoring 20 goals with Juventus in 2007-08. 24/04/2021 20:45 - MAPEI STADIUM SASSUOLO Vs SAMPDORIA Sassuolo have lost only three of their 15 Serie A TIM games against Sampdoria, with the most recent defeat back in March 2019 (W7 D5). After having picked up only two points in the first three Serie A TIM home games against Sampdoria, Sassuolo have won three of their last four such meetings (L1). Sassuolo have both scored and conceded in each of their last nine Serie A TIM home games; they have never had a longer such run in the competition. Sassuolo could win four matches in a row in Serie A TIM for the first time since July 2020. Sampdoria have won three of their last five Serie A TIM games (D1 L1), as many wins in the previous 11. Excluding matches played against teams that started the MD in the bottom two positions of the standings, Sampdoria have won only one of their last 11 away Serie A TIM matches (D4 L6), 2-1 against Verona in December 2020. No team has scored fewer goals via crosses in Serie A TIM this season than Sassuolo (five), whilst only Juventus (14) have managed more such league goals than Sampdoria (12) in the Italian top-flight this term. Sassuolo’s Domenico Berardi scored his first brace in Serie A TIM against Sampdoria, which turned into a hat-trick in November 2013. His last hat-trick in the competition was also against the Blucerchiati, back in September 2019. Sassuolo’s Hamed Traore has had a direct hand in more Serie A TIM goals against Sampdoria than any other side (four, two goals and two assists). Indeed, the Ivorian has also scored in three of his last six appearances in the competition. Sampdoria striker Fabio Quagliarella has been involved in four goals in his last four Serie A TIM matches against Sassuolo (three goals, one assist). 25/04/2021 12:30 - CIRO VIGORITO BENEVENTO Vs UDINESE Both Benevento and Udinese have won one Serie A TIM meeting against the other (D1) - Benevento have attempted more shots (42 v 39) and shots on target (15 v 11) than Udinese in these three clashes. Udinese have won their last two Serie A TIM games against promoted sides (v Spezia and Crotone), after having failed to win each of their previous six such matches (D3 L3). Udinese have won only one of their last 14 Serie A TIM away matches against sides from Campania (D4 L9), 2-1 against Napoli in April 2011, thanks to Gökhan Inler and German Denis’ goals. Benevento are the only side yet to win a Serie A TIM home match in 2021 (D4 L5), whilst among all sides within the top five European leagues, only Nantes in Ligue 1 have the same winless record since the turn of the year. Udinese are unbeaten in their last seven Serie A TIM away matches against sides below them in the league table (W4 D3). 54% of Benevento's goals in Serie A TIM this season have come via from set-pieces (19/35), the highest ratio in the top-flight this season. Udinese have conceded the most goals from penalties in the top five European leagues in 2021 - eight. Benevento’s Marco Sau has had a direct hand in three goals in his last three home appearances against Udinese in Serie A TIM (two goals, one assist). Indeed, Sau has netted four goals in a single Serie A TIM campaign for the first time since 2016-17 (seven goals for Cagliari). With eight goals to his name this season, Udinese midfielder Rodrigo de Paul could equal his best goal tally in a single Serie A TIM campaign - nine in 2018-19. 25/04/2021 15:00 - ARTEMIO FRANCHI FIORENTINA Vs JUVENTUS After the 3-0 win in the reverse fixture, Fiorentina could win two Serie A TIM matches in a row against Juventus for the first time since 1998. Following their 3-0 win earlier this season, Fiorentina are looking to complete the top-flight double over Juventus for the first time since 1968-69. Fiorentina have failed to score in their last three Serie A TIM home matches against Juventus, only once in their history have they had a longer run at home against a single opponent - four v Lazio between 1952 and 1955. After the 2-1 win against Verona last time out, Fiorentina could win two Serie A TIM matches in a row for the first time this season. Juventus have won only one of their last five Serie A TIM away matches (D2 L2), after having won four of their previous five (L1). Juventus have scored the most goals following a cross in Serie A TIM this season (14), in addition, the Bianconeri have conceded only five goals from these situations, the joint-fewest in the division. In the reverse fixture against Fiorentina, Andrea Pirlo’s Juventus conceded more than two goals for the first time in all competitions; indeed, under Pirlo, they have never lost two games against the same opponent so far. Against Verona last time out, Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic scored his 16th league goals of the season - the last player to score 17+ goals in a single Serie A TIM campaign before turning 22 years old was Mirko Vucinic in 2004-05 for Lecce.