Matchday 4 TIM 2020-21 17 - 19 October 2020 17/10/2020 15:00 - SAN PAOLO NAPOLI Vs ATALANTA Atalanta are unbeaten in three Serie A TIM games against Napoli (W2 D1), while the last time they went four unbeaten against the Partenopei was in December 2007 (seven). In the last seven Serie A TIM games played in Campania between Napoli and Atalanta the same result has never been repeated twice in a row: three wins for the Partenopei, two for the Nerazzurri and two draws. For the first time in their Serie A TIM history, Napoli have scored at least eight goals in the first two MDs - the Partenopei could win their first three games to a season in the competition for the fourth time in the 21st century (the first since 2017/18). Napoli are unbeaten in eight Serie A TIM home games in a row, thanks to seven wins and one draw, after having collected only five points in the previous eight (W1 D2 L5). Atalanta have won their first three Serie A TIM league games of the season for the first time in their history – their best points total after four matches is 10 points (in 2000/01 and 2011/12). Atalanta are the first team in Serie A TIM history to have scored at least four goals in each of their first three league games to a season; the last side to achieve this in the Top-5 European leagues were Real Madrid in 1987/88. In general, the last Serie A TIM team to score four goals in four games in a row were Juventus in 1950. Atalanta have scored 10 goals in the first half of matches this season, at least three more than any other team in the Top-5 European Leagues. Indeed, no team has scored more than Napoli in the second half of matches (seven, as Sassuolo). Napoli’s Andrea Petagna has scored five goals against Atalanta, more than against any other Serie A TIM team. Atalanta are also his former side, where he scored nine goals in 63 league appearances. Tiemoué Bakayoko could become the third French player to find the net with Napoli in Serie A TIM, after and Alain Boghossian. Alejandro Gómez has scored in each of his last three league games for Atalanta; the Argentinian has never scored in four consecutive Serie A TIM games - his last goal in the competition against Napoli came in December 2015.

17/10/2020 18:00 - GIUSEPPE MEAZZA INTER Vs MILAN Inter have won their last four Serie A TIM games against Milan: the Nerazzurri have only had a longer such streak in the Milan Derby between 1979 and 1983 (five wins in a row). Inter are unbeaten in nine Serie A TIM home games against Milan (W6 D3): the record for consecutive games without a defeat at home against the Rossoneri for the Nerazzurri is 10 (their first 10 in the competition). Inter have gained seven points in their first three games of this Serie A TIM season (W2 D1): in five of their last seven Serie A TIM seasons, the Nerazzurri have been unbeaten in their first four games. Except for Atalanta (56), Milan (54) and Inter (47) are the two teams that have gained the most points in Serie A TIM in 2020. In this period, the Rossoneri have conceded the fewest goals amongst the teams present in both seasons (22 goals). Milan have scored in each of their last 23 league games and have not conceded in the last four. They last had a longer scoring streak in 1973, while they last had a longer run of shutouts in 2006. Milan have won their first three games in this Serie A season, while the last time they won the first four games of the season in the competition was in 1995/96, with . The next victory will be AC Milan's 1400th Serie A win (incl. awarded games) - the Rossoneri could become the third team to reach this milestone after Juventus and Inter. Antonio Conte could become the first coach in the history of Inter to win their first three derbies vs Milan (considering all competitions). His next match will be Aleksandar Kolarov's 350th appearance across Serie A TIM and Premier League (and 300th as a starter) - however, only against Tottenham (10 games) has the Inter defender played more league games without being involved in a goal than against Milan (nine). AC Milan are one of four teams that Inter striker Romelu Lukaku scored in both matches last season and they could become the first side to concede goal against the Belgian in three Serie A TIM games. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been involved in five goals in four Serie A TIM derbies for Milan (four goals and one assist), all with Inter as the home side - he has lost three of those four matches against the Nerazzurri.

17/10/2020 18:00 - LUIGI FERRARIS SAMPDORIA Vs LAZIO Sampdoria have won only one of their last 17 Serie A TIM matches against Lazio (D3 L13), conceding at least two goals in each of their last eight fixtures (27 goals conceded, 3.4 on average). Lazio could win five consecutive Serie A TIM matches on the road against Sampdoria for the first time – currently on a streak of four wins in a row. Sampdoria have lost two of the three matches in the current league season (W1); in the three points for a win era (since 1994/95) only in 2019/20 and in 2004/05 have they lost three of their first four seasonal Serie A TIM games. The last time Sampdoria have lost four home Serie A TIM matches in a row was back in April 2011 – currently on a streak of three defeats in a row at Ferraris stadium. Lazio have picked up 20 points in 15 league matches post-lockdown (1.3 on average); in the previous 10 Serie A TIM matches in 2020 the Biancocelesti gained the most points (26, 2.6 on average). In the last nine Serie A TIM matches on the road, Lazio have never repeated the same result twice in a row (W4 D1 L4); they won the most recent match against Cagliari. Lazio have gained the most points from losing positions in 2020 in the Top-5 European Leagues (20). Sampdoria are Felipe Caicedo’s favorite target in Serie A TIM. Against the Blucerchiati he netted both his first goal in the Italian top-flight (December 2017) and also his first brace (April 2019) – in total he has scored four goals in four matches against them. Sampdoria are Ciro Immobile’s favorite target in Serie A TIM (12 goals in 13 matches) – he is disqualified for this match. Since 2016/17 Lazio played only 10 league games without Immobile (W4 D3 L3).

17/10/2020 20:45 - EZIO SCIDA CROTONE Vs JUVENTUS Crotone drew their most recent Serie A TIM match against Juventus (1-1 in April 2018) – in the previous three fixtures against the Bianconeri in the Italian top-flight they had lost each time without scoring any goals. Across Serie A TIM and , Juventus are unbeaten on the road against Crotone (W2 D1).

Crotone have lost each of their first three matches in the league this season: in both of their previous Serie A TIM campaigns they started with one point from four matchdays. Crotone have always lost their first home Serie A TIM match of the season (also in 2016/17 and 2017/18) – in both previous seasons they have drawn the second home game. Juventus haven’t lost any of their first three league matches in eight of their last nine Serie A TIM campaigns (since 2011/12): the only exception coming in 2015/16 under . The last time Juventus failed to win in six Serie A TIM matches on the road was in August 2010 – currently they are on a streak of five away league games without a victory (D2 L3). Since Opta started collecting this data (since 2004/05), Juventus’ highest possession figures in a single Serie A TIM match came against Crotone: 80.7% in November 2017 and 80% in February 2017. Crotone’s only goal against Juventus in Serie A TIM was netted by Simy (1-1 in April 2018) – the Nigerian striker is also the only Crotone player to have directed at least two shots on target against the Bianconeri in the competition (two). Federico Chiesa could make his debut with Juventus: in his two most recent Serie A TIM matches against Crotone, he scored one goal and provided an assist. Gianluigi Buffon could play his 650th Serie A TIM appearance: he played 83 top-flight games for Parma between 1996 and 1999 with Enrico Chiesa, his current teammate Federico Chiesa's father.

18/10/2020 12:30 - RENATO DALL'ARA BOLOGNA Vs SASSUOLO Bologna have lost four of their 12 Serie A TIM matches against Sassuolo; after a streak of seven league games without defeat (W5 D2), the Rossoblu have lost the most recent two. In six Serie A TIM matches between Bologna and Sassuolo at Dall’Ara stadium, the teams have picked up two wins apiece and two draws. Bologna have conceded goals in each of their last 36 Serie A TIM matches; the last team with a longer such run in the Big 5 European leagues was MSV Duisburg in 1975 (38). In their last 11 home Serie A TIM matches, Bologna have never repeated the same result twice in a row (W3 D5 L3) – they won the most recent fixture at Dall’Ara stadium against Parma. Sassuolo have won their two most recent league games, scoring eight goals, as many as they netted in their six previous matches. The last time Sassuolo conceded goals in 10 consecutive Serie A TIM matches on the road was back in January 2017 – currently they are on a streak of nine. Sassuolo have scored nine goals this season, a record for them after their first three games of a Serie A TIM season – by MD4 they have never scored more than 10 in total (in 2019/20). Bologna’s Rodrigo Palacio has scored three goals against Sassuolo in Serie A TIM, but none have come in his last three matches against the Neroverdi. Domenico Berardi (71) and Francesco Caputo (24) are Sassuolo’s top-scorers in Serie A TIM: they have netted together 26% of Sassuolo’s goals in Serie A TIM (95/361).

18/10/2020 15:00 - OROGEL STADIUM - DINO MANUZZI SPEZIA Vs FIORENTINA Fiorentina are unbeaten in six matches against Spezia (W3 D3) across Serie A TIM, Serie B and ; all these games were played in Serie B between 1930 and 1939. Spezia could become only the 3rd team to win two of their first four Serie A TIM games in the last 30 years, after Chievo in 2001/02 and Reggina in 1999/2000. Fiorentina could lose three of their first four Serie A TIM games of a season for the first time since 2006/07 (under ) – they started this season with a win followed by two defeats. Spezia have fielded the most different players in Serie A TIM this season (23).

Only Torino (6.5) have attempted fewer shots on average than Spezia (6.7) in Serie A TIM this season. Spezia’s Kevin Agudelo made 13 Serie A TIM appearances in 2019/20: after playing his first 10 games with Genoa in the first half of the season, he ended the campaign with Fiorentina, making three appearances between February and August 2020. Diego Farias has provided two assists in the same match only once in Serie A TIM: against Fiorentina in April 2015; Spezia’s striker has also netted two goals against the Viola in the Italian top-flight. Across Serie A TIM and LaLiga (Espanyol, Real Madrid and Napoli) only with Napoli in 2013/14 has José Callejón scored on his league debut with a new team - with the Partenopei he netted in each of his first three matches. Fiorentina’s Franck Ribéry has provided two assists in the league this season, in 2019/20 he provided only one more (three in total) – the French player hasn’t been involved in any goals in six Serie A TIM. 18/10/2020 15:00 - OLIMPICO GRANDE TORINO TORINO Vs CAGLIARI Torino are unbeaten in 10 of their last 11 Serie A TIM matches against Cagliari (W6 D4), however they lost in the most recent one (2-4 in June 2020). Torino are unbeaten in their last six home Serie A TIM matches against Cagliari (W3 D3), drawing the most recent two – they have never drawn three fixtures in a row. Torino could lose each of their first three games in a Serie A TIM season for the second time in their history: previously in 2002/03 - they were relegated at the end of the season. Eusebio Di Francesco could become the first Cagliari manager to go winless in his first four Serie A TIM matches since Zdenek Zeman in 2014/15. Cagliari have won only one of their last 13 Serie A TIM matches, failing to score in seven: 2-0 against Juventus in July (D5 L7). Excluding newly promoted and relegated teams, Cagliari have scored the fewest goals in Serie A TIM in 2020 (22) – however, Torino are the side with the most goals conceded during this period (47). Cagliari have made the most-high turnovers in Serie A TIM this season (21), however only two of these have led to a shot. Cagliari are Simone Zaza’s favourite opponent in Serie A TIM (five goals) – the Torino striker has scored in each of his last two league matches against the Rossoblu, both at Olimpico Grande Torino stadium. A goal in this game would see João Pedro (43 goals) equal David Suazo (44) as Cagliari’s third highest scorer in Serie A TIM.

18/10/2020 18:00 - DACIA ARENA - STADIO FRIULI UDINESE Vs PARMA Parma have won each of their last three Serie A TIM matches against Udinese in Serie A TIM, they have never won four league games against them consecutively. Parma have won each of their last two league matches on the road against Udinese, only against Piacenza (four in February 2002), Fiorentina (three in April 2002) and Bologna (three in 1998) have they registered a longer streak of away wins against an opponent in Serie A TIM. Udinese could lose each of their first four games in a Serie A TIM season for the second time in their history, after 2010/11. Udinese are the only side that are yet to score a goal in Serie A TIM this season – in the 21st Century, Crotone in 2017/18, Bologna and Frosinone (both in 2018/19) are the only sides that have failed to score a single goal in the opening four MD’s of a Serie A season. Since their return to Serie A TIM in 2018/19, only in September 2018 have Parma won two league games in a row without conceding – they beat Hellas Verona 1-0 last time out. 15 of Udinese’s last 16 goals in Serie A TIM have been scored in open play, the other from a corner (Samir v Lecce in July). The last seven Parma goals in Serie A TIM have been netted by different scorers, all coming from open play (including an own goal). Udinese’ Rodrigo de Paul has covered the most distance with carries in Serie A TIM this season: 1065 meters, at least 211 more than any other player. Udinese are Parma’s Roberto Inglese favourite opponent in Serie A TIM (five goals) - the Italian striker has scored in each of his last four league matches against them. Juraj Kucka (49) is close to 50 appearances for Parma in all competitions. The Slovakian debuted in Serie A TIM against Udinese (in January 2011) and has scored two goals against them in the competition (both with Genoa).

18/10/2020 20:45 - OLIMPICO ROMA Vs BENEVENTO AS Roma have won both their Serie A TIM meetings against Benevento: 4-0 away in September 2017 and 5-2 at the Olimpico in February 2018. Only Lazio (11) have scored more top-flight goals against Benevento than AS Roma (nine). AS Roma have won each of their last 23 league matches against promoted teams, which is a record in the competition. AS Roma have scored in each of their last 50 Serie A TIM games against promoted teams, scoring 117 goals in the process (2.3 per match on average) – more than any other team in such meetings. AS Roma won 1-0 their last game against Udinese: they’ve never kept consecutive clean sheets in the league under . Benevento won their last league game against Bologna (1-0) – only once have they won two Serie A TIM matches in a row, between December 2017 and January 2018, under . Prior to Benevento, the last two newly-promoted sides to have won two of their first three Serie A TIM games in a season were Verona and Livorno in 2013/14 – the last newly-promoted team to have won three of their first four in a season was Sampdoria in the 2012/13 campaign. Since Paulo Fonseca joined the club, no side has had more different scorers than AS Roma in Serie A TIM (19, level with Inter). Benevento are the side against which Roma’s Edin Dzeko has the highest goals per game ratio (1.5) – however, he could fail to find the net in his first three Serie A TIM games in a season for the first time with AS Roma. AS Roma’s Borja Mayoral is one of the four players born after 1/1/1997 to have scored at least three goals in each of the last three campaigns, level with Youssef En-Nesyri, Enes Ünal and Mikel Oyarzabal. Benevento’s Marco Sau has scored three Serie A TIM goals against AS Roma – only against Genoa and Sassuolo has he scored more goals in the competition (four each).

19/10/2020 20:45 - MARC'ANTONIO BENTEGODI HELLAS VERONA Vs GENOA Hellas Verona have lost seven of their last 11 Serie A TIM games against Genoa (W2 D2), having gone unbeaten in all nine previous matches (W4 D5). Hellas Verona have avoided defeat in 11 of their 13 home games against Genoa in Serie A TIM (W6 D5 L2): among the sides they have hosted at least 12 times in the top flight, only Cagliari have won fewer games (one) at Verona’s home than Genoa (two). Including the awarded win on MD1, Verona have won two of their first three games of this Serie A TIM season - in their history only in 1984/85 have they achieved three wins in their first four games. Hellas Verona could win their opening three home games in a single Serie A TIM season for the fifth time in their history and for the first time since 2013/14. Genoa are the team with the most consecutive Serie A TIM games without any draw between the teams currently in the competition (10: W5 L5); the last draw between Verona and the Rossoblù in the top flight dates back to January 2016. Genoa have not scored in their last two away league games, conceding 11 goals - the Grifone have not lost three consecutive away matches without scoring since May 2017 (four games, two under Mandorlini and two under Juric). Hellas Verona have conceded only one goal in Serie A TIM this season, only Milan and Napoli (both still at zero) have conceded fewer. Verona’s Nikola Kalinic - 38 goals in Serie A TIM - is the 2nd highest Croatian scorer in the Italian top-flight, behind only Igor Budan (44). He has already scored a goal against Genoa in the league, with Fiorentina in January 2017. Among the players who have only scored goals from open play in Serie A TIM since 2018/19, only Alejandro Gómez (18/18) has scored more than Genoa’s Goran Pandev (14/14).