Matchday 34 TIM 2020-21 1 - 3 May 2021 01/05/2021 15:00 - MARCANTONIO BENTEGODI HELLAS VERONA Vs SPEZIA Verona have lost only one of their last nine games against Spezia in Serie A TIM, and Coppa Italia combined (0-1 in B in 2017) – winning six and drawing two. Out of 15 games at Verona between Serie A TIM, Serie B and Coppa Italia, Spezia have only achieved one win, losing 10 times and recording four draws. Verona have lost seven of their last eight Serie A TIM games (W1), including their most recent four: they have not recorded a run of at least five straight losses in the competition since May 2018. Verona have won their last four Serie A TIM games against newly promoted teams, keeping a clean sheet in the most recent clash (3-0 v Benevento) – the last time they recorded two clean sheets in a row in such matches was in January 2002 (v Piacenza and Venezia). Spezia failed to score in their last Serie A TIM game against Genoa: in Serie A TIM this season, they have yet to register two consecutive games without a goal. No team has benefited from more own goals than Verona in this Serie A TIM season (four), while Spezia have not yet had an own goal. Verona (107) and Spezia (110) are two of the three teams that have made the fewest shots on target in the Serie A TIM in 2020/21 - only Genoa have had fewer (99). Kevin Lasagna has scored five goals in 25 Serie A TIM games against newly promoted teams: he scored in his only such appearance for Verona (v Benevento in March). Mattia Zaccagni scored the winning goal in Verona's 1-0 win against Spezia in the reverse fixture - in the first part of the season he was involved in 10 goals in 19 appearances (five goals, five assists), while he has no goal involvements in 12 games played in the second part. Daniele Verde played for Verona in Serie A TIM in 2017/18, making 30 appearances and scoring his first goal in the top-flight in the derby against Chievo in October 2017 - he is the only Spezia player to have scored more than one goal in April (two).

01/05/2021 18:00 - EZIO SCIDA CROTONE Vs INTER Inter have scored 13 goals in five games against Crotone in Serie A TIM, an average of 2.6 per game – there have been three wins for the Nerazzurri, a draw and a Rossoblù win. After winning against Parma on the last matchday, Crotone could achieve two consecutive Serie A TIM wins for the first time since April 2018. Crotone are the only team yet to draw a Serie A TIM game in 2021: three wins and 16 defeats for the Rossoblù in this period. Crotone have lost their last three Serie A TIM games at Scida and could record four home defeats in a row for the first time in the top-flight. Inter are unbeaten in 17 Serie A TIM games, their longest unbeaten streak in a single season in the competition since February 2008. This fixture will see the team that has gained the joint-most points from losing positions in Serie A TIM this campaign (Inter 16, like Sassuolo) face the only team that has yet to collect any from behind (Crotone). Inter have kept the most clean sheets in Serie A TIM in 2021 (10) - only Chelsea (11) have had more in this period in the top five European leagues. Simy has reached 19 goals in this Serie A TIM season: the only African player to reach 20 goals in a single Serie A TIM season was Samuel Eto'o in 2010/11 (21 goals with Inter). Since Serse Cosmi's arrival at Crotone, Simy has scored 12 goals in nine Serie A TIM appearances (1.3 goals per game): among players who have recorded more than one appearance with a single manager in the Top-5 European leagues since 2000, only Lionel Messi (1.5 with Jordi Roura and 1.4 with Tito Vilanova) has a higher average than the Nigerian under his current manager. Lautaro Martínez and Romelu Lukaku are both without a goal in four appearances: in the last two Serie A TIM seasons, on only two previous occasions have Inter gone four games without a goal by either player - they never went five games in a row.

01/05/2021 20:45 - GIUSEPPE MEAZZA MILAN Vs BENEVENTO The head-to-head record between AC Milan and Benevento in Serie A TIM is perfectly balanced, with one win for each side and one draw. Benevento won their first point in Serie A TIM against Milan: a 2-2 draw in December 2017 thanks to goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli's goal. Benevento's first away win in Serie A TIM was against Milan at the Meazza: 1-0 in April 2018 thanks to Pietro Iemmello's goal. Milan have suffered two consecutive league defeats and have not recorded three in a row in the competition since September 2019, with Giampaolo on the bench. Milan have collected 11 points at home in 2021 (W3 D2 L5), a total that puts them in 15th position in the Serie A TIM home game standings in this calendar year. Benevento’s points-per-game ratio has halved from the first part of the season (1.2) to the second part (0.6) - in the second phase of the season they have won only one match out of 14 (1-0 against Juventus). Milan have lost the fewest points from leading situations in this Serie A TIM (five), while in contrast Benevento have dropped 16 points from such scenarios. On the one hand, Milan have scored the joint-most goals in the first 30 minutes of matches in Serie A TIM this season (22, like Roma), while in contrast, Benevento have conceded the most in the same period (25). With a goal against Benevento, Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic would become the first player to score against 80 different teams in the top five European leagues since 2000. could score a goal in three consecutive Serie A TIM appearances for the first time since November 2019 - the Benevento forward made his Serie A TIM debut with Milan but has never scored against them since leaving the club.

02/05/2021 12:30 - OLIMPICO LAZIO Vs GENOA After winning eight consecutive Serie A TIM games against Lazio between 2011 and 2015, Genoa have only achieved two wins in the following 11 games against the Biancocelesti (D3 L6). In the last nine meetings between Lazio and Genoa in Serie A TIM, 35 goals have been scored, an average of 3.9 per match - only once did one of the two teams fail to score in these games: Genoa in the 0-4 defeat in September 2019. The last draw between Lazio and Genoa at the Olimpico dates back to November 2008 (1-1) - since then the Biancocelesti have won six and the Rossoblù five. Lazio, currently on a 10-game run of home wins in the league (also 10 in 1937 and 1974), can record 11 straight home wins for the first time in their history in the competition. A win would see Genoa reach 39 points, equalling their total from the hole of last season (39 points in 38 games). Genoa have lost their last two away league games and could record three straight away defeats in the competition for the first time since October 2019, a series of four that also included a game with Lazio at the Olimpico. Lazio’s Ciro Immobile scored his first five Serie A TIM goals for Genoa in the 2012/13 season - as a former player he has scored 10 goals against the Rossoblù, one of three teams against which he has reached double figures against in the competition (along with Sampdoria and Cagliari). Joaquín Correa has been involved in four goals in his last four Serie A TIM appearances (three goals, one assist) - however, only against Inter (eight) has the Lazio striker played more games than against the Rossoblù (six) without scoring in the competition. Genoa’s Mattia Destro has been involved in seven goals against Lazio in Serie A TIM (six goals, one assist), against no current team in the competition has he been involved in more. Three of Destro's last four goals in the top-flight have been scored away from home. Domenico Criscito (199) is close to 200 appearances for Genoa in Serie A TIM: he could become the first player to reach this milestone with the Rossoblù (in the era of three points for a win - since 1994/95).

02/05/2021 15:00 - RENATO DALL'ARA Vs FIORENTINA Bologna's last win against Fiorentina in Serie A TIM dates back to February 2013 (2-1 with goals from Motta and Christodoulopoulos) - since then the Rossoblù have scored just four goals in 13 matches against the Viola (D5 L8). Since the 2011/12 season, Fiorentina have recorded 11 clean sheets against Bologna, more than against any other team. Bologna and Fiorentina have drawn their last two Serie A TIM games at Dall'Ara: only once have these two teams recorded more consecutive draws in the competition, four between the 1960s and 1970s. Bologna have drawn only one of their last 10 Serie A TIM games (1-1 v Torino) - four wins and five defeats. Fiorentina have conceded in all of their last 10 Serie A TIM games: they have not recorded a longer run without a clean sheet in the competition since September 2010 (13). Sinisa Mihajlovic was Fiorentina coach for 48 Serie A TIM games, between 2010 and 2011 - as an opponent he has won only four times in 14 matches against Viola (D5 L5). Fiorentina are the team against which Bologna’s Roberto Soriano has played the most minutes in Serie A TIM without ever finding a goal or an assist (699 minutes). Fiorentina midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura has scored four goals against Bologna in Serie A TIM, only against Napoli (five) has he scored more goals in the competition. Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic (21 yrs old) is the youngest player to have scored at least 17 goals in a single Serie A TIM season since José Altafini (20 yrs old) in 1958/59. 02/05/2021 15:00 - DIEGO ARMANDO MARADONA NAPOLI Vs CAGLIARI Napoli have won nine of the last 10 Serie A TIM games against Cagliari; losing the other - 1-0 away in September 2019. Napoli have won their last nine Serie A TIM games against Cagliari in the second part of the season, as many wins as in the previous such games against the Isolani. Napoli have not won in two of their last four league games against teams in the bottom four positions in the table at the start of the matchday (a draw against Torino in December and defeat against Spezia in January). Cagliari are on a run of three consecutive league wins (as many as in their previous 25) - the last time the Rossoblù achieved more consecutive Serie A TIM wins was in October 2012 (four). Napoli have scored 20 goals from outside the box in Serie A TIM this season, the most by a team in a single Serie A TIM season since Juventus (22) in 2014/15. Cagliari have conceded 11 goals from outside the box, only Crotone have conceded more so far in the current league campaign (13), the Sardi have conceded 20% of their goals from this situation, the highest percentage in Serie A TIM in 2020/21. Napoli have averaged 16.82 shots per game in the current campaign, the highest in the major five European Leagues in 2020/21. Dries Mertens (nine goals this season) can become the third player in the history of Napoli to reach double figures for goals in five different seasons in Serie A TIM, after Antonio Vojak and Diego Maradona. On just four occasions has a Napoli player scored 10 or more goals in Serie A TIM against a single opponent: Dries Mertens against Cagliari (10), Antonio Vojak against Triestina (13), Gonzalo Higuaín against Lazio (11) and Mertens himself against Bologna (11). After a series of five Serie A TIM games without a goal or assist, Cagliari forward João Pedro has been involved in three goals in his last two appearances (two goals, one assist): he could score in three consecutive games in the competition for the first time since January (a run in which he also scored a goal against Napoli).

02/05/2021 15:00 - MAPEI STADIUM SASSUOLO Vs ATALANTA Atalanta have won each of their last seven Serie A TIM games against Sassuolo - they have never achieved more wins in a row in the competition against a single opponent. After failing to score in their first two Serie A TIM away games against Sassuolo, Atalanta have scored at least two goals in each of the following five (and at least three in the last four). Sassuolo have earned 52 points this season, already overtaking the 51 collected last season: only in 2015/16, at the end of the season, have the Neroverdi have obtained more points (61 in that case, which can still be reached). Sassuolo come from a series of four consecutive league wins: they have never done better in their history in a single Serie A TIM season. The next will be Sassuolo's 300th game in Serie A TIM, becoming the sixth Emilian team to reach this milestone - Lombardy also have six sides to have reached this total, the most of any region. Domenico Berardi has scored 14 goals in Serie A TIM this season, his third-best tally in a single Serie A TIM season after 2013/14 (16) and 2014/15 (15); the Sassuolo striker has scored four goals against Atalanta in Serie A TIM, but none in his last three games. Duván Zapata has scored more goals against Sassuolo than any against other Serie A TIM opponent (nine), including seven in his last five games against them; he is the first Atalanta player to score in five straight games against a single team in the competition in the three-points-per-win era. Excluding penalties, Atalanta's Ruslan Malinovskiy is the player who has been involved in the most Serie A TIM goals since the beginning of March: nine (three goals, six assists).

02/05/2021 18:00 - DACIA ARENA - UDINESE Vs JUVENTUS Juventus have won six of their last seven Serie A TIM games against Udinese - the only exception being the most recent game at the Dacia Arena, a 2-1 win for the Friulians last July. Udinese have conceded 14 goals in their last five Serie A TIM home games against Juventus, at an average of 2.8 per match. During this period they have one win, one draw and three defeats. Udinese have lost each of their last three home league games, all 0-1. In their history in Serie A TIM, they have never lost four straight home games without scoring. Juventus have earned only 25 away points so far in Serie A TIM this season (W6 D7 L3), fewer than any other team currently in the top six in the standings. For the first time since this data is available (2004/05) Udinese have faced a penalty in four consecutive Serie A TIM games - no team has conceded a penalty in more games consecutively during this period. 17 different players have scored for Udinese in Serie A TIM this season, the most of any team in the division. They had never previously had more than 15 scorers in a single Serie A TIM season. Udinese, along with Bayer Leverkusen, are one of two sides in the top five European leagues yet to concede a goal following a corner this season. Nonetheless, only Benevento (11) have scored more goals following corners than Juventus (10) in Serie A TIM this season. Udinese’s Rodrigo de Paul has been directly involved in 15 goals in Serie A TIM this season (eight goals and seven assists). He has only fared better in 2018/19 (17: nine goals and eight assists). Paulo Dybala has been involved in 14 goals against Udinese in Serie A TIM (eight goals, six assists), at least three more than against any other opponent in the competition; however, he has been involved in only one goal in his five most recent games against the Friulians (a goal in January 2021). Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has not scored in his last three league appearances, last going on a lounger goal drought in November 2017: four with Real Madrid.

02/05/2021 20:45 - LUIGI FERRARIS SAMPDORIA Vs ROMA Roma are unbeaten in five Serie A TIM games against Sampdoria, in which they achieved four wins and one draw - the same number of wins they had recorded in their previous 12 matches against the Blucerchiati. Sampdoria have failed to score in three of their last four league games against Roma, scoring only one goal in the period – courtesy of Manolo Gabbiadini in a 1-2 defeat in June 2020. Roma have not lost any of their last seven Serie A TIM games played at Ferraris between Sampdoria and Genoa (W3 D4), winning the most recent two: they have not done better since May 2008 (three wins in a row at Ferraris with Luciano Spalletti in charge). Roma have lost eight out of 16 away games in the league this season (W5 D3) - the last time they had more away defeats in a single Serie A TIM season was in 2011/12 (10). With 42 points in this Serie A TIM season, only one point is enough for Sampdoria to overtake their tally from the entirety of last season. Sampdoria have lost seven of their last eight Serie A TIM home games against teams in the top seven at the start of the matchday - the only exception being a 2-1 win against Inter in January. No team has scored more goals than AS Roma in the first 30 minutes of play in the current Serie A TIM campaign (22); Sampdoria in the same period have scored only 11 goals. The next will be the 200th appearance in the top five European Leagues for the Sampdoria striker Keita Baldé; considering the 11 players born on 1/1/1995 who have already crossed this milestone, he is the only one who plays in a non-European national team. No Sampdoria player has been involved in more goals than Manolo Gabbiadini in Serie A TIM since the beginning of March: four, two goals and two assists. Jordan Veretout has scored each his last five Serie A TIM goals at home; the last in a league game played away from home was back in December 2020 (vs Bologna).

03/05/2021 20:45 - OLIMPICO GRANDE TORINO TORINO Vs PARMA There is a perfect balance in the last nine Serie A TIM games between Torino and Parma, with three wins each and three draws. Torino have kept a clean sheet in four of their last seven Serie A TIM games against Parma – across these matches there have been three wins, two draws and two defeats. Both of Torino's home wins in Serie A TIM season this have come since the start of March, with Davide Nicola in charge - however, no team have fewer home wins in the division overall this season (as many as Parma and Benevento). Torino have only won one of their last 12 league games played on a Monday (D5 L6): 3-1 against Lazio in December 2017. Parma have only earned 11 points in the league this season against teams currently in the lower half of the table, at least six fewer than any other side. Parma (27) and Torino (25) are the two sides to have dropped the most points from winning positions in Serie A TIM this season. Torino are the team that have scored the most goals from high turnovers in Serie A TIM this season (nine), while only Milan (zero) have fewer such goals than Parma (three). Torino forward Andrea Belotti has scored seven goals in his last 11 Serie A TIM appearances on Mondays: only Gonzalo Higuaín (12), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (8) and Cristiano Ronaldo (8) have scored more goals in the competition on this day of the week. Only AC Milan's Franck Kessié (seven) and Udinese's Rodrigo de Paul (six) have scored more goals amongst midfielders than Parma's Juraj Kucka (five) away from home in Serie A TIM this season. Parma forward Andreas Cornelius has delivered four assists in five Serie A TIM appearances since the start of April, as many as in his first 68 games in the competition.