Matchday 12 Serie A TIM 2020-21 15 - 17 December 2020 15/12/2020 18:30 - DACIA ARENA - STADIO FRIULI UDINESE Vs CROTONE Udinese and Crotone have never drawn a Serie A TIM meeting: Udinese have won the two matches played in the first half of the season whilst the Rossoblu have won the two in the second half. The last Serie A TIM meeting between Udinese and Crotone dated back in 2018, a 2-1 Crotone win thanks to Simy and Faraoni’s goal – that was the last Rossoblu away win in the top-flight. After five successive wins, Udinese have only won one of their last eight Serie A TIM home matches against promoted teams (D3 L4), losing their last two – they last lost three such games in a row in 2008 (six). Crotone have picked up one point away from home in Serie A TIM this season, only Sheffield United have had fewer (0) in the Top-5 European Leagues 2020/21. Against Spezia last time out, Crotone found their first Serie A TIM win since April 2018 (three draws and 10 defeats since); on that occasion, they had won two games in a row, one of them against Udinese. Udinese have won only one of their 12 Serie A TIM matches on Tuesday (D2 L9), a 1-0 win against Genoa in September 2013, thanks to an Antonio Di Natale’s goal from a direct set-piece. Roberto Pereyra has delivered an assist in each of his last three Serie A TIM matches (four in total): the last Udinese player to record an assist in four successive top-flight league games was Antonio Di Natale, in October 2007. Crotone are one of the two sides (with Benevento) against which Udinese’s Kevin Lasagna has always found the net in the Serie A TIM: one goal in both his meetings against them in the 2017/18 campaign. The first of the Ilija Nestorovski’s 15 Serie A TIM goals came against Crotone (for Palermo in September 2016). The Udinese striker has scored two goals in two games against them, only against Sampdoria has netted more in the competition (3 goals). Simy found the net in his last visit to the Dacia Arena in Serie A TIM (April 2018) – he is close to scoring his 50th goal for Crotone in all competitions. However, he has failed to find the net in his last five league appearances, his longest drought in the competition since April 2018 (12). 15/12/2020 20:45 - CIRO VIGORITO BENEVENTO Vs LAZIO Lazio have won both of their Serie A TIM meetings against Benevento, scoring 11 goals: they are the side which has scored the most goals per game on average (5.5) against them in the competition. Lazio were the first team to score at least five goals at Benevento in the Serie A TIM (1-5 in October 2017): they have scored more away goals in single away matches in the competition only twice, against Pescara in 2017 and Palermo in 1957 (six goals). Benevento drew their last Serie A TIM home game against Juventus: only twice (January and May 2018) have they gone unbeaten in two successive home top-flight games. Benevento have only scored twice in their last five league games, failing to find the net in their last two: they last went three in a row without scoring in the Serie A TIM in February 2018. Lazio have won 10 of their last 11 Serie A TIM away matches against promoted sides (L1), scoring 29 goals in the process (2.6 per game on average). Lazio have gained 17 points so far: only once in their previous 10 Serie A TIM campaigns had they collected fewer at this stage of the competition (15 in 2013/14). Lazio have conceded 19 goals so far: in their previous 48 Serie A TIM seasons they have never shipped more after 11 games – they last conceded more in 1960/61 (20). Benevento and Lazio have both scored five goals in the first half in Serie A TIM this season, only netting more than Genoa (4); they have conceded 12 in the same period, fewer only than Cagliari (13) and Crotone (15). Kamil Glik’s first Serie A TIM goal came against Lazio in October 2012 for Torino – the Benevento’s defender has scored two goals against them, his favourite opponent in the competition level with Genoa. Benevento are the side against which Lazio’s Ciro Immobile has been involved in the most goals per minutes played: three goals and three assists in 164 minutes, a goal or assist every 27 minutes on average. 16/12/2020 18:30 - ALLIANZ STADIUM JUVENTUS Vs ATALANTA Since Gian Piero Gasperini joined Atalanta, Juventus are the only side that the Bergamaschi have faced 2+ times and never won in Serie A TIM (D5 L3). Juventus are unbeaten in their last 23 Serie A TIM home meetings against Atalanta (W18 D5): Atalanta’s last win was back in October 1989, 0-1 thanks to Claudio Caniggia’s goal. Juventus have found the net in their last 35 Serie A TIM games against Atalanta (78 total goals), the last Atalanta keeper to keep a clean sheet was Davide Pinato in January 1997: this is the longest run for Juventus against a single opponent in the competition. Juventus have won their last four games in all competitions and could win five in a row for the first time since January 2020. Juventus have failed to win four of their last seven Serie A TIM games played on a Wednesday (D3 L1), after having won nine successive such matches. Atalanta have had 11 scorers in Serie A TIM this season, more than any other team in the current league. Since November 2020, only Bayer Leverkusen (32 goals in 10 games) have scored more than Juventus (25 in 10 games) in all competitions among the teams of the Top-5 European Leagues. Among the 10 players in the Top-5 European Leagues with 12+ goals in all competitions, Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo (14 goals) has played the fewest games (11, at least two less than any other). Two of the three players to have scored the most goals from outside the box in Serie A TIM in the last two campaigns (2019/20 - 2020/21) play for Atalanta: seven goals for Ruslan Malinovskiy and Luis Muriel (Domenico Berardi the other). After having failed to score in his first five Serie A TIM meetings against Juventus, Duván Zapata has scored five goals in his last six league matches against them – only against Sassuolo has he scored more in the competition (seven). 16/12/2020 20:45 - ARTEMIO FRANCHI FIORENTINA Vs SASSUOLO Sassuolo have won three of the last five Serie A TIM meetings against Fiorentina (D1 L1), after having won only one of the previous nine such matches (D3 L5). Sassuolo have won their last two Serie A TIM away matches against Fiorentina: the last side to win on the road in three successive seasons against Fiorentina was Lazio between 2013/14 and 2015/16. Cesare Prandelli could become the fifth Fiorentina’s manager in the three points for a win era to fail to win each of his first five games in a single spell, after Ottavio Bianchi in 2002, Luciano Chiarugi in 2002, Dino Zoff in 2005 and Vincenzo Montella in 2019. Sassuolo could remain unbeaten for six successive away matches for the first time in his Serie A TIM history (W4 D1). Since November, Fiorentina have collected two points, the lowest tally in this period with Genoa and Sampdoria. Sassuolo have kept the most clean sheets in the Top-5 European Leagues since November (five in six games). Fiorentina have scored 11 goals in their first 11 Serie A TIM games, their lowest tally at this stage of the competition since 2014/15 (10). Sassuolo are the only Serie A TIM side against which José Callejón has scored with his right-foot (2), left-foot (1) and head (1). Sassuolo’s Domenico Berardi has scored six Serie A TIM goals against Fiorentina, five of them on the road - against no other side has he scored more away goals in the competitions (level with Lazio). 16/12/2020 20:45 - LUIGI FERRARIS GENOA Vs MILAN Genoa won their last Serie A TIM meeting against Milan in March and could win two in a row against them in the competition for the first time since 2015, under Gian Piero Gasperini (three in a row). The last Serie A TIM draw between Milan and Genoa in Liguria was back in February 2011, with Ballardini and Allegri managers – since then three wins for the Rossoblu and six for the Rossoneri. Genoa have won six points so far: they have never collected fewer at this stage of the competition in the three points for a win era (also six in the 2017/18 campaign). Genoa have lost their last five Serie A TIM matches, their longest losing run at home in the competition. AC Milan are the only side unbeaten in the Top-5 European Leagues since the restart after lockdown last May (G23, W17, D6). Milan have won their last seven Serie A TIM away matches, only once have they won more in a row in their Serie A TIM history: nine between 1992 and 1993. AC Milan are the only side in Serie A TIM history to have scored 2+ goals in each of their first 11 games. Genoa’s Goran Pandev has scored three Serie A TIM goals against Milan, including one in the most recent meeting, in March 2020 – that Milan’s last defeat in the competition.