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Home , Alessio Dionisi, Artemio Franchi, Claudio Ranieri, Domenico Berardi, Fabio Liverani, Francesco Guidolin

Matchday 2 2021-22 27 - 29 August 2021 27/08/2021 18:30 - DACIA ARENA - UDINESE Vs VENEZIA Udinese have won two of their last three matches against Venezia in Serie A TIM (L1), between 2000 and 2002, having won none of their first five matches against them in the competition (D3 L2). Udinese are unbeaten in home Serie A TIM games against Venezia: two draws were followed by two wins - the most recent in April 2002 (1-0 with David Pizarro's goal). Udinese have won their last three matches against newly promoted sides in Serie A TIM, the last time they had a longer streak against such opposition came back in December 2013 under (seven). Udinese’s last victory in Serie A TIM came in April 2021 (4-2 v Benevento), losing four of their six league games since then (D2). Venezia have conceded a goal in each of their last 37 away Serie A TIM matches (their last away clean sheet came back in April 1999: 1-0 v Piacenza); only Casale have had a longer run without a shut out in the competition (49). Of Venezia's 401 Serie A TIM games, none have ever been played on Friday. They could become the first newly promoted team to win an away match on Friday in the Italian top-flight. Venezia have received the most yellow cards in Serie A TIM 2021/22 MD1 (seven), while no side has seen fewer than Udinese (only one). Against Napoli, Venezia became the first side to give a debut to 12 players in a single Serie A TIM match since 2000. Roberto Pereyra has scored in his last two Serie A TIM games (both from the penalty spot), the Udinese has never found the net in three consecutive appearances in the top-5 European Leagues. Francesco Forte was Venezia’s top scorer in the previous campaign (14 goals, excluding play-offs), however his last league goal (excluding penalties) came back in February 2021, against Cremonese.

27/08/2021 20:45 - MARCANTONIO BENTEGODI HELLAS VERONA Vs INTER Hellas Verona haven’t won any of their last 20 Serie A TIM matches against Inter (D4 L16), their longest run without a victory against a specific opponent in the top-flight - the last side against which Inter had a longer unbeaten run against was Cesena (22 matches in 2015). Among sides against which Inter are unbeaten in the three points for a win era in Serie A TIM (since 1994/95), Hellas Verona are the one that the Nerazzurri have faced the most (20: W16 D4). Each of Verona's four wins against Inter in Serie A TIM have come on home soil, with their last victory against them coming back in February 1992; since then seven away Inter’s wins and three draws. Hellas Verona haven’t won any of their last nine home matches in Serie A TIM (D4 L5), it is their longest such streak at home in the competition since January 2016; Hellas Verona have lost five home league matches in 2021, as many as in the entirety of 2020. Hellas Verona lost on MD1: since 2000, they have never lost both their first two games in a single top-flight season (the last time was in 1996/97 under ). Inter have won 19 of their 25 matches in Serie A TIM in 2021 (D4 L2), with only City winning more matches during this period across the top five European leagues (21/26). Two of Inter’s four goals on MD1 came in the opening 15 minutes – In 2020-21 it took them nine games to score two goals in the opening 15 minutes of Serie A TIM matches. Since the start of last season, Mattia Zaccagni has been involved in 12 goals in Serie A TIM (seven goals, five assists), more than any other player for Hellas Verona. Both Edin Dzeko and Hakan Calhanoglu scored on their Serie A TIM debut with Inter; in the three points for a win era only four players have netted in each of their first two matches with the Nerazzurri in the top-flight: Roberto Carlos (in 1995), (in 2011), Stevan Jovetic (in 2015) and (in 2019). Should he feature, Inter’s Marcelo Brozovic will make his 200th Serie A TIM appearance in this game: he could become the first Croatian player to reach this milestone in the competition in the three points for a win era.

28/08/2021 18:30 - GEWISS STADIUM ATALANTA Vs Atalanta have won nine of their last 11 Serie A TIM matches against Bologna (D1 L1), scoring 24 goals in the process (2.2 per game). Atalanta have won their last seven home games against Bologna in Serie A TIM, only against Livorno (in 2014) have they previously recorded eight home wins in a row against an opponent in their history in the top-flight. This will be the 2500th Serie A TIM match played by Bologna they will become the ninth team to reach this milestone in the competition. Atalanta failed to score in their last home Serie A TIM game against AC Milan in May, after averaging three goals per game in their previous nine; the last time the Bergamo side failed to score in two home consecutive league games was back in October 2018 (three). Bologna won on MD1 against Salernitana – the last time they won their opening two matches in a Serie A TIM campaign was back in 1996-97. Two of Bologna’s three MD1 goals came from corner situations (both with goals from Lorenzo De Silvestri), as many goals as they’d scored from corner situations in the entirety of 2021. Josip Ilicic has scored seven goals against Bologna in Serie A TIM, a record for him against a single opponent in the Italian top-flight. Since he joined Atalanta in 2019-20, has scored the most goals from outside the box of any player in Serie A TIM (10). Bologna’s Marko Arnautovic scored his first goal in the Italian top-flight last week, 11 years and 228 days after his debut. In doing so he became the foreign player with the most days between his Serie A TIM debut and his first goal in the competition (only including the three-points-per-win era).

28/08/2021 18:30 - OLIMPICO LAZIO Vs SPEZIA Lazio have won both of their two Serie A TIM matches against Spezia (home and away last season by a 2-1 scoreline). Lazio have won nine of their last 11 games against Ligurian sides in Serie A TIM (D1 L1), scoring 27 goals during this period (2.5 per match). Spezia have drawn five of their last eight league games (W 1 L2), the same number of draws they had achieved in their 23 previous Serie A TIM games. Excluding the newly promoted teams, Lazio are, together with Inter, one of the two teams unbeaten at home in 2021 in Serie A TIM: 11 wins and a draw for the Biancocelesti during this period. Following their 2-2 draw with , Spezia remain unbeaten in four Serie A TIM games in a row for the first time (one win and two draws at the end of 2020/21) - the Ligurians have scored at least two goals in each of these meetings. Two of Lazio’s three goals on MD1 came between the 30th and 45th minute: all other teams combined only scored one during this period on MD1 (scored by Sassuolo). Spezia have conceded in each of their 17 Serie A TIM games (36 goals conceded, an average of 2.1 per game) - excluding the newly promoted teams, they are the only side that have not kept at least one clean sheet time during this period. Felipe Anderson had the second highest carry distance among all Serie A TIM players on MD1: 277m, behind only Brahim Díaz (284). He took just six minutes in the last match to provide an assist, which arrived 1217 days after his previous one in the competition (April 2018 against Sampdoria for a Stefan de Vrij goal). Sergej Milinkovic-Savic both scored and delivered an assist in last season's first game against Spezia; the Serbian player also became, in the last game, one of the three able to score in at least seven consecutive seasons in Serie A TIM with Lazio, after (11) and Senad Lulic (eight). Daniele Verde has scored three of his six goals for Spezia in Serie A TIM against sides from Roma: two against Roma, one against Lazio (last April).

28/08/2021 20:45 - FIORENTINA Vs TORINO Fiorentina have lost only one of their last nine Serie A TIM matches against Torino (W4 D4): 1-2 in December 2019. Fiorentina are unbeaten in their last 31 home games against Torino in Serie A TIM (W17 D14). The only longer unbeaten home run by one side against another in Serie A TIM history is Bologna against Genoa between 1931 and 1989 (32). Fiorentina have scored in each of their last 15 Serie A TIM matches against Torino, only once in their history have they scored in more consecutive matches against a single opponent in the competition: against Triestina between 1949 and 1956 (16). Fiorentina's last five Serie A TIM games in August have produced 25 goals, an average of five per game. The Viola haven’t drawn any of the last 13 league games in August (W6 L7). Torino have won just two of their last 11 away Serie A TIM games (D5 L4), most recently in April 2021 against Udinese (1-0 with an goal). Torino have scored just six goals in their last nine league games (never more than one per game); based on the quality of their shots, measured by the Expected Goals model, the Granata should have scored four more (10.6 xG). Eight of Fiorentina's first 10 shots (excl. blocks) in Serie A TIM this season have been on target- their 80 percent shot accuracy is the highest of any side in Serie A TIM this season. 11 different Torino players attempted a shot on MD1, the most different shot takers of any side.

Torino are the only side in the top five European leagues against which Fiorentina’s José Callejon has been involved in at least 10 goals (four goals, six assists). Torino’s Andrea Belotti could score his 100th Serie A TIM goal in his 250th appearance in the competition, making him the third-youngest Italian player since 1980 to reach this milestone of goals in the competition (27 years and 251 days on August 28), after (26 years, 105 days in 2008) and (26 years, 255 days in 1993).

28/08/2021 20:45 - ALLIANZ STADIUM JUVENTUS Vs EMPOLI Juventus have a 79 percent win percentage against Empoli (W19 D3 L2), their best record against any current Serie A TIM side that they have faced at least three times. Juventus have won 11 of their 12 home games against Empoli (D1) in Serie A TIM, keeping a clean sheet nine times across this run. Juventus lost their last match against a newly promoted team in Serie A TIM (0-1 against Benevento last March) - the last time they suffered two consecutive defeats against such opponents in the competition was in 1999. Juventus drew 2-2 against Udinese on MD1. Only twice in the last 51 Serie A TIM seasons have they failed to win both of their opening two matches (2010-11 and 2015-16). Juventus have conceded in each of their last 15 league games - only twice in their Serie A TIM history they have been on a longer streak without a clean sheet: 19 in April 2010 and 21 in October 1955. Empoli lost 1-3 against Lazio in last Saturday's match – they have lost their opening two games in four of the last five Serie A TIM campaigns. The woodwork was hit 10 times in total across Serie A TIM on MD1, with Juventus and Empoli making up 40 percent of that total (2 times each). could score for the 19th consecutive season in the top five European leagues. Only himself and Betis midfielder Joaquín have scored in every single season between 2003-04 and 2020-21. The next will be Juan Cuadrado's 300th appearance in Serie A TIM - the Colombian has scored three goals in his last three league appearances, as many as in his previous 85 appearances in the competition. has played 25 consecutive matches without scoring (between Empoli, Valencia, Fiorentina and Wolves), equalling his worst streak in the top five European leagues (September 2019). 29/08/2021 18:30 - LUIGI FERRARIS GENOA Vs NAPOLI Genoa won their last meeting with Napoli, ending a 17-game winless run against them in Serie A TIM (D5 L12). The Rossoblu have not won two consecutive games against the Partenopei in the top-flight since 2009 (five wins in a row). Genoa have drawn 34 games against Napoli in Serie A TIM (W25 L38), only against Fiorentina (38) have the Rossoblu recorded more draws in the tournament. In the previous 29 Serie A TIM seasons, Genoa have lost both of their first two games only once: in 2013/14 under . Napoli have scored in 27 games in a row in Serie A TIM (already a record for the Partenopei): in the history of Serie A TIM only Juventus and Milan have scored in at least 28 consecutive games. Excluding the newly promoted teams, Napoli (26 out of 26) are one of only three teams in the top five European leagues to have scored in all their games played so far in 2021, along with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. Napoli won their last four away games of last season: they haven't had five away wins in a row in Serie A TIM since February 2018 (six). After conceding goals in eight consecutive away games in the league between December 2020 and March 2021, Napoli have recorded five clean sheets in their last seven Serie A TIM away games. The last league game between Genoa and Napoli (2-1, February 2021) was decided by a brace from , who had scored only one goal in his previous 13 matches against the Partenopei (in 2008 with Lazio). He scored 19 goals in 92 Serie A TIM games for Napoli between 2011 and 2014. Napoli striker , who has always scored on his seasonal debut in the last four seasons (five goals), has never found the net in each of his first two appearances of a Serie A TIM campaign. Napoli’s Matteo Politano has scored in each of his last two Serie A TIM appearances against Genoa, while against no other side has he scored more Serie A TIM goals than his four against the Rossoblù. 29/08/2021 18:30 - MAPEI STADIUM - CITTA' DEL TRICO SASSUOLO Vs SAMPDORIA Sassuolo are unbeaten in their last four games against Sampdoria in Serie A TIM (W3 D1), although the Neroverdi have never recorded five games without defeat against Sampdoria in Serie A TIM. Sassuolo have won four of their last five home games against Sampdoria in Serie A TIM (L1), including the last two - they have never won three in a row against Sampdoria at Mapei Stadium. Sassuolo could win their first two Serie A TIM games of the season for the second time in their history, also doing so in 2015/16 with on the bench. Sassuolo have scored in their last 14 league games; in their Serie A TIM history they have never found the net in 15 consecutive games (also scored in 14 in a row between December 2020 and March 2021). In the previous 35 Serie A TIM seasons, Sampdoria have lost their first two league games only three times - the last two came in the two most recent seasons in 2019/20 and 2020/21 (also 2004/05). Sassuolo could record consecutive clean sheets in a row at home in Serie A TIM for the first time since April 2019. After their win against Hellas Verona, can become the first coach to win his first two Serie A TIM games with Sassuolo. has scored five goals in his last four Serie A TIM meetings against Sampdoria (including four at the MAPEI Stadium); moreover, his last hat-trick in the competition came against Sampdoria, in September 2019 on MD2. Sampdoria striker , who could score for the 17th straight season in Serie A TIM, has been involved in four goals in his last four league games against Sassuolo (three goals, one assist).

29/08/2021 20:45 - MILAN Vs CAGLIARI Cagliari have lost more Serie A TIM games against AC Milan than against any other side (W8 D27 L43). Their last win against the Rossoneri was back in May 2017 (2-1 at Sant'Elia stadium), losing six and drawing two of eight games since. AC Milan haven’t conceded a single goal in their last five Serie A TIM games against Cagliari; the last team against which the Rossoneri recorded more clean sheets in a row in the competition was Chievo in 2016 (seven in a row). AC Milan have lost only three of their 39 home matches against Cagliari in Serie A TIM (8%); among the teams they have faced at least 20 times at home in the competition only against Hellas Verona have they a better percentage (0 defeats in 29 matches). AC Milan have haven’t conceded a goal in their last six league games, only keeping seven clean sheets in a row in Serie A TIM three times before: in February 1994 (nine), October 1993 (seven) and January 1972 (seven). AC Milan could win their first two league games of the season in two Serie A TIM campaigns in a row for the first time since 2002/03 and 2003/04, under . Cagliari are unbeaten in their last four away league games (W2 D2); since 2000, they have only had two longer unbeaten runs away from home: eight in December 2019 under and five in November 2006 under . Cagliari have drawn three of their last four league games (L1), as many as in the previous 22 Serie A TIM matches (W6 L13). (59%) has the second-highest win in percentage in Serie A TIM with AC Milan (41 wins in 70 matches), behind only Lajos Czeizler (64%: 73/114). Among the players who have scored at least five Serie A TIM goals since the start of last season, Milan’s Brahim Díaz is the only one who has not yet scored in a home game. João Pedro has not scored in any of his last four Serie A TIM games against Milan, having scored in each of his previous three; the Brazilian striker can become the fourth Cagliari player to score 3+ goals in the Rossoblu’s first two matches in the top-flight after in 1968/69 (4), in 1968/69 (3) and Pasquale Foggia in 2007 / 08 (3).

29/08/2021 20:45 - ARECHI SALERNITANA Vs ROMA After losing their first three Serie A TIM games against Roma, Salernitana won their most recent match against the Giallorossi in the top-flight, a 2-1 victory in January 1999 at Arechi Stadium. Roma are unbeaten in their last 36 games against newly promoted sides in Serie A TIM (W31 D5): only Juventus (39, between 2013 and 2019) have had a longer unbeaten streak against these opponents in the history of the competition. Roma have scored in 55 of their last 56 Serie A TIM matches against newly promoted sides, failing to score only in the 0-0 against Benevento in February 2021; they’ve scored 136 goals in these games (2.4 on average). Salernitana have won 23 games in their Serie A TIM history: 22 of these have come in home games, including their only win over Roma in 1999. Roma haven’t won any of their last seven away league games (D2 L5); the last time they recorded a longer streak without a win on the road in Serie A TIM was back in May 2000 (11, under ). Salernitana completed only 109 passes in their last Serie A TIM match, the fewest of any side, who all completed at least double that number. José Mourinho could become the third Roma manager to win his first two games in charge in Serie A TIM since 2000, after in 2009/10 and in 2013/14. Roma are the team against which Salernitana midfielder has played the most minutes in Serie A TIM without scoring (351). Two of the three midfielders to have scored the most goals in Serie A TIM in the last three seasons play for Roma: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (23 goals) and Jordan Veretout (18). Henrikh Mkhitaryan has found the net in each of his last five Serie A TIM games - only one midfielder has scored in six consecutive appearances in the competition in the three points for a win era: Erik Lamela (in 2012 with Roma).