Matchday 27 TIM 2020-21 12 - 14 March 2021 12/03/2021 15:00 - OLIMPICO LAZIO Vs CROTONE Although Lazio have won three of the previous five Serie A TIM games against Crotone (D1 L1), they have never achieved two wins in a row against the Rossoblù in the Italian top-flight (2-0 in the reverse match). Considering meetings in only the second half of the season, Crotone are unbeaten in Serie A TIM against Lazio, thanks to a win in 2017 and a draw in 2018. Only against Mantova (three) have Lazio played more home Serie A TIM games without ever conceding a goal than versus Crotone (two). After starting 2021 with six wins and one draw in Serie A TIM, Lazio have lost three of their last four games (W1). Lazio have won their last six Serie A TIM home games, keeping a clean sheet in the last two: the last time they had won at least three consecutive home games in the competition without conceding goal was back in October 2015 (four). Crotone won their last Serie A TIM match (4-2 against Torino), ending a run of seven consecutive defeats. However, the Calabrians have picked up only one point against sides currently in the top half of the table this season, at least four fewer than any other team. Lazio-Crotone will be the first Serie A TIM match played on Friday at 15:00 (CET) in the 21st century. could become the second player in Lazio’s history to score at least 15 goals in five consecutive Serie A TIM campaigns, after (between 1992 and 1997). Among the teams against which Lazio’s Ciro Immobile has always scored against in Serie A TIM, Crotone is the one he has faced the most times (4/4) – his next strike in the competition will be his 150th. Crotone’s Simy has scored 10 league goals this season, as many as in his previous two campaigns in the competition. The only Nigerian player to have netted more in a single Serie A TIM season was Obafemi Martins (11 in 2004/05).

12/03/2021 20:45 - GEWISS STADIUM ATALANTA Vs SPEZIA Spezia recorded their first ever goalless draw in Serie A TIM during the reverse fixture against Atalanta this term. Atalanta failed to score in the reverse fixture against Spezia: they could fail to find the net in both seasonal matches against a promoted side for the first time since the 2013/14 campaign (two 0-2 defeats v Sassuolo). Atalanta have scored at least three goals in each of their last four Serie A TIM home meetings against promoted sides, their longest such run in the competition. Atalanta lost their last Serie A TIM match after going unbeaten in six league games – they last lost two games in a row in the competition in October 2020 (v Napoli and Sampdoria). Spezia have lost three of their last four Serie A TIM away matches (W1), as many as they had in their first nine in the competition (W3 D3). Spezia have scored only 3% of their Serie A TIM goals this season in the opening 15 minutes of play (1/33), the lowest share this term. Atalanta have conceded three of their last six Serie A TIM goals from corner situations: only Crotone, Sampdoria, Fiorentina and have conceded more such goals than the Bergamaschi so far in the competition (six). Berat Djimsiti is the Atalanta player with the most minutes played in all competitions this season (2722, at least 105 more than any teammate) – he has played 32 games so far. Should Duván Zapata find the net in this game, he will become the second player to score against each of the 20 teams currently in Serie A TIM, after Ciro Immobile. Spezia’s Emmanuel Gyasi is one of only two players competing in their first ever Serie A TIM campaign in 2020-21, to have registered both 4+ goals and 4+ assists (alongside Achraf Hakimi).

13/03/2021 15:00 - MAPEI STADIUM SASSUOLO Vs HELLAS VERONA Sassuolo have won three of the last four league games against Hellas Verona (D1), as many wins as they had achieved in the first 11 matches against the Gialloblù between Serie A TIM and (D2, L6). Sassuolo are one of the five teams against which Hellas Verona have not achieved any wins in Serie A TIM under manager Ivan Juric (D1, L2). While the Gialloblù are one of the nine teams against which the Neroverdi are unbeaten in the competition under Roberto De Zerbi. Sassuolo failed to win their last two Serie A TIM home games against Hellas Verona (D1, L1), after having won the previous two. Sassuolo have drawn six of their 12 home matches in the current campaign (W3, L3): only in 2018/19 have they posted a higher share of home draws in a single Serie A TIM season (53% vs 50% of 2020/21). Hellas Verona have won two Serie A TIM games played away from home in 2021 (D2, L3), only one fewer than in all of 2020 combined (W3, D10, L5). On average, Sassuolo have registered a shot inside the box once every three touches made in the opposition’s box in Serie A TIM this season - no team has posted a higher such ratio. No team has hit the woodwork more often in Serie A TIM this season than Hellas Verona (16 – level with AC Milan); four of them arrived in the first meeting against Sassuolo. Sassuolo striker Francesco Caputo, who is close to 50 goals in Serie A TIM (currently at 49), could score in five starts in a row for the first time in his career in the competition. Among players born in the 2000s, Hellas Verona’s Ivan Ilic has made the highest number of passes in the opposition half of the pitch in this Serie A TIM campaign (338), while Sassuolo’s Hamed Junior Traore is second both for shots attempted (26, first is Vlahovic with 57) and for chances created (25, first is Kulusevski with 31). Sassuolo are the team that Hellas Verona striker Kevin Lasagna has faced more times in Serie A TIM without ever scoring against (eight).

13/03/2021 18:00 - CIRO VIGORITO BENEVENTO Vs FIORENTINA Fiorentina have won two of their previous three meetings in Serie A TIM against Benevento (L1).

In each of the three previous Serie A TIM matches between Benevento and Fiorentina, one of the two teams has failed to score. Fiorentina have failed to win 11 of their last 14 Serie A TIM matches against newly promoted teams (D4, L7), although they won their last two such games. The last time the Viola won against all three promoted teams in a single top-flight season was in 2016/17. Benevento (D4, L3) have only collected four points in the second half of the season (fixtures v sides they are facing for the second time), after picking up six points vs the same opponents in the first part of the campaign (6 points: W2, L5). Fiorentina have lost six of their last eight Serie A TIM away games (W1, D1). However, in their last five away games against teams starting the matchday in THE bottom five positions in the table, they have collected 11 points (W3, D2). Benevento have conceded 81% of their goals in open play this season (39 out of 48), the highest share in Serie A TIM. returned to the Fiorentina bench in the reverse fixture against Benevento - so far, he has recorded a win rate of just 21% (4/19), while in his first stint with the club he won 50.5% of his Serie A TIM games (96 out of 190). Benevento’s matches have seen the fewest total shots in the second half of this Serie A TIM campaign (132 - 46 made, 86 conceded). Fiorentina is the favourite target in Serie A TIM of Gianluca Caprari (four goals). However, the Benevento player has only scored a goal in one of his last four matches against the Viola in the competition. Dusan Vlahovic of Fiorentina, who has nine goals in Serie A TIM this term, may become the third Serbian player to score double figures in a single Serie A TIM season, after Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Adem Ljajic.

13/03/2021 20:45 - LUIGI FERRARIS GENOA Vs UDINESE Genoa are winless in their last nine Serie A TIM games against Udinese (D3, L6), only against Roma (14) are they enduring a longer such current run among teams currently in the competition. Four of Genoa's last seven home matches against Udinese in Serie A TIM have ended in a draw - one win for the Rossoblùs and two for the Bianconeri. After winning five of their first eight Serie A TIM games under Davide Ballardini this term (D2, L1), Genoa are winless in their following five league matches (D3, L2). The last time the Rossoblù went on a longer winless run with Ballardini in the competition was in April 2013 (eight). Since the start of the second half of this season, Udinese are third in the Serie A TIM table with 14 points in seven matches - only Inter (21) and Juventus (16) have picked up more points in this period. Udinese are winless in seven of their last eight Serie A TIM away games (D4, L3), drawing the two most recent league games; the last time they drew three consecutive away matches in the top flight was in October 2011. Udinese have scored the fewest goals in the first half of matches in Serie A TIM this season (10), while Genoa have scored just 11 times in this period. Only 7% of Genoa's goals in Serie A TIM this campaign have come from set pieces (2/27), the lowest percentage in the division. Udinese Roberto Pereyra has been directly involved in seven goals in the current league season (three goals, four assists) - only once he has been involved in more goals in a single Serie A TIM season (eight in 2013/14). Genoa’s Ivan Radovanovic has scored three goals in Serie A TIM, including the last two against Udinese, in November 2014 and January 2018, both with Chievo. Udinese's Rodrigo de Paul has scored five goals in nine Serie A TIM matches against Genoa – each of them from outside the box: the Rossoblù are his favourite opponent in the competition. 14/03/2021 12:30 - RENATO DALL'ARA Vs SAMPDORIA Bologna have won each of their last four Serie A TIM games against Sampdoria (the last three with a score of 2-1): the Emilians have never previously recorded five consecutive victories against the Blucerchiati in the competition. Sampdoria’s last win against Bologna in an away Serie A TIM match was back in November 2003 (1-0 with ’s goal) – since then, they have had five draws and six defeats in the last 11 games on the road against the Rossoblú. Bologna have registered three draws and two defeats in their last five Serie A TIM games played at 12.30 CET - their last win at this kick-off time arrived against Sampdoria in October 2019. Bologna have lost their last two league games: the last time they registered three consecutive defeats in Serie A TIM was back in October 2020. Sampdoria have picked up two points in their last two league games and they could draw three consecutive Serie A TIM games for the first time since December 2014, under Sinisa Mihajlovic. Bologna have conceded seven goals in the first 15 minutes in Serie A TIM this season – the joint-most of any team, alongside Spezia and Benevento. 's goal in the last matchday was only the second goal conceded from outside the box by Sampdoria in Serie A TIM this season - only Juventus and Napoli (one each) have conceded fewer. Sampdoria striker Manolo Gabbiadini has scored more Serie A TIM goals against Bologna than any other opponent (6) – he has netted in both of his previous matches against the Rossoblú at DallAra. Sampdoria are Bologna winger Riccardo Orsolini's favorite target in Serie A TIM – he has netted three goals against them, all coming in his last four matches against the Blucerchiati. Bologna’s Roberto Soriano has scored eight goals in the current league season, equaling his personal record in a single Serie A TIM campaign (with Sampdoria in 2015/16). The last Italian midfielder to score 10+ goals in a single Serie A TIM season (excluding penalties) was (10 for Lazio in 2014/15).

14/03/2021 15:00 - ENNIO TARDINI PARMA Vs ROMA Roma have won eight of their last 10 Serie A TIM games against Parma (D1 L1), scoring at least two goals in each of these eight wins. Parma have lost more games against Roma than against any other side in Serie A TIM (33/53); the Giallorossi are also the team against which the Ducali have conceded the most goals in the Italian top-flight (94). Parma won their last home Serie A TIM game against Roma, in November 2019 (2-0) - only between 1990 and 1993 have they registered consecutive home wins against the Giallorossi in the competition (three in that case). Since December 2020, Parma are the only team that haven’t won a single match in the top-5 European leagues: seven draws and 10 defeats in 17 Serie A TIM games. In the last 18 league games against sides that started the MD in the last two positions of the table, Roma have achieved 16 wins (including all their last five) and two draws. Only Inter (10) and Sampdoria (nine) have scored more goals from corners than Roma (eight) in Serie A this season; on the other hand, only Crotone (eight) have conceded more goals than Parma (seven) from corners. Parma have conceded more headed goals than any other team in Serie A TIM this season (13). In the whole of the last Serie A campaign, the Ducali conceded 14 goals by headers. Roma’s Gianluca Mancini has scored the joint-most headed goals (four) in the current Serie A TIM season, alongside . No defender has netted more via headers within the top-5 European Leagues in 2020/21. Roma’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been involved in four goals (three goals and one assist) in the two Serie A TIM games he has played against Parma, although both of those have been at the Olimpico stadium. Parma's Roberto Inglese has been directly involved in four goals in his last four Serie A TIM games against Roma (three goals and one assist), although his last goal in the Italian top-flight was back in August 2020 against Lecce.

14/03/2021 15:00 - OLIMPICO GRANDE TORINO TORINO Vs INTER After remaining unbeaten in five league games in a row against the Nerazzurri (W2 D3), Torino have lost each of their last three Serie A TIM matches against Inter, conceding at least three goals in each game. Torino and Inter have shared two wins each and two draws in their last six Serie A TIM matches played in Turin; in five of these six games at least one of the two sides haven’t found the net. Inter’s last Serie A TIM defeat in a match played on Sunday at 3 p.m. was back in May 2017 against Genoa – they have recorded 11 wins and three draws since then. Torino could lose consecutive Serie A TIM matches for the first time since December 2020 (three in that case). In the last nine Serie A TIM matchdays, Inter have picked up 25 points (W8 D1), at least six more than any other side, while also conceding a league-low two goals (at least three fewer than any other team). Inter have scored 10 goals from corners in Serie A TIM this season season, just one fewer than they managed in the whole of last season (11). Torino have conceded 31% of their goals in the last 15 minutes in Serie A TIM this season (14/45), the highest percentage in the league, while their total of 14 goals conceded is also the most of any side. Torino’s Armando Izzo scored his first Serie A TIM goal against Inter in January 2015, while playing for Genoa. Indeed, two of his nine goals in the competition have been against Inter – against no other opponent has he netted more. Inter’s Lautaro Martínez has scored exactly one goal in each of his last three Serie A TIM matches against Torino - only against Cagliari has the Argentinian striker netted in more different games (four) in the competition. Milan Skriniar’s three goals have won five points for Inter in Serie A TIM this season: a joint-record for a defender in the current league season.

14/03/2021 18:00 - SARDEGNA ARENA CAGLIARI Vs JUVENTUS Juventus have won eight of their last nine Serie A TIM matches against Cagliari (L1), collecting seven clean sheets in this period. Since their return to Serie A TIM (2016/17), Cagliari have scored just three goals in nine matches against Juventus: their lowest goals per game average against any opponent in this period (0.33 per match). Cagliari won 2-0 in their last home Serie A TIM home match against Juventus: only between 1965 and 1966 have the Sardinians achieved consecutive home wins against the Bianconeri in the competition. Cagliari are unbeaten in their last three games in Serie A TIM (W2 D1): the last time they went at least four consecutive Serie A TIM games without defeat was back in December 2019 (13 in that case). Only Inter (22) have picked up more points than Juventus (19) in the last eight Serie A TIM matches: six wins, one draw and one defeat for the Bianconeri, with only three goals conceded. Juventus have only conceded 10 goals in the second half in the current league season, however six of the last 10 goals conceded by the Bianconeri in Serie A TIM have come in the second half. Cagliari have conceded each of their last six Serie A TIM goals in the second half, with five of these coming in the last 15 minutes: only Torino (14) have conceded more goals than the Sardinians (13) between the 76th minute and the final whistle in the current league season. Cagliari’s João Pedro has scored at least 13 goals after the first 26 Serie A TIM MDs for the second season in a row (16 in 2019/20); the previous Brazilian player before him to score 13+ goals at this point of the season in a single Serie A TIM campaign was Adriano in 2004/05 (14). Among the 18 stadiums in which he has played in Serie A TIM, the Sardegna Arena in Cagliari is the only one where Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t yet scored. Juventus’ has equalled his personal record in terms of assists in a single Serie A TIM campaign (six, also in 2019/20 with Fiorentina). Chiesa has been directly involved in 13 goals in the competition this term (seven goals, six assists); his most after 23 games of a single Serie A TIM campaign.

14/03/2021 20:45 - MILAN Vs NAPOLI AC Milan are unbeaten in their last four Serie A TIM matches against Napoli (W1 D3) - they last had a longer run against them in 2011 (six). AC Milan last won both season meetings against Napoli in Serie A TIM in the 2010/11 campaign, when they eventually lifted the trophy. AC Milan’s last Serie A TIM home win against Napoli was back in December 2014 (2-0 thanks to Ménez and Bonaventura’s goals) - since then, they have played out two defeats followed by three draws. AC Milan have gained as many as 56 points after 26 Serie A TIM games for the fifth time in the three points for a win era - in the previous four occasions (1995/96, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2005/06) they have always ended the season within the first two places of the table. Napoli are winless away from home since January 10th, when they won against Udinese (D1 L4). They last had a longer run without a single away win in all competitions in September 2015 (seven). Following goals from Dalot and Krunic last time out, AC Milan have now had 15 different scorers in Serie A TIM this season: only Atalanta (16) have had more this term. No side have conceded fewer Serie A TIM goals in the first half than AC Milan (nine) and Napoli (10, level with AS Roma) this season: AC Milan are the only side yet to concede a single goal in the final 15 minutes of the first half. Only (185) and Jerdy Schouten (179) have made more recoveries than AC Milan’s Franck Kessié among outfield players in Serie A TIM this season: 178 in 25 appearances, while his average of seven per game is his most in a Serie A TIM campaign. has scored the joint-most Serie A TIM goals in 2021 (level with Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Muriel) – the Napoli captain has netted eight goals this year, while he has netted six career goals against AC Milan in Serie A (three at the Meazza). Napoli’s Piotr Zielinski has been directly involved in 11 Serie A TIM goals this season (six goals, five assists), just one fewer than his current most in a single campaign, recorded back in 2016/17 (12 – five goals and seven assists).