Matchday 38 Serie A TIM 2020-21 22 - 23 May 2021 22/05/2021 20:45 - SARDEGNA ARENA CAGLIARI Vs GENOA The last two league games between Cagliari and Genoa ended with a 1-0 win for the Ligurian team; the Grifone have never achieved three consecutive Serie A TIM wins against this opponent. Cagliari have won six of their last eight Serie A TIM home games against Genoa (D1 L1); the Ligurian team are the one against which the Sardinians have obtained the most home wins in the competition since 2011/12. Cagliari have drawn their last two league games by a 0-0 scoreline and only once in their history have they achieved three consecutive nil-nil draws in Serie A TIM (September 1979). Cagliari are, with Napoli and Atalanta, one of only three teams unbeaten in the last seven games played in Serie A TIM (four wins and three draws). Genoa have been defeated in five of their last seven away league games, winning the other two, including their most recent such game (against Bologna, 2-0). Cagliari, with nine wins in this league campaign, could close a Serie A TIM season with fewer than 10 wins for the first time since 2014/15 (eight), the season of their last relegation to Serie B. Cagliari forward João Pedro scored three goals against Genoa in Serie A TIM (all arrived at home): one at Sant'Elia in 2017 and two at the Sardegna Arena. Genoa's Goran Pandev has scored six goals against Cagliari in Serie A TIM (more only against Livorno, seven) - the striker has not yet found an away goal in this Serie A TIM season: his last away goal dates back to July 2020 (v Udinese). Mattia Destro has scored in each of his last three Serie A TIM games against Cagliari (two goals with Bologna, the last with Genoa in the reverse fixture). Overall, the Genoa forward has scored seven goals in the competition against the Sardinians: more than against any other opponent currently in the competition. 22/05/2021 20:45 - EZIO SCIDA CROTONE Vs FIORENTINA Crotone have never kept a clean sheet against Fiorentina in Serie A TIM (seven goals conceded in five games): there have been three wins for the Viola and one for the Rossoblù (D1). Crotone's only win against Fiorentina in Serie A TIM came at Scida in October 2017 (2-1); on that occasion, the two goals scored by Budimir and Trotta were decisive, with there being only 99 seconds between the goals. Crotone have gained four points in the last two Serie A TIM games (W1 D1) and have not remained unbeaten for three consecutive games in the competition since April 2018, under Walter Zenga. In they lose, Fiorentina would end a Serie A TIM championship with less than 40 points (currently 39) for the first time since 2001/02 (22). Crotone (one) and Fiorentina (five) are two of the three teams that have earned fewer points from trailing situations in this Serie A TIM season: Parma with three among them. Crotone’s Junior Messias could become the third Brazilian to reach the double figures for goals this season in the top-5 European Leagues, after João Pedro (16) and Matheus Pereira (10) - he is currently at nine goals, on par with Neymar and Lucas Paquetá. Crotone's Simy has scored 20 Serie A TIM goals this season, just the second player to reach the milestone for a team to finish in the relegation places in the competition (Igor Protti, 24 with Bari in 1995-96). Considering all enforced relegations, David Trezeguet (23) in 2005/06, with Juventus, and Lorenzo Bettini (20) in 1954/55, with Udinese also achieved this total. This game will contain two of the top three scorers in the second half of this Serie A TIM season: Dusan Vlahovic (14 goals with Fiorentina) and Nwankwo Simy (13 goals with Crotone); among them, Cristiano Ronaldo (14 with Juventus). Dusan Vlahovic is the fourth Fiorentina player to score more than 20 goals in a Serie A TIM season during in the era of three points a win, after Gabriel Batistuta (26 in 1994/95, 21 in 1997/98, 21 in 1998/99 and 23 in 1999/2000); Enrico Chiesa (22 in 2000/01) and Luca Toni (31 in 2005/06). 22/05/2021 20:45 - LUIGI FERRARIS SAMPDORIA Vs PARMA After the 2-0 win in the reverse fixture, Sampdoria could keep a clean sheet in two consecutive Serie A TIM games against Parma for the first time since 2007 and in both seasonal matches for the first time since 1990/91. Parma won their last Serie A TIM away game against Sampdoria and could record two consecutive away wins against Sampdoria in the competition for the second time in the top flight, after 1998 and 2004. Sampdoria won (1-0) their last league match against Udinese; the Ligurians could keep a clean sheet for two consecutive Serie A TIM games for the first time since November 2019. Parma have lost their last eight league games; in Serie A TIM history, only four non-promoted teams have recorded a longer streak of defeats in a single season - Triestina in 1947, Padova in 1996, Palermo in 2016 and Udinese in 2018. Parma have lost only one of their last eight games on matchday 38 of a Serie A TIM campaign (1-2 v Roma in 2019) - five wins and two draws. Parma have conceded 19 headed goals this league campaign, equalling the Serie A TIM negative record of 2004/05 - even then, in 2005/06, the Ducali conceded 19 headed goals. Keita Baldé has scored three goals in six Serie A TIM games against Parma, including his first in the competition in November 2013 for Lazio. Sampdoria defender Maya Yoshida (199) may become the sixth Japanese player to reach 200 appearances in the top-5 European Leagues in the 2000s, after Makoto Hasebe, Shinji Okazaki, Takashi Inui, Hiroki Sakai and Yuto Nagatomo. Sampdoria captain Fabio Quagliarella could reach 500 Serie A TIM appearances if he plays in this game (W199 D137 L163) and could become the fifth forward to reach this milestone in the history of the competition, after Francesco Totti (619), Roberto Mancini (541), Silvio Piola (537) and Alberto Gilardino (514). Andreas Cornelius has only scored one goal in this Serie A TIM season: it is his worst scoring season in Serie A TIM; the Parma striker has served four assists: as many as he provided in total in his previous two seasons in the competition. 23/05/2021 15:00 - GIUSEPPE MEAZZA INTER Vs UDINESE Inter have lost only one of their last 12 Serie A TIM matches against Udinese, collecting nine wins in this period (D2). Inter have kept a clean sheet in their last six league games against Udinese; only against Reggina (11), between 2003 and 2008, have the Nerazzurri had a longer streak without conceding against a single opponent in the competition. After keeping a clean sheet at the Meazza in the last two Serie A TIM seasons against Udinese, Inter could collect three clean sheets in a row at home against the Friuliani for the first time in their Serie A TIM history. Inter will become the first team in Serie A TIM history A to reach 3000 games in the competition: 1495 wins, 834 draws and 670 losses so far. After losing against Juventus in the last league game, Inter could lose two consecutive Serie A TIM matches for the second time under Antonio Conte (vs Lazio and Juventus between February and March 2020). Udinese lost 0-1 against Sampdoria last time out and could fail to score in two consecutive matches in the competition for the first time since October 2020 (three). Udinese have conceded 13 goals from penalties in Serie A TIM this term: a record for a team in a single Serie A TIM season since 1994/95 Samir Handanovic (currently 328 games) is close to overtaking Walter Zenga (328) to become the Inter goalkeeper with the most appearances in Serie A TIM. Since his debut in the Italian top flight (with Udinese in 2004/05), Handanovic has kept a clean sheet in 180 full matches in the competition - more than any other goalkeeper (including 14 clean sheets in the current season). Among the current players with fewer than 100 appearances in the Top-5 European Leagues, only Wolfsburg's Wout Weghorst (70) has been directly involved in more goals than Inter striker Lautaro Martinez: 46 (36 goals and 10 assists in 99 appearances), level with Lucas Alario and Erling Haaland. Udinese’s Rodrigo de Paul could become the fifth Argentine midfielder to score 10+ goals in a single Serie A TIM season (since 1994/95), after Franco Vázquez (10 in 2014/15), Javier Pastore (11 in 2010/11), Erik Lamela (15 in 2012/13), and Papu Gómez (16 in 2016/17). 23/05/2021 20:45 - GEWISS STADIUM ATALANTA Vs MILAN Milan have only achieved one win in their last 11 Serie A TIM games against Atalanta (D6 L4): a 3-1 away win in February 2019, with Gennaro Gattuso on the bench. Atalanta won their last home game against Milan in Serie A TIM (5-0) - only once in their history have the Nerazzurri have achieved two consecutive home wins against the Rossoneri in the competition, between 2006 and 2008. Atalanta could win eight home games in a row for the first time in their history in Serie A TIM: they are currently at seven, while having also achieved seven wins in 1948, 1968 and 2020.