Matchday 24 Serie A TIM 2020-21 27 February - 17 Mars 2021 27/02/2021 15:00 - ALBERTO PICCO SPEZIA Vs PARMA Parma have won none of their three games against newly promoted teams in Serie A TIM this term, drawing against Spezia in the reverse fixture, drawing against Benevento and losing against Crotone. Parma have won their last three away games in Serie A TIM played in Liguria, as many as in their previous 18 such games (D6 L9) - before this streak Parma had never won back-to-back away games against sides from this region. Spezia have won two of their last three home games in Serie A TIM (L1), having won none of their previous eight such matches in the top-flight (D3 L5). Spezia have scored 30 goals after 23 league games: amongst sides making their debut in Serie A TIM in the three points per win era, only Chievo in 2001-02 have scored more goals at this stage (41 goals). Parma have won none of their last 14 league games (D5 L9): the last side from Emilia Romagna with a longer such run in a single Serie A TIM season was Cesena in 2015 (18). Parma won their last Serie A TIM away game back in November, in Liguria, against Genoa: two draws and four defeats on the road since then. No team has conceded fewer headed goals than Spezia in Serie A TIM this term (1), while Parma are the side to concede the most such goals so far (12). Spezia defender Julian Chabot scored his only two goals in Serie A TIM against Parma, both away from home, in July and October last year. Andreas Cornelius found the net last time out in Serie A TIM, after a drought of 18 consecutive league games; he has scored at least one goal in consecutive appearances only twice in the top-flight, last doing so in January 2020. Juraj Kucka has scored in consecutive Serie A TIM games for the first time since last July (v Fiorentina and Roma), scoring both goals from the penalty spot on each occasion; the Parma midfielder has never found the net in three-straight appearances in the competition. 27/02/2021 18:00 - RENATO DALL'ARA BOLOGNA Vs LAZIO Bologna have won none of their last 15 games against Lazio in Serie A TIM (D7 L8): their second longest ongoing such run against a single side in the top-flight (17 games against Juventus). Bologna have failed to score in five out of eight home games against Lazio in Serie A TIM since 2011-12: only against Juventus (6) have they failed to score in more such matches in this period. Bologna have conceded 37 goals after their first 23 games in Serie A TIM this season, only shipping more at this stage on three occasions: 41 in 1949-50, 41 in 1955-56 and 39 in 2013-14. Bologna have drawn three of their last five home games in Serie A TIM (W1 L1), as many as in their previous 12 (W4 L5). Lazio have found the net in 19 consecutive Serie A TIM matches for the first time since 1993, only doing better in the top-flight back in 1956 (21). Lazio lost their last away match in Serie A TIM against Inter, last losing consecutive games on the road back in September 2019 in the top-flight (2). Lazio have scored three goals from direct free kicks in Serie A TIM this term, as many as Bologna have scored from this situation since 2019 in the competition. Simone Inzaghi has won 100 managerial games in his first 182 matches in Serie A TIM: only Conte (145) and Sarri (169) have reached this milestone in fewer matches amongst coaches who made their debut in the three points per win era in the Italian top-flight. Bologna forward Rodrigo Palacio has scored eight goals and provided three assists against Lazio in Serie A TIM: only against Parma (11 goals, 1 assist) has he been involved in more goals in the top flight. Lazio playmaker Luis Alberto has scored seven league goals so far this season, one more than he did in the whole of 2019-20 in Serie A TIM (6), athough he’s yet to provide a single assist, while in 2019-20 he delivered 15 league assists – while his teammate; Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has provided seven assists so far, as many as he did in his previous two top-flight seasons combined. 27/02/2021 20:45 - MARCANTONIO BENTEGODI HELLAS VERONA Vs JUVENTUS Hellas Verona have won four points in their last two matches against Juventus in Serie A TIM (W1 D1), having lost each of their previous three encounters; they could go unbeaten in three consecutive games in Serie A TIM against the Bianconeri for the first time since the 80s (4 games: W2 D2). Hellas Verona have won two of their last three home games against Juventus in Serie A TIM (L1), as many as in their previous nine such matches against them (D4 L3). A Hellas Verona victory would set their highest tally of points (currently 34) after their first 24 games of a Serie A TIM season in the three points per win era - their current record is 36 points in 2013/14. Hellas Verona have won each of their last three Serie A TIM home games, having won only one point in their previous four such matches (D1 L3), last winning four consecutive home games in Serie A TIM between January and June 2020, a run which included a victory against Juventus. Juventus have kept a clean sheet in four of their last five league games, as many as in their previous 27 – no side has kept more than Juventus in this period in Serie A TIM (level with Inter). Juventus have lost two of their last three Serie A TIM away matches (W1), as many as they had in their previous 11 such games (W4 D5). Hellas Verona are the only side to have scored 100% of their goals from inside the box in Serie A TIM this season, whilst Juventus have conceded only 5% (1/19) from outside – only Napoli and Sampdoria a lower percentage. Juventus have scored the most Serie A TIM goals in the last 15 minutes of play this season (14) – only Crotone and Parma (both one) have scored fewer than Hellas Verona (three) in this time period. Antonin Barak delivered an assist in his last game against Genoa and scored a goal in the previous one against Parma: only once before has he been involved in a goal in three consecutive Serie A TIM matches (four in 2017 for Udinese). Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more than one goal in seven Serie A TIM games this season, more than any other player in the Top-5 European Leagues – the Juventus’ striker has scored three goals in his last three league appearances, having failed to find the net in each of his previous three. 28/02/2021 12:30 - LUIGI FERRARIS SAMPDORIA Vs ATALANTA Since the 2017/18 campaign, Sampdoria have won four Serie A TIM matches against Atalanta (D1 L2), the joint-most victories against Atalanta during this period. Sampdoria have won one point in their last two Serie A TIM home matches against Atalanta: they have never failed to win three such matches in a row against them in the Serie A TIM. After three wins in four matches (L1), Sampdoria have won only one of their last four Serie A TIM games (D1 L2). Sampdoria have won three of their last four Serie A TIM home games (L1), one win more than they had in their previous nine such matches (D1 L6). The three best goal tallies Atalanta have posted after 23 MD’s of a Serie A TIM season have all come in the last three campaigns: 53 this season, 61 last term and 50 in 2018/19 – they have scored 228 goals in total in the last three campaigns, at least 33 more than any other side in the division. Atalanta have had 15 different scorers in Serie A TIM this season, more than any other side; at this stage of the competition last term, they had 13 (behind Inter and Napoli, 14). No side has scored more Serie A TIM goals after a carry than Atalanta in Serie A TIM this season: 12, alongside Inter – seven by Luis Muriel. Sampdoria have also only conceded one such goal, only Inter have conceded fewer (zero). Atalanta’s Gian Piero Gasperini has lost six of his nine Serie A TIM meetings as a manager against Claudio Ranieri (W2 D1): only against Massimiliano Allegri has he lost more games in the competition (seven in 17 matches). Sampdoria striker Fabio Quagliarella has scored 12 Serie A TIM goals against Atalanta, only against Fiorentina has he netted more (13) – he has scored two in his last three appearances against them. Atalanta striker Luis Muriel has had the best min/goals ratio in Serie A TIM this season, among the players with at least 90 minutes played (one goal every 53 minutes on average). 28/02/2021 15:00 - EZIO SCIDA CROTONE Vs CAGLIARI Crotone are the side against which Cagliari have played the most Serie A TIM games without a single defeat (W4 D1). In five Serie A TIM meetings between Cagliari and Crotone, only once has one of the two sides kept a clean sheet: the Sardinians in September 2017 (1-0). Crotone have conceded in each of their last 14 Serie A TIM home matches and they could equal the current negative run in the competition (15 by SPAL between October 2019 and August 2020 prior to their relegation).