Matchday 9 Serie A TIM 2020-21 28 - 30 November 2020 28/11/2020 15:00 - MAPEI STADIUM SASSUOLO Vs INTER Inter have lost seven Serie A TIM matches against Sassuolo, against no other team have they have suffered more defeats since 2015 (also seven against Juventus). After a streak of four consecutive defeats against Sassuolo in Serie A TIM, Inter haven’t lost any of their last three matches against the Neroverdi (W1 D2): they have never recorded a streak of four games in a row without losing against them. Sassuolo and Inter have never drawn in Serie A TIM at Mapei Stadium (four wins for the Neroverdi, three for the Nerazzurri): against no other side have Sassuolo played more games in this stadium without a draw (also against AC Milan). Sassuolo (W5 D3) are one of three teams unbeaten in Serie A TIM this season (alongside AC Milan and Juventus): only once in their history have the Neroverdi recorded a longer streak without defeat in the top-flight (11 between May and September 2015). Inter have won 15 of their 23 away Serie A TIM matches under Antonio Conte (D6 L2), more than any other team since the start of last season. Although Sassuolo (140) and Inter (126) are the teams with the most sequences with 10+ passes in Serie A TIM this season, only 21% of these (for the Neroverdi) and 22% (for the Nerazzurri) have finished with a shot or a touch in the opponent box: four teams have a higher percentage. 26% of total goals in the last 30 minutes of play in Serie A TIM this season (25/96) have been scored by Sassuolo (14) and Inter (11) combined. Domenico Berardi has scored in six of his last nine league matches against Inter. Among players currently in Serie A TIM, only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (eight) has scored more goals than the Sassuolo striker (six) against the Nerazzurri in the top-flight. Sassuolo’s Domenico Berardi is the only player to have scored 10+ goals and provided 10+ assists in Serie A TIM in 2020 calendar year. Only three other players in the top five European leagues have achieved this target so far: Bruno Fernandes, Lionel Messi and Thomas Müller. In the three points for a win era, Romelu Lukaku (seven goals in 2020/21) is one of the three players that have scored at least seven goals in their first seven seasonal Serie A TIM matches for Inter, alongside Christian Vieri (nine in 2001/02 and eight in 2002/03) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (seven in 2007/08). 28/11/2020 18:00 - CIRO VIGORITO BENEVENTO Vs JUVENTUS Benevento have scored in both Serie A TIM matches against Juventus, however they have lost both games. Juventus haven’t won in three of their last four away Serie A TIM games against newly promoted teams (D2 L1), failing to keep a clean sheet in each of their last six matches. Benevento have three wins in eight Serie A TIM games this season (L5), the same number of victories they had in their first 29 matches in their only previous Serie A TIM campaign in 2017-18. Juventus have won only one of their last eight away Serie A TIM games (D4 L3): 4-1 against Spezia - and they have conceded at least once in each of their last nine league matches on the road (17 in the period, 1.9 on average). Juventus have conceded the fewest goals in Serie A TIM for the first time since matchday 32 of last season (only six goals conceded so far). The Bianconeri could keep two clean sheets in a row in the competition for the first time since a run of three in June 2020. Only Sassuolo (5) have scored more goals from outside the box than Benevento in Serie A TIM this season (4). However, Juventus haven’t conceded a goal from outside the box so far. The current Benevento and Juventus managers, Filippo Inzaghi and Andrea Pirlo, played 156 Serie A TIM matches as teammates with AC Milan. As opponents they faced each other four times in the competition, most recently Juventus-Brescia in April 2001. Gianluca Lapadula has been involved in five of Benevento’s last seven goals in Serie A TIM (three goals and two assists), however he hasn’t faced any team in the top-flight more than Juventus without ever scoring or providing assists (four matches, level with AC Milan). Paulo Dybala netted the last of his three Serie A TIM hat-tricks against Benevento at Ciro Vigorito in April 2018. The Juventus forward is the first – and so far, only – player to have scored three goals in a single match in this stadium in the top-flight. Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 29 goals in Serie A TIM in 2020: he could reach 30 league goals in a single calendar league year for the ninth time in his career. In Serie A TIM only 11 players have reached this milestone, most recently Ciro Immobile in 2017. 28/11/2020 20:45 - GEWISS STADIUM ATALANTA Vs HELLAS VERONA Since Gian Piero Gasperini joined Atalanta, the Nerazzurri have won three of their four Serie A TIM matches against Verona (D1) – they had lost five of the previous seven matches in the competition against the Gialloblu (D2). Verona have won only one of their last 16 away Serie A TIM games against Atalanta (D6 L9), 2-1 in April 2014 with goals from Massimo Donati and Luca Toni. After starting the Serie A TIM season with four wins and two defeats, Atalanta have drawn their last two matches: only once under Gasperini have the Nerazzurri drawn three league games in a row, in May 2017. Verona's last away win in Serie A TIM was back in January 2020 (2-0 v SPAL), drawing nine and losing five since. Their run of 14 away games without a win is the longest of all current Serie A TIM sides. After scoring 13 goals in their first three Serie A TIM games this season, Atalanta have netted only five goals in their last five league games. Only Genoa (three) and Crotone (four) have scored fewer in this period. Among teams in the top half of the table, Atalanta have conceded the most goals (14). However, the Dea are the side that have the highest difference between goals conceded and Expected Goals against (9.37): a difference of 4.63. Atalanta have scored the most goals in the first half of Serie A TIM games this season (12), while in the same period Verona have conceded just three goals, with only Napoli shipping fewer (2). Josip Ilicic has scored four goals in three Serie A TIM matches against Verona with Atalanta, including his first ever hat-trick in the competition (in a 5-0 win in March 2018) – against no other side has he netted more with Atalanta in the top-flight. Atalanta's Duván Zapata is the first non-European player to have scored in each of the last eight Serie A TIM campaigns. The Colombian striker netted his first home brace in the Italian top-flight against Verona, in May 2014 with Napoli at San Paolo. Atalanta are Verona’s Miguel Veloso favorite target in Serie A TIM (two goals), including his first goal in the competition: in September 2011 with Genoa, under Alberto Malesani. 29/11/2020 12:30 - OLIMPICO LAZIO Vs UDINESE Lazio are unbeaten in their last 11 Serie A TIM games against Udinese, winning nine and keeping nine clean sheets in this run. Under Simone Inzaghi, Lazio have achieved seven wins in eight Serie A TIM matches against Udinese (D1). Since he joined the Biancocelesti in April 2016, only Gian Piero Gasperini has won more games against a single opponent (eight vs Sassuolo). Udinese haven’t scored in any of their last five away Serie A TIM games against Lazio (L5) – the last Friulian goal on the road against the Biancocelesti was back in September 2014, with Cyril Théréau scoring in a 1-0 win. Udinese haven’t conceded in either of their last two Serie A TIM games; they could keep three clean sheets in a row in the competition for the first time since March 2014. Lazio have picked up only five points in their first four home seasonal Serie A TIM games (W1 D2 L1) for the first time since 2011/12, winning their fifth match back then. Lazio have received the most cards in Serie A TIM this season (26 – 25 yellows and one red), while only Napoli (8) and Roma (10) have fewer cards than Udinese (13). The Biancocelesti have received a card every 3.8 fouls, the lowest ratio in the current league season. Udinese have scored the fewest goals in the first 30 minutes of play in Serie A TIM games this season (one). In addition, no other side have scored fewer than Udinese and Lazio in the first half of games(three). Lazio’s Ciro Immobile has been involved in 11 goals in 10 Serie A TIM games against Udinese (eight goals and three assists) – only against Sampdoria (13) has he had more goal involvements in the competition. Lazio are the team that Udinese’s Rodrigo de Paul has faced the most in Serie A TIM (seven matches) without scoring or providing an assist. 29/11/2020 15:00 - RENATO DALL'ARA BOLOGNA Vs CROTONE Crotone have won their last two Serie A TIM games against Bologna, after losing the previous two. On 21st August 2016, Crotone made their Serie A TIM debut away against Bologna, losing 0-1 thanks to a Mattia Destro goal.