Inter’s law, Bologna and Lecce taboos, and the era of CR7: Previous fixtures of Matchday 15
This weekend promises a string of exciting matches in Italian football from Friday through to Monday.
The fixture between Juventus and Napoli is steeped in tradition, favouring the “Bianconeri”. However, the last victory was claimed during Andrea Pirlo’s reign, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Dybala and Insigne as the scorers. Nowadays, all three are playing for different teams on three different continents.
Verona faces off against Lazio, with a tally of 10 victories for the Venetians, as many draws and six wins for the “Biancocelesti”. Before Sarri’s arrival, Lazio had a winning streak of four consecutive matches. With the new management, that full point has not been garnered yet.
In the anticipated clash between Atalanta and Milan, the “Rossoneri” often emerge victorious, with a noteworthy last-minute win in 2014, thanks to a free-kick goal by Brienza in the sixth minute of injury time.
On the other hand, Inter Milan will be hosting Udinese. In addition to a favourable history, the recent past also rides on Inter’s side – they have an ongoing streak of five wins. Given their current top standing in the league, it’s difficult to think that the streak would be interrupted.
In their Serie A encounters, Frosinone and Torino have always had a 1-2 result favouring the latter. If the “rule of three” didn’t apply, one would bet on a repeat of that scoreline.
The matchup between Monza and Genoa is a first-time event for two teams often praised for their strong character on the pitch.
In the Salernitana vs Bologna fixture, the history points to two wins for the Campanians out of four games, with the most recent ones ending in a draw. Therefore, a victory for Salernitana’s new coach Thiago Motta at Arechi would be a significant achievement.
In their last encounter in 2019, Fiorentina managed to hold Roma to a draw. Since then, the “Viola” have only tasted defeat. If not a complex, it’s certainly a tricky scenario for the Florence team. Regardless, this encounter could potentially propel one of these teams towards a Champions League berth.
Empoli and Lecce have had close contests, with Lecce claiming a solitary point in their four previous encounters. A victory for Empoli’s coach Roberto D’Aversa would thus be a big win.
Finally, the Cagliari versus Sassuolo match has historically ended in a draw half the time. A result that Claudio Ranieri, the Cagliari coach, would certainly not prefer. However, Dionisi, Sassuolo’s manager, would also be hoping for more from this encounter.