Fiorentina v Empoli

Empoli’s free-fall since their impressive early-season form is showing no sign of stopping anytime soon, so a short trip within Tuscany to take on Fiorentina in Serie A’s Tuscan derby is probably not how they would’ve wanted to mark their return from the international break. It’s hard to look beyond a home win for this.

The Azzurri, though, have managed to win four of their last six in Serie A against La Viola, having won just two of their previous 17 against them in the top flight. When they met back in November, Empoli scored in the 87th and 89th minute to rule Dusan Vlahovic’s opening goal worthless for Vincenzo Italiano’s side.

But Fiorentina will want revenge, and they’re not out of the running for a European finish just yet. They’re Tuscany’s big side and will want to once again show that when Empoli visit the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Fiorentina have scored more times against Empoli than anybody they’ve faced more than 15 times this century (1.8 goals per game), they’ve won five of their last eight at home to Sunday’s visitors, eight of their last 11 at home in Serie A, and Empoli are winless in 13 – which is the longest winless run in the Italy’s top flight.

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Atalanta v Napoli

Napoli will be given a less-than-warm welcome as they make the trip north to face Atalanta at Bergamo’s Gewiss Stadium on Saturday afternoon in a game that means so much to both sides.

Napoli know that only a win will suffice as they seek to maintain pressure on Serie A leaders AC Milan, currently three points clear at the top, and to ensure they end the weekend above Inter, with the Nerazzurri hosting Juventus later in the day.

Bergamo hasn’t always been a happy hunting ground for the Partenopei, though, and Atalanta have won four of their last six against Napoli in Serie A – including each of the last two. Napoli will take something from the fact that only once in their history have La Dea won three in a row against them, between 1997 and 1998.

The hosts have scored in 19 of their lat 21 against Sunday’s visitors, but Atalanta have had a poor home record this term and have won on just four occasions in front of their own fans, so Luciano Spalletti’s side know that there are vulnerabilities to get at even without Victor Osimhen to call upon in attack. Napoli, for their part, have 34 points from 15 on the road this season, only having a better record at this stage in 2017/18.

Atalanta have more different goalscorers than anybody this term – 18 – and the last Serie A side to have more in a single season were Sassuolo with 19 in 2018/19. Dries Mertens has been involved in six goals in his last seven against the Bergamaschi.

Udinese v Cagliari

Although Cagliari have a lot of work to do before they can start to relax this season, the Sardinians come into Round 31 just outside the relegation places. They’ll be hoping to return from Udinese having endangered the Zebrette further, with their hosts not quite out of the woods themselves.

Both sides come into this meeting in Friuli-Venezia Giulia in form that could only kindly be described as mixed, and it’s hard to trust either to get their respective houses in order to get a result that will do much to put them on the road to survival this weekend.

Cagliari looked to be finding their form earlier this calendar year but have since regressed to their early-season form and, while Udinese are doing just that bit more than those around them so far, which they have done for several seasons now.

Udinese have won five of their last seven in Serie A against Cagliari, but lost 1-0 in their last game against them at the Dacia Arena. This season, however, they’ve lost fewer home games than anybody since October – just once against Atalanta in January.

Cagliari, meanwhile, have lost three of their last five without scoring a goal, and Joao Pedro is in his worst run of form since mid-2918/19, with just one goal in his last 13.

Sampdoria v Roma

Another side still fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table are Sampdoria, and they play hosts to Jose Mourinho’s European hopefuls Roma at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday evening.

While the two sides drew 1-1 earlier in the season, Marco Giampaolo is back in the job and that should play into Mourinho’s favour, as he’s unlikely to set his Blucerchiati side up in a way that will see them sit back. He’s fond of front-foot football, even when his side aren’t favourites, and Roma have the weapons to exploit that. Samp, though, last went unbeaten against Roma in a Serie a season in 2017/18, when Giampaolo was last in charge.

Samp have won three and lost eight of their last 11, putting them on Serie A’s longest run without a draw, but Roma are unbeaten in their last nine and have found a bit of form coming into the final stretch of games this season. They’ve three wins from their last four, and last went unbeaten in 10 games back in 2015/16, with Luciano Spalletti then leading them on a 17-game unbeaten run.

Mourinho’s men could be a threat from corners, having scored from one against Lazio. Their 11 goals from corners is the highest total in Serie A, and just one shy of their own record that has stood since 2009/10. Tammy Abraham will also be targeting Gerry Hitchens’ record as the highest-scoring Englishman in a Serie A season, with the latter netting 16 times for Inter in 1961/61, and Abraham sits on 15 this term

Juventus v Inter

The champions travel to take on the team they dethroned on Sunday night, with Juventus hosting Inter in the Derby d’Italia – always a game that Serie A fans look for when fixture lists are announced for a given season.

This time, though, it’s hard to get too excited about what awaits on the pitch, despite the consequences that this game could have on the title race and the Champions League chase. Juventus have largely failed to deliver anything in the form of entertainment this season with Massimiliano Allegri back on the bench, and Inter’s recent form has seen them fall away from being title favourites to sitting third and looking over their shoulders at Juventus closing in behind.

The Old Lady’s recent draw with AC Milan suggests that they’ll take a typically pragmatic approach into Sunday night’s game at the Allianz Stadium, and Allegri has managed to at least avoid defeat in most of his games against other top sides this season.

The two played out a 1-1 draw earlier this season, and Inter have drawn each of their last four on the road in Serie A – 0-0, 0-0, 1-1, and 1-1 – suggesting that the spoils could be shared here. Juventus have more clean sheets than anybody this season (13, along with Napoli), and they’d likely settle for a draw in Turin on Sunday.

Verona v Genoa

Sampdoria aren’t the only Genovese club facing the threat of relegation and it’s an even more pressing concern for Genoa ahead of their trip to Verona on Monday evening, with the Rossoblu currently sitting 19th despite being on an impressive run of form.

Remarkably, the Grifone haven’t lost a game since 17th January and are unbeaten in their last eight, though the first seven of those were all either 1-1 or 0-0 draws, preventing them from climbing the table as they’d have hoped to. A 1-0 win last time out against Torino, though, gives them real hope of going level on 25 points with Cagliari this weekend – depending on the result in Friuli, of course.

Given the Rossoblu’s form in 2022, it’s hard to back any side to beat them at the moment, and they’ve managed to hold Roma, Atalanta, and Inter during their recent run. What does appear certain though is that goals will continue to be at a premium in games that involve them, with no side scoring more than once in any of their games since that 6-0 loss to Fiorentina in mid-January.

Verona will be no pushovers though at the Bentegodi, and they’ve beaten Roma, Lazio, and Juventus there already this season.

AC Milan v Bologna

AC Milan have been going about their business with minimal fuss for most of the 2021/22 season so far, and they’re now within touching distance of their first Serie A title in a decade. With Bologna visiting on Monday night, they’ll be hoping to see them off in easier fashion than when they made the trip to Emilia-Romagna in the first half of the campaign.

Stefano Pioli’s side have grown and matured into the campaign, though, and they’ve become more reliable than most other sides in the title race. Since their shock 2-2 draw with Salernitana in February, there have been under 2.5 goals in each of their five games, and they’ve drawn with Inter (Coppa Italia) and beaten Napoli in that time.

They’ve also beaten Inter and Roma in Serie A, smashed Lazio, and drawn with Juventus this year, setting themselves up nicely for the season’s final stretch.

Bologna, meanwhile, will be without coach Sinisa Mihajlovic again after his health problems made an unwanted reappearance, meaning he’ll have to watch on from afar for the coming weeks.

On the pitch, none of their last four games have seen more than 2.5 goals scored, and they’re winless since 21st February and have lost their last two – against Fiorentina and Atalanta, both 1-0.

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