SPAL vs Bologna
Stadio Paolo Mazza, Ferrara
Saturday, 25-01-2020 @5pm
SPAL have conceded in 90% of their league games this term. The hosts have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 8 in the league. Bologna have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 15 Serie A games. The Rossoblu have seen BTTS land in 13 of their last 14 league matches.
SPAL pulled off one of the shocks of the season on Monday night, as they fought back to win 2-1 at Champions League contenders Atalanta. That took SPAL off the bottom of the table, with the club now hoping to push towards safety for the third season in a row. Their impressive spell at this level could be extended, but can they see off Bologna on Saturday afternoon?
SPAL may have a massive result behind them, but they need to add to that regularly to survive the drop from the top flight. The good news for the home side is that they’ve done that quite well over the years. Their two seasons in the top flight following promotion have seen them put together long stretches of good form, enough to take them clear of danger.
However, they’ll need to iron out their problems in the league and that could prove too much as they try to stage a third unlikely survival bid. The issue for the hosts is that they’ve conceded far too many goals this term, failing to keep a clean sheet in 90% of their league games this term. They’ve conceded in eight on the bounce in Serie A, keeping only one home clean sheet this term.
Fiorentina vs Genoa
Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence
Saturday, 25-01-2020 @8pm
Fiorentina have won their last 3 games. Genoa have failed to win their last 19 trips in Serie A. The Grifone have conceded 2+ goals in 8 of their last 10 trips. Genoa have lost 4 of their last 5 league games.
Fiorentina are enjoying an incredible turnaround in fortunes, with the club now on a three-match winning streak. Suddenly la Viola look good to avoid the drop, even with only two of those victories coming in Serie A. They’ve been lifted nine points above the drop zone, while their other victory has them in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.
New manager Beppe Iachini is having a fantastic start to his reign, with big victories against Atalanta and away to Napoli putting them in a great position for the rest of the season. Can they follow it up at home to a struggling Genoa side?
Genoa have failed to win their last 19 matches on the road in Serie A, so this isn’t a problem which has just impacted the current campaign. The visitors have a season’s worth of dire results on their travels, which has put them in major trouble. Genoa fell into the relegation fight last term, while they come into the weekend bottom of the Serie A table.
Not only that, but Genoa have the worst return on the road of any side in Serie A. The visitors have claimed just four points from their 10 matches so far, failing to win any. They head into this clash having shipped two goals or more in eight of their last 10 trips, averaging 2.6 goals against per away match for the season.
Torino vs Atalanta
Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, Torino
Saturday, 25-01-2020 @10:45pm
Atalanta have failed to win in their last 3 games. None of la Dea’s last 7 trips to Torino have ended in victory. Torino have lost 1 of their last 6 meetings with Atalanta, winning the reverse fixture 3-2. Outside of the bottom 6, Atalanta have failed to win 4 of their 5 away trips in Serie A this term.
Atalanta’s push for the top four took a hit on Monday night, with a disappointing loss at home to SPAL. Going down to the side who started the clash bottom of the league has shaken Atalanta – who are now winless in three – while many of their players called the defeat a wake up call. However, will that prove to be the case as they make a difficult trip to Turin this weekend?
The visitors may call their latest defeat galvanising, but they need to go out on the pitch and prove that. The visitors are in the midst of a long season, especially with Champions League football to contend with. They have the tantalising prospect of Valencia in the last 16 of the competition, opening the door for this side to be the 2020 edition of Ajax or Monaco.
However, those long-term highlights can wait, as Atalanta have a tough clash this weekend. The visitors come into this game winless in their last seven visits to Torino, including last season’s 2-0 loss in Turin. They’ve scored just three times across their last six trips here, while the visitors already lost 3-2 at home to Torino earlier this season. Can Torino build on a run of one loss in six clashes with Atalanta?
The upcoming Serie A fixtures
Sunday, 26-01-2020
-Inter Milan vs Cagliari @2:30pm
-Hellas Verona vs Lecce @5pm
-Sampdoria vs Sassuolo @5pm
-Parma vs Udinese @5pm
-Roma vs Lazio @8pm
-Napoli vs Juventus @10:45pm
Friday’s result
-Brescia 0-1 AC Milan
