AC Milan vs AS Roma
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
Sunday, 28-06-2020 @6:15pm
It is a head-to-head for European football between two clubs who had hoped to be fighting for the top four rather than six, but Milan will feel more confident than Roma.
The Rossoneri came back strong after the lockdown, unlucky to lose the Coppa Italia semi-final on away goals to Juventus when down to 10 men, then flattening Lecce 4-1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still out of action, but Ante Rebic is more than comfortable filling in as a more mobile centre-forward, supported by Samu Castillejo, Hakan Calhanoglu and Giacomo Bonaventura. Simon Kjaer is a major doubt in defence, so Matteo Gabbia is likely to step in.
Roma fought back to beat Sampdoria 2-1 in their first game since March, thanks to a brace of Edin Dzeko volleys. Paulo Fonseca should rotate his squad, with Gianluca Mancini returning from injury, Cengiz Under and Lorenzo Pellegrini stepping in for Carles Perez and Javier Pastore.
Ante Rebic has scored 44 per cent of all Milan’s Serie A goals in 2020, seven out of a total 16.
Udinese vs Atalanta
Darcia Arena, Udine
Sunday, 28-06-2020 @8:30pm
Atalanta look positively unstoppable at the moment and are now just four points behind third-placed Inter, whereas Udinese are hovering above the drop zone.
La Dea not only started where they left off before the lockdown, they seem to have become even stronger. Fighting back from 2-0 down to end Lazio’s 21-round unbeaten run was no mean feat, and now they’ve got Josip Ilicic back from the start after a minor sprain. Mario Pasalic returns from suspension and Luis Muriel could take over from fellow Colombian Duvan Zapata in an explosive attack.
Udinese’s 1-0 defeat to Torino was disastrous for several reasons, as they are just three points clear of the relegation zone, lost Rolando Mandragora for the rest of the season to a serious knee injury and have star man Rodrigo De Paul suspended. Jens Stryger-Larsen could end up taking a more central midfield role.
Udinese have lost their last four Serie A meetings with Atalanta, scoring two goals and conceding 14. Admittedly, half of those were in the 7-1 drubbing in October.
Sampdoria vs Bologna
Stadio Cumunale Luigi Ferraris
Sunday, 28-06-2020 @8:30pm
Sampdoria keep suffering narrow defeats to big clubs and remain one point clear of the relegation zone, whereas Bologna haven’t quite got going yet.
The Blucerchiati have lost 2-1 to both Inter in the rescheduled Week 25 game and to Roma midweek, having taken the lead at the Stadio Olimpico, all without top scorer Fabio Quagliarella. Manolo Gabbiadini faces his former club and will be partnered by either Gaston Ramirez or Federico Bonazzoli.
Bologna returned from the lockdown with a disappointing performance in their 2-0 defeat to Juventus. Andreas Skov-Olsen and Federico Santander are still injured, but Mattia Bani and Jerdy Schouten return from suspension.
Bologna have not beaten Sampdoria at Marassi in 12 Serie A visits, emerging with just three draws.
Sasoulo vs Hellas Verona
MAPEI Stadium, Reggio nell’Emilia
Sunday, 28-06-2020 @8:30pm
Verona are feeling a little deflated after their defeat to Napoli, but are still in the hunt for European places, while Sassuolo clawed back a 3-3 draw at Inter.
Davide Faraoni is suspended, joining Fabio Borini and Valentin Eysseric on the treatment table, so Claud Adjapong should step in to the Hellas midfield.
The Neroverdi impressed when fighting to hold Inter at San Siro in a six-goal thriller, and although they lost 4-1 to Atalanta, the performance did not reflect the result. This is an all-attacking team and Roberto De Zerbi just extended his contract, hoping to replicate the kind of exciting football played by Ivan Juric’s Verona. It all points to goals at the Mapei Stadium.
This Serie A fixture has never been a draw, with two wins each in Reggio-Emilia.
Napoli vs SPAL
Stadio San Paolo, Naples
Sunday, 28-06-202 @8:30pm
Gennaro Gattuso’s Napoli are flying high after their Coppa Italia victory and win over Verona, but only Brescia are keeping SPAL off rock bottom.
The Partenopei have been transformed since Gattuso took over from Carlo Ancelotti in December. Crucially, they are now guaranteed Europa League football after winning the Coppa Italia, so can play in Serie A without pressure and try the seemingly impossible feat of catching up to the top four. Dries Mertens signing a new contract further boosted their confidence levels, although Arkadiusz Milik and Jose Callejon do seem destined for the exit. Kostas Manolas could return from injury and give Kalidou Koulibaly a break.
SPAL are one point off bottom club Brescia and the change of management to Gigi Di Biagio has not brought results. Last week’s 1-0 home defeat to Cagliari in stoppages was devastating for their chances of survival and left them eight points off the safety zone.
Andrea Petagna signed for Napoli in January and asked to remain at SPAL on loan for the rest of the season to help keep them in the top flight, but it doesn’t look as if he’ll get the farewell party he wanted.
SPAL have picked up one point from their last 12 Serie A meetings with Napoli, a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in October.
Parma vs Inter Milan
Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma
Sunday, 28-06-2020 @10:45pm
Inter have really stuttered since the lockdown and a 3-3 draw with Sassuolo practically ruled them out of the Scudetto race, but Parma are well in the fight for Europa League spots.
Antonio Conte’s men already struggled to beat Sampdoria 2-1 in the rescheduled Week 25 fixture and went out of the Coppa Italia semi-final to Napoli, but fumbling the lead twice for a 3-3 draw with Sassuolo at San Siro really brought the mood down and left them eight points adrift of the leaders.
Milan Skriniar begins a three-match ban, with Stefano Sensi and Matias Vecino injured, Marcelo Brozovic and Lautaro Martinez not 100 per cent fit either.
Parma, meanwhile, are fresh from a 4-1 victory away to Genoa with an Andreas Cornelius hat-trick, which put them in joint seventh place with Milan, leapfrogging Hellas Verona. It’s possible Yann Karamoh will be given the nod against his parent club rather than Gervinho, completing the trident with Dejan Kulusevski.
Inter have lost their last two Serie A away fixtures, but haven’t made it three straight defeats on their travels since May 2017.
Friday, 26-06-2020
-Juventus 4-0 Lecce
Saturday, 27-06-2020
-Brescia 2-2 Genoa
-Cagliari 4-2 Torino
-Lazio 2-1 Fiorentina
