Whoever thought that Serie A was a foregone conclusion was given a harsh reality check in gameweek 31 as all the top three sides dropped points, and plenty of activity happened at the bottom end of the table as well.
AC Milan’s surprising 4-2 win over league leaders Juventus gave us another reminder that the Italian top-flight is no longer a league where other teams play catch-up with the Old Lady.
Moreover, second-placed Lazio fell to a demoralising 1-2 defeat at the hands of relegation-threatened Lecce, in one of the major upsets of the week.
Later, Inter Milan shared the spoils with Hellas Verona in a 2-2 draw, which means the race for European places is starting to heat up.
In the upcoming round of fixtures, Juventus are set to host Serie A’s in-form side Atalanta, while Napoli will welcome AC Milan to their den.
That, and many more tricky games await us in gameweek 32, so without further ado, let’s get straight into the thick of the action.
Lazio vs Sassuolo (Prediction: 1-1)
Ever since Serie A resumed post the COVID-19-enforced break, Lazio seem to have lost the momentum which got them so close to Juventus.
Forget the Scudetto, the Eagles are now in danger of missing out on Champions League football next season if they fail to buck the current trend. In gameweek 32, Lazio will play hosts to Sassuolo, who are in eighth place on the standings.
The visitors are on a three-match winning streak and could do a lot of damage at Stadio Olimpico if the hosts don’t up the ante on Saturday night.
Brescia vs AS Roma (Prediction: 1-2)
19th-placed Brescia face another uphill task this weekeed, after their away trip to Torino in mid-week ended 3-1 in favour of the hosts.
AS Roma will travel to the Stadio Mario Rigamonti, hoping to keep the momentum going as they are embroiled in a dogged race to qualify for the Europa League alongside Napoli.
Having edged out Parma narrowly of late, the visitors will be hoping to make light work of Brescia, who have been very inconsistent in recent weeks.
Juventus vs Atalanta (Prediction: 2-2)
After losing to AC Milan, Juventus face another tough test in the form of Atalanta on Saturday night. The visitors have risen to third on the standings on the back of their nine-game winning streak in Serie A.
Being in such impeccable form, Atalanta will hope to give a tough fight to the league leaders, who will be raring to get back to winning ways.
This is a very crucial game, arguably the match that could influence Juventus’ title credentials.
Genoa vs SPAL (Prediction: 2-1)
Lecce’s win over Lazio in mid-week enabled them to leapfrog Genoa into 17th place, meaning the latter are now one point away from safety, having dropped into 18th, on the back of their recent 2-1 loss at home against Napoli.
Genoa cannot afford to drop any more points, starting with their next home assignment against SPAL, who remain rooted to the foot of Serie A table.
Having tasted a 3-0 defeat at home to Udinese, SPAL look all but destined to fall into the second division.
Parma vs Bologna (Prediction: 1-1)
The clash of two mid-table sides on Sunday night between Parma and Bologna should be an evenly contested affair, given both are on the same page.
Parma, the hosts, are in the midst of a four-game losing streak, and subsequently, they have fallen to 12th on Serie A standings, two points behind their opponents of the weekend.
Bologna are further up in 10th place but have been equally inconsistent lately, and this is why the game at Ennio Tardini has the makings of an epic encounter.
Fiorentina vs Hellas Verona (Prediction: 0-1)
It has been a season to forget for Fiorentina this term as they are languishing in 13th place on the Serie A table, struggling to pick up points since the restart.
Next up for La Viola is a home game against Hellas Verona, who come into this fixture, having played a 2-2 draw with Inter Milan.
The visitors have fallen to ninth on the table, but they have a good chance to pick up all three points against a struggling Fiorentina team over the weekend.
Cagliari vs Lecce (Prediction: 2-1)
11th-placed Cagliari will host giant-killers, Lecce, at the Sardegna Arena, hoping to rise up into the top half of the table. They played out a 0-0 stalemate with Fiorentina lately, although, against Lecce, Cagliari will be the favourites to pick up all three points.
The visitors will be hoping to build on their most recent win over Lazio, however, away from home, their recent record hasn’t been impressive by any means, given their previous away win came against Fiorentina at the beginning of December last year.
Udinese vs Sampdoria (Prediction: 2-1)
Two teams who are in desperate need of points, Udinese and Sampdoria will go head to head in gameweek 32 of Serie A at the Dacia Arena. The hosts are 14th on the standings, two places above Sampdoria, who are hovering above the drop zone in 16th.
Udinese ousted SPAL in mid-week to pick up their win since the league’s restart, although Sampdoria’s winning run was halted by Atalanta recently.
The winner of this game will all but prolong their stay in the top-flight, which means both teams will be hoping to give it their all on Sunday night.
Napoli vs AC Milan (Prediction: 3-2)
Gennaro Gattuso will welcome his former employers, AC Milan to the Stadio San Paolo, hoping to put the breaks on the visitors’ recent winning run.
Only two points separate these two sides who are sixth and seventh, respectively. With so much riding on this fixture and the historic rivalry between AC Milan and Napoli, expect fireworks when these two teams go head to head in gameweek 32.
Inter Milan vs Torino (Prediction: 2-2)
Antonio Conte’s team were expected to challenge Juventus for the Serie A title, but now they’re fighting to hold on to a Champions League spot, having fallen to fourth on the table.
Inter Milan’s recent 2-2 draw with Hellas Verona further highlighted their recent struggles and Torino will be hoping to take advantage of that when they travel to the San Siro on Monday night.
Having defeated Brescia by a 3-1 scoreline in mid-week, can the Turin-based club keep the winning run going? Only time will tell, but certainly, they will be expected to give a hard time to Inter.
Also Read: Serie A 2019-20: Results and Team of the Week | Gameweek 31