Juventus date lowly Lazio as Roma, Milan look to keep pressure: Serie A Femminile Week 20 Preview
Champions Juventus will be looking to make it four wins in a row when they travel to the capital to face relegation-haunted Lazio on Sunday.
The Turin side have regained their form lately after some setbacks, recording three comfortable wins on the trot — their 3-1 win over Sampdoria before the break being the latest — and needing two wins from the last three matches to secure the title.
Lazio, on the other hand, have managed just two wins in their last five matches and drew one-all with ASD Pomigliano when they played their game in hand last weekend.
Juventus top the log with 50 points from 16 wins and two draws in 19 matches whilst Lazio are 11th with a dozen points from three wins and three draws in the same number of outings. The hosts can still survive relegation provided they win all their remaining matches and the two teams above them lose theirs.
Juventus will be banking on club top scorer Cristiana Girelli, who recently rediscovered her scoring boots, to lead the charges. The Italian international has scored six goals for the Bianconere this season.
Elsewhere, second place AS Roma will look to maintain pressure on log leaders Juventus when they travel to ninth place Fiorentina on Saturday.
The visitors shall be looking to build on their 7-1 destruction of bottom place Hellas Verona before the break whilst the hosts, whose campaign has capsized and are facing relegation, will be looking to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat to Inter Milan before the break.
Roma have registered 45 points from 14 wins and three draws in 19 matches whilst Fiorentina have recorded 18 points from five wins and three draws in the same outings.
Le Giallorosse will be banking on club top scorer Paloma Lázaro to lead them to their 15th win of the season. The Spaniard has found the net eight times for Roma this season whilst Fiorentina will be banking on Italian international Daniela Sabatino who is joint-top scorer in the current Serie A Femminile campaign with 11 goals.
The hosts also welcome AC Milan on-loan forward Valentina Giacinti, who has been out with injury since 20 March.
Third place AC Milan shall be looking to maintain pressure on champions league spots when they host seventh place ASD Pomigliano on Sunday.
The Milan side will be looking to build on their 3-0 win over Empoli before the break, which was their second win in five matches, whilst Pomigliano will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing one-all draw with Lazio last weekend.
Milan have recorded 40 points from 12 wins and four draws in 19 contests whilst Pomigliano have registered 20 points from six wins and two draws in the same matches and are not yet safe from relegation.
Maurizio Ganz’s side will turn to the servicers of French forward Lindsey Thomas who is joint-third top scorer in the current Serie A Femminile campaign with nine goals.
Fourth place US Sassuolo shall be looking to mount a last-minute challenge for champions league football when they host 10thplace Napoli on Sunday.
The Neroverde have struggled and have managed only one win in their last five matches and will be looking to build on their 3-0 win over Pomigliano before the break whilst Napoli have also managed one win in their last five matches and will be looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Lazio before the break.
Sassuolo are 11 points away from log leaders Juventus and have recorded 12 wins, three draws and four losses whilst Napoli have registered 15 points from four wins and three draws in 19 matches.
The hosts will be looking up to forward Lana Clelland who is joint-top scorer in the current Serie A Femminile campaign with 11 goals. The Scottish international has appeared 18 times for Sassuolo in the league this season.
Fifth place Inter Milan travel to bottom place Hellas Verona on Saturday.
Rita Guarino’s side have managed only two wins in their last five matches and will be looking to build on their 2-0 win over Fiorentina before the break whilst Hellas Verona will be looking to bounce back from their 17th defeat of the season, a humiliating 7-1 drubbing at the hands of AS Roma before the break.
Inter have registered 35 points from 11 wins and two draws in 19 encounters whilst Verona have recorded a meagre four points from one win and one draw in the same number of contests.
Guarino will put her hopes in forward Tatiana Bonetti to fire her troops to their 12th win of the season. The Italian international has found the net nine times for Inter and is joint-third top scorer with AC Milan’s Lindsey Thomas in the current Serie A Femminile campaign.
Verona’s fate has been sealed and they cannot escape relegation even if they win all their remaining matches.
Sixth place Sampdoria face off with eighth place Empoli at home on Saturday.
The hosts will be looking to bounce back from a 3-1 defeat to champions Juventus before the break whilst the visitors will be looking to bounce back from a 3-0 defeat to AC Milan before the break.
Empoli are not safe from relegation and will turn to the industry of forward Stefania Tarenzi who has found the back of the net for the hosts six times in this campaign.
Sampdoria have recorded 28 points from nine wins and one draw in 19 outings whilst Empoli have recorded 20 points from five wins and five draws in the same number of contests.
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FIXTURES (Saturday): Hellas Verona vs. Internazionale (12:30); Sampdoria vs. Empoli (14:30); Fiorentina vs. AS Roma (14:30)
FIXTURES (Sunday): Lazio vs. Juventus (12:30); Sassuolo vs. Napoli (14:30); AC Milan vs. ASD Pomigliano (14:30)
All times are Central European Time (CET)