Roma in Fiorentina riddle as Juventus look to keep pressure: Serie A Femminile Week 13 Preview
The Serie A Femminile returns from the break this weekend with log leaders AS Roma travelling to Fiorentina for a match which could redefine the title race as Juventus host troubled Sassuolo at the Juventus Centre Vinovo
League leaders AS Roma will be looking to make a definitive title statement when they clash with third place Fiorentina away at the Stadio Piero Torrini in Florence on Saturday.
Le Giallorosse will be looking to bounce back from a 4-2 league defeat at the hands of defending champions Juventus before the winter break whilst Fiorentina will be looking to build on an empathic 4-0 league win over Parma before the winter break.
The capital city side will be hoping that star gunslinger Valentina Giacinti, who tops the club’s scorers’ charts in the league with six goals, will be in top form for the crucial mission. They will also pin their hopes on former LSK Kvinner forward Sophie Roman Haug who is club second top scorer in the league with four goals.
Former LSK Kvinner forward Emilie Haavi who is club top assist raker in the league with three will also be called upon to produce her magic as Alessandro Spugna’s side seek to consolidate their position at the summit of the Serie A Femminile.
Fiorentina, on the other hand, will ride on the industry of Hungarian forward Zsanett Kaján who is club top scorer in the league with five goals. Kaján is also club joint-top assist raker in the league alongside former AC Milan forward Miriam Longo with three assists apiece.
A win for Fiorentina will see them going second on the standings should Juventus lose elsewhere.
The Viola are third on the log on 25 points from eight wins and a draw in 12 outings whilst Roma have collected 30 points from 10 wins in the same number of contests.
Meanwhile, champions Juventus will be relishing the prospects of moving to the summit of the Serie A log when they host beleaguered Sassuolo at the Juventus Centre Vinovo on Sunday afternoon.
The Bianconere will be looking to build on their dominant 4-2 league win over Roma just before the winter break whilst Sassuolo will be looking to bounce back from a 1-0 league defeat to AC Milan before the winter break and a 2-1 defeat to Fortitudo Mozzecane last weekend which knocked them out of the Coppa Italia.
Juventus were knocked out of the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) group stage following a nil-all draw with reigning champions Lyon just before Christmas having already lost the Super Coppa to Roma with a 4-3 penalty shootout defeat in the final back in November and will now have to give their all in the league and Coppa Italia this season.
Joe Montemurro’s side will pin their hopes on star forward Cristiana Girelli who has bagged eight goals in 11 appearances for Juventus and is second top scorer on the current Serie A charts. They will also turn to the services of former Bayern Munich forward Lineth Beerensteyn who has found the back of the net six times in nine appearances for Juventus in the league.
The Turin side will also call upon 22-year-old Canadian midfield wonder Julia Grosso who tops current Serie A assist charts with five. Behind her is fellow midfield compatriot Arianna Caruso who has raked four assists in 11 appearances for Juventus in the league.
Sassuolo, on the other hand, will pin their hopes on midfielder Giada Pondini who is club top scorer with three goals in the league.
Juventus are second on the standings on 27 points from eight wins and three draws in 12 encounters whilst Sassuolo are seventh on 10 points from two wins and four draws in the same number of outings.
Inter will be looking to make it two wins on the trot when they host tricky Sampdoria at the Breda Stadium Milano on Saturday afternoon.
The Milan side will be looking to build on their 2-1 win over Pomigliano before the winter break whilst Sampdoria will be looking to bounce back from eight defeats and a draw in their last nine league matches.
Rita Guarino’s side will turn to the services of on-loan Malawian forward Tabitha Chawinga who has bagged nine goals in nine appearances for Inter in the league and is top scorer on the current Serie A charts. Chawinga is also club joint-top assist raker alongside midfielder Ghoutia Karchouni with four assists apiece.
They will also task forward Elisa Polli — who has netted seven times in 11 appearances for Inter in the league and is joint-third top scorer on the current Serie A charts alongside AC Milan’s Kosovare Asllani – with the job of finding goals in their quest to return to consistency.
Le Nerrazzure are fourth on the standings on 22 points from six wins and four draws in 12 contests whilst Sampdoria are sixth on 10 points from three wins and a draw in the same numbers of campaigns.
AC Milan will be looking to make it two wins on the bounce when they host bottom-placed Parma at the Centro Sportivo Peppino Vismara on Sunday afternoon.
Maurizio Ganz’s side will be looking to build on their 1-0 win over Sassuolo in the league before the winter break whilst Parma will be looking for an elusive second win of the season.
Asllani, who is joint-third top scorer on the current Serie A charts alongside Inter’s Polli with seven goals, will be hoping that she can reproduce her goal-getting magic as Milan desperately seek to stop the slide down the log.
Rossonere midfielder Marta Mascarello, who is joint-second top assist raker on the current Serie A charts with four, will be tasked with the job of providing inch perfect passes to the forward line of Asllani, Martina Piemonte and Lindsey Thomas.
Milan are fifth on the standings on 19 points from six wins and a draw in 12 encounters whilst Parma are 10th on six points from one win and three draws in the same number of outings.
Eighth place Como host ninth place Pomigliano in a relegation battle at the Stadio Ferruccio on Saturday.
Como have collected 10 points from two wins and four draws in 12 contests whilst Pomigliano have also recorded 10 points but from three wins and a draw in the same number of encounters and are ninth place on goal difference.
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FIXTURES: Saturday 14 January, 2023 (12:30) Inter vs. Sampdoria
FIXTURES: Saturday 14 January, 2023 (12:30) Como vs. A.S.D Pomigliano
FIXTURES: Saturday 14 January, 2023 (14:30) Fiorentina vs. AS Roma
FIXTURES: Sunday 15 December, 2023 (12:30) AC Milan vs. Parma Calcio
FIXTURES: Sunday 15 December, 2023 (14:30) Juventus vs. US Sassuolo
All Times are Central European Time (CET)