Roma in litmus test, Juventus in Derby d’Italia as AC Milan face tricky Fiorentina: Serie A Femminile Week 18 Preview
AS Roma cannot afford another slip up when they face Sassuolo in a decisive clash on Saturday as Juventus host capricious Inter Milan on Sunday
AS Roma still have hopes to secure the Serie A Femminile title with five matches to go as they face a litmus test away at Sassuolo on Saturday after recording two consecutive draws against Juventus and AC Milan respectively.
The Rome side are second on the standings with 39 points from 12 wins and three draws in 17 matches.
Sassuolo, on the other hand, will be looking to rebound from a disappointing one-all draw against Empoli away last weekend, which was their third draw of the season.
Sassuolo have also lost momentum in their title chase, surrendering second place to the Alessandro Spugna coached side who will look to cement their place on the spot with a crucial win in Reggio Emilia.
The Neroverde are third on the standings and have registered 36 points from 11 wins and three draws in 17 outings and will be hunting for a crucial win against Le Giallorosse in order to keep title hopes alive.
Roma will be banking on the services of Spanish forward Paloma Lázaro who tops club scoring charts with six goals. Roma will still be without midfielder Emile Haavi who suffered a hamstring injury during their 1-0 Coppa Italia win over Empoli a fortnight ago.
Sassuolo have a large pool of stars to bank on, mainly, star strikers Lana Clelland, who is the current Serie A Femminile campaign’s second top scorer with 10 goals, and Sofia Cantore, who is the current Serie A Femminile campaign’s joint-third top scorer with eight goals and midfielder Kamila Dubcovà who has found the net seven times this season.
Sassuolo will be without star German defender Tamar Dongus who was sent off during their one-all draw with Empoli last weekend after she picked a second yellow card.
Elsewhere, champions Juventus face a puzzle when they host fifth-placed Inter Milan in the Derby d’Italia at the Juventus Training Centre in Turin on Sunday.
Buoyant after their 2-1 UEFA Women’s Champions League win over Olympique Lyonnais on Wednesday evening, the Bianconere will be looking to go past an unpredictable Inter Milan to make it 15 wins in 18 matches.
Inter Milan, on the other hand, will be looking to build on their 4-3 win over Sampdoria to make it 11 wins in 18 matches and overturn a 2-1 defeat to Juventus in the first leg back in October last year.
Juventus will have their hopes pinned on hitwoman Cristiana Girelli who looks to have recently rediscovered her goal-scoring form, bagging three crucial goals in three matches, including in their 2-1 UEFA Champions Women’s League win over Lyon on Wednesday, and has five goals for the club in the league and midfielder Valentina Cernoia who is club top scorer with six goals.
Inter Milan will be banking on star sharpshooter Tatiana Bonetti who is joint-third top scorer in the current Serie A Femminile campaign with eight goals and Cameroonian international Ajaya Nchout Njoya and French international Ghoutia Karchouni who have six goals apiece.
AC Milan have a tricky test when they host a seemingly awakening Fiorentina at the Centro Sportivo Peppino Vismara on Sunday.
The fourth-placed Milan side are coming from three consecutive draws, the latest being a one-all draw against AS Roma away last weekend and will be desperate to record a win being just two points above fifth-placed Inter Milan.
Ninth-placed Fiorentina, on the other hand, rebounded from relegation zone with a 6-0 drubbing of Hellas Verona last weekend and will be relishing the prospects of rising back to seventh with a win away in Milan.
AC Milan will turn to the services of in-form forward Lindsey Thomas who is club top scorer with seven goals.
Fiorentina will be looking up to star forward Daniela Sabatino who is current Serie A Femminile campaign with 11 goals after finding the net in their 6-0 trashing of Hellas Verona last weekend.
The visitors were, however, dealt a blow after AC Milan on-loan forward Valentina Giacinti suffered a knee injury during their 6-0 win over Verona last weekend. The club announced that the 28-year-old will return at the end of April.
Sixth-placed Sampdoria will be looking to make it nine wins in 18 matches when they host 10thplaced Napoli on Sunday.
The hosts will be looking to bounce back from their eighth defeat of the season, a 4-3 result against Inter Milan last weekend whilst the visitors will be looking to rebound from a 2-0 defeat to Juventus last weekend.
Sampdoria have registered 25 points from eight wins and one draw in 17 matches whilst Napoli have recorded 15 points from four wins and three draws in the same number of outings.
Seventh-placed Pomigliano clash with bottom-placed Hellas Verona away on Saturday.
The visitors, whose scheduled match against Lazio last weekend was postponed due to Covid-19 cases in the former’s team, will be looking to build on a 1-0 win over Inter Milan three weeks ago whilst the hosts will be looking to bounce back from a 6-0 thumping by Fiorentina last weekend.
Pomigliano have registered 19 points from six wins and one draw in 16 matches whilst Verona have just one point from one draw in 17 outings.
11thplaced Lazio’s will be relishing relegation survival prospects when they clash with Empoli at home on Saturday.
The hosts, whose scheduled match against Pomigliano last Sunday was postponed due to Covid-19 cases among the latter’s players, will be looking to build on a shock 3-1 win over Sassuolo three weeks ago whilst the visitors will be looking for their sixth win in 18 matches after recording a one-all draw against Sassuolo last weekend.
Lazio have registered a meagre seven points from two wins and one draw in 16 matches whilst Empoli are on 19 points from five wins and four draws in 17 contests.
Click on a match below to follow it Live! on forzafootball.com.
FIXTURES (Saturday): Hellas Verona vs. ASD Pomigliano (12:30hrs); Lazio vs. Empoli (14:30hrs); US Sassuolo vs. AS Roma (14:30hrs)
FIXTURES (Sunday): AC Milan vs. Fiorentina (12:30hrs); Sampdoria vs. Napoli (14:30hrs); Juventus vs. Inter Milan (14:30hrs)
All times are Central European Time (CET)