Serie A’s next weekend arrives with several clubs carrying different kinds of pressure: Monza are trying to stop a damaging home sequence, Bologna begin a new era under Raffaele Palladino, and Roma and Inter meet with the division’s most productive attacking records on the line. Elsewhere, individual form could shape the afternoon, from Christian Pulisic’s remarkable history against Lecce to Mattia Zaccagni’s renewed influence for Lazio.
Monza seek a response against Sassuolo
Monza have lost each of their previous five Serie A matches at the U-Power Stadium. They have never suffered six consecutive home league defeats, although they also endured a five-match losing run there between November 2024 and January 2025.
Varela has created more scoring opportunities than any Monza player and is central to their hopes of ending that sequence. Michael Folorunsho is another candidate to influence the match: he ranks second in the squad for shots, yet has still not registered either a goal or an assist.
Sassuolo, meanwhile, have recorded eight counter-attacks in the opening part of the season, a league-high shared with Fiorentina. Armand Laurienté is a natural threat in those moments. He has underperformed his expected-goals figure by 1.72 and has had enough openings to suggest a return to scoring is close. Josh Doig also has the qualities to make an impact in his wide battle with Samuele Birindelli.
Palladino begins at Bologna
Palladino’s first match in charge of Bologna comes against Torino, an opponent with a favourable history at the Dall’Ara. Bologna have gone 10 home Serie A meetings with Torino without defeat, collecting four wins and six draws.
Among the current Serie A sides, Bologna possess a longer active unbeaten home run against only Cagliari, whom they have avoided defeat against in 13 such meetings. Juan Miranda, Bologna’s leading player for key passes, and Federico Bernardeschi, their most frequent crosser on average, offer useful sources of creativity.
Bernardeschi has been involved in 14 shots without recording a goal or assist. Only Douglas Luiz, with 17, and Lucas da Cunha, with 16, have had a greater shot involvement without a direct goal contribution in the early season.
Torino will look to Giovanni Simeone to change his own record. The Argentine has gone six successive league appearances without a goal, his longest such spell since joining the Granata.
Udinese and Cagliari meet in a low-scoring setting
Udinese have conceded 10 times in their first four matches, but Cagliari may offer the right occasion to restore some defensive order. The Sardinian side’s matches have produced the fewest goals per game in Serie A, averaging 1.5. Across four fixtures, there have been only six goals: four for Cagliari and two against them.
Udinese can look to Christian Kabasele for greater stability, while Mergim Vojvoda is another defensive figure capable of shaping the contest. In midfield, Jurgen Ekkelenkamp has been Udinese’s most productive player in Serie A during the 2026 calendar year, contributing six goals and four assists.
That total of 10 goal contributions is bettered among league midfielders only by Martin Baturina’s 11. Adrien Rabiot and Lucas da Cunha are level with Ekkelenkamp on 10. For Cagliari, Romano remains a dependable presence.
Roma and Inter bring the league’s leading attacks together
Roma-Inter has the numbers of a major early-season attacking confrontation. Inter have scored 13 league goals and Roma 12, the two highest totals in the division. They also lead Serie A for shots on target, with Inter on 32 and Roma on 31, while the Nerazzurri have touched the ball in the opposition area 183 times and the Giallorossi 177 times.
Wesley has one of the strongest crossing averages among Serie A defenders and could be important for Roma from wide areas. Paulo Dybala is still waiting for his first league goal despite being among the capital club’s most frequent shooters; only Donyell Malen has attempted more, by three shots.
For Inter, Piotr Zielinski offers danger from distance. Federico Dimarco has also been consistently involved in chance creation, with only Inter’s forwards producing more opportunities than the Italian wing-back.
Lazio look to Zaccagni as Venezia bring dribbling threat
Mattia Zaccagni has contributed to a goal in each of his last two Serie A appearances, his first such run since February 2025, when he extended it to three matches. He is also second only to Laurienté for shots on target without a league goal so far.
Venezia have John Yeboah as a possible outlet. He is second in Serie A for attempted dribbles and ranks second among his own team-mates for chances created. Toni Fernández has been progressing strongly and could be handed significant second-half minutes, while Nuno Tavares has the pace to test Antoine Hainaut in the wide duel.
Fiorentina and Napoli offer room for De Bruyne
Fiorentina and Napoli are the league’s two least aggressive sides in terms of high pressing. Each has recovered the ball only 17 times within 40 metres of the opposition goal, the joint-lowest figure in the championship.
The space created by that approach could suit Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian scored his first Serie A penalty in last season’s away meeting with Fiorentina at the Franchi, and he has already created 10 chances this term. No Napoli team-mate has created even half as many.
Vanoli’s Fiorentina can look to Jimenez for energy and direct running, particularly against an Olivera who has not been at his sharpest. At the other end, Milinkovic-Savic has reasons to expect a quieter afternoon than the scorelines might suggest.
Como’s travelling record meets Frosinone’s dribbling leader
Since the beginning of 2026, Como have taken more Serie A points away from home than any other club. Their 30-point haul has come from nine wins, three draws and only one defeat in 13 away fixtures.
Como also share the best away attack in the league with Inter, scoring 26 times on their travels. Four of those goals came in their most recent road match against Genoa. Baturina will want to respond after an unconvincing display against Parma, while Couto has shown the attacking instincts and shooting threat of a wide midfielder despite operating from full-back.
Frosinone have Giorgi Kvernadze, who leads Serie A both for dribbles attempted, 28, and completed, 13. Ramon also remains difficult to overlook.
Parma’s wide supply and Genoa’s away drought
Parma are expected to return to their usual 5-3-2 shape. Troilo strengthened his case with an assured performance against Como, while Emanuele Valeri remains among the league’s most creative defenders.
Valeri has produced three clear chances for team-mates, a total matched only by Ricardo Mangas and Hainaut among defenders. He has also attempted 31 crosses, including corners, more than any other player in his position.
Genoa arrive without a goal in four straight Serie A away matches, with two draws and two defeats. They have not gone five consecutive league trips without scoring since March to May 2022. That record increases the importance of Baldanzi’s invention, while Genoa’s attacking players need to end a worrying spell away from home.
Juventus carry European momentum into the Lazio match
Juventus return from an impressive Europa League victory over NEC, where new signing Alajbegović scored his first goal for the club. Even if he begins from the bench, he has given the side another attacking option.
Francisco Conceição has played the most balls into the opposition penalty area for Juventus in Serie A, with 26. Yet he is still searching for his first league goal. Only Zaccagni, with six, has attempted more shots on target without scoring than Conceição’s four; Bernardeschi, Dybala and Laurienté are also on four.
Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio will look to Jonathan Rowe’s pace and Ederson’s late runs from midfield as they seek to interrupt Juventus’ European momentum.
Pulisic has Lecce in his sights
Christian Pulisic has made Lecce his most productive Serie A opponent, scoring five goals in five meetings, including a brace on 8 March 2025. He has not started a league match since 26 April, but his assist last weekend gives him the opportunity to register a direct goal contribution in successive appearances.
Diego Moreira also arrives in good form. Across his last three outings in Ligue 1 and Serie A, the 2004-born attacker has contributed to five goals, scoring three and assisting two.
Milan can reasonably expect Mike Maignan to be important in their pursuit of a clean sheet, while Lecce’s players face a demanding assignment at the other end of the pitch.
