Serie A Matchweek Three will kick off this Saturday, September 14 with Juventus taking on Fiorentina. Plenty more exciting matches fill up the schedule, so here’s what to look for during the weekend.
Serie A Matchweek Three Preview
Juventus Versus Fiorentina- Serie A Matchweek Three Game of the Weekend
Fiorentina entered the Serie A campaign with high hopes. New ownership and new signings were supposed to vault La Viola back into European contention. Although it is still early, Fiorentina have yet to earn a point. They looked strong versus Napoli but ultimately fell short. Matchday two saw a disappointing loss to Genoa.
Juventus, on the other hand, have picked up from where they left off last season. They’ve won both of their first matches, including a thriller versus heated rivals Napoli. Giorgio Chiellini, however, is set to miss an extended period of time due to a torn ACL injury. Although Matthijs de Ligt will likely be his fill-in and as good of an option as one can find, Chiellini is still the captain and soul of il Bianconero.
In a weekend with lower profile match-ups, Fiorentina and Juventus may prove to be exciting. Juventus’s defence looked somewhat lost last matchday, something that the likes of Federico Chiesa, Franck Ribéry, and Kevin Prince-Boateng will want to expose. Another thing to watch will be Cristiano Ronaldo’s play, fresh off of a four-goal performance in the UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers.
Napoli’s New-Look Defence
Kalidou Koulibaly is arguably the top defender in all of Italy. This summer saw the addition of Kostas Manolas to Napoli as well, a move that was supposed to rival the elite centre-back groups of Juventus and Inter Milan. So far, it hasn’t looked this way. Napoli have conceded seven goals in their first two games.
These games did come versus the league’s better attacks in Juventus and Fiorentina, but Napoli cannot rely on scoring three or more goals in order to win, especially in European competition. They play Sampdoria this weekend, who have struggled in being outscored seven goals to one in two matches.
Sampdoria can claim last season’s Capocannoniere winner in Fabio Quagliarella, so Napoli’s new central pairing will once again have their hands full. Koulibaly and Manolas must establish some chemistry before their vital Champions League fixture versus Liverpool next week.
Can Torino Continue to Stay Hot?
Torino were disappointed in getting knocked out of the Europa League early on by Wolverhampton Wanderers. They’ve made it there mission to make it back to that position next season, or perhaps an even better one.
Torino boasts two of the league’s better strikers. Andrea Belotti is still on the brink of a big move, while Simone Zaza continues to produce silently. The duo showed their attacking prowess during Matchday One versus Sassuolo. The week after, il Toro took down Champions League squad Atalanta through a very balanced attack.
Torino take on newly-promoted Lecce this week and struggling Sampdoria next week. They will look to rack up as many points possible before an 11-day span which sees them take on AC Milan, Parma and Napoli.
The Juxtaposed Milanese Giants
Inter Milan sit at first in the Serie A table after two victories and outscoring opponents by six goals to one. Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez are proving to be a lethal duo, and the team has yet to debut Alexis Sánchez. Furthermore, the defence has not reached its true potential yet with Diego Godín yet to secure a start.
Udinese is Il Nerazzurri’s next target. Inter’s neighbours in AC Milan have already fallen victim to them, so Inter will surely try to send a message this weekend.
AC Milan, on the other hand, won their second match of the season after their disappointing opening loss to Udinese. A switch in formation was key. New manager Marco Giampaolo discovered that star man Suso performs better on the wing than through the middle.
Milan visit Hellas Verona, a newly-promoted side, this weekend. They will look to extend their winning streak and introduce new signing Ante Rebić, before next week’s crucial Derby Della Madonnina.
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