Predictions for the 16th round of Serie A, December 20-21
Lazio – Cremonese
Lazio's progress in recent rounds is hard to miss. At the start of the season, the team regularly dropped points due to a shortage of players, but now they have almost stopped losing. In their last 12 matches, the "Eagles" have only been defeated twice – by Inter (0:2) and Milan (0:1), who occupy the top spots in the table. Cremonese, after a bright start to the season, has noticeably slowed down and is increasingly suffering defeats. In this situation, the hosts have a good chance of securing three points.
Match Prediction for Lazio vs. Cremonese: home win
Juventus – Roma
The central match of the round will take place in Turin and will be of significant importance for both teams, despite the fact that the championship has not yet reached its midpoint. Juventus is in fifth place with 26 points, while Roma is in fourth place with 30 points. A defeat for the hosts could seriously impact their psychological state and complicate their fight for the top 4. At the same time, the "Wolves" are clearly not interested in allowing a direct competitor to get too close. In such a situation, cautious football is expected, where a single episode could decide the outcome. Especially since in the last six head-to-head matches, the teams have scored no more than two goals combined.
Match Prediction for Juventus vs. Roma: total under 2.5 goals
Cagliari – Pisa
Pisa approaches the upcoming clash in a less than ideal mood. The team has suffered three consecutive defeats and failed to score even a single goal in all these matches. However, the game against Cagliari seems like a good opportunity to break the losing streak. The "Islanders" are extremely unreliable in defense and have only secured one victory since the end of September – against Roma (1:0), who played almost the entire second half with a man down. In this situation, Pisa has every chance to achieve a favorable result.
Match Prediction for Cagliari vs. Pisa: visitors will not lose
Sassuolo – Torino
Sassuolo, after returning to the elite, is feeling very confident. After 15 rounds, the team is in ninth place with 21 points, and the gap from the top 6 is only four points. Torino, on the other hand, continues to perform very inconsistently – the players have not yet fully adapted to Marco Baroni's requirements. Only in the previous round did the "Bulls" manage to break a six-match winless streak by narrowly defeating Cremonese at home (1:0). Under these conditions, Sassuolo is quite capable of handling the Turin side on their home turf.
Match Prediction for Sassuolo vs. Torino: home win with handicap (0)
Fiorentina – Udinese
The appointment of Paolo Vanoli as the head coach of Fiorentina has not yet impacted the team's results. The "Violas" continue to lose to everyone in the championship and only worsen their position in the table. In the last round, Fiorentina suffered a home defeat to Verona (1:2), who were at that time in the penultimate position, which was another serious blow. In such a situation, it's difficult to consider Udinese as the underdog of the match, especially after their confident victory over Napoli (1:0).
Match Prediction for Fiorentina vs Udinese: the visitors will not lose
Genoa vs Atalanta
The last time Genoa and Atalanta met was just two weeks ago – the teams played in the Round of 16 of the Coppa Italia. However, that match is difficult to compare with the upcoming one: the opponents did not field their optimal line-ups, and the "Griffins" were reduced to ten men as early as the 36th minute. In the league, Genoa has been maintaining a high standard – their unbeaten run of five matches in Serie A was only interrupted in the last round against a formidable Inter (1:2), where they were just a bit unlucky. Considering that both teams have been playing very openly lately, scoring a lot while also frequently making defensive errors, there is every reason to expect an entertaining match.
