Rade Krunic and Piotr Zielinski struck once each in either side of half-time to help Empoli to a 2-0 win over Genoa in the opening game of week nine of the Italian top flight. The defeat means that Genoa’s struggles continue as they lie in 16th and barely off the relegation zone.
Bologna defeated Carpi 2-1 on Saturday at the Alberto Braglia. Both the teams remain in the relegation zone, with Bologna in 18th and Carpi rock-bottom in the league standings.
The wheels seem to be coming off the Inter Milan rails. After a great start to the league campaign that saw them won their first five games – albeit with narrow margins – they lost their sixth to Fiorentina and have drawn their next three games since. They have now slipped to fourth in the table, and Roberto Mancini needs to find ways to lift his men. Last weekend, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Palermo.
Sampdoria ran 4-1 winners over Hellas Verona and moved to seventh in the league table with figures of four wins, two draws and three losses from their first nine games in the 2015/16 Serie A campaign.
AC Milan registered their first win in four games as they defeated Sassuolo 2-1. 16-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma made his debut for the San Siro outfit. The win moved Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men to tenth in the league table to ease some pressure on the Serb, but he will need to do much more to last the season and beyond at the Rossoneri.
Reigning Italian champions and 2015 Champions League finalists Juventus secured only their third win of the season as they defeated Atalanta 2-0 courtesy of a goal each from summer arrivals Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic. The Old Lady are 12th in the league standings as a consequence of the win with a tally of 12 points and will be eager to go on a winning spree to remain in the hunt to retain the title they have won for the last four years in succession.
However, the Old Lady have enjoyed good fortune in the Champions League and remain atop their group that also comprises of Premier League heavyweights Manchester City, reigning Europa League champions Sevilla and Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach. It remains to be seen if Massimiliano Allegri’s men give a fight to their rivals in the race for the domestic title.
Francesco Lodi’s 20th-minute strike was sufficient to help Udinese to a 1-0 win over newly promoted Frosinone. Udinese are slowly rising up the table and are now 14th in the standings.
Mohamed Salah and Gervinho both scored for Roma in their 2-1 win over Fiorentina. The win moved the Italian capital outfit atop the league standings as they attempt to win their first title in over a decade.
Lazio remains hot on the heels of Roma with a 3-0 win over Torino that sees them in fifth, but only two points adrift of Rudi Garcia’s men.
Gonzalo Higuain’s strike against Chievo Verona that secured them a 1-0 win moved Napoli to second behind Roma.