Match facts: Four-way battle for third

Catania – Udinese

This will be the 20th meeting between these two sides in Serie A: the Sicilians lead by nine wins to eight, with only two draws.

However, Udinese have won three of their last five meetings with Catania

Udinese have won just twice at Catania’s ground, with the hosts coming out on top on six occasions.

Vincenzo Montella’s side have alternated a draw with a loss in their last four league games.

Catania have won just one of their last four home games, losing two and drawing one.

By beating Cesena, Udinese ended a five-game winless run away from home (three defeats and two draws).

Catania have scored the most goals from set-piece situations in this Serie A campaign (27, including two against Roma last Saturday).

Should he score in this game, Catania would become Floro Flores’ favourite target in Serie A – the only team against which he would have scored more than three goals.

One of Antonio Di Natale’s six Serie A hat-tricks was scored against Catania.

Di Natale has been caught offside the most in this Serie A campaign (88 times).

Catania have had the most goals scored by defenders this season in Serie A (10).

Catania have drawn the most Serie A games this season, 15, a joint-record with Juventus.

Cesena – Roma

Cesena have beaten Roma just three times in their history in Serie A, 10 wins for the Giallorossi and 10 draws complete the record.

Roma have won just once in Serie A at the Manuzzi, on their last visit in January 2011 (1-0).

In their remaining meetings in Cesena, the hosts have won twice and eight times these two sides have shared the points.

Roma have never scored more than a single goal at Cesena’s ground in Serie A.

Cesena are winless in their last 19 league games, and have lost their last four fixtures – currently the longest run in the competition.

Cesena have the worst attack of the Serie A (22 goals scored); they have failed to score in 10 of their last 14 league games.

Cesena are winless at home in their last nine games, and have lost the last two 0-1.

Roma are winless in their last five fixtures: after two losses, they have drawn three games in a row against Napoli, Chievo and Catania.

Luis Enrique’s side have won just one of their last nine games on the road, and failed to score in the last two.

Chievo – Lecce

These two sides have met 13 times in Serie A: Chievo lead by six wins to four, with three draws.

Chievo have won just one of their last six games against Lecce, losing two.

Lecce have taken just four of the 18 points available from their six previous trips to Chievo’s ground, as result of a win and a draw.

Chievo have always scored at home against Lecce in Serie A.

Against Lecce, Alberto Paloschi netted one of two Serie A braces to date, when he was at Genoa.

Chievo are winless in their last six league games, four draws in the process.

Last Sunday against Palermo, Chievo scored four goals after they had failed to find the net in their previous five league games.

The last game in which Chievo had netted four goals was in April 2006 (4-4 against Roma).

Chievo have drawn three of their last five home games, the last two by 0-0.

Lecce must win if they want to stay in the top-flight, and hope that Genoa lose against Palermo.

Serse Cosmi’s side are winless in their last five games, in which they have scored just three goals.

Lecce have taken more points on the road (21) than at home (15) this season.

Fiorentina – Cagliari

This will be the 64th meeting between these two sides in Serie A: the Viola lead by 27 wins to 17, with 19 draws.

Fiorentina are unbeaten in their last six meetings against Cagliari (four wins and two draws).

At home, Fiorentina have won their last 16 league meetings against Cagliari.

The Sardinians’ last win at the Franchi was back in 1971/72 (0-1).

Alessio Cerci has bagged two braces so far in Serie A, one against Cagliari.

The Viola have lost just one of their last seven league games, winning three.

However, at the Franchi they are winless in five games (two losses followed by three consecutive draws).

Cagliari have won just once in their last seven league games, losing four in the process.

Cagliari have lost their last six away games, conceding 16 goals in the process (2.7 per match).

Cagliari have drawn the most games 0-0 in this Serie A campaign (eight); Fiorentina have drawn 0-0 seven times.

Genoa – Palermo

Genoa need one point to be sure of avoiding relegation – a defeat would make them safe if Lecce fail to win against Chievo.

This will be the 30th meeting between Genoa and Palermo in Serie A: the record is perfectly even (nine wins each and 11 draws).

Genoa are unbeaten at home in 14 meetings against Palermo – seven wins for the hosts and seven draws.

Palermo have kept only one clean sheet at Genoa’s ground in Serie A (0-0 in 1950/51).

However, the Grifoni have won just one of their last five games against the Rosanero in the top-flight, with the Sicilians coming out on top twice.

Genoa have managed only one win from their last 16 Serie A games, in their last at the Marassi against Cagliari.

Palermo are winless in their last seven games (four draws and three losses).

The Rosanero have won just one game on the road in this Serie A – a negative record.

Last Sunday against Udinese, Genoa had two players sent off before half-time – the first time this had happened in the competition since February 2010.

Last Sunday Fabrizio Miccoli became the second Serie A player to score two hat-tricks in this campaign, the other is Inter’s Diego Milito.

Palermo have scored the most headed goals in this campaign (14).

Genoa have the worst defence of this Serie A (69 goals conceded).

Frey has faced the most shots so far, and is also the ‘keeper who has made the most saves (134).

Juventus – Atalanta

Juventus could become the 3rd team to finish the season unbeaten in Serie A, after Perugia in 1978/79 and AC Milan in 1991/92.

The Old Lady however would be the first to do so in a Serie A with 20 teams.

This will be the 100th meeting between these two sides: the Bianconeri lead by 53 wins to 11.

Juventus are unbeaten in their last 13 home games against Atalanta (11 wins and two draws).

Juve’s last home defeat against Atalanta in Serie A was in 1989/90 (0-1).

Juventus have scored in each of their last 18 meetings against Atalanta in Serie A (on average 2.2 goals per game).

No other sides have ever won the Scudetto after drawing as many games as Juve this term (15).

Antonio Conte’s side have conceded just two goals in their last 11 league games.

In their last game against Cagliari, the Old Lady didn’t concede a single shot on target to their opponent for the first time in this campaign.

Atalanta have not shared the points in their last nine league games (four wins, five losses).

Atalanta have lost their last two away games 2-0, against Catania and AC Milan.

The Nerazzurri have scored just once over their last seven games on the road.

Lazio – Inter

Inter lead by 57 wins to 29 against Lazio in Serie A.

Lazio came out on top in their last home game against Inter – prior to that, the guests had remained unbeaten in six visits to Lazio in Serie A.

That remains Lazio’s only win against Inter in their last 16 Serie A meetings.

Inter have failed to score on just one of their last 10 visits to Lazio in the league (0-0 in November 2005).

Last weekend against Atalanta, Lazio got back to winning ways after five match-days in which they had picked up just two points.

Inter have both scored and conceded in seven of their eight league games under Stramaccioni, a 0-0 draw in Florence completes this record.

Inter’s last eight games under their new manager have produced an average of 4.1 goals per game.

Inter have won just one of their last five games on the road, losing and drawing two.

Hernanes is one of the two Serie A to have been subbed off the most this term, the other is Juve’s Mirko Vucinic (21 times).

Lucio have made the most interceptions so far this term in Serie A (135).

AC Milan - Novara

AC Milan have won 16 of their 25 previous meetings against Novara in Serie A, losing six times.

Novara have won just one of their last 18 meetings against the Rossoneri, back in 1952/53.

In Milano, Novara have had the better just once against the Rossoneri (0-2, in 1939/40).

These two sides have shared just one draw at the San Siro in Serie A (0-0 in 1953/54).

AC Milan had picked up 13 points out of 15 in the five games prior to the derby they lost last Sunday against Inter (4-2).

AC Milan have scored in each of their last 15 league games.

AC Milan have won back-to-back games against Genoa and Atalanta, without conceding a single goal.

Novara are already relegated, despite losing just one of their last four league games.

Novara have conceded more than a single goal in each of their last four games on the road.

AC Milan have scored the most goals from the penalty spot (10 – all by Zlatan Ibrahimovic).

Giuseppe Gemiti is the Serie A player with the most crosses in this campaign (227).

Napoli – Siena

Only seven previous meetings between these two sides in Serie A: Napoli lead by two wins to one, with four draws.

Emanuele Calaio has already faced his former team, Napoli five times, scoring only one goal in Serie A.

The record at the San Paolo sees the hosts winning twice, with a draw so far.

Napoli had picked up 10 of 12 points available in the league before losing 2-0 against Bologna last weekend.

Prior to being shut out by Bologna, Napoli had scored in each of their previous six league games.

Napoli have won their last two home games 2-0 (vs Novara and Palermo), and have lost just one of their last 10 fixtures at the San Paolo.

Siena are winless in their last four league games (two draws two losses).

However, the Tuscans have won three of their last six away games, losing at the San Siro against Inter.

Marek Hamsik has already scored four braces in Serie A – one of which came against Siena.

Napoli have conceded just one penalty this term – a Serie A-low.

Parma - Bologna

This is the 28th “Emilia derby” in Serie A: Bologna lead by nine wins to eight, with 10 draws.

The last three meetings between these two sides have ended 0-0.

Parma have beaten Bologna just once in their last 11 meetings in Serie A.

Bologna have won only twice in the top-flight at the Tardini, with the hosts coming out on top on four occasions.

Parma are on a run of six consecutive wins in the league – this is their longest ever run in Serie A.

They have also won their last four games at home: something they managed to do in 1999/2000, when they went unbeaten at the Tardini for five Serie A games.

Bologna are unbeaten in their last seven league games, and have won the last three.

Bologna have lost just one of their last 10 games on the road.

Bologna’s Diego Perez has picked-up the most cards in this Serie A campaign (15, including a straight red).

Alessandro Diamanti has hit the woodwork the joint-most times in Serie A this season – five, level with Andrea Pirlo.