The biggest game of matchday 26 saw Roma's Radja Nainggolan down Inter with two brilliant long-range strikes. Meanwhile, Fiorentina wrapped up a miserable week by throwing away a two goal lead to barely hang on for a draw with Torino. AC Milan finally got the better of Sassuolo, whilst Juventus continued their unstoppable match towards a sixth straight Scudetto by beating Empoli 2-0 to pick up a 30th straight home win. And arguably the biggest shock was Napoli losing to Atalanta, which has given the sides below them a glimmer of hope in the race for third place.
Facts and Stats ahead of Serie A Matchday 27
Here are five things you may or may not know ahead of the upcoming round of fixtures starting Saturday:
Serie A Matchday 27 - U.S. viewing schedule
Below is the full U.S. schedule for round 26 of Serie A action starting this Saturday:
Mar. 4: Roma vs Napoli on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 6:00 AM PST/9:00 AM EST
Mar. 4: Sampdoria vs Pescara on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 9:00 AM PST/12:00 PM EST
Mar. 4: AC Milan vs Chievo on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:45 AM PST/2:45 PM EST
Mar. 5: Atalanta vs Fiorentina on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 3:30 AM PST/6:30 AM EST
Mar. 5: Cagliari vs Inter on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 6:00 AM PST/9:00 AM EST
Mar. 5: Crotone vs Sassuolo on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 6:00 AM PST/9:00 AM EST
Mar. 5: Empoli vs Genoa on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 6:00 AM PST/9:00 AM EST
Mar. 5: Torino vs Palermo on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 6:00 AM PST/9:00 AM EST
Mar. 5: Udinese vs Juventus on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV, beIN SPORTS USA at 6:00 AM PST/9:00 AM EST
Mar. 5: Bologna vs Lazio on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:45 AM PST/2:45 PM EST
*For more information, please navigate to each match's specific page
Serie A - Matchday 27 overview
Arguably the biggest game of this round will be Roma welcoming Napoli. Both the Giallorossi and the Partenopei come into this game having lost the first leg of their respective Coppa Italia semi-final ties. Maurizio Sarri's side were defeated 3-1 by Juventus in rather controversial circumstances, as the Bianconeri were awarded two penalties, and now the Partenopei will have to regroup following a shock 2-0 home defeat to Atalanta last weekend.
As for Luciano Spalletti's side, the Lupi will be eager to get back to winning ways. Roma earned an impressive 3-1 win over Inter in Sunday's big game at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza to further consolidate their grip on second place. However, a loss to cross-town rivals Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico will have knocked the wind out of their sails, and Spalletti will be hoping that his side can quickly regroup as Napoli will be quite angry following what is their second straight defeat across all competitions.
Meanwhile, league leaders Juventus will travel to take on Udinese in an "all-Bianconeri" derby on Sunday. The Zebrette are in a bad patch of form, with three straight losses, whilst La Vecchia Signora have won seven straight matches since suffering a defeat to Fiorentina back in January. AC Milan will welcome Chievo, and the Rossoneri will need to earn maximum points if they want to get back in the race for a Europa League spot. And Inter will travel to face Cagliari which could give them the chance to rebound after their defeat to Roma last weekend.
Serie A - Matchday 27 standings
Here's how things stand so far after 26 rounds in the 2016/2017 Serie A season. How will it look after matchday 27 concludes?
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Internazionale | 33 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 79 | 18 | +61 | 86 | WDWWD | |
| 2 | Milan | 33 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 64 | 39 | +25 | 69 | LDWWW | |
| 3 | Juventus | 33 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 47 | 26 | +21 | 64 | DDWLD | |
| 4 | Bologna | 33 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 48 | 26 | +22 | 62 | WDDWW | |
| 5 | Roma | 33 | 17 | 7 | 9 | 59 | 39 | +20 | 58 | WLWDW | |
| 6 | Atalanta | 32 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 59 | 37 | +22 | 54 | WDLWD | |
| 7 | Lazio | 33 | 16 | 4 | 13 | 42 | 35 | +7 | 52 | WWLWW | |
| 8 | Napoli | 33 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 50 | 41 | +9 | 49 | LDWLD | |
| 9 | Fiorentina | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 45 | 36 | +9 | 47 | WDLLD | |
| 10 | Torino | 33 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 31 | 29 | +2 | 46 | DDLWW | |
| 11 | Monza | 33 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 35 | 43 | -8 | 43 | LDLLW | |
| 12 | Genoa | 33 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 35 | 40 | -5 | 39 | LDWDD | |
| 13 | Lecce | 33 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 30 | 48 | -18 | 35 | WWLDW | |
| 14 | Cagliari | 33 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 36 | 56 | -20 | 32 | DDWDL | |
| 15 | Hellas Verona | 33 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 31 | 44 | -13 | 31 | WDLDL | |
| 16 | Empoli | 33 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 26 | 48 | -22 | 31 | WLWLL | |
| 17 | Udinese | 33 | 4 | 16 | 13 | 31 | 50 | -19 | 28 | LLLDL | |
| 18 | Frosinone | 33 | 6 | 10 | 17 | 40 | 63 | -23 | 28 | DDDDL | |
| 19 | Sassuolo | 33 | 6 | 8 | 19 | 39 | 65 | -26 | 26 | LDDDL | |
| 20 | Salernitana | 33 | 2 | 9 | 22 | 26 | 70 | -44 | 15 | LLDLL |
