Another round of Serie A fixtures is now in the books, and the Scudetto battle, which arguably is the most interesting one fans have seen in a while, is starting to heat up. All five of the top teams - Milan, Inter, Roma, Juventus, and Napoli - won their respective fixtures, and Lazio, who are currently on a five game winning streak, are hoping to force their way into the discussion as the Biancocelesti have now pulled level on points with fifth-placed Napoli.
On the opposite end of the table, it was more misery for the bottom three sides - Cagliari, Parma, and Crotone - as neither of these three managed to win their respective ties. Although Cagliari may have ended their four-match losing streak with a draw with Sassuolo, it wasn't enough to lift them out of the drop zone.
Let's have a look at what took place during the latest round of matches.
Top five teams in Serie A up to February 5
Things are really starting to heat up, with AC Milan still holding a narrow lead over cross-town rivals Inter, while Roma, Juventus, and Napoli are all jostling for position and sit not too far behind
Top three scorers in Serie A
Cristiano Ronaldo may not have scored in Juve's 2-0 road win over a determined Sampdoria side, but the Portuguese ace still continues to lead the scoring charts with 15 goals so far this season. He's narrowly ahead of Inter's Romelu Lukaku, who grabbed a brace as the Nerazzurri cruised to a comfortable 4-0 win over Benevento to bring his total to 14 goals for the season.
Finally, Lazio star Ciro Immobile rounds out the top three although last season's Capocannoniere wasn't able to find the back of the net in Lazio's 3-1 away victory against Atalanta to increase his haul of 13 goals.
Serie A's top three marksmen
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Top headlines in Serie A
Bryan Reynolds joins a very elite club: The 19-year-old is now the eighth American player to sign for a Serie A side when he put pen to paper on a four and a half year deal with Roma, which reportedly will cost the Giallorossi €7.5m. Reynolds is also the second American international to play for the capital club after Michael Bradley did so from 2012 to 2014. In addition, the 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) defender joins fellow American Weston McKennie, who plays for Juventus, as one of just two Americans playing in Italy's top flight, and could come face to face with his fellow Texan this weekend when Juventus and Roma square off in a highly anticipated clash.
Potential long-term ban for Zlatan Ibrahimovic: The fiery clash between Milan and Inter in last week's Coppa Italia tie may be over, but the fallout still continues. Veteran striker Ibrahimovic, who received his marching orders may be facing more than a one-match ban if he is found guilty of hurling racist abuse towards his former Manchester United teammate Romelu Lukaku. The 39-year-old has vehemently denied using racist language, and some of his former colleagues, including Red Devils star Paul Pogba have quickly come to his defense. However, if found guilty, Ibrahimovic could end up being slapped with a whopping ten-match suspension.
Watch out for Lazio: The Biancocelesti notably finished in the top four last season, which was enough to secure a place in the Champions League group stages for the first time since the 2007/2008 season. Simone Inzaghi's side may have had their ups and downs - with losses to teams like Sampdoria, Udinese, and Hellas Verona - but since drawing Genoa in their first league match of 2021, the Aquile have been soaring. Five wins from their last five Serie A games - including a resounding 3-0 drubbing of city rivals Roma - now have them working their way up the table, and they now sit in sixth spot, only behind Napoli on goal difference. Things really could get interesting if they continue in this vein and start putting pressure on the teams further higher in the table.
High-flying Milan set new club record: This season has arguably been Milan's most successful in many years, and the Diavolo set a new record in their 2-1 win over Bologna. Stefano Pioli's squad have now scored in 20 consecutive away matches, breaking the record of 19 that was set between 1992 and 1993. Furthermore, that win means they've won nine of their last 10 Serie A games. The only teams to have done so in recent times are Napoli (during the 2017/2018 campaign) and Juventus (during the 2018/2019 season).
Top matches in Serie A: February 5-7, 2021
Fiorentina vs Inter: The Nerazzurri have alternated between a draw and a win over their past four games, but they will be obviously looking to break that pattern when they travel to the Stadio Artemio Franchi to face Fiorentina. Although the Viola sit in 11th spot, don't forget they shocked Juventus at the end of last season by beating the reigning Scudetto champions 3-0 in Turin, so one can bet that Antonio Conte's men will not be taking this match for granted.
Juventus vs Roma: This game will be huge. Any match featuring Juventus and Roma is always one to keep an eye on, but this time there's even more of an interesting back story. The Giallorossi have been having one of their strongest campaigns in years and currently sit in third spot on 40 points, while the Bianconeri have finally started to gain some momentum and are presently in fourth place on 39 points. As such, calcio fans could see a shake-up in the table by the time this round of fixtures finishes.
Milan vs Crotone: A clash featuring the current league leaders against the bottom feeders, Milan vs Crotone rounds out our picks for the top ties taking place in the next round. With Inter playing first, the Rossoneri could find themselves in second spot by the time they take to the pitch, and so the onus will be on them to make sure they don't stumble when the strugglers arrive at the San Siro.
And let's not forget fifth-placed Napoli, who will take on Genoa just a few hours after the Juve-Roma battle. Will we see any interesting changes in the league table? Make sure you don't miss out on these key games and stay on top of all the action via our bespoke Serie A match page.
