Serie A Matchday 2: Who plays who, when and where?

Roma host champions Juventus in their first home 2020-21 Serie A fixture on Sunday night, in search of their opening victory of the campaign.

Here’s the lowdown on all of Matchday 2’s games taking place this weekend as the season starts to kick into gear…

SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER

Torino v Atalanta
Olimpico Grande Torino, 15:00 CEST

These two sides also met on Matchday 2 of last season - albeit at the Ennio Tardini - with Torino coming from 2-1 down to win 3-2, but they were devoured 7-0 in the home reverse and lost 1-0 to Fiorentina on the opening day last weekend.

That 7-0 victory a year ago ended a run of three games without a win for Atalanta in this fixture, who make their 2020-21 Serie A bow on Saturday after being given an extra week’s rest due to their run to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Cagliari v Lazio
Sardegna Arena, 18:00 CEST

Cagliari lost both meetings 2-1 last term - with Giovanni Simeone putting them ahead on each occasion - and are currently on a 12-game winless run against Lazio (D2, L10) that includes four defeats on the spin.

While the hosts drew their opening fixture with Sassuolo, Lazio skipped Matchday 1 due to planned opponents Atalanta’s aforementioned rest week.

Sampdoria v Benevento
Luigi Ferraris, 18:00 CEST

Having been routinely dismissed 3-0 by Juventus on Sunday, Sampdoria switch focus from one champion to another as they face 2019-20 Serie B winners Benevento - a side they beat 3-2 when these two last met in Serie A back in 2018.

Another team that didn’t feature on the curtain-raising weekend, this will be the first sight of Benevento and coach Filippo Inzaghi since their record-breaking return to Serie A.

Inter Milan v Fiorentina
Giuseppe Meazza, 20:45 CEST

Last year’s Serie A and Europa League runners-up were another Matchday 1 absentee, and they will be without the suspended Stefan de Vrij for their bow this weekend - although they have Arturo Vidal to the ranks.

La Viola got off to the perfect start with a 1-0 win over Torino last time out, which they will hope gives them just the boost they need as Giuseppe Iachini’s men go in search of a first win over Inter since their 5-4 victory in April, 2014.

SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER

Spezia v Sassuolo
Orogel Stadium, 12:30 CEST

After sitting out the opening weekend due to their successful Serie B play-off run, Spezia will make history with the club’s first top-flight appearance against Sassuolo - but they will do so in Cesena, at the Orogel Stadium, while their Stadio Alberto Picco home undergoes renovations to meet Serie A requirements.

Sassuolo - who actually beat the Aquilotti in the Coppa Italia last year - are a fitting debut for Spezia and a great model to follow, with the visitors now well-established in Serie A having tasted top-flight football for the first time just seven years ago themselves.

Hellas Verona v Udinese
Marcantonio Bentegodi, 15:00 CEST

Both fixtures ended in goalless draws last season and Verona - who are missing Andrea Danzi, Alan Empereur, Giangiacomo Magnani, and Darko Lazovic through injury - have gone five games without scoring against Udinese.

The visitors are another side broaching their first Serie A outing of the new campaign and they will be hoping to build on their form at the end of 2019-20 that saw them pick up three wins from their last four matches.

Napoli v Genoa
San Paolo, 15:00 CEST

The reigning Coppa Italia champions got up and running with a 2-0 win over Parma last Sunday, courtesy of goals from captain Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens - a victory achieved with summer signing Victor Osimhen only used as a second-half substitute.

Genoa are currently setting pace and top the table a week into the new season by virtue of their 4-1 win over newly promoted Crotone but they haven’t beaten Napoli since January, 2012 - 16 games ago.

Crotone v AC Milan
Ezio Scida, 18:00 CEST

Crotone’s return to Serie A got off to a tricky start in that defeat to Genoa and coach Giovanni Stroppa - a former Milan midfielder - could be without his goalscorer in that loss as Emmanuel Riviere is an injury concern.

As for Milan, they are unbeaten in 13 Serie A outings after their Zlatan Ibrahimovic-inspired 2-0 win over Bologna but they will be without the Swede after he contracted coronavirus, as is the case with Rafael Leao and Leo Duarte.

Roma v Juventus
Stadio Olimpico, 20:45 CEST

Having beaten Juve 3-1 on the final day of last season, Roma go in search of back-to-back wins over the Old Lady for the first time since 1995.

Juve this week dipped into the transfer market once more to bring Alvaro Morata back to the club, but coach Andrea Pirlo will be without injured trio Federico Bernardeschi, Matthijs De Ligt, and Alex Sandro.

MONDAY 28 SEPTEMBER

Bologna v Parma
Renato Dall’ara, 20:45 CEST

The home side will have to make do without suspended Mitchell Dijks after his two yellow cards led to a red in defeat to Milan on Monday but, with both games ending 2-2 last season, they are seven games unbeaten against this weekend’s visitors.

That means Parma haven’t beaten Bologna since December, 2012 - a 2-1 win at the Renato Dall’ara - as they go in search of their first points of the new campaign.