After the first round of midweek fixtures Football on the Peninsula is in full swing. The sixth round of matchups is not without surprises, however, as Wednesday's matches saw Napoli draw points for the first time against lowly Sassuolo, while Roma beat a lacklustre Sampdoria to maintain 15/15 possible points. Inter and Juventus both secured victories, and sit in joint second with Napoli at 13 points. Milan meanwhile are struggling through their 2nd straight dismal start to the campaign, as they sit in 12th on just 5 points.
Saturday's action will see Napoli take on Genoa in an early match, that last week would have appeared to be lopsided, but Napoli's stumble against Sassuolo served as a reminder to all that there is a reason the game is played. While I fully expect Hamsik and company to take the points, Genoa has realized slightly better form since their Derby Della Lanterna victory.
The other match features Milan and Sampdoria, both sides which have been struggling mightily of late. Balotelli will miss out again for the Rossoneri due to suspension, who will most likely turn to Matri and Robinho once again in attack.
Sunday's fixtures begin early when Juventus take on Torino in the Derby Della Mole, which is covered in greater detail here.
The mid-day slate of games is highlighted by Internazionale - Cagliari as Mazzarri's men look to keep pace with the top of the table. They have the form to do so, as Ricky Alvarez has been incredible to begin the season with 4 Man of the Match performances out of 5 matches for Inter.
That is followed with what should be an intriguing battle of the newcomers as Hellas take on Livorno. With nobody entirely sure what to expect of either side, both have impressed at times so far this season, so this should be an interesting one to keep an eye on.
Also to be seen in the central group of matches will be an injury riddled Lazio matched up against what should be a rejuvinated Sassuolo side, fresh off stealing a point from Napoli. It will be interesting to see how the Biancoceleste cope without Klose, Konko, and Radu, among others, as well as to see if Sassuolo can pull off another upset.
Atalanta - Udinese promises to be exciting as well, as Udinese have very quietly stayed in the top 10, while Atalanta are down near the relegation zone despte some solid performances. After finally getting on attacking form before falling 3-4 to Parma midweek, this is a crucial match for both sides if they have any ambition of a top half of the table finish.
Catania - Chievo is the last match in this time frame, and quite possibly the least intriguing. Catania have struggled immensely after a stellar campaign last season, possibly due to the loss of Francesco Lodi and Giovanni Marchese to Genoa. Meanwhile, the Flying Donkey's will come in feeling robbed as they had a goal disallowed against Juventus on Wednesday due to offsides that should have been counted. Alberto Paloschi and Co. should be raring and ready to go because of that.
This week see's yet another monday fixture involving Fiorentina, as the Viola look to bounce back after a tough loss to Inter midweek. With Mario Gomez and Juan Cuadrado still out, and Captain Manuel Pasqual added to the injury list, Giuseppe Rossi, among others, will have to be inspiring in order to get the 3 points against a Parma side fresh off their first win after putting four goals past what had been a solid Atalanta defense midweek.