Serie A table analysis: Inter and Lazio level, Roma close, Venezia pointless
Serie A table analysis after six rounds: Inter and Lazio share first on 16 points, Roma have the best defence, Cagliari surprise in fourth and Venezia have lost every game.
Inter and Lazio share the lead in Serie A on 16 points after six rounds, with AS Roma two points behind thanks to the meanest defence in Italy, while Venezia are still waiting for their first point of the season. Frosinone opened Matchday 7 on Friday night with a 4-2 win over Sassuolo, and the round continues this weekend with Bologna v Inter, Juventus v Lazio and AC Milan v Atalanta. This Serie A table analysis looks at the title race, the European places, the relegation fight, the form guide and the Capocannoniere race, before previewing the Matchday 7 fixtures.
Serie A table: Inter and Lazio level at the top
The standings below come from the official league data and were last updated before Friday's game between Frosinone and Sassuolo. Form reads most recent result first.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inter | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | +10 | 16 | W D W W W |
| 2 | Lazio | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | +7 | 16 | W W D W W |
| 3 | AS Roma | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | +11 | 14 | D D W W W |
| 4 | Cagliari | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | +3 | 13 | D W W W L |
| 5 | AC Milan | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | +6 | 12 | D W D D W |
| 6 | Juventus | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | +4 | 11 | D W L D W |
| 7 | Como | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | +3 | 11 | D L W W W |
| 8 | Napoli | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | +4 | 10 | W D W L L |
| 9 | Frosinone | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | +2 | 10 | L W D W W |
| 10 | Atalanta | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | W L L L W |
| 11 | Sassuolo | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | D L W D W |
| 12 | Torino | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 7 | W D L W L |
| 13 | Lecce | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -6 | 6 | L L W L L |
| 14 | Bologna | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -2 | 5 | W D L D L |
| 15 | Udinese | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 4 | L L L L W |
| 16 | Monza | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -6 | 4 | L W L D L |
| 17 | Genoa | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -6 | 4 | W L D L L |
| 18 | Parma | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -6 | 4 | L W L D L |
| 19 | Fiorentina | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -7 | 4 | L D W L L |
| 20 | Venezia | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -11 | 0 | L L L L L |
Four sides remain unbeaten after six games: Inter, Lazio, Roma and AC Milan. At the other end, a cluster of five teams sits on four points between 15th and 19th, which shows how little separates mid-table from the drop zone this early in the season.
Title race: Inter's firepower against Lazio's solidity
Inter top the table on goal difference, with five wins and a draw, 18 goals scored - the most in the league - and eight conceded. Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram have combined for seven goals and two assists, and their form line reads W-D-W-W-W.
Lazio have exactly the same record of five wins and a draw, but have got there in a different way: 11 goals scored and only four conceded. They have won their last two (W-W-D-W-W) and travel to Turin on Sunday to face Juventus in one of the games of the round.
AS Roma are third on 14 points and have conceded just three goals in six matches, the best defensive record in Serie A, along with a +11 goal difference that is the best in the league. Their last two matches were draws, however, after three straight wins. Donyell Malen, the league's top scorer with six goals, has been their key attacking weapon.
Champions League and European places
Under the current table descriptions, the top four qualify for the Champions League league stage, fifth goes to the Europa League league stage and sixth carries a European play-off spot.
- Champions League: Inter (16), Lazio (16), Roma (14), Cagliari (13).
- Europa League: AC Milan (12).
- Play-off spot: Juventus (11).
Cagliari are the surprise of the season so far. Fourth with 13 points, they have won four of six with only six goals scored and three conceded, a record built on defence and efficiency, with Daniel Maldini contributing four goals. AC Milan are unbeaten but have drawn three of six, Juventus have one defeat and two draws, and Como are level with Juve on 11 points. Napoli are eighth on ten points with two defeats already, although they won their latest game.
Frosinone are the team to watch. Before Friday they were ninth on ten points; the 4-2 win over Sassuolo, in which they led 3-2 at half-time, takes them to 13 points from seven games, level with Cagliari, while Sassuolo stay on eight.
Relegation fight: Venezia pointless
Venezia have lost all six of their matches, scoring five and conceding 16, the worst defensive record in the league. Parma and Fiorentina complete the bottom three on four points, but Udinese, Monza and Genoa are on the same total, separated only by goal difference. Fiorentina, a club more used to chasing European places, have conceded 14 goals, one of the three worst defensive records in the division, and have lost four of six.
Bologna (5 points, 14th) and Lecce (6, 13th) are only just above the pack, and Lecce have lost four of their last five. With Venezia hosting Napoli and Fiorentina welcoming Como this weekend, the bottom of the table could tighten further.
Serie A form guide
- Lazio - W-W-D-W-W: 13 points from 15.
- Inter - W-D-W-W-W: also 13 points from 15.
- Frosinone - L-W-D-W-W before Friday: bounced back from their latest defeat by beating Sassuolo, for three wins in their last five.
- Venezia - L-L-L-L-L: no points from six games.
- Udinese - L-L-L-L-W: four defeats in a row.
- Atalanta - W-L-L-L-W: back to winning ways after three straight defeats.
Serie A top scorers: Malen leads the Capocannoniere race
Roma's Donyell Malen leads the scoring chart with six goals in six appearances, all from open play and in only 398 minutes, roughly one goal every 66 minutes. Four players are tied on four goals: Frosinone's 21-year-old Antonio Raimondo, Inter captain Lautaro Martinez, Cagliari's Daniel Maldini and Monza's Gustavo Varela.
| # | Player | Club | Goals | Assists | Pens | Apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D. Malen | AS Roma | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | A. Raimondo | Frosinone | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 3 | Lautaro Martínez | Inter | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | D. Maldini | Cagliari | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 5 | Gustavo Varela | Monza | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | A. Rabiot | AC Milan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 7 | M. Thuram | Inter | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 8 | Vasilije Adžić | Sassuolo | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 9 | N. Krstović | Atalanta | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 10 | J. Ekkelenkamp | Udinese | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan) and Marcus Thuram (Inter) have the most goal involvements outside the top five, with three goals and two assists each. Thuram has needed just 290 minutes for his five contributions. Sassuolo's 19-year-old Vasilije Adzic is the youngest player in the top ten.
Serie A Matchday 7 fixtures
Friday's result: Frosinone 4-2 Sassuolo. The rest of the round:
| Kick-off | Home | Away | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 17 Oct, 13:00 GMT | Venezia | Napoli | Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo |
| Sat 17 Oct, 16:00 GMT | Bologna | Inter | Stadio Renato Dall'Ara |
| Sat 17 Oct, 18:45 GMT | AS Roma | Genoa | Stadio Olimpico |
| Sun 18 Oct, 10:30 GMT | Udinese | Lecce | Bluenergy Stadium |
| Sun 18 Oct, 13:00 GMT | Fiorentina | Como | Stadio Artemio Franchi |
| Sun 18 Oct, 16:00 GMT | AC Milan | Atalanta | San Siro/Giuseppe Meazza |
| Sun 18 Oct, 18:45 GMT | Juventus | Lazio | Allianz Stadium |
| Mon 19 Oct, 16:30 GMT | Monza | Cagliari | - |
| Mon 19 Oct, 18:45 GMT | Parma | Torino | Stadio Ennio Tardini |
- Bologna v Inter (Saturday): Inter visit a Bologna side with one win in six.
- Juventus v Lazio (Sunday): sixth against joint-first, a chance for Juventus to close the gap or for Lazio to stretch it.
- AC Milan v Atalanta (Sunday): unbeaten Milan against an Atalanta side that has just won again.
- Venezia v Napoli (Saturday): the bottom side against a Napoli team looking to reconnect with the top four.
- Monza v Cagliari (Monday): Cagliari's chance to defend their surprise top-four place.
Follow every game on our live scores page and see the full Serie A table and fixtures on Yalla Shoot.