Of the teams fighting to get out of the Serie A drop zone, the most likely to escape looks Fiorentina, which shouldn't have been in that predicament in the first place. La Viola have made up the ground caused by the slow start that got Stefano Pioli pink-slipped behind the bench in early November, just completing a promising February that included an unbeaten Serie A mark, plus advancing in the UEFA Conference League, with striker Moise Kean now back in form after his own slow break this season, and having scored in each of La Viola's last three Serie A matches. Meanwhile, another unremarkable season for Udinese, which was victimized by Fiorentina 5-1 on December 21 when Kean scored a brace. Play Fiorentina ML

How Pisa would wish for some of the mid-table stability of Bologna. Into March now, Pisa (and Verona) look hopelessly adrift in the drop zone, nine points from safety as the leaning tower might begin to lean a bit more with a quick return to Serie B looking inevitable. With only 20 goals in 26 matches, and a whopping -23 goal difference, it's no wonder Pisa have just one win. Draws are another story, with a Serie A-high 12 of those, yet Bologna are a serious sidethat has advanced to the last 16 of the Europa League, and a legit target man in Santiago Castro, on seven goals. Three points also moves Bologna up to 8th in the table. Play Bologna ML

Beneath runaway leader Inter, Serie A looks quite a grab-bag exiting February. Cesc and his Como are currently in 6th but just five points out of a Champions League place after reminding last week they weren’t about to disappear from the chase in that rousing 2-0 win at Juve, yet another clean sheet (the 13th of the campaign!) kept by French keeper Jean Butez, as Como’s goal difference of +22 ranks behind only Inter in Serie A. Lecce has far different concerns...survival, for one, involved in a torrid battle with Fiorentina and Cremonense, all on 24 points, straddling the drop zone, with Lecce having the extra burden of being the lowest-scoring team in the league (just 17 goals in 26 matches). Play Como on Spread

A rare letdown last week from Cesc Fabregas and Como, which fell behand desperate Fiortentina beside the lake and could never make up the deficit in a 2-1 loss. Now, however, Cesc catches a Juve side that might have one eye on the Champions League return match vs. Galatasaray on Wednesday and the three goals that need to be made up in TurIn after getting routed 5-2 in the cauldron of Istanbul. Luciano Spalletti has been missing Dusan Vlahovic since before the holidays as Juve have dropped too many points in Serie A to stay in the scudetto race, and can be excused for having one eye on next Wednesday and a last chance to stay in Europe. Play Como on Asian Line

"In Cesc We Trust." Cesc Fabregas simply isn't allowing his Como to lose, especially vs. sides like Fiorentina in the bottom half of the Serie A table. The unbeaten run is now five straight and 10 of 11 which includes a couple of Coppa Italia ties, one of those on Tuesday when Como took out host Napoli on PKs. Maybe not pure catenaccio as practiced by Como, but the nullifying style that slows the pace and makes life a bit easier for French GK Jean Butez, working on three consecutive clean sheets in Serie A. Como won the reverse fixture 2-1 at the Artemio Franchi back on September 21, and won another over La Viola in the Coppa January 27. Play Como on Asian Line

The wagering public shouldn't need any more convincing about Cesc Fabregas and his Como side, which has piled up 12 goals in its current three-game win streak. That counts a 3-1 midweek win at Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia, as well as last weekend's 6-0 romp by the lake over Torino and preceding 3-0 win over Lazio in Rome. Fabregas is especially enjoying young midfield ace Nico Paz opening eyes after three goals in the last three matches, while French goalie Jean Butez now has eleven Serie A clean sheets after the whitewash of Torino. Atalanta will be a tougher test but Fabregas takes heart from the 1-1 draw at Bergamo on October 4. Play Como on ML

Antonio Conte has to worry about the Champions League, with his Napoli at risk of missing the knockout phase entirely if it can't get a win on Wednesday vs. Conte's old Chelsea. There's also Serie A, with Gli Azzurri needing three points to stay within earshot of leaders Inter, but also to remain in third place in a heated battle for Champions League qualification next season. A result at Juve is almost mandatory, but hardly out of reach, as Conte's men won the first match December 7 at the Maradona by a 2-1 count thanks to a Rasmus Højlund brace. With Juve proving hugely wasteful last weekend in a loss to Cagliari, we hardly trust the Old Lady. Play Napoli on Spread

"In Cesc We Trust." The tale of Como continues as Cesc Fabregas has his troops in a European qualifying spot at the moment, something that would have sound a faraway dream a couple of years ago. Como is here because it usually takes care of business against the bottom half of Serie A, where Torino resides, and Cesc's crew enters after a rousing 3-0 win on Monday at Lazio which included a brace from hotshot midfielder Nico Paz. Let's not forget the first match at Turin on November 24 that Como won in a prance by a 5-1 count when Paz scored again, and Monday's win in Rome was also the tenth clean sheet kept by Jean Butez this season. Play Como Asian Line

Still waiting with Lazio, whose Roman supporters were thinking vet gaffer Maurizio Sarri would at least get I Biancocelesti back into Europe. Yet if the season ended now, that wouldn't happen, a mere 7 wins in 20 has Lazio only 9th, and with some gaps developing in the Serie A table, European prospects remain dicey. The product has been dour, catenaccio to the extreme, and the lack of sharp edges confirmed by top scorers Mattia Zaccagni and Matteo Cancellieri each more than two months without a goal. Note Cesc Fabregas and his Como handled Lazio without much problem 2-0 by the lake back on August 24, firing a 19-5 shot edge, one of nine clean sheets kept by Jean Butez. Play Como on Asian Line

Expect an intense effort from Fiorentina due to circumstances in front of this match at Bologna. Though we don't like to trivialize such matters, La Viola owner Rocco Commisso passed on Saturday, and teams have been known to put forth special efforts in such situations. For Fiorentina, it's also been improved recent performance and results in four of five to move nearer an escape from the drop zone, with goals flowing more regularly as top scorer Moise Kean (25 goals in all competitions last season) has found the net three times in five games, including an added-time equalizer from the spot in a 2-2 draw with Bologna at the Artemio Franchi on October 26. Play Fiorentiina on Asian Line

Credit Genoa for realizing that its season was headed straight into the Ligurian Sea in autumn and cutting the cord with manager Patrick Vieira after a winless stretch of nine at the outset of the Serie A campaign. Just in time, it seems, as Daniele De Rossi has steadied the ship enough to likely prevent a drop to Serie B. Still, wins (three) are as rare for Genoa as a quiet month in Italian politics, and visiting Cagliari has been moving toward mid-table safety thanks in part to getting results in five of its last eight away. The first match on November 22 in Sardinia ended a wild 3-3 draw, one of four draws in the last six meetings. Play Cagliari on Asian Line

Fiorentina is rallying with results in three of four, thanks to an offense that has started to stir. Striker Moise Kean, who banged home 25 goals in all competitions last term, looks to be recovering from a slow start (like his team) this term and has three goals across his last four matches, the last two of those coming on as a livewire substitute. For those reasons, we don't suspect La Viola is going to roll over on Sunday, and will make Milan do some work but with Rafa Leão and Christian Pulisic in good form, AC Milan can match Fiorentina and then some and pull out three points while the scoreline reaches three or more. play Fiorentina-AC Milan Over

AC Milan is second in the Serie A table...Fiorentina is in 19th. So why such a thin price? It is probably justified, as La Viola's recent efforts haven't been bad, with results in three of four, but Fiorentina still has more straight losses (ten) than any other entry in Serie A, and remains in danger of the drop. As for the Rossoneri, we expect they'll be on high alert after needing a late Rafa Leão strike to salvage a point vs. Genoa in the last outing, but this might be the chance for Milan to make a move up the table with table-topper Inter drawing a tough assignment vs. Antonio Conte's Napoli later Sunday. Play AC Milan On Money Line

"In Cesc We Trust." So it goes at Como, as Cesc Fabregas now looks to have a legitimate contender for a spot in Europe after the lakesiders cruised to a third win on the spin at Pisa on Tuesday. Not only that, but it's three clean sheets in a row for French GK Jean Butez, as Como continues its unmistakable pattern of grabbing points (mostly three) against sides beneath them in the Serie A table. That would include Bologna, sitting 8th, though the Rossoblu have been stumbling of late and on a five-match winless run in league play into Saturday. It's also been more than a month since top scorer Ricardo Orsolini notched a goal in domestic action. Play Como on ML

Having endured a winless nine-game start before hitting the eject button on manager Patrick Vieira, Genoa has made a slight recovery under Daniele De Rossi to move out of the drop zone. Yet De Rossi's side is now winless in four and precariously perched in 17th, just three points clear of the cut-line. Outclassed at Roma last week was a reminder how far Genoa is from the contenders, having failed to notch any points yet vs. the top five. Not good vs. Milan, which needs three points to stay on the heels of Inter at the top of the Serie A table, and already having bolstered in the transfer window by adding Niclas Fulkrug from West Ham on Friday. Play AC Milan on Asian Line