Juventus celebrated the Serie A title in style with a 10th successive league win against relegation-threatened Carpi last time out. They were crowned champions for the fifth season in a row last week when Napoli, their closest challengers, lost to Roma. So with the league already wrapped up we can turn our attention to the Champions League places, as well as the relegation dog-fight. The battle between Napoli and Roma for the second automatic spot in the Champions League will go down to the wire, whilst on the other end of the table, Hellas Verona have already confirmed their status as relegated. There may be just two gameweeks to go, but that’s plenty of time for us to find a few winners.
Saturday 7 May
7/20 Inter Milan | Draw 42/10 | Empoli 62/10 (19:00)
Defender Jeison Murillo saw red as Inter Milan passed up the chance to clinch a top-four Serie A finish at Lazio, going down 2-0. They will return to their home patch where they have won back-to-back games, scoring five goals and conceding just once. Empoli are next up. They have lost their last three travels without scoring, while conceding four times. Inter won the reverse tie 1-0 as well as the last five meetings on their ground.The home win is tipped.
29/10 Bologna | 5/2 | AC Milan 9/10 (21:45)
Bologna are going through a bit of a goalscoring drought at the moment. They have found the net just three times in their last six games and find themselves in 13th place on the log. They will host AC Milan who have managed just one win from their last eight matches. The Rossoneri settled for a 3-3 home draw against Frosinone last time out and will be desperate to return to winning ways.A cagey affair is expected, so I’d suggest taking Under 2.5 Goals at 8/10.
Sunday 8 May
2/9 Roma | 52/10 | Chievo 10/1 (13:30)
Roma will lock horns with Chievo at lunch-time on Sunday afternoon. They are unbeaten in their last 15 league games and will be looking to extend that already impressive run. Chievo have travelled poorly with just six wins from 18 games, and that doesn’t bode too well for their chances against Roma who have lost just once on home soil. Roma have won five of the last six meetings at home against Chievo and should be backed on the Half-time/Full-time Double at 13/20.
26/10 Atalanta | 5/2 | Udinese 21/20 (16:00)
Atalanta have lacked consistency in recent weeks, but have done well in front of their own fans in recent matches, winning three of their last four games at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia. Udinese have been woeful in recent weeks with back-to-back defeats, scoring just twice and conceding eight times. Their Serie A status remains in doubt after a resounding 5-1 defeat at the hands of Torino at the Stadio Friuli last Saturday. The loss leaves Udinese six points above third-bottom Palermo. They are unbeaten against their opponents in the last nine meetings, so Atalanta are well worth a punt on the Double Chance at 7/10.
27/20 Carpi | 9/4 | Lazio 2/1 (16:00)
Relegation-threatened Carpi fell to a 2-0 defeat away to Juventus last weekend. However, Carpi have won their last two home games and will be looking to make it three from three. Lazio on the other hand are coming off an impressive 2-0 home win against Inter Milan and will be eager to build on that. They have won consecutive matches on their ground, but have lost their last two matches on the road. Get on Both Teams To Score at 15/20.
19/20 Fiorentina | 27/10 | Palermo 27/10 (16:00)
Fiorentina have struggled in recent weeks, claiming just one win from their last 11 matches, whilst Palermo have found some form of late, earning back-to-back victories, scoring four goals without conceding. The Viola have won the last three meetings between the teams, but judging by their poor form, it’s difficult seeing them getting the better of Palermo. Rather get on the Over 2.5 Goals market at 6/10 – after all, the last three meetings have seen a total of 16 goals.
26/10 Frosinone | 27/10 | Sassuolo 19/20 (16:00)
Relegation-battlers Frosinone earned a well-deserved 3-3 draw away to AC Milan last weekend. This is a must win game for the newcomers in order to maintain that slight chance of surviving the fall to Serie B. Their opponents, Sassuolo, are in the top half of the table, gunning for a Europa League spot. Lorenzo Pellegrini’s goal secured a 1-0 home victory over Hellas Verona that sent Sassuolo above AC Milan and into sixth place. The victory was a second in as many weeks, so they will have plenty of confidence coming into this encounter.Both sides have plenty to play for, so with what is likely to be an entertaining match-up, get on the Both Teams To Score market at 6/10.
5/4 Sampdoria | 24/10 | Genoa 22/10 (16:00)
Sampdoria fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Palermo last Sunday, and they might have lost by a bigger margin had it not been for the performance of goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano. Meanwhile, Genoa crashed to a 3-2 defeat in front of their own fans by a rampant Roma side on Monday night. The loss was a second on the bounce for them, and it also ended a run of four consecutive victories on their ground. Away from home they have been dreadful with just two wins from 18 matches, suffering 12 defeats. However, Sampdoria have managed just two wins from their last eight games, so that doesn’t inspire much confidence either. With both sides going through a rough patch at present, I’d back Under 2.5 Goals at 17/20.
52/10 Torino | 4/1 | Napoli 9/20 (21:45)
Torino humiliated Udinese at the Dacia Arena with a 5-1 thrashing and Andrea Belotti had a valid goal disallowed too. It was their fourth victory from their last six matches, whilst the win also ended a run of back-to-back losses. Gonzalo Higuain scored his 31st and 32nd goals of the season as Napoli held onto second place in the Serie A table by beating Atalanta 2-1 – the result keeps them just two points above Roma in third place. Now, Napoli will look to end a run of three consecutive losses on their travels, in which they have found the back of the net just once, but conceding six times. This is one of those games I wouldn’t suggest having a punt on. However, both sides are scoring goals at will, so the 1st Half – Both Teams To Score market looks a decent wager at a valuable 47/20.
5/1 Hellas Verona | 34/10 | Juventus 5/10 (21:45)
In the final match of the weekend, already relegated Hellas Verona will host the newly crowned Champions Juventus. Hellas Verona have had a miserable season, managing just four wins from a possible 34. And on the other hand, Juventus have now won 25 of their last 26 games in Serie A after commemorating the Scudetto in style with a 10th win on the spin, beating new boys Carpi 2-0. The Old Lady are priced up at 5/10, and even if Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri plays a second string team, it should be strong enough to get past this Hellas Verona team.Get on the away win and add it to all multiples.
Serie A Picks
Inter Milan WIN 7/20
Bologna UNDER 2.5 GOALS 8/10
Roma HT/FT WIN 13/20
Atalanta WIN/DRAW 7/10
Carpi BTTS 15/20
Fiorentina OVER 2.5 GOALS 6/10
Frosinone BTTS 6/10
Sampdoria UNDER 2.5 GOALS 17/20
Torino 1ST HALF – BTTS 47/20
Juventus WIN 5/10
Written by Aaron Crowie