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| Roma and Juventus lock horns at the Stadio Olimpico this weekend in a title-defining match-up! |
Things just got a tiny bit interesting after Juventus dropped points in the Turin derby last Saturday, giving Roma and Napoli a slight glimmer of hope. To be fair, the Old Lady did field a fringe side against Torino but one more than capable of claiming maximum points. The table-toppers travel to Roma this weekend in what is sure to be an absolute cracker of a game, with both teams vying all out for the win! There’s just three games to go now – it’s all or nothing! Let’s get to it…
Saturday 13 May
27/20 Fiorentina | Draw 26/10 | Lazio 17/10 (18:00)
Fiorentina and Lazio will open proceedings on Saturday evening at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. The Viola had to settle for a share of the spoils last time out, playing to a 2-2 draw away to Sassuolo, making it just one victory from their last five games. Lazio come into this one off the back of a 10-goal thriller of which they annihilated Sampdoria 7-3 – a third win on the spin. The Eagles are also unbeaten in their last seven league games and have won five of the last six meetings against Fiorentina. The away team should be backed.
11/10 Atalanta | 49/20 | AC Milan 23/10 (20:45)
Atalanta and AC Milan will square off in the second and final match on Saturday night. La Dea are unbeaten in their last seven matches and have been strong on their ground with 11 wins from 17 matches. AC Milan were disappointing at the weekend, suffering a humiliating 4-1 thrashing at the San Siro at the hands of Roma – a second straight defeat on home soil. Milan are without a win in their last four games and will be desperate to come away with a positive result. The reverse tie ended goalless and I feel as though Atalanta have the quality to make home advantage count.
Sunday 14 May
4/10 Inter Milan | 4/1 | Sassuolo 11/2 (12:30)
Inter Milan are without a win in their last seven matches with five defeats, including three on the spin. Sassuolo have been impressive in recent weeks with an unbeaten run of five matches with two victories and three hard earned draws against Atalanta, Napoli and Fiorentina last time out. Inter claimed a smash and grab three points in the corresponding match – a narrow and hard-fought 1-0 victory. With home advantage, I feel Inter might just have the edge here but Sasuolo have scored in their last seven matches. Take Both Teams to Score (Yes) at 11/20.
13/20 Crotone | 29/10 | Udinese 36/10 (15:00)
Crotone have really brought their ‘A’ game in the last few weeks. The relegation battle has certainly brought the best out of them, with the newcomers going six matches unbeaten, including four victories and two draws. Udinese have lost back-to-back games on the road, conceding seven goals without scoring. They played to a 1-1 home draw against Atalanta last time out and will be looking to build on that. Udinese have looked terrible of late away from home but should put up a spirit performance. Get on the Crotone Win & Both Teams to Score – Yes – at 15/10.
38/10 Torino | 7/2 | Napoli 11/20 (15:00)
Torino and Napoli will go toe-to-toe in what promises to be a cracking encounter. The home side impressed last time out, holding log-leaders Juventus to a hard-fought 1-1 draw at the Juventus Stadium, making it seven games unbeaten, while they have scored in their last 14 matches. Napoli are undefeated in their last nine matches in all competitions, including seven wins and two draws. Gli Azzurri have won seven of the last eight meetings against Torino and must claim the win here to remain in with a slight chance of winning the league or at least stealing second spot from under the feet of Roma. Napoli to Win & Both Teams to Score – Yes – at even money – get on!
11/20 Bologna | 32/10 | Pescara 4/1 (15:00)
Bologna will look to get back to winning ways following their 3-1 drubbing at Empoli last weekend. They will return to their home patch where they claimed a 4-0 victory over Udinese last time around and emulate that sort of form yet again. There is no way back for relegated Pescara. The newcomers have won just two out of 35 matches all season, scoring 32 goals and conceding a mammoth 76 times. Just looking at that stat says it all – the home win is the way to go and offers enough value at 11/20 to get me interested.
17/20 Sampdoria | 26/10 | Chievo 28/10 (15:00)
Sampdoria are without a win in their last five matches, including three losses and two draws as well as a 7-3 thumping at the hands of Lazio last time out. Doria have been mediocre at best all season and deserve their current place on the table – 10th. Chievo were underwhelming last time out, playing to a 1-1 stalemate on home soil against Palermo. They have suffered 10 losses from 17 travels and need to be better away from home if they are to claim a point let alone three. After Doria’s 10 goal thriller with Lazio, they should tighten up at the back. The 1st Half Totals – Under 1.5 Goals – at 11/20 looks well worth a punt.
31/20 Cagliari | 47/20 | Empoli 33/20 (15:00)
Cagliari will return to their ground this weekend, where they have won consecutive matches, scoring five goals without conceding. Empoli come to town off the back of a well-deserved 3-1 victory over Bologna, making it three wins from their last four matches. The away team can’t afford to drop points with the relegation-battle still wide open. This should be a tight affair with the draw looking a likely result.
38/10 Palermo | 3/1 | Genoa 6/10 (15:00)
Palermo must claim maximum points here in order to have a chance of survival this season. They earned a 1-1 draw at Chievo last time out and secured a 2-0 home win over Fiorentina in their last home game. Genoa ended a run of seven matches without a victory at the weekend with a hard-earned 1-0 home win over Inter Milan. Nonetheless, their record on the road this season has been horrid, with 12 losses from 17 games, scoring 12 goals and conceding 36 times. Back Palermo on the Win/Draw Double Chance at 23/20.
14/10 Roma | 49/20 | Juventus 7/4 (20:45)
Last but not least, Roma and Juventus will do battle in the final and most mouth-watering Serie A match of the weekend. The Giallorossi are off the back of an impressive 4-1 victory over AC Milan and have won 14 of their 17 matches on their ground. Juventus dropped their first points at home last weekend as cross-town rivals Torino held them to a 1-1 draw. However, that stalemate extended their unbeaten league run to 16 matches, including 12 wins and four draws. This is one of those games that could go either way and with so much at stake, it’s all the more difficult to pick a winner. Instead, I would suggest taking Under 2.5 Goals at 21/20, after all, six of the last seven meetings at the Stadio Olimpico have produced as many goals.
TREBLE @ 8/1
Lazio Win 17/10
Bologna Win 11/20
Palermo Win/Draw 23/20
Written by Aaron Crowie
