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| The Italian Serie A continues this weekend with the big clash being the Milan Derby. |
Most punters and football lovers worldwide will welcome the short return of club football. The international break can sometimes be just what a football club needs, but other times all it could be doing is killing any momentum a team has built and even put some in an injury crisis. The 13th round of Italian Serie A will grace us this weekend and I for one am looking forward to finding the value. In a quick summary, Juventus are leading the pack with Roma trailing by four points in second place. Napoli have been off the boil while AC Milan are showing their title credentials. In the bottom half of the standings, Pescara, Palermo and Crotone occupy the bottom three and will be desperate to find their way back to safety. Sunday is derby day as city-rival’s AC Milan and Inter Milan square off in this week’s blockbuster of the week. Let’s find out what else is worth backing!
Saturday 19 November
19/20 Chievo | Draw 49/20 | Cagliari 29/10 (16:00)
Chievo and Cagliari will get gameweek 13 underway in what could just be a humdinger of a contest. Many would suggest otherwise, but every Serie A matchup Cagliari have been involved in this season, has seen Over 2.5 Goals, while both teams have managed to score in 10 of those 12 encounters. Chievo are without a win in five matches, including two on the bounce, while Cagliari have lost three of their last four games and have suffered five defeats from their six travels. The last nine matches between these teams have seen Under 2.5 Goals with only one side finding the back of the net. Cagliari have proved to be quite the attacking team this season, but their defensive frailties have caused them to leak goals. It’s a game that can go either way, so I would suggest taking Both Teams to Score at 8/10.
32/10 Udinese | 11/4 | Napoli 8/10 (19:00)
Udinese are unbeaten in their last four matches and will be eager to build on that with a victory when Napoli come to town on Saturday evening. The hosts have lacked consistency but will be determined to maintain their unbeaten streak against a Napoli side that have failed to hit the ground running. Partenopei are winless in three matches in all competitions and are there for the taking at present. Udinese are undefeated at home against Napoli in the last eight meetings, winning four and drawing just as many. The home side should be backed on the Win/Draw Double Chance at 19/20.
2/13 Juventus | 13/2 | Pescara 15/1 (21:45)
Defending champions Juventus are heavy favourites to oust relegation-threatened Pescara. The Old Lady have won 10 of their 12 matches this term, including a 100% win record at home, scoring 17 goals and conceding just five times. Pescara are without a win in 10 matches with five losses on the trot. In those five defeats, they have mustered up just one goal, conceding nine times. Get on the Juve Halftime/Fulltime win at 5/10.
Sunday 20 November
23/20 Sampdoria | 47/20 | Sassuolo 24/10 (13:30)
Sampdoria will welcome Sassuolo to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris for a lunch-time kick off on Sunday. The home team have won back-to-back games at their turf and will be keen to make it three wins on the spin. Sassuolo on the other hand, have lost their last three matches, while their record away from home leaves a lot to be desired, suffering four defeats from six games. With home advantage, Sampdoria are tipped to claim maximum points.
28/10 Atalanta | 26/10 | Roma 9/10 (16:00)
Atalanta are one of the most in-form teams in the league, bagging six wins from their last seven matches, including four on the trot. Their opponents, Roma, have also be on fire with six wins from their last eight matches. An end-to-end game of football is expected with both teams going all out for the win. Eight of the last nine meetings between these sides have produced Over 2.5 Goals. Play it safe and follow the trend at 6/10.
17/20 Bologna | 49/20 | Palermo 33/10 (16:00)
Bologna will take on Palermo in what looks to be one of the least entertaining encounters of the weekend. The former are without a win in their last seven matches, including consecutive defeats. The away team are also winless in seven games, suffering five losses in a row. Both sides will proceed with caution and we can expect a cagey encounter. With Bologna and Palermo struggling to score goals, the Under 2.5 Goals market is there for the taking at 7/10.
36/10 Crotone | 11/4 | Torino 15/20 (16:00)
Bottom-of-the-log Crotone must dig their way out of the whole they currently find themselves in. The newcomers claimed their first win of the season only at the end of October and will desperately be eager to pick up a second victory here. Torino were impressive last time out, claiming a 5-1 home win over Cagliari. Nonetheless, it’s their away form that brings them down. They have managed just one win from six travels and will most likely find the going tough at Crotone as well. The home team are unbeaten in the last six meetings on their ground against Torino. I’m backing an upset here, with Crotone tipped to grind out a narrow victory at 36/10.
26/10 Empoli | 23/10 | Fiorentina 11/10 (16:00)
An example of an unwanted international break would be for Empoli. Prior to the interval, the Azzurri hammered Pescara 4-0 in front of their own fans. Now, the excitement, confidence and momentum might just have passed them by; we will just have to see the outcome against Fiorentina. The Viola are undefeated in their last five matches, but have been finding victories hard to come by. With Empoli’s new found scoring form and Fiorentina’s ability to attack the game, Both Teams to Score looks the most likely outcome at 17/20.
13/20 Lazio | 29/10 | Genoa 4/1 (16:00)
Last season, Lazio claimed their first win against Genoa since 2011 – which included a run of eight consecutive defeats. They will play host to Genoa on Sunday afternoon and do so with the kind of form to back them up. Lazio are unbeaten in their last seven matches with four wins, including back-to-back victories on home soil. Genoa have travelled dismally with three losses from five games, including consecutive losses against Sampdoria (2-1) and Atalanta (3-0). While the betting suggests Lazio could potentially walk this one home, I think otherwise. It’s not a match that I would get involved in, but I do feel that Lazio will do enough to claim all three points.
16/10 AC Milan | 22/10 | Inter Milan 7/4 (21:45)
Last but not least, the Milan clubs will do battle in the ‘Derby della Madonnina’. There is faith, hope and pride among the AC Milan faithful with the Rossoneri showing glimpses of their old selves that we have all longed for. AC Milan are third on the table, just a single point behind Roma. They have won five of their six home games but that will count very little here as Inter Milan use the San Siro as they home ground as well. The Nerazzurri have been poor in recent weeks with four losses from their last six matches. However, they claimed a convincing 3-0 victory against Crotone at the San Siro last time and will be looking to build on that. AC Milan might be looking the better team of the two, but form will have very little to go by in this mouth-watering contest. A hostile atmosphere is expected with AC Milan tipped to come good and leave the San Siro with bragging rights.
TREBLE @ 11/1
Atalanta vs Roma Over 2.5 Goals 6/10
Bologna vs Palermo Under 2.5 Goals 7/10
Crotone Win 36/10
Written by Aaron Crowie
