Roma’s title hopes took a further dive on Sunday after they were held to yet another draw, leaving Juventus 10 points clear at the top of the table. Elsewhere, ailing AC Milan got back to winning ways with a precious 2-0 home win over Cesena, while Lazio climbed up to fourth thanks to Antonio Candreva’s superb second-half winner in a 2-1 home defeat of Palermo. The Parma-Udinese fixture was postponed as the cash-strapped hosts, on the verge of bankruptcy, had no money to pay stadium stewards. Champions Juventus took another step closer to lifting the Serie A title for a fourth consecutive season with a 2-1 win over Atalanta, leaving Roma under immense pressure to claim the victory when they host Juve on Monday night.
Saturday
Chievo 19/10 | Draw 22/10 | AC Milan 29/20
Chievo are just four points off the relegation zone. They suffered a 3-0 drumming at the hands of Empoli last time out and come up against a tough opponent in AC Milan on Saturday evening. Milan got back to winning ways with a routine 2-0 win at the San Siro Stadium and will be looking to build on that. They have won 15 of the last 16 meetings against Chievo and the away win is on the cards.
Sunday
Cagliari 21/20 | Draw 24/10 | Hellas Verona 27/10
Relegation bound Cagliari are coming off another disappointing performance in front of their fans, going down 2-1 against Inter Milan; their third loss from their last four matches. Verona did well to hold Roma to a 1-1 draw at home on their weekend. However, they have been just as poor as their opponents in recent weeks, losing three of their last four matches. Cagliari have conceded a colossal 45 goals in 24 games, that is almost two goals per game. Verona have only scored 12 goals in 12 travels. Not much separates the sides and a draw seems a likely outcome.
Cesena 21/10 | Draw 21/10 | Udinese 14/10
Relegation contenders Cesena are coming off a 2-0 loss away to AC Milan. They return to their home ground where they managed a hard fought 2-2 draw against Juventus last time around. Udinese have been poor of late with back-to-back losses. They have travelled poorly with three wins from 11 games on the road. Cesena have to capitalize on home advantage if they are to stand a chance of surviving this term.
Atalanta 16/10 | Draw 21/10 | Sampdoria 18/10
Atalanta have been dismal with three losses on the trot after falling to a 2-1 defeat away to log leaders Juventus. Sampdoria have travelled poorly with just three victories from 12 travels. They won the reverse tie 1-0 but home advantage should play a vital role for Atalanta. Nothing much separates the sides and a draw looks a good bet.
Palermo 11/10 | Draw 24/10 | Empoli 26/10
Palermo are off the back of a 2-1 defeat away to Lazio. However, their home form has been impressive of late, winning their last two games. Empoli showed their steel last time out as they thrashed Cesena 3-0 on their turf. They will be confident coming up against Palermo after winning the reverse tie 3-0. However, on the road is where they have struggled; just one victory from 11 travels, scoring a mere 12 goals. A score draw is well worth a punt.
Sassuolo 21/10 | Draw 9/4 | Lazio 13/10
Sassuolo have been poor of late with back-to-back defeats, after losing 2-0 away to Napoli on Monday night. Their opponents, Lazio, have been in the opposite form with two wins from their last two matches. A 78th minute goal gave Lazio a 2-1 victory against Palermo last weekend. While Sassuolo have struggled on their ground with just three wins from 11 matches, Lazio have battled to maintain winning form on their travels. The sides have produced 14 goals in the last three meetings between them and neither defence is looking solid at present. Both Teams To Score is the way to go here.
Inter Milan 5/4 | Draw 9/4 | Fiorentina 23/10
Inter Milan are now within four points of a European spot after making it three Serie A wins in a row with a hard fought 2-1 victory at Cagliari on Monday. A late exchange of goals between Fiorentina and Torino ensured the spoils were shared in a dramatic 1-1 draw. That draw extended Fiorentina’s unbeaten run to seven games. Both sides have Europa League clashes to contend with at the time of writing against Celtic and Tottenham respectively, and fatigue could play a vital role. Neither team can afford to rest players, with both competing for a Champions League place. Inter have an incredible record at home against Fiorentina, winning the last 13 meetings. The home win is tipped with Both Teams To Score.
Turin draw 21/10 | Draw 9/4 | Napoli 13/10
Turin are now unbeaten in their last eight matches following a hard fought 1-1 draw away to Fiorentina on the weekend. Napoli come to town confident after a 2-0 win at home against Sassuolo, making it six victories from their last eight games. It should be a cagey affair and the result could go either way, but Napoli have won the last four meetings against Turin and are tipped to make it five out of five.
Monday
Roma 21/10 | Draw 22/10 | Juventus 27/20
It’s a clash of the titans as Roma welcome Juventus on Monday evening looking to close the gap between themselves and the Italian champions. Roma drew for the sixth time in their last seven Serie A games when they were held 1-1 at lowly Verona on Sunday, losing yet more ground on Serie A leaders Juventus. Andrea Pirlo scored with a dipping 30-yard drive to give runaway Serie A leaders Juventus a 2-1 win over Atalanta on Friday after the lowly visitors had taken a shock lead. Juventus, on course for a fourth successive title, are now 10 points clear of second-placed Roma. The away win is tipped.
Written by Vuvuzela
Vuvu’s Serie A Picks
AC Milan WIN 29/20
Cagliari DRAW 24/10
Cesena WIN 21/10
Atalanta DRAW 21/10
Palermo DRAW 24/10
Sassuolo BTTS 8/10
Inter Milan WIN + BTTS 31/10
Napoli WIN 13/10
Juventus WIN 27/20