Split the fixtures last week. Not bad when calling the result. Gotta crack that .500 mark.
Some tasty matchups this week with only 6 rounds to go. Almost every game features a top 4 team versus a team battling to escape relegation. WE RIDE!
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ATALANTA V SPEZIA Like last week, this weeks fixtures begin with 2 relegation battlers in the early games. This time though they both oppose teams battling for top 4 as well. Atalanta come into this game on the outside of the top 4 looking in. The win against Torino was massive and kept them 2 points adrift. Spezia meanwhile crashed against Monza at home leaving them level on points with 18th place Hellas. That makes this game a must. Even a draw would be huge. As usual, it’s Nzola or bust for them. Heart says Spezia, but brain says Atalanta. So common sense tells me Nzola scores early but Atalanta pulls one back and we get a DRAW
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JUVENTUS V LECCE The second of the early relegation v Top 4 battles. Last week saw Juve miss an early penalty but escape Bologna with a point. They currently sit third with a 3 point cushion. They also need every point possible with whispers of a future point deduction coming. Juve fans hate Max but it’s hard to argue with the results. Pogba has been a no show this year, Vlahovic has done the same and Chiesa is on one leg. Max still has them top 4. Lecce got a massive win last week to put them at 31 points. I said 32 was the magic number and I’ll stick with that. They won’t get it this day. Bet the under as JUVE WINS
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SALERNITANA V FIORENTINA Neither team really has anywhere to go. Fiorentina can’t get top 4 and therefore their eye is fixed on Conference League. They are finally scoring goals and are flying higher than they have in years. Salernitana are on 34 points, safe from the drop and more importantly on good form. Their last outing they stopped local rivals Napoli from clinching the scudetto. Salernitana have drawn 7 of 9 not losing any of them. Fiorentina do not lose. Smells like a DRAW
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SAMPDORIA V TORINO Samp sucks. Their coach quit. It’s a disaster. Torino are on the beach. Doesn’t mean they can’t travel south and still have a good time. Juric smiles that crazy smile as he watches his team bounce back as TORINO WINS
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HELLAS VERONA V INTER IN THE GAME OF THE WEEK!!! You’re telling me 4th vs 18th is the game of the week? Damn right I am. Inter come off smashing Juve in the Coppa and Lazio at home in the league. Two massive wins in a season full of ups and downs. The Lazio win catapulted them from 6th to 4th as Milan and Roma split their honors. The possibility of Coppa and CL glory looms but top 4 remains a must for Inzaghi’s men. Hellas has 8 points from 4 including 2 straight home wins. That run of form has them level with Spezia on 27 points but their sites are higher. A win and their journey to escape the bottom 3 is complete. Will that be this day? A tough call on what should be a TIGHT game. I can’t say how and I can’t explain why, such is the nature of the current Serie A campaign, but the resurrection continues as HELLAS WINS.
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LAZIO V SASSUOLO Lazio sat 2nd 6 points clear of the last CL spot just a few days ago. The loss to inter was brutal as a win there would have almost seasled a CL spot. Now that gap is just 4. That seems safe with 6 to play. The offense is playing well but the defense is beginning to creak just a bit. Not a good sign when an opportunistic group like Sassuolo comes calling. No matter what can be said about them, you certainly can’t hold to it. The only sure thing is a lack of a sure thing. The offense remains lively and balanced. All hands are on deck. For Lazio Romagnoli is missing which will hurt. Lazio is no sure thing at home. Both sides get on the board and Lazio lingers with doubt in a spirited DRAW
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MILAN V CREMONESE Since accepting their fate Cremonese have loosed up the reins and have gained 8 points from 5. They are going down and have nothing to gain but also nothing to lose. That should mean a win for home standing Milan but we know that’s no given. Tomori is out due to cards and Kjaer will be rested. That leaves Thiaw and Kalulu as the CBs. That’s gonna be an issue as neither is good at picking up runners. Both sit too deep. That will make the role of the midfield massive on any counters. Get caught too high and trouble will come. Hard to say what Pioli will do with Lazio on the weekend and CL next week. With only 9 possible games to play rotating is probably done with for stars like Leao, Theo and Tonali. It’s boom or bust. Those studs need to take over this game for Milan. Theo gets on the board for the first time in a while, Maignan keeps it clean and MILAN WINS
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MONZA V ROMA Monza under Palladino continue to roll. Fester has proven he still has the touch. To think they could finish as high as 8th before the season was madness. Survival? Sure. To compete to finish ahead of regulars like Fiorentina, Sassuolo and Bologna? No. Balanced scoring from a legion of league vets and castoffs has been key. Sensi and Pessina have been massive. The addition of Rovella on loan was huge too. They fear no one. Roma come in battered but still alive. They re tied for 4th and still competing in Europa despite having an injured list 8 deep. Smalling, Kummbulla and Wijnaldum are all missing from the spine and now Matic is out due to cards. Like last week Cristante will have to step in at CB again. One has to wonder when Mourinho’s magic will run out. A point here is a must as they welcome Inter on the weekend. Mourinho’s men suffer as only a Mourinho team can in a very ugly DRAW
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EMPOLI V BOLOGNA Empoli are on the beach. They are young and will be back next year. The project is strong. Bologna might have nowhere to go but believe me getting as many points of possible is still a goal. Motta is excelling. Orsolini has been an almost man for years but is having his finest season yet with 9 goals so far.
BOLOGNA FACT OF THE DAY: The first half of the season Bologna lost all 7 games against the top 7. On the back half they have yet to lose.
EMPOLI FACT OF THE DAY: Empoli have suffered defeat to Bologna only once in 10 including a victory earlier this year.
The Rossoblu return the favor, Orsolini hits double digits for the first time in his career and BOLOGNA WINS
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UDINESE V NAPOLI Napoli’s season is starting to read like the greatest start and lamest ending of any book ever. The Scudetto has been clinched since the end of January. Since then they were knocked out of the Coppa by Cremonese, who at that point were dead last and hadn’t won a game all year. A few weeks later they were humiliated at home by Milan and subsequently kicked from the Champions League by them. Then this past weekend with a chance to clinch the league and set of a giant celebration they conceded late and the party was postponed. Now they travel all the way north to Udinese to try and clinch things AGAIN. This time in the cold. On a Wednesday. My guess is Lazio drops points and this game matters not. UDINESE WINS
Final Thoughts
The battles for the top and bottom remain hot down the stretch. Considering the league AND all the teams alive in Europe it’s high times to be a fan od Serie A.
Happy watching!
Lisi
PS: If you enjoy making a few bets the KICKS and PICKS PODCAST is a must listen. They touch on a lot of Serie A action but also have their eyes on other leagues across Europe. Fun show with excellent insight. Great for anyone new to the betting scene.