Some REALLY mediocre matchups to start the league campaign off. Yuck. It’s a new season though! Everyone is in first! Everyone has hope! No one has been mathematically eliminated! LET’S GO!!!!
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EMPOLI V HELLAS So history tells us a few things about this matchup. Empoli is always a good first half team. They usually have survival locked up by January and they are often in good enough shape to even start selling players by then. They have added a couple nice pieces this summer in Gyasi and Luperto which should help get them off on the right foot. Hellas on the other hand often start terrible. They can usually be seen in 20th come January when they usually revamp the team to make a furious charge down the stretch. This summer they did add Ricky Saponara on a free. A few years ago I would have seen that as a shrewd move. Now though it stinks of desperation. History repeats itself as EMPOLI WINS
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FROSINONE V NAPOLI New guys against the champs. Not only the champs but the champs that bring damn near everyone back. They are healthy and ready to go. After Frosinone keeps things level for a half Napoli takes off the kid gloves and buries them after halftime. Osimhen scores, Kvara assists and the newbies get a rude welcome back to Serie A as NAPOLI WINS
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GENOA V FIORENTINA This might just have be my GAME OF THE WEEK! Genoa are back in the league and look MUCH BETTER than they did when we last saw them. They are now a younger group with the line led by NT debutante Mateo Retegui. The crowd there will be electric. They welcome in the gunslingers of Fiorentina. We know Italiano and company love to score first, score second and play defense when and if they can be bothered. That will not have changed. I expect some goals in this one. Let’s say Retegui gets on the board as these teams play out a really fun 2-2 DRAW
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INTER V MONZA This was almost my game of the week but I think this will actually be my dud of the week. Inter feel incomplete though they do retain most of what got them to the CL final last year. They have added some pieces but are they the right pieces or just bargains? To be fair that kind of summer strategy paid off last year. Can they do it again? Time will tell. If Inter feel incomplete then Monza are the opposite. They bring back almost everyone from last years minus Sensi. They should be better from the get-go than last year. Honestly they can’t be worse. Last year this was exactly the kind of game Inter would lose on their way to 12 league losses. In a bland game INTER WINS 1-0.
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ROMA V SALERNITANA Like last year I think Roma goes as Dybala goes. They have revamped the midfield though I am not convinced. Much like Inter they were at the bargain bin but Inter did the much better job. Most interested to see how Kristensen does. Mourinho is not patient with fullbacks. Salernitana redeemed Dia and kept him. They also still have Ochoa in goal, the second half MVP last year. This stinks of a 0-0 DRAW
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SASSUOLO V ATALANTA Sassuolo were last year’s Jekyll and Hyde team. The first half of the season they were grinding out results with defense while the offense gelled. Then in the second half every game they played was a goal fest. The defense is still awful and most of the offense is back. Perhaps this year they flip the script? Atalanta have revamped the attack after selling of Hojlund and Boga and putting Zapata and Muriel in the shop window. They brought in Toure, Scamacca and CDK to bolster the attack. It will take time but they have enough in the midfield (Koopmeiners) and defense to hold the fort. I have a feeling what appears to be a high scoring game might be a dud. Not a total dud though. This feels a BTTS Special: 1-1 DRAW
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LECCE V LAZIO I loved watching Lecce last year. Falcone was great in goal. Hjulmand held down the middle. Strefezza, Ceesay and Colombo found goals. It wasn’t pretty but it was effective. Hjulmand and Ceesay are gone but the rest remain. It might take a while but they will circle the wagon and lean on Falcone in the meantime. Lazio rebuilt the defense last year, cutting their goals conceded in half and rocketed to second. This year they sold SMS an have rebuilt the midfield with youth and skill. They can lean on that defense while the midfield comes together. After an injury plagued year expect Immobile to bounce back. In a tough slog I’ll say Immobile scores and the visitors keep a clean sheet as LAZIO WINS
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UDINESE V JUVENTUS In what should be the most painful game of the week Max Allegri leads his team to visit the dentist’s chair at Udinese. They have tried to sell off almost everything not bolted down in an effort to make some money. Almost none of it has worked only being able to unload the garbagiest of garbage on loans here and there. No one wants to be there it seems. Meanwhile Udinese have been under the radar almost all summer. After a red hot start last year they linger like a stale fart the whole second half. They sold Becao which was kind of a bummer. Guy was a great villain. Silver lining is that Deulofeu should be back after coming back from what feels like his 10th knee surgery. As he goes so does Udinese. This feels like a real stinker. Bet the under and watch Juve find some late garbage goal to steal one way as JUVE WINS
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TORINO V CAGLIARI Bummer this one isn’t in Sardinia. All promoted teams should get to start at home. Torino didn’t go out and do much on the market but have managed to keep the group of loanees that did well for them last year. They sold of Singho for a tidy sum and replaced him with Bellanova. Otherwise it’s more or less the same outfit. Cagliari won the Serie B playoff after finishing 5th. They were dreadful their last couple years in Serie A and it was a deserved relegation to say the least. They have brought in a bevy of old names hoping they can help the cause. Yakub Jantko ring a bell? Simone Scuffet? How bout Eldor ‘flash in the pan’ Shomorudov? They went down trying to stay up with dog water players. Have they learned their lesson? Vanja keeps a clean sheet as TORINO WINS
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BOLOGNA V MILAN The matchup of the two highest place teams from last season, 4th v 9th. Bologna have sold off both their striker (Arnautovic) and their DM (Schouten) this summer without any clear replacements. They bring back their talisman in Orsolini though rumors of his departure to Sassuolo have been heating up. Milan meanwhile have brought in a whole host of mids and attackers this summer. They will take time to work in. They should be good since they have the back line and Maignan to lean on. Helps they also that Leão guy. Expect a lineup that leans on the guys from last year at least this first week. THAT MEANS KRUNIC TIME BABY!! Milan has dominated this matchup, not losing to Bologna since 2016. Milan’s center mids that night? Montolivo and Bertolacci. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA COUGH COUGH LOLOLOLOLOLOL COUGHHH!!!!!!!!! Excuse me. That trends hold, Pulisic assists Leão and MILAN WINS!!!!!
Final Thoughts
It’s opening weekend folks. What more could you ask for? Drink it in!
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.