I think we can all agree that international breaks suck. The older I get the less I care about international football and the longer these breaks feel.
v
JUVENTUS V LAZIO Both teams enter the break after road wins that followed drab performances at home. Juve feel like that team that will do this Jekyll and Hyde trick all year. They will do just enough to win at home while playing better on the road. Lazio are coming off a massive road win at Napoli and need to keep the momentum rolling. Side stories here include Sarri returning to Juve, Pogba’s possible impending long term suspension and the Juve fans lack of showing up to games. Feels like another stinker here. I’d strongly consider the under and could totally see a dull DRAW
v
INTER V MILAN It’s Derby day BABY!!! Stay tuned to tomorrow’s matchday post for thoughts and predictions!
v
GENOA V NAPOLI Genoa have tightened things a bit after getting blitzed in the opener by Fiorentina. Only 1 goal conceded in their last 2. They may not have the horses but they have at least looked organized. Retegui also gives them just enough spark. Napoli dropped a giant stinker before the break and need a bounce back performance. This seems like just what the doctor ordered. I’ll say they put 3 up and Kvara breaks his drought. I also think the Napoli defense concedes 1. Let’s go with 3-1 in the end as NAPOLI WINS!
v
CAGLIARI V UDINESE These teams have a combined 2 goals in 6 games while conceding 8. If this were the old days of calcio I’d say skip this 0-0 game and take a nap. These days I feel like this is exactly the sort of game both teams will go for. Does that mean goals per se? Maybe? We’ll probably see some up-and-down action but there’s very little quality here to score goals. Take the under as Raineri’s men find a way to sneak their first win of the year CAGLIARI WINS!
v
FROSINONE V SASSUOLO Goals Goals Goals! Sassuolo pumped in 3 last week and Frosinone is a bit of a sieve with some offensive quality. Harroui has been scoring and Soule is a nice loan pickup from Juve. They also have the immortal Simone Romagnoli in the fold. Sassuolo got off to a rough start but bounced back last game with the return of Berardi. Even with the suspended Lopez they still ran away from Hellas 3-1. There will be some goals but I think Frosinone hold form and at least draws. MAYBE a win. Let’s go Frosinone DNB and call it a DRAW
v
MONZA V LECCE Monza continue to Monza. Wait… that was last year. There was a home win against Empoli, likely the worst team in the league, but also losses away to Atalanta and Inter. So it’s been to be expected so far. Meanwhile Lecce are in 4th. I’ll wait for you to get back up. Take your time. You all know I rode the Lecce train all year last year with Falcone being my man crush. This year they have continued that roll but have added some goal scoring as well. Krstovic has arrived scoring from the Slovakian league and Lameck Banda will eventually make them a nice profit on the wing. A tough call here. My love for Lecce remains strong but I think Colpani gets one late and MONZA WINS
v
FIORENTINA V ATALANTA If there are not at least 5 goals in this game I will be shocked. Fiorentina are good for goals but cannot defend. The loss to Inter wasn’t a surprise but the lack of punch was… until you realize La Viola had a midweek game right before. They come in more rested here and ready to go. Atalanta are notoriously good on the road and poor at home. I think that continues here as Fiorentina continue to try and bed in some new attackers. They score but Scamacca and Atalanta score more as ATALANTA WINS!
v
ROMA V EMPOLI Roma can’t get any lower and they desperately need a win. Well here comes the worst team in the league. Empoli is toast folks. Mark it. If Roma can’t win here then they are completely done for. Dybala may not start but I see a late cameo and either a goal or an assist to Lukaku. As much as I would love to watch Rome burn…. They circle the wagons for the moment and ROMA WINS
v
SALERNITANA V TORINO looks like both these teams fell down the ugly tree and hit every branch. Oof. Salernitana’s defense has been creaky and that was their bread and butter down the stretch last year. Candreva has had a nice start but they can’t count on that every week. They have to get Dia going. After seemingly trying to sell him all summer he is staying for now. Something tells me that the disappointment of not leaving means he will go on a tear hoping to leave in January. If Salernitana have been ugly then Torino have been U-G-L-Y you ain’t got no alibi UGLY. Two goals in 3 games yet somehow they have 4 points. That’s Urich ball though. Adding Zapata to the attack along with Sanabria and Vlasic should help. Got a strange feeling here but I think Torino is somehow less ugly. Zapata gets his first and TORINO WINS
v
VERONA V BOLOGNA Verona were on cloud 9 after 2 wins to start the year. We knew that wouldn’t last forever and sure enough Sassuolo popped their balloon. They will be okay just not undefeated. Ngonge is off to a hot start and Montipo is solid in the back. They were solid at home down the stretch last year and have continued that. Bologna had a rough start losing at home to Milan but managed a point away to Juve and beat Cagliari at home. 4 points from those 3 isn’t bad. Zirksee got on the board last week and they look strong. They added some solid pieces in the summer and Motta is doing an excellent job. Hellas got the better of Bologna down the stretch last year but Bologna was already on the beach and Hellas was fighting for Survival. Bologna returns the favor here. It’s tight as Hellas will dig in but BOLOGNA WINS
Final Thoughts
Some real bangers to welcome us back from International break.
Enjoy the Calcio!
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.