Apologies for the absence last week but Nonno is BACK! Allow me to strap up the velcro shoes and adjust my hearing aids because it’s time to WHIP IT AROUND!!!!!!
Matchups
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EMPOLI V UDINESE A tough atchup to figure between two of the bottom feeders of the league. We thought Empoli would stink and they do. One goal 7 games with 16 conceded. Udinese on the other hand has some good players and should be much better. Yet they remain winless and Sottil has to be feeling the pressure. They have found their scoring boots though with 3 goals in their last 2. I wanna say Empoli gets a second win at home but I also wanna say that Udinese have found their form and get their first win. I’m not touching this with a ten footpole but I see a very cagey 1-1 or 0-0 DRAW
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LECCE V SASSUOLO Lecce started off a house of fire but then came back to earth against Napoli and Juve. That’s to be expected. Sassuolo meanwhile continue to do weird things. A home loss to Monza after beating Juve and Inter back to back makes sense right? Good luck figuring that out. I’m gonna go with the team that makes more sense here. Lecce holds firm at home, Falcone gets a clean sheet and LECCE WINSÂ
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INTER V BOLOGNA Inter are looking solid again after destroying Salernitana last week and beating Benfica in the CL midweek. Expect some rotation but Inzaghi brings on the big guns late if needed. Bologna continue an insane opening stretch where they have now faced Milan, Juve, Napoli and now Inter in their first 8. While navigating that they only have one loss and have really sewn up the back line. This being a road game I see them sitting and looking for Zirksee and Orsolini on counters. Take the under here. See what kind of flavor you get on a Bologna win or draw. I see something like a 1-0 Inter win or 1-1 draw. Should be an interesting matchup. I’ll go DRAW
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JUVENTUS V TORINO Juve haven’t lost to Torino since 2015. They won’t lose here. Take Juve to win. Don’t overthink it. Parlay that with scoring more than one goal. Maybe sprinkle in keeping a clean sheet. JUVE WINS
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GENOA V MILAN Full preview tomorrow on the matchday post. MILAN WINS
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MONZA V SALERNITANA Monza continue to Monza… but they sure have a tough time scoring. Only 5 goals in 7. Fortunately the defense has been airtight only conceding 2 in the last 4. Fortunately for them Salernitana comes to town losers of 4 out of 5 while shipping 11 goals and only scoring 1. Monza are learning how to succeed in Serie A while Salernitana are off to their usual putrid start. Look for Monza to win. I’m also guessing they put up 2-3 goals. that salernitana dumpster fire isn’t fading any time soon. MONZA WINS
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FROSINONE V HELLAS VERONA Despite the loss to Roma, Frosinone remain solidly in 9th. The scoring has slowed a bit which is a concern. They come home where their only loss is to Napoli and where they also have scored in every game. After 2 wins to start the year Hellas have 2 points in 5 and are starting to pile up injuries. They are currently without Doig, Djuiric and several others. They are scoreless in 4 so have no choice but to pack it in. This smells of 2 teams that would be more than happy to take a point and go home. Take the under and MAYBE sprinkle some mozzarella on a 0-0 DRAW
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LAZIO V ATALANTA Lazio sit 16th on 7 points. They just got smoked by Milan. Unless they start making headway soon top 4 becomes very difficult, especially with the teams at the top all playing well. Atalanta come to town having gone unbeaten in 5 and coming off a huge road win in Europe at Sporting Lisbon. They also happen to be the road warriors of Serie A during Gasperini’s time in charge. They have not lost away to Lazio since 2017, scoring 13 goals in 6 games over that time. They will come in smelling blood in the water knowing a win here means big trouble for the Laziali. If there is one thing Sarri’s men can hang their hat on is that they have been good at home. Lots to sort out here. Can Lazio hold the fort? Will Atalanta storm Rome and loot the Olimpico? Both teams played midweek so watch the lineups. I see goals in what might end up being a high flying DRAW
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CAGLIARI V ROMA Cagliari stinks. They are at home here but they stink. I thought Empoli were the worst team in the league BUT Cagliari now have that crown. Relegate them NOW please. Into town come Roma fresh off battering some Conference League team midweek and also handling Frosinone 2-0 last week. The loss to Genoa looks like more of a glitch than anything else. Watch the lineups and consider a Roma win combined with a goal or assist for Dybala OR a goal for Lukaku. I’ll probably stay away just because betting on Roma gives me PTSD but I’ll still say ROMA WINS
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NAPOLI V FIORENTINA As a neutral I’m hoping this game somehow ends up 7-6. Fiorentina can score and chooses not to defend. Napoli can score in bunches but the defense remains a work in progress. They are getting better though. Both teams played midweek and had disappointing results at home. Napoli lost to Real Madrid and Fiorentina fell behind 2-0 at home before rescuing a draw against Ferencvaros. There might be rotation but with a break coming perhaps not. I think both come to play and we get goals. Take Osimhen to score. Take Gonzalez. Parlay them both at +750. Perhaps Bonaventura at +500? Take your pick of your favorites and see what happens. I’ll probably at the very least take total goals over 3 at +165. In the end I think the home team scores last and NAPOLI WINS
Final Thoughts
Some big matchups this week and some others between teams trying to make their mark.
Enjoy the Calcio!
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.