The break is over! No more having to watch Donnarumma or gambling stories or political posts. Let’s get back on track because it’s time to WHIP IT AROUND!!!!!!
Matchups
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HELLAS V NAPOLI Hellas has crashed hard since winning their first 2 games of the year. Since then they have 2 points from 6 while scoring just 2 goals and conceding 7. The defense is keeping them competitive but they just can’t score. They have tumbled down the table all the way to 16th which is their comfort zone really. Napoli come into the game in total chaos. Garcia was THIS CLOSE to being relieved of duties over the break. Conte lurks from his Lerkin. Osimhen picked up an injury which has ruled him out for 6 weeks which conveniently almost leaves him out til AFCON. The defense has become a sieve. On the bright side they are still scoring (11 in 4) and Kvara has shown some signs of life. They should have enough but JUST enough to get 3 points here. Take the under as NAPOLI WINS
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TORINO V INTER Speaking of teams that can’t score and are tumbling down the table… it’s TORINO! They have just 1 goal in 4 games, have slid to 14th and now there is news that Zapata is out. Not that he’s been great but he is at least a focal point for them. Otherwise it’s defense first and second for Juric’s men. Inter comes in stumbling a bit of late. They lost at home to Sassuolo, looked terrible against Salernitana til Lautaro saved them and then drew at home to Bologna after blowing a 2-0 lead. That’s not to say they are in the toilet but just struggling. They also have a ton of guys coming back from International duty and we could see heavy rotation. Take the under. Maybe bet on a 0-0 halftime score? It won’t be pretty but I’ll say INTER WINS
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SASSUOLO V LAZIO As usual Sassuolo are over the place. It’s either a wild shootout or a brutal 1-0 type game. There’s no rhyme or reason to their home/road splits. The only thing you can sort of lean on is that the goals will come from Berardi or Pinamonti. They have 9 goals while the rest of the team has combined for just 2. Lazio come in on the back of two good results winning away to Celtic in the CL and then at home to Atalanta. They have 2+ goals in 3 of their last 4 and may be sloooooowly turning things around. castellanos finally got on the board and Vecino ha 3 goals in 4 games. My prediction here is goals. In Sassuolo’s 4 home games there have been 13 of them. In Lazio’s 4 away fixtures there have been 12. Take the over. Consider Berardi to score. I’ll say it’s a 2-2 DRAW
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ROMA V MONZA If Roma wanna make a run they have to be better at home where they have just 7 points from 4. They also have to beat a team like Monza who they have more talent than on paper and who also will be competing for Europe. That’s gonna be tough with a long list of injuries including Dybala, Abraham and, shocker, Renato Sanches. Their 3 wins are against Frosinone, Cagliari and Empoli. Not exactly murderers row. Monza continue to Monza. They coming in only having conceded 7 in 8 games and have road results against Sassuolo and Lazio. They will not be afraid. They also face a keeper in Patricio who’s been quite poor. I think Monza get one early and hold on for a repeat of their scoreline in Rome against Lazio, a 1-1 DRAW.
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BOLOGNA V FROSINONE Bologna have faced the toughest schedule so far and hav survived relatively unscathed gaining 11 points from 8. They come in unbeaten in 7 and just recently have found their scoring boots. 5 of their 8 goals on the season have come in their last 2 games. Their next 3 opponents are Frosinone, Sassuolo and Hellas Verona. This is their time to make a run and get back into the European spots. Frosinone looked like they might fall off after losing to Roma. They bounced right back with a win versus Hellas though. That was huge as they sit at 11 points, level with Bologna, yet still punching above their weight. Motta’s men continue their scoring ways as Zirksee finds the back of the net and BOLOGNA WINS
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SALERNITANA V CAGLIARI Nope nope nope. Skipping this. Can’t do it.
What’s that? You say Pippo Inzaghi was named Salernitana coach? You don’t say….
Without any level of thought or reason Pippo brings that new manager bounce and SALERNITANA WINS
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ATALANTA V GENOA GOALS! GOALS! GOALS! These 2 teams have combined for roughly 3 goals total per game and I see no reason that it stops here. Scamacca just got his first NT goal so he should be hyped. In their loss v Lazio they started a train wreck but really controlled the rest of that game. The defense has been getting better but I still see Genoa’s go for broke style getting one. Gilardino has them pushing and pushing and they have some nice pieces in Gudmundsson and Frendrup. They will however be missing their keeper Martinez after a red last game and Retegui is also questionable. I see goals here but also a route. Something like a 4-2 in the end as ATALANTA WINS
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MILAN V JUVENTUS Tune in for the full preview tomorrow! In short I’ll say MILAN WINS
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UDINESE V LECCE It’s getting harder and harder to find bright spots for Udinese. They have no wins and just 5 points from 8. They can’t score and despite a lot of draws the defense is just OK. Sottil’s seat has to be on fire. Also there is recent talk that Samardzic is out the door in January. Ugh. Meanwhile Lecce continues to keep their heads above water sitting tied for 7th on 12 points. They are solid top to bottom and have really found a nice attack through a strong midfield and Krstovic up top. He’s on pace for 19 goals and there’s no reason to think he won’t get there. It will be a cagey game as Udinese can’t afford more poor results and Lecce will be happy with a point on the road. DRAW!
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FIORENTINA V EMPOLI Fiorentina simply dominated Napoli last week. They are 2nd in the league with 18 goals on the season led by Gonzalez with and Jack with 4. They have 9 different goal scorers already and none of them via a PK. They launch shots from everywhere and really dial up the pressure. The defense has also quietly gotten a fair bit better since the week 3 battering from Inter. Balancing Europe remains a challenge but they are deeper than last year. Empoli started off the season with 5 straight losses. Since then they have 4 points from 3 getting a win and a draw at home. This isn’t at home. It also won’t be a win or draw for Empoli. FIORENTINA WINS!
Final Thoughts
We’re back baby! The huge Milan-Juve game on Sunday highlights what should be an action packed weekend.
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.