First things first, a very nice win yesterday. We survived the initial onslaught and then put the game to bed. That’s exactly how you put these things away. The wing to wing play of Leão and Pulisic is becoming world class. Their understanding is divine. A goal for each. Maignan left injured but I think it’s more precautionary than anything.
The draw for the next round of the Europa League was this morning. There were all sorts of potential tasty ties and we drew Roma. Blah. If we are gonna be in Europe how about we get teams from Europe? I’m sure I’ll get more excited as the games draw closer.
NOW without further ado it is time to once again…. WHIP IT AROOOOOOOOUND!!!
Matchups
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17 EMPOLI V 4 BOLOGNA Big game for Empoli here after dropping 2 in a row and slipping back to 17th. The bounce for Nicola will probably assure survival but the fight isn’t over yet. They are still poor at home and struggle to score. In comes Bologna who doesn’t lose on the road but have a hard time scoring much less winning. Seems like the perfect recipe for a 1-1 draw. BTTS at +100? Empoli DC if you feel frisky? Bologna DC and over 1 at -130 if you wanna be safe? Since I took Bologna way back when to finish top 4 I’ll say BOLOGNA WINS
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10 MONZA V 15 CAGLIARI Monza continue to Monza. They have 3 wins in 4 which has solidified their mid table spot. The offense has kicked in of late (10 goals in 4) after a bit of a drought. Little Maldini has been excellent. Being solidly mid table seems to have found them more willing to go forward and taking a lot more shots. Cagliari are also playing well have late. 8 points in 4 has helped them leap from 19th to 15th. They went from being left for dead to being the most in-form team in the bottom half of the table. However this is Monza and on the road. Cagliari are a mess on the road. There will be goals that’s for sure. Monza won’t lose. Monza DC and over 2.5 looks nice. They might just win big? Maybe Monza ML is more your taste? MONZA WINS
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13 UDINESE V 11 TORINO What happens when one nightmare team goes and visits another nightmare team to play an afternoon game? Oof. Probably a good reason to mow the yard or clean out the garage. Maybe take a nap? Both are solidly mid table and really don’t have a chance at Europe. My initial reaction is 0-0 but I think that’s wrong. I think Udinese comes to play which may invite Torino out. Not a lot of goals but enough to go over 1. I like the second half with most goals at +110. I think we see 0-0 at half and a 1-1 finish for a DRAW
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20 SALERNITANA V 16 LECCE Salernitana are dead. Lecce’s coach decided to head butt an opposing player last week. They represent 2 of 3 teams with just 1 point in 5. Salernitana will go for it which will open them up. There will be goals. Over 2.5 total goals for the game at +120? DEAL. This might be a really fun game to watch. What the hell…in a 3-2 thriller SALERNITANA WINS.
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18 FROSINONE V 9 LAZIO Speaking of teams that have 1 point in 5…. Frosinone are sinking fast. They have slowly slid all the way from 4th to 18th. Scoring has dried up (just 4 goals in 5 ) while defense keeps yielding goals at a solid clip (13 in 5). Did they hold on to EDF too long? Are the young loanees that kept them viable running out of gas? Probably a little bit of both. They welcome Lazio who’s coach quit this week. It’s not that they stink, it’s more that the owner Lotito just WEARS on people. Bring in Igor Tudor who I think is a great choice. He saved Verona and followed that up by doing great things at Marseille. He would have been in the hunt for a lot of good jobs this summer so this is a shrewd move. Will it pay off right away? Hard to say. As it is a Lazio ML and over is a good call. If he’s on the sideline I’d say it’s a lock. LAZIO WINS
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3 JUVENTUS V 12 GENOA Juve appear to be the walking dead. They’ve slipped to 3rd. They’ve conceded in 7 straight. Really they are just killing time ’til the Coppa. Genoa are happily mid table and should come in frisky. Sounds like a 1-1 or at least a 2-1 Juve WIN. Go BTTS. It’s also smart to consider whoever starts at striker for Juve to score as well. Gudmundsson TSOA anyone? JUVE WINS
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14 HELLAS VERONA V 2 MILAN Landmine game on the road against recently frisky Hellas Verona. Tune in to Sunday’s matchday post for thoughts!
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6 ATALANTA V 8 FIORENTINA GOALS! GOALS! GOALS! They might not come til late but there will be goals. Actually let’s bet on that. 2nd half with most goals is +110. I like that. I also like Atalanta DC and over 2 goals at +125. What do I think will happen? I think Atalanta go ahead by a couple and Fiorentina make a late push to either level the game or most likely come up just short 3-2. ATALANTA WINS
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5 ROMA V 19 SASSUOLO There will be goals and Roma will win. Maybe 3-0. Maybe 4-2. Maybe 5-1? They are hot and will finish this stretch with a bang. The last 6 games between these 2 have averaged 3.75 GPG. Sassuolo got the bump last week. That bump has expired. ROMA WINS
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1 INTER V 7 NAPOLI Inter have won the league and have nothing to play for. They are now out of Champions league and the Coppa. I know they have a chance of breaking some sort of long standing points record. I know Lautaro has a chance to break the all time goals record. I’m sure there are some other records within their grasp…but will they be motivated? Napoli petered off down the stretch last year. Napoli DO have a lot to be motivated for this year though. They sit 7th but are only 4 points out of the last CL spot. Every point will be huge. They are done in CL and in Coppa so they have one focus. They have been better of late but still look shaky. Recent draws against Cagliari and Torino were killers. Finishing teams off is an issue. That’s not the kind of issue you want heading to Inter. Inter are pissed and take out their frustrations. Inter by more an 1. Lautaro scores. Napoli is in the wrong place at the wrong time as Inter curb stomp them. INTER WINS
Final Thoughts
Yet ANOTHER great week of action in the BEST DAMN LEAGUE IN THE WORLD!!!!
#onwego
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. Also check out everything the guys at Two Foot Talk do. Enjoy!