WEEK ONE IS IN THE BOOKS! Lots of draws early, some expected results late and one big surprise! Or was it? If you read last weeks whip around you KNOW not to wager anything on Napoli. What will this week bring? Let’s find out as we WHIP IT AROUND!!
Matchups
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PARMA V MILAN Tune in for tomorrow’s matchday post for an in depth review along with some of Nonno’s predictions!
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UDINESE V LAZIO Udinese with a nice result last week against Bologna. The defense bent but didn’t break with a big help from Okoye in net. If not for a PK it’s a great smash and grab. They will be happy with the draw though. Lazio couldn’t ask for a better start after a very uneven offseason. New coach. Not many moves. No matter! Goals from Castellanos and Zaccagni are both good signs. Sure it was Venezia but a win is a win. I really wanna go Lazio here as Udinese’s roster is still in flux. Do I trust Lazio on the road here? NAH. I’d lean Udinese DC and under 2.5 here. DRAW
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INTER V LECCE Inter flubbed their lines right at the death last week. Are they getting old? Is Sommer washed? Not so fast my friends. Lecce come to town after getting smashed by Atalanta 4-0. Might finally be the year they go down. Inter will be hungry in their home opener. I’d say they roll. Inter -1.5? Lautaro AGS? Clean sheet at home? Consider all those options as INTER WINS
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MONZA V GENOA Both teams will be happy with their first results of the season. New coach Nesta led Monza on the road to Empoli, kept a clean sheet with a new keeper and got the draw. An important result for a team that will have to defend early this season as they figure out where the goals come from. Meanwhile Genoa hosted the defending champs, showed no fear going forward and scraped a late draw. Wildly different games that’s for sure. Can Monza find goals? Can Genoa not concede them? Sounds like a score draw to me. BTTS? Sounds good to me. DRAW
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FIORENTINA V VENEZIA Fiorentina are my early dark horse top 4 team this year. Not a great start at Parma, but scraping a draw away after going down is never a bad thing. It will be goals by committee, but that’s not a bad thing either. They have the weapons that’s for sure. Venezia are finishing 20th. Mark it. FIORENTINA WINS
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TORINO V ATALANTA Welcome to the new Torino! They score! They can’t defend! Wild finishes! Where have you gone Ivan Juric? Not sure that’s the attitude you want with Atalanta coming to town. Gasperini’s men haven’t skipped a beat since last year, destroying Lecce 4-0 in the opener. Traditionally slow starters, maybe this is the year they run out to an early lead? I like that narrative. Let’s go with it. CDK TSOA as ATALANTA WINS
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ROMA V EMPOLI These two both played out 0-0 draws last week. Could that happen again this week? Maybe? Roma had their first XI and barely threated away to Cagliari. Oof. Feels like every week is a test for de Rossi and every time they don’t win, especially against relegation fodder, is a failure. Those are the draws that must be wins to make top 4. Meanwhile Empoli should be more than happy with a draw last week. Milan fans should definitely notice who was in net for the clean sheet. I really think Empoli can finish between 14-16 this year. That being said Roma has too much here and gets DeRossi a much needed home opening win. Dovbyk scores as ROMA WINS
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NAPOLI V BOLOGNA This one feels like an early season statement game. It might seem crazy, but this is a must win for Napoli. Conte tried to take some of the blame after the disaster at Hellas, but the players were crap. That was 7 regulars from a scudetto winning team and they got humiliated. That can’t happen again. For Bologna the opener wasn’t terrible but home draws to future relegation candidates isn’t great either. The attack was solid but just couldn’t finish. The defense just couldn’t hold out. The pieces are there though. Definite game of the week vibes here. All signs point to a Napoli win but I wouldn’t bet on it. Smells like BTTS. Possibly over 2.5 as well. Maybe a 2-1 Napoli win but more like a 2-2 DRAW.
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CAGLIARI V COMO It’s never too early for a relegation 6 pointer folks. This a chance for Cagliari to capitalize on back to back home games to start the year. They have improved from last year. I’m not sure I get the Como love affair. Folks are saying top half? Let’s see. A loss here and they start in a real hole. Does Fabregas really know what he’s doing? Do all these vets show up all year? I have my doubts. This is gonna take time. Really wanna go with a Cagliari win here. Why not? Piccoli scores. CAGLIARI
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HELLAS V JUVENTUS The only matchup of unbeatens. Also the perfect chance for Juve to get off to a red hot start. Their next 4 games after this are Empoli, Napoli at home, then Genoa and Cagliari. That could very well be 6 wins. That puts them in the drivers seat in the league. Very possible. Hellas will be organized and set out to frustrate. I think it works for a while. I expect goals to be at a premium here. Consider the under. Consider BTTS NO. Ultimately I see Motta’s men finding a way to scrape one late in a 1-0 JUVE WIN
Final Thoughts
Plenty of good matchups this week in the very best league in the WORLD! Will Juve continue their good start? Will Napoli continue to founder? Is Como any good? Is Venezia THAT bad? Stay Tuned!
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. Enjoy