Week 3 IS IN THE BOOKS! Regulars Inter and Juve are off to great starts while both Torino and Udinese are also tied at the top. Right behind them? VERONA! It’s a crazy start and with European fixtures looming it’s only getting crazier.
Without further adieu it’s time to WHIP…IT…A-ROOOOOOUUUUUUND!
Matchups
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COMO V BOLOGNA Lots of things going on for Como here. First of all the league did them no favors by having them play their first 3 games of the year on the road. Second they can’t score. Third they signed all these big name vets and now they are deciding that they were happy retired. Yikes. International break couldn’t be better timed. Perfect chance to circle the wagons. Bologna find themselves in a similar spot, but for different reasons. New coach. Lots of new players. Some of the same players in different spots. That’s led to a porous defense and a limp offense. What do I expect in this game? Definitely leaning newly promoted team in home opener. A win? I wouldn’t go that far. DC and under? I like that. Maybe sprinkle on a win? Nah. DRAW
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EMPOLI V JUVENTUS Empoli has not lost in 3 matches. Let that sink in. Deep breath. Exhale. Milan loanee Devis Vazquez has been EXCELLENT in goal. The offense ain’t great but when has it ever been for them? Juve come in on a roll. No losses, 6 goals and zero conceded. Of course the last game being a 0-0 draw probably gave Allegri haters some flashbacks but you can’t win them all. They will win here though. Probably low scoring but still convincing. I’ll go with a Vlahovic banger as it finishes 2-0 and JUVENTUS WINS
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MILAN V VENEZIA Tune into tomorrows matchday post for all the details!
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GENOA V ROMA Genoa picked up right where it left off last year, scoring some nice goals and also playing solid D. Over the last few weeks they have sold off Retegui and Gudmundsson so the offense might sputter. Good thing low scoring Roma is coming to town. DDR’s men have 1 goal in 3 games right now and it ain’t pretty. How many games without a win can DDR go before that seat gets hot? Hard to tell. A team struggling to score goals against a team struggling to figure out who will score the goals? Sounds like a 1-1 DRAW
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ATALANTA V FIORENTINA A matchup of two teams I was very bullish on in the preseason. Like Como, Atalanta must have angered the Calcio gods as they also started the year with 3 road games. Especially tough as they were still active in the market and working in moving parts. They got a win at Lecce but then lost to quick starters Inter and Torino. 3 points after 3 not terrible. Silver lining is now they have only 15 road games left and 18 in their just-completed/renovated stadium. Fiorentina also have 3 after 3, but they also had to deal with 2 European qualifiers along the way. Let’s just say I’m sure both teams needed the break. Should make for a good game where we see goals. There almost always is when these teams play. Take the over. Tempted to parlay that with an Atalanta home win. Really tempted. ATALANTA WINS
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TORINO V LECCE Your standard trap game here. Torino red hot start. Lecce is Lecce. Hmmmm. How about this: This isn’t your father’s Torino. They get forward and score. They also have several options to score. I’d consider Zapata to score. Maybe even check Capocannoniere odds just for the heck of it. Might be worth a long shot. Go with the flow. Take Torino over 1.5. TORINO WINS
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CAGLIARI V NAPOLI If Napoli are gonna be the story everyone wants them to be then this has to be a win. Good thing they own Cagliari. 1 loss in 24 matches. That’s not a cheap rental. That’s full ownership there. Not just close games either. I like Kvara TSOA. I’d like that most weeks if they are on a roll. Lukaku too. Then again Napoli burnt me ALL YEAR LAST YEAR. Dammit. I’m staying away…but since I pick every game I’ll stick with Kvara TSOA as NAPOLI WINS
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MONZA V INTER First things first. Semuel Pizzignacco. Learn the name. I think the kid is gonna be really good. The Monza defense is stout and they happened to be coached by Alessandro Nesta. Love it. Two years ago Monza owned Inter drawing them and also beating them at San Siro. Last year? Not so much, losing 5-1 and 2-0. This year? Probably not either. Sorry Nesta. Lautaro breaks his duck as INTER WINS
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PARMA V UDINESE Key point here: Parma keeper Suzuki will miss this game via red card suspension. He’s good and the defense is bad. Expect goals, especially for Udinese. Conservative? Udinese DC and over 1.5. Less so? Udinese win and over. Their defense is good and they have enough studs in attack to get the win here. Like Torino they have shed the mantle of being a boring defensive team and are coming after you. UDINESE WINS
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LAZIO V VERONA Is this the game of the week? Maybe? Slim pickings this week. Sure why not. Lazio v Verona in the GAME OF THE WEEK! Fun fact: Lazio’s games have averaged 3.6 goals per game. They have scored 6 and conceded 5. There’s gonna be goals. Verona either win big or lose big. 3-0, 0-3 and 2-0. No in between. I like Lazio at home and I like goals. Castellanos is starting to cook. I like him AGS. Maybe even Dia too? They make a nice combo. Might be something like a 3-3 or 4-2 thriller here. Bet on the goals not the outcome
Final Thoughts
No real marquee games this week but still lots of great action to look forward to in the BEST LEAGUE IN THE WORLD!
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