Nonno went bonkers last week. nailed 8 out of 10 results and a bunch of side bets. Hope you were along for the ride.
Last week we saw the table start to take shape long term. The top 4 is currently Napoli, Juve, Inter, and Milan – the top 4 most people expected at the beginning of the year. This week it’s time for those teams with good starts to prove they belong (Torino, Udinese) and those with poor starts to prove their quality (Monza, Bologna, Atalanta). Things are moving here in Serie A so pack your bags and get ready…because it’s time to…WHIP…IT…A-ROOOOOOUUUUUUND!
Matchups
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NAPOLI V LECCE Always take Napoli at home to win. They have won their home games by a combined 12-2 and I’d be shocked if they lose at home all year. Maybe even take them -1.5 here. Kvara and Lukaku should also be TSOA in almost every game. Sorry Como. NAPOLI WINS
*This posted after this game but Lisi shared this thoughts on Twitter before, so be sure to follow up if you’re not!
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HELLAS V VENEZIA Hellas means goals. Pure and simple. Home? Goals. Road? Goals. Games played on Krypton? GOALS. Also their already-creaky defense is missing Dawidovicz via a red. What’s that mean? More goals. Lazovic TSOA is a good shout. As is Mosquera AGS or shots if he starts. BTTS? Over 2.5? Most likely. Result? I wouldn’t really touch that but I’ll say it’s a 2-2 DRAW
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UDINESE V LECCE Big game for both after back 2 back league losses for each. Udinese because they had a great start and need to re-find that momentum. Also because they need to remember how to play defense again. They have conceded 9 in their last 4 which is SO un-Udinese like. The offense is good though, running at a 2 goal per game clip. Lecce? They are off to another brutal start. Falcone is trying but they sure look like relegation fodder this time around. Udinese to win is +120. Udinese DC and over 1 goal is -110. Thauvin TSOA? Probably a SOT? Falcone saves? All in play. UDINESE WINS
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ATALANTA V GENOA Yes Atalanta are 12th but don’t fret. They lost their talisman in Koopmeiners and are still working out the kinks from that. They still have buckets of talent and will be just fine. Meanwhile Genoa are struggling to score. Gilardino’s men have just 4 goals in 6 games and are struggling mightily to replace Gudmundsson and Retegui. Speaking of Retegui, take him as AGS here. That former player juju is always strong in Serie A. I also like a SOT from Bellanova. ATALANTA WINS
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INTER V TORINO Top 4 at home? Against a pretender that concedes goals like a sieve? Sign me up. Lautaro continues to roll. AGS for sure. Unless Torino figure out how to defend soon they will be in their usual 10-12 spot before they know it. Don’t count out their ability to score though. BTTS might be a nice number here. Over 2.5 possible as well. INTER WINS
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JUVENTUS V CAGLIARI Well EDF pulled a Lazarus twice last week in Cagliari’s win against Parma. Twice they blew leads and still they were rescued by a late Piccoli goal. Speaking of Piccoli, he has 19 career goals and I swear all of them have been in the dying minutes of games to either pull his team level or win the game. Nice story but this is Juve and they are red hot. Wise coaches settle the backend first and then look to build the attack. That’s exactly what Motta has done here. Vlahovic has back to back 2 goal games. WATCH OUT. JUVE WINS
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BOLOGNA V PARMA After 4 points in 2 Parma now have 1 point in 4. Similar to the paths of other early hot starters Torino and Udinese. Similarly they can’t play defense to the tune of conceding 2 goals per game. Not against the good teams but not against the bad teams either. Meanwhile Bologna is slooooowly rounding into form. I like them again here.
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LAZIO V EMPOLI It’s Empoli. Take the under. It’s Lazio at home. Take the result. Castellanos is red hot. He starts, he scores. Nuff said. Lazio DC and under 2.5. Mark it. LAZIO WINS
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MONZA V ROMA Monza continues to Monza! Wait. No they’re not. Nesta is having a tough time following the success of Palladino. Doesn’t help their best attacker (Colpani) and all league goalkeeper (Di Gregerio) left for greener pastures. They also have a mountain of injuries. Roma have turned the corner in the league. While it helped they had their first 2 games at home under Juric, they won them both. They’ve been poor in Europe but honestly that’s a waste of time for them and the energy spent there has KILLED THEM down the stretch the last 3 seasons. Maybe they have finally learned their lesson. Not sure they get a win here but certainly a draw. Juric rotated against Elfsborg and they should be ready to go. Might be low scoring but expect a Roma result. I’ll go conservative and say DRAW
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FIORENTINA V MILAN Tune in for Sunday’s Matchday Post for hints, tips and predictions!
Final Thoughts
Another great week of action in none other than the VERY 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