ROUND 11! Apologies for the late start but Nonno is once again here to impart some knowledge and toss around some whit. Without further delay let’s WHIP IT AROOOOOOOOUUUUNNNDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Abbreviated style!
Matchups
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BOLOGNA V LECCE Bologna circled the wagons last game, played great defense and got a win away at a very lame Cagliari side. Lecce are crashing and burning though, they got a reprieve versus 9 man Hellas last week. Probably a one off more than a trend. 0-0 first half for sure. Bologna plays good D here, keeps a clean sheet and takes this one comfortably. BOLOGNA WINS
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UDINESE V JUVENTUS Udinese have been solid at home all year, helping them stay midtable. The defense had been holding firm ’til Toure’s red against Venezia. Then the wheels came off. That also means he’s out today which is a big problem. Juve come in looking to regain their defensive form. Expect them to find it. This game stinks of a 0-0 first half and overall under. Juve take it late through a Vlahovic winner. JUVE WINS
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MONZA V MILAN….Â
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NAPOLI V ATALANTA GAME OF THE WEEK! Big game! Big goals! A chance for another statement game from Napoli. Also a chance for forever road warriors Atalanta to close the gap on the front runners. Both teams are red hot, combining for 9 wins and a draw from their last 10. Expect goals here. Tough thing might be figuring out who. Big fan of Kvara TSOA at home. Also love Lookman if he starts for Atalanta. Heart says we see a 2-2 draw but brain knows riding Napoli at home this year is 100% the way to go. Stick with that. NAPOLI WINS
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TORINO V FIORENTINA Two teams trending in different directions here. After a nice start Torino are struggling. The offense has dried up with the loss of Zapata and their historically good defense became a sieve. Of late the defense is improved but the offense remains stale. Replacing Buongiorno at the back has proved difficult as Schurr is still not healthy. Adams and the attack just aren’t cutting it. Bring on high flying Fiorentina who seem to score in their sleep. A test of wills here. Fiorentina will come in waves. Torino will sit and hope to counter. I like Fiorentina shots here/Vajna saves. My guess is Torino hold out and goals are at a premium. I like an under here. Perhaps a Torino result? Result is a tough call but I’ll say 1-1 DRAW
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HELLAS V ROMA Hellas are sinking fast and after 2 reds last week will be without 2 starters. Goals are flying in at a massive rate, 14 in 5. Roma and Juric are playing for their lives. The man knows how to circle the wagons and defend his keep. Expect another low scoring game here. Perhaps one where Roma brings the starters on late to try and steal one. The road has been a struggle for them though. I like an under. I like a Roma result. I’d also consider a red somewhere in this game. Reds are all the rage in Italy in case you hadn’t heard. DRAW
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INTER V VENEZIA Good lord…this is the Sunday late game? Take Inter to win the first half, both halves and probably -1.5 and maybe even -2.5. This is gonna be bad. Watch the lineup. Could be some rotation so AGS might be tricky. If Inzaghi starts the starters WATCH OUT. In a beat down INTER WINS
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EMPOLI V COMO In case you haven’t been paying attention Empoli at home means several things. Unders, unders and more unders! They’ve had trouble winning at home but their last opponents have been Inter, Napoli and Fiorentina. This is a more reasonable test. Take the under and Empoli DC. Probably a 0-0 first half. Since I have a soft spot for them I will say EMPOLI WINS
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PARMA V GENOA 10 games and 0 wins. Genoa are rock bottom and though Parma are 7 places above them in 13th they are only 3 points clear. Makes this a huge game for both teams. Parma aren’t playing poorly, just stuck in a rut of draws. Bodes well for them, especially at home where they’ve excelled. As usual I like Man TSOA. If Bonny is up front a shot. Also if Balotelli enters a shot is a must, especially if he starts bet that 1H shot. For the result I gotta lean on Man’s men becuase Gilardino’s group remains a train wreck. PARMA WINS
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LAZIO V CAGLIARI Lazio continue to score at will. No Tavares today so that hurts. They still have a strong attack where Castellanos is rolling and Pedro has been reborn at AM. What is he? 50? It’s not just the offense though as they are a rock at home. A tall task for a Cagliari team that traditionally struggles on the road. I like Lazio comfortably here. Lazio -1.5, likely clean sheet too. If both Tay and Dia start consider each for TSOA. LAZIO WINS
Final Thoughts
Milan might stink but at least the rest of the league is entertaining! Yet another fantastic round is underway in the BEST LEAGUE IN THE WORLD!!!!
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