We’re back! A fun little vacay in Riyadh but now it’s back to business with a full schedule and all the big boys back in action. It’s 19 rounds down and 19 to go (for most teams) in THE BEST DAMN LEAGUE IN THE WORLD!!! LET’S WHIP IT BABY!!!
Matchups
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LAZIO V COMO Lazio have 1 win in 4 and are fading from the pack. That one win was a late one against Lecce who was a man down. They better watch out because Milan and Bologna are both looking to make moves. Not good times in the eternal city for Nick and his Laziali cronies. Silver lining is the man they love to hate, Castellanos, is suspended so someone, ANYONE else will have to play striker here. Como come in having righted the ship and getting out of the relegation spots. They will reinforce as well so they won’t be dropping back down. Cutrone is always a threat and Nico Paz is firing. His SOT and AGS numbers (+500) are both very tasty. Love a BTTS here. 1-1 draw? Maybe a Lazio 2-1 win? Perhaps a Como DC and over 1.5 at +200? Lots of options here to cook up something at a nice number. I think Como comes in and gets a point. DRAW
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EMPOLI V LECCE These teams are 6 places away from each other in the table but only 3 points separate them. Neither are playing well so points are at a premium. After early defensive success Empoli have only kept a clean sheet once in 13 games. The scoring is better, averaging over a goal a game of late but that leaky defense is killing them. Lecce are having similar issues scoring, just 1 in their last 3. The defense and Falcone are good but it won’t be enough. Really wanna go Empoli here as I always have a soft spot for them, but a draw really feels right. Esposito shots are a must for Empoli. Same with Colombo. An SOT for each plus BTTS and an Empoli DC gets you to +400. I like that. Enough for Empoli to win? Maybe, maybe not? DRAW
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UDINESE V ATALANTA Atalanta gonna score here and maybe even score at will. Udinese is no longer the defensive rock they once were. Atalanta have Scudetto eyes this year and this is exactly the kind of game that’s a must win for that to happen. As usual watch the lineup as anyone can start in the attack for them. Udinese’s home games feature 2.8 goals per game. Love the Atalanta ML and over 2.5 at +140. Love even more them to win and over 1.5 at -105. Another option is Atalanta ML and 2-4 goals at +150. 2-0 really feels right. 2-1 or 3-0 a possibility too. ATALANTA WINS
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TORINO V JUVENTUS Barf. Take the 0-0 halftime score. Then after the half take Juve to win. Probably 1-0 and in horrible fashion. Whatever you do, don’t watch this as a neutral. Do something more entertaining like shovel the driveway or maybe see how long you can hold your breath under water in the bathtub. Both far more entertaining options. JUVE WINS
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MILAN V CAGLIARI Tune into the matchday Saturday for details!
Psst…Milan gonna win. Milan’s last 13 home games against Cagliari they have 12 wins and a draw and have outscored them 37-7.Â
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GENOA V PARMA Both these teams played out 0-0 draws last week. The week before each played 0-0 first halves. What do you think will happen here? It’s that time of year where teams near the drop love themselves some draws. You get a point! You get a point! Everyone gets a point. Honestly…I’m not putting more thought into this one. NEXT! DRAW
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VENEZIA V INTER Poor Venezia. They woke up this morning in 19th place and they got a pissed off Inter coming to town. An Inter team that currently sits 3rd that also just shit their pants on worldwide television in the Supercoppa Final. An Inter team that has won their last 5 league games by a combined 21-1. How about Inter and over 2.5? How about inter -2.5? BY HALFTIME? How about it just might be 5-0 at halftime. If you like horror movies this is the one for you. Also by the way Lautaro is scoring again. Anyone know the number on him to lead the league in goals? He has 6 and it’s very possible he explodes for 3-4 here. INTER WINS
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BOLOGNA V ROMA GAME OF THE WEEK BABY! Big showdown here between 2 teams on a ROLL! A Kaiser if you will! High noon here in the EST this Sunday. Bologna had been on a roll until slipping up against Hellas at home last week. A game that exposed how shallow their depth is. No Pobega this week hurts big time. So does missing Aebischer. The attack is coming along nicely though. The Dominguez-Orsolini combo with Fabbian at AM is very tasty. Striker is week though. Roma come in blistering hot. They have won 3 of 4 with the only points dropped being away to Milan. During that time they have scored 16 and conceded 2. This is the midseason red hot Roma we are used to. I really think they continue to roll here. Love SOTs from Dybala and Dovbyk. Roma DC and over 1 is even money. DC and over 2 is +225. Could see a 2-1 here. I think Roma comes out fast and this is a real battle. Goal in the first 10 minutes maybe? This is the game of the week standings wise and in entertainment value. Buckle up. This is gonna be fun. ROMA WINS
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NAPOLI V HELLAS Napoli at home under Conti. Mark it a win. I was hoping Kvara would bounce back but he’s injured again and it’s looking like a lost year for him. Transfer rumors are swirling too. McTominay TSOA is hard to pass up. Anguissa shots too. There’s value in Napoli you just have to look for it. Hellas is sneaky too. Don’t discount BTTS which is at a plus number here. Their road games have featured 3.6 goals per game. It’s an over all day here. They make it interesting but I think NAPOLI WINS
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MONZA V FIORENTINA Looks like a win for Fiorentina. Walks like a win for Fiorentina. TALKS like a win for Fiorentina. Is it though? These 2 teams have combined for zero wins and zero clean sheets in their past 10 games combined. They sit 16th and 20th in the Serie A form table. Monza have received no new manager bounce from Bocchetti. They are scoring more but can’t stop anyone. Selling their best players over the summer is great if you replace them. They didn’t. They’re going down. For some reason I still think they can sneak a point here. If they don’t, they might be looking for yet another coach. BTTS for sure. Over 2.5? You bet. The result? I’m staying away from that on this one. For entertainment purposes I think we see a 2-2 DRAW
Final Thoughts
We back up folks! A full slate of games to kick off the second half of the season. The action never stops in the BEST DAMN LEAGUE IN THE WORLD!!!!!
Forza Milan
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. Also follow my boy Burroaks77 on Twitter. Guy knows ball and always has great tips. Great for anyone new to the betting scene. Enjoy the calcio!