Zlatan Ibrahimovic inspired AC Milan to a 3-1 victory at Napoli’s Stadio San Paolo that keeps the Rossoneri at the summit of Serie A for another week. The evergreen striker has found the back of the net in each of his last six league starts, already tallying himself 10 goals that tops the goal-scorer’s charts.
Image copyright – Steve Haag Sports
Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored a stunning volley that would have pleased his former Man United teammate Zlatan with his rocket from 25 yards out highlighting Roma’s a fairly simple 3-0 win over Parma. Cristiano Ronaldo’s brace for Juventus against Cagliari was enough for the champions to earn maximum points.
Lazio made light work of Crotone as last season’s Capocannoniere (Golden Boot) winner Ciro Immobile all but secured the win by opening the scoring early on for the Eagles which set the tone for the game.
Meanwhile, Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan had their work cut out and had to come from two goals down against Torino to earn their victory with second-half goals from Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez rescuing the points for the Nerazzurri.
All the strikers seem to be firing in Italy. We’ll surely be entertained now. Let’s try to make some cash by backing our 59/1 Quad as a Yankee that will yield 11 combinations, I suggest you invest R55 and get on!
Saturday 28 November
Sassuolo 33/10
Draw 31/10
Inter Milan 7/10
High-flying Sassuolo are enjoying a bright start to the season and are yet to taste defeat in Serie A along with AC Milan and Juventus who are also unbeaten. The Neroverdi claimed their fifth win of the campaign last time out as goals by Jeremie Boga and Domenico Berardi saw the Black and Greens claim a 2-0 victory away at Hellas Verona.
Inter Milan broke their four-match winless streak across all competitions in dramatic style during the second half against Torino. This tie comes between crucial UEFA Champions League games against Real Madrid and Borussia Monchengladbach, so, the hosts will be hoping to take advantage of Conte’s men having weary legs. Inter have enough depth to compete on both fronts but I strongly believe that Sassuolo will give them a run for their money. The last two meetings between these opponents were 3-3 and 3-4 humdingers last season. Go for Over 4.5 Goals in the Additional Totals market at odds of 24/10, my value bet for this weekend.
Benevento 7/1
Draw 9/2
Juventus 7/20
Benevento ended their poor run of four defeats on the bounce by snatching a 1-0 win away at Fiorentina. The “Stregoni” lost their previous home game at the Stadio Ciro Vigorito by 3-0 to Spezia which doesn’t bode well for their chances when the champions come to town with a fit and firing Ronaldo.
Juventus are still unbeaten in Serie A but points lost in draws against the likes of Roma, Crotone, Hellas Verona and Lazio sees coach Andrea Pirlo’s men trailing AC Milan by seven points with a game in hand. The away win is a banker and Ronaldo in the Anytime Goalscorer market is always worth backing. However, I suggest taking 3+ in the Goals Away market at 19/20.
Atalanta 7/20
Draw 9/2
Hellas Verona 13/2
Atalanta will return to Bergamo after their trip to Anfield for UEFA Champions League action to host Hellas Verona on Saturday night. Gian Piero Gasperini’s squad have struggled to compete on all fronts and their Serie A results have suffered in particular. “La Dea” have lost two, drawn two and won just once in five league games which has me questioning this 7/20 price for the win.
Hellas Verona, on the other hand, will be desperate to come away with something from this encounter. The Yellow and Blues drew with Juventus (1-1) and AC Milan (2-2) and now I fancy them on the Win/Draw Double Chance at 18/10 to take advantage of a leggy Atalanta.
Sunday 29 November
Lazio 15/20
Draw 28/10
Udinese 33/10
Lazio kick off Sunday’s proceedings as they welcome Udinese to the capital, Rome. The Eagles are enjoying a splendid spell of form in the league, winning three of their last four matches and drawing the other with Juventus (1-1).
Udinese come off a 1-0 home win over Genoa that ended their three-game winless streak which also moved the White and Blacks out of the relegation zone. The visitors were convincingly beaten 3-0 in this fixture last season and are finding it difficult on the travels this campaign. Go for the Lazio win at 15/20.
Bologna 7/10
Draw 3/1
Crotone 33/10
Bologna were 17/10 outsiders against Sampdoria last weekend but claimed maximum points after coming from behind through a fortunate own goal and a powerful Riccardo Orsolini header which earned the Greyhounds their third win of the season. Crotone are the only team yet to pick up a victory and sit rock bottom of the standings. The betting suggests that this will be a high-scoring affair with these opponents evenly matched. With Crotone’s current form being so poor, backing the hosts at 7/10 is the smart option.
AC Milan 7/10
Draw 3/1
Fiorentina 36/10
AC Milan fans are dreaming of a return to their glory days after a string of impressive results have the famous red and blacks leading the way in Italy. Roma (3-3) and Hellas Verona (2-2) are the only teams that Stefano Pioli’s men have failed to beat in Serie A.
The win over Napoli last time out was a statement of intent and only time will tell if the Rossoneri can keep up this consistency and give Juventus a proper race to the Scudetto title. Fiorentina were massive favourites at 11/20 going into last week’s match with Benevento but left with nothing after suffering a 1-0 defeat. Worryingly, Viola have failed to score in three matches and need to get back to winning ways desperately to avoid getting stuck in a fight against relegation. My money is on AC Milan to conquer the stuttering Fiorentina.
Cagliari 1/1
Draw 51/20
Spezia 5/2
Cagliari suffered a 2-0 defeat to Juventus in Turin and now return home to Sardinia where they’ve earned back-to-back victories over Crotone (4-2) and Sampdoria (2-0). Brazilian midfielder Joao Pedro is the in-form player for the Islanders, scoring in five of his last seven Serie A appearances. The last time newly-promoted Spezia visited the Sardegna Arena, both clubs were in Serie B with the visitors stealing a 2-1 win back in 2016. The hosts have improved a lot since then and I’m confident Cagliari will get the job done at even money.
Napoli 11/10
Draw 26/10
Roma 22/10
Pressure is mounting on Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso to make their home ground a fortress again, which is always the foundation of a quality team. However, the last three matches have been the opposite with defeats to AZ Alkmaar (0-1), Sassuolo (0-2) and AC Milan (1-3). Gli Azzurri don’t have to panic just yet as they’re only five points off leader’s AC Milan and have a game in hand.
Roma look a serious contender for UEFA Champions League qualification, after defeat on the first matchday, I Giallorossi have been impressive by sharing the spoils against Juventus (2-2) and AC Milan (3-3) and winning the other five ties. Over 3.5 Goals is the play in the Additional Totals market at 5/4.
Monday 30 November
Torino 29/20
Draw 24/10
Sampdoria 18/10
For the first time since gaining promotion in the 2012/13 season, Torino are considering the prospect of a relegation battle after enduring a very poor start to the campaign. The Maroons find themselves in trouble with just one win over Genoa (2-1) from eight matches and have already suffered five defeats with the joint-worst defence in Serie A that has conceded 20 goals.
Sampdoria is the other club that has leaked 20 goals. Claudio Ranieri’s team don’t want to get dragged into the bottom half of the table but they’re heading that way with two defeats on the bounce to Cagliari (2-0) and Bologna (2-1). I rate Senegalese forward Balde Keita highly and this is the perfect game to register his first goal for the “Blucerchiat”. Take Sampdoria at 18/10.
Genoa 15/10
Draw 24/10
Parma 17/10
Genoa have lost five of their last seven games in the league and occupy 19th spot. Inter Milan, Torino and Roma have all claimed wins against the “Griffin” at their own patch and time is running out for coach Rolando Maran to turn things around.
Parma come into the clash with the hope of moving up from 17th position. The Crusader are winless in five matches with three draws and two defeats. The constant in both teams’ poor form is they both concede goals but also find the net as well. Both Teams to Score (Yes) is the only option I could confidently tip at 6/10.
QUAD @ 59/1
Sassuolo vs Inter Milan Over 4.5 Goals 24/10
Hellas Verona Win/Draw 18/10
Napoli vs Roma Over 3.5 Goals 5/4
Sampdoria Win 18/10
Bryan Naicker
