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Italian Serie A: Week 23 Preview

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Our Serie A tipster previews gameweek 23 of the 2016/17 Italian top-flight. 

Just when you thought the teams below defending champions Juventus were starting to make some valuable ground in their pursuit of the Scudetto, the Old Lady makes a break for it by gaining maximum points in a week where every team placed second to ninth – excluding Inter Milan – dropped points.

If these teams are to mount a genuine title challenge, they better pull up their socks and show some fighting spirit. Gameweek 23 looks promising on the betting front, so stay tuned to find out what’s worth a punt!

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Saturday 4 February

Bologna 52/10 | Draw 34/10 | Napoli 9/20 
Saturday’s only Serie A clash pits Bologna up against title-chasers Napoli. The home side are unbeaten in their last three matches and have been fairly decent on their ground with five victories from 10 games.

Napoli come into this match unbeaten in their last 16 matches in all competitions and will be determined to build on that. The Azzurri would have been disappointed to drop two points at home last weekend, playing to a 1-1 stalemate against relegation-bound Palermo.

Nonetheless, they need to pick themselves up and more importantly bag themselves maximum points. The last eight meetings between these sides have seen Over 2.5 Goals, and I’m tipping this one to be no different! Follow the pattern at 7/10. 

Sunday 5 February

AC Milan 13/20 | Draw 28/10 | Sampdoria 17/4
We kick-start Sunday with a lunch-time kick off at the San Siro with AC Milan playing host to Sampdoria. The Rossoneri have been poor in recent weeks with three consecutive defeats in all competitions.

Their opponents, Sampdoria, ended a winless league run of six matches last time out with a gutsy come-from-behind 3-2 victory over title-challenges Roma. La Samp are without a win against AC Milan in the last nine meetings but are well worth a punt on the Win/Draw Double Chance at 5/4. 

Genoa 21/20 | Draw 24/10 | Sassuolo 5/2 
Genoa and Sassuolo will clash on Sunday afternoon in a match that will likely go down to the wire. The Rossoblu are winless in their last six matches, including four defeats but are coming off an impressive 3-3 draw away to Fiorentina.

Sassuolo are off the back of a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of table-toppers Juventus but prior to that loss they had won two matches on the bounce. The Neroverdi have found the back of the net in their last 18 away games in all competitions and should do that same here. Take Both Teams To Score at 13/20. 

Empoli 49/20 | Draw 43/20 | Torino 23/20 
Empoli are placed 17th in the standings, eight points off the relegation zone. They were hammered 4-1 at Crotone last weekend but will return to home soil where they have won three on the trot without conceding.

Torino are winless in their last five matches in all competitions and have traveled poorly with just two wins from 11 games. They are without a victory away to Empoli in the last 10 tripsand it doesn’t look likely that it’s going to change this weekend. Back Empoli for the win at a valuable 49/20.

Chievo 13/10 | Draw 21/10 | Udinese 22/10
Last time out Chievo ended a run of four straight defeats with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Lazio. Their opponents, Udinese, were in a similar state of form, suffering three consecutive losses before edging AC Milan 2-1 on home soil last weekend.

Both teams have found the back of the net in eight of the last 10 meetings. With Chievo and Udinese high on confidence an end-to-end game of football is on the cards. Get on the Both Teams To Score market at 19/20. 

Atalanta 9/20 | Draw 33/10 | Cagliari 11/2 
Atalanta have been a surprise package this season and will look to build on their already impressive home record. La Dea have won seven of their 10 matches on their ground, including back-to-back victories.

Cagliari have been horrendous on their travels with nine losses from 11 matches, scoring just seven goals and conceding 24 times. Atalanta have won five of the last six meetings at home against their opponents and are tipped to the win here. 

Pescara 9/2 | Draw 29/10 | Lazio 6/10
Bottom-of-the-log Pescara are winless on their ground at the time of writing, scoring just six goals and conceding 19 times in 10 matches. Lazio have been poor of late with back-to-back losses and will be eager to get back to their best against the league’s bottom-dwellers.

Pescara will be desperate to take points off Lazio, who are vulnerable at present. A tight affair is expected with the Totals mark – Under 2.5 Goals – the way to go at 19/20. 

Palermo 12/10 | Draw 43/20 | Crotone 23/10
Palermo and Crotone will square off in a relegation battle on Sunday afternoon. The Rosanero are winless on their ground with nine losses from 10 matches, scoring only four times and conceding 19 goals. However, they earned an impressive 1-1 draw at Napoli last time out and will look to build on that.

Crotone are off the back of a confidence boosting 4-1 home win against Empoli. They are without a win on their travels, scoring seven goals and conceding 22 times. It’s a tough one to call, but six of the last even meetings has seen Under 2.5 Goals, so I will be following the trend at 6/10.  

Juventus 6/10 | Draw 29/10 | Inter Milan 17/4
The final Serie A match of the weekend sees the Old Lady welcome Inter Milan to the Juventus Stadium. Juve have been outstanding on home soil with 11 wins from 11 games, scoring 29 goals and conceding just six times. The defending champions have won six of their last seven league matches, including back-to-back wins.

Inter Milan are the most in-form team in the league with seven wins on the spin. The Nerazzurri will be aiming to be the first team to take points off the table-toppers and judging by their form, there is no reason why they can’t. The sides are tipped to cancel each other out. 

TREBLE TIPPED @ 46/10
Bologna v Napoli – Over 2.5 Goals (7/10)
Genoa v Sassuolo – BTTS (13/20) 
Chievo v Udinese – BTTS (19/20) 

Written by Aaron Crowie @Hollywoodbets

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