Round eight of the Italian Serie A kicks off on Saturday the 21st of October! Find out who our football expert is backing.
Round eight of the Serie A proved to be a profitable one for yours truly with my 5/1 treble hitting home! Juventus lost some ground on table-toppers Napoli after suffering their first home defeat after 41 league games – going down 2-1 against Lazio.
Napoli continue to impress as they remain the only team in Europe’s top five leagues to maintain a 100% win-record. Inter Milan are hot on their heels and at this early stage of the season, it’s clear to see that we are in for one of the most memorable Serie A campaigns to date.
Saturday 21 October
Sampdoria 11/20 | Draw 3/1 | Crotone 5/1 (18:00)
Sampdoria returned to winning ways last time out with an emphatic 3-1 home win over Atalanta. It was their third straight win on home soil and they will be hopeful of making it four victories on the spin.
Crotone managed to hold Torino to a goalless draw at home in round eight. They will be looking to build on that, but their record on the road leaves a lot to be desired. The home team should be backed.
Napoli 6/10 | Draw 33/10 | Inter Milan 39/10 (20:45)
As mentioned above, Napoli are the only team from Europe’s top five leagues yet to drop any points this season. Inter Milan are in second place and remain unbeaten with seven wins from eight matches, scoring 17 goals and conceding just five times.
A cagey contest is expected and with both sides conceding just five goals this season, we might be in for a low scoring affair. The Under 2.5 Goals market is priced up at 31/20, but a safer bet would be Totals Aggregated (2-3 Goals) at 11/10. Get on!
Sunday 22 October
Chievo 17/20 | Draw 49/20 | Hellas Verona 33/10 (12:30)
Sunday’s lunch-time kick-off will see a Verona derby clash between Chievo and Hellas. The home side are unbeaten in their last five matches, while their city rivals are without a win in their last seven travels, including five defeats.
Form goes out the window in derbies such as this tie and both sides will be determined to claim bragging rights. Both teams are tipped to find the back of the net at 17/20.
Atalanta 6/10 | Draw 28/10 | Bologna 9/2 (15:00)
Atalanta will play host to Bologna on Sunday afternoon. La Dea went down 3-1 at Sampdoria last time out but return to their home patch where they managed an impressive 2-2 draw against Juventus last time around.
Bologna have been in better form with three consecutive wins, including back-to-back 1-0 victories on the road. An end-to-end game of football is on the cards and I suggest backing the Over 2.5 goals market at 19/20.
Benevento 9/2 | Draw 3/1 | Fiorentina 6/10 (15:00)
Benevento are the only team in the league yet to win a match, suffering eight losses, scoring a measly two goals and conceding 19 goals. Fiorentina earned a 2-1 home victory over Udinese last time out, but it’s on the road where they have struggled with the Viola losing three of their four travels this season.
The newcomers went down 2-1 to high-flying Inter Milan in their last home match and I feel it’s only a matter of time till they earn their first point(s) on their ground. Get on the Benevento Win/Draw Double Chance at 5/4.
Spal 29/20 | Draw 23/10 | Sassuolo 37/20 (15:00)
Relegation-candidates Spal 2013 and Sassuolo are next up to square off. The newly-promoted home side have lost five of their last six matches, while Sassuolo have lost five of their last seven games. Both teams are struggling to score goals and it looks as though we could be in for a dour affair.
In 16 matches between the sides, they have scored a combined 11 goals. With that being said, the Under 2.5 goals market would be well worth a punt at 15/20.
Torino 24/10 | Draw 28/10 | Roma 1/1 (15:00)
After eight matches this season, Torino have lost just once. However, they come up against a Roma side who will be determined to get back to winning ways following a 1-0 defeat on home soil against Napoli.
The Giallorossi have won their last 10 away games, scoring 31 goals and conceding only six times. Nonetheless, Roma have their defensive frailties and Torino have the quality to expose that. They might not win the match but they should at least find the back of the net. Both Teams to Score – Yes – is tipped at 5/10.
AC Milan 5/10 | Draw 33/10 | Genoa 52/10 (15:00)
AC Milan have been poor in recent weeks with three consecutive defeats. Genoa, on the other hand, are off the back of a hard-fought 3-2 win away to Cagliari and will be determined to build on that performance.
However, Milan have won three of their four home games, while Genoa are without a win on their travels. It’s a bit of a left field call but looking at the form of both sides, I like the look of a stalemate here. The draw is tipped at a valuable 33/10!
Udinese 6/1 | Draw 34/10 | Juventus 9/20 (18:00)
Udinese and Juventus will lock horns in the penultimate match of the round. The hosts have been dismal with six losses from eight matches and will be desperate to change their fortunes, but that’s easier said than done against the reigning six-time champions.
Juventus suffered their first defeat of the season last time out and will be determined to bounce back strong. They can’t afford Napoli or Inter Milan to get too far ahead and I’m expecting them to come out firing on all cylinders. The Old Lady is tipped on the Half-time/Full-time double at 11/10.
Lazio 1/4 | Draw 47/10 | Cagliari 17/2 (20:45)
Last but not least, Lazio will be on cloud nine following their tremendous 2-1 victory at Juventus – their third win on the trot. Cagliari have been in terrible form with six losses from their last eight games, including four on the spin, scoring twice and conceding nine times.
The home side are looking dangerous at present and should have no problem seeing off their opponents. Lazio have won five of the last six meetings by two goals or more and are tipped on the (-1) Handicap at 13/20.
LAST WEEK’S TREBLE WON @ 5/1
Napoli Win 13/10
Fiorentina vs Udinese BTTS 7/10
Chievo Win/Draw 11/20
THIS WEEK’S TREBLE TIPPED @ 9/2
Torino vs Roma BTTS 5/10
Juventus HT-FT Win 11/10
Lazio (-1) Handicap 13/20
