One fixture stands out in this week’s Serie A football games where the team which led for much of last season, Napoli, visit Roma.
It’s Luciano Spalletti’s Roma stepping up to the mantle as the team to push Juventus all the way this year. Beating Napoli on Saturday is a vital step in his quest. The Old Lady flexed her muscles in midweek with a Coppa Italia win over Napoli, and that may serve to sow another seed of doubt in Napoli’s minds.
WEEK 27 SATURDAY:
AS Roma vs Napoli
As second meets third, Roma are odds against to win, with betting odds of 2.09 for a home win, 3.45 a Napoli victory or 3.35 a draw. Midfield dynamo Radja Nainggolan scored twice in Milan to take his tally to nine while Napoli suffered defeat to Atalanta. This could be three defeats on the run for the visitors as Roma attempt to close the gap to Juventus to four points.
WEEK 27 SUNDAY:
Milan vs Chievo
Milan have overcome its sticky patch with a nice run yielding ten points from four games, and a Europa place remains the goal. Chievo too have picked up points recently with two wins in three, including a 3-1 win in Sassuolo when they were last on the road.
Sampdoria vs Pescara
Three wins and two draws from the last five have propelled Sampdoria to tenth with Luis Muriel top scoring on nine goals for the season. Pescara had a thumping 5-0 win against Genoa a couple of weeks ago, but they need more of the same, and soon, to avoid an early return to the second tier.
Udinese vs Juventus
Paulo Dybala was on target twice as Juve delivered a painful Coppa blow to Napoli in midweek, and Max Allegri’s champions are on a run of ten wins in all competitions. Roma must hope Udinese can spring a surprise. They do have a decent record against Juve with a win and a draw from the last four meetings, with top scorer Cyril Thereau bagging a winner in 2015.
Atalanta vs Fiorentina
Atalanta’s great season continues and the fourth placed side is at 1.92 to make it five league wins on the bounce. Fiorentina’s patchy form has left them in eighth and ten points behind the hosts, but Nikola Kalinic has been a consistent threat with 12 goals for Paulo Sousa’s team.
Cagliari vs Inter Milan
Cagliari are in decent form, picking up four points from the last two after losing to Juventus and Atalanta in the previous two. Inter have been doing things in twos recently as well, two wins followed by two defeats, followed by two wins and then…
one defeat. They are at 3.75 to break the sequence with a draw.
Torino vs Palermo
Andrea Belotti is Serie A joint top scorer with 19, but Torino’s progress has been hampered by its inability to convert draws into wins, with four stalemates in the last seven games. Another on Sunday would be a disaster, for the home fans, against 18th-placed Palermo, and the Pinks did draw in Napoli a month ago.
Crotone vs Sassuolo
Crotone are nine points from safety and rapidly approaching the last chance saloon. Unfortunately for the Crotone players, they face Sassuolo, a team which looked in trouble itself until a run of three consecutive away wins.
Empoli vs Genoa
Seventeenth plays Sixteenth and while Empoli can’t catch the visitors with a win, it would go a long way to taking the home team to safety – already with a seven-point cushion over Palermo. Both teams registered a single point in a miserable February, and they could easily double that tally on Sunday.
WEEK 27 MONDAY:
Bologna vs Lazio
Ciro Immobile’s 14th league goal, scored last week, ensures Lazio remain a single point behind Atalanta in fifth; and this is a great chance to keep the pressure up against a Bologna team bereft of confidence and with only one point from five games. Lazio have won its last three away from home.
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
