Serie A > 1st - 3rd February

[Aidymac]

[TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 617] [TR] [TH=class: firstColumn]Friday 1 February 2013[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Draw[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]AS Roma v Cagliari (19:45 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.55[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4.8[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]6.5[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]100.73 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [TH] [/TH] [TH=class: firstColumn]Saturday 2 February 2013[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Draw[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Torino v Sampdoria (17:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.25[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.55[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]102.42 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Napoli v Catania (19:45 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.52[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4.4[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]7.5[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]101.85 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [TH] [/TH] [TH=class: firstColumn]Sunday 3 February 2013[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Draw[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Chievo v Juventus (11:30 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]6.1[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4.05[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.63[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]102.43 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Fiorentina v Parma (14:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.8[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.85[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]5[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]101.53 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Genoa v Lazio (14:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.35[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.45[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.37[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]100.94 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Palermo v Atalanta (14:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.45[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]102.77 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Pescara v Bologna (14:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.75[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.35[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.8[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]101.93 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Siena v Internazionale (14:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4.1[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.6[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.05[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]100.95 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]AC Milan v Udinese (19:45 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.66[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]6[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]101.91 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[azzurini1976]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February Analysis taken from my service (more information on site in signature) Roma - Cagliari Previous games: Bologna – Roma 3-3 What to say, explosive game overall and great entertainment to see, especially first half was a joy to watch as both teams showed attacking bias and lots of pace in the game. I cant say if either team was better, probably 2-2 at ht one of more deserved results in latest times. 2nd half was a bit more quiet and I did expect that due to Roma having difficult schedule in last games, but at the end of it I can say that 3-3 was okay, but also a bit lucky for them as Bologna did hit post two times from Gilardino and Diamanti free kick. One thing I must notice especially – lots of defensive blunders, Roma scored two because of bad defending, first one was mistake in def. midfield of Bologna as they gave the ball away, while Tachtsidis header was results of excellent positioning skills from Greek midfielder and also bad marking from Bologna defence. Roma conceded after counter attack, excellently placed shot from Gabbiadini and third was again a big mistake and confusion in Roma defence. I can see Roma having bad spell in defensive formation again; despite Marquinhos brought something good in their back line (already compared to Nesta), he did not play in that game in it did show. they with this tactics of Zeman won’t win anything this season. Bologna played a brave game, did not hide back and were total opposite from Milan away game, where they had one shot on goal. This time they were almost competing with Roma who will produce more shots on goal (13 – 14 in favour of Roma). Overall a really good game, IMO the draw is okay for both as in reality both could win it due to chances they had, so probably sharing of points will satisfy both coaches. Still Roma is now 4 games without a win and with big defensive problems in last games and Marquinhos as mentioned is big for them, while having Osvaldo back also adds at least 30% to their attacking power. Bologna showed again they are typical home team where they express their attacking power, while away they often play defensively, probably just too much as they has Gabbiadini in excellent form. Cagliari – Palermo 1-1 Probably not deserved draw for Palermo who were put under extreme pressure from Cagliari, especially in the 2^nd half but managed to hold on to the point at FT. Cagliari was made as a favourites in this game as line changed from -0.25 to -0.5 on hosts, I did believe that this could be good value, but still it looked as a hard game to bet on, hence I suggested live bet on Cagliari shortly after start of 2^nd half. I can say that Palermo new signing Sorrentino was man of the match as he made some excellent stops and he was probably the game winner for them. Another interesting thing was Miccoli on bench and Brienza and Ilicic behind Dybala, probably not so weird if we think that guests relied more on counters that at pressing and commanding the play. Cagliari as one of the teams that play counters, did put good pressure on visitors and commanded the game and looked as far the better team, Sau again the best attacker for them, while Pinilla looks a shadow of himself these days and missing Nene looks to be bigger issue than expected. If i look at the game, Cagliari as said better, but also Palermo did have their chances to score, but overall the did not exploit their power with flank play as both Dossena and Morganella were non utilized in this one, totally different than Cagliari which made majority from their attacks that way – full backs Pisano and Avelar were very attackingly biased in this game. At the end the later on crossed for Ribeiro who equalised in dying moments. Team news: Roma: banned: Pjanic injury: De Rossi, Lopez, Destro, Perrota, Balzaretti Cagliari: banned: / injured: / Analysis: Game between two teams that are in need for points. Roma as hosts have excellent 10-3-1 home record against Cagliari and already won 1^st game of the season with 3-0. Both need positive results, Roma for battling for CL spots, Cagliari on other hand for survival in Serie A. Missing should play some role here, for a long time Cagliari finally complete, all player back, while Roma will miss Pjanic, De Rossi and Balzaretti who can be all called as key players, probably De Rossi, since he is not a regular starter for Roma, replaced well with Tachtsidis and Bradley, while Pjanic alone is not a huge miss, but in combination with Destro out, Roma look short for wide attackers, probably Lamela – Osvaldo - Totti in attack for Roma, Imo still okay if they all stay fit until game time. Balzaretti out means more problems as young Dodo who has not played entire game in this season will replace him. With new arrival Torosidis Roma now has a cover for Piris on right side. On other side Cagliari as said complete and showing good performances lately and are on three game unbeaten run, with Lazio game 4 rounds ago also rated as unlucky loss. But their problem is really bad away results. Still with full team to choose from Pulga have luxury to choose from variety of players in this game. Off the pitch: Zeman got the vote of confidence this week after being speculated that he will get a sack, It seems that dressing room is behind him as Roma do try and put good efforts on the pitch, but sadly his tactics is just not going to work in Italy. Overall this is for me a home win, despite all misses for Roma only Balzaretti looks as only irreplaceable player, all other position have Roma covered. Cagliari will not be easy to beat and they will play their fast counter attack football. Odds are set on -1 @1.88 now and this is okay for betting IMO, but still I will consider again only live betting. I really need to see if Zeman will try something different and how will Cagliari answer to that. Interesting fact is that former Roma youth and son of Daniele Conti love to play against hid youth club and often score against them. Pre game: no bet live: If Roma presses hard wait until the -0.75 with odds over 1.85 totals: game should go over the 3 line, asians offer 3.25 (again waiting for the better line at live)

[Kumanovac]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February A double of Napoli HW @1,5 and Samp Team Over 0,5 goals or total @2,1 at my local Catania plays nice football, but they tend to lose against motivated teams away from home. Napoli will surely be flying to capitalize on Juve's bad form. Plenty of good attacking options for Napoli. One more thing, I feel that they have spared their bad day at home stadium against Bologna. Sampdoria is a very good squad with goalscorers in Icardi and Eder, even Maxi Lopez and threats in De Silvestri, Obiang, Munari... Torino is not a defensive force at all, especially without Ogbonna. I saw last game of Torino at home: they received two goals from Siena, which should have scored at least twice more. Very bad defensive display from Torino.

[azzurini1976]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February

A double of Napoli HW @1' date=5 and Samp Team Over 0,5 goals or total @2,1 at my local Catania plays nice football, but they tend to lose against motivated teams away from home. Napoli will surely be flying to capitalize on Juve's bad form. Plenty of good attacking options for Napoli. One more thing, I feel that they have spared their bad day at home stadium against Bologna. Sampdoria is a very good squad with goalscorers in Icardi and Eder, even Maxi Lopez and threats in De Silvestri, Obiang, Munari... Torino is not a defensive force at all, especially without Ogbonna. I saw last game of Torino at home: they received two goals from Siena, which should have scored at least twice more. Very bad defensive display from Torino.

1) Obiang is banned 2) in that game Torino missed 6 or 7 regular defenders and Ogbonna is now missing for some 5 or 6 games already.

[Kumanovac]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February Even given this information, I won't change my decision. If Torino was playing with its best squad, I would still try this one. Thanks anyway ;)

[ultravires]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February A few more games hit me as possible draws this week. Parma-Fiorentina, Genoa-Lazio, Torino-Sampdoria and to a lesser extent Napoli-Catania. I think there will be goals in Milan-Udinese. I don't fancy a solid play on a 1X2 right now.

[Zubizareta]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February has anyone seen matches involving AS Roma's opponents tonight? I would like to back Roma but i have not watched any games involving their opponents this season. Any info welcomed.

[Kumanovac]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February Unstable team currently, bad defensively, but having potential in them. Nainggolan, Sau, Pinilla, Cossu are classy players that can trouble every defense on their day. However depends if the puzzle will sum up for them. Roma are unstable themselves too, so very unpredictable. Predictable is only the amount of great chances, 10+. :lol

[Patrick92]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February Roma -Average goals scored at home – 2.4 Average goals conceded - 1.5 Cagliari - Average goals scored on the road -0.91 Average goals conceded away – 2.00 Therefore, Roma should score 2.2 with Cagliari should score 1.205. A total of 3.405 Roma go overs at home 60% of times. Cagliari away go over 46% of times. There is a 52.5% chance of overs. With William Hill overs is 1.44 (69% chance). No Value here. BTTS - Roma score in the game at home 100% of the time. Cagliari score away 80%. Roma keep clean sheet 20% of the time. Cagliari 20% clean sheets on travels. Roma to score – 90% Cagliari to score - 80% chance. 85% chance of Btts Both teams to score is 1.61with Hills (representing a 63% chance) - value here. 5 points on the BTTS Market - yes .

[soccersensei]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February Expecting Roma vs. Cagliari to lose despite scoring a goal in the first few minutes. They have a poor record AWAY in defending the last four of their goal leads.

[DoMiNuS]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February anybody watching the game? what is going on with roma?

[leventbay]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February watching it, roma defensive line is like a joke.. counter attacks finished roma, they look really tired and its like lets finish this game and go home...

[Mindfulness]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February Zed's dead baby.

[ultravires]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February It's really embarrassing that a man is bein paid to perform his job so icompetently. I cant watch another Roma match with him in charge. Jesus.

[macot594]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February Totti became a cancer of this team, he is slow and not motivated... others follow him and are afraid of him. It was clear today... He should go, he is old enough...

[sajtion]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February roma is so unpredictable. sometimes they can be great and other times like they never played football in their life.

[ultravires]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February That was one of the worst examples of a professional football performance I've ever seen. Anyway, for tomorrow I do fancy taking two draws. Torino - Sampdoria is a match between two teams avoiding relegation, despite having both adapted well. Again, it is kind of a gut feeling for the draw, in what I see as a tight match. I don't think it is unreasonable to say that both would be satisfied with a point - although both would obviously prefer a win. Neither are in desperate times just yet so a draw to keep both teams ticking would be acceptable. Torino have a so-so record at home and are in good form at the moment. Samp aren't good travellers despite their two stand out wins away to Milan and Juve. Ogbonna is not back yet, but they have been performing admirably without him recently. Samp are without Obiang who has been fantastic this season. Samp hit 6 last week but I think they'll take a cautious solid approach to this match. They have a good spine and a point is well within their grasp in this. It's largely gut feeling, but I can see a tight match here. Draw - 3.30 - 3points - Bet365 Napoli - Catania is a huge match for Napoli as they continue to hold onto Juve. There may just be whisperings of a serious Scudetto push if they can go into the Juve match within touching distance - albeit a month away. Napoli are facing defensive issues as Campagnaro and Britos are suspended, along with Maggio's injury. A back 4 is therefore expected in this match. I think this is because Mazzari is wary of the counter threat posed by Catania's front 3. Zuniga and Armero as full-backs will cause a degree of uncertainty in their own ways. I think Napoli will lose some of their their threat as driving down the flanks plays a key role in their dynamic. With Inler, Hamsik and Cavani on form they will always seriously threaten teams though. They squeezed past Parma last week, and this is just as tough a match really. Catania are a solid outfit in great form right now. They will come with a point well in mind. Lodi returns to the midfield which is massive for them. The front three are all slippery players built for counter-attacking. They'll take a relatively solid approach to this match and be content to let their counter game flow. Napoli do struggle more against teams that are happy to sit back. Without their wingers stretching the play the match could get bogged down in midfield. It's possible for them to switch to a 3-4-1-2 easily anyway, but I guess the point stands. Napoli are overly favoured here, I'd bite the +1.5 line off if it were available as a narrow win is the best I see for the home side. Instead I'll have a small play on the draw. Draw - 4.33 - 2 points - Bet365

[Mindfulness]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February Torino V Sampdoria I was leaning towards Sampdoria for this match with the away side available @ 1.82 on the +0.50 line as things stand. Midfield maestro Obiang is suspended for Samp which is a blow as he is pretty much their best midfielder but Maresca makes a timely return from injury. I just get the feeling that Delio Rossi will go with the physicality of Munari rather than start Maresca as Torino are a pretty robust side. There are also fitness issues concerning RWB De Silvestri and CB Palombo, though both make the squad. If Palombo did miss out then it might be a blessing in disguise as he is pretty short for a centre-back and would be replaced by the towering Rossini. Torino are generally very strong in the air and will look to exploit Sampdoria’s vulnerability with ariel duels. I also expect the home side to be dangerous in wide areas and I’m not sure a half-fit De Silvestri is what the doctor ordered here, Estigarribia will also have to perform well defensively so both Sampdoria wide men having their work cut-out in this game. Clearly Torino may have a slight tactical advantage here given the mismatch in ariel ability and potential exposure in wide areas which does give me quite a bit of cause for concern for backing the away side on a + here. Having said all that, Torino coach Ventura knows Sampdoria have some bang in-form forward players with the likes of Icardi and Eder looking to do damage while Lopez and Sansone are not bad to have in reserve. An interesting and highly competitive fixture, both these sides sit next to each other in the table, I think both will be weary rather than rash. Excluding red cards, a victory for either side should only be by a 1 goal margin in my view. Sampdoria potentially vulnerable from crosses and set-pieces, Torino vulnerable from superior match winners. I think I may wait for the starting lineups and see what the price on Samp is saying then, both coaches will have a respect for each other and the two sides may just cancel each other out. Fiorentina V Parma Like many of the Sunday games I am leaning towards a home victory here. CM Pizarro may return for the home side and if he does, it will be a big boost for the Viola. Mohamed Sissoko joins from PSG and although he won’t be available for this game he is an excellent signing imo, providing competition for places in the central median which should help boost individual performances. The transfer window has now closed which means the speculation surrounding Jovetic will die down and he can concentrate on putting a shift in again as performances have dwindled in recent weeks. Parma are performing well with limited resources and this is mainly due to a strong coach. I would point out their away form is pretty woeful with only 29.0% of their total points tally being accrued on their travels. Fiorentina should see this match as the perfect opportunity to get back to winning ways, if the 4/5 price on the Viola holds up I may just take it. Genoa V Lazio Things are looking up for Genoa with the appointment of Ballardini, he has switched to a 3-5-2 module and it has already yielded results with a slightly fortunate draw at Juve. LB Antonelli and ST Floro Flores will be out for the home side while there are rumours that Lazio coach Petkovic will shift to a 3 centre-back module despite missing centre-backs Dias and Biava through suspension. Lazio had a draining Coppa Italia game against Juventus midweek and it may cost them here, CAM Hernanes is also likely to miss out for the away side through injury. Lazio do have plenty of talented attacking midfielders but there maybe a fair amount of rotation for them in this game which could prove disruptive. I will wait for the official convocati of both sides but I think Genoa +0 @ odds against could be a play here. Palermo V Atalanta I was originally leaning towards Palermo in this one but both sides have so many injuries, so much activity in the transfer window and so many daggers lying in wait for the coaches that this game is about as easy to read as a dictionary written in binary. Time to get out the peppermint tea and let the numbers just run me thinks. Pescara V Bologna Many will think this is foolish but I am actually leaning towards the home side here aswell. The 6-0 was indeed brutal for Pescara but bungling centre-back Terlizzi has finally been shown the door while Bergodi marched the rest of his team down to brat camp where they’ve no doubt worked on their clean sheet badges all week. Pescara have been pretty strong in the market during the transfer window and their central median looks to have stronger ball retention with the likes of D’Agostino and Rizzo on board while they now have a very strong and experienced centre-forward in the form of Sforzini. The former Grosseto man is an excellent penalty box player who can be the target man, bully defenders and be a massive ariel threat to the opposition, a good signing imo. Bergodi pretty much has a fully fit squad to choose from so there are definitely options for the home side here. Bologna on the other hand are clearly the more cohesive side but they could become exposed against a Pescara side with many potential surprises. Only 27.3% of Bologna’s total points tally has been accrued away from home thus far while Pescara have looked ok on their own patch. Forward Gabbiadini misses out for the away side through injury. Potentially a hard game to call because of the many question marks hanging over Pescara but I am currently considering the home side on the +0 line at odds against for the time being. Draws Just a quick word on draws, I myself have decided not to play draws this season with all my focus going on finding value in the AH market. I feel like any bet the draw needs to have +ev for it to be takeable and I’m not really sure how to ascertain the ev for individual games to end in a draw. One thing I have noticed is that Serie A has a low draw outcome ratio this season with only 23.5% of matches ending in stalemate thus far.

[Rhoads]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February

It's really embarrassing that a man is bein paid to perform his job so icompetently. I cant watch another Roma match with him in charge. Jesus.

Honestly, Roma have been the most entertaining team of Serie A thus far, despite being inconsistent they have been a great team for betting. Did Zeman make mistakes? Yes, he did, sending De Rossi, Stekelenburg and Marquinho and perhaps sometimes Burdisso to the bench, starting with an unknown goalkeeper and using inexperienced defenders like Piris and Marquinhos who are so young and do not take responsibilities, lacking quality. But the guy has no option of fielding this team properly as he doesn't have any quality defender except Balzaretti in his squad and has less midfielders than any team in Serie A. Florenzi and Tachtsidis both are 21 yrs old, Pjanic is 22 and Bradley is only 25 (I never liked this guy). Today they were wasteful in front of the net once again as it has started to be their biggest problem, even bigger than their defensive issues. Lamela and Osvaldo were disastrous. I still remember how great they were against Fiorentina, the team has one of the best midfields of the league (4-2) and AC Milan. Roma board should have made 1-2 decent and experienced transfers during January to help Zeman. I'd like to see Zeman in charge until end of this season as it is enjoyable to watch them. Would you prefer to watch a Chievo, Siena, or Inter (even a bigger team) game - who are playing disgustingly catenaccio and makes the audience to puke or a Roma game, where you are probably going to watch a lot of goals and goal positions? Roma should rid of players like Piris, Tachtsidis, Marquinhos, Goicoechea and perhaps Bradley from the starting eleven and replace them with the quality names. About Totti, he has been great whole season, despite being 36 years old, fought like lions and has tried to keep this young and irresponsible players together. If there was another coach, Roma probably would have earned 10 points less today with the current squad.

[Mustafa]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February Chievo - Juventus Chievo are unbeaten in their last 8 home games and this season they only recorded 2 defeats out of their 11 home games. Those 2 defeats came back in September against Lazio and Inter. Moreover, Chievo have a good record against Juventus and have lost only 1 out of their last 5 home games against Juventus. Chievo +1 @ 2.30 William Hill (as a single bet) Chievo +2 @ 1.36 William Hill (in an accumulator) _______________________________ Milan - Udinese Games between these 2 sides often produce many goals. Udinese managed to score in their last 5 games against Milan at San Siro, and even recorded a 1-0 win in 2010, even though it was a cup game. Moreover, Both to Score bet would have won in 4 out of the last 5 games between these 2 sides at San Siro. Both to Score @ 1.95 William Hill

[Dylan]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February Like Ultravires I believe it’s worth going against both home teams this evening but will look to take handicaps or double chance markets rather than the draws. The first one for this evening is; Sampdoria win or draw vs Torino 1.80 at Bet365 (3 units) It’s still early days but Samp seem to be looking a lot stronger under Delio Rossi’s leadership, and have done well since returning from the mid season break, with seven points from twelve games including wins over Juve and last week’s rout of poor Pescara. There are a number of things that have helped Samp in this period, the move to back three has helped shore up them up defensively, they’ve been able to keep most players with the exception on Maxi Lopez off the treatment table and Icardi has been given the confidence to go out and do his thing. With Palambo and Di Silvestre confirmed fit for this one there shouldn’t be too many changes to the Samp line up, with the exception of Obiang. The Spanish midifielder has been a key player for Samp this season, but for one game someone like Maresca or Munari can come in a do a job particular as they are up against a pretty lacklustre Torino midfield. Maxi Lopez may be back on the bench to provide extra competition and hopefully impetus to both Icardi and Eder. Torino are a team that I quite like watching, they have a very English style of playing, just a straightforward 4-4-2, getting the ball down the wings and then crossing at every possible occasion. Bianchi and Meggiorini to a lesser extent are very adept at finding a little space in the area to get on the end of these balls in. Whilst it can work, an organised defence should be able to snuff out these relatively basic tactics and Samp have shown in just conceding once in three games that they are pretty strong in defence under Rossi. With the spare man (Palombo) in the middle they’ll also have someone who can mop up flick ons and loose balls etc. It’s also looking likely that Bianchi will only start on the bench here due to midweek certainity over his future, with Barretto coming in, and he doesn’t quite have the same aerial prowess as Bianchi. At the back for Torino, Ogbonna is still sidelined and whilst they have done ok without him they are still conceding goals, with eight conceded at home in the past four games. This should give Samp, and their inform form front line fresh from that 6-0 win plenty of confidence that goals can be got at the Olimpico this evening. :hope There are plenty of others as well that interest me this weekend, including the Catania handicap for tonights match, and 5 matches tomorrow also making my shortlist. Short of time now but will hopefully post later on.

[Dylan]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February I’ve been mulling over this game for a while now, and can’t quite find a handicap that interests me on Catania, despite the fact that in general I do think their price is a little too high. The only thing that I’m personally pretty sure on is that we’ll see a fair few goals in this one. As has already been mentioned Napoli have got a number of problems in defence, with Maggio, Britos and Campagnaro all out. They lack any real depth of squad in this position so it means Mazzari is likely to revert to a back 4 rather than a back 5. I can’t remember the last time Napoli did this and I’m not sure the personnel they’ve got is particularly suited to this. Armero is a wing back rather than an orthodox left back, and playing him further back means he may well have to curb his attacking intent given the lack of cover that the usual spare man in a 3 man defence offers. He’s certainly much better in attack than in defence and Catania may well look to expose him here. The same pretty much applies to the left footed Zuniga at right back. It’s also been mooted that Mazzari may rest Inler which would weaken them defensively again. Catania have enough about them going forward to trouble this altered Napoli back line. With Lodi and Almiron back in midfield they have ball winners and carriers, and the front three offer excellent movement and will test the organisation of Napoli especially the two full backs with their tendancy to drift around the attacking third. Whilst their form on the road isn’t brilliant, they still tend to get goals scoring in each of their last four away from the Angelo Massimino. Ultimatly I still think Napoli could outscore hence the move away from taking handicaps and I can personally see something like 3-1 or 4-2. Catania over 0.5 goals 1.67 at Stan James (3 / 10 units) Catania over 1.5 goals 4.50 at Stan James (1 / 10 units)

[Mindfulness]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February

Zed's dead baby.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11854/8465057/Serie-A-Roma-manager-Zdenek-Zeman-has-been-sacked-by-the-Italian-club

[Dylan]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February Well I think that’ll be the last goals bet I take in Serie A. Not a great start to the weekend, lets hope for better tomorrow. Have taken these two already; Pescara +0.25AH vs Bologna 1.78 at Bet Victor (3 units) I don’t think you are that foolish Das in your consideration of Pescara here. Certainly from a value perspective against inconsistent travellers the price stands out and I like the additions that Bergodi has made in the last few weeks. D’Agostino is an excellent buy, he’ll bring calmness on the ball plus his excellent set piece delivery as well as a wealth of experience. They certainly seem to be going for a more direct approach with Sforzini coming in as well, which is a contrast from what they wanted to do at the start of the season but it may be a necessity as they fight relation. I’m certainly expecting a response from the home side after the dismal defeat at Samp last weekend and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them pick up at least a point. They’ve done ok in general at the Adriatico this season, whilst they haven’t had much impact against the biggest names they’ve beaten Parma, Palermo, Genoa and Catania and drew with Atalanta, so fancy them to have enough confidence to go out and give this game a good go. Bologna have not been great travellers over the past few years and that’s been the case again this season. They’ve pulled of shock wins at Roma and Napoli but in matches when you generally expect them to get a result they normally flatter to deceive and in fact they’ve lost all of their other nine away games this season. They are still without Natali and Gabbiadini for this trip and have a number of players with knocks going into this game, Kone and Motta specifically of the likely first eleven. Genoa vs Lazio Draw 3.30 at Bet365 (2 units) This game is standing out as the best price draw this weekend in Serie A. Lazio have had a tough couple weeks where the focus had been on the Coppa Italia semi final legs with Juve which culminated in that frenetic game on Wednesday. Simply from a physical perspective it would have taken a toll but they also took their mind off the league over the last couple of weeks (which coincided with a defeat to Cheivo and the draw against Palermo) and I feel it might take some time for Lazio to adjust back to fighting for the Scudetto. They won’t be helped in this match by an injury to the mercurial Hernanes, and Candreva his most like for like replacement to play in that role just behind the striker will also miss out. It means then that Lazio are likely to chance shape, going to two up top and a midfield five, and whilst this isn’t the end of the world for them it does at least make them a little more static and probably easier to defend against than having Hernanes floating around everywhere. There are also a couple of misses in defence which do weaken them a little. It’s always difficult to get a proper read on an inconsistent Genoa side, but it looks likely that Ballardini will set them up in a similar shape to Lazio, to try and match up. Certainly with Jankovic & Vargas still missing the midfield looks pretty defensive and I imagine they’ll be trying to turn this one into a bit of a scrap. After the slightly lucky draw against Juve, I think they’ll be delighted to take another point against a top three team in this match. :hope I’m still mulling over Siena +0.5AH as well. Inter still have creativity issues and Siena are capable of frustrating teams, and I don’t think the odds quite reflect how tough Inter will find it to get a win here.

[ultravires]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February I am all over the Genoa-Lazio draw as well. Not much to add to what Dylan said. Genoa are resurgent but Lazio are still resilient. I'd prefer to take the away side with draw cover over the home side, but it feels like a match that would result in getting the stake returned in a push. Both are going to deploy 5 man midfields which will result in limited space. Olivera behind Boriello is a joke - he's an abysmal player. Lazio have been pretty much running at max to gain their recent results and so the loss of Hernanes will be big. they haven't been creating an abundance of late, but are still solid at the back. A tight match that could easily end in a draw. Draw - 3.20 - 3 points I can't seem to shake backing Parma but I am waiting for the home price to come in. I like the current odds as they are, I just expect some money to go on the home side. Parma are in solid form and were unfortunate to lose against Napoli. This is another very tough match for them but Fiorentina are not in form at all. Pizarro does return which helps their game a lot as Valero is able to advance further forward. Even so, I like the away side to get a point in this. I'm hoping to squeeze a little more out of them though prior to kick-off.

[Mindfulness]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February Right, I've had a good look at the games now and taken into consideration what's been written in the thread by others. For some reason I am having trouble pulling the trigger in both the Genoa and Pescara games. Pescara +0.25 was available @ 9/10 earlier in the week which for obvious reasons really caught my attention. Unfortunately the deterioration in the price is problematic for me with the +0.25 line now below 4/5. While Bologna are really poor travelers they are only 1 place above Pescara in the table and 2 points ahead. The question marks over how Pescara will emerge from the melting pot will probably mean the away side will take a cautious approach and look to counter. I actually think a draw is more likely than a home win so the +0.25 line on Pescara doesn't really grab me at the shortened price. If the +0.25 line was 17/20 or even 5/6 I think it would hold some +ev but not now. I really want to back Genoa on the +0 line at odds against given Lazio's problems but Genoa are just so untrustworthy. Immobile and Borriello are good centre-forwards imo but aren't good together so the absence of Floro Flores is problematic in that respect. Ultra and Dylan have highlighted the increased likelyhood of a draw and I'm inclined to agree. I don't play draws for reasons already stated so the sensible option is to sit this one out. I didn't take Samp +0.50 tonight but watched the game, it was fairly devoid of goalscoring opportunities but Tornio had a slight edge in terms of endevour and menace in my view. Watching the tactical battle play out was really interesting as Samp had to sacrifice a lot of their forward threat to try and contain the flank play of Torino. I mentioned earlier that Estigarribia would have to put in a shift and I thought he was excellent tonight for Samp which was really key for them if they wanted to get a result. Cerci was pretty woeful for Torino, his card was market right from the start. Good work from Dylan to land the double chance and fantastic stuff from Ultra to land the draw. Good luck to everyone betting on the Sunday matches.

[lorenzo.]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February AC Milan - Udinese Milan has hit the form and they are climbing up in the table. De Sciglio, Mexes and De Jong are injured while Abbiati is doubtful. Nontheless I think Milan will dominate the game having more posession, but Udinese is a great counter attacking team and I expect Di Natale/Muriel to score at least one goal at San Siro, especially considering the missing defensive players from the hosts. Both teams to score @ 1,9 with bet365 (3 / 5 units)

[vlaso]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February [TABLE=class: tborder, width: 100%, align: center] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: alt1, bgcolor: #EEEEEE]teases me a lot of inter win this today .... Inter after the amazing start to the season in which he won six away wins in a row, with 1-3 at the Juventus Stadium in early November was lost and has since obtained the meager spoils of only one draw (against Roma in 'last exit) and 4 losses. Now the team has to get back to winning Stramaccioni if he wants to keep alive their ambitions of Champions. For next Sunday Milito and Stankovic are in doubt, although there is optimism for their recovery. In the attack are confirmed Cassano-Palacio. The Siena seems regenerated Iachini and the great victory against Sampdoria two weeks ago has given a minimum of enthusiasm environment. The last place in the standings beyond the initial 6-point penalty, is there to witness the lack of play and an objective difficulty in finding the way to goal. Rosina in attack and Reginald do not seem in good shape, while the new purchase Pozzi is still injured. Based on the favorable altitude and tradition very much in favor of Inter Artemio Franchi (7 wins out of seven in the last head-to-head) and the much difference between the two organic go with confidence in the victory of inter ......... . fiorentina-parma 1 @1.70 bet 365 La Fiorentina out of a terrible January where, between cup and league, got 4 losses and 1 draw. From fighting for a place in the Champions League, we were talking about Christmas, Montella's team found itself catapulted out of the Europa League too. At this point the match against Parma promises to be decisive and purple must at all costs get the three points. In midfield, Aquilani will, disqualified, but should return to Pizarro, while in attack all available. The Parma after the first defeat want to try to rebuild, but outside the home is not as comfortable as the Tardini. Away Donadoni scored only two victories against Bologna and Turin, and - apart from the Udinese - when he met with the teams that are ahead in the standings (Juventus, Napoli, Catania, Lazio) has always lost. It is not clear Santacroce, who came out injured Sunday after half an hour if you can not make it to his place Alessandro Lucarelli. In the attack of new space in Belfodil and gunboats Samson, with Amauri ready to take over. For me, the Fiorentina can not continue to not win, and this seems to me a good opportunity to get the first three points of 2013. milan-udinese 1 @1.70 bet 365 If we consider the trend of the season from the ninth day onwards, Milan is the team that has scored the most points of all. This means that Allegri after the initial difficulties (which are inevitable in a team that lost star players like Ibrahimovic and Thiago Motta and goodbyes not exactly painless senators such as Gattuso and Seedorf) was able to give a good balance to the team. Now, with the arrival of Balotelli Rossoneri attack young and athletically impressive with El Shaaraawy and Niang is really scary. Udinese at the San Siro on the other hand has always done well, but in the last period the Bianconeri I liked very little and also last Sunday against Siena, the only imprecision of Rosina allowed Friulian to get the three points. I see here a clear victory for the Rossoneri I switch to stake up the highest point available on the market today.... [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: alt2, bgcolor: #E2E2E2][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[azzurini1976]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February As a Roma fan I am delighted to see Zeman go, I can only highlight what I have written in August aabout Romas coach: http://forum.punterslounge.com/threads/132371-Italy-Serie-A-gt-August-25-26?p=2201195#post2201195

[malabgd]

Re: Serie A > 1st - 3rd February Injuries and suspensions ChievoVerona v Juventus FC ChievoVerona: Sardo (17/0 d), Dramé (12/0 d), Luciano (12/1 m), Pellissier (15/4 f) (all doubtful), Samassa (6/0 f) Juventus FC: Marchisio (18/4 m), Chiellini (13/0 d), Pepe (1/0 m), Bendtner (8/0 f), Bonucci (20/0 d), Vucinic (19/5 f), Rubinho (0/0 g), Asamoah (18/2 m) Genoa v Lazio Genoa: Jankovic (13/3 f), Vargas (9/0 m), Floro Flores (4/0 f), Antonelli (19/0 d) Lazio: Ederson (5/1 m), Candreva (21/4 m), Hernanes (21/8 m), Biava (21/1 d), Dias (16/0 d), Onazi (4/0 m)