Serie A Miscellaneous Ante-Post 2015/2016

[Mindfulness]

Bottom 3 finish Empoli @ 4.50 Betvictor > 2.5% BR Empoli did really well in 2014/2015 with a respectable 15^th placed finish. Generally speaking they were a team that was hard to beat with a strong defense and benefitted from strong stewardship under coach Maurizio Sarri. Unfortunately for Empoli, Sarri has gone on to bigger things as the new coach of Napoli. To compound this further, I do not particularly like his replacement Marco Giampaolo, his record as a manager is not exactly sparkling and Empoli could have hired a better candidate to succeed Sarri imo. While some maybe more positive about Giampaolo than I, no-one can deny the Tuscans have lost a lot of key players in the summer window thus far. Goalkeeper Sepe, centre-back Rugani and full-back Hysaj have all departed to leave that strong defensive area somewhat weaker as all are important players. Key central midfielder Valdifiori has also left and when you combine this with the departure of Sarri I think Empoli could be in for a real tough season. Many will highlight the fact that 2 of the 3 Serie A relegation slots will probably be taken up by Frosinone and Carpi this year. I agree that the minnows will find it very hard to compete at this level given their resources but in this game you never know, perhaps one of them will surprise us. In terms of the other relegation candidates I believe Chievo will also find things tough but Rolando Maran is a good coach imo and their team should at least be defensively solid once again + have the know how and experience to be competitive for the entire duration of a campaign. Atalanta may also be vulnerable but reading between the lines I would expect a little more investment to be made on playing staff compared to the other teams mentioned. Empoli’s relegation odds are starting to shorten across the board, Betvictor’s stand-out price of 7/2 does hold a bit of value for me considering the present circumstances. Lots can happen between now and the end of the window but sometimes you have to make a move, let’s see how things develop from here.

[Mindfulness]

I am also on the lookout for seasonal handicap bets in Serie A this year. I have checked various odds comparison sites and there doesn't seem to be a market for it yet. If anyone finds a seasonal handicap market for Serie A could they let me know? I have a few ideas for 2015/2016 if it's available.