Italy Serie A Week 18, January 5-6
- Thread starter spkutano
- Start date
Roma vs Torino Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Roma:
Pau Lopez; Florenzi, Smalling, Mancini, Kolarov; Veretout, Diawara; Zaniolo, Pellegrini, Perotti; Dzeko
Torino:
Sirigu; Izzo, Nkoulou, Djidji; Aina, Lukic, Rincon, Laxalt; Verdi, Berenguer; Belotti
Roma host Torino at Stadio Olimpico in what is expected to be one of the most interesting fixtures of Sunday’s program. The Giallorossi aim to continue the positive series that lasts five rounds. A victory over Torino could see them overtake the local rivals Lazio in the Serie A standings, at least for one day. Roma currently have 35 points, one less than third-placed Lazio. The fans are satisfied with the last results. Roma have four victories and one draw on the last five matches in Serie A. First they beat Brescia with 3:0 and then won 3:1 at Verona. The goalless draw with Inter at Meazza was another good result, as well as the home win over Spal (3:1). Finally, Roma demolished Fiorentina in the previous round, winning 4:1 in Florenz. It was an excellent display by the Giallorossi and coach Fonseca was fully satisfy. Edin Dzeko and Aleksandar Kolarov scored two first-half goals within two minutes, while Lorenzo Pellegrini and Nicolo Zaniolo confirmed the victory in the second half. Roma also secured the knock-out phase of the Europe League where they will face Belgian side Gent. Fonseca is still missing the long-term casualties Bryan Cristante and Davide Zappacosta. Defender Davide Santon is also out injured, as well as Javier Pastore and Antonio Mirante, but that shouldn't be a problem as the Portuguese coach has a number of top-class players to choose from. At the end I will mention that it's a matter of days when the club will be sold to The Friedkin Group. The Texas-based group will pay around €780m to buy the club and take control of the Stadio della Roma project. An official announcement is expected very soon. The running of the club will be left to Ryan Friedkin, son of the group’s owner Dan Friedkin. It is believed that Pallotta, who became majority shareholder in 2013, will retain minority shares in the club.
Torino have 21 points after the first 17 rounds. I believe the fans are not satisfied, as well as the club officials. Coach Walter Mazzarri is feeling some pressure, no doubt about that. The actual form is mixed, Torino have one win, one draw and one defeat on the last three matches in Serie A. The Granata managed to beat Fiorentina with 2:1 thanks to Zaza and Ansaldi goals, while in the next match played a 3:3 draw with Hellas Verona after fumbling a three-goal lead. Mazzarri confessed it's hard to digest throwing away a 3:0 lead. "Nothing like that has ever happened to me before," he said. Finally, Torino suffered a painful home defeat to relegation candidates Spal in the last round. To be worse, defender Gleison Bremer was sent off and won't play at Olimpico due to suspension. Once agains Mazzarri took the blame: "I probably shouldn’t have introduced another striker, but gone for damage limitation instead." Tomas Rincon scored after just four minutes and everything looked good for Torino, though the guests turned the result and managed to beat 10-men hosts. The atmosphere in the squad isn't at desired level, while the players confidence is lower. Cristian Ansaldi will also skip the match through a suspension, while Daniele Baselli joined Iago Falque, Lyanco, Simone Edera and Vittorio Parigini on the injury list. The key striker Andrea Belotti finally returned against Spal for his first start in three matches. His goals are pivotal for Torino. Mazzarri has a tough job to rebuild the confidence and to return on winning way. At the end I will mention that Torino are reportedly interested in bringing Fiorentina midfielder Milan Badelj during the winter transfer window.
Roma vs Torino Prediction:
Roma should win this match. The actual form is on their side. The Giallorossi have four victories in the last five rounds and the players confidence is very high. On contrary, Torino suffered a painful home defeat to Spal in the previous round. To be worse, coach Mazzarri has lot of injury and suspension worries. I expect Roma to win with more than one goal. The stake is back if Roma narrowly beat Torino.
Roma vs Torino Pick: Roma -1.0 AH @ 1.87 with SBOBET
Possible starting lineups:
Roma:
Pau Lopez; Florenzi, Smalling, Mancini, Kolarov; Veretout, Diawara; Zaniolo, Pellegrini, Perotti; Dzeko
Torino:
Sirigu; Izzo, Nkoulou, Djidji; Aina, Lukic, Rincon, Laxalt; Verdi, Berenguer; Belotti
Roma host Torino at Stadio Olimpico in what is expected to be one of the most interesting fixtures of Sunday’s program. The Giallorossi aim to continue the positive series that lasts five rounds. A victory over Torino could see them overtake the local rivals Lazio in the Serie A standings, at least for one day. Roma currently have 35 points, one less than third-placed Lazio. The fans are satisfied with the last results. Roma have four victories and one draw on the last five matches in Serie A. First they beat Brescia with 3:0 and then won 3:1 at Verona. The goalless draw with Inter at Meazza was another good result, as well as the home win over Spal (3:1). Finally, Roma demolished Fiorentina in the previous round, winning 4:1 in Florenz. It was an excellent display by the Giallorossi and coach Fonseca was fully satisfy. Edin Dzeko and Aleksandar Kolarov scored two first-half goals within two minutes, while Lorenzo Pellegrini and Nicolo Zaniolo confirmed the victory in the second half. Roma also secured the knock-out phase of the Europe League where they will face Belgian side Gent. Fonseca is still missing the long-term casualties Bryan Cristante and Davide Zappacosta. Defender Davide Santon is also out injured, as well as Javier Pastore and Antonio Mirante, but that shouldn't be a problem as the Portuguese coach has a number of top-class players to choose from. At the end I will mention that it's a matter of days when the club will be sold to The Friedkin Group. The Texas-based group will pay around €780m to buy the club and take control of the Stadio della Roma project. An official announcement is expected very soon. The running of the club will be left to Ryan Friedkin, son of the group’s owner Dan Friedkin. It is believed that Pallotta, who became majority shareholder in 2013, will retain minority shares in the club.
Torino have 21 points after the first 17 rounds. I believe the fans are not satisfied, as well as the club officials. Coach Walter Mazzarri is feeling some pressure, no doubt about that. The actual form is mixed, Torino have one win, one draw and one defeat on the last three matches in Serie A. The Granata managed to beat Fiorentina with 2:1 thanks to Zaza and Ansaldi goals, while in the next match played a 3:3 draw with Hellas Verona after fumbling a three-goal lead. Mazzarri confessed it's hard to digest throwing away a 3:0 lead. "Nothing like that has ever happened to me before," he said. Finally, Torino suffered a painful home defeat to relegation candidates Spal in the last round. To be worse, defender Gleison Bremer was sent off and won't play at Olimpico due to suspension. Once agains Mazzarri took the blame: "I probably shouldn’t have introduced another striker, but gone for damage limitation instead." Tomas Rincon scored after just four minutes and everything looked good for Torino, though the guests turned the result and managed to beat 10-men hosts. The atmosphere in the squad isn't at desired level, while the players confidence is lower. Cristian Ansaldi will also skip the match through a suspension, while Daniele Baselli joined Iago Falque, Lyanco, Simone Edera and Vittorio Parigini on the injury list. The key striker Andrea Belotti finally returned against Spal for his first start in three matches. His goals are pivotal for Torino. Mazzarri has a tough job to rebuild the confidence and to return on winning way. At the end I will mention that Torino are reportedly interested in bringing Fiorentina midfielder Milan Badelj during the winter transfer window.
Roma vs Torino Prediction:
Roma should win this match. The actual form is on their side. The Giallorossi have four victories in the last five rounds and the players confidence is very high. On contrary, Torino suffered a painful home defeat to Spal in the previous round. To be worse, coach Mazzarri has lot of injury and suspension worries. I expect Roma to win with more than one goal. The stake is back if Roma narrowly beat Torino.
Roma vs Torino Pick: Roma -1.0 AH @ 1.87 with SBOBET
Napoli vs Inter Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Napoli:
Meret; Di Lorenzo, Manolas, Luperto, Mario Rui; Allan, Fabian, Zielinski; Callejon, Milik, Insigne
Inter:
Handanovic; Godin, De Vrij, Skriniar; Candreva, Gagliardini, Brozovic, Sensi, Biraghi; Lukaku, Lautaro
Napoli are in the middle of the table with 24 points, eleven behind Roma, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League place. The fans were not satisfy and former coach Carlo Ancelotti paid the prize. He was sacked after the match with Genk in the Champions League, even Napoli won that game and secured knock-out phase. Gennaro Gattuso was announced as new boss and Napoli were expecting to obtain better results in domestic Serie A. President Aurelio De Laurentiis said Gattuso and 'hard work' will make sure Napoli are heading for a bright future. But the debut wasn't successful, Gattuso lost 2:1 at home to Parma. Nevertheless, the Vesuvians finally won in the last match in 2019. Napoli ended their two-month Serie A winless streak in dramatic fashion, fighting back to beat Sassuolo 2:1 deep into stoppages for Gattuso’s first victory. The Partenopei were one-goal down after the first half, but Allan equalized in the 57th minute. The victory was secured in the 94th minute thanks to Elif Elmas' goal, even officially registered as Obiang's own goal. I believe the atmosphere in the squad is now much better, while the players confidence is higher. Gattuso is still missing Kalidou Koulibaly with a thigh strain, while Fabian Ruiz did not take part in last training sessions due to flu symptoms. Kevin Malcuit, Lorenzo Tonelli and Nikola Maksimovic are unavailable. Dries Mertens and Faouzi Ghoulam trained separately from the group and they are rated as doubtful.
Inter are on the first place after 17 rounds thanks to the better goal difference. They are leaders in Serie A for the first time since the 2009/10 season under Jose Mourinho. The Nerazzurri play an excellent season and the fans start dreaming about the Scudetto. The atmosphere in the squad is good, while the players confidence is high. The actual form is good, they are unbeaten in the last 10 matches in Serie A, winning seven of them. Inter managed to beat Sassuolo, Brescia, Bologna, Verona, Torino, Spal and Genoa, while shared the points with Parma, Roma and Fiorentina. Coach Antonio Conte is doing a fantastic job and the fans are satisfied. But there is no space for relaxation - after the derby with Napoli, Inter will close out the month with matches against high-flying Atalanta and Cagliari, as well as relegation candidates Lecce. Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku are the key players in the team. The Argentinian striker has scored eight goals this season in Serie A, while the Belgian forward has netted twelve. The duo have so far scored 55% of all of Inter goals this season. They will try to maintain the unbeaten record in the top-flight division. Conte has only two injured players - Kwadwo Asamoah and Danilo D'Ambrosio. On the positive note, Nicolo Barella and Alexis Sanchez are available and should start from the bench, while Stefano Sensi could be among the starters.
Napoli vs Inter Prediction:
I expect both teams to score at Stadio San Paolo. Napoli play at home and they will go for the victory. Inter are the leaders, they need three points from this match to remain first. Considering these facts I believe this will be an open and efficient match.
Napoli vs Inter Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 1.61 with Bet365
Possible starting lineups:
Napoli:
Meret; Di Lorenzo, Manolas, Luperto, Mario Rui; Allan, Fabian, Zielinski; Callejon, Milik, Insigne
Inter:
Handanovic; Godin, De Vrij, Skriniar; Candreva, Gagliardini, Brozovic, Sensi, Biraghi; Lukaku, Lautaro
Napoli are in the middle of the table with 24 points, eleven behind Roma, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League place. The fans were not satisfy and former coach Carlo Ancelotti paid the prize. He was sacked after the match with Genk in the Champions League, even Napoli won that game and secured knock-out phase. Gennaro Gattuso was announced as new boss and Napoli were expecting to obtain better results in domestic Serie A. President Aurelio De Laurentiis said Gattuso and 'hard work' will make sure Napoli are heading for a bright future. But the debut wasn't successful, Gattuso lost 2:1 at home to Parma. Nevertheless, the Vesuvians finally won in the last match in 2019. Napoli ended their two-month Serie A winless streak in dramatic fashion, fighting back to beat Sassuolo 2:1 deep into stoppages for Gattuso’s first victory. The Partenopei were one-goal down after the first half, but Allan equalized in the 57th minute. The victory was secured in the 94th minute thanks to Elif Elmas' goal, even officially registered as Obiang's own goal. I believe the atmosphere in the squad is now much better, while the players confidence is higher. Gattuso is still missing Kalidou Koulibaly with a thigh strain, while Fabian Ruiz did not take part in last training sessions due to flu symptoms. Kevin Malcuit, Lorenzo Tonelli and Nikola Maksimovic are unavailable. Dries Mertens and Faouzi Ghoulam trained separately from the group and they are rated as doubtful.
Inter are on the first place after 17 rounds thanks to the better goal difference. They are leaders in Serie A for the first time since the 2009/10 season under Jose Mourinho. The Nerazzurri play an excellent season and the fans start dreaming about the Scudetto. The atmosphere in the squad is good, while the players confidence is high. The actual form is good, they are unbeaten in the last 10 matches in Serie A, winning seven of them. Inter managed to beat Sassuolo, Brescia, Bologna, Verona, Torino, Spal and Genoa, while shared the points with Parma, Roma and Fiorentina. Coach Antonio Conte is doing a fantastic job and the fans are satisfied. But there is no space for relaxation - after the derby with Napoli, Inter will close out the month with matches against high-flying Atalanta and Cagliari, as well as relegation candidates Lecce. Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku are the key players in the team. The Argentinian striker has scored eight goals this season in Serie A, while the Belgian forward has netted twelve. The duo have so far scored 55% of all of Inter goals this season. They will try to maintain the unbeaten record in the top-flight division. Conte has only two injured players - Kwadwo Asamoah and Danilo D'Ambrosio. On the positive note, Nicolo Barella and Alexis Sanchez are available and should start from the bench, while Stefano Sensi could be among the starters.
Napoli vs Inter Prediction:
I expect both teams to score at Stadio San Paolo. Napoli play at home and they will go for the victory. Inter are the leaders, they need three points from this match to remain first. Considering these facts I believe this will be an open and efficient match.
Napoli vs Inter Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 1.61 with Bet365
Roma vs Torino 0-2
Napoli vs Inter 1-3
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