Italy Round 14

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Napoli vs Empoli Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Napoli:
Meret; Olivera, Kim, Ostigard, Di Lorenzo; Ndombele, Lobotka, Anguissa; Elmas, Osimhen, Politano

Empoli:
Vicario; Ebuehi, Ismajli, Luperto, Parisi; Bajrami, Marin, Bandinelli; Baldanzi; Lammers, Destro

Serie A leaders Napoli welcome Empoli to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Tuesday night. The Partenopei are first with 35 points, six more than second-placed AC Milan. Napoli are in excellent form, winning the last nine matches in Serie A. I believe the players confidence is "High as Everest". Among others, Luciano Spalletti's men obtained away victories against Roma, Milan, Lazio and Atalanta. They were also good in Europe, finishing first in their group that also consisted Liverpool, Ajax and Rangers. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the new star in the team, he has been directly involved in 11 goals in Serie A this season. Kvaratskhelia wasn't in the squad against Atalanta, but Eljif Elmas replaced him successfully. The Macedonian international scored the second goal in Bergamo and showed the power of Napoli's bench. Kvaratskhelia missed out the last match due to injury. He felt a sharp pain in the lower back and it was decided to be rested. It is still unclear how long Kvara will be forced to the sidelines, so he is rated as doubtful for Tuesday's fixture. The Georgian international has been arguably Serie A best player this season. He has also recorded two goals and three assists in five Champions League matches. His potential absence is a huge blow for the Partenopei. In addition, coach Spalletti will definitely miss out central defender Amir Rrahmani and goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu through injury.

Empoli are all signed with number 14 - they have 14 points and sit on the 14th place on the table. I think the fans could be satisfied as their main target is to avoid the relegation. The fact they are eight points away of the 18th-placed Cremonese means a lot, though there is no space for relaxation. On Saturday they were also good and secured a narrow 1:0 win over Sassuolo. Tommaso Baldanzi scored the winning goal, but goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario should also be mentioned for his three saves. In his first season as coach Paolo Zanetti is doing a solid job and three points from this match are very important. Nevertheless, the results against favorites aren't at desired level. Empoli have four defeats on the last eight matches in Serie A and the defeats came against Atalanta, Juventus, Milan and Roma. Of course, it isn't something positive ahead of the clash with league leaders Napoli. The Partenopei are clear favorites, but I am sure Zanetti's men won't give up easily. Just to mention, Empoli won both of their last season's encounters against Napoli, including an 1:0 road victory in December 2021. However, the team are not at last season's level after losing their top two goalscorers, Szymon Zurkowski and Andrea Pinamonti, during the summer transfer window. The guests have three players struggling with injuries - Lorenzo Tonelli, Alberto Grassi and Koni De Winter. Striker Mattia Destro has recovered from his calf injury which has kept him sidelined in the recent period and should start here.

Napoli vs Empoli Prediction:

Napoli are huge favorites in this match. They are in excellent form, winning the last nine matches in Serie A. Empoli have two defeats on the last three matches, losing 2:0 to Atalanta and 4:0 to Juventus. I expect something similar again. Napoli should cover the handicap.

Napoli vs Empoli Pick: Napoli -1.5 AH @ 1.57 with Pinnacle

 

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Sassuolo vs Roma Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Sassuolo:
Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Ferrari, Rogerio; Frattesi, Lopez, Thorstvedt; Lauriente, Pinamonti, Traore

Roma:
Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Vina; Zalewski, Cristante, Matic, El Shaarawy; Volpato, Zaniolo; Belotti

Sassuolo welcome Roma to Mapei Stadium on Thursday evening. Both teams were poor in the last period, so the points from this match are very important. Whoever lose the game will come in difficult situation. Sassuolo have 15 points and sit on the 13th place on the table. I don't think the fans are fully satisfied as their ambitions are higher, maybe connect with European spot. However, the reality is different as they are 10 points away from the 7th place. The actual form is poor, they have suffered four defeats on the last five matches in Serie A. The opponents were not easy at all, the defeats came against Inter, Atalanta, Napoli and Empoli. Of course, it isn't an excuse, the defeats have spoiled the atmosphere in the squad. The last one was particularly painful as Empoli are among relegation candidates in Serie A. Coach Alessio Dionisi is feeling some pressure and positive result from this match will be very welcomed. He has three injury worries ahead of this match - Mert Muldur, Domenico Berardi and Gregoire Defrel are struggling with injuries. On the positive note, Armand Lauriente is back from suspension. This is a big boost for Dionisi as Lauriente has been involved in four goals this season - two scored and two assisted.

The last period was very turbulent for Roma fans. First they celebrated a 3:1 win against the Bulgarian side Ludogorets in UEFA Europa League. It was an eventful match, hard battle for the second place that guarantee the knock-out stage in the competition. The Gialorossi were one goal down after the first half, but two penalties converted by captain Lorenzo Pellegrini put them in front, while Nicolo Zaniolo set the final 3:1 in the finish of the match. But just three days later Roma fans suffered a huge blow. Jose Mourinho's men lost the most important match, the "Derby della Capitale." They were beaten 1:0 by city rivals Lazio. The defeat is even more painful as Lazio played without key players Ciro Immobile (injury) and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (injury). Worst of all, Roma players were poor and lacked creativity. The Gialorossi had only two shots on target against handicapped opponents. According to me, the absence of Paulo Dybala is a huge handicap as Mourinho has no adequate replacement. The Portuguese coach will also miss out Georginio Wijnaldum and Leonardo Spinazzola. But that's not all, captain Lorenzo Pellegrini suffered a thigh injury in the derby and will be out of the last two Serie A fixtures this year. Out of form Tammy Abraham may also be rested, but the problem is Andrea Belotti is also far from his best. Roma failed to score on two of the last three league matches, while also had problem to found the back of the net against 10-men Verona.

Sassuolo vs Roma Prediction:

I think Roma are closer to the victory. Sassuolo have attacking problems in the last period. The Neroverdi haven't scored a goal on the last two matches. Key striker Domenico Berardi is out injured, as well as Gregoire Defrel. To be worse, Hamed Traore is still looking for last season's form after returning from injury. Roma are also far from their best, they suffered a painful defeat in the derby with Lazio. However, Mourinho need a victory to improve the atmosphere. The quality is on Roma side, so I expect the Gialorossi to win at Mapei.

Sassuolo vs Roma Pick: Roma to win @ 2.14 with Pinnacle

 

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Napoli vs Empoli Pick: Napoli -1.5 AH @ 1.57 with Pinnacle

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Verona vs Juventus Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Verona:
Montipo; Dawidowicz, Gunter, Ceccherini; Depaoli, Veloso, Tameze, Doig; Kallon, Lazovic; Henry

Juventus:
Sczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Sandro; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Miretti; Milik

Hellas Verona welcomes Juventus at Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi on Thursday night. Verona have only five points after the first 13 rounds and I am sure the fans are frustrated. The actual form is poor, Verona have lost the last eight matches in Serie A. It is the first time in club history to lose eight games in a row. The Veronese managed to beat Sampdoria and shared the points with Empoli and Bologna, while suffered on every remaining game. The atmosphere in the squad is poor, while the players confidence is low. They visited relegation candidates Monza on Sunday and lost 2:0. Coach Salvatore Bocchetti is feeling a big pressure and he need a positive result here. But the attacking issues are big, they have scored only five goals in eight matches since the start of September. The home form is also miserable, Verona have lost five of their first six games at the Bentegodi. To be worse, Bocchetti has some injury and suspension worries. Giangiacomo Magnani saw a red card against Monza and must serve a suspension, while Ivan Ilic and Davide Faraoni are sidelined due to injury. On the positive note, Pawel Dawidowicz, Federico Ceccherini and Fabio Depaoli are back from suspension.

Buoyed by the important victory against Inter in the Derby d'Italia, Juventus will look to stay in the Scudetto race when they face Verona. The Old Lady celebrated a 2:0 win on Sunday night. The goals were scored by Adrien Rabiot and young Nicolo Fagioli in the second half. However, Filip Kostic should also be mentioned as he set up both goals. It was a hard match, Inter dominated the first half and had several good opportunities. The visitors continued the pressure in the first minutes of a second half, but that created opportunities for a Juventus fast counter-attacks. Kostic took advantage of a cleared Inter corner and raced into the box, where Adrien Rabiot scored for 1:0 in the 52nd minute. The Old Lady could have doubled the lead after 63 minutes but Danilo’s goal from a set piece was revoked after a VAR decision due to a handball. In the 84th minute Kostic found an unmarked Nicolo Fagioli on the other side of the box for the second goal. Juve could now win five league games in a row without conceding. Тhe Bianconeri stabilized the defense and now look like they are able to secure Top-4 finish, at least. Allegri is still missing the injured Weston McKennie, Mattia De Sciglio and Dusan Vlahovic, as well as long-term absentee Paul Pogba. Arkadiusz Milik is expected to lead the line again.

Verona vs Juventus Prediction:

Both teams had lot of issues in the new season. However, there is a difference. While Verona are last with only 5 points, Juventus are fifth with 25. While Verona are in series of nine defeats, Juventus have four victories in a row in Serie A. Finally, the quality is on Juve side. I expect Alegri's men to win the match.

Verona vs Juventus Pick: Juventus to win @ 1.70 with Pinnacle

 

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Sassuolo vs Roma Pick: Roma to win @ 2.14 with Pinnacle

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