Sassuolo vs Hellas Verona
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Sunday 16th January – 11:30AM KO
Two of Serie A’s most unpredictable and entertaining sides kick off Sunday’s action at the Mapei Stadium in the day’s early fixture, and this is a game that should really deliver goals and excitement at both ends.
Hosts Sassuolo have struggled for consistently this season since Alessio Dionisi came in to replace Roberto De Zerbi, but the Neroverdi have lost just once in their last nine outings in Serie A, coming in the form of a shock 3-0 defeat to Bologna in December. During that time they’ve beaten both AC Milan and Lazio, while taking points from Napoli and Fiorentina as well.
Verona have seen things go in the opposite direction. An excellent run after Igor Tudor replaced Eusebio Di Francesco early on this term saw them find their feet, beating Roma, Juventus and Lazio at home. But that form has since dipped and they’ve managed just one win from their last six, even losing at home to basement dwellers Salernitana last time out.
The Neroverdi will have to do without the suspended Domenico Berardi, while the Gialloblu will also be managing the absence of an influential player in Ivan Ilic, who also misses out through suspension. COVID outbreaks continue to take their toll on sides as well, and Verona are one of the most hard-hit teams in Serie A, with as many as eight players being positive for the virus leading up to this one.
Five goals were shared the last time these two met on the season’s opening weekend, with Sassuolo then running out 3-2 winners at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi.
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Prediction: Both Teams to Score, 1.44 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Venezia vs Empoli
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Sunday 16th January – 2PM KO
Venezia will be looking to celebrate the arrival of big-name signing Nani on Sunday as they play host to high-flying Empoli at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, but the Tuscans won’t make life easy for the Arancioneroverde.
In what has been a tough season for Venezia, they are on a dismal run of form and are without a league win since back-to-back victories either side of the November international break, stringing together seven winless games since, as well as a Coppa Italia defeat to Atalanta last time out.
Having been promoted from Serie B alongside their hosts on Sunday last season, Empoli had been enjoying a quietly impressive return to the top tier but their form has dipped of late, now without a win in their last four and not winning in Serie A since a memorable 1-0 win at Napoli in mid-December.
This game likely comes too soon for Nani to debut, though it’s not ruled out, both sides will be without a couple of players but neither have significant absences.
When the two met back in September it was Venezia who took all three points, with Thomas Henry and David Okereke finding themselves on the scoresheet before Nedim Bajrami could pull one back through a late penalty.
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Prediction: Empoli Draw No Bet, 1.75 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Roma vs Cagliari
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Sunday 16th January – 5PM KO
Jose Mourinho’s Roma are already in a position of not being able to afford too many more setbacks as they welcome Cagliari to the Stadio Olimpico late on Sunday afternoon.
After a shock 4-1 win away at Atalanta before Christmas looked to have seen Mourinho’s side turn over a new leaf, they’ve since gone on to fail to win in any of their last three games, drawing to Sampdoria, losing to AC Milan, and blowing a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 at home to Juventus last weekend. Now, playing hosts to a relegation-threatened Cagliari, they’ll be determined to bounce back and send a message.
But Cagliari are enjoying their best form of the season so far having won each of their last two – beating both Sampdoria and Bologna – and they can climb out of the relegation zone with a win in the capital. Only once this season have they had a longer unbeaten run, though that run of four games in November and December came courtesy of four straight draws against Sassuolo, Salernitana, Veona, and Toino.
Both Roger Ibanez and Bryan Cristante will miss out for the Giallorossi through suspension, and Chris Smalling is expected to be absent with an injury.
The Isolani made Roma work for their three points when they met in Sardinia in October, with Ibanez and Lorenzo Pellegrini scoring in the space of seven second-half minutes to overturn a deficit and ensure Mourinho’s side left for Rome with three points in the bag.
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Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals, 1.60 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Atalanta v Inter
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Sunday 16th January – 7:45PM KO
First travel to take on fourth in Bergamo in the weekend’s standout fixture on Sunday night, with Inter making the 50-kilometre journey to face a threatening Atalanta side.
The Bergamaschi’s aforementioned loss to Roma in December was just their third in Serie A this season and first since falling at home to Milan in early October, and normal service has resumed since that Roma slip with wins against Udinese (6-2) and Venezia (2-0) in the Coppa Italia.
Inter warmed up for their short trip north by beating Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana final on Wednesday night, though Simone Inzaghi would undoubtedly have preferred to have wrapped the game up in 90 minutes rather than having to fight until Alexis Sanchez’s 120th-minute winner. The champions’ only Serie A loss this season came at Lazio in mid-October though, and they’ll fancy themselves away at Atalanta where they haven’t lost in either of their last two visits.
The hosts continue to be without Robin Gosens, and first-choice frontman Duvan Zapata will be a big loss as well. Captain Rafael Toloi and Gosens’ stand-in Joakim Maehle are also expected to miss out, though the Dane’s absence is not confirmed. Inter, meanwhile, have a full bill of health.
Their previous clash this season was a thrilling 2-2 in Milan in one of the very best games of the season, with Roberto Piccoli having a last-gasp winner ruled out by VAR.
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Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals, 1.60 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
AC Milan v Spezia
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Monday 17th January – 5:30PM KO
The first of two time slots for Monday night action sees two of the title hopefuls play, albeit in separate games, with AC Milan taking on Spezia at the Stadio San Siro.
AC Milan have been in flying form this season and look like Inter’s most likely challengers at the top, but the’ve had a couple of setbacks since late-November and each of their three domestic defeats have come since then, having gone unbeaten for the opening 12 rounds.
Spezia have given the Rossoneri problems in recent seasons, including beating them in Liguria last season, but they’ve been struggling to reach the levels they showed in 2020/21 and are battling against the drop. The Aquilotti, though, have won two of their last three in Serie A, including a 1-0 win at Napoli to end 2021.
Milan needed an 86th-minute winner from Brahim Diaz to beat Spezia when they met in September, but it was Daniel Maldini getting his name on the scoresheet that stole all of the headlines on that occasion.
Ebrima Colley will miss out for the visitors due to his participation at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Milan have Sandro Tonali Suspended, and will likely line up with a makeshift defence as Simon Kjaer, Fikayo Tomori, and Alessio Romagnoli are all out injured. Franck Kessie, Ismael Bennacer, and Fode Ballo-Toure are all at AFCON as well.
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Prediction: Both Teams to Score, 1.87 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Bologna v Napoli
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Monday 17th January – 7:45PM KO
Sinisa Mihajlovic’s patchy Bologna host Napoli in the other of the two earlier games on Monday evening looking to capitalise on some recent inconsistencies from Luciano Spalletti’s side.
Napoli had started the season in incredible form before slightly falling off the pace, but they’ve now won just four of their last 13 in all competitions and have suffered defeats to Empoli and Spezia in the last month, as well as a 5-2 Coppa Italia loss to Fiorentina in midweek.
With just one win from their last five, though, the hosts’ form isn’t much better, but they have proven themselves capable of upsetting bigger teams already this season after beating Roma 1-0 at the beginning of December. A 3-0 defeat of Sassuolo saw them end 2021 on a high, but a loss at Cagliari last time out would have come as a bitter pill for fans of the Rossoblu to swallow.
COVID-19 has taken its toll on Bologna’s squad, as has the Africa Cup of Nations and injuries, with Musa Barrow and Gary Medel the biggest losses. Napoli have been hit by AFCON themselves, while Toronto-bound Lorenzo Insigne is also out through injury.
Napoli recorded a straightforward 3-0 win when the two sides met in Campania back in October as their unbeaten run to start the season was still intact, but Spalletti knows that any win this time will have to be sweated for.
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Prediction: Napoli Win, 1.95 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Fiorentina v Genoa
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Monday 17th January – 7:45PM KO
It had been a long time since Fiorentina were so much fun to watch on a regular basis, but Vincenzo Italiano has La Viola guaranteeing entertainment this season and they’ll look to continue their good season at home to struggling Genoa.
The Tuscans have every chance of securing European football for themselves next season if they can continue playing as they have so far, but uncertainty surrounding Dusan Vlahovic’s future is unlikely to help their cause. With just one loss in their last eight coming in the form of a shock 4-0 hammering in their last Serie A outing, Italiano’s side will be desperate to put those memories behind them and build on their subsequent Coppa Italia win in Naples.
Genoa come into this in serious trouble. Andriy Shevchenko has been unable to reverse their fortunes and this season, even more than in recent years, they look destined to find themselves in the bottom three come May. Draws against Atalanta and Sassuolo gave them some brief encouragement recently only for that to disappear with a 1-0 defeat to Spezia and a 3-1 Coppa Italia loss to AC Milan.
Both sides are close to full strength, excluding a couple of absences each, and Riccardo Saponara is expected to start ahead of exciting new signing Jonathan Ikone for Fiorentina.
Saponara scored and assisted when Fiorentina visited Marassi in September, a trip that saw them return to Florence with three points after a 2-1 win.
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Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals, 2.10 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
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