MARK O’Haire’s (@MarkOHaire) final European NAP of the season arrives from the final round of Serie A fixtures and yes, he’s back involved in the Both Teams To Score market. But there’s a twist…
Fiorentina v Chievo | Sunday 19.45
The Serie A season comes to a close this weekend and Napoli’s shootout with Lazio to determine Italy’s final Champions League qualifier no doubt the highlight. But I’m heading to Florence for another bet centered around the Both Teams To Score market.
The Stadio Artemio Franchi will host Fiorentina’s meeting with Chievo and with four straight wins having ensured La Viola will qualify for next season’s Europa League, spirits are high in one of the peninsula’s most romantic and picturesque cities.
And although 10 of Fiorentina’s past 12 home Serie A games have broken the two-goal barrier, Vincenzo Montella’s men have actually seen fewer than three goals in 12/18 (67%) of their Florence duels and I’m keen to find an angle to oppose goals again this weekend.
Choosing ‘No’ in the BTTS column has been chalked up as an 11/10 chance with BetVictor and I’d like to think that Chievo’s credentials for a low-scoring clash make this bet a distinct possibility for Sunday night and a far bigger price than I probably expected; especially when you consider the impact that Rolando Maran has made since taking over as Chievo boss in mid-October.
A former Gialloblu defender, Maran has led the Flying Donkeys to a hugely respectable W9-D12-L9 under his watch. Over a 38-game season, Chievo’s 1.3 points-per-game under the new man in the dugout would have produced a 49-point total – enough for a mid-table finish.
But incredibly, only seven of those 30 fixtures resulted in Over 2.5 Goals as the Gialloblu kept 13 clean sheets, conceding two or more goals in just six games. The BTTS bet has proven a winning selection in 11/30 (37%) including four of their last 14 outings.
And opposing Both Teams To Score has proven a successful formula in a huge 14/18 (78%) of Chievo’s road trips this season with the visitors failing to even notch a goal in eight of those games.
With bookmakers all catching up on the goal glut in Serie A this season by offering unbackable prices on goal-heavy games this weekend, it may pay to go against the grain this time around and take a value price. The Fiorentina-Chievo clash fits that bill and I’ll be involved at BetVictor’s bulbous offering of 11/10.
Best Bets
Fiorentina v Chievo – Both Teams To Score ‘No’ (11/10 BetVictor)
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