MARK O’Haire (@MarkOHaire) takes a look at Monday night’s Serie A offering featuring Genoa and Torino.
Genoa v Torino | Monday 19.45 | ESPN
Genoa will look to record four successive home wins in Serie A for the first time since February 2012 on Monday night to keep their Europa League qualification hopes alive. Gian Piero Gasperini’s know a win will put them just a point behind their city rivals Sampdoria in sixth and the hosts will mark the night with a new commemorative shirt which honours their first-ever Scudetto – won in Turin back in 1898.
But their task certainly won’t be routine. Torino sit just two points behind their opponents and head to the Marassi having lost just once on the road since last November – a run of 11 Serie A fixtures. And no other side has taken as many points as Il Toro’s 19-point tally on their travels in 2015!
Genoa will be without the injured Diego Perotti but Iago Falqué has reignited his stalling season with four goals in six games to help the hosts to a decent return of W4-D0-L2 in their past six games and they’ll be mindful of their solid home record when entertaining Torino. The visitors haven’t won at the Marassi since 1981 – a run of 11 league meetings (WO-D6-L5).
But rather than focus on the Match Odds or Handicap markets in a game involving two competitive and resilient sides, I’m keen to explore a bet on Both Teams To Score with 888 Sport offering 8/11.
Genoa have netted in 14/17 on home soil this season but only managed to stop relegated Parma, Cagliari and a woeful Milan side from scoring in the same spell. That’s led to 9/17 (53%) of Serie A matches at the Marassi featuring BTTS winners.
It’s a similar story when looking at Torino’s away days. The Granata were unusually subdued against Empoli last midweek but have managed to find the back of the net in each of their last nine on the road, conceding in seven of those matches. Overall on their travels they’ve seen 11/17 (65%) prove successful in the Both Teams To Score column with Over 2.5 Goals also proving profitable in seven of their last 10 visits to top-half teams.
So with little to choose between the two teams, I’m opting for a straight play on BTTS for Monday night’s Serie A offering thanks to 888 Sports’ 8/11.
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Genoa v Torino – Both Teams To Score (8/11 888 Sport)
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