OUR man in Italy, Marco Di Cosmo (@scioltz) looks to continue his hot streak in Serie A with his best Saturday selections.
Benevento v Sampdoria | Saturday 6th January 2018, 14:00
I find Sampdoria’s (29/25 Marathon) odds to win really big value on Saturday.
I love the Blucerchiati, as often expressed, and despite my admiration focused on their home performances, I cannot ignore odds-against for a Samp win here.
The home side have won their first game in Serie A after 18 outings and it is difficult to find a more easy team for an Italian side to play. Plus, the hosts do have a lot of absentees, which is going to affect their performances.
Spal v Lazio | Saturday 6th January 2018, 14:00
Lazio are another entertaining team and their matches often produce goals and much fun. They ended up drawing 0-0 in San Siro last time, only because they wasted some great opportunities in front of goal.
I give them a good chance to win in Ferrara, and I do expect them to find the net with ease. The return of Brazilian international Felipe Anderson will be an enormous boost, while Ciro Immobile seems to be recovering to the usual form.
I do prefer backing goals here, as SPAL are a threat to score anytime, as shown by the stats. Also Lazio’s away games are the highest scoring in the division, so Over 2.5 Goals seems a value bet here at 77/100 (Marathon).
Roma v Atalanta | Saturday 6th January 2018, 17:00 | BT Sport
Roma are struggling so much in recent times, and the loss of Mohamed Salah seems to become more and more relevant these days. In their last six matches, they have managed to score more than one goal only against SPAL.
Atalanta are a difficult animal, as always. They are showing some away consistency, as proven by their Europe League record. I do expect them to score at least once against Roma, despite brilliant Roma’s defensive record.
The Giallorossi will probably miss Radja Nainggolan who is a key player in midfield (he had some ‘Social Media’ troubles on New Year’s Eve) and their rotation could punish them.
Backing Both Teams To Score (3/4 Bet365) should be the safer option in terms of pre-match betting.
Best Bets
Benevento v Sampdoria – Sampdoria to win (29/25 Marathon)
Spal v Lazio – Over 2.5 Goals (77/100 Marathon)
Roma v Atalanta – Both Teams To Score (3/4 Bet365)
