OUR man in Italy, Marco Di Cosmo (@scioltz) returns to look at Sunday's action from Serie A.
Parma vs Lazio | Sunday 10th January 2021, 14:00 | Premier Sports
As expected, Atalanta put Fabio Liverani’s story to an end. After their 3-0 defeat, he is no longer Parma’s manager and the team will try to survive in Serie A with an old acquaintance, Roberto D’Aversa.
Apart from any technical talk, such replacement should have a boost effect as it is usual in such situations. Moreover, the home side will have Gervinho back in the team. The former Ivorian international is not as effective as in his prime, but still has his value in minor teams.
On the other hand, Lazio will struggle with some probable absentees and also Ciro Immobile is doubtful up front. Therefore, I have found interesting prices in the Asian market backing Parma to win on the 1.0 Asian Handicap line.
This bet would pay if Parma win or draw, and we’ll get a full refund even if they lose by a one-goal margin.
Parma +1 Asian Handicap (17/20 Bet365).
Udinese vs Napoli | Sunday 10th January 2021, 14:00 | Premier Sports
I feel this match as the last call for Napoli. The Partenopei are showing a very inconsistent trend, where some of their excellent performances have been wasted by unexplainable losses, such as the last one against Spezia.
Should they fail to get three points at Udine, they will have no voice in the title race anymore, and also their Champions League campaign will get much more complicated.
Anyway, the good news for them is that this team plays much better away from Naples, and probably the effect of the closed doors is making its impact. Their home average is just 1.6 points per game, while their 2.14 away average makes them the second team behind AC Milan.
With some unavailable players for Udinese, I am happy to back Napoli at very decent odds on Sunday afternoon.
Napoli to win (!9/20 SBK).
Verona vs Crotone | Sunday 10th January 2021, 14:00 | LiveScore
Verona’s football is extremely consistent. The Scaligeri are a very ‘annoying’ side to face, and they have shades of Atalanta’s greatness in many parts of their game.
Their human capital is not so great, but Mattia Zaccagni is absolutely shining as a real star.
On the other hand, Crotone are a fun team to watch, but they eventually lose all their matches somehow. With 22 goals conceded in just eight games, they have the worst away defence in Serie A. This is an average of almost 3 goals conceded per match, and I am happy to back Verona getting into those stats, simply finding the net twice.
Verona to score Over 1.5 Goals (9/10 SpreadEx).
Juventus vs Sassuolo | Sunday 10th January 2021, 19:45 | Premier Sports
I have little doubts Sassuolo will score in Turin on Sunday evening. If you take a look at Juventus matches, you clearly see how they struggle in building plays from the back, with their back-midfielders and central defender trying to play the ball, but still far from being a perfect machine.
Plus, the Bianconeri will miss their best defender in Matias De Ligt. The Dutch international is out due to COVID-19 and I am sure they will miss him a lot when facing Sassuolo.
The visitors are absolutely fun to watch. With 17 goals scored, they are the fourth-best Serie A attack away from home and given their efficient high pressing style I am confident they will score at least once at the Juventus Stadium.
Both Teams To Score (3/4 SBK).
Best Bets
Parma vs Lazio – Parma +1 Asian Handicap (17/20 Bet365)
Udinese vs Napoli – Napoli to win (!9/20 SBK)
Verona vs Crotone – Verona to score Over 1.5 Goals (9/10 SpreadEx)
Juventus vs Sassuolo – Both Teams To Score (3/4 SBK)
