OUR man in Italy, Marco Di Cosmo (@scioltz) returns to look at Sunday's action from Serie A.
Inter Milan vs Crotone | Sunday 3rd January 2021, 11:30 | Premier Sports
I expect Inter to resume where they left, achieving their 8th consecutive win. Crotone just cannot have resources to stop the Nerazzurri, despite some improvement in recent weeks.
I see prices for goals are starting to become hard to back. It is natural after several weeks of wins playing over the 2.5 goals line. Therefore, I will choose to back Inter to win and Under 4.5 Goals in the game. This has happened in six of their nine wins but, more importantly, I see the Nerazzurri much more solid than in the early season.
If you watch Inter's matches, they rarely concede early goals as in autumn, and their approach is way more conservative and cynical.
Atalanta vs Sassuolo | Sunday 3rd January 2021, 14:00 | Free Sports
This is where you will always find goals in Serie A. These are probably the two most entertaining teams in the league, and I am expecting a tactical blockbuster with goals galore assured.
Atalanta average 2.15 goals scored, and 1.5 conceded. Sassuolo 1.8 and 1.2 respectively, but become much more fragile against teams like Atalanta.
Paradox note – given the exciting premises, I will make a small bet for the 0-0 correct score, just in case .
Fiorentina vs Bologna | Sunday 3rd January 2021, 14:00 | Live Score
Was the 3-0 against Juventus a turning point for Fiorentina’s season? We’ll see that on Sunday when the Viola are facing Bologna.
I personally expect so and I am happy to back them winning against Bologna. Yet, Bologna are always a menace for goals and they rarely fail to score.
That is why I am going with Fiorentina to score more than one goal instead of a simple home win.
Roma vs Sampdoria | Sunday 3rd January 2021, 14:00 | Live Score
Probably my banker of the day, when Roma host Sampdoria at the Olimpico.
As said several times, the Giallorossi are an unstoppable machine when facing small teams. They have a tremendous 100% record against teams outside the top-seven and I expect this to continue against a poor Sampdoria side.
With regards to team news, Pedro will probably miss the game for Roma, with the Giallorossi going for a more conservative approach. A home win with more than two goals in the game has a very attractive price.
Juventus vs Udinese | Sunday 3rd January 2021, 19:45 | Premier Sports
Juventus just cannot fail this. And the odds around 1/2 for a home win makes you really wonder about the fragility of Bianconeri’s season.
Yet, the other bianconeri – Udinese – are playing much better than what their table suggests. They usually are a solid team, with some quality peaks in Rodrigo De Paul and little else.
I don’t see Juve’s win as the easiest job in the world, but they rarely miss consecutive (easy) matches. The opportunity to back them at such prices doesn’t come frequently.
Best Bets
Inter Milan vs Crotone – Inter Milan to win and Under 4.5 Goals (7/10 Betway)
Atalanta vs Sassuolo – Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score (8/11 Bet365)
Atalanta vs Sassuolo – 0-0 Correct Score (25/1 VBet)
Fiorentina vs Bologna – Fiorentina to score Over 1.5 Goals (11/10 SpreadEx)
Roma vs Sampdoria – Roma to win and Over 1.5 Goals (8/11 Betway)
Juventus vs Udinese – Juventus to win and Over 1.5 Goals (4/5 Betway)
