OUR man in Italy, Marco Di Cosmo (@scioltz) looks to continue his hot streak in Serie A with his best Saturday selections.
Roma v Napoli | Saturday 14:00
Roma and Napoli both arrive from negative results in the Coppa Italia. I expected the Giallorossi to continue their hot streak but their display against Lazio was far from convincing and their 2-0 defeat was really deserved.
There was a similar outcome has been for Napoli who were not able to maintain their lead against Juventus, ending up losing 3-1.
In Serie A action these two teams are separated only by four points. The two clubs have represented the only credible rivals to Juve in the last four years, but their season will probably finish like the previous ones, with none of the two being able to stop the Old Lady taking another title.
Because of this, such an important match will only be a game for the second place in which both teams should go for the three points. Indeed, if Roma win here then second place is pretty much guaranteed, while a Napoli wins gives the Azzurri a much better chance to finish best of the rest.
I do not expect much conservatism from the two sides, with both managers unhappy to saturate the offensive mentality of their team. For this reason, and given respective form of the defences, I will back goals at both ends.
Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score is available at 5/6 (Coral).
Sampdoria v Pescara | Saturday 17:00
Pescara could not keep up with their stunning win against Genoa, as they lost 2-0 against Chievo in a key match for relegation.
Traveling to Sampdoria could be an even more difficult case, with the Blucerchiati usually solid against smaller teams, and surely much more talented than Chievo.
On their ground Samp have recently scored three goals against Roma and are unbeaten in their last five. It is true that they have no motivation in terms of Serie A classification but I see them still motivated to show quality football as predicated by coach Marco Giampaolo.
The hosts ability to press could make things really complicated for Pescara, who do not refuse an open game with Zdenek Zeman in charge – but Zeman’s mentality also exposes an enormous risk against quality of Sampdoria’s attackers.
I’m backing Sampdoria to win and Over 1.5 Goals (19/20 BetStars).
Milan v Chievo | Saturday 19:45 | BT Sport
Recent news on negotiations for Milan’s ownership will not make the Rossoneri much relaxed on these days, with the new Chinese network who should acquire the team postponing the deadline for closing again and again.
From a technical point of view instead, the Rossoneri seem to have recovered well from the bad crisis they had in January. And after their heroic win in Bologna down to nine men, they have turned things in their favour with important wins against Fiorentina and Sassuolo.
Hosting Chievo won’t be one of their hardest tasks. The visitors have improved in away games, and it is fair to say that they come from two consecutive wins on the road. They have proved a surprising ability to score in those fixtures that was unseen last season, as they’ve managed to net in six of their last last away.
This makes me worried about backing a Milan win but I still trust the Rossoneri form and their chances to get a victory. So, I would back their chances in the goal market instead and rely on the creativity of Gerard Delofeu and Suso to give Carlos Bacca enough occasions to convert in goals.
Milan to score Over 1.5 Goals is 3/4 (William Hill)
Best Bets
Roma v Napoli – Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score (5/6 Coral)
Sampdoria v Pescara – Sampdoria to win and Over 1.5 Goals (19/20 BetStars)
Milan v Chievo – Milan to score Over 1.5 Goals (3/4 William Hill)
