OUR man in Rome Marco Di Cosmo (@scioltz) returns to WLB with two goals-based best bets for Saturday's matches in Serie A.
Napoli v Roma | Saturday 14:00
One of the most exciting encounters we’ll see this season pits last year’s second and third-place teams at the Stadio San Paolo.
The combination of offensive football from the two coaches should produce plenty of entertainment and of course plenty of opportunities for goals backers.
Despite Arek Milik’s injury, the two teams have plenty of quality up front with talented attackers such as Dries Mertens, Jose Callejon, Diego Perotti, and even more options to come from the benches of both clubs.
To be honest, the last two meetings between these two teams produced just one goal, a long-shot from Radja Nainggolan who gave Roma a 1-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico.
But this time things should be different. We are at the start of the season, and despite both teams showing a lack of quality to chase Juventus, none of them can afford to lose points, so I see both outfits gunning for three points, as is in their nature.
Adding a statistical point of view – this season three out of four home Napoli matches finished with Over 2.5 Goals with an average goals-per-game rate of 4.50. Meanwhile, Roma have yet to keep a clean sheet outside of the capital.
With that in mind, I’ll be backing Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score (20/23 Coral) on Saturday.
Pescara v Sampdoria | Saturday 17:00
I’m a bit surprised by Sampdoria’s recent run after a promising start to the season.
The Blucerchiati gained just one point from a possible 15 and that was thanks to an injury-time equalizer against Palermo in their last home match.
The pivotal game in this first part of the season probably was their match at the Stadio Olimpico where they were dominating Roma before heavy rain interrupted the encounter and Roma duly turned their 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory thanks to Francesco Totti.
This Samp team never refuses to play their football though, and I praise coach Marco Giampaolo’s offensive mind-set as he loves to see his team defending high – and that inevitably exposes the team from opposition counter-attacks.
This kind of football usually produces inviting chances that Pescara won’t probably snub.
After a promising draw against a Napoli and an unlucky loss against Inter, the Abruzzesi are struggling a bit and hunting a much-needed three points despite showing some good offensive qualities, especially in their talented youngsters.
I think this is the perfect football hipster match and the right chance to see good football from two less-attractive sides; goals should be on the agenda and I’m backing Over 2.5 Goals at 21/20 (Marathon).
Best Bets
Napoli v Roma – Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score (20/23 Coral)
Pescara v Sampdoria – Over 2.5 Goals (21/20 Marathon)
