OUR man in Rome Marco Di Cosmo (@scioltz) returns with more Serie A picks this weekend.
Inter v Juventus | Sunday 19:45 | BT Sport Europe
Despite this not being my main match of the day I'm really looking forward to it. l look at this game very interested on late evening. Inter and Juventus have a fierce rivalry on and off the pitch.
Inter started this season very impressively while Juventus struggled to hit form. In previous articles I've highlighted Inter’s weaknesses and that was underlined in their 4-1 loss at home to Fiorentina. They did not manage to get a win against Sampdoria too and their run of five consecutive wins at the start of the season was shot to pieces.
Inter have been praised by many as the most significant title contenders, but I’m not with them and I think manager Roberto Mancini still has a lot of tactical work to do. They have a number of great players but they look weak technically in midfield with limited players like Gary Medel and Felipe Melo in that part of the field.
Juventus are still a level above for me and despite having a lot of problems so far, the return of the injured big names will be a big boost to them and they are surely still Top 3 contenders to me.
I am even confident they could get a win here with the return of Paul Pogba, Alvaro Morata and Claudio Marchisio. Back them to win in the draw no bet market and you shouldn't lose out.
Atalanta v Carpi | Sunday 14:00
Atalanta have been one the most positive surprises of the season so far. With 11 points in from their first seven games they sit above big sides like Milan and Juventus and they only lost their first game of the season just a couple weeks ago against Fiorentina.
I really like the quality of this team. They can count on Mauricio Pinilla, Maxi Moralez and ‘El Papu’ Gomez upfront; it's rare to find a strikeforce so exciting in a team earmarked to struggle.
You cannot find this kind of quality at Carpi. The acquisition of Marco Borriello and Ryder Matos bring some offensive skills to this team, but they are still a step below their Serie A counterparts and I don’t see things going well for them on Sunday.
Atalanta have always been strong at home with the bergamaschi one of the toughest fan groups in the whole nation. This season they've had two wins and a draw against Sampdoria at home. They only drew against Samp because of a 97th minute equalizer.
I think they can keep their home record strong and register another win against one of the softest sides in the league.
Napoli v Fiorentina | Sunday 14:00 | BT Sport 1
Biggest match of the day in Italy Inter v Juventus? No way! Napoli v Fiorentina is my main game on Sunday and I won’t change my mind for any reason in the world.
These two sides play the best football in Italy nowadays with Napoli having superb tactical and technical quality as we've often said. Fiorentina fully deserve to be top of the table after a run of six consecutive wins.
We should have fun on Sunday, and fun should mean goals. I was focused on overs in this match, as all the stats and the spirit of the two teams bring real credence to that bet but I am not that convinced anymore.
If this is a battle that we should call a title showdown then I'm not having it as I honestly don’t rate Fiorentina capable enough to win the league. Despite admiring a lot their players and the quality of their coach Paulo Sousa, I don’t think they have enough depth and technical leaders to keep their run until the end.
This makes me think Napoli can win the game at San Paolo on Sunday. After the turnaround we spoke about a few weeks ago, Napoli have had an incredible run of five wins in six games, with 18 goals scored and only one conceded. These numbers are stunning and I see them keeping their hot form at home, where they usually perform at their best.
Despite being at the top, I think Fiorentina are still to be tested away. Yes they won at San Siro and you could tell they had the quality to do it, but they seemed to struggle against Capri in a their laboured 1-0 victory and in their 3-1 loss against Torino. I think this test is much tougher and the kings could fall off their perch.
Sassuolo v Lazio | Sunday 14:00
Lazio are coming into this game on a superb run of form but I'm worried this run could end today against Sassuolo. The home side have enough quality to give a game to anyone in Serie A as we saw against Roma a couple of weeks ago.
I was surprised they lost against Empoli as I backed them to avoid defeat, but that bet came a cropper thanks to a late goal from Massimo Maccarone.
I'm still backing Sassuolo to avoid here and will support them in the Double Chance market. Their home form is solid and on top of this Lazio have a lot of significant absences such as Lucas Biglia and Stephan De Vrij.
I don’t think Lazio will get the three points here and their run of three consecutive wins could end.
Verona v Udinese | Sunday 14:00
There is only one team in Serie yet to win a game this season and that's Verona. The North-Italian side had a wonderful season two years ago but they struggled a lot last year and they're finding it even harder this time round.
A number of absences in the team have significantly affected their results but they can count on the return on key players such as Emil Halfredsson and Giampaolo Pazzini today.
With Udinese facing some injuries, I think they have a great opportunity to finally get their first win after seven games. They’ve been pretty strong on home soil and three points should be their target. A target they can fulfil.
Best Bets
Inter v Juventus – Juventus Draw No Bet (4/5 Betway)
Atalanta v Carpi – Atalanta to win (4/5 William Hill)
Napoli v Fiorentina – Napoli to win (3/4 BetVictor)
Sassuolo v Lazio – Sassuolo +0.5 (8/13 BetVictor)
Verona v Udinese – Verona to win (7/5 Coral)
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