Serie A enters week 25 and with just 13 games left the only sure thing is that Juventus will again be Serie A Champions. Meanwhile, the battle for 4th place is entering squeaky bum time stage. There are 4 teams battling for 2 places and this weekend will define if any one of those team will still be in the running. Read our predictions for the key games this weekend in Serie A.
Milan vs Empoli
Kick-off: Week 25, Friday 22 February, 20:30
Early fixture at the San Siro on Friday night with on-form Milan facing lowly Empoli. Last week, Milan had one of their best matches this season in a 3-1 comeback away to Atalanta in Bergamo. The first half saw Atalanta dominate the ball and be dangerous at times. They went ahead only for Milan to draw before half time. In the 2nd half, Gattuso’s men wanted the win more than Atalanta did and bomber Krzysztof Piatek put Milan ahead with Calanoglu capping the result at 3-1.
This win should take Milan into this fixture feeling confident and more motivated. The home crowd will be enthusiastic to see their team back where they belong. The Champions League is part of Milan’s DNA and therefore they will be longing to get back into the mix.
Milan will be missing Suso as he is suspended for this game. Gattuso will nevertheless field a strong squad with a suitable substitute. 3 points here and Milan can start dreaming.
After 24 games, Empoli sit in 17th place in Serie A. That is just 3 points above relegation zone and this does not look good for them. At the end of matchday 25, they may find themselves deep into the relegation battle. Luckily for them, Frosinone play Roma and Bologna play Juventus.
In terms of betting, this fixture only offers around 1.40 for a home win. Considering the last 5 matches between these two in Milan have ended with a marginal 1 goal win for either side or in a draw, the value here is not high enough. In reality, the best betting value here lies in taking a -1 Asian handicap. Our prediction here is that Milan come out gunning and take this win by 2 goals or more.
- Milan to win outright
- Krzysztof Piatek to score 2 or more
- Milan to win -1 Asian handicap
- Over 1.5 team yellow cards for Empoli
All these markets are available on Bet365 and if you sign up using the offer below you get some bonus money to play with.
Frosinone vs Roma
Kick-off: Week 25, Saturday 23 February, 20:30
Relegation ridden Frosinone face off with Roma this weekend. The home side are on 18 points tied with Bologna and 3 points away from the 17th place (the safe spot). Unfortunately for them their opponents seem to have found some form of late. This all stems from their young star midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo.
The young Italian midfielder has probably been Serie A’s best local talent story this season. He has dazzled the crowd with his wizard passing and with his ability to score goals like Roma legend Totti. In a way, Zaniolo feels like Totti’s heir. Something that Roma had been craving to find since the Re Leone’s retirement a few years ago.
Roma are still missing some talented players with the likes of Schick and Under still out with injury problems. The last head to head games between Frosinone and Roma have gone Roma’s way with convincing wins. The away side have all to play for in the battle for Top 4 and will be motivated to get their win in this game.
Similarly to the Milan game, the Roma away win only pays 1.50. They are the superior team, however at that price it would not represent enough reward. In our opinion, the Asian handicap once again comes into play here and we’d be more inclined to go for Roma -1 on this one.
In addition to the above, Frosinone will be fighting for points here and we expect them to be highly strung. This will mean hard fouls and yellow cards.
- Roma to win outright
- Over 2.5 team cards for Frosinone
- Roma to score in the first half
Bologna vs Juventus
Kick-off: Week 25, Sunday 24 February, 15:00
Serie A is a safehaven for Juventus. The Bianconeri had a disastrous First leg in Champions league on Wednesday against Atletico Madrid. Allegri’s squad looked less energetic than usual and simply were not good enough.
It seems that Juventus’ problem this year is their midfield. There is a general lack of quality in midfield for Juventus. This paired with some unlikely defensive blunders has put Juve in a tough spot. Ronaldo has also disappointed in the Champions League.
This weekend, they play Bologna away. Look for this game to be a cool down after all the critics this week. Allegri will want to instill confidence back into the squad with a good win. Juventus will most likely field a 4-3-3 with Ronaldo Mandzukic and Douglas Costa upfront.
Bologna have been showing more drive and better football since Sinisa Mihajlovic took over a couple of games ago. They may have a few good runs forward but they will not pose any serious threats to Juve. Much like the other two games in our Serie A predictions for this weekend, the odds here are not attractive enough to take a chance on.
What we do envisage however is Bologna wanting to overpower Juve with their physique. This will lead to hard fouls and yellow cards.
- Juventus to win outright
- Over 2.5 team yellow cards for Bologna
- Over 0.5 first half goals.
Fiorentina vs Inter
Kick-off: Week 25, Sunday 24 February, 20:30
Here we are with the game of the week! This is both in terms of the names on the fixture list but also in terms of availability of sports betting odds on this game. I could make an argument that sticking with Fiorentina on this one is a great idea. This is how I have come to this conclusion.
Inter are currently playing a Europa League game as we speak. Thursday night games are always taxing on a team’s energy and general wellbeing. What is also strange is the story around their star striker, Mauro Icardi. It seems that a failed attempt at contract renewal for Mauro has sent the player into a downward spiral of mental block and niggling injuries. He will miss the 4th consecutive game this weekend and it in addition to the off-pitch drama, he claims to have sustained an injury. Therefore with their best striker out Inter are struggling to get goals as easily as before.
Scoring goals is certainly not a problem for Fiorentina. In fact, they are the highest scoring team in the last 5 games in all competitions. Fiore are also strong at home and have been known to take over games with their pace.
The Viola are expected to field their strongest outfit with a 4-3-3 with Chiesa, Simeone and Gerson upfront. They could also switch it around with Muriel (their newest addition to the squad). Nevertheless it is clear here where the opportunities lie in the sports betting odds available.
This game will be of best value using the both teams to score market (this has happened 80% of the time in the last 5 meetings between these two teams). In addition to this, both teams play an attacking style of football with lots of shots and balls coming off the line and crossed in. Inter have the highest corner rate per game in the league. For this write, this means a high number of corners.
- Both teams to score
- Over 11 corners
Odds are correct at time of publishing
