Serie A - round 12 results

AC Milan 4-0    Chievo 

Cagliari 1-1  Bologna 

Cesena 2-0     Genoa  

Palermo 2-0     Fiorentina

Siena 0-1     Inter  

Atalanta 1-1     Napoli

Lazio 0-1     Juventus  

Lecce 0-1     Catania

Novara 2-1     Parma

Udinese 2-0     Roma

Palermo v Fiorentina Preview and Betting Tips

Sunday 27th November 2011, 2pm GMT

Following a 0-0 home draw against AC Milan last week, coach Delio Rossi’s second game in charge at Fiorentina is this visit to Palermo on Sunday. Palermo’s form has been reasonably straightforward so far this season – 5 wins out of 5 games at home, and 5 defeats out of 6 away from home (Lazio are the only team who have failed to win their home game against the Sicilians so far this term).

Considering this run of form, I like the odds on a home win at the Stadio Renzo Barbera on Sunday afternoon. Genoa and Inter have been among those who have been defeated in Palermo so far, and I feel that Fiorentina are likely to continue the trend. The visitors were involved in the 4th round of the Coppa Italia on Thursday, and their legs will be wearier than those of the Palermo players, following the long journey south.

Alessio Cerci scored twice for Fiorentina yesterday in the Coppa Italia

My advice would be to approach this one with caution however, for two reasons. Firstly, Delio Rossi is a good coach, and he knows the Palermo team quite well having brought them to the cup final last season. Secondly, Fiorentina have had more success at the Stadio Renzo Barbera than any other Italian team, with 10 wins out of 24 visits. So while I expect Palermo to prevail, I won’t be betting my house on it!

Prediction – Palermo to win – 3pts

Match odds:   Palermo          5/4

                    Draw            21/10

                    Fiorentina      11/5

Lazio v Juventus Preview and Betting Tips

Saturday 26th November 2011, 7.45pm GMT (live on ESPN)

This meeting of first and second in the table is the pick of this weekend’s Serie A fixtures. Both teams have earned 22 points so far, but Juventus have the superior goal difference and have played a game less. If these two are still level on points when the end of the season approaches, the head-to-head record between the sides will determine who comes out on top.

The historical advantage here lies with the visitors. Lazio have conceded a total of 239 goals against Juventus, more than any other Serie A team. Juve are unbeaten in their last 13 games against Lazio, with nine wins and four draws. The last time they met in the Stadio Olimpico, it was a cagey affair which was eventually decided by a late goal from Pepe.

Klose, the focal point of the Lazio attack

I have a feeling that there will be more than one goal scored tomorrow - Juventus have shown improvement in their attack following the addition of playmaker Andrea Pirlo, while Claudio Marchisio and Alessandro Matri have been on fire so far this season. Lazio have also strengthened their attack as a result of having signed Miroslav Klose and Djibril Cisse during the summer. Klose – Lazio’s top scorer with six goals – returns from injury tomorrow, having missed last week’s 0-0 draw in Napoli. The Biancoceleste defence has looked less solid than they did last season however, a fact which must be of concern to coach Edy Reja.

I rarely predict the draw here, as readers may have noticed, because drawing a game is rarely the objective for either side in a game of football. Considering the importance of the head-to-head record in Italy however, I have a feeling that Juve might be happy with a draw tomorrow, and therefore I think it’s worth a small bet.

Prediction – Lazio to draw with Juventus – 3pts

Match odds:   Lazio             13/8

                    Draw             11/5

                    Juventus         8/5

Serie A - round 11 results

Bologna         0-1      Cesena         

Catania         1-2      Chievo

Genoa           1-0      Novara         

Juventus        3-0      Palermo       

Parma           2-0      Udinese        

Roma            2-1      Lecce 

Siena            2-2      Atalanta       

Fiorentina      0-0      AC Milan       

Inter             2-1      Cagliari         

Napoli           0-0      Lazio

Bologna v Cesena Match Preview and Betting Tips

Sunday 20th November 2011, 11.30am GMT

Sunday’s early fixture is Cesena’s visit to Bologna. Cesena have got off to a horrific start in the league this season, despite the excitement among their fans when they signed Adrian Mutu from Fiorentina during the summer. With just three points from ten games, they occupy the bottom spot in Serie A. Coach Marco Giampaolo was sacked following a 2-0 defeat at Parma during the ninth round of fixtures, but his replacement Daniele Arrigoni could only manage a 1-0 home loss to Lecce in his debut.

Will Bologna striker Marco Di Vaio be smiling on Sunday?

Bologna Coach Stefano Pioli was also appointed since the beginning of this season. His record so far at Bologna is three wins and two defeats from five games, and he will be targeting another win on Sunday. Cesena have been struggling in front of goal - they have scored just three times in ten games – and the fact that they couldn’t score at home against a poor Lecce side hardly inspires confidence, especially when you consider the fact that Lecce were reduced to ten men before the hour mark.

Bologna are reasonably reliable at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, and I like the odds on them winning while keeping a clean sheet here.

Prediction - Bologna to win to nil – 3pts

Match odds:            Bologna                            10/11    

                             Draw                                 9/4

                             AC Milan                            3/1

                             Bologna to win to nil           21/10

Fiorentina v AC Milan Match Preview and Betting Tips

Saturday 19th November 2011, 7.45pm GMT (live on ESPN)

Arguably the most exciting match-up in Serie A this weekend is the meeting of Fiorentina and champions AC Milan. Saturday’s game marks the debut of former Lazio and Palermo boss Delio Rossi as Fiorentina coach after his predecessor Sinisa Mihajlovic stepped down.

Delio Rossi salutes the Palermo fans last season

Milan have been in fine form lately, and they will be hoping to continue a five-match winning streak, though Massimiliano Allegri has been preaching caution to his players ahead of this one. Fiorentina boast some quality players who will be eager to impress their new boss. Alessio Cerci has looked dangerous on the wing, and Riccardo Montolivo is an established creative force in midfield – not to mention Juan Manuel Vargas and Alberto Gilardino, who can always conjure up a match-winner out of nothing. Stevan Jovetić, who has scored some impressive goals for the Viola this season, is expected to start despite carrying a muscle strain.

Fiorentina have punched below their weight this season (wining just three of their first ten games), and Milan will be expecting to collect the points on Saturday and continue to climb the table. The visitors welcome striker Alexandre Pato back from a two-month absence due to injury. While Milan have the momentum, Fiorentina will put up a fight in front of their own fans, and I expect to see the ball hit the net a few times here.

Prediction - Over 2.5 goals – 4pts

Match odds:            Fiorentina                12/5   

                             Draw                      11/5

                             AC Milan                  11/10

                             Over 2.5 goals         11/10

Serie A - round 10 results

AC Milan         4-0        Catania     

Atalanta         1-0        Cagliari      

Cesena          0-1        Lecce        

Chievo           1-0        Fiorentina  

Lazio             1-0        Parma       

Udinese          2-1        Siena                  

Novara           0-2        Roma        

Palermo          3-1        Bologna      
Napoli            P-P        Juventus
Genoa            P-P        Inter

Udinese v Siena Preview and Betting Tips

Sunday 6th November 2011, 2pm GMT

Udinese’s 4-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid yesterday was one of the more eye-catching results of this week’s Europa League fixtures. Francesco Guidolin’s men haven’t conceded very often this season, and although the coach effectively picked a second-string team to line out in Madrid, it was still a surprisingly heavy defeat.

There will be quite a different look to the team which faces Siena on Sunday, as Guidolin attempts to cope with the demands of competing in Europe as well as at home. Like many of the clubs in the Europa League, Udinese’s primary focus is on their domestic campaign. Neither captain Antonio Di Natale nor midfielder Giampiero Pinzi travelled to Madrid, while Kwadwo Asamoah, Mauricio Isla, Dušan Basta and Pablo Armero all started on the bench. All of the above can be expected to start on Sunday.

Asamoah has been linked with Manchester United this week

Siena scored four themselves last weekend, capitalising on Chievo’s poor form by beating the Verona side 4-1. They will visit Udinese having made a decent impression so far on their return to Serie A, collecting 13 points from 9 games. Udinese are an experienced top division team however, and they have shown no mercy to the lesser teams they have faced so far this season (their only defeat was to Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo). I expect the Friuli team to win comfortably here, and to maintain their 100% record at home.

Prediction – Udinese to win -1 (handicap betting) – 2pts

Match odds:  Udinese          8/13 

                   Draw              5/2 

                   Siena              9/2
                   Udinese -1      15/8

Novara v Roma Preview and Betting Tips

Saturday 5th November 2011, 7.45pm GMT (live on Setanta IRL)

Siena have managed just a single win from nine games since they returned to the top flight this season. The game in question was a memorable 3-1 defeat of Inter on the occasion of their first home game.

Their visitors tomorrow have lost three of their last four games, and Roma will be desperate to get back to winning ways at Novara. Luis Enrique’s side occupy 13th place in the table, five places above their opponents. Captain Francesco Totti is still unavailable due to injury, but playmaker Miralem Pjanic recovered ahead of last week’s defeat against Milan, and he will accompany Bojan and Daniel Osvaldo in Roma’s three-pronged attack tomorrow. Novara welcome defender Massimo Paci back from injury.

Bojan - one of Enrique's hopefuls at new-look Roma

As mentioned last week, Roma’s Spanish coach is still struggling to impress his style of play upon his team on a consistent basis. The Giallorossi have started to score goals, but they have also conceded five in their last two games. Novara play on an artificial surface, which can be a hindrance to visiting sides, but despite this advantage I like the odds on an away win tomorrow. The quality of players available to the Roma coach is simply far superior to that in the Novara squad, and I expect Enrique’s men to prevail.

Prediction – Roma to win – 4pts

Match odds:  Novara        13/5 

                   Draw          23/10 

                   Roma          evens

Serie A - round 9 results

Bologna         3-1       Atalanta     

Cagliari          0-3       Lazio

Fiorentina      1-0       Genoa        

Lecce            1-1       Novara       

Parma           2-0       Cesena       

Siena            4-1       Chievo       

Udinese         1-0       Palermo     

Catania         2-1       Napoli        

Inter Milan     1-2       Juventus     

Roma            2-3       AC Milan