We return to Serie A action in Italy this weekend, following a week of Coppa Italia quarter finals. Sides who are no longer involved in this stage of the cup will obviously be more refreshed going into the weekend’s league fixtures. Napoli, Inter, Parma and Palermo will be the most tired of the cup contestants, as they were forced to play out extra time and penalties during the week.
The cup semi-finals are two-legged affairs, but these won’t be played until mid-April. AC Milan will face Palermo, while Inter take on Roma.
Juventus v Udinese Preview and Betting Tips
January 30th 2011, 7.45pm GMT (live on Setanta Ireland)
Juventus cruised to a 4-0 win when these sides met last September in Udine. Udinese are a different prospect these days however, and this game is likely to follow a different script.
I mentioned in my round-up of last week’s action that Udinese look set to finish this season without winning any trophies following their exit from the Coppa Italia last week. I believe that Juventus will also fail to win anything this term having watched their listless departure from the same competition on Thursday.
Out of Europe, and nine points behind Milan in Serie A, one would have expected Juventus to treat the cup as a priority. No such luck for their fans however, who watched them wave the white flag to Roma, and suffer a 2-0 quarter-final defeat at their home ground. Their defence looked particularly weak, and they will hope that their latest signing from Wolfsburg, centre-back Andrea Barzagli, can improve this department. Barzagli is likely to make his debut against Udinese.
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| Barzagli: Can he stop the Udinese strikeforce? |
Udinese, as we know, are a counter-attacking machine these days. While rumours of interest from Chelsea and Manchester United surround their Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez, the Bianconeri continue to surpass expectations. Their 3-1 defeat of Inter last week proved that they are confident enough in their attacking system to stick with it regardless of the opposition.
Juventus will naturally be favourites for this game, and they may well be eager to impress their home fans following such a disappointing cup exit, but I am backing Udinese to pull off another upset on Sunday evening.
Prediction – Udinese to win – 3pts
Match odds: Juventus 19/20
Draw 12/5
Udinese 13/5
Juventus: Last 5 Serie A Results
23.01.2011 – Sampdoria 0-0 Juventus
16.01.2011 – Juventus 2-1 Bari
09.01.2011 – Napoli 3-0 Juventus
06.01.2011 – Juventus 1-4 Parma
19.12.2010 - Chievo 1-1 Juventus
Udinese: Last 5 Serie A Results
23.01.2011 – Udinese 3-1 Inter
16.01.2011 – Genoa 2-4 Udinese
09.01.2011 – AC Milan 4-4 Udinese
06.01.2011 – Udinese 2-0 Chievo
19.12.2010 - Lazio 3-2 Udinese
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Catania v AC Milan Preview and Betting Tips
January 29th 2011, 7.45pm GMT
As mentioned in our round-up of week 21 in Serie A, Milan’s all-new front three of Ibrahimović, Cassano and Robinho are clicking into gear nicely, and appear to have been playing together a lot longer than they actually have. The return to fitness of Pato, whose brace against Sampdoria on Wednesday ensured their progress in the cup, will also be a welcome development.
Catania are normally solid at home, but they have only won once in their last three games at the Stadio Angelo Massimino, and their recent form will be of concern to their supporters. They currently sit in sixteenth place in Serie A, two points above Lecce. Former coach Marco Giampaolo was sacked following a recent 1-1 draw with Chievo, and he was swiftly replaced by Diego Simeone. The Argentinian’s first game in charge was the 2-0 defeat at Parma last week, and this visit of the league leaders will be his introduction to Catania’s home fans.
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| 34-year-old Van Bommel: hoping to win the Scudetto with AC Milan |
New signings Mark Van Bommel and Urby Emanuelson played a part in Milan’s cup win at Sampdoria, and they are expected to make their league debuts for Milan in this game. I think this challenge will prove too big for Catania, and that they will suffer their fourth defeat in five games.
Prediction – AC Milan to win – 3pts
Match odds: Catania 10/3
Draw 9/4
AC Milan 5/6
Catania: Last 5 Serie A Results
22.01.2011 – Parma 2-0 Catania
16.01.2011 – Catania 1-1 Chievo
09.01.2011 – Catania 1-2 Inter
06.01.2011 – Roma 4-2 Catania
19.12.2011 – Catania 1-0 Brescia
AC Milan: Last 5 Serie A Results
23.01.2011 – AC Milan 2-0 Cesena
16.01.2011 – Lecce 1-1 AC Milan
09.01.2011 – AC Milan 4-4 Udinese
06.01.2011 – Cagliari 0-1 AC Milan
18.12.2011 – AC Milan 0-1 Roma
*****
Cagliari v Bari Preview and Betting Tips
January 30th 2011, 2.00pm GMT
Though Cagliari lost at home in their first game of 2011, their last defeat before that at the Stadio Sant'Elia was in November, when Genoa beat them 1-0. The Sardinians have a reliable strike-force in Matri and Acquafresca, and they currently sit in a comfortable mid-table position.
Bari, on the other hand, are four points adrift at the foot of Serie A, and nothing is going right for them at the moment. I expect Cagliari to emerge victorious from a low-scoring affair on Sunday.
Prediction – Cagliari to win – 3pts
Match odds: Cagliari 4/6
Draw 5/2
Bari 4/1
Cagliari: Last 5 Serie A Results
22.01.2011 – Roma 3-0 Cagliari
16.01.2011 – Cagliari 3-1 Palermo
09.01.2011 – Parma 1-2 Cagliari
06.01.2011 – Cagliari 0-1 AC Milan
18.12.2010 - Cesena 1-0 Cagliari
Bari: Last 5 Serie A Results
23.01.2011 – Bari 0-2 Napoli
16.01.2011 – Juventus 2-1 Bari
09.01.2011 – Bari 0-2 Bologna
06.01.2011 – Lecce 0-1 Bari
19.12.2011 – Bari 1-1 Palermo
Good luck!
