Napoli v Catania Match Preview and Betting Tips

February 20th 2011, 7.45pm GMT (live on ESPN, Setanta Irl)

When a team maintains a challenge for the Scudetto in the manner that Napoli have this term, most players can take credit – however it is impossible to underestimate the value of a certain €16 million signing from Palermo.

Edinson Cavani’s brace at Roma brought his Serie A goal tally to 20 last Saturday. The current top goalscorer in the league is also a team player however, and his overall contribution has helped Napoli maintain their grip on second place. Their defence also deserves credit, having conceded only a single goal at home in 2011 – and that came in a 2-1 cup win over Bologna.

Skillful Columbian Zúñiga may replace Lavezzi on Sunday

Catania came from behind last week to beat Lecce 3-2, their first win under Diego Simone. The Sicilians have failed to win on the road in a season where they have collected just four points away from the Stadio Angelo Massimino. Catania will face Napoli’s sturdy home defensive unit having only scored seven goals in their twelve away games so far.

Napoli playmaker Ezequiel Lavezzi will be unavailable for this game, as both he and Roma defender Aleandro Rosi were handed three-match bans following a spitting incident during the Azzurri’s win at the Stadio Olimpico last Sunday. Napoli may not create as many chances without Lavezzi, but I expect them to collect three points and to record another clean sheet at the Stadio San Paolo on Sunday evening.

Prediction – Napoli to win to nil – 3pts

Match odds:       Napoli                         2/5

                        Draw                         16/5

                        Catania                       7/1

                        Napoli to win to nil        6/5

Napoli: Last 5 Serie A Results

12.02.2011 – Roma 0-2 Napoli

06.02.2011 – Napoli 2-0 Cesena

02.02.2011 – Chievo 2-0 Napoli

30.01.2011 – Napoli 4-0 Sampdoria

23.01.2011 – Bari 0-2 Napoli

Catania: Last 5 Serie A Results

13.02.2011 – Catania 3-2 Lecce

06.02.2011 – Bologna 1-0 Catania

02.02.2011 – Cesena 1-1 Catania

29.01.2011 – Catania 0-2 AC Milan

22.01.2011 – Parma 2-0 Catania


Related tags: Serie A, Football, Preview, Predictions, Betting, Napoli, Catania, Inter, Milan, Udinese, Brescia, Cagliari, Cavani, Lavezzi, Sneijder, Eto'o, Di Natale, Italian football.

Udinese v Brescia Match Preview and Betting Tips

February 20th 2011, 2.00pm GMT 

The last time Udinese tasted defeat at the Fruilli Stadium was on September 19th last year when they were beaten by Juventus, a loss they have since avenged. Francesco Guidolin's men are a side transformed since their shaky start to the season, and they are unbeaten so far in 2011.

Brescia are third from bottom in Serie A, and their lack of confidence could cause heads to drop if they concede early in Udine. This was the case last week, when Lazio inflicted a first defeat on Brescia since Giuseppe Iachini was reinstated as coach. Udinese are a formidable prospect on home turf, whereas Brescia have drawn one and lost six of their last seven away games.

I think Di Natale may have secretly wanted to be a pilot when he was younger

Regular readers of this site will be familiar with the duel threat of Antonio Di Natale and Alexis Sanchez, and they were both on the mark again last week when Udinese beat Cesena 3-0. Expect them to put a weary Brescia defence through their paces on Sunday, and expect Di Natale to increase his Serie A goal tally once again.

Prediction – Udinese -1 (handicap betting) – 3pts

Match odds:       Udinese             2/5

                        Draw               16/5

                        Brescia             7/1

                        Udinese -1       13/10

Udinese: Last 5 Serie A Results

13.02.2011 – Cesena 0-3 Udinese

05.02.2011 – Udinese 2-0 Sampdoria

02.02.2011 – Udinese 1-1 Bologna

30.01.2011 – Juventus 1-2 Udinese

23.01.2011 – Udinese 3-1 Inter

Brescia: Last 5 Serie A Results

13.02.2011 – Brescia 0-2 Lazio

06.02.2011 – Brescia 2-0 Bari

02.02.2011 – Roma 1-1 Brescia

30.01.2011 – Brescia 0-3 Chievo

22.01.2011 – Palermo 1-0 Brescia

Inter v Cagliari Match Preview and Betting Tips

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

Cagliari make the trip to the San Siro on the back of an impressive 4-1 demolition of Chievo. Inter responded to their disappointing defeat at Juventus last Sunday by travelling to Fiorentina on Wednesday and beating the hosts 2-1.

Inter’s defeat at Juventus will have worried their supporters as they didn’t really show up for what is one of the biggest derbies in Italian football. They showed some steel in overcoming Fiorentina however, and will hope their victory in that game marks a return to the seemingly unstoppable form they had shown before the derby d’Italia.

Inter have signed a few players during the January transfer window, but of the new additions, Giampaolo Pazzini has immediately surpassed expectations. Joining a team where one is forced to compete with Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito and Goran Pandev is a daunting prospect for any striker, but Pazzini has made an instant impact. The former Sampdoria hero scored the winner on Wednesday, and has stamped his mark on almost every game he has played in for Inter.

Sneijder may be rested for this game ahead of Inter's midweek Champions League fixture

Key central defender Lúcio makes a return to the Inter starting line-up having missed their last three games due to a muscular injury. The suspended Christian Chivu and injured Diego Milito will miss out however, while Cagliari have a full squad to choose from.

Betting against Cagliari to lose may seem dangerous considering their last result, but the Sardinians are a more fragile unit away from home. I expect Inter to warm up for their midweek Champions League encounter against Bayern Munich by recording an easy win at the San Siro on Saturday.

Prediction – Inter -1 (handicap betting) – 3pts

Match odds:       Inter             2/5

                        Draw           16/5

                        Cagliari        13/2

                        Inter -1         5/4

Inter: Last 5 Serie A Results

16.02.2011 – Fiorentina 1-2 Inter

13.02.2011 – Juventus 1-0 Inter

06.02.2011 – Inter 5-3 Roma

03.02.2011 – Bari 0-3 Inter

30.01.2011 – Inter 3-2 Palermo

Cagliari: Last 5 Serie A Results

13.01.2011 – Cagliari 4-1 Chievo

05.02.2011 – Cagliari 1-3 Juventus

02.02.2011 – Sampdoria 0-1 Cagliari

30.01.2011 – Cagliari 2-1 Bari

22.01.2011 – Roma 3-0 Cagliari

Arsenal v Barcelona Match Preview and Betting Tips

16th February 2011, 7.45pm GMT (live on ITV 1, RTE 2)

This re-run of the 2009/2010 quarter-final is probably the most eagerly anticipated tie of this round in the Champions League. Arsenal held Barca to a 2-2 draw at the Emirates last time, but lost the tie 6-3 on aggregate. Although the general consensus is that the 2011 Arsenal are a tougher prospect, Barca are 1/4 favourites to triumph over two legs.

Walcott: hoping to add a Champions League medal to his Ballon D'Oh™

Barcelona continue to dominate La Liga this season, and they currently top the table five points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid. Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Sporting Gijon ended a record-breaking run of 16 straight league wins, and footballer of the year Lionel Messi has already found the net 24 times in 23 league fixtures. Barcelona will have play this game without captain Carles Puyol however who, along with Jeffren Suarez, has been ruled out due to injury.

Arsenal have improved their domestic form this season, and they are currently in second place in the Premier League, just four points behind Manchester United. Crucially, and unusually, manager Arsene Wenger has almost a full squad to choose from for this fixture. Abou Diaby is the only notable absentee, while playmaker Samir Nasri has been passed fit. Though all eyes will be on their Catalan captain Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie could prove to be the key player for the Gunners on the night. The Dutch striker is in fine form at the moment, with 10 league goals to his name thus far.

This game is too close to call in my opinion. The odds on a Barcelona win are practically identical to those offered on a combination of the draw and an Arsenal win (Arsenal +1). Barcelona will be hungry for Champions League success this season having failed to make the final last year, but Wenger insists that Arsenal “have the belief and a strong togetherness to show we are a different team now.”

Arsenal may well prove to be more of a match for Barca than they were last season, but I believe the only certainty in this game is that there will be goals.

Prediction – over 3.5 goals – 3pts

Arsenal                        3/1

Draw                          13/5

Barcelona                   10/11

Over 3.5 goals             13/8

Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk Match Preview and Betting Tips

16th February 2011, 7.45pm GMT (live on Setanta Irl, Sky Sports 2)

This game marks Shakhtar Donetsk’s debut appearance in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Considering the fact that they are coached by former Inter boss Mircea Lucescu, this encounter with an Italian side will hold no mystery for the 2009 UEFA Cup winners. Match practice and conditioning may be a worry however, as their domestic season finished in November and has yet to resume.

Roma are in the midst of their season, but things haven’t been going too smoothly for them in Serie A of late. In qualifying for this competition last season, they finished second in the league, and pushed champions Inter all the way. As things stand Roma sit in eighth place, 13 points behind the leaders. Coach Claudio Raneiri has publicly stated that he believes he has the backing of his players ahead of this crucial tie, an indication of the weight of expectation at Roma.

Lucescu hopes for a successful return to Italy

Roma have now gone three games without a win, conceding six goals in the process. They lacked any sign of a cutting edge in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Napoli. The Giallorossi’s problems in this department will be compounded further by the absence of their top scorer Marco Borriello due to a muscular injury. Francesco Totti is likely to start in his absence, but his only match practice since returning from a bout of flu was a few minutes at the end of the Napoli game. Shakhtar centre-back Olexandr Kucher will also miss out due to a knee injury.

The last time these sides met at the Olimpico was when Roma beat Shakhtar 4-0 in the 2006-2007 group stages of this competition. Lucescu believes they have learned from those mistakes: “The Roma fans create a certain pressure on opponents, but also on their own team.” If things are not going Roma’s way this is often the case, and Shakhtar’s fluid, attacking style will cause problems for this Roma defence. Provided they can shake off the rust, the Ukranians could easily cause an upset tomorrow, and I expect them to avoid defeat in Rome.

Prediction – Shakhtar +1 – 3pts

Match Odds:            Roma               10/11

                             Draw                12/5

                             Shakhtar           16/5

                             Shakhtar +1       4/5