The Serie A returned last weekend amongst more allegations of match fixing, boring transfer deals and fan unrest. On the pitch problems continued with AC Milan suffering a shock home defeat to newly promoted Sampdoria which was followed in mid week by Udinese being dumped out of the Champions League by Bragge. Will week two be as eventful? We shall have to wait and see and with the transfer not closing until 10p.m. tonight there are sure to be some last minute deals, all of which will be summed up in next weeks post.
The action this weekend has a traditional look to it with two games on Saturday and eight on Sunday. The first of Saturday's games sees a battle between two of the new promoted clubs as Torino host Pescara. Torino gained a respectable 0-0 draw at Siena last weekend and will be looking to get three points here against what could turn out to be relegation rivals. Pescara were given a baptism of fire in their first Serie A game of the season as they were beaten 3-0 at home to Inter. There is no doubt that these kinds of matches are usually cagey affairs and with little yet known about what the two sides are capable of a draw is by far the safest bet. Draw - Two newly promoted sides play out a cagey affair as both teams look not to lose rather than to win.
Saturday's second game sees Bologna host AC Milan. Bologna began the campaign poorly as they were beaten 2-0 in Verona by Chievo. Stefano Pioli's men will be determined to put that defeat behind them but they face an AC Milan side who themselves suffered a poor start to the new campaign as they were beaten 1-0 at home to newly promoted Sampdoria. Whilst Sampdoria deserve plenty of praise for their victory, Milan will see themselves as unfortunate after dominating the game, hitting the post twice and having a shot cleared off the line. Milan still possess great attacking flair and they will be fired up for this one, its hard to see Bologna being able to deal with them if they play to their potential. Away Win - Milan get their first points of the season at the expense of Bologna.
The first of Sunday's eight games sees Udinese host Juventus in the game of the weekend. Udinese were beaten 2-1 away to Fiorentina last weekend which was followed by the huge disappointment of missing out on a Champions League place as they were beaten on penalties by Bragge. They will be low on confidence after their recent defeats and face no easy task against the champions. Juventus began as expected with a win, as they beat Parma 2-0. They continue to look head and shoulders above their rivals, carving out victories in a professional rather than spectacular fashion. It is in defence they look particularly strong and with Udinese's main target man Di Natale not certain to start on Sunday that formidable defence will be under even less pressure. Away Win - Juve remain impossible to oppose in their current vein and look set to beat a demoralised Udinese.
Cagliari host Atalanta, or at least they will try to as their ongoing stadium trouble continues. Their new base The Nereo Rocco was supposed to be ready for this opening game but this has still to be confirmed by the Italian F.A. in what could turn out to be another embarrassment for Italian football. On the pitch Cagliari suffered a defeat on the open weekend, losing 2-0 away to Genoa. With this stadium farce continuing as an unwelcome distraction Cagliari look set for a difficult start to the season. A team with an already difficult start to the season is their opponents Atalanta, beginning the season on -2 points they remained in negative figures after losing 1-0 at home to Lazio. Atalanta should get out of trouble quickly given their solid defence and a proven goal scorer in German Dennis and they are taken to start that climb up the table here. Away Win - Atalanta prove too much for a distracted Cagliari.
Inter look to gain back to back victories when they host Roma. Inter's solid 3-0 over Pescara was a show of intent from Stramaccioni's side and with Wesley Sneijder back among the goals they look set for a European spot this season. Roma's new season began on rather a mute note, held to a 2-2 draw at home to Catania, with a goal from new signing Lopez grabbing a point in the last minute. Roma then made a strange move in letting AC Milan take Bojan on loan after deciding not to retain the young striker. Despite the departure of Bojan, Roma are capable of scoring plenty of goals but much like last season their defence looks suspect and that could well be their downfall here, although they may do enough to grab another point. Draw - very tricky but these two attacking sides could fight out a high scoring draw.
Lazio will look to make it two wins out of two when they host Palermo in the Stadio Olimpico. Lazio's solid 1-0 win at Atalanta shows Vladamir Petkovic's side to of picked up where they left off from last season with a solid defence but a lack of goals. Palermo suffered a 0-3 bashing at the hands of Napoli last weekend. and this looks no easier. Palermo will get points on the board soon but its unlikely to happen on Sunday. Home Win - Lazio should have enough upfront to get past a struggling Palermo defence and Lazio's defence will numb Palermo's attacks.
Two teams who began with victories meet as Napoli host Fiorentina. Napoli's comfortable win over Palermo helped calm the nerves of those fans worries about life after Lavezzi and providing they lose no more big names come Saturday morning they will certainly be challenging for a Champions League spot. Fiorentina started impressively with a good 2-1 win at home to Udinese. The Viola had hoped to bring in Dimitar Berbatov this week but the Manchester United striker has rejected their offer, preferring Fulham in another case of the Serie A failing to attract big names. Despite the team from Florence look good to better last seasons 13th place finish. It is Napoli though who should take this one, their attacking flair remains despite Lavezzi's departure, although he will no doubt be missed against better class opposition. They should beat Fiorentina in what could be a high scoring affair. Home Win - Napoli continue to show their attacking brilliance at the expense of Fiorentina who will do better in time.
Parma host Chievo as they look to bounce back from their opening day defeat to Juventus. Playing the champions away in their first game was always going to be a stiff task for Parma and this is were their season really starts. Chievo beat Bologna 2-0 at home last weekend in a solid performance that reassured their fans that they are unlikely to be dragged into a relegation battle this season. That may change if goalscorer Sergio Pellissier were to get injured, but for now they look set for a top half finish. It is to early too split these two and given they both finished close to each other in mid table last season its safe to expect a cagey encounter. Draw - Two decent sides cancel each other out.
A.C Milan slaying Sampdoria play their first home game of the new campaign when they play Siena. Their is little doubt that Sampdoria rode their luck against Milan but they scored and defended amicably, you can't ask for any more. The real tests this season for them however will be games like this, at home to fellow relegation probables Siena. Siena began the season in poor fashion managing just a 0-0 draw at home to newly promoted Torino. They look set to flirt with relegation this season. Home Win - Tough to call but Sampdoria will be full of confidence and they could well beat a poor looking Siena side.
The final match of game week 2 sees Catania host Genoa. Catania put on a great display last weekend almost beating Roma before being pegged back to a 2-2 draw. Rolando Marlan appears to have his squad well organised and it would be no surprise to see them hovering around eighth this season. Genoa recorded a decent 2-0 win over Cagliari to mute their doubters for at least a week. Despite their good start they look likely to struggle as they did for much of last season. Home Win - Catania record their first win of the new campaign by giving Genoa a reality check.
Selected Match Betting:
Catania, Sampdoria, Napoli, Lazio, Atalanta, Juve, & Milan - All To Win : 119/1
Udinese V Juventus: Juventus To Win 2-0 - 6/1
Bologna V AC Milan: Bojan To Score First - 6/1
Enjoy The Games!
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