The biggest story coming out of Serie A this week is that Genoa have sacked their manager Luigi Di Canio and replaced him with former Juventus and Roma manager Luigi Del Neri. Neri becomes Genoa's sixth manager since November 2010. Di Canio's sacking came as little surprise given Genoa's board has a reputation for being impatient. Genoa currently sit in tenth with 9 points from 8 games which is not a dreadful run but they threw away a 2-0 lead against Roma on Sunday and ended up getting beat 4-2, it is that kind of performance that Genoa's board and the clubs fans simply do not tolerate. The new man, Luigi Del Neri is vastly experienced and at 62 this is his fiftteenth managerial position, including a spell at Genoa's bitter rivals Sampdoria. He has however been welcomed as a positive appointment and he should at least keep Genoa in the division.
On the pitch and the traditional fixture list is apparent this week with 2 games on Saturday and 8 on Sunday. The first of Saturdays games sees Siena host Palermo. Both teams haven't won in their previous two outings now after Siena suffered two defeats in a row after they were beaten 2-1 by Atalanta whereas Palermo have drawn their last two including a 0-0 at home to Torino last weekend. Both teams are in need of points but they likely hood is they will share them here in what is sure to be a trappy affair. Draw - Two struggling teams share the spoils.
The second of Saturday's games sees A.C Milan host Genoa in Luigi Del Neri's first game in charge of Genoa. Milan are in turmoil with just two wins from their opening eight games. They suffered their fifth defeat of the season last weekend as they were beaten 3-2 by Lazio. Genoa are in a slightly better position having won 2 of their opening fixtures and only losing 3 including a 4-2 defeat away to Roma last Sunday evening. Both of these two will be desperate for a victory but it is Allegri's side who might just edge it. They were slightly unfortunate to lose against a very good Lazio side and could bounce back at home against a Genoa side who's defensive frailties were all to evident last Sunday. Home Win - Much needed win for Milan.
Sunday's first game sees champions Juventus travel to Catania. Juve showed again that they are the best team in the league by brushing aside second placed Napoli 2-0 last weekend. They have now not been beaten in 48 league games, an astonishing record. Catania are an unpredictable side, they have won 3 and lost 3 of their opening 8 including a 2-0 defeat in the San Siro last weekend. Catania will look to contain Juventus but it is unlikely they are up to the task given they shipped 4 against Bologna 3 weeks ago. Their defence is not the strongest and expect Juve to take full advantage of that. Away Win - Juve make it 8 wins out of nine.
Bologna will be looking to bounce back from a poor display against Cagliari last weekend when they host Inter. Bologna are looking surprisingly poor this season, having lost 5 of their opening fixtures including a 1-0 loss to lowly Cagliari last weekend. Bologna should survive this season but they will have to wait another week to up their points total as they face a very promising Inter side who have won 6 of their 8 games. A comftable 2-0 win over Catania made it four wins in a row and they should make it 5 here against a Bologna side that are struggling. Away Win - Inter continue in good form, Bologna continue in poor.
Fiorentina will look to make it 3 games without a defeat when they host Lazio. Fiorentina have made a decent start with 3 wins, 3 draws and just the two losses. They drew 1-1 away to Chievo last weekend in what they would have seen as a disappointing result given their positive start. They do however face a stiff task here against a Lazio side that have won 6 of their opening 8 and are full of confidence after beating AC Milan 3-2 last Saturday. Two in form strikers meet in the form of Fiorentina's Stefan Jovetic and Lazio's Miroslav Klose. Klose leads the goal scoring chart with 6 but Jovetic is just behind him on five. With both sides playing good attacking football this will be a question of who defends the best.during the 90 minutes. It is Lazio who get the tentative vote given their supurior defence but this will be close. Away Win - Lazio just overcome Fiorentina.
Pescara host Atalanta as they look to move out of the bottom three. The newly promoted side have shown glimpses of quality but their record of 5 defeats from 8 says alot about their chances of staying in the division this season. They suffered their fifth defeat at the hands of Udinese in a 1-0 loss last time out but that was a tough task and they may fair better against an inconsistent Atalanta side. Atalanta won their last game, a 2-1 win over Siena that came on the back of two hammerings at the hands of Torino and then Roma. Atalanta have now won 3 and lost four of their eight games. The main concern for both these sides is that they simply don't score enough goals and that trend might well continue here resulting in a dull draw. Draw - Two teams in indifferent form share the spoils.
This seasons surprise package Sampdoria host Cagliari as they look to return to winning ways. Sampdoria's bubble hasn't burst but has certainly deflated in recent weeks, after such a promising start they have lost all three of their last games including a 2-1 defeat away to Parma last Sunday. Sampdoria have now won 3, drawn 2 and lost 3. They will be keen to halt the slide against a Cagliari side who managed just their second win of the season last weekend as they beat Bologna 1-0. Despite that victory it is Sampdoria who get the vote, Cagliari don't travel well and Sampdoria will be desperate to recapture their good early form. Home Win - Sampdoria return to form as they beat a poor Cagliari side.
Torino host Parma in a mid table clash. Torino have shown themselves to be a solid unit in this campaign, having drawn the most games of any team in the division with 4, they have proven themselves hard to beat. They drew 0-0 with Palermo last time out to move to ninth in the table, a great achievement for a relatively small club. Parma lie eleventh after beating Sampdoria 2-1 last weekend. They too have gotten the knack of drawing games with 3 to their name. It is more than likely then that the result here will be a draw. Both sides are in decent heart and either could snatch it but both are strong defensively which points to a stalemate. Draw - Both teams leave satisfied with a point each.
Napoli will look to bounce back from their defeat at the hands of Juventus last weekend when they host Chievo. Before last Saturday Napoli looked like the only team in the division capable of overthrowing Juventus. Their record matched the champions of 7 wins out of 8. They were however beaten convincingly by Juventus 2-0 to end their unbeaten run. They face a Chievo side that has finally found a run of form after a dismal start to the season. They drew 1-1 with Fiorentina last weekend to gain their first draw of the campaign. Despite Chievo performing better of late its hard to look past Napoli bouncing back to form here. At home, against a side that ships goals and with a point to prove Walter Mazzarri's men will take all the beating. Home Win - Napoli return to winning ways at the expense of Chievo.
The last game of this weekend sees Udinese travel to the capital to face Roma. Roma are without doubt the most unpredictable side in the division with some truly bizarre results, including last weekends 4-2 victory over Genoa when Totti & Co. were 2-0 down after 20 minutes. Zdenek Zeman has installed a sense of belief in his side and despite the fact they continue to let in plenty of goals they score plenty too. They have now just lost twice this season, recording 4 wins. The return to form of Osvaldo has certainly aided them in reaching this position and expect him to get on the score sheet again in this one. Udinese have had a troubled start, winning just twice. They did manage to beat Pescara 1-0 last Sunday but that was just their second win of the season and the solid look they have been known for in recent seasons appears to be diminishing. The attacking flair Roma possess is sure to cause Udinese plenty of problems and they are taken to win this one by a comfortable margin. Home Win - Roma continue their promising if not strange start to the campaign.
Selected Match Betting:
Roma, Napoli, Sampdoria, Lazio, Inter, Juve & Milan - All To Win: 67/1
Fiorentina V Lazio - Correct Score- Fiorentina 2-3 Lazio: 33/1
Roma V Udinese - Osvaldo To Score First: 4/1
Enjoy The Games!
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