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SERIE A Preview: Lazio looks unstoppable

 

Napoli is determined to put an end to Juventus’ dominance in Serie A. Sampdoria will be looking to build on a 3-1 win over Atalanta when they welcome Crotone at their Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris on Saturday afternoon.

La Samp is eyeing their fourth consecutive win at home and they aim to retain their spot in top six. Fabio Quagliarella failed to score in the 3-1 victory over Atalanta, but the former Juventus man is likely to pose a big threat for the opposition defenders. Crotone did well to share the spoils with Torino in their last league fixture, but seeing that their struggle on the travels, the Rossoblu is unlikely to spoil Sampdoria’s party at Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris.

La Samp have been impressive at home ground so far this season and, taking everything into account, we are tempted to put our money on Marco Giampaolo’s men, who are eager to regain their place in European competitions.

Napoli v Inter

The Neapolitans made a flying start to the season and they will be looking to keep their 100% record in the Italian top flight intact with a win over Inter on Matchday 9.

The Partenopei proved their worth in a 1-0 win over Roma at Stadio Olimpico at the weekend and they are seen as hot favourites to win Saturday’s football match against the Nerazzurri.

Inter are brimming with confidence following a 3-2 win over Milan in the Derby della Madonnina, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry in Saturday’s clash against Napoli.

Maurizio Sarri’s men are a real force to be reckoned with at home and we predict that they will cement top position in the standings with a win over Luciano Spalletti’s troops.

Lazio vs Cagliari

Lazio looks unstoppable at the moment. Following a thrilling 6-1 win over Sassuolo the Biancocelesti shocked Juventus in Turin at the weekend, with the team extending their winning run in the Serie A to three games.

Lazio, the capital clubs have been impressive in the national championship of late and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play against Cagliari.

Ciro Immobile, who scored a brace against Juve, will be the man to watch in the home team. Cagliari suffered a loss in each of their previous four league fixtures and they are unlikely to spoil Lazio’s party at Stadio Olimpico.

Simone Inzaghi’s men have been scoring goals for fun of late and we predict that they will record a routine win over the Rossoblu in the “Eternal City”. You should bear in mind that Lazio are after their sixth consecutive win over Cagliari in the national championship.

Chievo vs Verona

Chievo and Hellas Verona face each other in the local derby at Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi.

Chievo are undefeated in previous five league fixtures and they head into Sunday’s football game against Hellas Verona following a goalless draw with Sassuolo.

The Mussi Volanti is high on confidence ahead of the Derby di Verona, but the Mastini should not be written off just yet as they are desperate to escape the danger zone.

Hellas Verona is likely to fight tooth and nail against Chievo and we predict that they will grab something from the clash.

In their last meeting in the national championship Hellas Verona defeated Chievo (3-1), but the two local rivals are likely to share the spoils this time out.

Chievo managed to keep a clean sheet in two of their last three league fixtures and, taking everything into account, a low-scoring affair appears on the cards.

AC Milan vs Genoa

Milan will be aiming to bounce back from a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Inter in the Derby della Madonnina when they welcome Genoa at their Stadio San Siro.

The Rossoneri were more than unfortunate not to grab something from the local derby, with the Nerazzurri scoring a late winner from the penalty spot and, no doubt, Vincenzo Montella’s are desperate to return to winning ways.

Milan produced a fine display in the second half of the match against Inter and that is giving fans a reason for optimism ahead of the visit of Genoa.

The Rossoblu did well to beat Cagliari on the road at the weekend, but spoiling Milan’s party at San Siro is easier said than done.

Suso scored a wonder goal in the 3-2 loss to Inter and he will be the man to watch in the home team. Taking everything into account, home win appears on the cards.

Benevento vs Fiorentina

Stadio Ciro Vigorito will host Sunday’s football game between Benevento and Fiorentina. The newcomers have been struggling in the Italian top flight this season and they are seen as main candidates for relegation to Serie B.

Benevento were beaten by the likes of Bologna, Torino, Roma and Inter in previous four home games and that is the main reason why we believe the Viola will pick up all three points from Sunday’s clash.

Fiorentina have been having their ups and downs in the 2017/2018 Serie A campaign, but they proved their worth in a 2-1 win over Udinese at the weekend.

The Viola rolled over Hellas Verona (5-0) in the “City of Love” last month and that is surely giving fans a reason for optimism ahead of the trip to Benevento. It has to be noted that the two teams meet for the first time ever in the Italian elite division.

SPAL vs Sassuolo

SPAL are running down a blind alley at the start of the 2017/2018 Serie A campaign.

The Biancazzurri have recorded only one win in the Italian top flight this season and it is no surprise they sit in the relegation zone ahead of Sunday’s football match against Sassuolo.

SPAL suffered five defeats in previous six league fixtures, but seeing that they are level on points with the Neroverdi, we predict that the newcomers are going to grab something from the relegation six-pointer.

Sassuolo suffered a heavy 6-1 loss to Lazio in their last away game in the national championship and, no doubt, they would be happy with one point from the Stadio Paolo Mazza clash.

In their last meeting in a competitive match at the stadium the two teams played out a 1-1 draw and, taking everything into account, we predict that the history is going to repeat itself.

Torino vs AS Roma

Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino will host Sunday’s football match between Torino and Roma.

Toro aims to put an end to their three-game winless run in the national championship, but they will have a mountain to climb in the game against Roma.

Sinisa Mihajlovic’s troops have been scoring goals for fun in the Italian top flight this season and we predict that they are going to find the net in Sunday’s showdown.

The Giallorossi aim to bounce back from a 1-0 loss to Napoli and seeing that they are eager to rejoin the race for Scudetto, the visitors are likely to adopt an attack-minded approach in the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino clash as well.

Both sides are determined to pick up all three points from the match and, taking everything into account, a real football festival appears on the cards. In their last meeting in Turin Il Toro recorded a 3-2 win over the capital club.

Udinese vs Juventus

Despite taking the lead in Saturday’s football game against Lazio, Juventus eventually suffered a 2-1 loss to the Biancocelesti in front of home fans.

The titleholders dropped to fourth place in the standings and, no doubt, situation is alarming in Max Allegri’s team ahead of the trip to Udine.

Juventus are eager to melt Napoli’s advantage in the Serie A standings and we predict that the reigning champions will leave their hearts on the field in Sunday’s football game against the Zebrette.

Udinese have been playing above expectations in the 2017/2018 Serie A campaign and seeing that they suffered four defeats in previous five league matches, we do not believe that they are capable of claiming a major scalp on day 9 of the new Serie A campaign.

 

LA LIGA Preview: Madrid ready to close gap on table-toppers Barca

Real Madrid looks to close the gap on table-toppers Barcelona as they welcome Eibar to the capital.

Real Madrid closed the gap on rivals Barcelona over the weekend with a late win over local rivals Getafe. Zidane’s men seem to have found their consistency and they will be looking to continue their good form at home to league strugglers Eibar.

Eibar are now without a win in their last five games and, having been plagued by injury, the Basque club are now sitting perilously close to the drop zone.

Getafe put on a great fight against their giant neighbours Real Madrid on Saturday afternoon, coming so close to taking a point.

Karim Benzema put the visitors ahead, but instead of running away with it, Jorge Molina put a spanner in the works with a second-half equaliser.

Cristiano Ronaldo was without a goal in La Liga until that late goal at Getafe. This could be the start of a goal streak for the Portuguese forward. Eibar will have their work cut out to stop Ronaldo in front of the Bernabeu faithful and few would bet against him scoring this weekend.

With so many of Eibar’s danger men stuck in the treatment room for one reason or another, Takashi Inui is the man to keep an eye on here. He scored twice at Camp Nou on the final day of last season and a goal or two against another big club in Real Madrid wouldn’t go amiss.

There could be a number of goals in this one for Real Madrid if they approach it with the right attitude.

Atletico Madrid looks to return to winning ways as they travel to Balaidos to face a faltering Celta Vigo.

Atletico Madrid already finds themselves six points behind table-toppers Barcelona, but they almost halved the difference over the weekend. A late Luis Suarez goal meant Atletico Madrid allowed league points to slip for the first time at the Wanda Metropolitano and that result saw them slip to fourth.

Meanwhile, Celta Vigo has been battling it out in and around mid-table in La Liga. They head into this one on the back of an excellent win over Las Palmas.

While Atletico Madrid ruined Barcelona’s 100% La Liga record in the weekend’s heavyweight meeting, Luis Suarez’ late goal means that their 100% record at the Wanda has also been ended. Saul Niguez put the home side ahead with an inch-perfect strike from outside of the box and Atletico were good value for their lead going into the break.

Elsewhere, Camp Nou welcomes its first derby of the La Liga season as neighbours Barcelona and Espanyol clash.

Barcelona will be looking to continue their perfect start following two 2-0 wins against Real Betis and Alaves respectively. Espanyol, meanwhile, started well with a draw against Sevilla, but they slipped to a surprise defeat to Leganes in Week 2.

Last season’s Copa Del Rey finalists, minus their former boss Mauricio Pellegrino, met in the Basque Country with a similar result as Lionel Messi ran riot to secure a win for Barcelona.

Messi missed a penalty early on in the match, but he went on to score twice to secure all three points, seemingly fulfilling both his and Neymar’s role with the Brazilian having departed for PSG over the summer.

Espanyol haven’t beaten their biggest rivals since the 2008/09 season when they took a sweet 2-1 win from the Camp Nou. They enjoyed a good campaign last year, but they are of course huge underdogs going into this one.

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