Derby Della Mole upset
Juventus v Torino
Friday, 19:30
Live on Premier 2 and Betfair Live Video
Torino are now unbeaten in their last six games and can bring their strong recent form to the Derby Della Mole and at least avoid defeat against Juventus.
Juve are fearsomely good at home, and also go well in this fixture, having lost just one of their last 25 derbies. They showed last week against Inter that they’re still capable of turning in a display when necessary, but they continued to exhibit the frailty that has affected them in recent weeks. They’ve now failed to win two of their last three in Serie A.
With the Champions League and the Coppa Italia done, and the League easily won, Juve are playing for themselves, and Max Allegri has already suggested that he will be experimenting as this season winds to a close, another reason to think that their usual immaculate standards may be slipping as we head into May.
Juve remain injury hit, and with all things being equal they’d struggle to break down a Torino team that have conceded just once in their last four games. I think that this will be low scoring, and with Torino pushing desperately for the possibility of a fourth placed finish, they look a very reasonable price with a goal start on the Asian Handicap.
Atalanta all the way
Lazio v Atalanta
Sunday, 14:00
Live on Premier 1 and Betfair Live Video
Atalanta are the story of this Serie A season, and with fourth place now in their hands, there’s every chance that they could be playing Champions League football in the next campaign, which would be something really special for Gian Piero Gasperini.
Atalanta head to the Olimpico to face Lazio in what is a dress rehearsal for the Coppa Italia final in a fortnight’s time, and with GPG’s team knowing that they can’t slip up, I think we’ll see them at their best here.
They beat Lazio in December thanks to an early Duvan Zapata goal, and given that only Lionel Messi in Europe’s top five leagues has scored more away goals this season than the Colombian, it’s fairly evident that he will be a massive threat.
Since losing in Torino on February 23, Atalanta have won three of their four away games, and it’s the nature of the opposition which is so impressive, as they’ve won at Sampdoria and Napoli in that run, as well as Parma, and drawn 0-0 at Inter on a day when they were missing Zapata.
When you consider that Lazio have won only one of their last three at the Olimpico, including a draw with Sassuolo and defeat by Chievo, you can see why I feel that this will be Atalanta’s day. Lazio are tailor made for them, and I think they’ll come away with a massive win.
Samp compound Parma problems
Parma v Sampdoria
Sunday, 14:00
Live on Betfair Live Video
Sampdoria have slipped out of the European argument after their run of four defeats in five, but they can still tee up a strong finish to the campaign, and maybe move Fabio Quagliarella one step closer to the Capocannoniere crown with a win against an abject Parma team.
Parma have won just one of their last 14 games, and have lost five of their last eight at home. They’ll be thankful for the start that they had to the season, which at least means that they’re far enough from the bottom three, but had Empoli’s form improved to the same extent as SPAL’s and Bologna’s, they would be right in the thick of it.
Things will obviously have to change at Parma, but that can wait for the summer. For the time being, they’re playing like a soft touch, and for all Samp’s recent woes, I expect them to come here and win.
Parma lost their last home Serie A game against Samp back in January 2015 by a 2-0 scoreline, and I think that we’ll see something similar this weekend.
Source: Betfair Italian
