It’s derby day in Turin and Enzo gives us his prediction for the big game along with two other selections for Serie A matchday 10
Torino v Juventus
Sat 15th Oct 17:00
The first Derby delle Mole of the 2022/23 Serie A season is upon us, and it couldn’t come at a worse time for both Juventus and Torino. Following a decent start to the season, Toro have hit a dry spell. They have only managed to pick up four points from a possible fifteen (W1 D1 L3), three of which came from a stuttering 1-0 victory over relegation threatened Lecce. Finding the net has been the nub of the issue for Torino who only scored three goals in their last five attempts.
Juve’s tribulations have been well publicised. Back-to-back 2-0 defeats to Milan and more worryingly Maccabi Haifa have heaped pressure on the already much maligned Allegri. There is huge discontent among the fans and signs of it creeping into the dressing room too with some players, Dusan Vlahovic in particular, showing their unhappiness at some of the tactical decisions made. Defeat on Saturday would surely mean the end of Allegri’s disappointing second stint in Turin.
If ever there was a time for Torino to triumph over their hated city rivals this should be it but unfortunately, I can’t see it happening. Perhaps, if the current Toro side had some of the star quality of yesteryears I would feel differently however, the crop of 2022/23 lacks any sort of player that can spring a moment of magic. Besides that, history doesn’t favour Toro. With just one victory in 34 competitive games (W1 D8 L 25), everything points to a Juventus Win @ 6/4 albeit a narrow one.
Lazio v Udinese
Sun 16th Oct 14:00
Napoli have been hogging all the limelight for their scoring exploits but both Lazio and Udinese are not far behind them. Lazio are 2nd for league goals scored with 21 while Udinese are 3rd with 19. The Aquile’s defence too has been rock solid and it hasn’t been breached in four games however, the teams they faced during that period were not of the same calibre as Udinese. For their part, the Zebrette have relied on outscoring the opposition and have conceded in 66% of their matches. I expect the goals to continue to flow on Sunday and both teams to get on the scoresheet so Over 2.5 goals + BTTS @ Evs looks like excellent value.
Sampdoria v Roma
Mon 17th Oct 18:30
After amassing a dismal tally of two points from eight games it was no surprise to see Dejan Stankovic replace Marco Giampaolo as Sampdoria’s head coach. The Serb picked up a point in his first outing after a hard fought draw with Bologna during which the Samp fans were treated to a goal, a rare occurrence for the Blucerchiati who have failed to score in almost half their fixtures.
Roma currently lie in 6th but are just four points shy of the the league leaders Napoli. The Giallorossi have Serie A’s third best defence with 9 goals conceded in the same number of matches. That figure doesn’t sound overly impressive but when you consider four of those came in the defeat to Udinese it puts a different complexion on the matter. In total, 33% of Roma’s games have been wins to nil.
Dispatching Sampdoria shouldn’t prove to be much of a challenge for Mourinho’s side but at odds on there is little value in backing the away win. Instead I’m going with Roma win to nil @ 2/1 which is always a risky bet but one that I feel is worth it this time given the price. Despite finding the net last weekend there was very little evidence that Stankovic has done much to rectify Samp’s misfiring attack. They created virtually nothing during the 90mins and it took a horribly sliced effort that would have gone out for a throw had it not fallen into the path of Đuričić to steal a point.
Smart Bets
Torino v Juventus: Juventus Win @ 6/4
Lazio v Udinese: Over 2.5 goals + BTTS @ Evs
Sampdoria v Roma: Roma win to nil @ 2/1
