Saturday, April 29, Napoli vs Salernitana
Napoli are on the cusp of reaching ecstasy for the first time in 33 years, looking to capture their 3rd Scudetto in the club’s history. The party has already started in the beautiful city of Napoli after their dramatic 1-0 victory over Juventus at the death. It is a moment that will forever be etched in time for many years as a memorable moment in Serie A history. The Partenopei still have business to take care of on Saturday.
There is no simple way to put it: Napoli is absolutely killing it in the Serie A. The club ranks first in most major categories. By their standards, the club has taken its foot off the pedal recently with a (2W 1D 1L) form in domestic play that most clubs would be ecstatic for. With a chance to capture their third league title, we should get a performance from Napoli that we have seen all year long. With their relentless attack options up front with Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and numerous unsung heroes, Napoli should win this fixture but in what fashion?
Salernitana are enjoying solid form being unbeaten in their last eight league matches. Coming off an impressive 3-0 win over Sassuolo last weekend, they will look to play spoiler and delay the epic celebrations on Napoli. Thanks to their hot run, Salernitana have built themselves a nice cushion out of the relegation zone with a six point gap.
Head-to-head in their three previous matchups dating back to last year, Napoli is a perfect three for three. Back in January when these sides clashed, Napoli won with ease, winning 2-0 while owning 75% of the possession. However, there are no guarantees that we will see a repeat, but we certainly see Napoli coming out of this one the victors. Napoli has a stingy defence and does not concede often, especially at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Lost in all the build-up to this fixture is it is a derby fixture. Both clubs hail from the region of Campania and we should see both sides lay it on the line. Take a shot with Napoli winning til nil -120, and Napoli grabbing a clean sheet -150. (odds via Bet365, odds available at time of publishing).
Saturday, April 29, AS Roma vs AC Milan
While the Scudetto race is wrapped up, there are still several European spots to be sorted out. This is exactly what AS Roma and AC Milan have in common, fighting for the elusive Champions League spots in the table. Both sides are locked in with 56 points apiece, tied in fourth place in the table.
AC Milan find themselves unbeaten in their last six contests in all competitions. During that span, their defense has stepped up big time and has earned the club four clean sheets. As the season is winding down, Milan appear to be locking down things on the back end. Mike Maignan returning from injury has certainly helped the Rossoneri collect clean sheets. Rafael Leão has stepped up in his last six matches registering four goals and one assist. If Milan wants a result in Rome, he will have to continue his MVP form from last year.
AS Roma is coming off a beatdown in Bergamo. Adding insult to injury, the club lost key pieces in that match and none bigger than Paulo Dybala. La Joya is such a critical piece to this Roma attack and without his creativity up front, the club looks lost and lacks the quality finishing that Dybala possesses. Roma will also be without their rock on the back end, Chris Smalling. His presence was badly missed on Monday and if Milan’s offense is clicking on Saturday it could be a long night for José Mourinho’s men.
Earlier this year, Milan blew a 2-0 lead to split the points with Roma after it was all said and done. Roma is missing key pieces and does not have the depth that Milan has. This could be a frustrating match for Roma to generate anything upfront. They will need a lot of luck to get one past Maignan. We think Milan can go into the Olimpico and grab a result. Take a shot with AC Milan draw no bet -120. (odds via Bet365, odds available at time of publishing).