European Football Tipsheet: Montella's Baptism of Fire

The winter break looms but before that we have the derby of Seville to enjoy plus some Serie A action. James Horncastle has got you covered...

The Seville derby

What a first game in La Liga for Vincenzo Montella. The Sevilla derby doesn't have the profile of El Clasico. But it is widely considered Spain's fiercest rivalry. A baptism of fire then for Sevilla's new coach.

Montella should be well suited to La Liga. He isn't your stereotypical Italian manager. Before Spurs played his Fiorentina side a few years ago Mauricio Pochettino said they could quite easily play in La Liga and you wouldn't realise they were from Serie A.

Montella inherits a team that has done a lot of its recruitment in Italy in recent years. Montella worked with Joaquin Correa and club record signing Luis Muriel at Sampdoria. Italian speakers Franco Vazquez and Simon Kjaer will also help him get his message across.

Betis are a delightful side to watch on their day under Quique Setien and have been involved in some of the best games in La Liga this season, from their 1-0 win at the Bernabeu to the 6-3 against Valencia. But one win in 10 has left Setien under pressure.

Sevilla should have too much for them on Saturday and you'd expect them to push on after an up-and-down first half of the season. It wasn't as if they were in crisis when Eduardo Berizzo got sacked. They're fifth and in the Round of 16 of the Champions League with a good group of players. Reeling in Valencia isn't beyond them.

Consider the Rojiblancos for a top four finish @ 3.60.

Time for a Bolognese

Over in Italy, the big game of the weekend is in Florence where Fiorentina play an Inter side on the slide. However, I'd suggest switching out attention to Turin. Torino sacked Sinisa Mihajlovic in the early hours of Thursday morning and have replaced him with Walter Mazzarri. The club expected to be nailed on for a Europa League place after an ambitious summer transfer window and despite their best start in many a year, too many draws have cost the Granata.

Wednesday's elimination from the Coppa Italia burns because it came against crosstown rivals Juventus. But it was also understandable. Mihajlovic didn't get the chop because of that. In the end he went because of the points Torino dropped against Crotone, SPAL, Verona and Genoa.

Whether Mazzarri can turn things around in an instant remains to be seen. Star striker Andrea Belotti is the highest profile injury on a long casualty list and Mazzarri isn't going to have a lot of time to game plan for Saturday's game.

Bologna's record on the road is the sixth best in the league and it's mainly behind what's keeping their own Europa League chances alive. Keeping Simone Verdi in the January transfer window is paramount amid interest from Napoli but that isn't an issue likely to influence this game. Take Bologna @ 3.70 to do the business at the Olimpico on Saturday.

Atalanta to conquer Rome

Another fixture that's definitely worth your while in Italy this weekend is in the Eternal City with Atalanta visiting Roma. The Bergamaschi won at the Olimpico a couple of years ago and always give Roma a tough game.

The mood in the camp is euphoric at the moment after Tuesday's win in Naples, which booked Atalanta's place in the Coppa Italia semi-finals. Thousands of fans waited outside the club's Zingonia training ground to welcome the team back in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Atalanta are used to playing three games a week from their experience in the Europa League, so while tiredness will still be a factor they've got the balance right more often than not this season.

Roma have won just two of their last six games. Unlucky on the whole, they still boast Serie A's best defence, but scoring goals is becoming a problem. Last year's top scorer Edin Dzeko has found the net just once in his last 15 appearances in all competitions and his partnership with Patrik Schick needs time.

Given how dangerous Atalanta are it's worth taking a look at them on Double Chance @2.28. They're @ 5.00 to pull off another famous win.