Serie A Betting: Juve may drop points in Derby while Lazio should deliver goals

Toro can trouble Juventus

Torino v Juventus
Saturday, 19:30
Live on Betfair Live Video and Eleven Sports 2

Juventus will hope to continue their relentless and inevitable march to the title this Saturday evening as they cross the city to face their local rivals. They'll face serious resistance, though, and I think that there's every chance of Walter Mazzarri's men doing enough to at least take the wind out of Juve's sails.

Torino were outstanding at Milan last week, and had they taken their chances, it was a game that they would have won. They have the second best away record in Serie A this season (behind Juve of course) and I suspect that they'll approach this game as the away side, making themselves hard to beat, and making life difficult for Juve.

Max Allegri's team showed against Inter last week that they're the masters of producing clutch results and performances, but I still think that they can look vulnerable, and Torino are capable of exposing any issues. Don't get me wrong, Juve are the best team in this division, but they're not perfect and won't win every game.

Midweek they got away with a 2-1 defeat at Young Boys, still topping their Champions League group thanks to Valencia beating Manchester United. It was their first away loss in all competitions since Sampdoria in November 2017.

So, on balance, the Champions look a little bit short here at around the 1.68 mark, and even though they have won 34 of their last 40 Serie A games, I do think that occasionally they're worth taking on. And this latest renewal of the Derby Della Mole is one of them.

Prandelli can add to Roma woes

Roma v Genoa
Sunday, 19:30
Live on Betfair Live Video and Eleven Sports 2

Now that Cesare Prandelli is in charge at Genoa, every Serie A club has an Italian manager, something of a badge of honour for the League, and Genoa have hired a very goodone.

Prandelli is one of the most popular figures in Italian football, and there'll be a lot of goodwill surrounding him in his new job. He started decently, with a 1-1 draw at home against SPAL when down to 10 men for over an hour, and now his team head to the Stadio Olimpico.

Roma played really well against Inter two weeks ago, but they have looked seriously vulnerable in recent times to teams which fit Genoa's profile. Small and well-organised, driven and underrated. Since the end of October, they've lost to SPAL and Udinese, and last weekend were held to a draw by Cagliari. With Genoa bound to improve under Prandelli, I could see them outperforming their price here.

Genoa haven't won in nine in Serie A, but have drawn four of those, including at Juventus, and they're a better team than they're given credit for. They've been crying out for a new direction for some time, and now that they have that, I expect to see them flourish.

As for the Giallorossi, they are in a deepening crisis and Coach Eusebio Di Francesco is on the chopping block after their worst start to a Serie A season since 2011-12, when they finished seventh.

The only positive statistic Roma can count on is that they've won each of their last 12 Serie A home fixtures against Genoa, but that run could be coming to an end.

Fireworks in Bergamo

Atalanta v Lazio
Monday, 19:30
Live on Betfair Live Video and Eleven Sports 2

There seem sure to be Monday night fireworks in Bergamo as Atalanta look to continue their fabulous run of form against Lazio. Gian Piero Gasperini's team have won five of their last seven, and after two defeats, they bounced back to their best with a 3-1 win at Udinese last time.

Gasperini's style of football has always been great to watch when at its most effective, and their last seven Serie A games have all gone Over 2.5 Goals, with four of those featuring Over 3.5 or more. Given that Lazio also have a propensity for scoring and conceding goals, I think that Over 3.5 seems like the wisest move here.

Until the remarkable 2-2 draw against Sampdoria on Saturday night, Lazio's games had been relatively low scoring of late, but the fact that both teams have found the net in their last five hints at their strengths and weaknesses and I think we'll have a wide open game in Bergamo on Monday. In fact, both sides have been on target in the last five editions of this fixture for a total of 21 goals.

RECOMMENDED BETS

Back Torino +1 on Asian Handicap vs Juventus @ 2.50
Back Genoa +1 on Asian Handicap vs Roma @ 3.00
Back Over 3.5 Goals in Atalanta v Lazio @ 2.90