Serie A Tips: Genoa and Fiorentina to cover the handicap and goals galore in Atalanta

Home comforts set to aid Genoa

Genoa v Inter
Wednesday, 19:00
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After watching Inter labour against Lazio on Sunday night, I can't resist opposing them at Genoa on Wednesday evening, as their glorious performance in the derby against Milan looks more like a treasured memory than a resurgence in form.

Genoa have had their troubles in the League, but at home they're fairly solid. Their win against an under strength Juventus here will have given them massive confidence and they've only lost once at Marassi since the 10th November, when Milan got the better of them here.

I know that Mauro Icardi is now a confirmed starter for Inter, and that of course is a reason to be cheerful for their supporters, but there's no guarantee that he will come straight back in and write an on pitch headline, and there are reasons to like Genoa's chances.

Genoa have won each of their last five Serie A home games against Inter, and have done so comprehensively, keeping a clean sheet in four of those games, and there's no question that they raise their game when Serie A royalty visits this terrific stadium.

That might not be great consolation to their supporters, who'd enjoy and encourage that level of performance every week, but it gives them some nights to remember at least, and this could well be another one. It's obviously tempting to back them to win, but I prefer to keep the goal start on my side.

Directionless Roma to struggle once more

Roma v Fiorentina
Wednesday, 19:00
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After being comprehensively schooled by Napoli on Sunday, Roma have to bounce back straightaway with another difficult looking home task, this time against Fiorentina.

La Viola have drawn far too many games this season, and their away form has been a little sketchy of late, but they're tailor made to go to Roma and further frustrate the Olimpico supporters, just as they did here last season in a 2-0 win.

Roma look a little directionless under Claudio Ranieri, and it was interested to see how their style without steel approach was seized upon by Napoli on Sunday. They look a little disinterested to me, and I can see Fiorentina, nowhere near as potent as Napoli of course, creating similar kind of chances and certainly taking one of them.

Roma have a goalkeeper in Robin Olsen who is simply not good enough for a club of this magnitude, and it's astounding to see Roma persevere with him, while they have talented outfield players who have too often under performed in this campaign, and there's also a sense that their season ended with that Champions League defeat against Porto.

Fiorentina look a little big to me with a goal start, as they can both frustrate and punish Roma, who might well fall even further behind in the race for the top three.

Expect goals when Bologna come to town

Atalanta v Bologna
Thursday, 19:00
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Finally, I think that we have to give Bologna a chance in Bergamo, after a brilliant run of form which has seen them climb out of the relegation zone and given them renewed hope of saving their Serie A status.

Bologna have now won three in a row, including an extraordinary victory at Torino, and they are playing fearlessly right now, not necessarily doing things the usual Sinisa Mihaijlovic way, but it is paying off for them.

They head for Atalanta with the home team right in the race for third place after other challengers let themselves down at the weekend, and this will be no easy task for Mihaijlovic's team. I'd love to have the confidence in them to tip them in the Match Odds market, but I think this may end as a gallant failure.

Atalanta are famously the top scoring team in Serie A, however, and given the way that Bologna are going about their work right now I think that there'll be more goals here, so therein lies our bet.

Bologna have now scored in their last six away games in Serie A as they try to play their way out of trouble, while Atalanta have simply kept their remarkable run of scoring going: there've been 3.8 goals per game in their last six Serie A home games, and these are two styles which should knit together perfectly for a Thursday night thriller.

RECOMMENDED BETS

Back Genoa +1 on Asian Handicap against Inter @ 1.90

Back Fiorentina +1 on Asian Handicap against Roma @ 1.90

Back over 3.5 goals in Atalanta v Bologna @ 2.80