AS Roma vs Juventus
One of the biggest Serie A matches to look forward to this weekend is the one between AS Roma and Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico.
This game pits two sides who prioritise securing a spot in European football next season over trying to win the Scudetto, since Napoli seems to be on their way to winning it as they broke free from the chasing pack.
Right now, AS Roma have the upper hand since they currently trail the Champions League spots by a single point with 44 points for fifth place, whereas Juventus are in seventh place with 35 points.
The pre-game SBOTOP betting odds expect a tight contest between these two sides, which has been the case in their most recent encounters since valuable points are up for grabs.
Talking Points
Mourinho’s hot head hurts AS Roma
AS Roma made headlines in the Serie A 2023 news for the wrong reasons when they were beaten by relegation-threatened Cremonese already for the second time this year.
Cremonese eliminated AS Roma in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals last February 2nd with a 2-1 tally, and it was déjà vu on Wednesday.
They played so poorly in the first half on Wednesday that Jose Mourinho received his marching orders for dissent at the beginning of the second half. The Special One was slapped a two-match suspension for losing his cool, which he will appeal.
Mourinho, who is obviously in a foul mood, has now picked up a yellow or red card in eight games in less than two years of his spell at the Stadio Olimpico.
The aforementioned defeat damaged their own hopes of finishing in Serie A’s top four because they’ve already lost two of their last five games.
With or without Mourinho at the touchline, AS Roma must get back on their feet as quickly as possible with tough matches coming up.
After hosting Juventus on Sunday, they’ll face Real Sociedad for their Europa League Round of 16 tie, and they have a crunch match against fourth-placed Lazio on March 20th.
Juventus showing signs of life
Juventus could’ve called it a year when they were given a 15-point deduction due to financial irregularities, but instead they’ve reacted positively with four league victories on the bounce.
They have also emerged as one of the favourites to win the Europa League this season after advancing to the Round of 16. If they somehow win it, they’ll be in the Champions League next season without having to finish in the top four of Serie A.
Dusan Vlahovic is finally scoring goals again, but Angel Di Maria is the in-form player right now for I Bianconeri. The Argentine winger recorded a hat-trick in their recent game against Nantes, and he also scored a goal during their February 20 Serie A match against Spezia.
Paul Pogba also made his long-awaited return to football after being sidelined for almost a year in Juventus’ 4-2 win against Torino in the most recent Turin Derby, which is another welcome development for Max Allegri and co.
History
Juventus have AS Roma’s number here in Serie A, as I Giallorossi have suffered their most league defeats against I Bianconeri (85), including three in their last four encounters.
In their last seven matches, the first goal of the game has been scored on average in the 12th minute, with Juventus opening the scoring five times.
These two teams last met in August, where it ended in a 1-1 draw as Tammy Abraham nullified Dusan Vlahovic’s early goal. Before the said draw, Juventus had beaten AS Roma three times consecutively.
AS Roma have won each of their last four Serie A home games without conceding a single goal, but Juventus have won six of their last seven Serie A road games (L1) after failing to win any of their first four this season (D2, L2).
Betting Tip
The winner of this game is a tough call since AS Roma and Juventus are not far off from each other in the Serie A 2023 odds.
The hosts have the slight edge because they’re priced at 2.59 to win, but their visitors are at 2.73, and a draw is at 2.88 in the 1X2 market.
But our main bet here is going for Juventus First Goal at 2.07 because of the way they’ve started their matches recently. They’ve managed to score the first goal in their undefeated run, which is something that AS Roma have to prevent for a better chance of winning.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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