Coppa Italia takes centre stage

Italy’s top teams switch their focus to the Coppa Italia and Tuesday sees possibly the tie of the round with Serie A leaders Juventus hosting sixth place Roma (Juve evens, draw 12/5, Roma 11/4 – match prices).

The Galliorossi are currently on a run of four consecutive wins and will travel to Turin full of confidence. However, Antonio Conte’s side have been the epitome of consistency this season and are yet to lose.

After a few years in the doldrums, it now appears as if Juve are back to where they belong and with an exciting young squad, many are predicting that they will soon re-establish themselves as European powerhouses.

Despite not being beaten this season, the Bianconeri have been plagued by draws recently and seem to have lost some of the cutting edge that saw them dominate the early months of the campaign.

Despite this, looking down the squad, it’s obvious they have the potential to score goals from anywhere. However, much of their chances are provided by playmaker Claudio Marchisio (9/4 to score at anytime) who has matured into one of the world’s best players this season. The 26-year-old has been tipped for stardom ever since making his debut in 2006 but has often suffered from inconsistency.

However, this term he has come on leaps and bounds and is now the heartbeat of Conte’s side. His combination with Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo in the heart of the midfield is sure to prove vital and he’ll be looking to have a major impact on the game.

As already mentioned, Roma are currently one of Italy’s form sides and, after a few early season hiccups, now look like a genuine threat to the Champions League places. The Roman club went through somewhat of a changing of the guard in the summer and saw a number of new faces arrive at the Olimpico. However, the players now seemed to have adapted to coach Luis Enrique’s style of play and are now flying.

As with everything good that has happened to the i Lupi over the last decade or so, Francesco Totti’s (15/8 to score at anytime) form has seemed to reflect his side this season. However, he has now rediscovered his consistency prompting calls from Italy coach Cesare Prandelli for him to end his international retirement ahead of Euro 2012.

The veteran trequartista will surely have a say on the outcome of the match and if Roma they’re likely to have Totti to thank.

Both sides are undoubtedly going to be looking to go all out to win the match as in Italy the Cup is held in much higher regard than in other nations. This is sure to help produce an entertaining game but home advantage could make the difference and Juve should take the win but it?ll certainly be close (Juve 7/1 to win 2-1 – correct score).

In the other ties in the Coppa Italia, Chievo take on Siena and Napoli entertain FC Internazionale Milano on Wednesday, while AC Milan play Lazio on Thursday.

Want £200 Free? Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.

Inter Milan add Serie A brace to Coppa Italia

post thumbnail

inter win serie a 300x199 Inter Milan add Serie A brace to Coppa ItaliaInter secured their 18th Scudetto at Siena with a 1-0 win courtesy of Diego Milito that sparked the celebrations for the Milan kings as they added the league title to their trophy cabinet to go with the Coppa Italia and possibly the Champions League next week.

The visitors began the day knowing that a win would guarantee them the title, no matter what happened in Verona between Roma and Chievo.

Jose Mourinho saw the return of Wesley Sneijder after being out with injury. Mario Balotelli and Marco Materazzi retained their places in the starting XI after last weekend’s victory against the Flying Donkeys.

The hosts had the first opportunity as a defensive mix-up saw the ball land at the foot of Albin Ekdal in the box, but somehow he ended up going wide despite being in a promising position.

Balotelli almost put the Nerazzurri in the lead at 13 minutes when a long cross missed Thiago Motta’s head and the teenager volleyed wide from close range.

Knowing that they needed a goal, Mourinho’s men were pushing harder as the second-half started and a one-two between Maicon and Balotelli gave the Brazilian the opportunity to break into the area, but at the last second his shot was deflected away.

Milito was running the game and creating plenty of chances but to no avail but the pressure finally showed at 57 minutes. Zanetti yet again made a run through the defence and laid off for Milito, who took a touch and slid the ball past Curci.

Siena almost found a spectacular goal as Inter had their heart in their mouths when Rosi’s whipped in cross-shot just missed the corner as the clock counted down at 83 minutes.

However, the Coppa Italia winners pushed on as Mourinho won his second title in Serie A for the club, coming on top in what was a very close race, just two points ahead of the Giallorossi.
It is an incredible fith straight Serie A title for Inter Milan as Mourinho described it as the toughest league title he has ever won. Now Inter will be hoping to wrap up an historic treble winning season when they face Bayern Munich in Madrid, who have also won their respective league and cup double this season.

  • Share this on del.icio.us
  • Digg this!
  • Share this on Reddit
  • Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon
  • Post this to MySpace
  • Share this on Facebook
  • Tweet This!
  • Add this to Google Bookmarks

Related posts:

  1. Can Inter Milan win Coppa D’italia, Serie A + Champions League treble?
  2. Serie A Predictions: Mourinho’s Inter Milan To Thrash Catania
  3. Totti saves Roma to take Serie A chase down to final game


ToteSport bookmaker will give you £60 in Free Bets. Click here to check them out.

Inter Milan to Pip Fiorentina to Coppa Italia Final?

Coppa Italia TrophyIt is the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday as Inter Milan travel to Fiorentina with a 1-0 lead.

These two sides were inseparable on Saturday evening as they cancelled each other out to a 2-2 draw. A result which has dented Inter Milans Scudetto chances this season. A repeat of this result would not be enough for Fiorentina as they trail 1-0 on aggregate, so the dynamics of this match will be slightly different from the weekends encounter between the pair.

Bet on Coppa Italia Semifinal, 2nd leg Fiorentina v Inter Milan

1

13/8

X

11/5

2

8/5

28+

The Nerazzurri are may well be gunning for revenge after seeing a late goal from the Violas centre back Per Kroldrup secure a 2-2 draw which opened the way for AS Roma to leap them to top of Serie A on Sunday afternoon.

Fiorentina are showing good home form now and are unbeaten in their last four games. Jose Mourinho’s men know a draw will be enough for them to book a date in this season’s final and set up a potentially historic season as they continue to be in with a chance of completing the treble which includes the Champions League if they can get past mighty Barcelona in the semis.

A win for Fiorentina will see them keep alive their only chance of silverware this season, and they will take heart from the weekends performance which saw them lead Inter for much of the game.

After playing each other only a few days ago, barring any major changes to the starting elevens on both sides, it is hard not to look at a repeat result once again. A draw will be enough to take Inter through and it is worth backing again with PartyBets.com.

“To keep up this kind of form is very difficult and no one will give out anything to us until the end,” David Pizzaro told Roma Channel “But the important thing was to move top and now it’s all in our hands. We must become aware that we are in first place.”


Related posts:

  1. Will Crushing European Defeats Affect AC Milan and Roma?
  2. NY Yankees book their place in World Series Final
  3. Fresh Faces, Wolves and Warriors, Contest The Challenge Cup Final

View full post on PartyBets Blog