Weekend Serie A Predictions: Best Bets for the games this weekend

Our Serie A expert Daniele Fisichella is back with his best bets ahead of the games this weekend.

He picks out a play from the Friday night game along with two selections for Saturday's matches...

The Derby d’Italia between Juventus and Inter Milan was disappointing as both sides preferred not to lose rather than push for a win.

But the draw has strengthened Max Allegri’s men ambitions to challenge for the title, and this Friday they’d go top of the table with a win in Monza.

Lazio and AC Milan approach the weekend with opposite moods: the Biancoazzurri hope the win against Celtic will be the turning point of their season, whereas the Rossoneri are staring down the barrel of a likely elimination from the Champions League.

• A perfect scenario for Juve
• Ciro is still the man for Sarri
• Pioli can’t afford any more slip ups

Monza vs Juventus (Friday, 19:45)

Massimiliano Allegri has got Juventus where he wants. A solid and confident team that, after last Sunday’s game in Turin, is still only two points behind Inter Milan.

Juve were clearly the happiest of the two sides with the 1-1 draw as they know they could add a couple of players in January and, come March, not playing in Europe might prove decisive.

But, despite their position in the table, emotions are scarce when it comes to the Bianconeri. Seven of their last eight games have seen less than 2.5 goals scored and since Allegri returned to Turin in 2021 58 out of 89 (65%) games have ended with less than 2.5 goals.

Monza, led by Serie A’s youngest manager, Raffaele Palladino, will try to cause an upset (as they did last year, when they won both home and away) and continue their good run.

In fact, the hosts have only lost one (1-0 to Roma) of their last nine Serie A games and confirmed this season they’re not afraid to attack: they’re fifth for shots and fourth for possession.

Since their debut in Serie A, Monza have drawn 16 games and they’ve only lost one of their last nine games played in front of their supporters.

However Monza don’t have very prolific strikers and Juventus might win by just one goal, as they’ve done it so often in recent times, therefore under 2.5 goals (8/11) looks a reasonable choice.

Lazio vs Cagliari (Saturday, 17:00)

Did Maurizio Sarri get his formation wrong against Celtic in midweek? The introduction of Pedro and Ciro Immobile (who scored a brace) completely changed the game as Lazio secured their place in the Champions League knockout stages.

The hosts are hoping this could be the turning point of their Serie A campaign, where they’ve recorded the worst start of the season in a decade.

At the Olimpico they’ve only scored seven goals so far and they’ve looked far less threatening compared to 2022/2023. And it can’t be all down to having sold Milinkovic-Savic (17 goals involvement last season) to the Saudi League.

Lazio have kept two consecutive clean sheets at home and are unbeaten in 16 games against Cagliari, however they’ll be missing a few key players such as the two centre-backs Casale and Romagnoli along with Zaccagni (10 goals last year, only one in this campaign). The good news is that their most creative player, Luis Alberto, comes back from suspension.

Cagliari have improved in the last month as they collected seven points in four matches.

However, Claudio Ranieri’s side haven’t yet won away and only scored four times in their travel.

They haven’t performed particularly well against top sides away from home (they lost to Bologna, Atalanta, Fiorentina and Juventus), and for this reason I’d go for a Lazio win (3/5) and under 3.5 goals (2/7).

AC Milan vs Frosinone (Saturday, 19:45)

The Rossoneri are still hurting after their defeat against Borussia Dortmund and newly promoted Frosinone could take advantage of it. The Ciociari have won three out of their last four games in all competitions and have impressed for their courage, dynamism and attacking style of play.

In fact, they’ve only failed to score on three occasions (away to Udinese, Roma and Inter) and achieved a record 18-points tally after thirteen matches. They’re the youngest side in Serie A and players such as the Juventus loanees Soulè (six goals so far) and Barrenechea, as well as Cuni, Oyono and Ibrahimovic represent some of the most positive surprises in Serie A so far.

AC Milan are not only almost out of the Champions League but also plagued by injuries.

On Tuesday, Centre-back Thiaw was the latest of a long list of players suffering from muscular problems (there have been 17 injuries in total since August).

This Saturday the Rossoneri will deploy a makeshift back four, with midfielder Rade Krunic next to Tomori, and won’t be able to count on Giroud (suspended), Rafael Leao or Okafor either.

Stefano Pioli’s men have been inconsistent at home this season and although they’ve got the best domestic defence in Serie A alongside Monza (only three goals conceded), Frosinone could create them problems.

On the other hand, the visitors have only kept one clean sheet in 13 matches, that’s why the both teams to score option (10/11) looks appealing.

You can check out all of the Football Betting Tips from the team here at Betfred Insights on our main Football page...