Juve vs Sampdoria Picks – Sampdoria contineues home dominance over Juve

Online betting players will recognize Juventus being in a race for the Champions League near the top of Serie A, but Sampdoria is as close as they have been in recent years. The two will meet in Genoa on Sunday, and Sampdoria will take advantage of some extra rest, along with their brilliant play at home, to leapfrog Juve in the table.

• What: Soccer betting
• When: Sunday, March 21, 3:45 PM ET
• Where: Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, Italy
• Key Stat: Sampdoria is undefeated in 13 matches at home this year

The Storyline: Juve vs Sampdoria Picks

These two are battling to keep pace with Palermo for the final Champions League spot in Serie A, with sixth-placed Sampdoria one point behind Juve, who trail Palermo by a single point. Juve thumped Sampdoria 5-1 at home back in October, and Sampdoria will be looking to return the favor, but they’ll have to slow down a rampaging Juve attack. Sampdoria has an edge though, as Juve will head to London for the second leg of their Europa League showdown with Fulham on Thursday, trying to hold onto a 3-1 lead.

Offensive Matchups: Juve vs Sampdoria Picks

Juve has scored eight goals in their last three matches, and they’ve been getting goals from all over the place. However, the strikers, Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet are aging, and they’ll need to buy a younger forward to keep up with Diego, who has been playing well of late just behind the strikers. If Juve could just be consistent in the attacking half, they’d be challenging Inter Milan for the lead.

Giampaolo Pazzini is the main man for Sampdoria, and his 13 goals have him tied for third in Serie A. However, if he doesn’t score, Sampdoria often find themselves struggling to get a point in a match. Antonio Cassano has turned himself into a set-up man with seven assists, but a couple more goals would be nice.

Defensive Matchups: Juve vs Sampdoria Picks

The Juve defense hasn’t been as good as in recent years, and again, age has something to do with it. In a 3-3 draw at home against Siena in which they allowed a two-goal lead to slip away, the average age of the back four was 29.5, and that’s with 23-year-old Paolo DeCeglie in the lineup. Gianluigi Buffon is 32 years old, and he’s looked ordinary this year, although that has a lot to do with the defense in front of him.

Sampdoria usually have a chance in your sportsbook because of their defense, and at home they’ve been great with eight goals allowed in 13 matches, which has led to an unbeaten record at the Marassi. Marco Storari has taken over for Luca Castellazzi, who moved to Inter, and he’s given up more than one goal in just one of his last 10 matches.

Notable Injuries: Juve vs Sampdoria Picks

Buffon and Alex Manniger will both miss the Fulham match, so they’re a worry for Sunday’s match as well, along with Marchiso, Tiago and Del Piero, who scored twice against Siena.

For Sampdoria, only Franco Semoli is out for sure, while Fernando Tissone should be back.

Totals: Juve vs Sampdoria Picks

The Juve defense is not encouraging, and without Buffon, it’s even worse. Sampdoria is a much more confident team going forward at home, so look at the over here.

Betting Prediction: Juve vs Sampdoria Picks

Juve comes in as a road favorite at +178, while Sampdoria is rated at +189, and a draw is listed at +224. Sampdoria will be out for revenge after the 5-1 hammering they took at Juve, who have a few injuries to worry about all over the pitch. In what might be a mild surprise, we’re taking Sampdoria at home, where they have yet to lose (eight wins, five draws) this season.

Todd’s Pick: Sampdoria +189

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