Serie A Odds - Juve stops Inter's drive for five
Serie A odds for this year’s Italian premier league sees Inter Milan going for a fifth consecutive league title, which is something that hasn’t been done since the 1930s, when Juventus succeeded at it. Juve will keep that record intact at their club, and win their first Italian title since 2003.
Serie A odds: New additions give Juve edge
- Inter’s style of play will change with Eto’o up front
- Loss of Kaka, aging defense hurts Milan chances
- Roma, Fiorentina are longshots to crack top three
Inter Milan are the betting favorites at -125 after winning the league title for the fourth straight season, and they made the biggest move of the offseason by essentially trading Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona for Samuel Eto’o and cash. Losing Ibrahimovic, Serie A’s leading scorer, is a blow, but Eto’o is no slouch himself. Inter will look for more out of Ricardo Quaresma in the midfield, while the defense is still rock solid, marshaled by captain Javier Zanetti and keeper Francesco Toldo.
Juventus is next at +300, and they reloaded for a title run by luring playmaker Diego from Werder Bremen, while Fabio Cannavaro returns to the club after a three-year stint with Real Madrid. Felipe Melo was brought in to strengthen the midfield, while Juve still has the best keeper in Italy in Gianluigi Buffon.
A.C. Milan comes in at +400 with a new manager in Leonardo (who played for Milan), who replaces the departed Carlo Ancelotti. All eyes will be on Ronaldinho, especially with Kaka gone to Real Madrid. Alexandre Pato will be turning 20 very soon, and he’s being touted as the next Milan star. However, the defense is aging and Dida is looking to prove he deserves to be the No.1 keeper after an injury to Christian Abbiati.
As long as captain Francesco Totti is in the squad, Roma will have a chance to pull off an upset with sports betting lines of +1200. Mirko Vucinic and Julio Baptista are a solid forward duo, but Roma’s problem is defense: they allowed 61 goals last year, which was the fourth-highest total in Serie A.
Fiorentina is rated at +3300 in your offshore sportsbook, and the strike pair of Albert Gilardino and Adrian Mutu combined for 32 goals. However, outside of those two, there isn’t much else in terms of goals. This means Fiorentina can’t afford to allow many goals, but Sebastien Frey is a very good keeper.
TODD’S PICK: Outside of the top three, no one has worn the Italian crown since 2001, and it’s a good bet that will continue. Inter are still strong, but it may take a while to get used to the way Eto’o plays. Milan’s hopes rest with Ronaldinho and Pato, but their defense is getting old. This leaves Juve, and Diego may turn out to be the best move of the offseason. He can score goals as well as he sets them up, which should benefit captain Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet. Also, they offer better wagering value than Inter, so make Juventus your betting choice this year.
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