Serie A Matchweek 20 betting picks – Thursday, January 06

Juventus will be looking to continue its climb up the Serie A table this Thursday when it hosts Napoli in a top-five showdown. This matchup is featured along with Bologna vs. Inter Milan and A.C. Milan vs. A.S. Roma in this Thursday’s Serie A Matchweek 20 best bets.

Bologna vs. Inter Milan

Inter Milan (14-4-1) is undefeated over its last 11 matches with a 9-2-0 record that includes a current win streak of seven straight matches. Internazionale has not conceded a goal in league play since November 21, outscoring its last six opponents 17-0. The club’s recent surge has allowed Inter to open up a four-point lead over A.C. Milan for first place atop the Serie A standings.

Bologna (8-3-8) snapped a three-match losing streak with a 3-0 win over Sassuolo before the holiday break. It was a rare offensive outburst for a Bologna offense that has scored one goal or less in five of its last seven matches. Inter has won its last three games against Bologna by an average margin of victory of 2.7 goals per game; it’s hard to imagine this is where the club’s red hot streak comes to an end.

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A.C. Milan vs. A.S. Roma

A.C. Milan (13-3-3) bounced back from a 1-0 loss at home to Napoli with an impressive 4-2 road win over Empoli before the break. Prior to that win, Milan had gone just 2-2-3 over its previous seven matches after having gone 10-1-0 over its first 11 matches in 2021-22. A.S. Roma (10-2-7) is 2-1-0 over its last three matches after playing to a 1-1 draw at home agianst Sampdoria in its last game. Roma was 5-1-7 over its previous 13 games prior to this recent unbeaten streak.

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In the last eight matches between these two clubs, A.C. Milan has a 5-2-1 edge. This should be a competitive game, but Milan’s edge on offense and home field advantage should tip the scales in their favor. Look for Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s return from injury to spark the team and crowd en route to a victory at home.

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Juventus vs. Napoli

Juventus (10-4-5) has had its share of struggles this season, losing Cristiano Ronaldo through an early-season transfer and opening the year with an underwhelming 4-3-4 record. But over the last two months of 2021, the club settled down and went 6-1-1 over its last eight matches, allowing a total of only two goals over that stretch. Juventus is 4-1-0 over its last five games with four 2-0 wins over that stretch.

Napoli (12-3-4) on the other hand is going in the opposite direction, opening the season with a 10-2-0 run only to go 2-4-1 over the club’s last seven matches. The defense is still playing at a high level with only two goals conceded over Napoli’s last three games, but Napoli has scored only one goal over that stretch. Juventus looks like a solid play at home in this one, though it’s possible that the layoff may have given Napoli a chance to regroup and get back on track. The safer play is on the UNDER 2.5 goals as both of these squads have elite defenses and will be comfortable playing in a tightly contested match.

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