Serie A 2021-22 Matchweek 1 betting picks & top odds

Juventus is on the road against Udinese Calcio in one of the top matchups of Matchweek 1 in the 2021-22 Serie A season. Juve is one of the three road teams we are targeting in this weekend’s Serie A best bets.

Udinese vs Juventus

Juventus had a disappointing 2020-21 season that saw the club drop to fourth place on the Serie A table with a 23-9-6 record to snap a stretch of five straight league championships. Massimiliano Allegri left Juventus at the end of the 2019-20 season due to poor results in the Champions League, but one terrible season with Andrea Pirlo at the helm has Juventus and its fans welcoming Allegri back with open arms.

Udinese is the perfect opponent to face in week one to get the new Allegri era off on the right foot. Juventus is 8-0-1 in its last nine matches against Udinese with seven of those eight wins coming by two goals or more. Look for Cristiano Ronaldo to score a pair of goals en route to a comfortable Juventus victory.

Hellas Verona vs Sassuolo

Sassuolo Calcio is 2-1-0 over its last three preseason friendlies, outscoring its opponents 7-2 over that stretch. Sassuolo finished last year in eighth place on the Serie A table with a 17-11-10 record, 10 points ahead of ninth-placed Sampdoria and 17 points ahead of Hellas Verona.

Hellas Verona finished last season 11-12-15 and is Sassuolo’s first opponent in 2021-22. While there will likely be more of an emphasis placed on defense under new manager Alessio Dionisi, this team is still built to attack first and worry about the rest later. This high-octane style of play can lead to trouble against offensively capable teams, but Verona had one of the worst offensive outputs in Serie A last season with only 48 goals in 38 matches. Look for Sassuolo to do enough to get the job done in this one.

Sampdoria vs AC Milan

AC Milan has some obstacles to overcome this season. Milan finished the 2020-21 campaign with a 24-7-7 record but have had some key departures this offseason, including Gianluigi Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu. Fortunately for Milan fans, the club has made some nice moves in the summer transfer window and still has plenty of young talent that should be ready to take another step forward in 2021-22.

Milan may not have enough to challenge for the top spot on the table this season, but it should still have a big advantage over teams outside of the top six. Those teams include Sampdoria, a club coming off of a 15-7-16 campaign last season. The road side is 5-2-1 in its last eight matches against Sampdoria and should cash in with a win in Monday’s season opener.