Soccer Prediction: Bologna’s Red-Hot Form to Continue Under Motta

They were picked apart 2-0 at home in their league opener against Milan, but Motta’s side has managed to bounce back in style, drawing 1-1 at Juventus and beating Cagliari 2-1 before picking up three straight draws to Hellas Verona, Napoli, and Monza. Riccardo Orsolini’s hat-trick saw them thrash Empoli 3-0, and the following match, Bologna erased an early two-goal deficit as Orsolini’s penalty and Joshua Zirzkee’s equalizer saw Motta pull off a draw against Inter, where he won a historic treble under Mourinho in 2010. Lewis Ferguson broke the deadlock early on whilst 35-year-old right back Lorenzo De Silvestri added another shortly after, firing in a powerful header from outside the box, as Bologna moved to eighth in the table.

Bologna hasn’t lost in two months, and I don’t expect that to change as they take on Sassuolo – there’s more than enough reason to add Bologna to your weekend Serie A picks.

Sassuolo closed out September with back-to-back wins against previously undefeated Juventus and Inter, before falling to a 1-0 loss to Monza. The team drew 1-1 at Lecce before returning from the break with a 2-0 loss to Lazio, and they sit 13th in the table, four points above the drop. Only Salernitana (19) and Cagliari (18), the bottom two sides in the league, have conceded more goals than Sassuolo (16).

Apart from their recent results against Lecce and Monza, there have been just two occasions since the start of May where Sassuolo conceded fewer than two goals: a 2-1 win at Inter on Sept. 27 and a 1-1 draw against Bologna on May 8. While they have plenty of attacking threats in Domenico Berardi and Armand Laurienté, their defense has been a comedy of errors, and it could end up costing Alessio Dionisi his job. If you’re planning to bet on soccer this weekend, make sure to bet on Bologna scoring at least two goals in their visit to Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore.

Soccer Prediction: Bologna to score over 1½ goals (+115)

Monza – Udinese to Be Light on Goals

Udinese has remained in the Italian top flight since earning promotion in 1978-79, but today, they find themselves in danger of going down and occupying the relegation zone. Udinese sits two points above Salernitana, three above Cagliari, and one away from safety, and they are one of three teams who have yet to win in Serie A.

The losses of key players such as Beto, Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Becão and Roberto Pereyra have deprived Udinese of veteran leaders and major sources of creativity; they have scored just five goals, and only Empoli (three) has scored fewer. Two of those goals came in a draw to Genoa, one came when Napoli was already 3-0 up with a quarter-hour to go, and one came in a draw to Salernitana. The other came on Monday, with Florian Thauvin breaking the deadlock from the penalty spot, only for Roberto Piccoli to equalize in the 83rd minute for Lecce.

They’ll be looking to escape the relegation zone with a win at Monza, who, after finishing 11th in their first-ever Serie A campaign, currently sit 12th in the table. With eight goals and eight conceded, no team has combined for fewer goals than Monza (16), who remain undefeated at home.

Apart from a 3-0 loss to Atalanta on September 2 and a 3-0 win against Salernitana on October 8, all of Monza’s matches this season have featured under 2.5 goals. Even after falling to 10 men in the 41st minute, they were able to hold on and deliver a competent performance at Stadio Olimpico, but Stephan El Shaarawy’s 90th-minute winner saw them lose 1-0 and suffer their first defeat in seven weeks.

Five of Monza’s last six matches have featured under 2.5 goals, while seven of Udinese’s last nine featured under 2.5 as well. If you’re looking for the best Serie A parlays and picks for this weekend, make sure to go with a low-scoring match between Monza and Udinese.

Soccer Prediction: Monza, Udinese Under 2½ (-108)

Question Of The Day