Italian soccer is well known for being defensive, but there are plenty of good goal scorers playing in the Serie A. The list includes one of the all-time best, Cristiano Ronaldo, who’ll be defending the Golden Boot title during the upcoming season.
The Serie A returns on Aug. 21 but it’s never too early to start planning your sports betting strategy. Let’s check the top candidates to finish as the league’s top scorer alongside a couple of dark horses.
Odds to win Serie A Golden Boot
Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan)
Last season, Romelu Lukaku finished as the Golden Boot runner-up with 24 goals. He was very important for Inter Milan to win the league title for the first time in 12 years. His physique makes it more difficult to stop him.
He’s offering a +350 price, but rumor has it that Chelsea is trying to sign him. If he stays, there’s no doubt that he would be Inter’s main offensive weapon. He has developed a good chemistry with Lautaro Martinez. He would also benefit by the arrival of Hakan Calhanoglu, who finished last season with nine assists.
During Lukaku’s career, he has scored 20-plus goals in three seasons, including the last two with Inter.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Ronaldo won last season’s Golden Boot after scoring 29 goals. He played 33 games, which means he almost scored one goal per game. He has played three seasons with Juventus, scoring 20-plus goals in each of them.
CR7 is very well accompanied by Paulo Dybala, Alvaro Morata and Federico Chiesa. They all know who’s the boss, which boosts Ronaldo’s chances to score every weekend. One of Ronaldo’s advantages is that he’s in charge of the free kicks and penalties.
He’s also offering a +350 price over the Odds to Finish as the Serie A Top Scorer. Ronaldo is 36 years old, but he barely suffers from injuries due to a strict regime.
Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
Lautaro Martinez finished the 2020-21 season with 16 goals, his best season ever. That was his second straight season scoring at least 14 goals. He also scored one goal in the domestic cup and one more in the UEFA Champions League.
He knows Lukaku is the team’s main offensive weapon, but that could change soon. If Lukaku signs with Chelsea, Martinez will lead Inter’s attack.
He’s offering a +700 price. Keep in mind that Inter has a new head coach in Simone Inzaghi. Martinez could benefit from a change in their playing style. He also knows that another good season could open some doors in La Liga or the English Premier League.
Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Atalanta has finished among the Serie A top five over the last three seasons. Zapata has a lot to do with that. Last season, he scored 15 goals, finishing as the team’s second top scorer. He has scored 15-plus goals in each of his three seasons with the team.
The Colombian is both very fast and very strong. He has become one of the best national team players. He already scored on the road to the 2022 World Cup.
Zapata is offering a +700 price. He shares the offensive duties with Luis Muriel and they’ve developed incredible chemistry. Two seasons ago, Zapata scored 23 goals and he’s more than capable of improving those numbers.
Alvaro Morata (Juventus)
I think Alvaro Morata doesn’t deserve to be among the top-five favorites. Don’t get me wrong, he’s very good, but not that good. Last season, he scored 11 goals in 32 domestic matches.
One of Morata’s disadvantages is that he’s not an undisputed starter. He often comes off the bench. Also, the team usually plays for Ronaldo, not for him. Curiously enough, or maybe not, last season he finished among the best in assists with nine.
His best season was in 2016-17 when he scored 15 goals for Real Madrid. He’s offering a +1000 price in online betting.
Final Analysis, Picks
There’s a lot of good options here. You know Ronaldo is going to crush it once again. Nevertheless, I like Martinez. He knows it’s time to explode and become one of the best strikers in Europe. Last season, Inter Milan scored 89 goals, so stop thinking of them as a defensive team.
Regarding the dark horses, we have Ciro Immobile (Lazio) and Luis Muriel (Atalanta) offering a +1200 price. Immobile is the most experienced and he finished last season with 19 goals. Muriel had an even better season after leading his team with 22 goals. Atalanta scored more goals (90) than any other team in the league, which means Muriel has more chances.
