Serie A Weekly: Inter Top Pick vs Torino

Inter Up and Down Lately

After a perfect start to the campaign, Inter suffered their first defeat of the season with a 2-1 loss at home against Sassuolo before bouncing back with a 4-0 win at Salernitana that would see Lautaro Martínez come off the bench in the second half and score four goals. Simone Inzaghi’s side opened October with a 1-0 win against Benfica in the Champions League, with Marcus Thuram’s goal securing a much-needed victory following their opening day draw at Real Sociedad.

The following match would see Francesco Acerbi and Martínez score within 13 minutes, but Bologna would pull one back immediately after as Lewis Ferguson won a penalty, with Riccardo Orsolini converting from the spot. Ferguson would find Joshua Zirkzee for the equalizer in the 52nd minute as Thiago Motta picked up another impressive result against his former employers, having previously guided them to a 1-0 win in February against the Nerazzurri.

Inter Dominates Head-to-Head

With the exception of a 1-1 draw on March 13, 2022, Inter have won their last seven fixtures against the Granata, who sit 14th in the table with nine points, five above the relegation zone. If you’re planning to bet online on Italian soccer this weekend, look no further than a low-scoring Inter victory here.

Each of the last five matches between the two have served up under 3.5 goals, and apart from a 4-1 loss at Milan on Aug. 26, each of Torino’s seven matches this season have featured under 3.5 goals. Ivan Jurić’s side have struggled in front of goal with just six goals – only Serie A’s bottom five sides have scored fewer.

.@DenzelJMD2, non possiamo fare a meno delle tue 📸🔥#ForzaInter pic.twitter.com/2KNEjG9jrF

— Inter (@Inter) October 16, 2023

After ending September with a 2-0 loss to Lazio, Torino drew 0-0 to Hellas Verona before falling to a 2-0 defeat at Juventus. I’m expecting their low-scoring run of form to continue against an Inter side that boasts the best defense in the league with just five goals conceded.

With the exception of the 2023 Champions League Final, Inter has not been held scoreless since April 1. For my Serie A bet prediction, I don’t expect that to change against a Torino side that is floundering at the moment.

Soccer Pick: Inter to win and under 3.5 goals (+150)

Can Fiorentina, González Sink Empoli Further?

In the first two seasons under Vincenzo Italiano, Fiorentina finished seventh and eighth, initially missing out on European football only to be given a reprieve after Juventus’ disqualification. They would lose the first leg of their Europa Conference League playoff against Rapid Wien 1-0 only to win the second leg at home 2-0, with Nicolás González completing his brace in the 90th minute to send them through to the group stage.

The Argentine winger was called up for the Albiceleste’s World Cup squad only to miss out on a second international trophy after being forced to withdraw just days before the tournament due to a muscular injury.

Gonzalez would rebound and play an important role in attack, racking up 14 goals and five assists in 42 appearances across all competitions, including a brace in the second leg of the Europa Conference League semifinals to send them through to the final in Prague, where they would lose to West Ham.

González looked set to depart the Tuscan club with Brentford tabling a bid of €30m, but he remained put and has enjoyed a stellar start to the Serie A season with five goals and one assist in seven league matches. After penning a new contract until 2028, González opened the scoring in a 1-1 draw at Frosinone, before breaking the deadlock within three minutes in a 3-0 win against Cagliari and assisting Jonathan Ikoné’s 93rd-minute equalizer in a match that would see Fiorentina erase a two-goal deficit and draw against Ferencváros.

González came off the bench in the 73rd minute and scored in extra time to secure a 3-1 win against Napoli before heading off for international duty with Argentina. If you’re looking for the sports betting picks for this weekend in the Italian top division, look no further than González finding the back of the net against Empoli and leading his side to victory.

Whilst Fiorentina occupy the final Champions League spot, sitting level with third-place Juventus on 17 points, Empoli occupy the final relegation spot. Up until recently, they had been one of the only teams in Europe who had yet to experience a league win this season. That changed on Sept. 27 as Tommaso Baldanzi scored before the break in a 1-0 win against Salernitana, ending a run of six consecutive defeats to start the season.

The run of fuility included a 7-0 loss to Roma and a 2-1 loss to second-tier Cittadella in the Coppa Italia, before falling to a 3-0 loss at Bologna and a 0-0 draw to Udinese. Make sure to put González scoring and Fiorentina winning in your best Serie A bets for the weekend.

González is in scintillating form for Fiorentina, and he has what it takes to score against an Empoli side that not only has the worst attack in Serie A with one goal scored, but one of the worst defenses as well with 16 conceded.

Soccer Pick: Fiorentina to win and Gonzalez to score (+174)