Cagliari vs SS Lazio
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Today’s free tip is in the Italian Serie A encounter between Cagliari and SS Lazio in Sardinia. Half of the battle of playing in this ‘olde worlde’ area of Italy has always been the intimidating locals. Often associated with trouble, Cagliari are never far away from 70’s-esque stereotyping and behaviour. I wish I could portray the away team as having a ‘holier than thou’ attitude here but honestly, out of all of the mainland nutcases that exist in Serie A, SS Lazio are amongst the worst too, frequently associated with communism. If this game were to kick off – both on and off the pitch – I would not be at all surprised.
In terms of football, however, we should see a one-way street here. Fans are non-existent, which should favour the visitors, and the home team have made some very random changes pre-season, which yet again places them squarely in the, “what the fuck?” category of Serie A outfits. I do agree that appointing a modern manager like Di Francesco was a smart move for the islanders, although I think it was borne out of desperation moreso than forthright thinking. It’ll take time for him to make this team truly embrace a more fluid, energetic way of playing though, and that showed against Sassuolo. I’m not even sure how they drew that game really, other than because Sassuolo did very ‘Sassuolo’ things in defence and didn’t take their chances well enough. Cagliari did not look ready for that match, and I doubt they’ll look ready tonight.
As per usual, I get quite excited when I see who Cagliari have signed pre-season because they always manage one or two big snares. The latest one is Uruguayan warrior Godin, possibly the best defender to ever play in these parts. Then I remember that they’re going to be playing for a highly inconsistent Cagliari team and the excitement all but dissipates. I think rapid winger Sottil (on loan from ACF Fiorentina) will have an amazing breakthrough season after performing very well in Florence when utilised last season. Having Rog, Simeone, and Nandez on a more permanent basis now is good news for the club too.
However, the loss of Nainggolan pre-season, their lack of a trustworthy goalkeeper, the fact that Joao Pedro will not have anywhere near as good a campaign as last season, and their lack of depth in any area but midfield are big problems for Cagliari. Di Francesco will address that problem in time, and if he’s actually given it, I genuinely think he’ll make Cagliari into another Sassuolo. That eventuality is some years from now though. For now, it’s a case of building confidence and getting the players used to a new style, and that’s not an easy task. Their opponents today aren’t quite as charitable as Sassuolo in defence so it’s hard to be positive about the islanders’ chances here.
The only drawback with the capital club today is that it’s their first competitive match of the season, and they may be a bit rusty. Other than that, there’s no reason to trust in anything but an emphatic away win for a far superior team. Inzaghi not only has one of the most settled, organised, experienced, and consistent teams in Serie A, but he’s added great signings pre-season with very little actual outlay. Goalkeeper Reina on a free? Bargain. Argentinian warrior Escalante on a free? Bargain. Kosovan striker Muriqi for 12 mi? Bargain. Those three signings add depth to a team that was only really short in that area. I firmly believe we’ll see them compete for the title yet again this season.
Nothing fazes SS Lazio nowadays, and Inzaghi doesn’t get enough credit for that. It’s a bit like with SSC Napoli – people forget what they were like prior to good managers being there. Pre-Sarri, SSC Napoli were Italy’s biggest joke. Pre-Inzaghi, SS Lazio had stolen that title from them for their bottling nature, lack of consistency, and lack of identity. Inzaghi has moulded this group of lunatics into a wonderfully efficient, consistent outfit that is capable of both playing with tremendous flair and defending stoutly.
Not only that, but SS Lazio have held onto their star players pre-season, yet again. Immobile, Milinkovic-Savic, Correa, Alberto – they’re all still in town, which means the spine of SS Lazio remains intact. They’re a very capable team, and far more dangerous in the final third for the arrival of Muriqi (worth noting he’s out tonight, mind). Tactically, SS Lazio are phenomenal under Inzaghi, and they should not struggle to outsmart their zany hosts today either. As I recall it, Inzaghi has never lost against Cagliari, and SS Lazio have won most matches they’ve played against the islanders. Other than rust, there’s no reason to doubt it happening again, only the quality gap just keeps on getting bigger.
Therefore, I’m happy to take a chance on SS Lazio beating the -1 Asian Handicap at 11/10.
Verdict: SS Lazio to beat the –1 Asian Handicap at 11/10.
Saturday’s Thoughts
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
Austrian Bundesliga:
SCR Altach vs Swarovski Tirol
St. Polten vs Rapid Vienna
SV Ried vs Salzburg
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Beerschot-Wilrijk vs Waasland-Beveren
KV Mechelen vs Sint-Truiden
AA Gent vs OH Leuven
Brazilian Serie A:
Internacional vs Sao Paulo
Athletico Paranaense vs Bahia
Atletico Mineiro vs Gremio
Bulgarian A PFG:
Ludogorets Razgrad vs Beroe
Botev Plovdiv vs Levski Sofia
Croatian Prva Liga:
Istra 1961 vs Sibenik
NK Osijek vs Gorica
Czech Republic Liga 1:
Karvina vs Mlada Boleslav
Teplice vs Banik Ostrava
Zlin vs Sigma Olomouc
Slavia Prague vs Slovacko
Danish Superligaen:
FC Midtjylland vs Randers
English Premier League:
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United
Crystal Palace vs Everton
West Bromwich Albion vs Chelsea
Burnley vs Southampton
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Tulevik vs Kuressaare
Flora Paide vs Tallinna Kalev
Finnish Ykkonen:
KPV vs VPS
Kajaani vs MyPa
MuSa vs MP
Gnistan vs SJK-Akatemia
French Ligue 1:
AS Saint-Etienne vs Stade Rennais
Olympique de Marseille vs Metz
German Bundesliga:
Borussia Moenchengladbach vs Union Berlin
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs RB Leipzig
Mainz 05 vs VfB Stuttgart
Augsburg vs Bv09 Borussia Dortmund
Arminia Bielefeld vs Koln
Schalke 04 vs Werder Bremen
German Bundesliga 2:
Fortuna Dusseldorf vs Wurzburger Kickers
Darmstadt 98 vs Jahn Regensburg
Eintracht Braunschweig vs Holstein Kiel
Hungarian Liga 1:
Paksi SE vs MTK Budapest
Zalaegerszegi TE vs Diosgyori VTK
Italian Serie A:
Torino vs Atalanta Bergamo
Cagliari vs SS Lazio
Sampdoria vs Benevento
Internazionale vs ACF Fiorentina
Italian Serie B:
Brescia vs Ascoli
Cosenza vs Virtus Entella
Frosinone vs Empoli
Lecce vs Pordenone
Pescara vs Chievo Verona
Salernitana vs Reggina
Venezia vs Vicenza Virtus
Dutch Eredivisie:
PEC Zwolle vs Sparta Rotterdam
Fortuna Sittard vs AZ Alkmaar
SC Heerenveen vs VVV Venlo
AFC Ajax Amsterdam vs Vitesse Arnhem
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Molde FK vs Sandefjord
Stromsgodset vs Sarpsborg 08
Portuguese Liga 1:
Maritimo Funchal vs Tondela
SL Benfica vs Moreirense
Boavista vs FC Porto
Portuguese Liga 2:
Sporting Covilha vs Varzim
Russian Premier League:
Tambov vs Spartak Moscow
Zenit St. Petersburg vs FK Ufa
PFC Sochi vs FK Krasnodar
Spanish Primera Liga:
Deportivo Alaves vs Getafe
Valencia CF vs Huesca
Elche vs Real Sociedad
Real Betis Balompie vs Real Madrid
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Orebro vs Sirius
Swiss Super League:
FC Sion vs Young Boys Bern
FC Zurich vs Lugano
Swiss Challenge League:
FC Wil vs FC Thun
Stade Lausanne-Ouchy vs SC Kriens
Turkish Super Lig:
Kayserispor vs BB Erzurumspor
Hatayspor vs Kasimpasa
Goztepe vs Gazisehir Gaziantep
Trabzonspor vs Yeni Malatyaspor
Enjoy your free betting tips!