Lecce vs Monza
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Today’s free tip is in the Italian Serie B encounter between Lecce and Monza.
Trusting Monza to win a tough game like this is dangerous. This is the kind of game they should win, given who they brought in pre-season. However, it’s a long ol’ way to the southern tip of Italy, and they’re up against a very experienced team that have played in most divisions of Italian football over the past few years, including Serie A. I certainly think that we’ll have a clearer indication of what to expect from Monza moving forward after this game.
Nonetheless, despite the somewhat bold nature of the tip, I like it a lot. I wouldn’t give a tip if I didn’t fancy it, even if it’s a long shot (like Eibar to beat Barcelona CF with draw no bet recently, for example). There are a few different reasons for me fancying Monza tonight. The first is that they’ve picked up rather well lately whereas Lecce have gone off the boil a little. There are always reasons for such, but the end product is that Lecce are producing really disjointed displays, and their opponents suddenly look very focused and efficient.
The main force behind this tip, if you will, is team news though. I think even folk outside of Italy are aware that Monza are Berlusconi’s team, and that he’s ‘helped’ them make some historic signings with Kevin-Prince Boateng and Mario Balotelli amongst those to have joined – and they had a good enough squad before that! Now, both are very temperamental players, but both are undeniably brilliant players too, worthy of playing in Serie A, where they’ve both proven their worth in the past. Despite signing both a while ago though, both have had injury problems, as has centre-back Paletta, so Monza haven’t had their best players on the park – until now. Paletta may still be injured, but Balotelli and Boateng are not. Balotelli scored on his debut in a 3-0 win over high-flying Salernitana, and Boateng is already proving his class too. With Frattesi in form, experienced Barilla keeping things ticking in midfield, and a very lively attack, Monza are not finding it hard to create chances, nor to convert them. They’ve even started to look better at the back too, which should only improve if/when Paletta gets fit.
On top of the above, Lecce find themselves without some really important players at the moment. I don’t know if it’s fair to say that Lucioni is their best defender but he’s certainly featured more than most over the past twelve months, and he’s out tonight. He joins midfielder Falco on the sidelines, as well as striker Pettinari, brought in from Trapani after his goal-scoring heroics last season although he’s yet to break his duck for his new team. All three are regularly in the Lecce starting eleven though, and they’re not exactly blessed with depth right now, Lecce, having overseen some kind of amnesty to balance the books after relegation from Serie A. Basically, unless Mancosu produces something from nothing – and he really is a very capable creator who should be in Serie A – then Coda and Stepinski are not going to see the ball, and neither of them will create chances by themselves.
Lecce’s best hope against such a dangerous attacking team tonight is that Tachtsidis can control the game well enough for Lecce to not have their defence exposed all that much. He’s good enough to do it, the experienced Greek, but they’re up against what’s verging upon a Serie A level attack. Lecce have more between their ears than Monza, and more experience. However, with the players out that I listed above, and the confident, efficient displays of Monza in mind, I have to consider backing the visitors with draw no bet cover at 9/10 as a good value pick here.
Monza to win with draw no bet at 9/10.
Monday’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.
English Premier League:
Southampton vs Liverpool
German Bundesliga 2:
Fortuna Dusseldorf vs Paderborn 07
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Maccabi Petah Tikva vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Italian Serie B:
Cosenza vs Empoli
Venezia vs Pisa
Lecce vs Monza
Ascoli vs Reggina
Cremonese vs Chievo Verona
Frosinone vs SPAL
Reggiana vs Pescara
Salernitana vs Pordenone
Virtus Entella vs Cittadella
Brescia vs Vicenza
Portuguese Liga 1:
Gil Vicente vs Belenenses
Portimonense vs Farense
Portuguese Liga 2:
Cova de Piedade vs FC Porto II
Estoril vs Penafiel
Spanish Primera Liga:
Valencia CF vs Cadiz
Turkish Super Lig:
Kasimpasa vs Fenerbahce
Enjoy your free betting tips!