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Serie A Betting – Juventus at AS Roma

Zack Garrison

by Zack Garrison in News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:39 AM PST

Juventus (+190) at AS Roma (+162), Draw (+210)

Over the last four seasons, the Serie A title race has been a battle between Juventus and AS Roma, with “Juve” coming out on top every single time. If Roma want to have a shot at the Scudetto this year, they will need to take care of business at home against their rivals, even at this early point in the season. Juventus and Roma will clash at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday (12:00 PM Eastern) in the second fixture of the 2015-16 season for both clubs.

Juventus, which not only won their fourth straight Serie A title last season but also reached the final of the Champions League, started the season in surprising fashion, losing at home to Udinese last week (1-0). The departures of midfielders Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo along with striker Carlos Tevez mean the squad is having to adjust to new systems and formations, which could mean more early-season struggles, especially against other top teams like Roma.

Manager Max Allegri saw some positives from the loss to Udinese, though. “We had started well, but then got a bit disorganized and hasty. We needed more quality in the final ball and the finishing,” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia. “We were tired towards the end, as we’d played for 70 minutes with great intensity, and Udinese took advantage on the counter-attack.”

AS Roma drew their first game of the season against Verona (1-1 away) and haven’t managed to take the full three points from Juventus in three straight. Last season, the teams played to a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico.

Despite the departures from Juve, Roma manager Raul Garcia isn’t taking the champs lightly.

“They lost important players like Arturo Vidal, Carlos Tevez and Andrea Pirlo, but also bought talents and – like us – they need time to work and get the best out of the squad,” said Garcia.

Both teams are still trying to find some rhythm in this early part of the season, and both will desperately want to avoid a loss. Since neither looks superior – either in terms of talent or level of play – the draw is the best bet available.

Pick: Draw (+210). 

(Photo credit: Ver en vivo En Directo (flickr) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/]. Photo has been cropped.)

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