Juventus Now as Short as -700 Favorites for Serie A Title After Lazio Loses to Atalanta

• Juventus now sit four points up on Lazio in the race for first place on the Serie A table
• Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to Atalanta ended Lazio’s 21-match unbeaten streak in league play and strips them of control of their own destiny in the Serie A race
• Read on to get the odds and insight into how the race for the Serie A title will unfold over the final 11 matches of the season

Juventus gained some much-needed breathing room atop the Serie A table this week. The Old Lady returned to league action with a 2-0 win over Bologna on Monday to extend their lead to four points, and have also gained ground in the Serie A odds, where they now sit as strong -500 favorites, with some sportsbooks listing them as short a bet as -700 to claim a ninth straight league title.

Odds to Win Serie A

Odds taken June 25

Juventus, Lazio in Dogfight Atop Serie A Table

Juve found themselves embroiled in a tight neck-and-neck battle with SS Lazio when Serie A suspended play in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite enjoying a steady 9-0-2 win-draw-loss run, the club was unable to put space between themselves and the Eagles in the hunt for first place.

Serie A Table Standings. #TheScoreKE pic.twitter.com/k5sUf2UCrc

— Carol Radull (@CarolRadull) June 25, 2020

Unbeaten in 21 straight league contests. It was starting to look like Lazio would be the club to end Juve’s Serie A dominance before the suspension of play. That was reflected on the Serie A odds, where the Eagles remained virtually deadlocked with Juventus throughout the shutdown.

However, with Juve’s victory over Bologna, combined with Lazio’s stunning 3-2 loss to Atalanta in their first game back on Wednesday afternoon, the Old Lady now find themselves sporting a much more comfortable four-point lead over the second-place Eagles with 11 matches remaining on the schedule. The odds for each were on average were -242 and +240 prior to the stoppage for Juve and Lazio and now -567 and +433 after this week’s results.

Soft Schedule Awaits the Old Lady

That would appear to be far from an insurmountable lead, but it may prove to be all Juve needs as they enter a stretch of three matches against opponents currently mired near the bottom of the table. The club’s next two matches come against teams struggling to avoid relegation, starting with Friday’s home date with Lecce, followed by Tuesday’s visit to Genoa.

Fabio Liverani admits #Lecce have only 14 outfield players fit to face #Juventus but still believes they can cause a shock. “We have to make them play horribly” https://t.co/BampcY2NNL #JuveLecce #SerieA pic.twitter.com/mSil1kVAoh

— footballitalia (@footballitalia) June 25, 2020

While there looked to be little doubt as to the result in Monday’s victory, the upcoming trio of matches also provides Juve with the opportunity to further hone their defense, which has been simply dominant in recent months. The club has kept clean sheets in each of their past four matches across all competitions and allowed just 10 total goals over 16 matches since New Year’s Day.

Lazio Lose Control of Destiny

For Lazio, Wednesday’s loss to surging Atalanta is a bitter pill to swallow. The club failed to protect an early 2-0 lead on their way to their first loss in league play since September, and the 3-2 defeat also marks just the second time this season that they have surrendered more than two goals.

While Lazio no longer controls their own destiny in their bid for their first Serie A crown since 2000, they continue to offer intriguing value as a diminished +400 second favorite in the league futures. Five of their next six league clashes come against opponents on the bottom half of the table, a stretch followed by a pivotal road date with Juventus on July 20.

Lazio’s Hopes Hinge on Road Date with Juve

The Eagles have held a clear edge over Juve in head-to-head meetings this season, following up a decisive 3-1 win in league play in early December with an equally convincing 3-1 win in Super Cup action two weeks later that marked their third win in four road dates with the Old Lady.

If Lazio are able to rebound from Wednesday’s disappointment and return to their winning ways, yet another victory over Juve could provide them with much-needed momentum down the stretch. However, the big question for the Eagles is who will do them a much-needed favor by stealing points from Juve in the weeks ahead?

Atalanta Poised to Play Spoiler

The most likely candidate is the club that handed them their setback on Wednesday. With their victory over Lazio, Atalanta has now posted wins in eight straight matches across all competitions, and with just 12 points separating them from the top of the table, they remain a distant +5000 bet in the Serie A odds.

Seeing a lot of despair for the Serie A title race. There's still almost a third of the season left. Juventus have games against Atalanta, Lazio, Roma, Milan (who they didn't beat in either leg of Coppa semi-final). Who knows how it will shake out, but it really won't end tonight

— Nicky Bandini (@NickyBandini) June 24, 2020

While a run at the title is exceedingly unlikely, Atalanta are perfectly cast in the role of spoilers. The club has earned at least a point in three of four meetings with Juve and could put Lazio back in the driver’s seat by denying the defending champions three points in their upcoming clash.

With so much time remaining in the season, it is too early to write off Lazio’s championship chances.

Pick: SS Lazio (+400)