Serie A Matchday 1 Odds & Picks: An Easy Win for Juve and Surprise Win for Crotone?

• Italy’s Serie A 2020-21 season kicks off this weekend with Fiorentina vs Torino
• Reigning champions Juventus start their quest for their 35th title with a home clash with Sampdoria
• We list the odds for all seven games and preview three, offering our best picks

After a shortened summer break, due to the coronavirus pandemic extending the 2019-20 campaign, the 2020-21 Serie A season kicks off this weekend when Fiorentina hosts Torino. Unusually, Matchday 1 only includes seven of the scheduled ten games with three taking place on September 30.

We’ll concentrate on the seven that are taking place on Saturday and Sunday, show the odds, preview three, and offer a pick for each.

Serie A Matchday 1 Odds

All odds taken Sept 18 at FanDuel

Pick 1: Juventus vs Sampdoria

Juventus start the season as odds-on favorites to win yet another Scudetto – another would be their 37th – and there’s been little to suggest any of their rivals have done enough over the summer to significantly close the gap. But, and there is a but, Juve have added an element of the unknown into this campaign by sacking last season’s coach Maurizio Sarri and replacing him with the untried Andrea Pirlo.

While Pirlo was an outstanding player, his top-level credentials as a coach are untested and so there’s an element of uncertainty in the Allianz Stadium ahead of the new season. But, having said all of that, their squad remains the strongest in the division by some distance, and only a fool, or those who love lumping on massive outsiders, would predict anything other than a home win here.

📝 Double session with president #Ferrero in attendance ➡️ https://t.co/GhdICFwxFC pic.twitter.com/0hShLeMDNQ

— Sampdoria English 😷 (@sampdoria_en) September 16, 2020

Sampdoria, who finished a disappointing 15th last season, haven’t spent massively over the summer but have brought in several new faces, including Norwegian winger Mikkel Damsgaard, but it looks likely to be another tough for them and manager Claudio Ranieri. The straight home win, at -370, offers little value but a repeat of last season’s scoreline, 2-0 to Juve, looks a decent bet.

Pick: Juventus to win 2-0 (+550)

Pick 2: Fiorentina vs Torino

The Italian season opens on Saturday in Florentina’s Stadio Artemio Franchi stadium with Torino the visitors. Last season, the Viola finished in tenth place but this term will be looking to push for the European places and have had a good summer, with the permanent signings of Alfred Duncan, Pol Lirola, Christian Kouame, and Giacomo Bonaventura. They look well set to challenge, at least, for the Europa League places.

Torino finished last season just five points and two places clear of the relegation zone and will be very keen to avoid a repeat this time around. A productive summer in the transfer market has seen them tie down last-season loanee Simone Verdi on a permanent deal as well as bringing in Polish midfielder Karol Linetty from Sampdoria. These two teams played in Florence as recently as July 19, with Fiorentina winning 2-0, and with Torino being poor travelers – they haven’t won on the road for 11 games – everything points to a home win. But this is a new beginning for the visitors and with no home support to drive on Fiorentina, I see value here in the draw.

Pick: Fiorentina and Torino to draw (+260)

Pick 3: Genoa vs Crotone

Newly promoted Crotone travel to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday to play Genoa – the home team having stayed in Serie A by the skin of their teeth courtesy of a home win on the final day over Verona. I Rossoblù will be hoping to avoid any such dramas this season and do have some pretty good home form to fall back on, but will be without Masiello and Cassata on opening day as both are suspended.

Crotone – promoted thanks to their second-place finish in Serie B – will be keen for this to be more than a single-season stopover in Serie A, and as such will be hoping to get some points on the board early on. The fact they kick off in an empty stadium may well be a positive for them away from home and for that reason, I see their promotion ‘bounce’ helping them to a surprise away win.

Pick: Crotone to win (+310)